Ford: 1998 Sable - Visit to the Garage

Hi,

I completely understand your frustration with service advisors. The first
thing that must be understood when dealing with most garages/dealership
service departments is the way they are compensated. Most service centers
pay service writers a small flat fee plus a monthly commission for the
amount of work they sell. This doesn't mean all advisors are out to dig into
your wallet but keep it in mind. Mechanics/Technicians are usually paid
flat rate. This means they are paid for the work that is done. If they
install a water pump and the labor guide says it pays 2.0 hr.. they get paid
2.0 hr. whether it takes 1.0 hr. or 3.0 hr.. The industry is based on
upselling to the customer (most service centers are ligitiment). With this
in mind, ask to see the written repair order when the writer has finished
writing it. Be sure it has your description of the problem, not the
writers. Be sure to tell the writer to call you with the estimate before
performing any work.

This is the important part. Ask to speak to the technician that will work
on your vehicle. Once you make contact with this person your visit will be
much more pleasant, because now he/she is on a personal level, your not just
another car in the bay. Explain your situation.

I assume you mean the car pings when you state "Chatter". If your going to a
ford dealer they will suggest a diagnosis including a code retrieval. They
retrieve codes in one of two ways. The first is a scan tool names NGS.
This is a universal scanning tool. The second possibility is what's called
a WDS scanner (more advanced). Either tool will do the job. They will scan
your system for diagnostic codes (a 2-5 digit code used to direct the
technician towards the problem). This code won't fix the problem, just help
the tech locate it.

The cost of this diagnosis is usually One hour @ the shop rate (usually
between $50-$75) depending on your location. Any addition diagnosis will be
at the cost of the time involved. This shouldn't be any more then another
hour however additional diag labor is rare.

If ping is the problem and everything else checks out OK the tech can adjust
the octane setting with the scan tool. Keep in mind the first thing the
writer is going to tell you is to increase the fuel quality your using.

If all else fails ask to speak to the service manager. Keep your cool and
good luck.

Hope this helps,

John


"Damaeus" <invalid.net> wrote in message
news:com... 

AutoZone will read the codes for you but there may not be any. Is your
Check Engine light on?

I "test" auto repair shops by visiting them for simple stuff like oil
changes. You can tell a lot about a garage that way. Look at the floors
and work areas. Observe customer relations. Generally get a feel for the
place. My personal experience is that I seem to get a more customer
friendly experience at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer than a Ford dealer but that
may not hold true where you live. Either one is fully qualified to service
your car. I have generally been more pleased with a dealer shop than
someone else. I especially avoid big chain shops.

You might also ask folks you know who drive Ford products where they go for
service and how pleased they are.

Most service businesses are now realizing that good customer relations can
make or break a business.

I hope this is a little helpful -

Paul in Dayton



"Damaeus" <invalid.net> wrote in message
news:com... 

Damaeus wrote: 
just go to a ford dealer and tell them the same thing.. they will not
tell you what they will do until the bill is up to $1200 or more and
they will get rid of the clatter.. if not you just bring it back and
they will charge you some more...

Great advise, John! Nicely explained, too!

Paul


"PC PODD" <com> wrote in message
news:com... 
into 
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In news:alt.autos.ford, "F&P" <net> posted on
Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:52:32 GMT:
 

Yes, it is. I'm tempted to just go into a shop and say "replace the
pink sensor" and just hope I'm right.
 

Firestone is the worst. I took my car in once about a week after the
radiator had been drained and refilled. The service writer relayed a
message from the mechanic that the radiator needed to be flushed and
filled. I told him it had just been done a week ago. He said that it
was really muddy in there and needed to be changed. I went home and
checked it myself. It was as beautiful a green as you could ask for.

Same Firestone, same car, same service writer, same day: They said I
had a lug nut missing. I figured I'd been driving around for four
months with a missing lugnut, so taking a trip to Auto Zone myself to
pick up a new one certainly wouldn't do any harm. I passed on that
recommendation. I went to Auto Zone, bought a lug nut, then popped off
all the wheel covers. I couldn't find a missing lug nut anywhere, and
all the lug nuts that were on my wheels looked like they'd been there
for a very long time.

Another Firestone: I took a '95 S-10 into the shop to have the
transmission oil changed. Everything was working perfectly when I took
the truck in. When I got it back, it wouldn't go in reverse. I need to
have the transmission fluid changed in my Sable, but I'm kind of
paranoid about it right now because if something happens to the
transmission again, I don't yet have enough funds in reserve to fix it.
I should be able to save up another $700 or so in the next couple of
weeks. That'll put me up to about $1,000. I really want to have $2,000
in reserve to take care of the transmission before I have the fluid
changed, and not by Firestone.

Damaeus

What part of the US ( I presume) do you live in? I don't know if you look like
you have sucker written on your forehead or what...when I first move in to an
area I ask around about good repair people...I go in and talk to them about
"how do you handle this problem..." as I was lucky enough to find a good repair
person around Harrisburg, PA. I had a 88 Tempo and it made weird noises when I
turn or corner so when I took in it after many other normal visits - they wrote
diagnois problem...and they did several things that didn't fix it - some they
charged for and some they didn't. If they replaced parts that were worn and
would need replacing sooner I said charge me...if it was "iffy" they didn't.
And they didn't charge labor on some either. I was gonna keep that car as long
as it could run...I had it till 1996 and over 250,000 miles. Find a good
repairman and stick with them. Good luck - Linda

Buy a Chevy to eliminate service troubles.



"Damaeus" <invalid.net> wrote in message
news:com... 


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In news:alt.autos.ford, <net> posted on Sun, 14 Sep 2003
22:50:48 -0400:
 

I've actually had more trouble with GM products than with Ford products,
so I think I'll stick with my Mercury for now. That A/C blows so cold
that my nipples stick straight out in the middle of summer.

Damaeus