Service - the big issue that's getting bigger

[RickMachE]

So, 2 years in on EVs with Ford, and the service picture isn't getting any better. At first, I attributed it to the pandemic. Now, I'm not so sure.

This isn't a parts availability issue, it's a trained technician issue. I bought my MachEs from a dealer that provided me with relatively prompt service, but always had a queue and has been saying for 2 years now that they have 1 fully trained EV tech. They also said when I was considering buying a Lightning that they would not service it, and are standing behind that.

So, Lightning needs service. Made a bad decision to go with a close dealer that is small, instead of a bigger dealer that is 20 miles away. Bad move. The small dealer also has one EV tech, and he was out for 2 days. They might have me bring it back (I picked it up yesterday when he didn't come in again) tomorrow, if he finishes last week's job that they didn't know he had in his queue...

Calls to other dealerships, even from the BEV team, yield waits of 3 weeks or even 5 weeks, for an available tech.

It's not getting better, and it needs to. I don't know if Ford needs more classes, or needs to light the flame under the dealers butts, but as sales keep increasing this is going to get worse. Not optimistic right now.

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[HuntingPudel]

Dealers are being cheap. They are not ponying up the cash to get additional techs certified. If Ford changes their requirements for dealer EV certification to increase the number of EV certified techs the dealers will protest. We, the end-users, are basically screwed unless we are using a forward-thinking dealer for our service. ??

 

[Neil4Real]

This is still industry wide. Land Rover, weeks for service appointments here and even basic maintenance takes a few days, if you have an actual issue, they'll take forever to look into it. No rental cars ever available, always a crappy shuttle. Put your name on the list for a rental and they'll call the day your car is ready to say to come pick one up. Only plus is they'll pick up and drop off the car, unless you get lucky with a rental then you have to go in.

Volkswagen is a super joke, all 3 dealers down here are ass backwards and get you in and let the car sit for days even with nonstop calling "nothing we can do, no man power, blah, blah." I then keep getting the car back without them doing anything about the actual issue, even with a printed bulletin for it!

Mercedes is the most decent because they at least have the best shot at a rental, but still have to leave it overnight just to get basic maintenance done (oil change and tire rotation). No pickup and delivery service like Land Rover.

Friend just bought a new Cadillac, they agreed to all-weather floor mats with the deal, took him 2 months to get them. He'd check in every week - they're on their way, parts is out today, just found out parts manager quit and didn't put in the request for his guys to ship them, blah, blah, blah. It's freakin' crazy!

 

[DevSecOps]

EVs make up less than 1% of vehicles on the road in the USA. I'm not talking about new vehicle sales because service centers service all vehicles on the road.

That being said, it's not surprising that only 1% of their workforce is EV certified.

I, for one, certainly wish there were more EV certified techs as my car has over 100 days at the dealership for repairs. I just don't really expect it based on the overwhelming majority of ICE vehicles. Each time I've taken my MME in for service I'm the only EV in the 5 lines they have.

I think going with a pure EV manufacturer at this time is the best idea for serviceability and continual software improvements.

 

[shutterbug]

So, 2 years in on EVs with Ford, and the service picture isn't getting any better. At first, I attributed it to the pandemic. Now, I'm not so sure.

This isn't a parts availability issue, it's a trained technician issue. I bought my MachEs from a dealer that provided me with relatively prompt service, but always had a queue and has been saying for 2 years now that they have 1 fully trained EV tech. They also said when I was considering buying a Lightning that they would not service it, and are standing behind that.

So, Lightning needs service. Made a bad decision to go with a close dealer that is small, instead of a bigger dealer that is 20 miles away. Bad move. The small dealer also has one EV tech, and he was out for 2 days. They might have me bring it back (I picked it up yesterday when he didn't come in again) tomorrow, if he finishes last week's job that they didn't know he had in his queue...

Calls to other dealerships, even from the BEV team, yield waits of 3 weeks or even 5 weeks, for an available tech.

It's not getting better, and it needs to. I don't know if Ford needs more classes, or needs to light the flame under the dealers butts, but as sales keep increasing this is going to get worse. Not optimistic right now.

It's not just Ford and it's not just EVs.

 

[DevSecOps]

It's not just Ford and it's not just EVs.

Correct, but Ford won't reimburse a dealer for EV specific work on an EV unless the work was done by an EV certified tech. This makes things tricky for people who live in areas where there's sparse availability of such techs. That's not a problem that exists with ICE.

 

[superdave80]

It's not just an EV thing, it's just dealerships in general. Last year when my Kia Optima engine blew up and had my car towed in (out of town dealership), they said they couldn't even LOOK at it for 3-4 weeks to diagnose it. And that was when I went out and bought my MachE because I couldn't go months without a car.

The year before that when I wanted the dealer I bought from to look at oil consumption, it was also three weeks for an appointment. Took it to ANOTHER dealer, and even with an appointment for just an oil change (that THEY required for the consumption test), I sat for four hours waiting for my car.

Dealerships can't/won't hire enough trained people for the volume of work they have. But that is just par for the course for companies in the US right now. They ask themselves: What is the minimum number of minimum paid people we can get by with?

 

[shutterbug]

No, but Ford won't reimburse a dealer for EV specific work on an EV unless the work was done by an EV certified tech. This makes things tricky for people who live in areas where there's sparse availability of such techs. That's not a problem that exists with ICE.

My sister got Mercedes EQS last year. It comes with a puzzling feature. You can open the moon roof, but once it's open, it won't close until you take it to the dealer and they take 3 days resetting something. She's been dealing with that for over 6 months now. And that's for car with a $100K+ price tag!

 

[Jimrpa]

I think part of the problem is even finding and retaining auto techs. This is happening in other industries as well. Want to make $3K-4K / week? Become a “traveling nurse”. Hospitals a desperate for nurses right now.

 

[DevSecOps]

My sister got Mercedes EQS last year. It comes with a puzzling feature. You can open the moon roof, but once it's open, it won't close until you take it to the dealer and they take 3 days resetting something. She's been dealing with that for over 6 months now. And that's for car with a $100K+ price tag!

I think there's a detail people are looking over. I don't think anyone is saying that it's not an industry wide problem. We continually see where the one and only EV tech goes on vacation, paternity leave etc and the car is stranded at the dealer for weeks waiting for their return. I think this is a big part of what Rick is saying and in the HVBJB thread just yesterday someone had the same problem.

 

[phil]

It's not just Ford and it's not just EVs.

Yes, and it's not just auto repair service.

Service has deteriorated across many industries, for several reasons. I expect recovery will be slow and spotty, at best. A lot of things may never recover, and just continue to get worse.

However, my Ford dealer has so far done a consistently good job for me.

 

[Neil4Real]

Correct, but Ford won't reimburse a dealer for EV specific work on an EV unless the work was done by an EV certified tech. This makes things tricky for people who live in areas where there's sparse availability of such techs. That's not a problem that exists with ICE.

That is how Ford operates period, even on ICE vehicles. The techs are dedicated to a specific role and can only do that, outside of the foreman. At Dodge, VW, Audi, wherever, any mechanic can do anything they're certified to do. Ford makes techs pick specialties and it causes a nightmare. The Service Director at my dealership hates it, he came from Dodge and Honda where he could give one car that needed work in multiple areas to one tech and they could do it all. At Ford, he has to schedule 2 or more techs to most cars, which further causes delays.

 

[Vulnox]

I think there's a detail people are looking over. I don't think anyone is saying that it's not an industry wide problem. We continually see where the one and only EV tech goes on vacation, paternity leave etc and the car is stranded at the dealer for weeks waiting for their return. I think this is a big part of what Rick is saying and in the HVBJB thread just yesterday someone had the same problem.

Right, people seem to be missing the key part of the complaint, which is they need to talk to an EV specific tech. I have had some longer waits getting my F-150 fixed, it was in for two weeks due to an issue a year ago, but even when the tech that was assigned to my truck was out for the day due to vacation, they could hand the issue over to another tech for that day if it was urgent.

When a dealership only has one EV trained tech, the already existing service issues are only exacerbated. Saying that it's not just EVs is focusing on the wrong part of the issue. It's not just EVs having delays, but the state of support for EVs is still on shaky ground.

Someone on Reddit had a dead 12v battery and roadside assistance called a tow truck for them to take the car to the dealer. A lot of cars can have 12v battery issues, just like people here saying "all companies" are having these service issues.

But the tow driver hooked on to that hole in the battery tray that we have threads about not hooking onto, and ripped the battery tray while winching it up on the flatbed. It's the little things that take an issue "everyone" is dealing with and turn it into EV specific, and a bigger problem.

 

[shutterbug]

I think there's a detail people are looking over. I don't think anyone is saying that it's not an industry wide problem. We continually see where the one and only EV tech goes on vacation, paternity leave etc and the car is stranded at the dealer for weeks waiting for their return. I think this is a big part of what Rick is saying and in the HVBJB thread just yesterday someone had the same problem.

Lack of qualified EV techss IS a problem, but it's not the only one. A friend of mine was telling me that his brand new RAV4 had a defective windshield wiper blade. The service advisor wanted him to leave the car for 3-5 days.

 

[Mach-Lee]

EV certified dealers should be required to have TWO EV certified techs on staff at all times. If they go down to one for more than a few months, then they should lose their EV certification and become forced to stop selling Ford EVs. Letting dealers sell what they can’t service HAS to stop.

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