Does Service Scheduling Suck Everywhere Or Is This a Local Issue

[moocrab]

Hi Everyone,

Started getting errors that there is a front camera fault and that pre-collision assist is unavailable. Likely related but happening at different times my cruise control will just turn itself off. Scheduled a service appointment which was a week out (that's fine) but upon delivery they advised that it would be 8-10 days before they even look at it. I asked if I could just bring the car in 8-10 days later and of course they said no that they use a queue system and if the queue moves faster the car would be seen sooner. I don't like this answer, but I have an upcoming road trip planned and need a working car. I pressed the 8-10 day timeline again and they asked me which is better; Tell potential customers that they have no appointments available, or just continue scheduling appointments and provide updates. Personally, I think they should shut down scheduling as it's very clear that they are overbooked but that's just my opinion.

After inquiring about a loaner or rental they advised that they have no loaners and rentals are only reimbursed after a valid diagnosis and only covers 10 days. They put me in a Lyft and dropped my off at enterprise. Of course, they did not pre-arrange a pickup and I have to cover the upfront cost. As it stands I'm now at day 10, no updates, no diagnosis, no anything. Oh and, the rental car is a Kia Soul ?

I'm speaking of Camelback Ford in Phoenix. another Ford dealer close to my home is even longer wait times (3+ weeks). So anyway is this an everywhere problem or a bs Phoenix metro area problem?

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[AZBill]

I have had good response from Surprise Ford. I had an issue several weeks ago that occured over the weekend, I did a Sunday night drop-off and they called me by 9:30am on Monday and had the issue identified. It took them until Friday to return my car, because they were waiting on a part.

I also have a Rivian, they are scheduling appointments 7 weeks out and when I had mine in to the Phoenix service center it took them 12 days to fix it. It sat there for over a week before they even looked at it.

 

[21st Century Pony]

I would just drive the car and deal with the intermittent electronics later.

BTW - the scheduling problems you've described seem to be local. I've never had a scheduling problem, in Northern Virginia, in Louisville Kentucky, in Chicagoland and in Salt Lake City Utah... but then again, I've only scheduled basic 10K checks etc. or once, a tire switch after a blowout.

 

[DevSecOps]

We have the same problem around Sacramento, CA. They don't prioritize based on severity. Some dealerships, like Folsom Lake Ford are 5 weeks out on service appointments, others are 3-4.

The 10 day rental is a Ford thing across the board. That's all the dealership can do unless more is authorized. If you open a case with Ford corporate they can reimburse via a gift card if the issue is warranty and if you qualify. I would suggest calling the BEV team and opening a case since it seems like you might be out a car for a while.

(800) 392-3673

 

[BalsaDust]

I can safely say this is not really an everywhere problem. I have three Ford delaers within 15 minutes of my house and two of them I will never do business with! My local Ford dealer that I have done business with for over twenty years and now five new vehicles has always had a stellar service department. If I ever needed warranty service I would schedule it, usually a week out and I would drop my car off that morning and depending on the severity either wait or get dropped off at my job and then picked up when the car was ready.

Yes this dealership is not like anything else I have dealt with in my 50+ years of owning vehicles, they truly care about their customers and do their best to get work done in a timely manner.

That said, I can understand the issues with most dealerships, they are struggling to keep mechanics which around here have a tendency to quit when they see a better job elsewhere. Also most Ford dealerships as well as other makes are handicapped by the lack of EV certified mechanics.

Now I don't mean to excuse your dealership for these reasons, but sometimes it good to start up a pleasant conversation to find out exactly why their service "model" appears broken. You can even try the owners if they are approachable.

Tony

 

[moocrab]

I have had good response from Surprise Ford. I had an issue several weeks ago that occured over the weekend, I did a Sunday night drop-off and they called me by 9:30am on Monday and had the issue identified. It took them until Friday to return my car, because they were waiting on a part.

I also have a Rivian, they are scheduling appointments 7 weeks out and when I had mine in to the Phoenix service center it took them 12 days to fix it. It sat there for over a week before they even looked at it.

Surprise is a bit out of my way, but I'll keep this in mind and try them in the future.

I would just drive the car and deal with the intermittent electronics later.

BTW - the scheduling problems you've described seem to be local. I've never had a scheduling problem, in Northern Virginia, in Louisville Kentucky, in Chicagoland and in Salt Lake City Utah... but then again, I've only scheduled basic 10K checks etc. or once, a tire switch after a blowout.

I had been ignoring this error for a few weeks/months because it was intermittent, but it has increased in frequency. If related then I want the camera fixed, but cruise control is more important to me. I use cc everyday and I will not buy a car that doesn't have it. If they can't or won't fix it then I'll have to throw the whole car away.

 

[DR.J56]

A. The issue you have seems to be an ongoing issue. Theres a LONG thread on it here some where.
B. My dealer is the same. 1 month to bring the vehicle in. Then it sits in line to be looked at. MOST of the time, the time is much shorter than they quote. The good news has always been once they diagnose it, the repair has been fast. HVJB replacement happened overnight, literally!!!! I thought my service advisor was full of shit, I was wrong. LOL.

I’m not sure if this helps, but its my experience in Central Texas.

EDIT: Surprise Ford. You have got to see the humor in that one…...

SECOND EDIT: Take your trip, then service the car.

 

[BMT1071]

Surprise is a bit out of my way, but I'll keep this in mind and try them in the future.



I had been ignoring this error for a few weeks/months because it was intermittent, but it has increased in frequency. If related then I want the camera fixed, but cruise control is more important to me. I use cc everyday and I will not buy a car that doesn't have it. If they can't or won't fix it then I'll have to throw the whole car away.

I bought and have had my car serviced at Chapman. I've only been in for service twice, but both times appointments were readily available. Both visits my car was completed the next day even though I told them I would be out of town for three days. Complementary Lyft to/from Sky Harbor. Couldn't ask for anything more. YMMV.

 

[shutterbug]

I'm speaking of Camelback Ford in Phoenix.

Stay away from Camelback Ford!!!

 

[TMcCall]

Hi Everyone,

Started getting errors that there is a front camera fault and that pre-collision assist is unavailable. Likely related but happening at different times my cruise control will just turn itself off. Scheduled a service appointment which was a week out (that's fine) but upon delivery they advised that it would be 8-10 days before they even look at it. I asked if I could just bring the car in 8-10 days later and of course they said no that they use a queue system and if the queue moves faster the car would be seen sooner. I don't like this answer, but I have an upcoming road trip planned and need a working car. I pressed the 8-10 day timeline again and they asked me which is better; Tell potential customers that they have no appointments available, or just continue scheduling appointments and provide updates. Personally, I think they should shut down scheduling as it's very clear that they are overbooked but that's just my opinion.

After inquiring about a loaner or rental they advised that they have no loaners and rentals are only reimbursed after a valid diagnosis and only covers 10 days. They put me in a Lyft and dropped my off at enterprise. Of course, they did not pre-arrange a pickup and I have to cover the upfront cost. As it stands I'm now at day 10, no updates, no diagnosis, no anything. Oh and, the rental car is a Kia Soul ?

I'm speaking of Camelback Ford in Phoenix. another Ford dealer close to my home is even longer wait times (3+ weeks). So anyway is this an everywhere problem or a bs Phoenix metro area problem?

On Wednesday I got a service message on my screen and my FordPass showed it as a Powertrain Malfunction /Reduced Power. Called to get a service date and can’t get one until Oct 4, which is 3 weeks from my call. Also told to only drive locally until then. I have a 90 minute commute! I’m in MA, called another dealer and same message. No loaners available. Bought the car in June after waiting 10 months. Love the car but I can not be without a car and am not happy I have to foot the bill for a rental and hope they will cover it. Any suggestions? Anyone else have a similar diagnosis and can shed some light?

 

[Lmpspradlin]

Hi Everyone,

Started getting errors that there is a front camera fault and that pre-collision assist is unavailable. Likely related but happening at different times my cruise control will just turn itself off. Scheduled a service appointment which was a week out (that's fine) but upon delivery they advised that it would be 8-10 days before they even look at it. I asked if I could just bring the car in 8-10 days later and of course they said no that they use a queue system and if the queue moves faster the car would be seen sooner. I don't like this answer, but I have an upcoming road trip planned and need a working car. I pressed the 8-10 day timeline again and they asked me which is better; Tell potential customers that they have no appointments available, or just continue scheduling appointments and provide updates. Personally, I think they should shut down scheduling as it's very clear that they are overbooked but that's just my opinion.

After inquiring about a loaner or rental they advised that they have no loaners and rentals are only reimbursed after a valid diagnosis and only covers 10 days. They put me in a Lyft and dropped my off at enterprise. Of course, they did not pre-arrange a pickup and I have to cover the upfront cost. As it stands I'm now at day 10, no updates, no diagnosis, no anything. Oh and, the rental car is a Kia Soul ?

I'm speaking of Camelback Ford in Phoenix. another Ford dealer close to my home is even longer wait times (3+ weeks). So anyway is this an everywhere problem or a bs Phoenix metro area problem?

Definitely a problem in the Philly and south jersey area! I haven’t had my car since 8/2 between service backlog and parts issues.

 

[RickMachE]

This is a dealership-specific issue. I have many Ford dealers to pick from, 10 within 30 minutes. My prior dealership is quite large, and they had one EV mechanic and two in training, and used that excuse for 2 years. I switched to a smaller dealership that also has only one EV tech. Roughly a 2 week wait, although I haven't had an "emergency". Another one has 3 EV techs, one devoted to fleet business. They also said about 2 weeks, possibly more.

 

[Maquis]

This is a dealership-specific issue. I have many Ford dealers to pick from, 10 within 30 minutes. My prior dealership is quite large, and they had one EV mechanic and two in training, and used that excuse for 2 years. I switched to a smaller dealership that also has only one EV tech. Roughly a 2 week wait, although I haven't had an "emergency". Another one has 3 EV techs, one devoted to fleet business. They also said about 2 weeks, possibly more.

I don’t have a problem being scheduled like that. I can usually get my car into the shop in a week or less. The thing I would have a problem with is (like many are reporting) if the dealer gave me a date to bring the car in, but they don’t touch it for weeks more. There’s no excuse for that.

 

[RickMachE]

I don’t have a problem being scheduled like that. I can usually get my car into the shop in a week or less. The thing I would have a problem with is (like many are reporting) if the dealer gave me a date to bring the car in, but they don’t touch it for weeks more. There’s no excuse for that.

Yes, some dealers do that.

My current dealer (small), let's me bring it right when they are ready. Tech takes it within 30 minutes or less. They know a) I'm 15 minutes away and b) reliable to show up. They also will pre-order parts when FDRS shows them it's needed. Just did the headlight control replacement that way. Will be doing the Lightning taillight and possibly the module replacement that way as well. But I only work through Service Managers, so that helps.

 

[DevSecOps]

I don’t have a problem being scheduled like that. I can usually get my car into the shop in a week or less. The thing I would have a problem with is (like many are reporting) if the dealer gave me a date to bring the car in, but they don’t touch it for weeks more. There’s no excuse for that.

At our local Ford dealership they took it a step further. All check-ins for service for the entire day are done between 7:30-8:30am. Therefore, if you get there for your 7:30 appointment and you want to wait they tell you your actual appointment isn't until 1pm and you'll be waiting a while.

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