Well that's it.... We've had it with Ford and this Bronco Sport
Only West coast US folks would recognize the name. Me? I'm originally a mid-westerner, now east coaster, but heard the name referenced in various game shows.
Calvin Coolidge Worthington (November 27, 1920 – September 8, 2013)
Goes to show how effective his commercials were that I can still remember his pitch line twenty years later.
Last edited:
- First Name
- Sherman
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2021
- Threads
- 29
- Messages
- 1,829
- Reaction score
- 1,887
- Location
- MIDDLETOWN, MD
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 Badlands ordered 12/17/2021 - Arrived 3/25/22
From my post (#76) above:
"That has been my experience. It is good to have it backed up by someone with 25 years in the business.
You asked, "...what difference does it matter where they bought it?" What I've heard, from a variety of sources over decades, is that warranty work pays less -- for both parts and labor. If the service dept has open bays, they probably will not mind doing warranty repairs, but if they are booked weeks in advance with 'ordinary' retail customers, they will look at warranty work as a LOSS.
Something else I've heard (not nearly as often) is that there are dealerships that focus primarily on sales. Their service dept is minimal, and they count on customers taking their vehicles to other dealerships. Again, the other dealers should not care if the vehicles are out of warranty -- money is money -- but if the selling dealer is essentially farming out most of their warranty work, that could cause hard feelings.
Bottom line, the mfrs are not paying enough for warranty work, and the customers are stuck in the middle."
For balance, I've also posted my former coworker's experience -- bought a M5 used with a few months factory warranty left (private sale). Took it to a local BMW dealer. They treated him like royalty -- brand new BMW loaner car; repaired everything he mentioned, PLUS some stuff they found; and thoroughly detailed his car before returning it to him. No "established relationship", in fact, he'd never set foot in the place. So it's definitely not 100% negative.
Point being, there are rarely absolutes -- and dealer attitudes about warranty work is no exception. I see no reason to doubt any of the experiences people report, positive or negative.
As you pointed out, "...the situation varies" -- but their are enough tales of poor treatment that the mfrs and dealers need to renegotiate how much warranty work pays so that all dealers treat their customers like that BMW dealer treated my coworker.
I always heard that most dealerships make most of their money on parts, warranty work , etc, not on actual car sales.
The worthless addons shown in addition to the window sticker are for sure a rip off and money maker if you fall for them.
My situation may be unique, possibly because of my location and the number of dealerships in the area competing for business. I count at least 30 Ford dealers within a 60 mile radius of my home.
Buying 4 different used vehicles, none from my local dealerships, Audi, Mercedes, Ford and Jeep and never an issue getting work done locally is gratifying.
I've owned just about every make possible, except Toyota and BMW in my 60 years, of owning cars and I can tell you that there is a difference with the service departments of Audi and Mercedes, a step above all the other brands. Maybe a European thing.
Again, my situation may be uncommon.
The worthless addons shown in addition to the window sticker are for sure a rip off and money maker if you fall for them.
My situation may be unique, possibly because of my location and the number of dealerships in the area competing for business. I count at least 30 Ford dealers within a 60 mile radius of my home.
Buying 4 different used vehicles, none from my local dealerships, Audi, Mercedes, Ford and Jeep and never an issue getting work done locally is gratifying.
I've owned just about every make possible, except Toyota and BMW in my 60 years, of owning cars and I can tell you that there is a difference with the service departments of Audi and Mercedes, a step above all the other brands. Maybe a European thing.
Again, my situation may be uncommon.
- First Name
- Sherman
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2021
- Threads
- 29
- Messages
- 1,829
- Reaction score
- 1,887
- Location
- MIDDLETOWN, MD
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 Badlands ordered 12/17/2021 - Arrived 3/25/22
You may be on to something -- 30 Ford dealers within a 60 mile radius is a LOT of competition. That said, I'd guess that Ford considers population density when they set up dealerships -- so that each one 'pulls' from approx. the same number of people. So they aren't starving, but still, as you said, it gives customers plenty of choices.
All I know about the car business is what I've read (some written by current/former service managers) and seen in videos. All I can do is repeat what I've heard over the decades, which is that dealers make more money from service than sales (as you said) -- but, many/most have a serious attitude problem when it comes to warranty work. Yes, it's also service work, but it is much less profitable. I've heard that from several techs & service managers.
In short, I agree with your post -- I would just change "warranty work" to regular customer paid service/repairs. They do also make some money on warranty repairs, just not as much.
PS: Go Hawkeyes!
- First Name
- Kevin
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2023
- Threads
- 55
- Messages
- 2,494
- Reaction score
- 3,706
- Location
- Gainesville
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks Area51
With all the competition in car sales, you'd think that they would be much better with repair work/customer service.
What that tells me is that most folks simply accept the poor service and lack of attention to detail.
That's sad.
What that tells me is that most folks simply accept the poor service and lack of attention to detail.
That's sad.
Normally when you post something positive you can hear crickets. My 2021 BSBL just turned over 30,000 miles. At less than 1,000 miles the manual park release cable was replaced. Since then I’ve had no recalls, bulletins, or any problems. I love my Bronco and will likely trade this in eventually for another BS. I’m not trying to rub it in to people with problems but instead trying to point out that many are good vehicles. All manufacturers occasionally make junk but the vast majority are well made.
- First Name
- Bill
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2021
- Threads
- 11
- Messages
- 2,399
- Reaction score
- 3,494
- Location
- USA
- Website
- www.billsgarage.info
- Vehicle(s)
- "21 BS Badlands, '16 F150 Platinum FX4
'21 Badlands here. Mine needed Manual Park Release Cable too, heard brake moan a few times over the years, but its overall excellent so far. 22k miles on it now.
I’m having a very similar issue and cannot stand the way these dealerships are treating me.. 5 days just to look at my car is ridiculous. My turbo is malfunctioning and I had another shop diagnose the issue and tell me that ford should cover it under their warranty. But when I take it to ford I can’t get any service done because I have to have my car for work… these people are insane. Can we please start a petition or somthing ?
- First Name
- Sherman
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2021
- Threads
- 29
- Messages
- 1,829
- Reaction score
- 1,887
- Location
- MIDDLETOWN, MD
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 Badlands ordered 12/17/2021 - Arrived 3/25/22
I'm sorry to hear you're having a difficult time.
Some dealers will give customers a loaner car to use while their car is in the shop. IDK how common that is though. They certainly do not have to.
Since you're in a major metro area (Atlanta) you should have several dealerships to choose from. I believe you can have work done at Lincoln dealers also. You might call around, describe the problem, and see a) when they can get your BS into the shop, b) approx. how long the repair will take, and c) if they can give you a loaner while your BS is being repaired.
As has been discussed here on the forum, some dealers are happy to do warranty work, while others are not, and insist that they will only handle warranty repairs on vehicles that they sold. You should be able to get an idea about which camp a dealer is in by how they answer the questions above.
Good luck!
Sponsored