Ford dealer personnel training or lack of !

[Rew409]

I took my Maverick in to have trans , ptu, rdu oil drained & filled. I was going to do myself and bought the ptu oil & rdu oils from a dealer . But decided to have a dealer do it and took the two oils to them . Was told they had done lots of them by the Quik Lane person. Had to sign a work approval estimate for just under $500 and was told by same person it won’t be that much. Was told my Maverick was ready and that I’d be happy with the bill . They told me they drained my rdu and filled it back up and it took more than the one quart so they used part of the other quart ( the ptu oil which is not the same ).And they told me they did not drain & fill the ptu because it shares oil with the transmission (which it does not ). Next they said they drained & filled my transmission and it only took 4 quarts. I was stunned . I told them I needed to speak with a manager. I tried to tell the quick lane manager my dilemma. She went into the work area and talked to the ”mechanic” and came out and offered to drain and fill my rdu. I remained stunned and asked to speak with the service manager. Spoke with the service manager & told him my dilemma. First thing he said was ” this was the first Maverick they had changed fluids in “. This whole time I had my copies of Fords service manual pages for this maintenance in my hand ( it was in my truck back floor board when they were working on it ). I was in shock this happened. I mean I could not believe this Ford dealership had done this ! The service manager told me a few times that he would have his trans tech in the service department drain & fill everything correctly. I finally gave in and left my Maverick over night for them to correct this. I called the next day and asked to have my transmission flushed because I did not trust what quick lane had done and the service manager agreed to do it. I was a helicopter mechanic for 41 years . I still can’t believe that this dealership had someone work on my truck without looking at a manual and the service manager saying this was their first time working on a Maverick. I posted this to alert all Maverick owners to be aware of where and who you have touch your truck . I’ve seen on this forum where Ford contacts some entrys . I hope they contact me .

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[Scott Asheville]

This is what happens when a nation completely ignores trades education and devalues trades careers. I lived and served in Germany for two years during the cold war. Highly trained mechanics. Highly trained tradesmen in any career you could think of. In unions. Well paid. Proud of their work. With excellent social status.

I still remember my jaw dropping to the floor when I picked up my Honda CRX after a routine oil change and service. Every component on the car had been noticeably adjusted. The clutch felt tighter. The parking brake was adjusted. I mean every item on that checklist had been performed.

In the USA, you're lucky to get the filter changed with your oil. That's assuming they don't outright lie to you and don't even change the oil

I have a friend who marks or tapes every component to be serviced with initials before service. He called out a Honda dealer when they said they replaced two hatch struts but only replaced one. The mechanic and service manager denied it to his face. He made the dealership manager and showed him the initials on the unchanged strut. That's American car service in a nut shell.

 

[surfstar]

No one cares about my property as much as I do.

If you want something done right...

 

[TJ2023]

I'm confused on why you thought it would be a good idea to have this done at a QL...

 

[DTF-Garage]

I'm confused on why you thought it would be a good idea to have this done at a QL...

Why would it not be? Quick Lane is Ford, it's just the easier, less in-depth work that they focus on doing. I had my QuickLane techs do the trans drain & fill on my Maverick and it was fine. Sounds like they just had a dumbass technician working on it.

 

[TJ2023]

Why would it not be? Quick Lane is Ford, it's just the easier, less in-depth work that they focus on doing. I had my QuickLane techs do the trans drain & fill on my Maverick and it was fine. Sounds like they just had a dumbass technician working on it.

The majority of QL techs have no formal training. I wouldn't trust them with much more than a basic oil change. Sure every QL probably has a few good techs, but any good tech is going to receive better training and end up in the actual service department. Plus this guy said he was a helicopter mechanic for 40+ years. He should know that its better to do it yourself. I won't let anyone work on my truck unless its something I can't do myself. If I can't do it I make sure to find someone I know will do everything the right way.

 

[Montana]

Lube/Oil/Filter "tech's" are always the lowest on the totem pole. The have no real training. If fluid changes can be done yourself, it's always the better option. The question you have to ask when taking your vehicle in for something as simple as an oil change is: "Is my vehicle worth their training?". Only you can decide that answer, but most people would say it's not. The chances of getting someone that actually cares and isn't overworked/underpaid with any formal training is slim.

Sorry this happened to you, and they clearly are the worst possible example, but it's becoming all too common. It's one thing to have never serviced said vehicle type before... but it's at a FORD dealer that has access to the manuals with specifics. There really is no excuse other than stupidity.

 

[JetFixxxer]

This is why I didn't take my vehicle or purchase a vehicle from local dealership for the past 20 years. I did give them a chance, but they forgot to put the fasteners back on the engine shield (diaper) on an Escape and then proceeded to tell me it wasn't them. Even though we just picked it up from them after an oil change. Then finally admitting to it might have been them, but you know how cheap the fasteners are.

They had the same escape for two days for overheating issues after calling them out. They charged me to replaces hoses and then 20 minutes after picking it up overheated heated again. Charged me more to change some more hoses. Then picked it up the next day. We had to drive 70 miles to pick up my son from school and once off the highway and hit a traffic it light. The car went into limp mode because of overheating. After everything said and done, it was the fan that was the issues. They told me I didn't know what I was talking about (as aircraft aren't the same as automobiles) when I called them out for not checking the fan from day 1.. It was troubleshooting 101. I did get my money back for the hoses.

 

[Nw_adventure]

Thankfully I did not trust my dealer for my PTU/RDU service and did it myself last week- Pretty simple with all things considered. My RDU - Drain and refill to the point it was flowing out the fill plug did not use more than 24 ounces - FYI

 

[Mainer500]

I took my Maverick in to have trans , ptu, rdu oil drained & filled. I was going to do myself and bought the ptu oil & rdu oils from a dealer . But decided to have a dealer do it and took the two oils to them . Was told they had done lots of them by the Quik Lane person. Had to sign a work approval estimate for just under $500 and was told by same person it won’t be that much. Was told my Maverick was ready and that I’d be happy with the bill . They told me they drained my rdu and filled it back up and it took more than the one quart so they used part of the other quart ( the ptu oil which is not the same ).And they told me they did not drain & fill the ptu because it shares oil with the transmission (which it does not ). Next they said they drained & filled my transmission and it only took 4 quarts. I was stunned . I told them I needed to speak with a manager. I tried to tell the quick lane manager my dilemma. She went into the work area and talked to the ”mechanic” and Amelia out and offered to drain and fill my rdu. I remained stunned and asked to speak with the service manager. Spoke with the service manager & told him my dilemma. First thing he said was ” this was the first Maverick they had changed fluids in “. This whole time I had my copies of Fords service manual pages for this maintenance in my hand ( it was in my truck back floor board when they were working on it ). I was in shock this happened. I mean I could not believe this Ford dealership had done this ! The service manager told me a few times that he would have his trans tech in the service department drain & fill everything correctly. I finally gave in and left my Maverick over night for them to correct this. I called the next day and asked to have my transmission flushed because I did not trust what quick lane had done and the service manager agreed to do it. I was a helicopter mechanic for 41 years . I still can’t believe that this dealership had someone work on my truck without looking at a manual and the service manager saying this was their first time working on a Maverick. I posted this to alert all Maverick owners to be aware of where and who you have touch your truck . I’ve seen on this forum where Ford contacts some entrys . I hope they contact me .

That's a wow. Most of us would have no clue. Because you bring it to the dealership, assume (and you know what happens when you assume that the mechanics know WTF they're doing. Good catch and thank you for sharing this, too.

 

[Rew409]

This is why I didn't take my vehicle or purchase a vehicle from local dealership for the past 20 years. I did give them a chance, but they forgot to put the fasteners back on the engine shield (diaper) on an Escape and then proceeded to tell me it wasn't them. Even though we just picked it up from them after an oil change. Then finally admitting to it might have been them, but you know how cheap the fasteners are.

They had the same escape for two days for overheating issues after calling them out. They charged me to replaces hoses and then 20 minutes after picking it up overheated heated again. Charged me more to change some more hoses. Then picked it up the next day. We had to drive 70 miles to pick up my son from school and once off the highway and hit a traffic it light. The car went into limp mode because of overheating. After everything said and done, it was the fan that was the issues. They told me I didn't know what I was talking about (as aircraft aren't the same as automobiles) when I called them out for not checking the fan from day 1.. It was troubleshooting 101. I did get my money back for the hoses.

Yep we are definitely talking a different animal when comparing aircraft techs to dealership personnel !

 

[TJ2023]

That's a wow. Most of us would have no clue. Because you bring it to the dealership, assume (and you know what happens when you assume that the mechanics know WTF they're doing. Good catch and thank you for sharing this, too.

There aren't mechanics in QL, only techs. Like Montana said they are the low men on the totem pole. Most with little or no experience before starting there. It's not a good paying position so there is lots of turn over. The ones that are good and take their jobs seriously will be mechanics and moved to the service department.

 

[TJ2023]

Yep we are definitely talking a different animal when comparing aircraft techs to dealership personnel !

Aircraft mechanics are highly trained. QL techs have little to no training prior to working there.

 

[Edge Haley]

Took my 2022 Hybrid in for first service...oil change and minor recall. Should have known better when the Service Tech Supervisor said it was the first Maverick he had ever seen...Months later after a 5,000 trip from Atlanta to Seattle I stopped at a Valvoline Quicky Oil change place in Montana and the service technician informed me that it took longer than expected to change the oil....that the oil drain cover plate was on crooked and they had to find another bolt to put the plate back in straight since the FORD Quick Service guy in Atlanta had stripped the bolt trying to force the oil pan cover back on cock-eyed.

So it is that way most everywhere.

What is worth noting it that the Valvoline "Lady" that change my oil, filter and replaced the oil drain cover "correctly" had never worked on a Maverick (or seen one) before but she figured it out and had me back on the road in 35 minutes.

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