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Hi all, I'm a lurker on here and haven't posted any threads before, but just wanted to post about my first experience at my Ford dealer's service department.
I bought my hybrid Lariat from them in January of this year and wanted to have my first oil change done. I scheduled an appointment through the FordPass app, and took the truck in this morning.
It was a good experience overall. The whole process took them about an hour and a half, and the waiting room had a window out to the shop so I was watching them as they pulled my truck into a bay and did their work. I also had brought with me a set of OEM Ford locking lugnuts that I had bought online, and asked if they would install these. They installed them at no charge, and I paid for the oil change using my FordPass points. It would have cost about $75 had I not used the points, which seems reasonable for a synthetic oil change in a modern vehicle. The paperwork that I received said they used Penzoil Gold oil, I'm not sure if this is the OEM oil that all Ford dealers use or not, but it seems suitable for this application.
Last week when, my truck showed a wrench icon on the dash along with the message "service vehicle soon". My FordPass app gave an alert at the same time that said there was a fault with the powertrain or AWD system. Obviously I don't have AWD, so I was worried it was an issue with the hybrid system. The message went away the very next time I drove the truck, so I figured the issue went away but I asked the service advisor today if they could check for any codes/issues stored in the computer. He showed me his computer screen at the service counter, and the truck had logged trouble data in the Ford service database. The error reported said that the computer had received invalid data from the gearshift control module. He did confirm that the fault was not currently present, so it appears to be an intermittent issue. The screen he showed me detailed all of the checks they need to do, basically taking the center console apart and unplugging and re-plugging the various connections, along with disconnecting the battery for a few moments to reset everything. Best case, it's a loose connection from the factory, worst case is that the gearshift module is bad and needs replacement (under warranty obviously). He said the dealership currently has a week and a half to two week wait for service, so since it's drivable I'm going to keep driving the truck and call and try to get an appointment scheduled. I chalk this issue up to it being a first year model vehicle, and honestly I was expecting some kind of issue due to that. I have mixed feelings on how the truck reports back to the Ford mothership, on one hand I can completely understand the concerns of privacy and location tracking and stuff. But on the other, it's super cool that the diagnostic data is reported automatically to the mothership over the truck's cellular connection. In the past, I've had intermittent issues with cars, and when taken to the dealer they would say there is no code stored in the computer, so try to bring it back right away the next time the problem happens. It seems like Ford's system is designed to eliminate this, and to report even intermittent issues as they occur.
Lastly, the technician who drove my truck to and from the bay kept it clean. I've had issues in the past with other cars at other dealerships who have left black, greasy fingerprints and marks on the seat, interior door panels, steering wheel, etc. Not a huge deal to clean up in most cases, but I was pleased that care was taken to keep the interior of my truck clean.
Thanks for reading my novel!
I bought my hybrid Lariat from them in January of this year and wanted to have my first oil change done. I scheduled an appointment through the FordPass app, and took the truck in this morning.
It was a good experience overall. The whole process took them about an hour and a half, and the waiting room had a window out to the shop so I was watching them as they pulled my truck into a bay and did their work. I also had brought with me a set of OEM Ford locking lugnuts that I had bought online, and asked if they would install these. They installed them at no charge, and I paid for the oil change using my FordPass points. It would have cost about $75 had I not used the points, which seems reasonable for a synthetic oil change in a modern vehicle. The paperwork that I received said they used Penzoil Gold oil, I'm not sure if this is the OEM oil that all Ford dealers use or not, but it seems suitable for this application.
Last week when, my truck showed a wrench icon on the dash along with the message "service vehicle soon". My FordPass app gave an alert at the same time that said there was a fault with the powertrain or AWD system. Obviously I don't have AWD, so I was worried it was an issue with the hybrid system. The message went away the very next time I drove the truck, so I figured the issue went away but I asked the service advisor today if they could check for any codes/issues stored in the computer. He showed me his computer screen at the service counter, and the truck had logged trouble data in the Ford service database. The error reported said that the computer had received invalid data from the gearshift control module. He did confirm that the fault was not currently present, so it appears to be an intermittent issue. The screen he showed me detailed all of the checks they need to do, basically taking the center console apart and unplugging and re-plugging the various connections, along with disconnecting the battery for a few moments to reset everything. Best case, it's a loose connection from the factory, worst case is that the gearshift module is bad and needs replacement (under warranty obviously). He said the dealership currently has a week and a half to two week wait for service, so since it's drivable I'm going to keep driving the truck and call and try to get an appointment scheduled. I chalk this issue up to it being a first year model vehicle, and honestly I was expecting some kind of issue due to that. I have mixed feelings on how the truck reports back to the Ford mothership, on one hand I can completely understand the concerns of privacy and location tracking and stuff. But on the other, it's super cool that the diagnostic data is reported automatically to the mothership over the truck's cellular connection. In the past, I've had intermittent issues with cars, and when taken to the dealer they would say there is no code stored in the computer, so try to bring it back right away the next time the problem happens. It seems like Ford's system is designed to eliminate this, and to report even intermittent issues as they occur.
Lastly, the technician who drove my truck to and from the bay kept it clean. I've had issues in the past with other cars at other dealerships who have left black, greasy fingerprints and marks on the seat, interior door panels, steering wheel, etc. Not a huge deal to clean up in most cases, but I was pleased that care was taken to keep the interior of my truck clean.
Thanks for reading my novel!
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