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View Full Version : A Great dealer for you CT guys!!!!



BillyGman
10-01-2003, 12:50 AM
I went to Wilson Ford in branford to talk to the Service Manager in person in order to ask him if he would be willing to install an after market Torque Converter in my MM and if he would leave my warantee intact. Not only did he say no problem, but he also doesn't have a problem w/me installing a computer chip either. Furthermore he then proceeded to walk me in the back of the dealer's garage to show me his Shelby racing car that he races at Limerock. He then told me that as far as he's concerned, people don't buy a car like the Marauder to drive it like grandma drives. What a cool guy! And he's the top dog in the service department. So even though I was about to install the Torque converter myself(just as I did the rear end gears) I made an appointment to let that dealer do it since he told me thay it's only going to cost me about $250 for labor, and I was hoping to establish a working relationship w/a mod friendly high performance oriented dealer anyway. I never thought that I'd find one here in Connenticut, but I'm very glad that I have. especially since all of these things I'm hearing about the potential Transmission problems w/these cars.

jgc61sr2002
10-01-2003, 09:19 PM
See if he is willing to put that in writing. Talk is cheap.

Bigdogjim
10-01-2003, 09:59 PM
Can't go wrong when you talk to the TOP DOG!!

BillyGman
10-02-2003, 01:28 AM
Originally posted by Bigdogjim
Can't go wrong when you talk to the TOP DOG!!

yep, I agree....and that was atleast part of the focus of my whole point.

BillyGman
10-02-2003, 01:52 AM
Originally posted by jgc61sr2002
See if he is willing to put that in writing. Talk is cheap.

I appreciate your concern, cuz I suspect that you're just trying to look out for me as a fellow Marauder owner. However, you have to keep in mind that it's very rare to find a dealer w/a service manager who's into racing himself, and who also is an avid high perfomance car enthusiast. I mean the guy showed me his race car sitting right there in the dealer's garage! And w/his name painted all over it! This guy isn't just another talker, and since he's aware that there aren't very many Marauder owners around, I don't think he has any reason to tell me any falsehoods just to get a few hundred dollars out of me for labor charges. Especially when most of that few hundred dollars isn't going in his pocket anyway. My focus on this issue is that this is exactly the type of service manager that any of us would need to be on our side when it comes to getting the manufacture to honor their waurantee on a MM that has been modified, if and when something goes wrong(such as a blown Transmission or some other high dollar item like that). The worse thing that I could do right now is insult the guy by demanding that he put that in writing. Why should he? He's under NO obligation whatsoever to stay quiet about me modifying my car. And if anything he might very well be obligated to keep quiet about it AFTER they modify it for me. By asking him to put his loyalty to me in writing I'd be saying to him that "I think your just throwing the bull around, and I don't trust you from the word go". I need to establish a business relationship w/him, and spend some money over there. I need him just as much(if not MORE) than he needs me. He's worked in other dealers before, and he knows what I'll run into at other dealers as soon as I mention the words "after market" or "high performance modifications". They'll say, "sorry, but we can't help you". So my point is that I have nothing to lose by giving this guy the benefit of the doubt right now. And by asking him to put what he told me in writing, I would have everything to lose, because his dealer is either the only one, or possibly one of two in the entire state who is a "Ford Racing" dealer. The other Ford dealers, and ALL of the Mercury dealers do NOT even have listings for Ford Racing parts. And believe me, I've checked. It was another dealer who told me to go to Wilson Ford in Branford(which is the one I'm talking about). So I don't mind spending a few hundred dollars at this dealer in hopes that if something goes wrong w/my car that would cost me several thousand dollars w/out a valid waurantee, that this guy who is the service manager, who is also a current racer at Limerock, and who answers to no one at the service department, will take care of me. And in my opinion, if you were to ever find a Ford dealer w/such a service manager, you would be making a BIG mistake to question his integrity and his honesty by asking him to put something in writing regarding high performance modifications to your car. You would have everything to lose by taking a stand like that since dealers and service managers like this are very rare.

Paul T. Casey
10-02-2003, 04:39 AM
Thanx for the 411 Mr. G. I live just over the line in RI and it may be worth the trip for a mod friendly service man. My dealership's warrantee man and service manager told me under no uncertian terms if I did ANYTHING mechanical, including my own oil changes, the warrantee would be voided. Good to know of someone nearby, and get a chance to look at a Shelby.

BillyGman
10-02-2003, 09:27 AM
but listen, if you decide to go there, then just make sure that you talk to the service manager, because nobody else will okay these kind of things but him. His name is Bob Kenworthy. You might even want to call ahead of time before you take the ride just to make sure that he will be there, but just tell whoever answers the phone that you don't want to talk to him on the phone but that you just want to know if he will be there during the time you'll get there because you'll need to talk to him in person. I say this because he might not feel as comfortable telling you okay about these types of things over the phone as he would talking to you in person.;)

LCpl Retired
10-02-2003, 01:07 PM
Paul: Don't forget that you also have the option of Tasca in Cranston. Same type of guys as BillyGs ..just may be closer, fr...from my understanding Tasca has some pretty serious whack with FMC due to their size and performance history.

They did a great job putting my all my stuff on, I could not recommend them more.

Nick is their performance and aftermarket Service Writer Specialist..call ahead

BillyGman
10-03-2003, 11:34 PM
just to let you guys know: atleast I can now say that this dealer that I've previously mentioned in this thread has kept their word to me as far as what their servvice manager told me about what the charge would be for installing the Stallion Torque converter. They told me it would be about $250 and they've charged me $290(so that's cool) and they said an additional $160 for the Transmission flush and fluid fill(which is kinda steep but that's also the price they quoted). So I'm pleased so far w/them.
Also to let you guys know, the dealer had some trouble installing this converter and when they called me they asked me to call the Manufacture(which is Precision Industies) to ask them what's up. So when I called them they said it's because the Stallion converter is designed to fit tighter on the input shaft splines than the stock converter fits, and the guys at the dealer just aren't used to that. So he offered to talk w/the dealer about that if I had them call. So I did, and later on that day the dealer called me and told me the job is done.

BillyGman
10-05-2003, 02:21 PM
a little update is needed for you CT guys. This dealer in branford is only good to go to because of their manager. As for the rest of the people there, I don't trust them anymore than any other dealer(which is NOT at all). So because I know of no other place in CT that has a manager that's a racer himself, and is therefore MOD-friendly, I would go back to them for minor things just to throw some $$ their way once a year,so that the manager will decide to honor my waurantee despite the mods I've done to the car, but NOT for anything major ever again.
If anyone wants to know the reason for this conclusion, then you can read my latest post in the thread titled "The Need to Remove the Chip" in the "Garage" forum......