Time to Vent

[Vortex]

So yesterday in the mail I get one of those junk mail things from our local Ford dealer because Ive had my oil changed there previously. They were advertising $15 oil/filter so I thought Id take them up on that and then have the radiator drained and coolant replaced (its still the original 7 y/o stuff). I drive up and and am met at the service drop point by a guy who I know is the car jockey, not a servce writer. He asks "May I help you?" and I reply "are you a service writer?" He says "no" and I said "Can you get me a service writer?" He is polite but I can tell he's pissed because I wouldnt deal with him. I hate having to explain things numerous times to various and sundry employees before getting to the correct person. Anyway, I tell the service writer I want an oil change and Id like my coolant changed as well. I pop the hood and show the guy the crossover pipe and explain it has to be burped and topped off there. I go in to the newish oil change area and you can see into the service area thru several windows. Fist as they bring my car inside there is the pow wow between the guy behind the wheel and a mechanic peering inside. Then my car goes up on the rack and they do the oil change. No problem. I notice the guy has gone and got a gallon of coolant so I guess they are going to do this job in the oil change area. After around 10 minutes of flanging around under the hood the mechanic goes in and talks with the service writer and all I hear is "Mercury Marauder" then a few minutes later the writer comes out and I tell him Ive seen them flangeing around under the hood and if they dont know how to do it right I dont want them doing it. The writer tells me everything is fine and he goes out there. In the meantime I walk out front so I dont go nuclear. About 10 minutes later the service writer comes out and gives me the lame excuse that the equipment used to pressure check the cooling system wont work and they wont be able to replace the coolant! I say fine and pay up, get my keys and look under the hood, the plug on tyhe crossover tube hasnt been touched. Man, I cant believe a big Ford dealer (probably the biggest one in DFW) doesnt know how to do a simple job like this. I was a mechanic in the Navy but I got off active duty in 83 and dont like being BS'd about service, especially from a dealership. Ill probably take my car to the local Goodyear place and instruct them how to do the damn thing. Just venting, sorry.

[Bradley G]

Any service that requires more than ten minutes (a quickie) needs an apt.
I don't blame you for not wanting anyone inexperienced to mess with your car.

[fastblackmerc]

Do it yourself..............

[MOTOWN]

Do it yourself..............


+1 if your able to, i do all my own work, that way i have no one to complain too

[DOOM]

Do it yourself..............

That's wat she said! :depress:

[Pat]

Jim, I'm aghast that a Ford dealer doesn't know how to change the coolant on a Marauder. Go to the thread started by Cruizer to find the shop he uses, it's in the North Texas Marauder Forum. Get a discount too.

Pat

[Motorhead350]

Sorry man that's a let down.

This is why I let no one touch the car except Zack.

[Vortex]

Yeah Pat, I know about that dealer over on Maury's side of town but I thought Id swing some business to the locals over here. There is an L/M dealer in Plano I may starts taking the MM to again thats alot closer. Re doing it yourself, yeah, I know all about that. Point of the post was I was just disappointed with dealer service, a Pantera the Marauder ain't.

[mike P71]

Now you've got me worried I recently bought a low milage one owner marauder fom a LM dealer in north Carolina Part of the deal was that they were to change all fluids including a coolant flush I did inspect the crossover pipe and it does look like it was messed with The car runs great and maintains a constant temp. Are there any other ways to determine if they got all the air out of the system

[F8LBITEva]

it sucks to hear this about a FOMOCO dealer. Ive worked at a Ford dealer for about 10 years and Ive been lucky to work with great competant staff...for the most part. Of course you have some clowns work their way in and when the real techs are busy pulling transmissions and getting spark plugs that have seized in the heads out, they get the quick jobs like oil changes and coolant flushes. Im sorry you had a bad experience but dont lose faith.

[wickedmerc]

No harm in venting. One of the beauty's of the site is that you can talk shop and most people reading about your frustration can relate.

I brought my MM to the local Ford dealer right after I got it for a thorough once-over. I figured they had to know the car better than I do...right???
Yeah, they also insist on calling it a Grand Marquis!! Later guys.

Good luck with your shop search.

[RacerX]

Now you've got me worried I recently bought a low milage one owner marauder fom a LM dealer in north Carolina Part of the deal was that they were to change all fluids including a coolant flush I did inspect the crossover pipe and it does look like it was messed with The car runs great and maintains a constant temp. Are there any other ways to determine if they got all the air out of the system
Yes, when cold, take the plug out of the crossover tube and see if it's full to the top of the tube. Or if your heater stops working and you hear little gurgling noises coming from the glove box area. That would be air bubbles in the heater core.

[ntd]

it sucks to hear this about a FOMOCO dealer. Ive worked at a Ford dealer for about 10 years and Ive been lucky to work with great competant staff...for the most part. Of course you have some clowns work their way in and when the real techs are busy pulling transmissions and getting spark plugs that have seized in the heads out, they get the quick jobs like oil changes and coolant flushes. Im sorry you had a bad experience but dont lose faith.

This man speaks the truth, I'm a 7 years lincoln dealer tech and unfortinaly new techs start out doing maintenance without much supervision and a lack of experience can lead to poor customer service experience. I personally would love to see more apprenticeships vs the trial buy fire method. Don't give up on the dealer find a tech you trust and request that tech for future work

[tbone]

When I first bought my car 3 1/2 years ago, I took it to a quick lube place and they did it no problem. I can't remember exactly what their procedure was, but 31,000 miles later, not a single issue. Go figure!

[mike P71]

Yes, when cold, take the plug out of the crossover tube and see if it's full to the top of the tube. Or if your heater stops working and you hear little gurgling noises coming from the glove box area. That would be air bubbles in the heater core.

Thanks I'm going to ck it out tomorrow

[LIGHTNIN1]

Vortex I know what you mean about Ford dealerships. I will not take my car to Ford dealerships here. I had another Ford and had bad experiences with it at 3 different dealerships here. Each time I had to fix stuff myself they had messed up on the car. I stick with independent mechanics anymore.

[rayjay]

Its stories like this that make me happy I have a Mom&Pop FLM dealership close by that knows what a Marauder is and how to work on it.

[RF Overlord]

What's even sadder is that during the visit to Bill Swope's car museum during the Louisville meet, the salesman I talked to at the CHRYSLER dealer next door knew more about the Marauder than most Ford dealers.

(Yes, I was looking at a new Challenger and, yes, it had a Hemi... :D )

[Vortex]

Well, after all the rigmarole I went to O'Reily's and bought a hydrometer and tested it myself. Fluid was still clear orangy and max to the good on the scale. (Tested my Dodge too and it was still good and clear red but not quite as good on the scale as the Marauder.) Total cost: $3.50