How to escalating a service problem the dealer refuses to resolve

[2012sel]

Ford Mechanics and 3rd Gen. Focus owners with experience on how to successfully escalate a problem beyond your local Ford Service department please click "Post Reply" with advice and instruction on how you successfully escalated a problem and get results.

This thread is in direct response to a DCT issue (quoted below)...

Originally Posted by 2012sel

I know I didn't explain it in my original reply, but I suspected that the noise was happening to me in the same situation you describe above. Second gear accelerating up a hill.

Your situation must be worse then mine because I was able to eliminate the noise as I described before.

It is NOT "normal". And I second the comment that if it was, it would be happening in all the other vehicles. If they say it's normal and that's Ford's opinion of a quality product, I'll be considering a Japanese model for my next vehicle.

You need to stay on your service department and get it resolved. It's that kind of BS customer service that makes me sick to hear.

FYI, this member had this problem resolved (at least at the time of this posting)...

From page 4 of this thread http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...=clutch&page=4

Quote from transmission "improvements" article published December '11...
Perhaps this issue was addressed by some rolling changes to the hardware that have been rolled out on more recently built cars, including revised "long-shoulder rivets" in the clutch itself, to reduce chatter/vibration during launch, and new right-hand engine mounts to quell a vibration at idle. The shifter itself is revised to make it harder to overshoot "Drive" and end up in "S."
http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...much_improved/

xpartmgr: Well I stayed on the service department to the tune of my car being in 2 different shops for 40 days since Feb. Now I need to take it back for new issues. I get more issues than I do solutions with this car. I have been a loyal Ford customer for years, but this car has not made me feel good about them lately. I figure most car companies would be the same, but I guess I just expect some type of solution at some point. My wife has a 2013 Elantra GT and it has had zero issues. She loves to pint that out to me each time we take my car and the MFT crashes or the car "growls" each time it shifts.

Reply's as of Sept. 19th, 2012...

Originally Posted by FordCustomerService

Hi again,

Thanks for responding. For the record, I'll help with anyone who is experiencing this issue. I try to look through the threads and reach out to people specifically, but for anyone seeing this in the future: Please send me some background on what you're experiencing and your specific details (VIN, mileage, preferred servicing dealer, daytime phone number); I'll escalate the concern to the appropriate regional Customer Service Manager.

I hope this helps!

-Crystal

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

As mentioned, your basic options are:

• Find a dealer with a better service department that is willing to resolve the issue (but this could be bad in a rural area where dealers might be 50 miles apart).
• Escalate the issue to the Regional Service Manager - but this could backfire if he ends up supporting the initial dealership and then you try to work through it elsewhere.
• Contact Member FordCustomerService on here and let them work it behind the scenes.

I'm not a great fan of posting "Good Mechanics/Service Departments" on here, b/c 1) One mechanic might be EXCELLENT on one system and sub-par on others. 2) Mechanics can switch from dealership to dealership - so excellent mechanic at Joe's Ford might be working at Fred's Ford next week. 3) Service Managers can switch dealerships or GM's can, so the dealership with the best or worst service department this month might not be the same 6 months from now.

[Uptcv1]

Call the CEO -seriously-

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by 2012sel

Ford Mechanics and 3rd Gen. Focus owners with experience on how to successfully escalate a problem beyond your local Ford Service department please click "Post Reply" with advice and instruction on how you successfully escalated a problem and get results.

This thread is in direct response to a DCT issue (quoted below)...


xpartmgr: Well I stayed on the service department to the tune of my car being in 2 different shops for 40 days since Feb. Now I need to take it back for new issues. I get more issues than I do solutions with this car. I have been a loyal Ford customer for years, but this car has not made me feel good about them lately. I figure most car companies would be the same, but I guess I just expect some type of solution at some point. My wife has a 2013 Elantra GT and it has had zero issues. She loves to pint that out to me each time we take my car and the MFT crashes or the car "growls" each time it shifts.

Hi 2012sel,

I'm happy to step in here and escalate your concern to your region's Customer Service Manager. They'll reach out to your local dealer and work with them until your issue is resolved. Just shoot me a PM with your VIN, estimated mileage, preferred servicing dealer and a good daytime contact number; I'll make sure your info gets into the right hands.

Thanks!
-Crystal

[2012sel]

Originally Posted by FordCustomerService

Hi 2012sel,

I'm happy to step in here and escalate your concern to your region's Customer Service Manager. They'll reach out to your local dealer and work with them until your issue is resolved. Just shoot me a PM with your VIN, estimated mileage, preferred servicing dealer and a good daytime contact number; I'll make sure your info gets into the right hands.

Thanks!
-Crystal

Crystal,

I'm fine, now. I used to have the DCT 1st gear to 2nd gear shudder and accelerating in second gear shudder (started around 12,000 miles). Man, that's just plain embarrassing to drive a new car doing that. My experience told me it was a friction issue with the clutch plates and so I gave them a good workout with repeated heavy acceleration and the symptoms went away. Evidently, that "fix" doesn't work for some.

I posted this thread as a sympathetic gesture for another member of Focus Fanatics. I know sometimes a dealer will give the runaround til the customer is blue in the face. I want to document how we can get help reaching a resolution when the dealer can't seem to accomplish one to the customers satisfaction. I know that information is available. I used to be roommates with a couple of service writers that would always mention contacting the "Regional Office" to resolve problems.

Can you post contact information for concerned customers wanting to go beyond the dealer? Something that would still be valid in the months ahead that would be great.

Thanks

[gsxrboy]

This issue with the service departments giving people the run around reminds of a time that a good friend of mine purchased a used Hyundai Accent from a "good friend" of hers. The car would simply turn off when driving, either by streets or highway, she called up her friend that sold the car, and she of course was shocked that this was happening. Yeah right!.
She took the car in at two different Hyundai dealerships and they could not find the issue, nor replicate the problem. Each dealership charged her a fee for diagnosing the problem, but of course they could not find anything wrong with the car. She called me up in tears because she couldn't trust the car anymore to take her to work or simply do errands. I told her to meet up with me and I would take her to my Hyundai mechanic that I knew would be able to fix the issue. We drove over to the dealership, and the mechanic took a look at the vehicle and I swear within 5 minutes figured out there was an issue with a part on the car, that he would replace free of charge. He said it was a recall item that was causing the car to turn off during driving. My friend was beside herself and couldn't believe how quickly and professionally this person dealt with her issue and resolved her problem in a couple of minutes.

Long story short, it doesn't matter what make or model you have, if you have a crappy dealership who doesn't care about its products you are going to run into this everywhere. There has to be a solution to your problem, and there has to be a Ford mechanic out there that actually cares about the cars and the people that drive them. What we should do as a community is list the mechanics and dealerships that truly care, and let us bring our business to them.

[xpartmgr]

Originally Posted by gsxrboy

This issue with the service departments giving people the run around reminds of a time that a good friend of mine purchased a used Hyundai Accent from a "good friend" of hers. The car would simply turn off when driving, either by streets or highway, she called up her friend that sold the car, and she of course was shocked that this was happening. Yeah right!.
She took the car in at two different Hyundai dealerships and they could not find the issue, nor replicate the problem. Each dealership charged her a fee for diagnosing the problem, but of course they could not find anything wrong with the car. She called me up in tears because she couldn't trust the car anymore to take her to work or simply do errands. I told her to meet up with me and I would take her to my Hyundai mechanic that I knew would be able to fix the issue. We drove over to the dealership, and the mechanic took a look at the vehicle and I swear within 5 minutes figured out there was an issue with a part on the car, that he would replace free of charge. He said it was a recall item that was causing the car to turn off during driving. My friend was beside herself and couldn't believe how quickly and professionally this person dealt with her issue and resolved her problem in a couple of minutes.

Long story short, it doesn't matter what make or model you have, if you have a crappy dealership who doesn't care about its products you are going to run into this everywhere. There has to be a solution to your problem, and there has to be a Ford mechanic out there that actually cares about the cars and the people that drive them. What we should do as a community is list the mechanics and dealerships that truly care, and let us bring our business to them.

What a great idea! It would be nice to know if a dealer would be able/willing to help before we waste our time just to get another 'normal operation' work order.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by 2012sel

Crystal,

I'm fine, now. I used to have the DCT 1st gear to 2nd gear shudder and accelerating in second gear shudder (started around 12,000 miles). Man, that's just plain embarrassing to drive a new car doing that. My experience told me it was a friction issue with the clutch plates and so I gave them a good workout with repeated heavy acceleration and the symptoms went away. Evidently, that "fix" doesn't work for some.

I posted this thread as a sympathetic gesture for another member of Focus Fanatics. I know sometimes a dealer will give the runaround til the customer is blue in the face. I want to document how we can get help reaching a resolution when the dealer can't seem to accomplish one to the customers satisfaction. I know that information is available. I used to be roommates with a couple of service writers that would always mention contacting the "Regional Office" to resolve problems.

Can you post contact information for concerned customers wanting to go beyond the dealer? Something that would still be valid in the months ahead that would be great.

Thanks

Hi again,

Thanks for responding. For the record, I'll help with anyone who is experiencing this issue. I try to look through the threads and reach out to people specifically, but for anyone seeing this in the future: Please send me some background on what you're experiencing and your specific details (VIN, mileage, preferred servicing dealer, daytime phone number); I'll escalate the concern to the appropriate regional Customer Service Manager.

I hope this helps!

-Crystal

[2012sel]

Thanks!

[InfinityCubed]

Originally Posted by 2012sel

My experience told me it was a friction issue with the clutch plates and so I gave them a good workout with repeated heavy acceleration and the symptoms went away. Evidently, that "fix" doesn't work for some.

I wonder, if that fix works, did the clutches suffer from all the miles put on them with the grinding?

[PratoN]

Originally Posted by InfinityCubed

I wonder, if that fix works, did the clutches suffer from all the miles put on them with the grinding?

I wonder the same...

Also, let's not make this another DCT thread?

But first...
"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
"I swear, Officer - I was just trying to re-break in/seat my clutches."