Colin
Anywhere,#2Author of original report
Sat, March 28, 2009
Just wanted to update with the actual cause of the instrumentation problem. Turns out it was a bad flex fuel module, a $50 part. It took my (new) mechanic less than a day to figure this out. My fuel gauge now reads the correct fuel level and my miles to empty, average miles to gallon, ect are now reading appropriately. When I fill up my instrumentation reads nearly 400 miles to empty, which was my initial complaint when I brought my car into Buss Ford, Amazing, turns out my two "unrelated problems" were related with one fix. Also, I found out that Buss had left a hose to my engine unplugged (the hood of my car has not been opened since it was at Buss) which my mechanic showed me. This was actually causing my car to "stutter" and It was painfully obvious, even to me (and keep in mind I am NOT mechanically inclined) that the hose that was disconnected, just another fine example of Buss's poor work. Buss Ford didn't fix my issues, created new issues, gave me bad advice for fixing my issues that they couldn't fix (fuel additives) and tried to overcharge me, not once but twice. If you like getting jerked around Buss Ford is the place to go. Just be prepared to take your car to a REAL mechanic when you get your car back.
Colin
Anywhere,#3Author of original report
Fri, March 27, 2009
On 3/13/2009, two weeks ago, I emailed Steve Buss, Owner of Buss Ford, giving him an opportunity address my concerns. (the email I sent him is above) He chose to ignore my email. The only response I have received from Buss is their rebuttal, above, which closes with: "In closing we wish to thank you for the opportunity to respond to these concerns and present our side of this issue"... Why didn't Buss ford respond to me, the customer? Why is it that it's only after posting my Rip Off Report that Buss wanted to present their side of the issue? Funny how that works, huh? I'm not going to discuss the actual mechanical/instrumentation issues because I believe that it's a moot point...read on. Let's look further into the "consumer comment", posted by; what is presented as, an un-interested, 3rd party with no relation to Buss Ford. -Note that the comment was submitted one the same day as Buss Ford's rebuttal. It's also clear that they purposely chose to post the consumer comment in the late PM, whereas the rebuttal was written in the early AM, likely to avoid looking like the two posts were connected. Also notice how the "consumer" has many mis-spellings and uses rough language, an another attempt to make the "consumer" distanced from Buss Ford. -Note that the person who posted the consumer comment also resides in McHenry, IL, minutes away From Buss Ford, another shocking coincidence! -Note that this person makes several references that indicate he is a mechanic, or mechanically inclined...he uses phrases like:"I know for a fact"..."the service bulletin is a suggestion"...So it's just a coincidence that the "consumer" lives near Buss Ford, is a mechanic, or mechanically inclined, and posted his comment on the same day as Buss Ford's rebuttal...right. But wait, there's more! -Note how the person tries to "distance himself" from the Buss employees by wrapping their names in quotes, pretty easy to see through in spite of all the above. -Note that the person closes with "-me" If this is just a "consumer comment" why wouldn't the person post his name? Why am I the only one that's not afraid to admit who I am? -Note that the "consumer" says things like: "We are humans and make mistakes, that is why whenever I have my vehicle serviced ANYWHERE, I make sure I write my Ph# down just in case!" Who is he referring to when he says: "WE are humans"? Also, it seems like this person is trying to infer that maybe I didn't write my phone number down, which I did, why would an un-interested party make this assumption? He also says: "Again, an honest mistake it sounds like." This person is clearly in favor of Buss. -It's also worth noting, that after doing an advanced search on ripoffreport.com, the ONLY posting user: Tgbiggin has ever posted was this one, more than likely a newly created Rip Off Report account for this sole purpose, and not a passive uninterested party as they have attempted to make it look. Anyone with an IQ of 2 can see that this was written either by a Buss Ford employee or at the request of Buss Ford to make it look like a consumer comment. Buss has posted permanent proof that they are less than honest by doing this. _____________________________________________________________ UPDATE: After doing a bit of research, I have found that the consumer comment came from a 25 year old guy named Tim Green, who works for an automotive parts company near Buss Ford. He also used to work for a local Ford dealership as a sales rep. If you Google his username: Tgbiggin, you'll find allot of Ford related forum posts. It also looks like he owns quite a few Fords himself, 2 Mustangs, F-150, Windstar, which I'm sure were purchased at Buss Ford. This is clearly not a passerby, this was a deliberate attempt to deceive future customers by having Tim post his a falsified consumer comment.
Tech1
Laurel,#4Consumer Comment
Fri, March 27, 2009
Engine light Flickering is most likely related to a common DTC a misfire p030x(most Common). An O2 sensor or a Mass DTC won't set the Flashing Light (which means stop driving the car you are doing damage to it). You have multiple complaints that sound unrelated. And the first test on MPG was normal you can only diagnose a problem if it is present at the time. Many times you have to do a repair to go the next step fail. (And I am not talking about parts replacing I am talking about you have one component fixed. In order to test the other part the first must be fixed.
Tgbiggin
McHenry,#5Consumer Comment
Wed, March 25, 2009
It really sounds like you have had two different issues and you are relating them since it has to do with fuel economy. I know for a fact, that the fuel economy gauge isnt not a 'true' reading. What it does, it takes in to effect, all times that vehicle is running. So for example, if I left my car running for an hour, I would see a dramatic drop in my insturmentation. Of course once I start moving again, I would see it slowly start to go up. Really all it is, is an average since the car was started. It is very likely that 'Jason' had a tech drive the car and hook it up to see what the live reading was. How else do you think the insturmentation gets its information? The scan tools used by technicians now are so powerful they can almost drive the friggin car! You claim that your second problem was the check engine light flickering on and off. Usually if there is a REAL problem, it would just stay on. But if you have a slow O2 sensor, or a dirty Mass Air Flow sensor, it can cause it to flicker on and off. That is atleast what my experiance is. A very common thing that most people dont know about or over look is, is the gas cap tight? The fuel system on new vehicles is supossed to have the right amount of vaccum in it. If the cap was loose, it would cause the CEL to come on. The vacuum test is at random. Here is a list of your issues, and I will add my own thoughts.... 1. My main reason for bringing the vehicle in for service was not addressed, and I was accused of "not telling Buss I was experiencing these problems".... why didn't someone at least tell me about the gasoline additive a month ago??? (which I am not convinced will solve the problem-I bought it yesterday and don't have high hopes) My car's gas gauge and all instrumentation is totally unreliable and I have no idea how much fuel is in my tank because of this. Not a good thing if I run out of gas with my baby in the car!!! - My response - The service bulletin is a suggestion, its not a fix. It also sounds like you have two separate issues, with the gauges and then thinking its getting bad gas milage. 2. Buss wanted to charge me additional monies to have this problem "re-evaluated" a month later - This is because it sounds like it is two different issues 3. My car sat on your lot needlessly for a day because somehow another customers phone # was entered into my account information in your computer system. - Whosed to blame? Who knows? Could it have been a typo? We are humans and make mistakes, that is why whenever I have my vehicle serviced ANYWHERE, I make sure I write my Ph# down just in case! 4. The total you tried to charge me was $40 more than agreed price - No Comment honestly 5. Buss tried to overcharge me more than $200 on additional work on my 2nd service visit. - Again, an honest mistake it sounds like. I cannot stick up for 'Jason' or Steve. I just wanted to add what knowledge I do have to this situation and try to ease your mind. Thanks Me
Management Staff
McHenry,#6UPDATE Employee
Tue, March 24, 2009
This rebuttal is being posted by Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury to address three issues as noted in the customer complaint: 1. The reputation of Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury. 2. The customers concern that we did not provide a service that he requested. 3. The error in our additional required repair estimate 1. Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury has been serving the McHenry and Chicago area for more than 80 years. With our reputation of being one of the premier Ford Lincoln Mercury dealers in the Chicago land area, we strive to keep our customers satisfied both in sales and service. Buss Ford is a certified Blue Oval Dealer, which means one thing, the commitment to the highest standards in customer satisfaction. Blue Oval Certified is all about one thing: Customer Service. It's about doing whatever it takes to make your experience a pleasant one, whether you're coming in to buy or lease a new car or Certified Pre-Owned vehicle, or just need to get parts or service. A dealership that achieves Blue Oval Certification must commit to our highest standards of customer satisfaction. That's why becoming Blue Oval Certified isn't a given, it's something a dealership has to earn. Dealership employees are proud to be essential members of Team Blue Oval. Each and every employee of a Blue Oval Certified Dealership contributes something unique to the success of the entire dealership and has opportunities to win service awards and earn recognition. Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury is proud to be Blue Oval Certified. Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury is also the proud recipient of the coveted Ford Motor Company President's Award for 13 years. The President's Award recognizes Dealers who achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction in both sales and service within their respective Customer Viewpoint Group. Winners of the award are organizations with a customer-focused mentality, a commitment to sound processes and, most important, outstanding team members. We were recently presented this award again for 2008. 2. Mr. Thomas brought his 2005 Ford Taurus to our facility for various repairs to be performed on 2/13/2009. Our service advisor provided assistance during the customer vehicle drop off, provide a free loaner vehicle and documented the vehicle concerns. The prime issue and item in question as noted on the face to face work order preparation was a check engine light coming on and off and vehicle average miles per gallon at 12. We informed the customer that an Electronic Engine Control drivability diagnostic check would be required to diagnose the issue. Fee for that service is $98.00 plus additional repairs as required. A thorough test and evaluation of the system revealed cylinder misfire codes both at normal engine operation and at start up. Additional diagnostics showed that the cause of this issue was linked to the processor itself which required a reprogramming strategy. This reprogramming was performed, the system reset, vehicle road tested and reevaluated for any additional concerns in the EEC system. During this road test a fuel economy test was performed that reflected in the ability of the vehicle to achieve an average miles per gallon rating of 23.5. These results were stored and printed. All systems passed the retesting process. Final charge for Diagnostics and reprogramming: $127.95. Mr. Thomas then contacted us a few weeks following this repair to inform us that his fuel gauge and message center were malfunctioning. He was informed that a diagnostic evaluation would have to be done on that system (not related to the Electronic Engine Control System) to determine the issue. Mr. Thomas felt that the issue was related to the original concern, which it was not. Most, but not all concerns in this area, are related to the fuel pump and sending unit that provides data to the instrument cluster. This and many other vehicles are effected by sulfur build up from high sulfur content gasoline on the fuel card causing erratic fuel gauge and message center operation. We explained that the diagnostics for this particular concern was not related in any way to the Electronic Engine Control System. In addition we offered at no charge two free bottles of Ford recommended additive that has had a high success rate in removing the sulfur deposits and restoring proper fuel gauge operation. We have had many vehicles that never required repair after having this procedure performed. In conclusion, prior vehicle repair was not related to this concern. 3. During a follow up phone conversation after his 2/13/2009 service visit Mr. Thomas referred to a prior estimate that had been provided for repairs on his 2005 Ford Taurus. These repair estimates were as follows: Replacement of upper front strut bearings. Replacement of right front wheel bearing and hub assembly. These two items as noted by Mr. Thomas were approximately $500.00. When we were recontacted to verify the estimate our advisor noted that an error on the initial quote did not include all parts required for the repairs in question. When Mr. Thomas inquired about the price difference our advisor informed him of his error and after consulting with his manager stated that even though the repairs were approximately $200.00 more we would honor the original estimate of $500.00. In conclusion, this was an honest mistake and we were willing to stand behind the original quote for customer satisfaction. In closing we wish to thank you for the opportunity to respond to these concerns and present our side of this issue. Respectfully, Buss Ford Lincoln Mercury