Ford Scorpio Forum - Print Page


    
      
        Ford Scorpio Forum
        (https://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl)
      

        General >> Problems >> Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
        
(Message started by: smarty on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:26am)

Title: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by smarty on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:26am

My 24v is at a FMD this morning having the rad and thermostat replaced. They quoted 1.2 and .6 hours for the labour which they said was the book time. I agreed to this.

They called me this morning to say that they cant do it as it is a far more time consuming job and should be about five hours!! I told them this is nonsense and I expect them to do the job at the agreed price. They then tried to justify this by saying that they had to remove parts of the airconditioning and it would need a regas. Again I told them this was nonsense and that amatuer owners can do the job in two and a half hours.

Any ideas what to do now?

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by stafford on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:44am

Yes ..tell them you have a verbal contract with them to do some work..they offered a service you accepted..the fundemental basis of a CONTRACT.. tell them that you have spoken with trading standards as you are concerned that ford main dealers are GUZZUMPING customers..20 mins later get a mate to ring the dealers claiming to be from the local paper...now watch the service manager start to eat from your hand..if he doesn't then spend £20 on issuing a county court summons..they will do the work trust me..do not accept this poor service If we keep accepting this we will keep recieving terrible service...good luck

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by scorpio_man on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:56am

[]

if they can't price a job correctly, then that's there problem!!

ps. mark the parts to make sure they change them ;)

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by stafford on Feb 24^th, 2006, 10:02am

good idea. Ford will want to avoid any media publicity..they would nt want all thoses focus fiesta and mondeos going elsewhere now would they!!!!

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by howiedintheplace on Feb 24^th, 2006, 12:28pm

Good old Ford ;D, you know I replaced a complete 2.9 12V engine last week without disconecting the aircon system ;) & I did that in a day.

Does 5 hours include their tea break every 30 mins then ;D

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by Pegasus on Feb 24^th, 2006, 12:40pm

They're extracting the Michael >:(

My guys did mine last year (garage big enough for 2 cars!). It took then less than 2 hours and cost me less than £50 labour.

I avoid FMD as much as possible - cant even rely on them do carry out a service properly. ::)

Thankfully with info on the site and couple of "reliable blokes in a garage round the corner" I've never been back.

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by Fitzy on Feb 24^th, 2006, 3:46pm

Hi

Thats why FMD have a what they call a labour "BIBLE" it quotes all the times that are required to do every job and these times are set in stone and thats why they use it to quote jobs with. I worked as a Saturday Boy at my local FMD in Plaistow, East London (Many a year ago now) and some jobs only took ten minutes but the customer was charged the minimum "BIBLE" price of 30 mins. I've also had some small jobs done by FMD over the years with company vehicles and its also been done in under ten mins but still charged for 30 mins.

The book is devised by Ford themselves for labour times, and it also gives a rough guide on whats involved for each job and what parts need to be removed with a time scale beside each part. So unless you've fitted any non-standard parts and they have to remove these too, then what they originally quoted is what you pay. If they looked at the wrong infomation in the "BIBLE" then thats their fault as their quoted price would've influenced your descision to have them do the work instead of another garage that quoted a higher price. So stick to your guns and get Trading Standards involved, they'll soon start singing from your song book.

HTH

Fitzy ;) ;D ;)

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by craig on Feb 24^th, 2006, 4:43pm

if you took the car in for them to have a look at lets say,and they said,"you need new brakes sir",and quoted you a price which YOU agreed to,went to collect the car and realise you didn't have enough money,you had made a mistake and thought you had more,would they not sympathise with you..... }{ }{ }{ }{
i think we all know the answer to that,not 1 to slag ford off in any way,but a quoted price,is a quoted price,staffords advice i thought was the best

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by kskjon on Feb 24^th, 2006, 6:50pm

[]

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by david_molloy on Feb 24^th, 2006, 7:34pm

Unfortunately it a sign of the times.
My 2 local FMD's give blank expressions for Scorpios - don't want to know - and one is an RS specialist!!
None have auto box or auto electrical specialists anymore "just mechanics"!!!!!! - they "farm them out" to independant specialists - presumably with "fat markup for doing job"
I suspect that the general quality of FMD mechanics is like others - pretty poor for prices they charge - obviously excetions but getting fewer as the years pass.
I've only been a Scorpio owner 3 months - but have rapidly come to the conclusion that I will have to Spanner it myself - back to the old days!!
As for your case --- make the b**tards have it - they would have no problem if other way which is what they have come to expect.
Assume you've something in writing or secret tape recording or else I suspect that SCCourt will be one word against other - assuming they deny quote etc.etc.
As for trading standards my experience with West Yorks - is that they are absolutely rubbish & a waste of money existing - utter cr*p.
You may have guessed that I adopt points of principle - hence experience with SCC.
Be a nuisance and write to MD of Ford UK complaining & questioning why necessary etc.
Have some "fun" with them
david

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by bizzay1 on Feb 24^th, 2006, 8:53pm

the "book" times that are quoted (1.2 & .6) are the exact same that show up on the autodata cd which is used by most independant garages in the uk to price for jobs. They should be made to stick to this as these times probably originated from FMC

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by Penguin on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:10pm

I recently had my radiator and thermostat replaced by an independent garage - under warranty as it happened - but when I signed off the work for the bill to the warrantors he had only put down 1.5 hours of his time - and no disconnection - recharge - work - or anything else to do with the aircon was necessary to get at any of it.

Your FMD are therefore either trying to screw you or they are simply NBG at dealing with Scorpio's - though having said that my mecahnic told me he had not yet had a 24v Scorpio (before mine) in dock but since he fixed it first time perfectly it couldn't have been that complicated.

Cheers

Penguin

Title: Re: Urgent - FMD refusing to replace rad and stat
Post by Baz on Feb 24^th, 2006, 9:22pm

I changed my own at my mates garage. Stat and radiator were done and it took me about 2 hours (and that included cups of coffee etc.)

They are definately ripping you off and you shouldn't stand for it

Baz