It’s kind of long. Sorry, but I have to vent. I won’t identify the dealers. No, I won’t do that. No, I won’t.
10:00 AM 9/23. I took DHG2404 for the first oil change (a dealer freebie). (KIMNACH) Afterward, I drove around to the service department to arrange headlight and a twisted gearshift knob replacement. (KIMNACH) I was greeted, if you can call it that, by a no-smile service advisor who wanted to know what I wanted as she gazed at DHG2404 from afar. (KIMNACH) After giving her the details, she said I need to schedule an appointment and I would have to leave the car all day. (KIMNACH) That seemed kind of strange, but I scheduled an appointment for 9/30 at 8:00 AM. (KIMNACH) I told her the gearshift knob wasn’t in stock in the parts department. (KIMNACH) She said she would order one and it would be here by appointment time. (KIMNACH)
8:00 AM 9/30. (KIMNACH) Another no-smile service advisor (I use that term loosely hereon out) asked me what was I here for. (KIMNACH) When I suggested that I had an 8:00 AM appointment, and scheduled for this very day, she told me she didn’t have a record of my appointment. (KIMNACH) After convincing her I was not hallucinating, she went back to her desk and found the paperwork. (KIMNACH) She showed me the paperwork, and sure enough, there was the notation regarding the headlights and gearshift knob with part numbers written below each entry. (KIMNACH) Then she said here is another entry about leather upholstery, which also had a part number below it. (KIMNACH) She asked rhetorically what that was for. (KIMNACH) I asked the same question, but not rhetorically, since it was the dealer’s documentation. (KIMNACH) “I don’t know” was her response. (KIMNACH) I suggested that she should find out before any work was done on DHG2404 with that ‘part’. (KIMNACH) She asked if I was going to wait or come back. (KIMNACH) I planned to wait for work that should take more than 10-15 minutes, so I took the bait and asked her how long will it take. (KIMNACH) She points at a half-dozen unoccupied vehicles that were dropped off overnight and says, “It’ll be about 3 hours with all of these cars ahead of you, but they may get it out sooner when they see on the work order that you’re waiting.” (KIMNACH) I protested that I had an appointment. (KIMNACH) She said, “your appointment was to see me.” (KIMNACH) I said I would wait. (KIMNACH)
8:15 AM 9/30. I see DHG2404 being driven past the waiting room, presumably destined for a service bay. (KIMNACH) It’s not going to be long after all, I thought. (KIMNACH) A few minutes later I decided to stretch my legs in preparation for leaving much earlier than I thought I would have, and I strolled out by the service bays to see if I could spot DHG2404. (KIMNACH) Well, I took the bait again, because DHG2404 was parked in a side lot. (KIMNACH) No problem I thought as I continued my walk. (KIMNACH) They will get to it in a few minutes, so I went back to the waiting room. (KIMNACH)
8:50 AM 9/30. The service advizzzer came in and said, “We ordered the wrong gearshift knob. (KIMNACH) We will have to reorder the right one. (KIMNACH) Oh also, the front bumper has to be ‘dropped’ in order to install the headlights. (KIMNACH) That will take five hours, and the body shop will have to do it. (KIMNACH) You will have to call the body shop for an appointment. (KIMNACH) We are sorry for your inconvenience.” (KIMNACH) No offer to order the gearshift knob or schedule an appointment to install it. (KIMNACH)
9:30 AM 9/30. I pulled into the service department at another Ford dealer. After standing beside DHG2404 for a few minutes, the service manager asked if she could help me with a half-smile. I explained what I needed, pointed out the spots inside the headlights, and how my gearshift knob was viciously mangled when installed at the factory. She scheduled an appointment for 7:45 AM 10/3. I pointed out that DHG2404 was a Bullitt, and she dutifully notated in her computer that it was a “Bullet”. A shiver went down my spine.
7:45 AM 10/3. I pulled back into the service department at Cavalier Ford. The service advisor (I use that term loosely hereon out) punched up my appointment. I asked if DHG2404 could be ready by 11:00, although I didn’t tell him I wouldn’t need it until 1:00 PM. He said that should not be a problem and he would call me by 11:00 if there was a problem.
12:30 PM 10/3. No word from the dealer. (CAVALIER) I called and the service advizzzer said, “hold on and I will check.” (CAVALIER) 7 minutes later, the service advizzzer came back and said, “We are going to have to order those headlights. (CAVALIER) Oh, and about that twisted gearshift knob, it was manufactured that way.” (CAVALIER) I took exception to that knowing what I read in this forum and pictures I have seen elsewhere. (CAVALIER) The service advizzzer’s response was, “Well, the mechanic says it was manufactured that way, so you can talk to him when you come in.” (CAVALIER)
1:00 10/3. I notice another DHG sitting in front of the dealer when I arrive. (CAVALIER) I stroll up to it, and man, it looks almost as sweet as DHG2404. (CAVALIER) I confirm the gearshift knob is not a ‘twisty’. (CAVALIER) I walk over to the service area, and before I can say anything the service advizzzer says, “You know, we have another Cobra, I mean Bullitt, on the lot and it’s gearshift knob is straight. (CAVALIER) We are going to have to order one for you.” (CAVALIER) I bit the hook again and said I thought the headlights and the gearshift knob would have been ordered when I stopped by previously to schedule an appointment to have the work done. (CAVALIER) The service advisor told me, “the purpose of this appointment is to verify what work needs to be done so that we can order the parts needed to do the work. (CAVALIER) The appointment person can’t do that.” (CAVALIER) I reminded the service advizzzer that the service manager is the one who scheduled my appointment. (CAVALIER) “Oh,” he says, “I don’t know about that.” (CAVALIER) Then a mechanic standing next to the service advizzzer says, “Ya know we don’t keep every itty bitty little part in stock just in case we need it.” (CAVALIER) I said I guess not or else you would be a little more knowledgeable about what a gearshift knob should look like. (CAVALIER) So the mechanic walks away, and I schedule another appointment. (CAVALIER) The service advizzzer says, “I’m really sorry about that, bud.” (CAVALIER)
The good news is that there was only an additional 0.2 miles on the odometer. Seems high for just pulling it out of the service pit area, but probably not enough to give some grease monkey an opportunity to abuse DHG2404.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DHG2404 on 2001-10-03 20:11 ]</font>
10:00 AM 9/23. I took DHG2404 for the first oil change (a dealer freebie). (KIMNACH) Afterward, I drove around to the service department to arrange headlight and a twisted gearshift knob replacement. (KIMNACH) I was greeted, if you can call it that, by a no-smile service advisor who wanted to know what I wanted as she gazed at DHG2404 from afar. (KIMNACH) After giving her the details, she said I need to schedule an appointment and I would have to leave the car all day. (KIMNACH) That seemed kind of strange, but I scheduled an appointment for 9/30 at 8:00 AM. (KIMNACH) I told her the gearshift knob wasn’t in stock in the parts department. (KIMNACH) She said she would order one and it would be here by appointment time. (KIMNACH)
8:00 AM 9/30. (KIMNACH) Another no-smile service advisor (I use that term loosely hereon out) asked me what was I here for. (KIMNACH) When I suggested that I had an 8:00 AM appointment, and scheduled for this very day, she told me she didn’t have a record of my appointment. (KIMNACH) After convincing her I was not hallucinating, she went back to her desk and found the paperwork. (KIMNACH) She showed me the paperwork, and sure enough, there was the notation regarding the headlights and gearshift knob with part numbers written below each entry. (KIMNACH) Then she said here is another entry about leather upholstery, which also had a part number below it. (KIMNACH) She asked rhetorically what that was for. (KIMNACH) I asked the same question, but not rhetorically, since it was the dealer’s documentation. (KIMNACH) “I don’t know” was her response. (KIMNACH) I suggested that she should find out before any work was done on DHG2404 with that ‘part’. (KIMNACH) She asked if I was going to wait or come back. (KIMNACH) I planned to wait for work that should take more than 10-15 minutes, so I took the bait and asked her how long will it take. (KIMNACH) She points at a half-dozen unoccupied vehicles that were dropped off overnight and says, “It’ll be about 3 hours with all of these cars ahead of you, but they may get it out sooner when they see on the work order that you’re waiting.” (KIMNACH) I protested that I had an appointment. (KIMNACH) She said, “your appointment was to see me.” (KIMNACH) I said I would wait. (KIMNACH)
8:15 AM 9/30. I see DHG2404 being driven past the waiting room, presumably destined for a service bay. (KIMNACH) It’s not going to be long after all, I thought. (KIMNACH) A few minutes later I decided to stretch my legs in preparation for leaving much earlier than I thought I would have, and I strolled out by the service bays to see if I could spot DHG2404. (KIMNACH) Well, I took the bait again, because DHG2404 was parked in a side lot. (KIMNACH) No problem I thought as I continued my walk. (KIMNACH) They will get to it in a few minutes, so I went back to the waiting room. (KIMNACH)
8:50 AM 9/30. The service advizzzer came in and said, “We ordered the wrong gearshift knob. (KIMNACH) We will have to reorder the right one. (KIMNACH) Oh also, the front bumper has to be ‘dropped’ in order to install the headlights. (KIMNACH) That will take five hours, and the body shop will have to do it. (KIMNACH) You will have to call the body shop for an appointment. (KIMNACH) We are sorry for your inconvenience.” (KIMNACH) No offer to order the gearshift knob or schedule an appointment to install it. (KIMNACH)
9:30 AM 9/30. I pulled into the service department at another Ford dealer. After standing beside DHG2404 for a few minutes, the service manager asked if she could help me with a half-smile. I explained what I needed, pointed out the spots inside the headlights, and how my gearshift knob was viciously mangled when installed at the factory. She scheduled an appointment for 7:45 AM 10/3. I pointed out that DHG2404 was a Bullitt, and she dutifully notated in her computer that it was a “Bullet”. A shiver went down my spine.
7:45 AM 10/3. I pulled back into the service department at Cavalier Ford. The service advisor (I use that term loosely hereon out) punched up my appointment. I asked if DHG2404 could be ready by 11:00, although I didn’t tell him I wouldn’t need it until 1:00 PM. He said that should not be a problem and he would call me by 11:00 if there was a problem.
12:30 PM 10/3. No word from the dealer. (CAVALIER) I called and the service advizzzer said, “hold on and I will check.” (CAVALIER) 7 minutes later, the service advizzzer came back and said, “We are going to have to order those headlights. (CAVALIER) Oh, and about that twisted gearshift knob, it was manufactured that way.” (CAVALIER) I took exception to that knowing what I read in this forum and pictures I have seen elsewhere. (CAVALIER) The service advizzzer’s response was, “Well, the mechanic says it was manufactured that way, so you can talk to him when you come in.” (CAVALIER)
1:00 10/3. I notice another DHG sitting in front of the dealer when I arrive. (CAVALIER) I stroll up to it, and man, it looks almost as sweet as DHG2404. (CAVALIER) I confirm the gearshift knob is not a ‘twisty’. (CAVALIER) I walk over to the service area, and before I can say anything the service advizzzer says, “You know, we have another Cobra, I mean Bullitt, on the lot and it’s gearshift knob is straight. (CAVALIER) We are going to have to order one for you.” (CAVALIER) I bit the hook again and said I thought the headlights and the gearshift knob would have been ordered when I stopped by previously to schedule an appointment to have the work done. (CAVALIER) The service advisor told me, “the purpose of this appointment is to verify what work needs to be done so that we can order the parts needed to do the work. (CAVALIER) The appointment person can’t do that.” (CAVALIER) I reminded the service advizzzer that the service manager is the one who scheduled my appointment. (CAVALIER) “Oh,” he says, “I don’t know about that.” (CAVALIER) Then a mechanic standing next to the service advizzzer says, “Ya know we don’t keep every itty bitty little part in stock just in case we need it.” (CAVALIER) I said I guess not or else you would be a little more knowledgeable about what a gearshift knob should look like. (CAVALIER) So the mechanic walks away, and I schedule another appointment. (CAVALIER) The service advizzzer says, “I’m really sorry about that, bud.” (CAVALIER)
The good news is that there was only an additional 0.2 miles on the odometer. Seems high for just pulling it out of the service pit area, but probably not enough to give some grease monkey an opportunity to abuse DHG2404.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DHG2404 on 2001-10-03 20:11 ]</font>
