If you take your Truck to Metropolitan Ford for service, make sure that you check all the work they do on your vehicle when you pick it up from them.
I took my truck in for a tune up in late fall of 2010. They of course told me that about the breaking spark plug issue and that if they had to tap them out it would be at an additional cost. I got the truck back and over the course of the winter the gas mileage really seemed off. A few weeks ago, my brakes needed to be done, so I took it to a mechanic friend of mine who said that he could easily do the brakes. After a tough MN winter the inside of the engine was quite dirty so he gently rinsed it off. After that rinsing, he started it up to take it for a test drive and finds that it is misfiring and the check engine light comes on. His Diagnostic Scanner identified a misfire on cylinder #3. Checking into that he finds out that whoever did the spark plug change, broke off a piece of the head casting where the bolt that holds the coil in place screws in, and that the coil and rubber spark plug boot were so loose there was no electrical connection to the plug. He reseats the coil and boot and I make an appointment to take the truck back to Metropolitan Ford to find out what happened. A phone call from Metropolitan Ford the next day reveals that not only was the bolt not holding the coil & boot in place, but that one coil was an aftermarket unit that they don?t even sell, and for an older F150. In addition, the cylinder head on that side is cracked (they have never seen this happen) and has to be replaced. From the time that I took the truck in until now in July is less than 3,000 miles. They accused me of having someone else work on the truck without me knowing it, replacing this coil and in the process, and cracking the cover. That there is not a chance that their technician of 25 years did not do something wrong during my tune up, and try to cover his tracks. However, the dealership will split the cost of repair with me and accept some responsibility.
This is not the first time that I have had an issue with the Metropolitan Ford Service Group. I took my truck in for service several years ago and when I arrived home, I walked around the back of it and discovered that they had creased the back tailgate. When I called to enquire about the crease, they came back and said that the oil change technician admitted to doing it with the oil change cart, but never told anyone. I was not happy about it, but they accepted responsibility, they agreed to fix it and gave me a rental car. This is another example of their sloppy and careless workmanship, and not taking any corrective action without me, the customer, having to bring it to their attention.
So, my wallet is now $ 265.00 lighter, my truck does in fact run better, and the lesson I learned is to never take my truck to the Metropolitan Ford Dealership ever again.
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