You mean STEALERSHIP right?
Air bag recall. What gets changed?
- Thread starter NewtomeGT
- Start date
Yep, me too, definitely taking before & after pics. When it's not their car, sometimes care/quality go out the window. >.<
Coosawjack
forum member
Driver's side on mine was the entire unit in the center of the steering wheel....replaced last year in 10 minutes!!
Passenger's side was just the inflator and it only took 15 minutes to install but it took 3 weeks for my dealership to get it!!
Passenger's side was just the inflator and it only took 15 minutes to install but it took 3 weeks for my dealership to get it!!
golkhl
forum member
We have an 08 and an 11 that need the recall done, local stealership wants me to leave the car for an entire day!
86GT351
forum member
What many don't realize or care to realize is that along with your car, there are many other cars in for service as well. I am the busiest dealership in South Florida for Service because of our Tech Qualifications. 99% is drop off except for our quick lane department. It has to be that way to run efficiently. If we dropped everything to take care of a customer as soon as they came in, nothing would get done.
DiMora
More Is Better
How hard is it to set a time where a customer can show up and be serviced immediately and on-time for something as simple as an airbag that has a known procedure and a known amount of time to accomplish?
I hate dealers. Most suck and lack even basic organizational skills.
I was able to find two local dealers to do my airbags exactly as I described above - while I waited.
skwerl
tree hugger
Because 20% of people who make appointments either show up late or not at all.
86GT351
forum member
Because it is almost impossible in a volume situation to have someone available when the customer arrives. In a high volume shop like ours, the techs are constantly working on cars. Most dealers now don't have specialists like it used to be where they only did certain things like brakes or trim or water leaks, etc. Now Techs are more skilled and most can "Clean a ticket" meaning they are well versed in all aspects of a vehicle. With the Air Bag situation as many as there are needed to be done, theoretically we would have to shut our shop down. Remember it is not only Mustangs for the Ford cars. This is a huge industry and brand wide situation. Customers also have to understand that they are not the "Only one" when they get here.
I had a gentleman the other day that was an hour late for his appointment. Our customers are aware that the appointment is for the Write up with the Advisor only. He knew he was late. Shows up and there were at least 15 cars in the service drive in front of him. He proceeded to make a stink about how we could not accommodate him in a timely manner. Turns out he had an intermittent problem that even with him along in the test drive we could not confirm. We actually prioritized him because he is a "Loud" customer. Whether he does it purposely or is just loud we don't know. We made the decision to get him handled so he did not disrupt business anymore.
DiMora
More Is Better
I get it, I really do.
I also own two Honda’s.
At the Honda dealer, my service advisor and I discuss any issues I have and whether I want to drop-off or wait.
They set up an appointment time if I wish to wait. I show up on-time and a service advisor meets me, signs me in, gets my keys and offers me free coffee and donuts while a tech takes my car and fixes it while I wait.
At some of the dealers, they have windows where you can watch the tech work on your car at a “window bar”.
They fix me quickly, explain what they did, and I’m off.
To me, that’s good customer service - and what I now expect. I know I’m not “the only one”, but I like to be treated like I am and I like them to respect my time as I respect their time and their schedule by showing-up on-time.
Not all dealers can attain that level of excellence, but many do. I think it is a good goal to strive for.
I did find a great Ford dealer that works like that - and I’ll continue using them.
Anyway...back on topic...my airbag swaps took :20 and I was on my way. I made first-thing-in-the-morning appointments and waited while they swapped them. I had to have two separate visits since the airbags were not both available at the same time due to the widespread Takata recall and them being like finding hen’s teeth in rarity.
Don’t delay getting them swapped; metal schrapnel in your face and eyes and blindness / death are the possible results of a malfunction on a faulty bag.
I also own two Honda’s.
At the Honda dealer, my service advisor and I discuss any issues I have and whether I want to drop-off or wait.
They set up an appointment time if I wish to wait. I show up on-time and a service advisor meets me, signs me in, gets my keys and offers me free coffee and donuts while a tech takes my car and fixes it while I wait.
At some of the dealers, they have windows where you can watch the tech work on your car at a “window bar”.
They fix me quickly, explain what they did, and I’m off.
To me, that’s good customer service - and what I now expect. I know I’m not “the only one”, but I like to be treated like I am and I like them to respect my time as I respect their time and their schedule by showing-up on-time.
Not all dealers can attain that level of excellence, but many do. I think it is a good goal to strive for.
I did find a great Ford dealer that works like that - and I’ll continue using them.
Anyway...back on topic...my airbag swaps took :20 and I was on my way. I made first-thing-in-the-morning appointments and waited while they swapped them. I had to have two separate visits since the airbags were not both available at the same time due to the widespread Takata recall and them being like finding hen’s teeth in rarity.
Don’t delay getting them swapped; metal schrapnel in your face and eyes and blindness / death are the possible results of a malfunction on a faulty bag.
86GT351
forum member
That is great info that we can strive for. Question for you. Are these Mechanical repairs or possibly maintenance items? I ask because we do have a Quick Lane department for maintenance concerns. With Mechanical repairs it is almost impossible to plan for time because you never know the root cause of the concern until after there is a diagnosis.
Have a Great Day!
DiMora
More Is Better
The ones where I wait are known maintenance items such as a recall.
A mechanical repair is always dropped-off so they can diagnose, troubleshoot, etc. In that case, they offer a loaner vehicle and call me with a diagnosis and repair estimate that I approve. At that time (discussing estimate) they let me know their best guess as to when the repair will be complete (pending parts availability, repair tech schedules, etc.)
They show me the old/ bad parts (or put them in my trunk at my request) and sometimes show me the new parts or repairs made when I pick up the repaired car.
Shane
86GT351
forum member
We actually just started using a new dealership program called My Kaarma. It allows the Customer to text easier and it comes direct to my computer. The nice part is you are included in the inspection. The Tech actually does a video inspection which is sent to me and the customer to see. It does not explain everything like prices, however the customer feels like they are included in the process.
DiMora
More Is Better
That’s great. I would really like that. I think it’s important for customers to see/understand/ feel like they get their money’s worth when maintenance /repairs is/are performed.
I also work in customer service (airlines) and one of our big goals is for every customer to feel special and appreciated so they keep coming back and tell all their friends to fly on us (net promoter score - NPS). Airlines with higher NPS can get more money for tickets and are more profitable.
I would suggest that dealers are much the same...good ones keep customers coming back for new and used cars and for service. Bad ones drive customers to switch dealers and/or brands.
My Dad bought a Lexus simply because of his local dealer. He preferred the Acura he test drove, but he knows service is such a huge part of vehicle ownership (and he’s not mechanically inclined) that he bought the Lexus just because of how they treated him. Boom...$50K on that sale plus his future parts and service revenue - and he’ll likely buy his next vehicle there as well if they continue to treat him like he’s special.
golkhl
forum member
There is absolutely zero reason that I should be expected to leave my car at the dealer, make two trips to said dealer, and wait all day for a job that takes less than one hour to complete.
DiMora
More Is Better
This.
86GT351
forum member
One of the primary reasons we are so busy, The other local dealerships struggle.
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