Monday, November 02, 2015

Why I Won't Go Back to Evergreen Ford in Issaquah

Earlier this year I had an issue with my rarely driven 1994 Ford Ranger (it's 21 years old and has 121K miles). Around June 2015, I started hearing a squeak / chirp type noise when I started up my truck.

Unfortunately, we were also dealing with some pretty hot weather around that time. Normally I like to try and do all the work on my truck myself; I've replaced the ignition coil, accessory belt, various pulleys, spark plugs and wires, radiator, and lots of other things on my own. Some of it I've posted to my blog or Youtube account. But this time around, due to lots of factors (time, upcoming trip, busy at work to prepare for trip, hot weather, and most importantly, not knowing specifically what the issue could be), I wanted to take it to my neighborhood shop. Plus, I really didn't want to crawl under my truck in 90 degree heat.

I had a good idea of what the issue was. I had read on multiple forums that it's probably about time for the camsync (camshaft synchronizer) to be replaced. It was either that or one of the pulleys, I thought.

So I called Evergreen Ford, first to see how much I should expect to spend and second, to schedule an appointment. I called multiple times because the first time I called, it was about 10 minutes before the shop closed, and I was asked to call back. They told me it would take too long to look up the part(s) that I wanted.

So when I called back the next day, I spoke to Brenda. She couldn't quote me on specific parts prices either (she said most of the pulleys are probably between $60-$80, and the crankshaft position sensor was probably between $80-$100). But she did say the diagnostic fee would be $130, and that labor to install the pulley or position sensor would be around $130 each. I'm guessing that's their hourly rate since I can't imagine either taking much more than an hour to install for a shop.

I get the diagnostic test scheduled and bring it in to the shop. I'm hoping and expecting to spend around $300, tops.

The next day, I get a call, but it's not the one I'm expecting. I'm told that my truck needs all new front brakes (calipers, rotors and pads). I asked, "What would my out-the-door price be including tax?" and Brenda told me it was just above a thousand dollars.

She also told me they couldn't find a noise, chirp, or squeak and that everything else looked fine.

I asked, "And if I don't get anything done, I owe $130 + tax for diagnostics?" And she told me "Yes."

So I schedule the brake job and expect to pay around a thousand dollars. Mind you, the dollar amount doesn't bother me. I was glad that they were able to diagnose it, and I had that peace of mind. I thought, $1000 and I can drive my truck without any worries.


Unfortunately, it's about here where things start to go to shit. I went to pick up my truck on July 2nd, 2015.

1. Now, I know I said the dollar amount didn't bother me, but being lied to does. The total amount when I showed up to pay was $1,115.21. The total I was quoted over the phone was without tax, even after I asked for the total with tax.

2. As soon as the car porter dropped off my truck, I could still hear the squeaking! I asked the gentleman, "You hear that right?" And he paused and said "Yeah"... and we both kind of stood there looking at each other, and he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Right then I should have gone back inside to re-address the issue, but I was asking myself, "Are they going to charge another $1K to not fix the issue?" "Are they deaf?" "Do I ever want to go back into this dealership?" And I was too upset so I left.

3. On the 4th of July, 2 days later, I had to drive to a friends house on the Sammamish Plateau, right behind Skyline High School. I went early in the morning to avoid traffic and to test drive the Ranger since I hadn't driven it since picking it up from Evergreen Ford. And CLUNK! On the road next to Skyline High, I hear a chunk of metal clanging around in the engine bay and I lost power steering and had to coast to a stop.

I open up the hood and first notice the belt is loose. Then I notice a pulley over in the corner of the engine bay. It had come loose and fallen off. The bearings were exposed (images below).

At this point, I'm upset at myself for not catching such an obvious fix, but also at Evergreen Ford because I'm thinking, "Didn't I mention one of the pulleys could be bad? What the hell did I pay for? Don't they work on Rangers all the time? Shouldn't it have been even more obvious to them? Especially when I mentioned the camsync and pulley when making the appointment."
Anyway, to make a long story short, it was the 4th of July after all. The street I was parked on had "No parking" signs on it because people were going to be watching fireworks along the road later that night. I looked up a tow truck on Craigslist to get it back to my house.
Meanwhile, I went to an Oreilly's, paid $20.99 + tax ($23.01) for an idler pulley (as shown in the 2nd and final image) and repaired it myself. I was grateful that Oreilly's was open on a holiday and they had the part I needed in stock.

When I wrote and called Evergreen Ford just to air my frustration (in reality I was hoping they would credit me some money back or reimburse me for the towing and Oreilly's part, but knew that would never happen), nobody ever called back until I got a hold of Tony Rehn, one of the general managers. I was asked to come into the dealership to explain in person and to show receipts. I only had a receipt for Oreillys ($23.01), not the tow guy from Craigslist that I paid with cash. This seemed like such a car salesman tactic. "Lets meet face to face so we can use lots of hand motions to explain why we're right and you're wrong." I was still busy with work and with preparing for the trip so I never went back. And don't plan to.