Gator Ford East of Tampa, FL. (long post about service dept.)

[greenmachine]

On Monday 6-4-07, my wife takes our Navigator in for service. It also had 2 warranty problems. We requested an oil/filter change, rotate tires & replace air filter. The warranty items were the passenger window went down & stayed there & the air suspension compressor sounds like a lawnmower under the hood when running at startup.
Later that day,around 2pm, the service writer lady calls my wife & tells her that the rear brakes are worn out & she will need new pads & rotors!!!WTF. This truck just turned 50K miles. I have never seen rear discs go out before the fronts. Oh yeah, the service writer lady tells her it will cost $497 & that includes an extra day of rental car because brakes are not under warranty. She then drops the "bad brakes are dangerous especially when you have young children in the car" Scare tactics really piss me off!!!
My wife called me for advice & I called them & said we asked for oil change, rotate tires & air filter, nothing else except the warranty problems fixed.
Now to preface this, the lady said we would pay for an extra day of rental car for Tuesday because brakes arent warranty. When she said that we assumed our service & warranty work was done because "they would do the brakes on Tuesday" according to service lady. Well we called 5 times Mnday to find out when we could pick it up assuming it was done by this info & she never returned our calls.
Finally at 5pm on Monday I get her on the phone & she says, "oh, I was just trying to call your wife to let her know the suv wouldnt be finished today because we didnt get the window motor in yet & it is on order". So now this lady is a total liar & she is caught in the lie!!!!
Tuesday rolls around & she never calls my home or my wifes cell according to all of our caller I.D. records.
My wife calls this morning (Wed) & it is ready.
She goes to get the suv & after she pays for the service she walks out to the parking area for finished vehicles. She gets in & right onthe dash in front of the center of the steering wheel is a dead dried up frog placed there. It was dead & dried out, so it definitely didnt crawl in there overnight & die on accident. Some low life mechanic was pissed because they didnt get their commision on the brakes & had to have placed it there intentionally!!!!
So to make a long story short they lied to us about the job being finished & tried to shake us down to pay for an extra rental car day when they didnt have it done & my Ford Premium ESP warranty pays for rental cars. Then she tried to pull the "you should change your brakes because you carry young children in your car with you & it is unsafe" bullshizitt.
I didnt buy the navigator from them, & I will NEVER AGAIN TAKE IT THERE BECAUSE THIS ISNT THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE LIED TO ME ABOUT SERVICE ON A VEHICLE!!!!
I can guarante that I will never ever buy anything from them in the future.
BTW, I am avidly looking for a new F250 right now. I wouldnt buy from them if they had a lower price because service means a lot to me. I will pay more for good service after the sale!!!
GATOR FORD, we are finished doing business after today.
If whoever put that frog there has any ballz, you will get my # from K.C. the service adviser & call me.

[TRX450R_Racer]

Just so you know the rear brakes on the 1/2 Ford trucks are junk. They go out all the time.

[greenmachine]

I have never owned nothing but FORD & my rear disc brakes are 2/1. For every 2nd set of fronts I replace the rears. The brakes on the navigator work flawlessly with no problems or squeels. Thanks for your response. The point was they tried to rip me off & were caught in a lie & then a dead frog is placed on the dash dead center of the steering wheel. Just too much coincidence. Gator Ford could be on fire & I wouldnt waste a good pizz to help put it out.

[fdndantpa]

Gator ford sold me a p.o.s f150 that had frame damage from being hit. When i bought it I asked 3 times if the truck had ever been in a wreak and was told no all 3 times. Well after chewing up tires in 2 weeks i took it back they didnt want to do anything but charge me for it (claimed i must of hit something to affect the alignment). I had them pull the order when it was traded in and right there on the first page seller disclosed this was a wreaked truck. I then had to threatin to go to news ch.8. Finally the salemanager got off his lazy arse and told me they would take it back. I said fine have the pos give me back my trade in and i was told it was already gone. but i could have anyother truck i wanted on the lot... f--- that. Never again will i step near Gator ford.

[greenmachine]

^^^ Sounds like the same place to me. Keep all the bad news coming, maybe it might make them think. I do plan on talking to that place & letting them know a porter brought my suv to the service area for pickup with a dead frog on the center of the dash & left it there for my wife to remove!!! I beleive they did it on purpose, because how do you drive a vehicle to the service area, get out & as soon as someone else gets in there is a frog in your face. I guess he didnt see it? Myself &  the service manager have had our differences before over my truck a few years back. I am surprised he is still there.

[fdndantpa]

Dont be scared take a Chevy with you that will show em. You would rather have a Chevy then one of there fords anyday.

[KAW3604x4]

Dont be scared take a Chevy with you that will show em. You would rather have a Chevy then one of there fords anyday.

Nothin' wrong with FORD, it's the stealership!!!!!!!! 

[greenmachine]

Dont be scared take a Chevy with you that will show em. You would rather have a Chevy then one of there fords anyday.

My horse will always be in the blue oval corral.
C heap
H eap
E very
V alve
R attles
O il
L eaks
E very
T ime

[TRX450R_Racer]

I have never owned nothing but FORD & my rear disc brakes are 2/1. For every 2nd set of fronts I replace the rears. The brakes on the navigator work flawlessly with no problems or squeels. Thanks for your response. The point was they tried to rip me off & were caught in a lie & then a dead frog is placed on the dash dead center of the steering wheel. Just too much coincidence. Gator Ford could be on fire & I wouldnt waste a good pizz to help put it out.

I sell auto parts for 23 years now. Since 1997 Ford rear brake have been terrible. They wear like crazy. We sell them like hot cakes. The 04 and up F150s are the worst one yet.

[KAW3604x4]

When my brakes are due, I replace them with the Ceramiz brand. They last quite a long time. They are more expensive but you can even feel the difference when you're braking. Ford for life, always have been.

[greenmachine]

I have never owned nothing but FORD & my rear disc brakes are 2/1. For every 2nd set of fronts I replace the rears. The brakes on the navigator work flawlessly with no problems or squeels. Thanks for your response. The point was they tried to rip me off & were caught in a lie & then a dead frog is placed on the dash dead center of the steering wheel. Just too much coincidence. Gator Ford could be on fire & I wouldnt waste a good pizz to help put it out.

I sell auto parts for 23 years now. Since 1997 Ford rear brake have been terrible. They wear like crazy. We sell them like hot cakes. The 04 and up F150s are the worst one yet.

Well that being said, I have a 99 f150 4x4 since 99 & I have only replaced the rotors & pads on all 4 once at about 80K. The rears were fine it was the fronts that took a crap then. My Navigator was bought in May 02 & it is a 2003 model(early release). This post aint about brakes it is about a dealership lying to us & then acting like 10yr old d*cks when we called their bluff.......GATOR FORD will never see me again.
TRX, how would you feel in my shoes when your wife gets in her Navigator to find a dead frog on the dash which was clearly placed there on purpose by these lowlife pos'?
This isnt Joe Blows Auto Repair on the corner. We are talking about one of the largest Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealers in the county!!!
BTW, you state the 97's were bad & then you say the 04 & up are bad. My navigator is an 03...hmmm.

[TRX450R_Racer]

I not here to start a Chevy Ford thing or prove to you my knowledge of someone that has been in the automotive business for 23 years. I would like to know if you are in the automotive field or make your conclusion from 2 vehicles you have owned. I deal with thousands of vehicles a month. I do KNOW what we sell. Maybe not every Ford truck chews up brakes, but we sell Ford stuff like we were giving it away. That being said I'm done here.

[greenmachine]

  Maybe you should start a BAD post about Ford brakes & stop hijacking & trying to pull some kind of parts sales counter rank.

[TRX450R_Racer]

  Maybe you should start a BAD post about Ford brakes & stop hijacking & trying to pull some kind of parts sales counter rank.

I guess the anwser to the automotive question is no since you skated it.

Second the only reason I even commented on this thread is I was trying to tell you it is justified that the rears wear out so quickly. I wasn't talking bad about you or defending the dealer. Since you took it so personal, like I was talking bad about your wife or mother or something of that nature, you didn't take it for what it was worth. Sorry I tried to help. thanks The Parts Guy

[fdndantpa]

Gator ford sucks plain and simple. 

[greenmachine]

  Maybe you should start a BAD post about Ford brakes & stop hijacking & trying to pull some kind of parts sales counter rank.

I guess the anwser to the automotive question is no since you skated it.

Second the only reason I even commented on this thread is I was trying to tell you it is justified that the rears wear out so quickly. I wasn't talking bad about you or defending the dealer. Since you took it so personal, like I was talking bad about your wife or mother or something of that nature, you didn't take it for what it was worth. Sorry I tried to help. thanks The Parts Guy

No I dont sell auto parts, sorry for "skating" that one. I do however run an outdoor power equipment business. I am a mechanic by trade, but now I sit in an airconditioned office & delegate duties to my employees. Sorry to disappoint you. I have been repairing cars since I was a young child. I helped transfer a 460 from an old lincoln town car to a 1972 f250 in 1976. I have rebuilt engines on diesel tractors & ford trucks many times. I have been repairing my own cars since I was able to drive. I guess your "23yrs" of parts experience just trumps the hell out of all that though. You have made yourself sound like an ass on this thread with your hijack attempt, but I do appreciate the free bumps & so does GF.
Could you elaborate on your 23yrs experience for all of us.
Discount Auto, NAPA, Autozone, Joe Blows Parts Store, am I geting warm.
Maybe you work for a dealership, that would explain a lot.
Again, nothing personal.
The post was about getting lied to & charged for an extra day of rental car when it was clearly covered by warranty & the work wasnt done when it was said to be. We never asked for the brakes to be checked...period!
I know several local ford mechanics, as a matter of fact one worked for me when he was between dealerships. They work on commision & that in itself leads to greed. Would your wife know if the brakes were bad or would she take their word & write the check? If I didnt ask for it then dont offer it is the way I see it.
It was never about ford brakes until you chimed in.

[TRX450R_Racer]

All I tried to do was tell you it is possible for the rear to go out before the front.

You turned it into a pissing match/ Ford thing. The only reason it went that way is you took it personal.

I have nothing to prove to anyone especially you. I don't care what you or anyone else on the internet thinks of me. This is the last time I will answer any of you posts.

Have a nice day. I'm done with you.

[greenmachine]

All I tried to do was tell you it is possible for the rear to go out before the front.

You turned it into a pissing match/ Ford thing. The only reason it went that way is you took it personal.

I have nothing to prove to anyone especially you. I don't care what you or anyone else on the internet thinks of me. This is the last time I will answer any of you posts.

Have a nice day. I'm done with you.

Now who is skating?

[KAW3604x4]

Now who is skating?

greenmachine, your beef is with Gator Ford and I am sure it's not with other forum members. Sorry we hijacked the thread, it was not our intention for you to get upset with us!

Stay focused on Gator Ford and be p!ssed with them!!

[greenmachine]

I am not upset with anyone who posted here. i accomplished what I set out to do & that is slam a dishonest dealer's service dept.
TRX called me out & I gave a complete history of my background, but when asked about his, he is "done with me".
I understand he has "been in the "automotive industry" since he was 18, I just felt fair is fair.
I tipped my hand & he folded his.
No problems with anyone here for sure on my end.

[PLEDGER#76]

My 17 year old daughter drives a navigator that she has put 68,000 miles on and it has never had the brakes replaced on it, had alot of other warranty work done though..

[greenmachine]

My 17 year old daughter drives a navigator that she has put 68,000 miles on and it has never had the brakes replaced on it, had alot of other warranty work done though..

Thanks for the post. And yes we have had a ton of warranty work done to ours onthe electrical components. The mirrors twice, the rear side "gullwing" window motors once on each side, the rear backup alarm sensors once, the driver seat cooling motor, the cd player jammed up, the air ride suspension motor repaired twice now.
I like the suv, but the electronics part needs improvement. Anyone know of a god Lincoln service dept in Tampa area. When I checked to see if the air filter was indeed replaced, the hood wouldnt stay up. The little dampeners that used to support the hood have blown seals & the losers there at GATOR FORD chose to just not replace them instead of do the right thing. Looks kinda silly with a stick holding up the hood on a Lincoln Navigator.
Hopefully I can find a respectable dealer to take care of it for the next 25ooo miles remaining on the esp warranty.
Yeah I know that is like finding the tooth fairy.

[singleshot]

Hopefully I can find a respectable dealer to take care of it for the next 25ooo miles remaining on the esp warranty.
Yeah I know that is like finding the tooth fairy.

I have always recieved great service from Brandon Ford.  I'm sure they can do all the Navigator warranty work you need.

[FOREMANRON]

I HAVE HAD GOOD SERVICE FROM ERNIE HAIRE AND JARRETT FORD IN PLANT CITY

[KB]

FORD stands for Found On Roadside Daily.
                                                                 J/K