What to Do if You Suspect a Dealership Hasn't Completed The Service

reactor-au on 24/06/2022 - 22:51

Dear ozAutoAdvice

I took my Ford to the dealership for scheduled servicing (4yr/45k km car for the 4yr/60k km service)
I have reason to believe they did not replace the spark plugs (even though scheduled and invoiced)
I have not been able to get the dealership to confirm with the technician (the service report informs different to the invoice)
I have not pulled a plug because I don't have the correct size spark plug socket and dielectric grease

Am I being irrational?

Should I drive back to the dealership (45km away)?
Should I book the car at another dealership to inspect+report?
Should I book the car at an independent to inspect+report?
Should I procure the tools to pull a plug myself for confirmation/evidence?
Should I contact Ford Aus for advice?
Should I write it off as school fees, go to an independent next year and ask them to change the plugs to be sure?
Should I take a loan to buy a $100k ozBargain investment vehicle?

Poll Options expired

  • 2
    Drive back to dealership for answers
  • 0
    Book the car at another dealership
  • 6
    Book the car at an independent
  • 27
    Make a plan to pull a plug myself
  • 2
    Ask Ford Aus for advice
  • 1
    School fees - ask the mechanic to change them at the next service
Automotive

Comments

  • pegaxs on 24/06/2022 - 22:56
    +9

    First up, why do you suspect they have not done it?

    Easy way to check is to remove one and have a look at it. With very little driving, it should look brand new still.

    Am I being irrational?

    Possibly.

    I don't have the correct… dielectric grease

    Dafuq? Who greases spark plugs?

    • SF3 on 24/06/2022 - 23:02
      +8

      why do you suspect they have not done it?

      OP could just be paranoid?.

    • Muzeeb on 24/06/2022 - 23:03
      +2

      Who greases spark plugs?

      Overseas YouTube mechanics

      • pegaxs on 24/06/2022 - 23:07
        +1

        No doubt that Scotty Kilmer (mod: edited).

    • reactor-au on 24/06/2022 - 23:07

      Because the service report is quite comprehensive, and the tech hasn't marked it as done even though it is marked as required for the service.
      I asked the service advisor to confirm with the tech because you know maybe he forgot to mark it as done but now silence.
      The plugs technically should be fine past 60k km never mind 45k km, maybe the tech though it not necessary.
      I have inspected around the coils and it doesn't look like all the coils have been touched or the valley has been cleared of sand and dust near the coils.

      Trying to get a 14mm magnetic swivel spark socket at short notice seems to be not so readily available (or I'm not looking hard enough)

      • pegaxs on 24/06/2022 - 23:12

        Are the plugs marked to be replaced at 60k km service or at 4 years?

        We’re you charged for 4, 6 or 8 spark plugs? There should be a parts section on your invoice listing all the parts used on the service. Because that is a different issue if they charged you for them and you didn’t get them.

        • reactor-au on 24/06/2022 - 23:18

          The invoice I'm sure is a copy paste or auto generated for the respective service, it shows all the steps and parts that are expected for the "B" service.
          It shows the part number x4 spark plugs.

          They are marked in the service book as part of the "B" service - every 60k km or 12months since the last service.

          • pegaxs on 24/06/2022 - 23:30
            +2

            @reactor-au: So, you paid for 4 spark plugs?

            And spark plugs don’t need to be changed every 12 months and only really need to be replaced on distance.

            If they are a line item on your invoice and they have a price and you were charged for them, they should have been replaced. If they were not replaced and you paid for them, big problem.

            If you did not pay for them, and your vehicle only has 45k on it, I would not be bothered that they did not replace them because your car is still 15k short of when they need to be done.

            • Brian McGee on 25/06/2022 - 15:12

              @pegaxs: Spark plugs in a 45k city car have worked harder than a 60k highway car so need to be replaced on time.

              • pegaxs on 25/06/2022 - 15:27
                +2

                @Brian McGee: Yeah, nah, not buying it. Oils, perhaps, but not spark plugs. They are not a moving part. They are not a high wear item. They don’t care about engine loads.

                I’ve pulled spark plugs out of customers cars that have had 100,000+ km on them and they still look and work fine.

                If you are replacing plugs 15,000km before they are due because the plugs are rat shit, then something else is causing it.

                • Brian McGee on 25/06/2022 - 18:33

                  @pegaxs: I’m not selling anything, but I trust the people that engineer the car over some random in a chat room.

      • steven6 on 25/06/2022 - 07:15

        I have inspected around the coils and it doesn't look like all the coils have been touched or the valley has been cleared of sand and dust near the coils.

        Can you get a clean white cloth, glove or cotton bud to wipe on the spark plugs? After 4 years I would expect old plugs to be dusty, but probably not visible on the plug. I should add I have never looked under the bonnet of a late model ford, do they have the plug covered with a dust cover? If so, then it probably won't work.

  • randomusername2017 on 24/06/2022 - 23:02
    +1

    Should I take a loan to buy a $100k ozBargain investment vehicle

    Wouldn't your "Ford" have appreciated significantly in those four years that you wouldn't need a loan and could just leverage the increased equity…

    • SF3 on 24/06/2022 - 23:04

      Mustang with rev limiter?

      • randomusername2017 on 24/06/2022 - 23:11
        +2

        SlavSignatureEdition in collaboration with Crayola

  • cashless on 24/06/2022 - 23:13

    Get a plug socket, check one and put your mind at rest.
    If it’s new, then fine.
    If it’s old then it’s still fine. Car won’t seize or blow up.
    If you’re really worried, just buy a set & replace them

    • reactor-au on 24/06/2022 - 23:20

      Probably this, chasing the dealer likely not worth the effort or leads to nothing.

  • Muzeeb on 24/06/2022 - 23:33
    +3

    Plot twist.

    OP drives a diesel Ford.

    • reactor-au on 24/06/2022 - 23:39
      +1

      Double twist,
      OP drives a diesel and Ford says they changed the spark plugs.

      It's a pretty bog standard Ecoboost focus, nothing fancy but it's my one and only ❤️
      To the dealership it's a paycheck
      To the service advisor it's a job
      To the technician it's 1/100 for the day

  • Gratt on 25/06/2022 - 08:38
    +1

    Ask for the service manager. Tell him/ her about your doubts about plug replacement. If you still have doubts after speaking to the service manager. Don't go back.

    I had a problem once where they rotated the wheels and managed to replace the wheel trims over the valve stems so they were completely unaccessible. I put it to the service manager that if they got something as basic as that wrong how could I trust that the service was completed correctly. He drove to my place 40 km and removed and repositioned the wheel trims. In order to make sure I came back 🔙 he offered the next service for free.

    Keep an eye on fuel consumption. If it unexpectedly goes up you should get a service done from somewhere else.

  • skid on 25/06/2022 - 08:42
    +2

    Last service, I asked for the old spark plugs.

    • reactor-au on 25/06/2022 - 08:59
      +1

      At a dealership they probably have 50 in the bin at the end of the week because half the models use the same plugs

  • yippy on 25/06/2022 - 09:37

    Just use your hand to unscrew the spark plug, my experience with the Ford Service Centre was that 1 out of the 5 spark plugs were torqued correctly on my car, 2 were way too tight and the other 2 you could unscrew with your hand. They also reused the crush washer on the sump plug and tighten the (profanity) out of it I needed a breaker bar to get it loose. Useless pricks also forgot to replace the undertray after a service. Also never replaced the pollen filter even though though it's listed on the invoice, the pollen filter is in a bitch of a position to get to on my car so they probably thought I'd never replace it myself to even notice.

    Mate of mine has had an even worse experience with Ford Service where they didn't tighten the sump plug properly, so his car spat out all the oil whilst he was driving. He managed to pull over in time before losing all the oil. Rang up the dealer and they sent someone out straight away with a sump plug and oil, luckily there was no damage to the engine.

    • reactor-au on 25/06/2022 - 10:14

      A previous Ford I had, a different dealership overfilled the oil by about a half litre, they wanted me to believe it's normal and it will settle after 100km. At that dealership by 7 30am they had cars lining down the street for servicing.

      • yippy on 25/06/2022 - 10:21

        Their servicing went to shit when they started to go for volume and servicing as many cars as fast as they can. When I first started using them back in 2010 they actually did a decent job and the price was reasonable, they also included 12 months road side assist.

  • deme on 25/06/2022 - 09:52

    What to Do if You Suspect a Dealership Hasn't Completed The Service

    Why the F did you go to a Stealership anyway?

    • reactor-au on 25/06/2022 - 10:09

      Probably OCD and too much faith in humanity.

  • FLICKIT on 25/06/2022 - 09:57

    They may have done a 45k service and charged you for a 60k… It looks like the air filter should be replaced at 60k, have you checked that?

    • reactor-au on 25/06/2022 - 10:07

      I did check they, did that and they did the cabin filter, the oil. Brake fluid change too (extra cost). I think the tech didn't do the plugs because it's only 45k and not 60k.
      I have ordered the 14mm spark socket but it's 2 weeks out.

      • JIMB0 on 25/06/2022 - 16:52

        Most socket sets have one. Hardly a special item.

  • JimmyF on 25/06/2022 - 10:20
    +1

    I have not pulled a plug because I don't have the correct size spark plug socket and dielectric grease

    Have a look at a plug and see how it looks. If its all shiny, clean and new looking on the outside, then guess they might have been replaced. If its all grimmy and dusty looking, then guessing not.

    If you're still unsure, then time to get some tools

    • pegaxs on 25/06/2022 - 10:38
      +1

      If its all grimmy and dusty looking

      This really isn't a good way to check spark plugs. Most modern cars have covers over covers over rubber gasket/o-ring sealed coil packs. There is little to no chance of "grime" on spark plugs. The only real way to check is to remove one and look at the electrode parts. I pull spark plugs on a daily basis and have pulled plenty that from the top, looked brand new because they are in a sealed well between the camshafts.

      Most modern spark plug recesses are designed to keep water out and by that function they usually keep out all the dust and grime as well.

      It also depends on the age of the plugs, but what you can look for is heat damage. It will usually show up as a brown ring around the bottom of the plug just above the metal threaded/hex nut section.

      Now, if the car had exposed plugs or was a lot older, I would say yes, but possibly not on a 2018 Ford Focus.

      • reactor-au on 25/06/2022 - 11:31

        You are 100% correct on the coil packs being fully insulated, these are the best pics I could get without the socket https://imgur.com/a/yfFB4Vy (what the tops look like after 45k km or 45km)

      • JimmyF on 25/06/2022 - 14:37

        This really isn't a good way to check spark plugs. Most modern cars have covers over covers over rubber gasket/o-ring sealed coil packs.

        Agreed

        It also depends on the age of the plugs, but what you can look for is heat damage. It will usually show up as a brown ring(imgur.com) around the bottom of the plug just above the metal threaded/hex nut section.

        I guess I was more meaning this…. aka for the OP to have a look and see if they can see signs of someone poking around the area, fingerprints on the covers etc, plugs looking 'old' like your example.

        Either way, if the OP is unsure, then tools are needed.

  • altomic on 25/06/2022 - 10:28
    +1

    If they didn't replace the spark plugs then they probably filled your tyres with custard.

    Now you have 2 things to complain about to ford

  • big1964 on 25/06/2022 - 14:38
    +1

    Car dealers make their money from servicing cars not by selling them after the warranty ran out on mine I took it elsewhere.

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