Rusty Eck Ford review: Piss Poor Service/Managers/Customer Service 1

In January 2010, I purchased a used 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara from them. I also purchased the Ford Extended Service Plan (ESP) with the vehicle that was offered by the dealership.

During the winter of 2010/2011, I began to notice that my car was not starting properly. Thinking it was just due to the cold weather, I didn't make a big deal about it. In March/April 2011, I noticed a "clanking" noise coming from the engine/transmission of the vehicle. I took the vehicle to Rusty Eck for them to service per the ESP that was purchased.

They took the vehicle and put me in a rental car as provided by the ESP. They had the vehicle for approximately 2 weeks before they were unable to find anything wrong with it. They called me to come pick up the vehicle, and within a day or two the vehicle started making the noise again. The following weekend I took the vehicle back after speaking with Stuart in the service department about the continuing issue. They took the vehicle back and rented me another vehicle. A week or so later they called me and told me that they had taken the vehicle to Suzuki of Wichita, as they were unable to find anything wrong with the car. While the vehicle was at Suzuki they determined that the "break-in oil" had never been taken out of the rear differential, and that they found metal shavings. They ordered all the parts and had the vehicle an entire month before I was told again it was completed and to come get it.

I went to pick up the vehicle, started it up, which it barely started, drove off, and again it made the noise. I drove it right back and advised Stuart that the vehicle is not fixed, and I would be leaving it with him and getting another rental car. Before leaving I asked him to ride in the car with me so that I could show him the issues I am having with the vehicle. He got in the car and heard the noise and said that he would write it down. I got another rental car for 2-3 more weeks while they attempted to find and fix the problem, and again they sent the vehicle to Suzuki, who was unable to find anything wrong with it.

I received a phone call stating that the car was fixed, that they replaced the oil filter with a Suzuki oil filter, and that they replaced the battery. I went to get the car and as soon as I started the car it immediately made the noise, before I even put it in drive. It also had a horrible time starting.

I left the keys with the service advisers, and told them I would not take the car unless it was fixed. They advised me to leave the keys on Stuarts desk and he would be back on Monday.

I waited the entire week for someone to contact me regarding the status of my vehicle, and finally Brandon, the Service Manager, called me and advised me that I was running out of rental time on the ESP, and that they have spent a ton of money trying to fix something that they don't know what it is.

The next weekend I went back to the dealership, had a mechanic come out and sit in the car with me so that they could hear exactly what it does. I had to crank the car 5-6 times before it would finally start, it ran horribly rough, and as soon as I started to drive in the parking lot it made the noise. The mechanic said that the starting was an issue that they would have to address, however, he did not hear the noise I had been complaining about.

The following week I received a phone call from Brandon, who said that the car didn't have any problems starting during the week, and that the mechanic said it was my fault for "short starting it". The mechanic was right there and never said I was doing anything wrong trying to start the car. He was a witness to how rough it ran, but instead of saying anything about the problem, he just blamed it on me, that I didn't know how to start a vehicle. The mechanic also told me that the noise I was hearing was light enough that I might just have to deal with it.

I contacted Ford ESP to complain about Rusty Eck having my vehicle for 3 months now, and they have not been able to fix the problem. I inquired about them buying the vehicle back, and to voice my general dissatisfaction regarding the overall experience with Rusty Eck.

Ford ESP stated that since the dealership is independent, and it is not a Ford branded vehicle, they are not able to intervene or help out in anyway. They were able to log a complaint regarding the dealership.

I went pick up my vehicle on Saturday, July 24, 2011, after them having it for over 3 months, and the car STILL makes the noise.

Brandon told me on the last phone conversation that they are done working on this vehicle, as they are unable to find any problem with it.

I asked Stuart to ride in the vehicle with me again to see if it would make the noise. Sure enough, it made the noise to which he heard. Stuarts only option was that we could take it to Suzuki for them to look at it again, but there is nothing that they are able to do.

While I was at the dealership, we spoke with Robert, the Floor Manager?, as Craig the GM was unavailable. I explained the entire story to Robert, and he spoke with Stuart regarding the situation.

Roberts only opinion was to trade the car off. I fail to see why I would have to trade the car off when I purchased the ESP that should fix the vehicle.

I asked Robert to take a ride with me in the car to see if he could hear the noise. Robert heard the noise twice as well, however, didn't offer anything to help fix the car. He was only interested in selling me a new car.