the Cost of Ford Repair

My car broke down during a rainstorm, and I had it towed to the local Ford dealership for them to look at it. It would not start back up, and I figured since they were checking it out I might as well have them do an oil change and an inspection. They hooked up my car to a diagnostic machine, and for three hours tried to find out what was wrong with it. After three hours and $210 later ($70 per hour), they still had no clue what was wrong with it. The oil change was done correctly at $30, and I also had to pay for a failed inspection at $21, plus a $10 charge to replace a lightbulb in the tail light. I ended up towing the non-working vehicle to my house.

I felt that I was never correctly advised until after the fact of how much the per hour fee was to diagnose the car's issues. I also feel that the oil change was a lot higher priced than had I gone to a speedy in and out oil change place. The $10 charge for a $1.5 lightbulb was absolutely ludicrous. All in all, I was very unhappy with the service received and would never go there again.

I would advise anyone with an older vehicle to consider taking it to someone you know, whether they are just handy with vehicles or own a private garage. Have them assess what they think it might be, so that you can go into a garage with some sort of pre-visit knowledge. Also, solicit a few quotes before going to one garage over another. That way you will have a better shot of beating overpriced services.