Whats ahead for Ford Diesel owners? - Montana Owners Club

Wiarton William · 07-27-2008, 10:49 AM

I just received a telephone call from my local Ford dealer, they say its time for my 50,000 mile oil change.....got news for them, I had it done in the spring and I still have 1500 miles to go before its due..I had heard that the diesel Mechanic at the dealer was leaving.. I asked the caller if he knew whether or not the mechanic was there..." No., he quit, we dont have a diesel tech now.......So who is going to change the oil on my diesel motor??? Oh, anyone can do that....Not on my truck they cant..dont bother calling until you have a qualified diesel tech... I knew where he went so I dropped by to see him.....apparently there isnt a FORD dealer within 50 miles of my house that has a qualified diesel mechanic....Ford has hassled, berated and antagonised them by second guessing, overriding and restricting repairs on the diesel motors...It has got so bad that many of the techs have quit..the end result will be complete loss of confidence in fords warranty program..

richfaa · 07-27-2008, 02:35 PM

This is a good source for info http://flatratetech.com/

My Local dealer is struggling to stay in business.

You have prompted me to ask if they still have a diesel tech on board.

Bruce Lenhardt · 07-27-2008, 04:03 PM

Why does it take a diesel tech to change the oil on a Ford diesel??? I have changed the oil on my 7.3, 6.0, and 6.4. Just like changing the oil on a gas truck or car. Take the plug out and drain the oil. Replace the plug. Change the oil filter and add oil. Have I missed something the last 8 years???

Wiarton William · 07-28-2008, 12:42 AM

Some of us are not so lucky....I could do that at one time..cant do it now....any of those quik lube places dont hire the cream of the crop to do the work......and generally the point of the post was more to the future of having warranty repairs done on the motor by ford diesel techs rather than just a mechanic...

Bruce Lenhardt · 07-28-2008, 03:15 AM

Sorry, didn't mean to be insensitive to anyones abilities. My point was that most Ford dealerships have capable non diesel techs that can change oil on diesels. Your point on warrenty repair my be a real concern-hope not.

richfaa · 07-28-2008, 03:29 AM

We would hope that that qualified tech who primarily changes oil on gas motors would know and remember that the diesel takes a lot more oil than the gas motor???and that the teenager in the fast lube places know the difference between a diesel and gas motor. I stopped at the quick lube place in town and the 12 year old on duty said they could not change oil on a diesel???

Wiarton William · 07-28-2008, 05:01 AM

No problem Bruce..... I wouldnt consider it insensitive..I dont have the overall abilities including equipment to do it...I hate this aging process, it limits me so... I had my second oil change on this truck in New Orleans.. the first was at a trusted local Ford Dealer up here who had an apprentice in the oil bay......to make a long story short..it took weeks to find out why I was blowing out oil mist all under the hood.....the guy failed to remove the oil filter properly and left a base ring off the filter in the housing...thus it leaked......I was there when they took the housing off and this thing fell out......there were some pretty embarrassed and upset people there........I am less trusting and more careful now.....

skypilot · 07-28-2008, 05:13 AM

Well, I don't have a Ford anymore, now driving Dodge but same issue with lack of diesel techs -- also, the issue of the oil change has happened to me -- had oil changed on my 06 about a year ago. Drove home and then had to pull my 5er to KC for some warranty work. While going there I happened to notice that oil pressure seemed low; pulled over at a rest stop on the toll road, checked oil and it was about a quart low; no problem given I had just shut down and hadn't let it drain. In any case, dropped the trailer off, and came back home; checked the oil the next morning. Still a quart low -- took it over to the dealer (Dodge) and asked them for a quart of oil since I only had a couple of hundred miles now on the oil change and it had never used any. They called the young oil change kid over and told him to grab a quart of 'diesel' oil -- he came back with 5w30 can; they told him no - the stuff for the diesels. He then told them that this is what he was putting into everything!!! Mine included. Needless to say, they then took it back to the shop and drained all the oil, replaced filter and filled it with the right stuff......

My point to this long story is that 'not just anyone' can change the oil. They have to be trained and they have to be supervised!! I agree, they DON'T have to be diesel techs, but they do have to be properly trained!! Oh, by the way, my truck started using oil at a rate of a quart every 2 tanks of fuel after that.....

Snownyet · 07-28-2008, 07:35 AM

I shop at dealers with heavy duty truck service departments and never take the truck to the dealers "regular" shop when it needs work.

snfexpress · 07-28-2008, 08:27 AM

I agree with Snownyet; if I take my truck to a GMC dealer, I find the commercial truck repair division, usually off by itself. I also like to go to 18 wheeler shops - they're often cheaper than the dealer.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 07-28-2008, 08:46 AM

Not a "D", but same sort of issue with GM dealer we purchased truck from. Truck takes 6.5 quarts of oil on oil change, NOT 7 quarts. Can you guess what they have put in there several times we have had the oil changed?? YEP, 7 quarts. Nuff said, it started getting ugly when Al took it in for oil change. Still put in 7 quarts!!

Al tells me the last time or two they got it right, but, he always checks.

At oil change places for other vehicles, well, we could write a very long chapter of what they have done to our vehicles, and this is not the same place every time, different places, different stories, none good,

lwcdg · 07-28-2008, 06:37 PM

Folks it is the lack of taking the time to read. All of the trucks state on the cover in engine compartment area the weight or type of engine oil. 5w 40 or 0w 30 etc. Yes I've always watched the fluids going in and have even asked to see the empty bottles.
Chuck

sreigle · 08-02-2008, 02:28 PM

I don't take mine to the dealer for oil changes. I have either someone like Jiffy Lube or even Walmart do it. I buy my own oil and filter so I know it's the right amount of oil and the right oil and filter. In my case, CJ-4 oil is required. CI-4 can create problems. so I take the oil in for the change.

bigred715 · 08-04-2008, 01:35 PM

When I had my Ford I bought "Ford" oil at WalMart and the filter also. The filter was made by Ford and about half the price of the dealership. The first time I changed it I got about two quarts on the garage floor, but got better with time. WaMart stopped carrying the filters, but I bought everything within a 15 mile radius when I found out they weren't going to carry them anymore.

richfaa · 08-05-2008, 03:07 AM

Since my retirement I have developed a severe allergy to "work" Any kind of Truck maint would cause a severe reaction. We take our truck to a Ford dealership where they do all the required maint and let me know when it is done. Thus far my cost has been 83.00 per trip.

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