Part price rip-off
Shop recommended by another electronics company I trust to get 360o cameras working. Doing some research, I knew corroded connectors could be a problem, and also found that my issues were more than likely caused by the IPMB module, because it didn’t make sense that 2 cameras would go bad at the same time. I stated these things when I took my truck in; yet someone wrote that I stated it could be a fuse. I never mentioned “fuse”. I knew the diagnosis of wiring was going to take time, so there was no time or amount it would cost that was discussed - only that I said I couldn’t write a blank check, and they did keep in touch along the way. After 2 full days of diagnosing wiring, they brought the expert in. Yes, I felt that should’ve happened a little sooner – like maybe after the first day. Problem found (IPMB module) and part ordered. Was going to take 4 days to arrive. The part was quoted to me, in my first conversation with the service writer as being $1200. In the meantime, I researched the part and found one online from a Ford dealer for $860 and change. In a second discussion with another service person, I was told the part was actually $1600! Yes it came with a 3 year warranty, but the original part didn’t last but 3 or 4 years. Though I asked for a price adjustment, no change was made to the price. As a matter of fact, I was told that if I bought the part from Ford and it came in a Ford box with bright blue Ford lights on it, they would not warrant the part. I picked up the truck while waiting for the part due to not wanting to be without a vehicle for 4 days. The shop had already ordered the part, so there was no going back at that point. When I returned the truck to the shop for part installation, we went over the service and costs. I was guaranteed there would be no additional charges. After another 2 days, I received a call letting me know they had to “sub the work out to another shop” to get the 360o cameras calibrated. The service writer let me know they were going to eat the cost of between $500 to $800 to have the work done. Honestly, I sort of felt it was karma for a 100% markup of the part, and I felt bad thinking that; but I’m pretty sure they’re glad they had marked it up after having to sub the work out. At the end of the third day, I finally got my truck back. It was a total of 6 days I was without a vehicle. So far, so good – I have working cameras.
Pros: The people are nice. The shop is clean. They communicated with me frequently. They provided rides to and from my home to the shop. They took pictures of things that will need my attention. They even have a decent financing plan available.
Cons: I think “the experts” should’ve been called a little sooner, and it shouldn’t have taken 2 days to identify that they couldn’t complete the work. The 100% markup on the part (and in this case, the 100% markup was $800) will prevent me from taking any vehicle back to them. I’d much rather have saved $800 and gone with a standard 1 year part warranty than pay for a warranty that will probably last a shorter time than the part. Actually, after checking the list of items that need attention, the Southern Ford dealership is less expensive than American Pride Automotive.