CMH Ford Randburg - Bad experiences

Hopefully this review will save people from the misfortune of having to deal with CMH Ford Randburg.

In 2022 We bought a previously owned Ford Fiesta from CMH Ford Randburg's approved used cars. The car was in like-new condition with low mileage and exactly what we were looking for. The whole process of buying the vehicle from this dealership was generally unimpressive and smacked of dealing with a seedy back-street dealer. From the slack salesman who was replaced part way through, to a service department lady full of attitude, to it taking many months and having to write 2 mails to the dealer principle to get the registration certificate from them.

In June this year, the car went into limp mode and then stopped, leaving my wife stranded. It turns out the engine had overheated, with absolutely no warning. We had the vehicle taken on a tow truck to a car service centre - they diagnosed the issue but did not have the special tools required to do the job, so they suggested we take it to a Ford dealer. Since CMH Ford Randburg is our nearest one, we had it taken there. After absolutely no feedback 2 days later, I called the service department and left a message for someone to tell me what was going on. A service advisor lady, again full of attitude, called me to say they needed to do a diagnostic test and there would be a cost of R1200 odd for that. I told her it had already been diagnosed by another service centre - the engine had overheated and it needed a new cylinder head gasket and possibly skimming the head and/ or some engineering work on the head. Her next call a day later was a major bombshell. She simply said "your vehicle has overheated and we are going to quote on a new engine". I could not believe what I was hearing and tried to reason with this person but, after some discussion, I was no closer to understanding how you go from a motor overheating, straight to a whole new motor. I have considerable mechanical knowledge and experience and am no stranger to engines and recognised this as bizarre.

A week after my first discussion with her, I still had not heard a word and tried to call her. Three attempts later the receptionist managed to connect me with this "full of her own importance" individual, who then apologised for the delay caused by her "having been sick". She reported that she now had the information to be able to put a quote together. Once again I tried to get her to explain why it was necessary to replace the engine. Eventually, now sounding like she was talking to a school child, she said "we can't see what is damaged so it is better to replace everything so that you know everything is new". Based on that logic, why don’t we all just put in a new engine before going on holiday, so we can have peace of mind that the engine “is new from top to bottom”?

When I asked what that would cost, she told me they were still working it out but the last similar vehicle they did cost over R100 000. She made it sound like it was our fault and there was something wrong with me for being surprised/ exasperated/ incredulous that I a new engine at a ridiculous amount of money is the solution to a car, with no warning, overheated while being driven by a grandmother. The quote arrived a day or two later - R126 542.76

How anyone could afford that? I called to ask what alternatives there might be. She told me they could quote me to remove the head and send it to the engineers for assessment. I called another Ford Dealer to discuss this situation and determine if this was normal protocol. The service manager said no, while a new engine is not completely out of the question with the Ford 1 litre ecoboost engine, that was very extreme in this situation and certainly not the first step. And the diagnostic fee was very unfriendly, especially in this situation.

So I mailed the whole story to the dealer principle at Ford Randburg, not the first time I had cause to refer to him. Five days later , after no response, I mailed him again. Eventually he called me and tried to be super friendly with much discussion about other superfluous stuff before briefly discussing the issue. He said he would investigate and revert back to me. When he did revert back, it was to suggest that they quote to strip the head off and send for engineering assessment. Three days later I received said quote to remove cylinder head and send to the engineers for a report, no repairs actually done - R9660!

Needless to say I had the car picked up by a rolltop truck and taken to ASAP Motors in Fourways, who were absolutely brilliant and a breath of fresh air by comparison. Actually there was no comparison. They did a thorough assessment, explaining all the risks and possibilities, but mainly offering solutions that made sense rather than just doom and gloom and ridiculous solutions. In the end they did the whole job, replacing all the various parts that were or may have been damaged, and the bill came to R33 000. The vehicle is running perfectly now thanks to ASAP Motors.

A warning to owners of Ford's with the ecoboost engine, but to most engine's this would apply - Do not let a garage attendant open the engine water bottle cap when the engine is warm. Check your water level regularly and only top up when the engine is cold. Also get your water hoses, the expansion bottle, the fan and everything to do with the cooling system checked regularly. A scan of the internet will show you that overheating with major damage is a common problem with these engines.