MF
Mbuyi F

1 reviews | Active since Jul 2020

06 Jul 2020, 14:28

Ford Fiesta brakes still not repaired 4 months later and I don't have my car back yet i'm paying monthly!

Mekor Ford – Claremont Cape Town On the 21st of February 2020 I dropped my vehicle of at Mekor Ford in Cape Town for an assessment and repair on the braking system after discovering that the brakes don’t work. I received a phone call from Shaheed at 12:19 that same day but could not take the call given that I was in class at UCT. I called the number back during my lunch break and spoke to Shaheed (he had sent me a text message saying he called). Shaheed informs me that the assessment done on the car revealed that the automatic braking system (ABS) had been damaged by using the wrong lubricant in the brake fluid pump. He informed me that further tests would need to be done on a sample of the fluid to get the exact type of fluid that was used but at that stage the technician suspects that it’s engine oil. He further mentioned the estimated costs to drain the lubricant from the damaged ABS, I just can’t remember the amount he quoted. I then explained that I’m not a car technician nor a mechanic and would never have tampered with brakes, the engine or any lubricants relating to my car. The last institution that was responsible for my car was the Ford dealership in Woodmead where I had the last service done (on the week of the 28th of November 2019), the brakes were also replaced last year at Fury Woodmead and they had also replaced my engine which had collapsed due to a factory mechanical fault. Fury Ford - Woodmead I then tried to contact the service advisor that I use to book and facilitate my car’s services and repairs through at Fury Woodmead (her name is Palesa). After struggling to get through to the switchboard and Palesa, I managed to call the car salesman who sold me the car at the same dealership in 2016 (Farai Mahara); I informed him about what had happened to both the engine and the brakes and how my life had been put in danger on two occasions now by this faulty car. He referred me to the head of the service department – Rika Howland. I called Fury Woodmead again, got through to the switch board and spoke to Palesa, I explained what had happened, asked her to escalate it to Rika, which she did. Rika called me and asked for the service advisors details at Mekor Ford – I passed on Shaheed’s contact details. She called Shaheed and called me back to confirm that Fury Woodmead would cover the costs of the drainage/repairs that were outlined. Further correspondence from Ford Following the above-mentioned events, the next update that I received from Mekor Ford was another phone-call I can’t remember if it was from Shaheed or another staff member but this phone call was to confirm that the ABS was severely damaged and that the estimated costs to repair this was now around R36 000. I informed them that I was not responsible for the damage and will not be held accountable for any costs and that I had spoken to Fury Woodmead about this situation so why were these amounts being told to me? The next correspondence I received was a text from Mekor Ford thanking me for my support on the 4th of March 2020 at 10:06. I then called Mekor Ford a week later to ask why there was no communication or correspondence and to get clarity on what the status of my car was? I spoke to Shaheed and asked him why I wasn’t offered a courtesy vehicle given that I’m now taking public transport and why I wasn’t called back with feedback after a week? He informed me that he’s been away on leave and thought this car was long sorted out. He said he would investigate the status of the repairs and call me back: needless to say, I’m still waiting for his call today (6th of July 2020). I then flew up to Johannesburg and managed to see Rika at Fury Woodmead (on either Monday the 16th or Tuesday the 17th of March 2020) I can’t remember the exact date but it was one of those two days given that I was supposed to fly back to Cape Town on Monday the 16th. While I was in her office, she tried to contact Mekor Ford and she couldn’t get through to the right person after being told that they were on lunch, she too became frustrated with them and asked to speak to a service manager to escalate the poor service and complacency. She told me that she’ll investigate it and get back to me as soon as she’s spoken to the manager. Following this, I emailed Rika on the 19th of March 2020 asking her what was the progress with my car following her investigation or conversation with a manager? She didn’t call me back, the country went into the Nation-wide lockdown. Post-level 5 lock-down I received an email from Rika on Friday the 15th of May 2020 at 13:27 after she had struggled to get hold of me on my mobile phone, I responded as soon as I could informing her that I was on zoom calls that day and was not available on my mobile phone. I also received a call from Mekor Ford that week informing me that they are now open again and will continue “investigating” the situation with my car. It's now the 6th of July 2020, over 4 months later and I don’t have my car. I’ve incurred 5 months of vehicle financing and insurance costs towards a car that’s parked at Mekor Ford in Cape Town, I have not received a phone call or a follow up email, no correspondence or a courtesy vehicle from Ford South Africa. I’m extremely frustrated and disappointed in the manner that this matter was handled. My life was put in danger by a technician in the service department who damaged my brakes and now I’m left in the dark with no car yet I’m paying for both the finance costs and insurance monthly. I'd really like Ford to conclude this matter now, I'm beyond frustrated and would like them to either replace this car with one that's fully operational and safe or to refund me. This should have been done in October last year when the engine ceased but instead they chose to replace the engine.

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