Getting a loaner vehicle from the dealer when your truck is being repaired

[bamahater]

I took my 19 Ranger in yesterday to get fixed. Showed a powertrain malfunction, pre collision assist not available, and Hill Start Assist not available. Long story short is they found the accelerator petal needed to be replaced, part is on order now. I bought the car new 5 months ago.

I took the car yesterday morning and they said they didn’t have anymore loaner cars to give, I needed to reserve on in advance. Not sure how to reserve on since I didn’t know what was wrong with my truck. Mind you this is the dealer I bought the truck from. Call back today and the part is on order and it could take 3-5 to get after yesterday hearing they were trying to overnight the part. I’m not complaining because Covid is messing up all sorts of shipping times. My thing is they told me again today they have no cars to loan and try back again in the morning. It’s really unacceptable as my practically new truck is on for service and they can’t give me a vehicle to drive and I might not get it back till Friday or longer.

I called and talked to the Rental Car place at my dealer and explained my situation. They told me they had some fleet vehicles coming in tomorrow and they they could get me one around 1pm. Not sure why I had to jump through hoops to get me a car and why the service could not have done it but whatever. My thing is if you have a basically Brand new truck coming in for warranty work and it’s going to take a few days to fix it, you should get the person in a loaner and not have to wait till the 3rd day. Sorry had to vent. Luckily I’m on vacation this week so I don’t need a car to go to work but still it’s the principle of it all.

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[AutobotXJ]

I agree! If it’s going in for a warranty issue, they should supply you a loaner (not sure of that’s part of the normal warranty or not but it should be!). If they don’t have a car for you, they should be able to get you a rental from another company and it shouldn’t be on you to get that rental. Sad service. I hope they eventually make it right for you but I’d seriously reconsider giving them any more of your business.

 

[bamahater]

I agree! If it’s going in for a warranty issue, they should supply you a loaner (not sure of that’s part of the normal warranty or not but it should be!). If they don’t have a car for you, they should be able to get you a rental from another company and it shouldn’t be on you to get that rental. Sad service. I hope they eventually make it right for you but I’d seriously reconsider giving them any more of your business.

I’m not really that mad. I am more frustrated than anything since i had to basically talk with the rental side to secure a car which should be available on the 3rd day the truck has been in the shop. I’m glad I didn’t need the truck that much as I’m on vacation but still.

 

[MotoWojo]

I took my 19 Ranger in yesterday to get fixed. Showed a powertrain malfunction, pre collision assist not available, and Hill Start Assist not available. Long story short is they found the accelerator petal needed to be replaced, part is on order now. I bought the car new 5 months ago.

I took the car yesterday morning and they said they didn’t have anymore loaner cars to give, I needed to reserve on in advance. Not sure how to reserve on since I didn’t know what was wrong with my truck. Mind you this is the dealer I bought the truck from. Call back today and the part is on order and it could take 3-5 to get after yesterday hearing they were trying to overnight the part. I’m not complaining because Covid is messing up all sorts of shipping times. My thing is they told me again today they have no cars to loan and try back again in the morning. It’s really unacceptable as my practically new truck is on for service and they can’t give me a vehicle to drive and I might not get it back till Friday or longer.

I called and talked to the Rental Car place at my dealer and explained my situation. They told me they had some fleet vehicles coming in tomorrow and they they could get me one around 1pm. Not sure why I had to jump through hoops to get me a car and why the service could not have done it but whatever. My thing is if you have a basically Brand new truck coming in for warranty work and it’s going to take a few days to fix it, you should get the person in a loaner and not have to wait till the 3rd day. Sorry had to vent. Luckily I’m on vacation this week so I don’t need a car to go to work but still it’s the principle of it all.

In the future, call Ford Customer Care, and open a case number. I wasn't getting a loaner vehicle last spring, when my issues started, and ended up having to take a day of vacation 3 separate times and wait around the dealership while they worked on the truck. I finally called Ford Customer Care and I have been getting a loaner vehicle each time the truck has been worked on, which has been 8 times and counting.

 

[bamahater]

In the future, call Ford Customer Care, and open a case number. I wasn't getting a loaner vehicle last spring, when my issues started, and ended up having to take a day of vacation 3 separate times and wait around the dealership while they worked on the truck. I finally called Ford Customer Care and I have been getting a loaner vehicle each time the truck has been worked on, which has been 8 times and counting.

Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.

 

[ranger]

Part of the reason is Ford will not pay for a rental vehicle unless the repair calls for 4+ shop hours to complete. Dealers only have a limited number of loaner vehicles these are used when Ford does not cover rental. We are always backed logged like 2 weeks for an on site loaner. Just FYI

 

[bamahater]

Part of the reason is Ford will not pay for a rental vehicle unless the repair calls for 4+ shop hours to complete. Dealers only have a limited number of loaner vehicles these are used when Ford does not cover rental. We are always backed logged like 2 weeks for an on site loaner. Just FYI

I figured loners were in short supply and higher demand. What got me was I had to call the rentals to ask to get one. Service just said they didn’t have any which technically was correct but they could have worked with rentals to get me the 1st available. If my car would have been ready today or 1st thing tomorrow I would have just left it like that but the part is on order 3-5 days so 5+ days without a loner for a repair on a new car is not acceptable.

 

[bamahater]

oh boy, the priveledges are thick in here.

No privilege here. I just feel if you take new truck with 4,000+ miles for an issue with the accelerator and it will be at the dealer 4+ days you should get a loaner without jumping through hoops.

 

[slowmachine]

I have a long-running and expensive love/hate relationship with BMW. One of the perks that come with cars in this price class is complementary loaner cars while your precious baby is in for service, especially while the factory warranty is in effect. Make no mistake about it, though, that the cost of courtesy loaner is amply covered by the inflated prices of every product and service. You’re paying for it, even if you don’t use it. I’d rather pay for it when I truly need it, in the form of a rental, than with ridiculously inflated prices for every product and service.

A fun story in this vein. I had a 1983 Mercedes 240D. These were naturally-aspirated four-cylinder diesels, built during the era of the 55 MPH national speed limit. They were dogs - slow, loud, and very heavy. I was too busy to mess with service and repairs, so I used the local Mercedes dealer to keep the car running. More than any other company I have dealt with, the MB dealers really do a good job of making you happy to give them more money. I would take my 20 year old, $1500 car in for service on a Friday, and get a current-model loaner for the weekend. The cost of an oil change was more than $150, but was worth it for all the fun that we had putting miles on someone else’s new Mercedes.

 

[JHC14]

I recently had to take my wife’s 2017 Escape into the dealer to have a sensor replaced under warranty. It was a Certified Preowned we bought from this dealer. When we got home we found someone ducted a sensor to the rear bumper rather than replace it. They opted to replace the entire bumper for us. When it came in the GM said they needed the car for about 3-4 hours to color match and paint the bumper. I asked him about a loner to go get something to eat and let my wife do a little shopping. He said “take a test drive, sure..how long do you need?” I said “Probably 3-4 hours”...The GM said “Perfect, what would you like to test drive?”.
There is always a way. The dealership I worked at for about a year would use a slow moving “used car“ as a loaner if needed. Heck, it’s a parking lot full of available cars. Depends on how bad they want to have repeat customers.

 

[Anthony]

OK guys, I 'm pretty sure it's mostly sarcasm at this point, but let's settle down on the insults before it gets any worse.

 

[Glocker]

Sometimes good moderation nips the original post in the bud because its a fishing expedition for controversy.
Just an observation.

I'm not getting fishing expedition from this. It sounds frustrating. It sounds like the perfect storm has led to it. New truck, ;ow production replacement parts, low number of loaner vehicles. I'd be frustrated too. It sounds like the situation sucks.

 

[Obijack]

Good to know the feelings police are on top of the situation. Sometimes people need to be told they are a whiny, stupid, idiotic, etc. In fact, this world would be better if more people were shamed out of stupid behavior.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

Dealer i bought my old subaru from across the street from my residence offered free loaners on any repair or service visit you needed. Hell they would give me a loaner just so I could drive home and wait for them to call me to come get my car, i put 3 miles on it lol. they actually encouraged customers to get the loaners.

 

[rltriumph]

My neighbor’s family runs the Ford dealership where I have bought several vehicles. As long as I have him schedule it far enough out I always get a vehicle. When I had my focus he would always bring me a truck. Wife came home and there was a brand spankin new f150 platinum with the plastic on the seats. First words out of her mouth were divorce. She didn’t believe he brought me a $75k truck as a loaner. She called him. He said it was sitting closest to the door and it was raining. Thats why I got to use it for a day.

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