Key Scales Ford

Key Scales Ford responded

Your 2007 Ford Explorer, with 197,581 miles, was brought to our facility via tow due to a significant transmission concern and was not operating normally upon arrival. It also arrived with approximately 2 miles to empty on the fuel range, which limited our ability to perform extended testing. This was the first time we have ever seen this vehicle. Given that the vehicle was both towed into and towed out of our facility, it is not accurate to describe it as “drivable” during its time here, and that does not align with the condition it was in while under our care. Our technician completed a full diagnostic scan, which returned transmission-related fault codes. In accordance with Ford factory diagnostic procedures, those results indicate the next step is internal evaluation of the transmission assembly At that point, the appropriate next step would have been authorization for transmission teardown (approximately 13.5 labor hours) to further isolate and confirm the failure. However, given the age, mileage, and known limitations of parts availability for this transmission, we also take into account the likelihood of obsolete components. We did not recommend immediate teardown where parts are unavailable and the customer is further frustrated by limited repair options after spending thousands of dollars in teardown. We are required to follow manufacturer workshop manual procedures and cannot bypass diagnostic steps or perform partial internal repairs outside of those guidelines like independent shops or aftermarket shops can perform. We also want to note that multiple versions of this review were previously removed through other platforms before being reposted in a revised form. We understand repair decisions on older, high-mileage vehicles can be difficult. The diagnostic fee reflects the time and resources required to complete the initial evaluation and is standard when additional repair authorization is not approved. Our General Manager attempted to contact you along with the shop foreman and technician to review the findings and address your concerns directly. Those calls were not answered. We remain available to review the diagnostic results in detail and answer any questions regarding the findings or recommended next steps.

Key Scales Ford responded

Thank you for your feedback, Ollie! We’re glad we could take care of your recall quickly and make the process smooth for you. We appreciate you choosing us and hope to see you again whenever you need service!

Key Scales Ford responded

Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re glad to hear you had a positive experience. Amber will be especially happy to know her patience and professionalism made a difference. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and look forward to serving you again!

Key Scales Ford responded

Thank you for the great review, Happycamper! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a positive experience with our team. Providing friendly, professional service in a welcoming environment is what we strive for every day. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you again!

Key Scales Ford responded

We understand that diagnostic fees can sometimes be frustrating, and we appreciate the opportunity we had to explain the process with you on our phone call after this review was posted. Our technicians are highly trained professionals who are paid for their time and expertise, just like professionals in other industries such as healthcare, legal services, or skilled trades. Diagnosing today’s vehicles requires specialized tools, software, and significant experience to accurately identify the issue, and that time is what the diagnostic fee covers. This fee applies regardless of whether repairs are performed, as the time and expertise required to properly evaluate the vehicle have already been invested. Our goal is always to be transparent and to ensure every customer understands and approves the process beforehand. We secured your approval on the diagnostic charge before we started. We’re sorry to hear that you’re disappointed, but we do stand behind our policies and the value of the service we provide.

Key Scales Ford responded

We want to make sure the facts are clear for anyone reading this. Visit 1: You brought your vehicle in after installing your own rack-and-pinion. We attempted programming, but the part would not accept it. You were not charged for the attempt — we covered the technician time ourselves. Visit 2: You returned for another attempt. Programming again failed. We performed diagnostics and provided an accurate estimate for the correct OEM part and installation required for the system to program properly. You declined the repair. Visit 3: You came back after installing another rack-and-pinion yourself. Programming still failed, and once again, you were not charged for our time or efforts. Ford requires steering components to be installed and torqued by certified technicians before programming can be completed. When parts are self-installed or out of specification, the programming will fail — which is exactly what happened each time. We’re always available to address concerns directly, but we can’t resolve issues if communication only happens online after the fact. We made multiple no-charge attempts to help, and we’re still willing to complete the repair using the correct parts and procedures so the programming can be done safely and successfully. Posting a review without sharing all the facts paints an unfair and inaccurate picture of the situation and the efforts we made to help at no charge.