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Ford Scam on ARP Headstuds??

8K views 49 replies 29 participants last post by  65lemans 
#1 ·
I went to ford today to get my ARP headstuds installed under warrantee after I blew the gaskets, and the service advisor told me I needed to bring the tech $300 dollars cash prior to putting the studs in... Is this right? I have not heard of anyone else having to pay extra when bringing the dealership ARP bolts. The service manager said it was a "tax". I just don't understand why I have to pay extra to have a better, more efficient product installed, one in which will prevent them from having to fix it again. Any imput would be great. Thanks guys.:dunno:
 
#5 ·
its probably christmas money...

300 dollars cash, come on!
 
#8 ·
:doh:

so it would have cost you about 800 bucks to get ARPs, I think you would have made out lucky, putting stock bolts back in doesnt fix anything, it came with stock bolts and that happened.:confused:
 
#9 ·
What Raul said, some people give there techs some money for putting them in under warranty because they aren't supposed to, yet there is no reason for the guy at the desk to tell you to give him money.
 
#11 ·
My dealer put them in under warranty at no additional cost to me. In fact, it was at their recommendation to install them to begin with. I guess this just varies by Dealer but I see no reason to pay the tech anything extra. He had to put bolts back in, why not the ARP's vs. Ford?
JMHO
 
#12 ·
i think you messed up man. i would have been more than happy to pay my $100 deductable plus another $300 to have them installed. my guy wants $1200 in labor alone to do my studs.
 
#15 ·
I just had mine done this week on Monday!
THe "TIP" for the mechanic was $400.
It's a really busy dealership in the South Florida area....he pulled the cab, did the studs CORRECTLY, fully checked the heads, replaced the EGR cooler and oil cooler, a couple of injectors (it turned out they were just unplugged!) ran all the diagnostics, and had it done by early TUESDAY!
Thats overnight! 1 & 1/2 days for the whole deal!
I already had the studs, and all of the other Ford dealerships were going to take up to a month to do the job.
A rental car would be a LOT more expensive, and there was no guarantee that another dealer would have really done it right.
I feel good knowing that the job is done the way it should be done.

You should have tipped the dude heavy! Let him know you want it done right!

Oh, I also learned that the 200k warrantee that I have still requires a $100 deductible until your truck passes the 100k miles mark! That sucked!
 
#18 ·
if the dealer was up front about $300 for a "tax" to the tech, i would have jumped all over that.....your really messed up on that one. that dealer or advisor knows what the truck was there for in the first place for....c'mon guys pull your heads out!!!!
 
#19 ·
when i had mine installed they did not remove the cab they said it was less hassle doing it that way so they took out all the ac stuff and that is where my $300 extra in labor came in all together i paid $765, $365 for the studs $100 dedutable and $300 for labor taking the ac stuff out
 
#21 ·
I just recently had mine done at Maroone Ford of Ft.lauderdale..He marked my truck as still under warranty for miles, and i gave him 50$ for that and then bought brand new arp studs off a buddy for 200 and paid 100$ deductible and threw the mechanic(a buddy of mine) 170$ for doin me the favor..he replaced gaskets and the cooler checked the heads and said everything else looks good..he pulled my ac out said its easier then pullin the cab..dropped it off on a thursday picked it up wednesday..
You should have put the studs in..300 is nothin compared to what it could cost you down the road
 
#23 ·
Some dealerships will stud them for nothing extra, some won't use studs at all even if you provide them. I wouldn't have blinked, just handed over the cash and considered myself lucky I found someone to do the job... Still cheaper than the alternative by far.
 
#24 ·
i think pulling the cab is really easy... i mean if ur a tech and do it daily it can be done in under 2hrs.... i was a oil change tech at the dealership i worked at.. i had previous experience in the automotive industry... and he would pay me 100 bux for every cab i pulled off/put back on and i cout do it in about 1hr 15 min to 1.5 hrs... but we had bout 4 stalls just for the 6.0's
 
#27 ·
Got a question, for those of you that paid the $100 deductable, brought your own studs, and tipped the tech big, was your truck in need of headgaksets, or did you just decide one day you wanted to stud it, and went from there? I'm getting mine done, my last one had em, this one don't and I'm scared to death to drive it.. lol
 
#28 ·
My motor was drinking coolant and Ford would only let the dealer replace the EGR cooler. But when an EGR cooler goes it's because of HG issues or an oil cooler issue. Well pulled the heads and gaskets were fine. Put motor back together with studs. Well the motor puked bad and the EGR cooler broke again. So now I have a oil cooler problem and maybe crack heads and blown HG's. So the first time it was fine and now it's turned to crap.
 
#29 ·
Sorry to barge in on this but I can't believe what I am reading here. Warranty work is warranty work which means it is the manufactures problem not the customers problem. Now if you were to offer the tech a tip for doing the work that is your choice but for the service manager to demand it is ludacris. I would bet ( if I was a gambling man) that demanding or requesting this exchange on warranty work borders if not 100% illegal. All monetary transactions at this dealership needs to be accounted for. That is why there is an accounting dept. What if there is a problem with the warranty work and you pay all this money. The tech or the service manager is not going to admit you paid them $300 or more dollars as a "tax". There won't be any record of the money exchange because he wants cash. You'll be called a liar unless you pay by check and ask to get a reciept.
I again would bet (if I was a gambling man) that the service manager at best, will maybe split this "tax" with the tech. I am more certain the tech knows nothing of it and that the service manager will pocket 100% of it.

Lets face it this practice may be common but it is not the norm. Don't pay it. I would have some choice words for the head honcho at this dealership. I would also send out some letters to the other dealerships in the area.
 
#36 ·
Educate me?

Maybe I should start a separate thread, but ...

I'm not a gear head. I know what head bolts are - I've replaced many head gaskets on gas engines. But what are head studs? How do they differ from head bolts, and what makes them stronger? Do they secure the heads to the block in a different manner than do the head bolts? Can anyone post pictures of head bolts and head studs for comparison?

This forum is a wonderful learning resource. Anyone care to teach?

Thanks! :thumb:
 
#39 · (Edited)
Maybe I should start a separate thread, but ...

I'm not a gear head. I know what head bolts are - I've replaced many head gaskets on gas engines. But what are head studs? How do they differ from head bolts, and what makes them stronger? Do they secure the heads to the block in a different manner than do the head bolts? Can anyone post pictures of head bolts and head studs for comparison?

This forum is a wonderful learning resource. Anyone care to teach?

Thanks! :thumb:
The links below should clearly indicate the difference between the stock head bolts and the ARP studs.
 
#37 ·
I gave the service manager 50$ cause my truck has 117k miles,but my warranty ends jan 2 or something..So he marked my miles as 98k to put it under warranty...thats why he told me to throw him some money..n i just gave the tech a tip for the favor i guess
 
#44 ·
i was a certified tech for over 4 years close to 5, if i did any work and it came back because of my mistake or mechanical failure i did not get paid to repair it the second time i know the dealer pays the tech for warranty work but if the mechanc puts the arp studs in and there is problem because he put the wrong studs in the truck and did not do it with factory studs he could loose his job or not get paid for it if you want the arp studs put in your truck you should pay the tech directly because he is putting his job on the line to help you better your truck. plus thats cheap......:tard:
 
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