Damerow Beaverton Ford Inflated parts and repair costs Beaverton Oregon

On Saturday January 24, 09 my Ford Taurus experienced a failure to start condition. I had the vehicle towed to Damerow Ford and was later advised that the fuel pump had failed. It was recommended that in addition to replacement of the fuel pump the fuel filter be replaced and a minor vacuum leak at the pcv valve be repaired.

The Service Advisor gave me the repair costs and indicated that if all the recommended work was performed the dealership had a special 10% discount. While the price seemed high I had to get the unit repaired quickly and assumed Damerow would charge a price competitive with other local dealers. Accordingly I authorized them to proceed with repairs and the vehicle was picked up January 27.

After delivery I decided to check costs with other local dealers. I found that the fuel pump, which Damerow charged $387.67 for, has a list Ford price of $283.38 and is available at all the other dealers for that price. The fuel filter was charged out at $24.95 and other local dealers charge the Ford list price of $19.67. These MSRP prices can also be found online.

Labor costs are a more questionable item but based on the work done, as detailed on the Damerow work order, other local dealers quoted significantly lower costs for the work.

Based on the above I contacted the dealership the afternoon of January 27 to ask if they had made an error and overcharged for the parts. The Service Advisor promised to look into the matter and promptly get back to me. Having no call by that Friday, January 30, I called and was advised that on checking with the parts dept. they had indicated to the Advisor that the prices charged were the prices they had the parts on the books for. The Advisor did indicate he would check further with the Service Manager and advise.

The following week I had a routine customer satisfaction call from the dealership and advised them of my concerns and that I had not received any call back. They promised to have the situation reviewed.

On Friday, February 6, the Service Adviser finally called and indicated he had been instructed to check other local dealers prices and that, having done that he would get with the Service Manager and call me back that day.

Having received no calls I contacted the dealership Wednesday February 11. I was ultimately put in touch with the Service Advisor who indicated he thought he had left a message for me and must have used the wrong number. In any case he advised that the prices charged are set by the owner of the dealership and regardless of MSRP the dealer would not amend the charges.

Based on my calls it seems evident that the discount the dealer gave was more than offset by the inflated parts prices and labor charges. I am also left with the impression that the dealership routinely sets parts prices in excess of MSRP.

I would recommend avoiding this dealership unless you are willing to pay for inflated repair costs. You might also check with BBB on this dealership. They are not a member of BBB and their rating is less than sterling. As for me they will not see my three Fords or me again. Nor will I consider dealing with this company on my next new vehicle.

Garydg
Portland, Oregon
U.S.A.