Sill-Terhar Motors - Service Center

We brought our car into the shop in early June with complaints of fluctuating RPMs and engine surging. After a day of testing, Frank, our service advisor, called to tell us that the alternator was bad complaints of fluctuating RPMs and engine surging. After a day of testing, Frank, our service advisor, called to tell us that the alternator was bad and needed to be replaced. We agreed to have the work done because we felt the car was unsafe to drive. Two days later, we paid $1197.70 and picked up our car. Within the week, I realized that the surging was not resolved. The following Friday, I dropped the car off again to allow the technicians to try to figure out what was wrong. On Monday June 21st, Frank called to tell us that the “throttle body” was bad and needed to be replaced. The estimated cost for this repair was $750. Needless to say, I was bothered by this news. I was bothered by the fact that the alternator was replaced but the problem was not solved. This leads me to question whether the alternator was actually bad. Frank offered us a 10% discount on the throttle body repair which would have amounted to about $70 off. The next thing that Frank said to me angered me the most. He said… “let me ask you, what are your plans for this car?” My car is five years old and has a gentle 55,000 miles on it. I was very bothered by him using this issue to try to sell me a new car. Annoyed and feeling uneasy with the conversation, I told Frank that we would not be able to fix the car immediately due to financial constraints. Framk did not seem to worry about the obvious safety issue because he did not bring up any concerns there. After picking up my car, I went back to look at the receipt from the alternator replacement and saw that the comments said “unable to duplicate RPM fluctuation.” The technician did not indicate if that was before he replaced the alternator or after. Regardless, the fluctuation and RPM revving was happening regularly and is easily noticed by a novice such as myself. If he was unable to detect the revving before he replaced the alternator, what led him to believe that was the solution? If he was unable to detect it after he replaced the alternator, how is that possible when I felt it within days of picking up the car? Clearly, the alternator was not causing the revving. I believe that the alternator was replaced without need. Even Frank admitted to me that an alternator can last 200,000+ miles. Curious to see if I could figure out if the “throttle body” was in fact the issue, I did a very simple search on Google to see if there was a forum for Freestyle owners and if there was, was my issue out there? It took a total of 20 keystrokes to find my answer. Again, I am not an auto mechanic. I typed “Ford Freestyle Surging” into Google and came up with a number of hits immediately that perfectly matched my car’s symptoms. All of the complaints were associated with the throttle body. Did my technician at Sill-Terhar do any research or due diligence before he replaced the alternator? It is hard for me to believe he did. Again, not feeling comfortable with the idea of bringing the car back to Sill-Terhar, I dropped it off at an auto mechanic shop in our town that came very highly recommended by a friend. The auto technician there immediately confirmed it was the throttle body and advised me that it was a safety issue as well. He directed me to Ford believing that it was Ford’s responsibility to fix this major issue. I took my car to the O’Meara Ford dealership and explained the situation. Luckily O’Meara Ford cares about quality service and the safety of their customers. The service manager at O’Meara contacted Ford Corporate offices and was able to get them to cover all but $50 of the cost of the repair. No one at Sil Terhar offered to help in anyway. I believe that Sill-Terhar Ford owes me $1197.70 which is the cost of the alternator repair. I do not believe the alternator was bad. I would like to know if anyone at that dealership cares about customer service or safety? We are very excited for the new Ford Explorer coming out this year and definitely plan to upgrade to that car within two years. I would not buy from Sill Terhar nor would I bring my vehicle there for service. I look forward to buying from and working with the great team at O'Meara Ford! More

For over 10 years I have had my Volvo S70 serviced at Sill-Terhar Volvo and am very pleased with their excellent service. Gil Martin is the Service Manager that heads a team of extremely knowledgable m Sill-Terhar Volvo and am very pleased with their excellent service. Gil Martin is the Service Manager that heads a team of extremely knowledgable mechanics, such as Tom Vetter, Larz and others who always get the job done right on a timely basis at a reasonable cost. I highly recommend Sill-Terhar Volvo Service with a five star rating and encourage other Volvo owners to check out their stellar service! More

I have purchased 5 new vehicles and a number of nearly new vehicles in the last couple of decades and have NEVER had worse "service" than I did with this dealership. Because of this experience, I will NE new vehicles in the last couple of decades and have NEVER had worse "service" than I did with this dealership. Because of this experience, I will NEVER use this dealership again, and will certainly NEVER buy another Ford. My warranty was about up on my 2008 F350 4X4, so I called in and explained that I had several problems that I wanted to have taken care of before the warranty ran out in a week or so. They pulled up my truck on the computer, and asked when I would like to bring it in and I asked if late Friday would work, and they said it would. I didn't realize it at the time, but I had called for service on the last day of my warranty. With 9500 miles on a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty, and an explanation of what I was bringing my vehicle in for, they wouldn't cover the problem.... They argue that technically the problem has to be diagnosed on or before that day, so there is nothing they can or will do. They did however push for me to pay a diagnostic fee of $109.00 to which I had to threaten to call the troubleshooter to get them to remove. This is service??? It is obvious what my intent was!!! It is obvious what a company that prides itself for its service would do!!! It is obvious that I wasn't trying to take advantage, but just wanted to get a couple of things fixed before my warranty ran out!!! Yes, it is also obvious that I made a mistake in waiting until the last day, but I did think that I had a week or so left. I realize that Ford is a big company, but I would have expected more than a one sentance answer to a problem and emails that my wife and I were very passionate about. I am in service, and I know what I would have done and what I do every day. We are done with Ford and will NEVER...... More