Sawgrass Ford does have staff members who are caring and - David Cabessa
Sawgrass Ford does have staff members who are caring and responsible the shop foreman, technicians (especially the one who worked on my vehicle), and cashier staff. My issue is with management and how Sawgrass exploits Florida’s weak consumer protection laws, which are minimal for new vehicles and nonexistent for used ones.
I own a 2011 Ford Mustang with an ongoing transmission issue. I first brought it to CarMax Pompano in November 2024, which turned into a three-month battle. Later, I tried Tune Rite in Boca Raton and had similar problems. As a student at Universal Technical Institute (Miramar Campus), one of my instructors recommended Sawgrass because they work on many S197 Mustangs. Since Sawgrass also partners with UTI, I trusted them. That was a mistake.
If you review the images I’ve attached, including my repair orders (ROs) and text messages with my service advisor, Oscar Ortega, you’ll see the pattern. On my first visit, Oscar changed prices twice, blaming my MaxCare warranty for not covering labor. Later I learned this was false. Service advisors are supposed to negotiate so the customer pays only the deductible. Multiple instructors confirmed this.
The quoted vs. final RO showed extreme labor charges more like BMW (I'm a BMW Tech) rates than Ford. Techs don’t see that money; they’re paid flat rate, while the dealer profits. Most likely the tech initially found the transmission needed replacement, but Oscar wanted the warranty to cover a smaller repair. The torque converter was replaced, but the slipping continued. I even experienced deceleration while driving when I told Oscar, his reply was, “How is that possible?”
After further testing, they confirmed the transmission needed replacement. Oscar then quoted me $3,600, even though MaxCare had already approved a rebuilt transmission. He told me, “If you can’t pay, come pick up your car,” knowing it was unsafe. I escalated to UTI staff, who spoke with Service Manager Bill. Meanwhile, MaxCare confirmed the prior $1,000 repair should have rolled over. Bill admitted they were correct, but did nothing until I called Ford Corporate. Ford was shocked, contacted Sawgrass, and only then was the cost reduced to my $300 deductible.
Even then, Sawgrass never disclosed the transmission was on backorder. Instead, I received vague texts from Oscar about “waiting on parts.” I had to call Ford myself to confirm the backorder. When I pressed Oscar, only then did progress happen. My car sat outside from late July onward. I filed a complaint with Ford; Sawgrass never responded.
When I asked Bill for a new service advisor, Oscar contacted me anyway and even called to say, “What have I done to you for you to treat me like this?” The documentation shows otherwise. He consistently avoided accountability and shifted blame to MaxCare or me. He even claimed they “never knew it was backordered,” though the parts department had already confirmed it to me.
In the end, I did get my car back and the rebuilt transmission works, but the experience was unacceptable. My vehicle sat for months, was returned filthy, and now has electrical issues from being stored improperly with the battery still connected. Florida’s lack of consumer protection lets dealers like this operate without consequence. Even Ford Corporate admitted these cases happen most often in Florida.
If you are considering Sawgrass Ford for service, I recommend going elsewhere. Independent shops in South Florida may play games too, but nothing like what I experienced here. I hope this review helps future customers and makes Sawgrass management think twice before taking advantage of another customer.
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