Ian C

Extremely Disappointed with Service at Halfway Ford Kuilsriver

Extremely Disappointed with Service at Halfway Ford Kuilsriver I booked my vehicle in advance for a major service and cambelt replacement at Halfway Ford Kuilsriver on 28 March 2025. I provided the cambelt myself and was assured the work would be completed the same day. However, around 3 PM on the 28th, the service adviser, Mishka, informed me that the cambelt could not be replaced. Despite being told earlier that everything would be completed in one day, they requested to keep my car until Monday. I declined as we had just suffered a death in the family and needed the vehicle. To my shock, when I came to collect the car, I was told it hadn’t even been serviced—despite having spent the entire day at the workshop. This made sense in hindsight, given the misleading communication throughout the day. I had taken a full day’s leave for nothing. The vehicle was returned the following Tuesday. That afternoon, I was told there was a leak on the water pump and that the part would need to be ordered, delaying the cambelt replacement further. I again asked for the car back. When I got home, I found oil and grease stains, and smoke coming from the engine—indicating the vehicle had not been cleaned or properly handled. I raised this with the service manager, Clinton, and also asked if the service had actually been done. He said he would investigate but never got back to me. The vehicle was clearly still not serviced. The car remained with the dealership for another three weeks due to further issues, which are too extensive to detail here. I was eventually offered a “discount” of just one hour’s labour on a total bill of over R7,000 cash for the service and cambelt work. Additional work—water pump and starter—cost over R15,000, covered under warranty. A one-hour labour discount is a complete insult given the poor communication, wasted time, and lack of respect. To make matters worse, I later discovered my service book was missing. I was eventually told by the same service adviser that the book wasn’t present when the vehicle was handed in—information that was never shared with me until I asked about it over a month later. If there was no book, how were warranty claims processed, and how would the book have been stamped? Despite multiple emails, neither Clinton Pretorius (Service Manager) nor Faldien (Branch/Principal Dealer) has had the decency to contact me. Their disregard for customer care is appalling. I’ve been a loyal Ford driver since 2008, and this experience is just the latest in a long history of poor service—first at N1 City Ford, then Goodwood, Tygervalley, and now Kuilsriver. It’s clear that Ford, particularly this branch, does not value its customers. Avoid this dealership at all costs.