[2001 ZTS]

On the other hand,

Dixie has "generally" been one of the better Ford dealers.

There are many worse ones. I'd like to think I helped to close one of them by complaining to the right people.

I bought a Focus from Dixie, yet have gone to other dealers for repairs and maintenance ever since because I am East end not West, they even did an emergency/no waiting/ temporary rad hose fix on my old Subaru so that I could at least make it as far as Niagara to meet a ship. There was lots of money and more important my reputation was on the line and they understood.

My cost was "shop parts" only, no labour and I was attended to immediatetly.

A lot has to do with personal/dealer relationships. In the case of Dixie I know one of the salesmen and in the case of my Fav Subaru dealer the guy I deal with is fascinated by ships and we've known eachother 10 years because of my old car but in both cases it started with a box of TimBits ™ and a bit of conversation.

Face it, any car will have something go wrong with it eventually. Be proactive and drop by when things are good (not just when they are bad) doughnuts in hand and tell them they are nice people to do business with.

It pays off big time; I've saved thousands. Whenever I am near the airport I always drop by "to kick tires" or "pick up a brochure" at Dixie and remind them who I am and do the same thing anytime I pass Subaru of Mississauga or the local Dodge dealer where I take my elderly mom's car. I always make a point of mentioning my Sprinter love in the case of the Dodge dealer! ;)