Hi,

we have a 2006 Escape Hybrid. No problems with the vehicle. Great car actually. But the Ford dealers here in Vancouver Canada? Well, not so much. I really think we are getting severely ripped off on our service costs and the maintenance schedule for our vehicle.

First, the main Ford dealer in metro Vancouver is Coastal Ford. Their service reps have been insisting that we should be bringing in our vehicle for maintenance every 5000km (that is about every 3000 miles for those in the US). The regular maintenance schedule in the guide is 5k, 15k, 30k, 45k, 60k...etc (remember this is kilometers), so you can see that we are being expected to bring our car in about 3 times more than normal.

According to the "Scheduled Maintenance Guide" in the owners manual, the 5k frequency is supposed to be for "special operating conditions" and should only apply to vehicles towing campers/trailers, operating in dusty conditions such as unpaved roads, off-road operation or (and this is the one the Coastal Ford service reps point to) "extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances as in heavy commercial use such as delivery, taxi, patrol or livery". While the manual clearly states "heavy commercial use" Ford service reps here in Vancouver believe this applies to non-commercial vehicle use in large urban centers; even to our Escape hybrid which, of course, usually shuts off at stops and uses the ICE far less than a typical vehicle.

But not only does the frequency of maintenance seem high, the price here at Vancouver Ford dealerships seems very high compared to prices quoted on this forum. A basic oil change/multi-point inspection runs at just under $80 with tax (12%). But inspections with tire rotation, a/c filter replacement (30,000km) cost over $250.

We have talked (argued) with both Coastal Ford dealerships to try to find out what exactly is our minimum maintenance requirement for our hybrid to satisfy the warranty conditions but were simply told that we needed to follow what was described in the owners manual and that Ford insists that vehicle driving in Vancouver puts us in the "special operating conditions".

I would really appreciate some feedback from forum members who know what the minimum maintenance requirements are for Escape hybrid owners in Canada. Is there something specific in writing online or from Ford? Are the service costs we are paying outrageous for Canada?

I know that I can get oil changes done more cheaply at those quicky oil change outlets but what about the other maintenance items listed at intervals in the owners manual? Are they just suggestions or are all the items listed in the "Scheduled Maintenance Guide" necessary to maintain our warranty?

Again, any feedback is greatly appreciated...and sorry if this was already taken up in another thread. I did check the Escape Hybrid threads but couldn't see anything specifically dealing with my questions.

Thanks,
Mark Swanson

 

Hey Mark. I service my own 05 FEH. The warranty has expired, yours should have by now as well. Why not service the vehicle yourself?. The most difficult service on this vehicle is changing out the pvc valve. I'll continue to change the oil/filter every 5000km no matter anyone's opinion. The only thing I wont touch is the hybrid components. Buy the hybrid batt. a/c filter online, much cheaper that Ford dealerships ( oil filter is reasonable though).

 

The Motorcraft Oil Filters for the Escape Hybrid can be found at Walmart (USA) in the $3.00 range. Use Mobil 1 or similar and increase your oil change interval to 10,000 miles. Rockauto.com sells the hybrid battery filter (Wix) for 1/2 the price of the Motorcraft filter. Good luck.

 

I would just stick to your guns: tell them you want the maintenance done per the Owners Manual, and not the "special operating conditions" schedule. If they flat-out refuse, start taking names and explain your intent is to run it by Ford, for a second opinion. Things will very likely defuse at that point.

If not, follow through. Maybe follow through anyways. It would be good to hear from the horses mouth what exactly comprises "special operating conditions".

We're in the Vancouver area, and have had Honda's since the early '80's. I don't think I've ever not had a dealership's service department that didn't attempt to foist superflous maintenance, either extra items or shortened intervals. How you deal with it depends on how much aggravation you want to endure. Sometimes the middle ground works, and is easier on your heart.

That is, up until our most recent vehicle, with it's built-in Maintnenance Minder, which takes a lot of the "interpretation" out of maintenance schedules. Well..., they still try some small things: changing oil filter at every oil change, vs Honda's instructions to only change the filter at alternate changes. And a few other irritants. Old habits die hard, LOL.

Like some of the other responders, I also gave up on the dealership for regular maintenance, and mostly do my own now. You are within your rights to do your own regular maintenance. It's a bit of a grey area, and if it concerns you, or just isn't practical, I'd stick with dealership, at least for duration of powertrain warranty, but: stick to your guns

 

Changing your own oil is easy on the FEH as there is so much ground clearance. To scientifically assess your oil condition, I suggest that you send in a sample for analysis. I use Blackstone in Fort Wayne, Indiana but I am confident that there are others who perform this service in the US and Canada. Since I started doing this, I am going 12,000-14,000 miles between oil changes. You can use the TBN to determine how much oil reserve is left to determine your next oil change interval.

For the price that you are being charged, you could buy your own hydraulic lift and rotate your own tires and still have money left over.

 

OP: Do NOT do this while your vehicle is under warranty. (Also, for the price of an used oil analysis, you can just change your oil.)

 

About my experience services in Vancouver and Victoria BC.
During First service I asked to have my fluid changed in the tranny but the dealer said it is a sealed unit and there is no fluid change. Since then I did all by myself and recently when my Air Cond failed and I went to Dealership they told me that I have to change transm fluid every 50k km and It cost 200 CAD because they have to connect backflush machine to flush CVT backward and use 12L of fluid ???
So reluctantly I said Ok and after completion of service they charge me $80 and said that I am lucky my CVT doesn't has connection for that flush machine and they only drained fluid and replenished with new?... Also they recharged my Air/cond system, could not find any leaks and charged 350 CAD. Also recommended to change spark plugs, PCV, Gasket of inlet manifold, fuel filter, air filter, battery filter try to scare to lost warranty. They said some customer recently paid 12000 CAD for replacement of battery because he did not has records for battery filters changes.

 

Check out the Maintenance Schedule ( thanks wptski ) print it off and let your dealer look at it. I'd like to know what they'll have to say.
S5K03002.pdf

 

Hi Markbc, I am in Toronto and I have the exact same problem with my dealer. I have a 2008 FEH 4WD, They sent me a letter every 3000km ~ 5000km, but after about 3000km I change my oil to Mobil1 5W20 by myself, then ignore their letters.

Also, they use cheap oil on my FEH too, too bad.