I have a warning for you folks that live in the Southern California area and use Santa Margarita Ford.  This has to be one of the worst dealerships around in my opinion. 

The story goes like this.  While I was driving down the freeway my car started smoking, when I pulled off to take a look, it was the AC unit.  I selected Santa Margarita Ford because they where A) close to home B) an authorized Saleen dealer.  I took the car in and they had to keep it over night, with in a couple of days they called and said the car was ready, they replaced the AC unit and everything was fine.  I get to the dealership and this kid pulls my car up for me…Its covered in dust and bird crap.  I shake it off and get in the car, thinking it’s fixed I won’t be back here again.  Later that week I get back into the car for a cruise.  After driving it for a while I notice the temp is really climbing.  I turn off the AC but it wont turn off, its’ stuck on Max Air.  The temp keeps climbing so I end up pulling over twice on my way home so I don’t over heat (total distance 6.4 miles).  Just as I pull it into the garage it pukes fluid all over the place.  I call Saleen and they say take it back to the dealership.  The dealership says bring it in.  Saleen says have it towed so you don’t damage the motor.  I call the 800 Ford number and they send out a tow truck.  Unbeknownst to me this nimrod uses a dirty strap on one of my wheels to hold the car on the flat bed.  We get to the dealership and  that’s when we see the damage from the strap, it ground grooves into my wheel.  Not really happy at this point.  I get my service person to come out and take a look at what’s happened.  He tells me they have a great chrome guy, he can fix it.  He tells me not to worry they’ll take care of it.  Once the car is off I tell them what’s happening and I suggest the thermostat may have a problem as well.  I pop the hood and show them the mess.  I also tell them that I wasn’t at all happy with the way my car was when I picked it up, dirty and covered with bird crap.  I tell them for the second time I show this car…please take care of it like its mine and not yours.  A few days later they call up and tell me the car is ready but the wheel needs to be re-chromed and it will take 5-7 days.  I tell them not acceptable, I want a new Saleen wheel.  They tell me its’ cheaper for them to do it this way and they have a great chrome guy.  My reply, I don’t care I want a new Saleen wheel.  Then I call my friend over at Saleen and make arrangements for him to buy one for me at his cost, he does and I call the dealership to tell them I have a wheel for close to the same cost.  They agree to it.  I call back later that day and ask if the car is ready they say they can’t get the wheel and that’s what they’re waiting for.  I call back to Saleen…finally everything gets straightened out.  Again I call the dealership to get a status.  Now they tell me the driver of the truck for the chroming company has my tire and they can’t find him.  I get this for a day and half.  How does the driver for a company truck disappear for a day and half to the point that no one can find him…not even the owner of this great company.  So Friday night they tell me the owner will bring them the tire first thing in the morning and my car will be ready.  The service rep even tells me they are going to detail my car and clean up under the hood.  Cool right…wrong.  I call the dealership twice on Saturday, once at 10:30, two and half hours after they opened, then again at 2:30.  They finally tell me the car is ready, there finishing the detail.  I get to the dealership and the car has been hosed off in the sun and left to dry.  The car is covered in water spots.  I pop the hood to see how well they’ve done there and it’s a fricken mess.  They wiped it off with a towel; it still had coolant all over the place.  I point it out to my wife and she says don’t make a big deal about it lets just go we wont come back here ever again.  Then I notice the Saleen valve stem cap is gone on my new wheel.  I ask to put it on and the service rep tells me he has one in his car and goes off to get it.  I get in the car and drive off, half way home the AC stops working again.  I flip around and go back.  Now pissed off but remaining professional.  I show them the problem; of course the mechanic is confused and doesn’t understand why.  I tell the service guy about the car being dirty and he apologizes and tells me he’ll take care of it.  I get the car back and as I’m picking it up the car is dusty and cover with bird crap and water spots now.  I get in the car and leave pissed swearing…vowing I will never go back.  I take the car home and park it for two days.  Then I start detailing the car…clay baring the water spots off.  As I detail I notice a nice new scratch in the rear quarter panel.  I flip out and call my friend at Saleen; he gives me the Saleen contact at SM Ford Tom Glockner.  I talk to him and relay my disgust with the treatment of my car.  He tells me to bring it in the following week…last night, but to call first.  I call and Tom and I talk about it again accept this time he’s telling me it’s not there problem, that there’s no way they would do any of that.  He tells me he hears they took great care of me and even replaced my wheel, when they shouldn’t have because it wasn’t there problem.  I told him I did the work and got the discount so I could get the wheel.  He tells me they did it because I didn’t want to wait.  He argued with me about something he wasn’t involved with.  Then he goes on to say that he knows people are always looking for a free-bee, and who know what I did with the car after I picked it up.  I told him that it had come to my attention though another local mustang owner that her car had been scratched and repainted twice by them.  He tells me I would have to prove it happened there and there’s no way they could have done it.  This conversation…argument goes on for about thirty minutes.  My neighbors at home could here me yelling at this guy over the phone.  I slammed the phone down so hard when I was done talking to him I broke the receiver. 

Basically, I worn everyone in the Southern California area to stay away…far away…if you want to avoid this type of headache.  I also suggest you look at Westminster Ford and Tustin Ford if your considering the purchase of a Saleen vehicle.  This isn’t worth it and can be avoided by going else where.

Thank you for listening to my rant.