When we bought a used 2000 Ford F-350 Diesel in December 2010, my Honda car mechanic recommended this shop for any diesel needs. The car mechanic was concerned about the level of fluid in the engine that appeared to be leaking. I drove on over to Ron Jon's, and they were too busy to take the truck in that day. The owner came out to the parking lot and took a look under the hood. He asked several questions about my concerns and assured me that the fluid around the engine was normal for a diesel truck. He didn't charge me anything & he gave me several tips about checking the oil level frequently and never towing in overdrive. I had not had an opportunity to go back to Ron Jons, but I had an excellent first impression that the owner really cared to make sure we took good care of the truck.
Our Ford F-350 is used to pull a 40' fifth wheel trailer, and after a tow from Kissimmee to TItusville on a hot day, the truck appeared to be spitting a good deal of transmission fluid out. It was too late to bring it anywhere that night, so we parked it on the driveway with a pan underneath. The pan was relatively dry in the AM, & the transmission fluid dipstick indicated the transmission was still full of fluid. Not wanting to take any chances, we brought the truck to a local transmission shop in Titusville for inspection.
We were called & told that the transmission was either (1) leaking from the front seal of the transmission or (2) leaking from the front pump of the transmission. Simply to diagnose the problem, this local shop wanted to charge us $540 to pull the transmission out of the truck, which would then be applied to the $1,000 if the seal needed replacing or $1,200-1,500 if the front pump needed replacing.
We opted to take the truck elsewhere for a second opinion, and when we picked up the keys, we were warned that continuing to drive the truck with a leaking transmission could further damage the transmission making repair even more $$.
I called Russell at Ron Jon's even though their shop is over 30 miles away in Orlando. Russell said that in all the years they have worked on diesel trucks, they have NEVER seen a front seal leak or a front pump leak. Hmmm He did say it "could" happen, but it would be VERY RARE.
We drove the truck to Orlando, and they spent THREE HOURS inspecting the truck, including putting dye in the transmission fluid, and guess what - the transmission is NOT EVEN LEAKING. John, Ron Jon's owner, said it appeared that the Ford dealer we bought the truck from a few months ago overfilled the transmission fluid. When that happens, and the transmission gets hot, the transmission will "belch" out the extra transmission fluid. He is very confident this is what happened in our case after having towed the fifth wheel on a hot day.
Guess what else - after 3 hours of investigation, Ron Jon's charged us - drum roll please - NOTHING... Not one red cent! They have earned a customer for life, and I would encourage anyone taking their vehicle to the local transmission shop in Titusville to get a second opinion before spending the $1,000+ is seems they tell all customers their repairs will cost (as I heard the people ahead of me being told when I picked up the keys).
THANK YOU JOHN, RUSSELL, & THE WHOLE TEAM AT RON JON'S. We will be back!! read more