Matt Bowers Ford

Matt Bowers Ford on Veterans Hwy. is a dysfunctional disgrace for a dealership. I have purchased 5 trucks from them in the past but I would not buy a bag of peanuts from them again. My truck was in the shop for two weeks back in April and was not fixed. I was told to wait for carpet replacement that they couldn’t acquire until late August. My truck is 2 weeks in the shop and still not finished. Promise of a rental vehicle never happened and lies about delays are unbelievable. WARNING do not buy from this dealership if you think they that you will have warranty issues tended to. You will spend thousands on a rental before they fix it.

Bottom Line Up Front: Matt Power Service Department charged me $243.58 to diagnose the problem, quoted me $2579.65 worth of repairs and it turned out all that was needed was a sensor replacement which I did my self in less than an hour and for less than $150. The TLDR explanation of facts none of this is opinion, it is merely what occurred: I brought the vehicle in on the 14th of August 2025 due to a bucking and surging which I thought was a problem with the transmission. I brought it to Matt Bower Ford from Houma because I have the lifetime powertrain warranty. On Monday the 18th I received a call from the Service Advisor at Matt Bower Ford stating that they diagnosed the vehicle and received a Diagnostic Test Code p2457 “Exhaust Gas Recirculation Cooling System Performance.” and that they “found EGR cooler restriction, and erratic EGR flow due too carbon build up causing vehicle to misfire.” This assessment was approved by the Service Advisor at 8/18/2025 at 12:55PM. He called me and told me that the necessary repairs included replacing the EGR Valve, the EGR Valve to intake tube, the DPFE Sensor, and the EGR Cooler. Essentially the entire EGR System (part of the emissions control system). They also said that I should have a complete Fuel System Service because the was carbon buildup in the system. The total repair quoted was $2579.65. Finding that to be quite a lot of money I asked the Service Advisor how they knew that the problem was all those components and he told me that they “found carbon buildup in the system” and that the checked different “test points” in the system to verify that. Continuing to question I asked if they could send me a photo of the carbon buildup and how they knew it was all the parts that were the problem and not a specific component. He said he would talk to the technician and call me back. While I was waiting I did some “research” (i.e. google searches) and found that there is a common deficiency among 2019 Ford Rangers in which the EGR (aka the DPFE) sensors are failing causing the exact symptoms I was having (https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/bucking-surging-epidemic.14581/). After about 5-10 minutes the Service advisor called back and said “He lied” and said the technician hadn’t actually found any carbon buildup but based his assessment off the fault codes the diagnostics computer was giving him and they don’t have the ability to isolate the fault to individual components until they remove the coolers and valve and sensor. I told him he didn’t lie he made a mistake as I really believe the Service Advisor to be honest. But I also told him what my “research” found and that I did not want to spend $2500 if all that was needed was a sensor repair and I would take the vehicle home replace the sensor and if the problem still persisted I would bring the car to a local mechanic in Houma where I live since the EGR system is not covered under Matt Bower’s Lifetime Power Train Warranty. I picked up the vehicle two days later (I live an hour away in Houma) and speaking to the gentlemen who checked me out he asked me why I wasn’t doing the repairs and I told him I wanted to try and replace the sensor myself and not spend $2500. He said that is why he does all his repairs himself because it is so expensive nowadays and that the technicians get paid $70/hr. So purchased the required parts for ~$70, watched a 21:54 min video on Youtube, replaced the sensor myself, checked the system for carbon buildup which I found none and the vehicle is now fine and the check engine light is gone and my Ranger is no longer bucking and surging. All that took me about an 1.5 hours. Oh and they charged me $243.58 to “diagnose” the problem and three others that turned out to be not really problems. ----Below is opinion not facts, so take it for what it is worth--- MY RECOMMENDATION: If you can’t fix it yourself, which most people can not, take your car someplace else.

I appreciate the salesman delivering my vehicle to me. He brought no paperwork for me. He never discussed the financing with me. I still don't have a 60-day temporary tag. He knew I needed the truck to pull my RV the next morning, so I signed the paperwork. I will never recommend this dealership. Matt Bowers Chevy in Metairie.

My daughter purchased a used 2018 Ford Edge from Matt Bower Ford in Metairie, La. in March of 2021. On the flyers placed in the dealership, it clearly states "Home of the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty". My daughter purchased an additional extended warranty as well, but the stipulation to both warranties was that she had to have the repairs performed at their dealership. The vehicle then started to have problems. Specifically the temperature gauge was rising. Not knowing what was going on she brought it over to our house and I looked under the hood. I noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir bottle was extremely low. I immediately added coolant to the reservoir bottle to get it to an acceptable level. This resolved the issue with the temperature rising. About 3 days later she checked the bottle and noticed that the coolant was getting low again. We continued to keep adding coolant to protect the engine as best as possible. We were not able to find evidence of a leak anywhere, so we decided to take it back to Matt Bowers Ford to have the problem diagnosed. The technicians there determined that the problem was that coolant was leaking into the pistons by way of the coolant manifold. It was also determined that sufficient damage had occurred to the engine itself, and that the engine itself would have to be replaced. We gave them the approval to begin work on her car based on the fact that she had the extended warranties in place. Or so we though. About a week later my daughter was called and told that there was a problem with the warranty. The warranty didn't cover the engine issues because the damage was not oil or lubrication related. Having heard that and dropping the phone in disbelief I went to the dealership myself and confronted the service technician personally. The technician referred me to the finance department (you figure that one out) after I questioned them about the supposed warranty on the car. So I did just that. I went over to the finance department with the paperwork for the car. I spoke to Leon, and showed him the paperwork and he told me that the car should be covered "bumper to bumper". After this I was directed to see the service department manager, Mr. Paul Alexander. I explained to him what I was told about the car, and about the answer I was given about denial of repair. He too was shocked and surprised to hear such a reason. He then told me that he would contact the department and get them to explain why they would not stand by their warranty. After a couple of days, and not hearing anything, I went back to the dealership and spoke to him again. He told me that he had gotten the same answer that I had received, and that their warranty was not valid in that situation. I then stated to him that Ford Motor Company had issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 19-2208) on December 19th, 2019, describing that very problem. I then asked why would this dealership offer and sell an extended warranty that would not cover this particular problem, knowing that this very problem existed 2 years prior to the sale of the vehicle? He could not answer that question. I was then told by Mr. Alexander that he would reach out to a division of Ford that handled situations similar to ours, and to see if they could offer some resolution to this matter. I was told that he would contact me in a couple of days with an answer. Again no call was received from Mr. Alexander. Once again I had to call and attempt to speak with Mr. Alexander. I was not able to speak to him but was asked to leave my name and number and he would return my call. After all this I had learned that Mr Alexander was transferred to another dealership. I also was told that the dealership would only cover 1/3 of the cost of repairs on the car, even though warranties were in place. If I could give a negative rating I would.

Never go to this dealership. They have no integrity. Worst experience of my life! I would NEVER recommend this dealership to anyone.

Question has anyone had their odometer rolled back after an oil change? It has happened to me and I'm sure a lot others. Also what do I do about it.

Amazing dealer, answered all my questions without being pushy. Friendly staff.. Service department was friendly and scheduled my first oil service for me . Thank you Matt Bowers

AMAZING PLACE TO BUY A VEHICLE! They are extremely knowledgeable and take great care of their customers!! I called to ask about a vehicle and I SPOKE TO A MANAGER, Ricky, THE FIRST DAY! Then after that my salesperson, Leon called me shortly afterwards to make sure I didn’t have any unanswered questions. I set my appointment and when I came in the vehicle I was interested in WAS BACKED UP FRONT, RUNNING, CLEAN, WARMED UP AND WAITING FOR ME! The whole staff from sales to service make you feel like you are the most important thing in the dealership. One of the most impressive things to me was how they LISTEN and take the time to make sure that all my needs were satisfied. The best way I could say it is that they try to help you purchase a vehicle, they don’t try to sell you a vehicle. I will never purchase a vehicle from anywhere else, they have truly changed the game and showed me the way car buying should be!

I just purchased my second vehicle from Matt Bowers Ford. The process again was hassle free and pleasant. Great customer service and the staff makes you feel like family. Will definitely be back again!

Mr. Steve in service is AWESOME. I was really feeling disgusted because of a previous situation with another. Pulled and once Mr Steve saw me He began to prepare for Me. I didn't know what He was doing at first. He is so Happy a wonderful and joyful spirit. Sometimes you can tell when a person is pretending, but Mr Steve is so genuine. Keep up the good work Mr Steve don't ever let no one stop you from being who You are you are awesome and thank you so much for making my day I really and truly appreciate you. I really forgot about my situation after Mr Steve thank you once again.