RoyJackson
Rest in Peace
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2001
- Messages
- 24,890
- Location
- Bethel, Vermont
- Tractor
- John Deere 4052R Cab,, Deere 855D UTV, Z920A Zero Turn Mower and assorted implements
This was on the local news website:
AKRON, Pa. -- What should have been a simple maintenance job turned into a $2,000 ordeal for a Lancaster County pickup truck owner and a mechanic.
Larry Ross said he bought his 2004 Ford F-150 in August 2006. The truck had nearly 100,000 miles on it, but Ross said it was in great shape. Ross took the truck to his mechanic a few months ago to keep it running smoothly.
"We were just going to do a routine spark plug check as recommended by Ford at 100,000 miles," Ross said.
Ross said that the job should have been done in one day and cost no more than $200. But there was a problem. Ross said his mechanic realized he wasn't going to be able to get to all of the spark plugs inside the engine. The only way he could get to all eight of them was by removing the entire cab of the truck, according to Ross.
The mechanic said that he had never seen the type of spark plug that was inside the F-150. He said the plug is twice as long as normal and has a metal sleeve on it.
"When you rotate this spark plug and try to extract it, then you break this thing loose and it pulls out, leaving this piece into the head," said one mechanic.
The only way to get to the broken pieces and change the plugs was to take the cab off the truck, the mechanic said. Eight on Your Side consumer reporter Brian Roche asked the mechanic about the problem.
Roche: "How did you feel as the mechanic calling the owner of this vehicle saying, 'Listen, this simple little job is going to become a major situation?'"
Mechanic: "How would you feel getting the phone call saying that your $200 tune-up is now gonna be $2,000 or more?"
Ross said he had no problem with what his mechanic did. Ross said Ford told him the issue wasn't their problem.
Roche called Ford, telling them, "We think this is an issue that would be of interest to all vehicle owners."
While News 8 waited for a statement from Ford, Ross got a letter from the company and a check for almost the entire cost of his repair.
A Ford spokesman in Detroit told Roche that the cab of the truck did not have to be removed to make the repair. But Roche said it's apparent that Ford realizes there's an issue because last year the company issued specific instructions and a special tool to remove the spark plugs from the Ford Triton engine.
The truck in News 8's story had a lot of miles on it. As other owners take their 2004 Ford F-150s in for the 100,000-mile maintenance, they could face the same spark plug problem. There are about 350,000 Ford F-150 pickups from model year 2004.
AKRON, Pa. -- What should have been a simple maintenance job turned into a $2,000 ordeal for a Lancaster County pickup truck owner and a mechanic.
Larry Ross said he bought his 2004 Ford F-150 in August 2006. The truck had nearly 100,000 miles on it, but Ross said it was in great shape. Ross took the truck to his mechanic a few months ago to keep it running smoothly.
"We were just going to do a routine spark plug check as recommended by Ford at 100,000 miles," Ross said.
Ross said that the job should have been done in one day and cost no more than $200. But there was a problem. Ross said his mechanic realized he wasn't going to be able to get to all of the spark plugs inside the engine. The only way he could get to all eight of them was by removing the entire cab of the truck, according to Ross.
The mechanic said that he had never seen the type of spark plug that was inside the F-150. He said the plug is twice as long as normal and has a metal sleeve on it.
"When you rotate this spark plug and try to extract it, then you break this thing loose and it pulls out, leaving this piece into the head," said one mechanic.
The only way to get to the broken pieces and change the plugs was to take the cab off the truck, the mechanic said. Eight on Your Side consumer reporter Brian Roche asked the mechanic about the problem.
Roche: "How did you feel as the mechanic calling the owner of this vehicle saying, 'Listen, this simple little job is going to become a major situation?'"
Mechanic: "How would you feel getting the phone call saying that your $200 tune-up is now gonna be $2,000 or more?"
Ross said he had no problem with what his mechanic did. Ross said Ford told him the issue wasn't their problem.
Roche called Ford, telling them, "We think this is an issue that would be of interest to all vehicle owners."
While News 8 waited for a statement from Ford, Ross got a letter from the company and a check for almost the entire cost of his repair.
A Ford spokesman in Detroit told Roche that the cab of the truck did not have to be removed to make the repair. But Roche said it's apparent that Ford realizes there's an issue because last year the company issued specific instructions and a special tool to remove the spark plugs from the Ford Triton engine.
The truck in News 8's story had a lot of miles on it. As other owners take their 2004 Ford F-150s in for the 100,000-mile maintenance, they could face the same spark plug problem. There are about 350,000 Ford F-150 pickups from model year 2004.