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.
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IMAGES: Mechanics Pull Apart Ross' Truck
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"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.
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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?'"
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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.
A guy I work with had his check engine light come on. He has a 2004 F150 with 70,000 miles. The dealer told him it was a valve in the intake manifold that monitors pressure. To get to it they needed to remove the cab from the truck. The cost was $1800. They recomended that he replace the sparkplugs at this time also because they would need to remove the cab to get to those. I guess the Ford dealer didn't know about the special tool also.
So much for being able to work on your own vehicle.
Those F-150's, you see about 10-15 of'em every mile you drive, at least here in Texas. This is going to be a HUGE problem for Ford.
ya i have sat at stop signs hear in SA and just watch herds of them drive bye. in fact. i use to own one myself. a 98 lariat. it was a very nice truck. but compared to the trucks built now its no comparison. ever since the Titan and new Tundra came out. fords been eating ****. i heard they rated the new tundra 1/4 mile at 14.8!!! and its freakin huge. god knows how awsome it would be to supercharge one of those and beat a mustang or f-body.
Its not a lightning but hell its sure damn impressive. if i had enough money i would get one Today
What they showed on the investigation was this......
A spark plug and at the end, the end that sits in the block a sleeve the spark plug sits in. It is attached to the sleeve. When you put the socket on the plug to remove it, the sleeve does not turn but stays put. The plug twists inside the sleeve breaking the ceramic at the base. You then pull the plug out expecting to see the "normal" end of the plug. What you get is, is the broken end with the long electrode that twisted off of the base of the plug.
If anyone has ever broke off a spark plug while removing it, this is what it looks like. I guess this "special" tool gets inside the plug hole and mates up to this sleeve.
I would imagine this tool is only available for ford service centers. Damn dealers don't even want you putting coolant in the radiator anymore.
I would imagine this tool is only available for ford service centers. Damn dealers don't even want you putting coolant in the radiator anymore.
Hey all,
I a Parts Manager at one of those "damn dealers" and would like to remind you all that as a whole the dealers are just a bunch people like you who are just trying to make a living. We are as disgusted, confused and generally pissed off as any of the owners of vehicles are when there is a problem with stupid engineering. Believe me, since the advent of CSI reports, we do what we can do to take care of our customers.
As a 25 year GM partsman, I see everyday what the differences are between the cheap aftermarket parts and genuine GM and in nearly every case the GM parts are superior. The price may be higher, but you get what you pay for most of the time. Who do you call when you need to ask a question, and the guy at the "zone" just gives you a stupid look? The dealer?? So instead of always assuming the worst next time, remember they are just people like you trying to make a living and do the best they can.
Maybe I should revise that.... The DAMN engineers that design the product NOT the dealer do not want you working on your vehicle. I realize the dealers don't design it.
I get feedback from the service guys at my dealer who as you stated are disgusted with the design of some of the workings of the vehicles. Some of the techs have to be contortionists to work on these cars these days.
I often said if engineers were required to work on these cars they would make it more service friendly.
Funny though, the techs I speak to and being involved in the assy of trucks the common term is shared....... "Job security."
While showing my car a few weeks ago, a tech who was at the show recognized my car. He said he works on the GTO's. He told me, ya know, when we have to remove the tires to balance and roate them, it takes 2 of us.
I am one of the few on here who praises my service dept. I've stated my experiences with them numerous times.
I a Parts Manager at one of those "damn dealers" and would like to remind you all that as a whole the dealers are just a bunch people like you who are just trying to make a living. We are as disgusted, confused and generally pissed off as any of the owners of vehicles are when there is a problem with stupid engineering. Believe me, since the advent of CSI reports, we do what we can do to take care of our customers.
As a 25 year GM partsman, I see everyday what the differences are between the cheap aftermarket parts and genuine GM and in nearly every case the GM parts are superior. The price may be higher, but you get what you pay for most of the time. Who do you call when you need to ask a question, and the guy at the "zone" just gives you a stupid look? The dealer?? So instead of always assuming the worst next time, remember they are just people like you trying to make a living and do the best they can.
Have a great weekend!
'Guru
You make a good point. When I buy a new car, and I always buy new, I consider the reputation of the automaker, the dealer, and the individual car/truck.
Once I plunk my money down for the purchase, I don't consider the transaction complete. I have all my service, from oil changes to brakes, to tire rotation and major repairs done by my dealer. There are five reasons for my decision.
First, cars are just too complex for shade tree mechanics these days. I want my cars maintained by a well trained tech using OEM parts and the best tools and diagnostic equipment. I need it done right the first time and I'm willing to pay for superior service. To me, they add value and that value is worth something.
Second, dealers like me as a customer. I give tham a small profit at time of sale but then I give them a 5-10 year revenue/profit stream from maintenance. They will deal better up front knowing this.
Third, because they know the service history of my cars, I'd like to think I get a bit better value on my trade-in. When I come back to them for a new car, I get treated differently from Joe Schmoe off the street.
Fourth, if I do sell the car to a private party, I can present them with a complete service history that can be verified at a single source. Once again, I get a better price and receive value from the relationship with a good dealer.
Fifth, as you mention, the dealer and techs are trying to make a living. They have an investment in people and equipment and tools that Walmart will never match. I want these people around to fix my car next year and the next. $200 more on a repair job is nothing next to having your brakes fail or, losing your car for another 2 days because Joe Bob down at Walmart botched a repair.
Now with all of the above said, I will walk away from a brand and dealer if I am screwed. Forever! Which is just what I did in the late 80's with Ford. I have never been in a Ford store since and never will. It appears they are still up to their old tricks.
So, is a dealer "more expensive" in the long run. It's hard to say. But, at a minimum, I hope I minimize the time spent dealing with car maintenance.
Once upon a time labor rates from the dealer to area shops were vastly different. I have seen many shops where their labor rates are right up there with dealer shop rates.
NOTE: Remove any foreign material from the spark plug wells with compressed air before removing the spark plugs. Remove the spark plugs.
Inspect the spark plugs.
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