power steering blow-out

[dchamb]

I recently bought (Nov.) an '02 t- bird. It had been operating perfectly. I took it to a ford dealership for routine service. After I left the dealership, I noticed a little smoke from under the hood. I thought, "spilled some oil on the manifold, huh". After arriving home I discovered i was losing power steering fluid. It lost almost all it had. I called dealership and told them what happened. They sent a wrecker, took it back to the shop and reported to me that it "coincidentally" blew a pressure switch within 10 miles after leaving the shop. I spoke to a mechanic since that tells me that if they removed the power steering filler cap with the engine running, it can pull in air and damage the system, and this is a likely possibility. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated, as I appear to be likely to go to court about the bill (280.00).

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[tbird]

If it were me, I would approach this from a customer service angle rather than busting out of the gates threating a law suit. First escelate it all the way to the dealer service manager, call Ford and complain, etc. Offer some kind of middle ground if neccessary like you will pay for the wholesale cost of the part and they do the labor for free.

I don't see how you can prove in small claims court they did this as a result of the other repair. The car is five years old, has lots of moving parts and it is possible another item broke after leaving.

 

[George]

Agree w/tbird....approach the dealer and see what they'll do for you. Some are pretty reasonable. Especially since you had just left there. I hope they didn't bill you for the wrecker!!!

 

[dchamb]

All that was done in the beginning. It garnered nothing. The dealership is unwilling to make compensation of whatever description. I have bought 2 new cars from them in recent years, and had all 4 of the vehicles I own serviced there. They DO NOT CARE. I filed in small claims court Thursday.

 

[dchamb]

By the way, 117.50 for the wrecker. Total bill 260.00