new 8/06/03
So I take the SHO into the stealer yesterday to have them see if they can find the A/C gremlins that have been living in the car all summer...
I knew it had a leak somewhere, I just didn't have the time nor the inclination to deal with it. I finally got tired of paying $5 each for the little cans of Freon - I figured it would be cheaper just to get it fixed. While it's there, I told them to change the oil - save me the trouble of doing it myself in the summer heat.
I get the call...
Samantha, we have your Taurus here and I need to talk to someone about some problems. Can I speak with your husband?
*silence*
So after he gets a frosty reply from me in his ear, he proceeds to tell me that he's not sure if they're going to be able to release the car to me due to a "safety issue" that they don't feel comfortable with. You see, one of my tires only has 5/32" of tread left on it, and they wouldn't want me to spin out in the rain and have an accident... They said they couldn't get the exact tires I have on the car (Firehawk SZ50 - which I absolutely love) so I would need to replace all four tires with something "comparable". They would of course be happy to do that for me to the tune of $1100. When I asked him if these $1100 tires were made of gold, he said "Ma'am, that's the cheapest I've ever seen comparable tires to those you have on there, I think you should take it." Dude, I pay less than $140 each for my Firehawks...
Then when I refuse the tires, he informs me that they did a complimentary 40 point inspection with my oil change and my air filter needs to be changed. I said "probably so, but I'm going to put a K&N cone filter on it as soon as I get the time to do it." He gets all serious and says "Ma'am, I certainly wouldn't do that if I were you. Ford engineers these cars very precisely and if you put another air filter on here, you'll probably damage your engine!!!" I snorted laughter at him and asked him if they found the leak in the A/C system. He said they did and it's an o-ring and they'd replace it for $96.
I went up there a few hours later to pick it up - nothing was mentioned about the "safety issue" with my tires (clearly in Ford's universe, 5/32" tread is unacceptable...) My A/C runs cold, but man, am I steamed.
The joys of being a woman and having a car serviced...
Samantha
99 SF Welded
I think Samantha handled herself far better than I, or for that matter, most Men. We would most likely have been a little more "manish" when the tire pitch was made. Good Job.
Larry