About five years ago my 2001 Ford Escort suddenly started having a hard time starting with excessive cranking (like it was starting cold even if it had been running for hours and just turned off for seconds).
I tried all the basics: air filter, fuel filter, fuel cleaning, battery and battery contacts, spark plugs and wires, didn't solve the problem. Since the car was still under warranty I took it to Salem Ford & Hyundai in Salem, NH to have it fixed. I was told there would be an $80 diagnostic charge: if the problem was under warranty the charge would be waived, if not under warranty and I had them fix the problem the charge would be applied to the repairs.
They called me at work and told me that they were working on my car and the wrong spark plugs were installed. I was told that the spark plugs in the car (which I had just installed a week prior) were longer than the factory specs and may have already caused irreparable damage to the cylinder heads which would not be covered under warranty. They asked if I wanted them to change the plugs and of course I said yes.
When I went to pick up the car the bill was $150 ($80 for the diagnostic and $70 for the spark plugs - my bad for not asking how much that was going to cost!). I was told that the car was perfectly fine and nothing was wrong. When I asked why the car was cranking for 10 to 30 seconds before starting when it had not done that the first three years I owned the car I was told that this is the way Ford cars work and it's normal (go ahead, make fun of me for buying a Ford in the first place). I asked for the spark plugs they removed.
I immediately went to the parts store that I bought the plugs at and told them what the service mechanic had said. He showed me that the plugs I bought were the ones listed for my car by the plug manufacturer. We examined both plugs side by side and they were dimensionally identical. I contacted both plug manufacturers and obtained full specs for both plugs. The dimensions were exactly equal. As a matter of fact the only difference was the material quality of the plugs I had purchased was better and the plug had a higher temperature rating.
So...I paid $80 for a diagnostic to tell me there was nothing wrong with my car and another $70 for them to pull higher quality spark plugs out of my car and put inferior ones in. I did write a letter (never received a response) to the GM but I chalked it up to a $150 lesson not to allow myself to be intimidated by a fast talking mechanic in the future (and of course to never go back there).
I have told everyone I know to avoid this place. Perhaps this post will help someone I don't know avoid them too.
PS I took the car to an independent mechanic. The problem was a faulty fuel pump but he said if I leave the key in the on position for a few seconds before trying to turn the engine over it will give the tank time to pressurize. Five years later and the car is still running fine at over 100K miles. No charge from the independent mech for diagnosing the problem the Ford dealership couldn't find for $80.
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