wrong spark plugs fitted to LS focus

[paul&amanda]

Not sure if im posting in the right forum but anyway,
i had the 60k service on my 2006 LS focus done back in 08 at a non ford service centre(not sure if i am allowed to name the company). Yesterday i put it into my local ford dealer for 120K service and it turns out when the 60k service was done the mechanic put spark plugs for an LR focus into my LS which have a longer reach than the correct ones meaning a portion of the thread is exposed inside the combustion chamber and obviously now has carbon build up preventing removal without stripping the threads. Ford removed 1 plug and realised the issue and ceased working on the car saying they were getting a thread expert in to assess and advise the best course of action.

I have confronted the people that did the 60k service with the detailed invoice (i keep everything)outlining work carried out and a list of parts used which proves they used the wrong parts and they have admitted responsibilty and requested i allow them to fix it. If i dont let them fix it ill have to go through legal channels to get them to pay for it. My problem is they stuffed it in the first place and will obviously take the cheapest which might not be the best option to rectify the problem on top of that the service they did back then ticked all the boxes ie, brakes ok tyres ok etc but a week later i got under the car to find the rear tyres were worn on the inside edge through the steel webbing right down to the last layer of rubber. they were that bad i dont know how it wasnt spotted while on a hoist. My local bob jane told me they were going to blow at anytime. So theyve put the wrong plugs in my car and tell me the tryes are all ok when they were about to blow out. (see attached image) So its clear they are the types you dont want going near your car and while i feel i am justified in not wanting them to touch the car again and i can lodge a complaint with CTTT there is no guarantee a ruling will go in my favour.

Does anyone have any advice for me or has anyone been in a similar situation where they have tried to recover cost of repairs following dodgy work being carried out previously? Any help would be appreciated.

[jpd80]

If you let the original service centre do the repair, be careful because they might try just screwing
the plugs out damaging threads in your head and then cover up their tracks with heli coil repairs.

[paul&amanda]

They wont be touching the car. I dont think theyd even use heli coils. My bet would be loctite.

[Stattic]

i would definitely be making them pay for someone reliable to fix the problems

also... how could you yourself not noticed those tyres were completely rooted? you dont need the car on a hoist to see the condition of the tyres, blind freddy could have told you to get new ones

[Piotr]

You do realise you have driven 60,000km from the time they said your tyres were fine?

[XDV800]

The reason they want to accomodate rectifying the problem is so they can do it as cost effectively for themselves, as they would know fords bill for this rectification will be significantly inflated.
I reckon they will try to go for only footing some of the cost if you take it to court, or leave you high and dry altogether. You may end up out of pocket somehow.
I suggest you let them fix their own stuff up, suggest they do a DAMN GOOD job of it, and push for some extra incentives from them to not name and shame their 'good name' (?). You could probably get the car back with a full detail/full tank of fuel/free service/etc, get my drift. If you are loud enough at them without threatening fire and brimstone upon them, they could possibly work with you at a happy resolution.
However it is up to you which way you go with it.

[Matt P]

Originally Posted by Piotr

You do realise you have driven 60,000km from the time they said your tyres were fine?

He said he got under it a week later not 60K later.

As for the plug mate you are lucky I have seen this done and burn out valves. They should be able to get them out with out too much fuss slowly with alot of lubrication it will run down the threads and clean them.

[paul&amanda]

Originally Posted by Stattic

i would definitely be making them pay for someone reliable to fix the problems

also... how could you yourself not noticed those tyres were completely rooted? you dont need the car on a hoist to see the condition of the tyres, blind freddy could have told you to get new ones

I rarely get to see the car as my wife drives it to work, gone at 7am home at 7pm and i do shift work so its not often the car and i are in the same place. Being as low as it is you couldnt tell how bad they were unless you got down on the ground to look.

anyway it is a lesson i now make time to check.

[Dustproof]

Originally Posted by paul&amanda

I rarely get to see the car as my wife drives it to work, gone at 7am home at 7pm and i do shift work so its not often the car and i are in the same place. Being as low as it is you couldnt tell how bad they were unless you got down on the ground to look.

anyway it is a lesson i now make time to check.

Life is full of lessons, some expensive some not. Here is an idea, if the plugs protrude into the combustion chamber thread and all, try spraying a ******** load of WD40 through open exhaust valves (Remove the exhaust manifold first of course). Aiming it toward the plug, leave it overnight and you should be able to remove them in the morning, it would probably help dribbling some around the base of the plug as it is a penetrating lubricant and leave o/night. The carbon deposits go hard and WD40 will break down the crusty stuff and you should be able to work them out, if you can get them to turn a little bit use a method like a tap and die system back and forth and the grunge will slowly come off. It takes a bit of patience but you will get them out.

I would let the shop who did the original job do the repair, advise them it WILL be checked afterward (For your own peace of mind). You must remember he is only as good as his employees, it is not his "fault" this happened; it is the person who did the job. He (As being the shop owner) is responsible for the work and you must remember ******** happens as I am sure he understands. I have been in this position before and allowed them to fix it, it turned out good in the end.

Noel

[Dustproof]

Originally Posted by paul&amanda

I rarely get to see the car as my wife drives it to work, gone at 7am home at 7pm and i do shift work so its not often the car and i are in the same place. Being as low as it is you couldnt tell how bad they were unless you got down on the ground to look.

anyway it is a lesson i now make time to check.

Life is full of lessons, some expensive some not. Here is an idea, if the plugs protrude into the combustion chamber thread and all, try spraying a ******** load of WD40 through open exhaust valves (Remove the exhaust manifold first of course). Aiming it toward the plug, leave it overnight and you should be able to remove them in the morning, it would probably help dribbling some around the base of the plug as it is a penetrating lubricant and leave o/night. The carbon deposits go hard and WD40 will break down the crusty stuff and you should be able to work them out, if you can get them to turn a little bit use a method like a tap and die system back and forth and the grunge will slowly come off. It takes a bit of patience but you will get them out.

I would let the shop who did the original job do the repair, advise them it WILL be checked afterward (For your own peace of mind). You must remember he is only as good as his employees, it is not his "fault" this happened; it is the person who did the job. He (As being the shop owner) is responsible for the work and you must remember ******** happens as I am sure he understands. I have been in this position before and allowed them to fix it, it turned out good in the end.

Noel

[paul&amanda]

You must remember he is only as good as his employees, it is not his "fault" this happened; it is the person who did the job. He (As being the shop owner) is responsible for the work and you must remember ******** happens as I am sure he understands. I have been in this position before and allowed them to fix it, it turned out good in the end.

Noel[/QUOTE]

it is his fault. when i booked i quoted LS focus. when i dropped the car off i handed him the keys and the log book which says LS focus. my invoice says LR focus. so the owner who took my booking and my keys and my log book and entered my details into the computer somehow didnt understand it was an LS not an LR.

The car is with a local ford dealer. they managed to get the remaining plugs out with minimal damage by running a carbon cleaner through the combustion chambers. so hopefully it wont be too expensive and ill chase the other guy for payment. if he isnt willing to even negotiate a reasonable settlement i will name him on every forum, possibly even go as far as parking outside his workshop with a sign. as for the tryes. everytime ive ever had a car seviced the place in question gives a full run down of what they found, ie things like brakes, tryes etc if the mechanic feels there is anything that might not survive until the next service they tell you. the place in question (which is by the way one of the bigger nationwide service centres) not only did the 60k service i had them do the 45k as well and looking at the state of my tyres at 60 its reasonable to expect they would have been pretty low at the previous service but they said back then all ok as well so i didnt really feel the need to keep an eye on them.
as i said its a lesson learned its just unfortunate some people are happy to take your money but cant be trusted to perform a thorough service.

[Dustproof]

Originally Posted by paul&amanda

it is his fault. when i booked i quoted LS focus. when i dropped the car off i handed him the keys and the log book which says LS focus. my invoice says LR focus. so the owner who took my booking and my keys and my log book and entered my details into the computer somehow didnt understand it was an LS not an LR.

OK your obviously very upset but you have missed the point, it IS his "Responsibility" but NOT his fault unless he was the one who turned the spanners.

I think you should speak to a solicitor before naming anyone in a public forum, this is of course if you don't want to pay out more money. In all fareness the person who did the job MUST be give the chance to rectify the job, go speak to Fair Trading as well. If you get the car fixed by someone else, you could wind up not getting a cent or only partial reimbursement.

You know, for just this same reason I do my own servicing on all my cars and bikes. I have had this happen before, I have even had caliper bolts left loose on my bike - DUH that could have been my life Goneski.

These days people are only employed, they don't WORK for a living. They turn up and go through the motions and do as little as possible to get paid. This is where all the mistakes happen, who says the Ford dealer will do the right thing by you as well. This doesn't make it right and it IS a ripoff, what can you do except fight it legally.

As a licensed driver in the country you have the responsibility to check your own tyres, you are supposed to check you lights and indicators each time you drive the car too - Do You.... I maybe think not..

My advice to you is lighten up a little and seek advice from leagal sources to find out your rights in this matter, don't go off half cocked - you might regret it in the long run. Get the car fixed and don't deal with them any more, discuss it with friends over coffee as part of conversation and let others make their own decision. This is what I do.

I hope things work out for you.

Noel

[paul&amanda]

Originally Posted by Dustproof

OK your obviously very upset but you have missed the point, it IS his "Responsibility" but NOT his fault unless he was the one who turned the spanners.

I think you should speak to a solicitor before naming anyone in a public forum, this is of course if you don't want to pay out more money. In all fareness the person who did the job MUST be give the chance to rectify the job, go speak to Fair Trading as well. If you get the car fixed by someone else, you could wind up not getting a cent or only partial reimbursement.

You know, for just this same reason I do my own servicing on all my cars and bikes. I have had this happen before, I have even had caliper bolts left loose on my bike - DUH that could have been my life Goneski.

These days people are only employed, they don't WORK for a living. They turn up and go through the motions and do as little as possible to get paid. This is where all the mistakes happen, who says the Ford dealer will do the right thing by you as well. This doesn't make it right and it IS a ripoff, what can you do except fight it legally.

As a licensed driver in the country you have the responsibility to check your own tyres, you are supposed to check you lights and indicators each time you drive the car too - Do You.... I maybe think not..

My advice to you is lighten up a little and seek advice from leagal sources to find out your rights in this matter, don't go off half cocked - you might regret it in the long run. Get the car fixed and don't deal with them any more, discuss it with friends over coffee as part of conversation and let others make their own decision. This is what I do.

I hope things work out for you.

Noel

I appreciated your advice. afterall thats what i asked for. But there is no need to tell me to lighten up. You suggested it wasnt the owners fault. I thought maybe i didnt explain the circumstances as best i could so all i did was try to explain again that he the owner/franchisee is the one who prepared the job card for the mechanic to work off which had the wrong model on it. The mechanic put the plugs in based on the info on that paperwork. He probably should have compared the old with the new before he put them in, maybe he was swamped that day but in the end i dont think its unreasonable to say that the original and costly error was issuing a job card with the wrong model on it.

if your opinion differs from mine thats fine. you are certainly entitled to disagree.

As for only getting part payment, i can live with that as long as i know its fixed properly and wont have to go back a second or third time.

I do all my own servicing whenever possible, but at 60k the car is still under warranty so that ruled that out back then. It is out of warranty now but i felt it was a good idea to get another approved service in case something fails just out of the warranty period. Just like what happened with my territory ball joints and diff bush. because i had records of regular approved services they came to the party and covered the cost.

I have been in constant contact with ford. They employed the services of a thread specialist to repair the work. And now warrant the repair. And are looking after me with costs so im no too out of pocket if the other guy doesnt cough up. I get on pretty well with the guys down there. If it does go to a hearing they will accompany me and give evidence on my behalf.

I put my hand up in regard to the tryes and said lesson learned. I should have made time to to check for myself. Its my wifes car so i never drive it i have my own baby. she likes to be hands on and self sufficient and so checks oil and water and other fluids etc for herself. Tyres are now on that list. As for lights and indicators "everytime you drive the car", i didnt think anyone did that. I'd need to be rubber man to check my brake lights everytime i left home on my own.



thanks for your advice.

[csv8]

My brother had an engine fail , because a major repair company, didn't do the repairs properly. He had the RACWA examine the car and they agreed the repairs weren't done properly. The firms insurance paid compensation to cover the repairs. If its who I think it is, their insurance company won't be happy !!! Go for compensation .

[csv8]

My brother had an engine fail , because a major repair company, didn't do the repairs properly. He had the RACWA examine the car and they agreed the repairs weren't done properly. The firms insurance paid compensation to cover the repairs. If its who I think it is, their insurance company won't be happy !!! Go for compensation . I might not like what FORD charges for servicing but its better than the others..and they know the car. So, I now only use FORD servicing.

[paul&amanda]

I agree csv8. They can be expensive. While chatting with a few of the guys down there over this issue i said "i guess its true.. nobody knows your ford like we do". They all got a laugh out of it. They were thinking it but didnt want to say it.