FORD TAURUS and PAUL BAILEY ...and just how long does the FORD
motor company feel their product should last???
Let me begin by saying that I really wanted to purchase a FORD
Taurus. It was my first and only choice for the car I wanted.
I wanted a pre 1998 model because I liked the old style, believing
they were far more roomy. So I purchased a mint condition 1992
used FORD Taurus and was happy with the comfort and handling.
The car seemed to be very well maintained and drove quiet and
smooth. Others who saw the car marveled that it looked like it
just rolled off the assembly line.
Then my nightmare began......
Should you take your car to a dealer for
your service needs???
One night while driving I noticed my headlights would dim for
a moment and the car seemed to hesitate. This repeated several
times so I decided to bring the car the an authorized FORD dealership
to have a trained service thechnician look at it. After several
days they called me back. Since it took several days, I am assuming
my problem was complex...or else FORD cars tend to need a lot
of service so there was a waiting list.
Anyway, I was advised I needed a Head Gasket. I was
told by the technicial that I was leaking anti-freeze onto the
spark plugs and also was leaking into the oil. Allthough their
estimate was quite high compared to other estimates I received,
I decided since this was major engine work I wanted the experts
to fix it. I remembered all the commercials put out that stressed
"If you want it done right, let the people who know your
car best fix it."
The work took some time, running days past the time
expectancy I was given. But when I went to pick up the car, it
drove well and the engine seemed fine.
That was about a year ago.....
Should your repair shop stand
behind it's work???
The next morning I awoke to find a giant frozen puddle underneath
my newly repaired car. I immediatly brought it to the dealer again
and advised them of the problem. I was told to leave the car and
they would try to take a look at it that day. I asked about a
loaner car and was advised that Paul Bailey does not provide loaner
cars due to insurance regulations. So off in a Taxi I went.
I was told the next day that the technicial had forgotten
to replace a coolant hose and the problem had been fixed. A Taxi
ride again to get my car, but I was glad to do it just to have
my car back. I was just glad that this expensive ordeal was over.....
The Check Engine Light?....um, that problem
is pure coincidence....
My "Check Engine" light began igniting shortly after
I picked up the car. I felt a burning in my stomach as I feared
the problem had returned. I immediatly returned it to Paul Bailey
(my authorized FORD dealership) and was again told it would take
a few days since I did not have an appointment. I envy those of
you who have ESP and know when you will be having a problem ahead
of time.
After a few days, I was advised that the problem was
due to a faulty oxygen sensor. I was assured that the problem
in no way was related to the head gasket work that had been done
by Paul Bailey service center.....this was a pute coincidence.
I again took my new friend the Taxi driver back to the shop to
pick up my FORD Taurus.
What's with all this antifreeze???
so I am driving to work when all of a sudden i see my temperature
gage jump through the roof. I happen to be next to a Pep Boys
shop so I pull in to have them take a look. There is a lake of
bright green antifreeze forming under my car and I know this will
not be good news. Mind you...I live a about 10 miles from my work,
so I have put hardly any miles on the engine even though abouth
10 months have gone by since the original work at Paul Bailey
Service Center.
I am afraid you need a head gasket...
So the technican at Pep Boys hands me an estimate sheet....seems
my head gasket is bad. "I just had that replaced about 10
months ago." I say. "Yeah," he replied, "I
could tell it was done recently. I thank him for his time, pay
the charge for the estimate and call AAA to tow my car back to
Paul Bailey in Warwick Rhode Island. I leave my story and the
car at the dealer and wait another few days for their verdict....
nah....just a seal...not sure why they told
you it was the head gasket....
The desk clerk at Paul Bailey Service Center Hands me my keys..."All
set," he says, "just a bad seal at the gasket, not the
gasket itself." I took the keys and asked about the cost...
"No charge," he says. I ask if this seal should have
been replaced when the work on the headgasket was done and he
shrugged his shoulders and said it may have been but he didn't
know.
oh no....here we go again....!
It had been just under 3 months from my last visit to Paul Bailey
service center when i noticed by engine was running warm...not
hot mind you, but warmer than i was used to seeing it run. . I
pulled over and checked the hoses, they did not feel hot. Just
to be safe I pulled out the oil dipstick to check and make sure
it was not low. It was dark outside and I was amazed as the dipstick
seemed to glow in air...bright yellow and muddy looking. It also
felt muddy to the touch. I left the car where it was and brought
it to Paul Bailey the next morning.
We can save it....for $4,000
I dropped the car off on a thursday and was told by the technician
at Paul Bailey's that it would be friday at the latest. I called
friday and was told to callback Monday. I called Monday and was
told the techinican was looking at it right then and to call back
tuesday. I called back tuesday and was again told the technician
was looking at it at that moment and to call back wednsday morining.
I called the next morning and was told the technician just looked
it over and he would get the numbers worked up and for me to call
back, but he could tell me I needed a new engine. When i called
back, I was advised they could save my car's life for $4,000.
"What was wrong?" I asked in disbelief. "Well it
is too much antifreeze in the oil to be a headgasket. You have
a crack in the engine, probably caused one of the times your car
overheated....."
If i cut down a tree and it crushed a car,
would I be responsible for replacing the car...or just the tree?
I advised the technician that the only time my car ever overheated
was the time it leaked a lake of antifreeze at PepBoys due to
the seal at the headgasket so by the laws of cause and affect,
Paul Bailey Ford should stand behind their work. The technician
retracted his statement and told me "well, it may not have
actually happened due to overheating...we have no way of knowing....as
a matter of fact, we are not really sure what is wrong with the
engine, it just seems like too much anti freeze to be just the
headgasket."...I was floored!! They wanted to replace the
engine and they didn't even know what was wrong with it. They
were not willing to accept responsibility, and yet they didn't
know what was wrong with it!
�So I called Ford... �So I called Detroit to voice my concerns with
the Paul Bailey Service Dealer. Since they are an authorized dealer,
I assumed Ford would be of assistance to me and stand behind the
work of one of their authorized dealers. I spent 30 minutes describing
the situation and the customer service representative was polite
as he documented everything. After my description he advised me
that due to the number of miles on my car, Ford Motors could not
assist me with my complaint. My reaction to the situation was
that Ford Motors does not feel it is unusual for their car's to
need engine replacement at about 90,000 miles.
�So I wrote to Ford..... �I was discouraged that Ford would give me an
instant answer without researching my case, there was no research
of my claim and no calling the dealership to verify my facts.
I did however realize that I was dealing with a large billion
dollar corporation and corporations did not always seem to do
what the average consumer might expect.
So I documented my claims in a detailed e-mail and sent it off
to Ford. I explained that i would appreciate it if they would
at least investigate my claim and complaint. I received several
phone call's to my voice mail at work by a Ford representative
saying she would try to call me back. She also stated there was
no phone number I could reach her at. I e-mailed them after every
attempt and advised that the work number they had for me was a
voice mail number only so it would not be logical for her to keep
calling it to try and reach me unless she was going to leave a
return phone number. This did not seem to sink in, because she
still continued to contact me and advise me she would try again
to reach me at my work number.
After 2 days of this, she sent another e-mail to me telling me
they had tried to reach me but had not had success. She also advised
me to contact the Quality Control Manager at Paul Bailey's Ford
because this matter was out of Fords hands. My call to Paul Bailey
followed, and I could not believe the treatment I received from
the Quality Control Manager......
�"If you think you are getting
a new engine out of us...you're not gonna! But I can knock $10
or $15 off our $60 an hour labor fee for ya." �So I took FORD's advice and called The Quality
Control Manager at Paul Bailey's authorized dealership in Warwick
Rhode Island. I found the experience one of the most frustrating
dealings in my life. Let me preface this by saying I have over
twelve years of customer service experience but I will give the
benefit of the doubt to the Quality Control Manager by assuming
he has not been trained in the art of customer service. I will
not refer to him by name in this web site out of common courtesy,
instead I will refer to him as "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality
Control Manager"
Our conversation began with "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control
Manager" advising me that he was aware I had contacted FORD
however nothing had changed from our prior conversation and therefore
Paul Bailey would still require $4,000 to fix the engine. He advised
me that the work was no longer under warranty and he still felt
that only a crack in the engine would cause the amount of anti-freeze
they found in the motor oil.
I advised him that since my car only overheated once, and the
car was under warranty at that time, Paul Bailey should stand
behind their work and fix or compensate me on the result of the
overheating. "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager"
argued that they were not aware of the car overheating and asked
if I was sure it did overheat. I advised him again that the only
time my car ever overheated was when I was driving to work and
noticed the steam pouring out of my engine. I was next to Pep
Boys in Warwick Rhode Island and was advised by them that the
car needed a new head gasket. I had the car towed by AAA to the
Paul Bailey Service Center from Pep Boys and advised the person
who checked me in that I was told by Pep Boys the car overheated
due to the head gasket.
"Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager" then advised
me that Paul Bailey's would not honor anything that Pep Boys advised
because "they hire kids, not certified technicians like Paul
Bailey's". I have since found out that Pep Boys indeed do
have certified technicians and that a dye test was performed on
my car to determine the problem was indeed due to the head gasket
that was covered by the warranty of Paul Bailey's authorized FORD
service dealer. I also have a receipt by Pep Boys that advises
that not only did I need a head gasket replaced, but that due
to overheating it is possible that I had severe engine damage
(they ended that statement with a !!! so I assume they viewed
it as serious). I will be scanning a copy of the receipt and post
it on this site soon.
Next, "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager" advised
me that Paul Bailey service could not be aware of the problem
since they were not my mechanic of choice, having only gone there
3 times in a year. Who was changing my oil? Checking my fluids?
I advised "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager"
that I had indeed been there more than three times. (In my possession
are receipts showing I have been to the dealer several times,
12/10/98, 1/2/99, 1/5/99, 2/1/99, 2/4/99, 10/15/99, and of course,
my recent visit in 2/00, so I am sure you will agree, 7 visits
in a little over a year should show that I regularly had my car
serviced at Paul Bailey's).
I also advised "Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager"
that the person who changed my oil and checked my fluids was Paul
Bailey's since I had needed an oil change and coolent flush on
at least 3 of my visits. I had not even driven 3,000 miles since
my last visit in October, so no one had the chance to see the
oil since then. I had no way of knowing if the anti-freeze started
leaking the day after I picked it up from them in October. The
car was running fine when I brought it to them, there was no sign
of any problems so there was no reason to check my engine until
the scheduled 3,000 mile oil change.
"Mr Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager" then decided
to cut to the chase. "What do you want from us?" he
asked, "a new engine?" I stated I thought that would
settle the dispute, "Well your not gonna get one so you can
forget it. The only thing I can offer is to knock off $10 or $15
off the $60 per hour labor charge.
Needless to say I am not planning on taking him up on his offer.
�Paul Bailey Where Are You? So yesterday I sent a message to Paul Bailey himself
via his website. I detailed my frustrations dealing with "Mr
Paul Bailey's Quality Control Manager" and the service I
had received to this date from his service station. It has been
over 24 hours and so far I have not heard from him or any other
representative. I will be updating this site on a regular basis
including copies of all mailings I have received from Ford, Paul
Bailey's (if they reply to my previous e-mail) and scanned copies
of all service records so you all can follow along. You will see
how few miles I had driven since the original work and you can
ask yourself if my story has helped in anyway in your decision
on where to by your car and what kind of car you may be buying.
thank you all for your support.
*** UPDATE *** I have since purchased a TOYOTA COROLLA and have been sooooooooo pleased with it! I am sorry I have not updated this page in some time, however it became apparent from my dealings with Paul Bailey and FORD that I would have a nervous breakdown before they ever agreed to even INSPECT the car or LOOK over my documents.
The Taurus was donated to charity (Kidneycars.com)
