Getting screwed for an A/C repair.... advice needed THEY ARE HOLDING MY CAR

FivePointStang

Founding Member
May 22, 2001
147
0
17
Springfield, OH
Ok, since last summer my air stopped being cold in my car, so I just recently got around to attempting to recharge it. Without success, and research online I decided it was best to just take it to a reputable shop. I searched the phone books and called around and decided to take it to the place to seem most informed on A/Cs for cars.

I told the mechanic exactly what was wrong over the phone (compressor still kicks on just not blowing cold air, weird jumpy idle before it went out). He said it sounds like I need their $124.99 A/C service. So I say what the hell, and take it in.

He said it will take a few hours so I give them my phone number to let me know when its done. Few hours later, he calls and said it had a just shy of a full charge but suggested running ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC test to figure out why it wasnt kicking in. So he said he wouldnt bill me for the A/C service, but pay $60 bucks or so for the ENG. DIAG. So I agree to this.

Few more hours pass, he calls..... "Hey, you need a Ford specific relay and it will be $497 after labor and parts out the door, problem solved." ****** I really didnt want to, but I called him back and said, ok, Ill do it if that will fix the problem. I just want COLD A/C.

NEXT DAY, I call up and they finally got the part in. He said Ill call back when its installed. He calls back and says "well, now part of your ECM is fried and there's a week wait for it, and itll be an additional $400" (WHAT THE ???????) So naturally, Im pissed.... and I tell him to put my car back to how it was because air isnt worth nearly $1000 to have in my car. He says that the relay he bought was non returnable because it is an electronic part. Im so pissed I can barely think straight, so in the meantime, he says I cant get my car back until I pay for this bull**** part that I didnt even need. Im thinking that when messing with putting the new relay in that he messed up my ECM.

Now, mind you.... i never filled out any kind of form or anything nor was I told that any kind of parts werent returnable. So while Im stuck with no car, what should I do?

Am I getting screwed here? Help me think outside the box because Im beyond pissed.


Thanks,
Chris
 
I believe there is a law pertaining to that (depending on where you are at). I believe that it is called MAP, but am unsure of what the acronym stands for. It states that a repair shop cannot charge you over 10% of the original quote. The trouble is that you need to have that original quote in writing in order to have a chance.
 
well if his source is like my dealer, he cannot return electrical components. we do not accept returns on them because a lot of them are special order only, and we cant return them to ford. you authorized the initial repair verbally over the phone, in CA that is all the shop needs.

btw MAP is call the Motorist Assurance Program, its a group of shops that agree to work to the same standards, no federal or state enforcement.
 
that really rucks. most shops are like that,they reel you in for more money..my 03 cobra has a bad heater core.i have the new one but u need to disconnect the ac to change.i live in south texas and here ac-vs-heater...ac wins.i have seen ways to cut the air box to remove heater core.but that still requires removal of the entire dash.i visit ohio and n.j. in the winters,hard to show off your rental,,,,,if i were you i would picket in front of his shop,or advertise a big sale at his place in the news paper,early comers welcomed,,now im just as mad as you are...
 
if i were you i would picket in front of his shop,or advertise a big sale at his place in the news paper,early comers welcomed,,now im just as mad as you are...

Be careful you don't get sued if you do that.


He may have to pay for it to get the car out then have it fixed by somebody and then you have proof to go to court with. I have seen this you will get a refund for the CCRM this idiot replaced.

Next time run away from any shop that tells you a 135 dollar a/c recharge will fix your a/c

Recharging NEVER fixes a broken a/c for long, if the refrigerant is low then it leaked out and the leak has to be repaired.

I tell all my A/C customers that we charge 1 hour diag up front to diag a broken a/c and if it has no freon then they pay for the freeon used to fill the system. If I can not figure it out in a hour then I will ask them for more diag time to find the leak.
 
maybe mike will pay your bill?

i went to ford for a leak on my rear. it was still under warranty..i asked them to look at the bushing on the rack n pinion cause they creak alot,,,they had the #ALLS to charge my 1 hour labor..they said they were loose due to installing headers myself,,,,,,,,i was very pissed off ..after the smoke cleared from the service bays they had the nerve to call my cell and tell me not to come back......like i was going to anyway............guess maybe you can be like most people and cry and call a cop,if you pay for the 125 ac/service they really cant hold your car..hopefully they are lying about the ecm,,if its fryed maybe the car wont start than theres more problems..in court the customer is always right,i also had my own shop.you could have brought it to me for the ac and when you pick up the car and leave,you can call me and say hey it didnt do this before i gave you my car,,and in court i would loose and have to fix if even if it wasnt what it came their for,,once a mechanic touches your car he owns it
 
i went to ford for a leak on my rear. it was still under warranty..i asked them to look at the bushing on the rack n pinion cause they creak alot,,,they had the #ALLS to charge my 1 hour labor..they said they were loose due to installing headers myself,,,,,,,,i was very pissed off ..after the smoke cleared from the service bays they had the nerve to call my cell and tell me not to come back......like i was going to anyway............guess maybe you can be like most people and cry and call a cop,if you pay for the 125 ac/service they really cant hold your car..hopefully they are lying about the ecm,,if its fryed maybe the car wont start than theres more problems..in court the customer is always right,i also had my own shop.you could have brought it to me for the ac and when you pick up the car and leave,you can call me and say hey it didnt do this before i gave you my car,,and in court i would loose and have to fix if even if it wasnt what it came their for,,once a mechanic touches your car he owns it

LOL why would I pay for it?

BTW I know what you mean about customers claiming stuff magically breaks after you fixed something else

EXample

A female customer brought in a 2002 explorer with 97k miles on it with the A/C inop.. I find a leak in the condenser.. So I replace the condenser evac and recharged the system and it worked great..

Latter that day the lady came to pick the car up and started complaining that the digital odometer readout was not working and it worked before. So I look and it is out so I tap the cluster with my finger and now it works..

She said " it worked fine before you touched it" and I told her the condenser is located if front of the radiator and I did not do any repairs near the cluster. So then she asks " what are YOU going to do to fix this" I told her I will quote her a price to remove the cluster to fix it...


I had another customer accuse me of stealing his spare tire off his explorer.. At the time I had a thunderbird and a turbo regal.. WOW a explorer tire would do me a lot of good. We made a ass out of that guy when we showed him the security tape footage.
 
------------UPDATE------------


The shop called this morning and told me that they wanted to work out a deal. They say, I will pay for the diag (which i was more than happy to do) in addition to the cost of the relay which they ordered and installed. I told him I wanted the car back how it was when i brought it in. He calls back and says ok, come get your car.

Later that day, I picked it up. Didnt pay a dime. I had put down in writing that my car is the exact same running condition as when I brought it in.

Soooo..... now I guess im stuck with no air.


Car seems to check out fine, nothing eratic all guages and everything seems to be in the same working order.
 
Ok, since last summer my air stopped being cold in my car, so I just recently got around to attempting to recharge it. Without success, and research online I decided it was best to just take it to a reputable shop. I searched the phone books and called around and decided to take it to the place to seem most informed on A/Cs for cars.

I told the mechanic exactly what was wrong over the phone (compressor still kicks on just not blowing cold air, weird jumpy idle before it went out). He said it sounds like I need their $124.99 A/C service. So I say what the hell, and take it in.

He said it will take a few hours so I give them my phone number to let me know when its done. Few hours later, he calls and said it had a just shy of a full charge but suggested running ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC test to figure out why it wasnt kicking in. So he said he wouldnt bill me for the A/C service, but pay $60 bucks or so for the ENG. DIAG. So I agree to this.

Few more hours pass, he calls..... "Hey, you need a Ford specific relay and it will be $497 after labor and parts out the door, problem solved." ****** I really didnt want to, but I called him back and said, ok, Ill do it if that will fix the problem. I just want COLD A/C.

NEXT DAY, I call up and they finally got the part in. He said Ill call back when its installed. He calls back and says "well, now part of your ECM is fried and there's a week wait for it, and itll be an additional $400" (WHAT THE ???????) So naturally, Im pissed.... and I tell him to put my car back to how it was because air isnt worth nearly $1000 to have in my car. He says that the relay he bought was non returnable because it is an electronic part. Im so pissed I can barely think straight, so in the meantime, he says I cant get my car back until I pay for this bull**** part that I didnt even need. Im thinking that when messing with putting the new relay in that he messed up my ECM.

Now, mind you.... i never filled out any kind of form or anything nor was I told that any kind of parts werent returnable. So while Im stuck with no car, what should I do?

Am I getting screwed here? Help me think outside the box because Im beyond pissed.


Thanks,
Chris

my guess is that the "technician" took a guess and ordered a part, thinking it would fix the problem. when it didnt, he tried to cover his @$$ by telling you he "fried the PCM", when really he had to order another part to fix the problem. that sounds more logical to me. ive seen it before unfortunately.
 
I don't understand how a shop can fry your EEC doing A/C service and then expect you to pay for it. They are supposed to be professionals and know what they are doing.

Thats the main reason I brought it to them because in the phone book it mentioned how their main business was A/C work. I tried to avoid going to FORD because I was afraid of getting shafted doing "repair guesswork." Looks like that theory bit me right in the ass

MORAL OF STORY: If you dont have the know how to fix it yourself, find a mechanic you can trust.
 
I guess my question now is, do I even pursue my A/C problem any further?
They concluded that the ECM that I have is bad, causing my car to think it is at WOT, hence why my air isnt blowing cold.

How can I go about finding out if in fact my ECM is bad? SVTTECH76? Any ideas?



And if it is bad, can I get an ECM off of any 99-04 from a junk yard, then Im assuming it would need reflashed? I dunno, someone school me
 
I guess my question now is, do I even pursue my A/C problem any further?
They concluded that the ECM that I have is bad, causing my car to think it is at WOT, hence why my air isnt blowing cold.

How can I go about finding out if in fact my ECM is bad? SVTTECH76? Any ideas?



And if it is bad, can I get an ECM off of any 99-04 from a junk yard, then Im assuming it would need reflashed? I dunno, someone school me

if youre ECM thinks youre WOT at all times, youre a/f ratio would be off and cause a severe loss of power i would think. i would would get a second opinion from a reputable ford dealership. request one of the most experienced techs to work on your car.