Fubar!
I have a story to tell, long truck-centered rant behind the cut:
It all started when I had my truck towed in on May 15th for a nail in my tire. I picked it up the next day, May 16th, only having to turn right back around and drop it off 30 minutes later due to the ignition switch breaking, thus not allowing me to turn it off. 11 days (May 27th) and $982.75 later, my truck is ready. I drive it 2 whole days before it gets towed back to the shop on June 2nd (using my last free tow with AAA for the year) due to my alternator crapping out. This problem was covered under warranty but I still had to pay for labor. It took a week to get it fixed as the alternator in question has been redesigned and they had to install a new pulley and adapter kit to make it work on my truck.
Finally, on June 6th, after spending another $171.74, I am ready to roll. Ten whole days pass by, not to mention 123 miles and WHAM!, the serpentine belt on my truck disintegrates before my eyes. Thank god I had just gone a block from my house and was able to limp it back home. WTF. Going over my last invoice (dated June 6th), it states that besides replacing the alternator and pulley, they also "checked the belt condition and tension." Reviewing even older invoices, dating May 27th and Feb 28th of this year, they both stated that they "checked the belt condition and tension." I had my belt replaced in Nov. 2006 by them during a full tune up plus other major repairs at a cost of over $5000. Again WTF!
I'm not one for believing in bad luck but this has pushed me beyond my limits. I'm taking the truck to my boss' garage, one that is literally 100 feet away from my house, to have them fix the problem and tell me why it happened. I have lost all confidence in my old garage. How could they have missed a bad belt when they had to physically handle it when putting it back on the pulley!?! They claim to have even inspected it! I don't think they're trying to screw me. I would rather blame it on incompetence. Fourth time was the charm for me.
I am so FUCKING MAD that I have completely stripped my truck of everything that made it mine such as stickers, XM radio, etc. and am putting up for sale a.s.a.p. I don't know what I'll get for it, but after spending over $16,000 on it including the original cost since 3/2006, it's time to cut my losses. Constant upkeep on a vehicle with 250,000 miles on it and the rising costs of diesel combined with a truck that gets 10 miles per gallon is just plain stupid. Reality has finally hit this stubborn Taurus between the eyes.
Anyone wanna trade?
It all started when I had my truck towed in on May 15th for a nail in my tire. I picked it up the next day, May 16th, only having to turn right back around and drop it off 30 minutes later due to the ignition switch breaking, thus not allowing me to turn it off. 11 days (May 27th) and $982.75 later, my truck is ready. I drive it 2 whole days before it gets towed back to the shop on June 2nd (using my last free tow with AAA for the year) due to my alternator crapping out. This problem was covered under warranty but I still had to pay for labor. It took a week to get it fixed as the alternator in question has been redesigned and they had to install a new pulley and adapter kit to make it work on my truck.
Finally, on June 6th, after spending another $171.74, I am ready to roll. Ten whole days pass by, not to mention 123 miles and WHAM!, the serpentine belt on my truck disintegrates before my eyes. Thank god I had just gone a block from my house and was able to limp it back home. WTF. Going over my last invoice (dated June 6th), it states that besides replacing the alternator and pulley, they also "checked the belt condition and tension." Reviewing even older invoices, dating May 27th and Feb 28th of this year, they both stated that they "checked the belt condition and tension." I had my belt replaced in Nov. 2006 by them during a full tune up plus other major repairs at a cost of over $5000. Again WTF!
I'm not one for believing in bad luck but this has pushed me beyond my limits. I'm taking the truck to my boss' garage, one that is literally 100 feet away from my house, to have them fix the problem and tell me why it happened. I have lost all confidence in my old garage. How could they have missed a bad belt when they had to physically handle it when putting it back on the pulley!?! They claim to have even inspected it! I don't think they're trying to screw me. I would rather blame it on incompetence. Fourth time was the charm for me.
I am so FUCKING MAD that I have completely stripped my truck of everything that made it mine such as stickers, XM radio, etc. and am putting up for sale a.s.a.p. I don't know what I'll get for it, but after spending over $16,000 on it including the original cost since 3/2006, it's time to cut my losses. Constant upkeep on a vehicle with 250,000 miles on it and the rising costs of diesel combined with a truck that gets 10 miles per gallon is just plain stupid. Reality has finally hit this stubborn Taurus between the eyes.
Anyone wanna trade?