I dropped of my 2003 Ford bus to Reineke Ford, Findlay, Ohio for an oil leak repair at the end of March, 2019. Customer Serviceperson Shelly Prospert called and texted me that a second oil leak had been found, and that there would be an additional cost. I was very specific before authorizing the bill: all oil leaks were to be found before going forward. Due to the age of the vehicle and the expense, I was right at the edge of just selling it and not fixing the leaks.
She told me all leaks had been found and that there would be a two year guarantee on the parts and labor.
The vehicle was fixed on April 17th at a cost of $3237.04.
I picked up the vehicle on about April 23rd, after returning from vacation. In the parking lot, I noticed an oil puddle beneath the engine area. I found the service manager, Mike Brian, and asked him about it. He said that it was probably "residual" from the repair, but he put the bus up on an overhead lift and cleaned to see if he could find an active leak. He could not at that time - but the bus was not running - it leaks when the engine is on.
After driving the bus about 200 miles, I noticed plainly that the engine was leaking oil. I called Mike Brian, and he had me bring the bus in for inspection.
The diagnosis was that the diesel technician had fixed the oil leaks on the top of the engine, but had not bothered to powerwash the bottom of the engine to check for other leaks before forwarding the estimate to Shelly Prospert. I believe this is why she told me that there were no other leaks.
Mike Brian, in telling me about the remaining leaks, freely admitted that the initial diagnosis was not properly done.
Mike Brian told me that the bus was safe to drive, and that I should "just keep an eye on the oil level."
I put two quarts in that day, and planned a business trip to Chillicothe, Ohio for the weekend. On the way, the check engine light came on and I had to pull over because I had lost all engine pressure. I put a GALLON of oil in the bus, and was able to continue to Chillicothe for business.
On my return, I used a total of FOUR GALLONS of oil for a less than three hour trip. Clearly, the bus was not safe to drive, as Mr. Brian had told me. I was very fortunate to make it home without a $1000 towing bill.
Mr. Brian's written estimate for further repairs to the engine on May 9th totalled $3803.25. This is for repairs that should have been diagnosed before I authorized the first repairs to be completed. I would not have authorized a total of $7000 in repairs on a sixteen year old engine if I had been properly informed of the extent of the leaks. I was not informed, however.
I spoke with Mr. Brian on the phone that week and tried to come to a satisfactory conclusion to the mistakes that the dealership had made. I asked about a favorable trade in for the bus toward a used truck; a solution that both parties could walk away from without bad feelings.
He had the used car department call me regarding my needs. I gave them a list of three trucks from their website that I would like to test drive and we made the arrangements.
When I arrived, the salesperson told me that they would only offer $2000 for my bus because it needed to be repaired. This was not satisfactory, but the salesperson had no control, so I went to test drive: First truck had too much rust, from Michigan. Second truck had 77,xxx miles. I got in and the check engine light was on, and the transmission sounded like it would fall out at any given moment. Not acceptable. Third truck, A GMC pickup from Fostoria, sales person said was not available. I called Fostoria the next day and was told that it was "Absolutely available."
After this experience, I sought help and mediation through the Better Business Bureau. After a month of back and forths, the service manager would still not admit fault.
I am now going to seek redress in the courts.
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