Low tire sensor found broken

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Denise Hayes 2

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Mar 29, 2006
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Location
Stonewall, LA
Well, My Sport trac started shaking and vibrating real bad last night, took it to a tire shop where I had them fix a flat a few days ago. They said that maybe the guy that fixed it I had not put the weights back on it, so they tried to rebalance,but the wheel was making noises. So they told me to take it to Ford, so I did and they broke it down and found the band and the low air sensor broke and a little blue zip tie that someone had used to try to cover up their screw up. This bill was 250.00. How can you be sure that someone is not gonna cause damage when dismounting tires?
 
You can never be sure,,,



All you can do is find a place that you are happy with and go from there.



In your case, the issue isn't the breaking of the sensor, it is the cover up of the mishap.



That is what I would be pretty upset about.



I would be going back there and they WOULD be paying the bill...
 
I would be going back there and they WOULD be paying the bill...
Click to expand...



Unfortunatly, you have no proof that they broke it. They would be getting away scott free and there is nothing you can do about it.





Tom
 
My thoughts were, if you had your tire repaired and now you open it up and there is now a blue zip tie inside of the tire, you KNOW it happened there.



Assuming you have not had any other tire or rim work done.



At the very least, letting them know you KNOW is something I would do as their management MAY do something about it..
 
Assuming you have not had any other tire or rim work done.
Click to expand...



Prove you didn't to a total stranger. Since when would a shop admit they made a mistake? It ends up being a he said/she said situation.





Tom
 
Denise, here is a pdf file from my library. Pictorial on how to break down and remount with ford sensors. Print it out and keep it in your glove box.
 
Denise,



Go in to the place that did the original job and just ask to speak with the owner. (When they tell you the owner is not there, etc, then ask for the service manager.) Explain what happened, and that you believe that one of the employees broke the sensor. Advise them you have the blue zip tie that the Ford dealer removed after repair, which was obviously not a factory component. Be nice, but determined/firm. Tell them you understand mistakes happen, but the fact that the tech tried to fix the damage without telling you or informing them (The service manager there) is not good customer service, and is frankly dishonest to their company also. (Who know what else that tech may have not reported) If the manager wants to make it right, then great, if he denies they did anything wrong then ask for when you can speak to the owner, or how they can be reached. If they give you a phone number, call from the shop. Dont give up. Be prepared to go in there every day if needed, and ask them if the owner is available. Just be polite when you go in and ask. You can also call the BBB and file a complaint, call the local news stations for help, etc if they still dont make it right.



Another thought, is they "Asked you to take it to Ford".. That opens the door for you to present them with you findings. Ask your Ford dealer to put on the invoice what was found. (IE: Found TPMS sensor was broken, and had been "zip tied" together which did not hold) They dont have to say who worked on the car, just what was found. You have invoices from them showing what work you had done, so they will know they worked on it previously.



In these matters, the longer you wait to confront them, the less chance they will accept the blame...



My 2 cents... :)



Dave
 
Dave, I agree with you, but the problem is Firestone are the ones that put the new tires on the truck last year and this small shop just fixed the tire that had a slow leak.I can't prove that Firestone didn't pull this stunt and it was just a coincidence that it was the tire that the small shop repaired.. Some of you may remember the crap I went thru with Firestone, 3 sets of tires in a months time, due to steering shake and vibration. Much grief I had and will not deal with Firestone again. It sucks that someone was being dishonest and sneaky, but I can't prove who is responsible.
 
If you really can;t be sure as to which location, then I agree that there is not too much you can do.



That said, if it is the same tire the little tire shop worked on, I would go to them and ask them about it as they may work with you.



If I had to guess, it was probably the little shop. Not because they are not as qualified, but because of the time-line.



If Firestone did the tire a year ago or so, I would think that you would have had the vibration sooner. Since the vibration is relatively recent, it is likely the most recent shop that worked on the tire...
 

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