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Am I being ripped off?


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philcommander
Novice

Nov 20, 2012, 4:40 PM

Post #1 of 10 (1586 views)
Am I being ripped off? Sign In

I own a 2004 Ford Mustang. Took it to a mechanic to have new tires put on, oil changed, and fluid levels checked. They changed tires but forgot to change oil...went to leave mechanics and it made a horrible noise...asked mechanic "Whats wrong with it...it was fine when I dropped it off". They said power steering pump needs to be replaced...he asked another mechanic if he had checked all the fluid levels...the other mechanic said he did and they were all fine and that the car was making that noise when he parked it...but it wasnt when I dropped it off. Are they ripping me off? Could the pump really go bad just sitting there at the mechanics for three hours?


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Nov 20, 2012, 5:14 PM

Post #2 of 10 (1560 views)
Re: Am I being ripped off? Sign In

Something doesn't sound right. Vehicle has a horrible noise and they park it for you to pick up and admit it was making the noise as it was being parked. The mechanic should have called you and asked you about the noise and if you wanted it figured out. That is what our shop would do and not wait until you picked it up. Sounds like a chain store.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Nov 20, 2012, 5:15 PM)


MarineGrunt
Enthusiast
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Nov 20, 2012, 5:15 PM

Post #3 of 10 (1557 views)
Re: Am I being ripped off? Sign In

Have you checked the power steering fluid yourself?


philcommander
Novice

Nov 20, 2012, 5:27 PM

Post #4 of 10 (1551 views)
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Wow, great point!


philcommander
Novice

Nov 20, 2012, 5:28 PM

Post #5 of 10 (1550 views)
Re: Am I being ripped off? Sign In


In Reply To
Have you checked the power steering fluid yourself? Not yet...gonna check it tomorrow. Cant go into all the reasons why I didnt check it today.



MarineGrunt
Enthusiast
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Nov 20, 2012, 6:40 PM

Post #6 of 10 (1531 views)
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What kind of noise is it making? Is it kind of a whining noise when you turn the wheel from side to side?


philcommander
Novice

Nov 20, 2012, 6:51 PM

Post #7 of 10 (1527 views)
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In Reply To
What kind of noise is it making? Is it kind of a whining noise when you turn the wheel from side to side? Yes.



MarineGrunt
Enthusiast
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Nov 20, 2012, 9:24 PM

Post #8 of 10 (1513 views)
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Definitely power steering related. If the fluid is low it will make the noise you're hearing. The possibility still exists that the pump is bad though. The level is the first thing to check. If the fluid is within range it probably is the pump.

If they forgot to change the oil I wouldn't think they checked any fluid levels. I would like to think that a high percentage of shops out there are honest. The problem is, you don't always know who that small percent might be. If for some reason they are in that small percentile, and tried to rip you off, they probably just pumped out the fluid in hopes that you have no idea how to check it. Then again, if they didn't check the fluids, maybe the power steering fluid is just low.


Sidom
Veteran / Moderator
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Nov 20, 2012, 9:42 PM

Post #9 of 10 (1509 views)
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A common problem on Fords is getting a shudder or p/s noise if the wheels are turned manually while the engine is off. It will get air into the system....

A field trick that works pretty good is turn the car on, take the rpms up to around the 1500 to 2000 area, turn the wheel from lock to lock, while holding it at each stop for a few seconds. Doing this a few times should remove the air & bring the system back to normal.

One note, don't hold the wheel for too long at each stop due to it makes the pump go to max pressure....


More than likely they they moved the wheels by the tires while it was in the air checking out the frt end...


(This post was edited by Sidom on Nov 20, 2012, 9:45 PM)


philcommander
Novice

Nov 21, 2012, 1:23 AM

Post #10 of 10 (1490 views)
Re: Am I being ripped off? Sign In

Thankyou everyone for your comments and insight.

Sidom, I will try this out and post the results. I really appreciate this tip. I wont be able to test this out until later tonight so I will post results on Thanksgiving.
I wanna thank everyone for replying and helping me out...this board is really fantastic.






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