If ESP has sent an inspector, I would guess that your chances of getting Ford to pay for it are not good.
I'll give you a bit of an idea on how it works.
You take your car in for ESP repairs. The dealer checks it out to determine what it is likely to cost to repair. They check to see if it less than their limit (some dealers have higher limits than others). If it is over their ESP self authorization, they call ESP and tell them what they found. ESP decides if they are going to send an inspector or not. If they send an inspector, they wait for his report. These inspectors are independent inspectors that they get from a pool or list of approved inspectors. Most inspectors usually work for several extended warranty companies. Frequently they are trade school instructors (so they really know their stuff). ESP reviews the inspectors report and determine if they will pay the claim or not.
Sometimes in this process, the customer is contacted and told that ESP requires a tear down and that if the repairs are not covered that the customer will be responsible for the cost of the tear down. California law ( I don't know about other states) requires that the tear down extimate also allow for reassembly "as best possible". The customer can wave his right to the reassembly to reduce the cost if he wishes to tow the car out.
If the Claim is denied, the customer is given the option to pay the dealer for the repairs or to make other plans.
The main point I wanted to get to, if ESP denies a claim, they feel that they have a very strong case. Should you wish to contest it in court later, be very well prepared with your own experts.
Back to your question about what to ask about when you talk to the rep, try to find out as much as you can about why they are saying no, then try to determine if this is something that was beyond your control or if indeed it was from abuse. If you think that it was beyond your control, explain as carefully as possible why you feel that way. It would need to be very compelling to get him to find a way to overide whatever evidence ESP already has.
If you still do not succeed, you will need to evaluate if you want to pursue it in small claims court. You mentioned that Terry Haines may be able to help. Should he inspect the car and find strong evidence in your favor small claims court would probably be where you could sort that out.
I hope I have helped you better understand the position you are in, as have the other posters.
Don't forget to play the "SVT" card. The literature shows that it was built for such use (at least up to a point) and you did not use it in a manner that was inconsistant with their own indications. If you choose to go down this path, make sure you are well prepared. Get your hands on some SVT literature and become very familiar with it.
