I really need advice. I have a 98 Contour, about 64,000 miles. Seems like I can understand most anything else but I really can't figure out the "repair process" a car goes through when it goes in for repair. In my previous post, "Should I Sue", I indicated I took my car in for a head gasket repair. Now 4 visits later I am still having problems. Each time I take it back I am charged more $$. First it was in a month for the head gaskets ($2450), then later another $125 for O2 sensor, then another $400 for a cannister purge valve, and this week a bunch of disconnected vacuum lines, some other broken parts and a cruise control cable. I get it back and it stil does not run right. The car starts and stalls. Sometimes it acts like its going to die and then "lurches" forward. Prior to the head gasket problem, all was fine with the car. I take excellent care of it and it is very well maintained. When I originally took the car in, (after negotiation) they quoted me $2300 to repair it. I took that to mean that since I had no prior problems with the car, they would REPAIR the problem(s), and it would run correctly as it did prior to this problem. I did not think I would have to keep taking it in and pay more $$ for repairs, that as the dealer states, "just happen" Shouldn't those repairs have been included in the original price? Shouldn't the car have been road tested and fixed prior to me picking it up? And why do these things seem to go bad right after the original repair was done? (In addition during this time my car has been at this dealership the mechanic that worked on it has been fired and from what I understand, for incompetence.) Do these repairs sound legit and why do things keep going wrong? As I stated the car STILL doesn't run right after 4 visits. Am I being unreasonable? When is enough, enough? Am I right to be suspicious or is what the dealer is telling me correct? What do I have a right to demand? Should I keep paying for all these new repairs? My car is 5 years old, can I still contact Ford? Should I sue?
Or is there something I, a woman with no mechanical knowledge, can try to do on my own? I put some gas/injector cleaner in but that didn't seem to help. I had the fuel pump replaced twice inside of 6 months at the end of 2001. Same with the fuel filter. Any other inexpensive fixes I could try to do myself or take to a shop to do? Also, could this starting issue be related to the original repair? None of this happened before it originally went in.
AND this is unrelated but is driving me crazy as well. The rear doors stick and make a "metal on metal" sound when I open them. I have tried WD40, oil, lithium grease but none of that seemed to work. Suggestions!
HELP and Thanks!!
