I recently (6 weeks ago) took my '97 Windstar in for an oil change at our
independent shop, and they told me that both front coil springs were broken
and needed replacement. They were, so I told them to replace them, since we
were planning a road trip in 3 days. I asked them how often front springs
break on Windstars, and they said they get Windstars and Taurus's in all the
time with broken springs.
I started searching the web to see what the scoop was, and found a site that
showed a Ford recall (actually a warranty extension) on the front coil
springs. They extended the warranty to 10 years for free replacement of the
springs if they broke, since they have a corrosion problem. A second recall
was issued to have protective shields put on to prevent the tire being
punctured in case the springs broke. We had gotten the 2nd notice and had had
the work done (the service record at the Ford dealer shows it). The first
recall, though, was not issued to owners, nor to independent shops. Our shop
had no knowledge of it. They do now.
I took my bill to my Ford dealer, and they turned in a work order for
reimbursement for warranty work done by an independent shop. They said 6-8
weeks, and sure enough, today a check came today from the dealer. For a
measley $157. I haven't looked at the paperwork, but that is probably the
cost of the springs themselves. The roughly $500 labor cost was not
reimbursed. Should I go after the labor costs as well, or is that too much to
expect?