Date:    5/29/2002

The following is a letter I wrote to Ford and to Highland Park Ford
(dealership).  I have even called Ford's consumer complaint hotline twice and
still have not heard a word from anyone.  Today's date in May 29, 2002.
FORD SUCKS!!!


April 18, 2002


Ford Motor Company
Customer Assistance Center
16800 Executive Plaza Drive
P.O. Box 6248
Detroit, MI 48126



To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to inform you of the discontentment we feel about one of your 
dealerships.  My wife and I are very disappointed and frustrated with the 
service department at Highland Park Ford in Highland Park, Illinois.  
Enclosed you will find a letter previously sent to Highland Park Ford, about 
a previous foul occurrence we experienced that was resolved satisfactorily.

My wife purchased her 1997 Contour because she very much loved her 1990 Ford 
Tempo.  Feeling loyal to Ford she assumed she would enjoy her Contour just as 
much.  That wonderful experience has pretty much turned into a nightmare.  We 
both do not feel secure with the reliability of the Contour.  We have had 
numerous costly repairs made that most vehicles never see or repairs they may 
need much later in their lifetime.

The most recent incident pertains to service to my wife's 1997 Contour's air 
conditioner.  During the last week of February of this year, our Contour 
developed a rather unsettling grinding noise from the engine compartment.  We 
took the vehicle in to Highland Park Ford to assess the situation on February 
27, 2002.  The next day they called, and stated that the air conditioner 
compressor went bad and there was a potential that the system needed to be 
replaced.  Knowing a little about the mechanicals of cars, I knew that this 
would be a rather expensive repair.  I was also rather upset that the 
compressor went out with only approximately 60,000 miles on the vehicle.

Kevin, the service manager, called to give us a quote of approximately 
$1200.00 to fix the grinding noise and the air conditioning.  He then stated 
that the service department had to order the repair kit for the job and that 
there may be the possibility the whole kit might not be needed.  He told me 
that the whole system might not have become contaminated with debris from the 
compressor.  We approved the repair with the knowledge that we would have a 
functioning air conditioner.  We needed the air conditioner functional for 
the summer, as we have a sixteen-month-old daughter.  During the time the 
vehicle was in for service, Kevin called and told us that the entire kit was 
not needed to repair the air conditioner.  At the time they told us that 
there was no contamination to the rest of the system.  Because of this, the 
price for service was reduced to $955.65.  We thought that was great and that 
we were pretty lucky.  The dealership had our car for three days for this 
service.  We asked and were told upon leaving the dealership that the air 
conditioner was functioning correctly.  Unfortunately for us, this service to 
air conditioner was completed in the height of a Chicago winter, so we did 
not think, as it would be difficult, to assess at the time if the air 
conditioner was working or not.

During this visit, I asked the service department to see if anything else 
needed to be repaired or looked at on this vehicle.  Kevin told us that it 
was due for a 60,000-mile service to the tune of approximately $700.00 plus 
dollars.  I told him that we would have to take a pass on that service for 
now, due to the cost, but would schedule the service before the summer.  Late 
last week, the Chicagoland area started experiencing warmer weather.  My wife 
decided one day to use the air conditioner.  Much to her surprise, it was 
blowing warm air instead of the much-anticipated cold air.  My wife told me 
of the problem on Monday, April 15, 2002, upon returning home from work.  I 
immediately called Highland Park Ford to arrange for them to assess why the 
air conditioner was not working properly.  We dropped the vehicle off at the 
dealership that night.  I received a call from Jason on Tuesday morning.  He 
told me that the lines and O-ring seals needed to be replaced, among several 
other components, for the sum of approximately $1200.00.  I instantaneously 
lost my cool, I'm embarrassed to say, with the shocking news of the cost, 
especially seeing as how the air conditioner was supposedly fixed in March.  
I told him that the vehicle was in for service just a month ago for the air 
conditioner, and that the dealership was responsible for the repairs.  He 
told me he would get back to me.

Jason called back shortly thereafter and told me that Highland Park Ford 
would repair the air conditioner.  He told me that the parts needed to be 
ordered, and it would probably be a day or two for the repairs.  I said that 
would be fine.

Later that afternoon, my wife received a call from Kevin stating that 
Highland Park Ford would not honor the earlier agreement and that we would 
have to pay for the repairs.  My wife called me at work, at which time I 
returned Kevin's phone call.  I was rather upset and not nice at all to 
Kevin.  Especially after he started lying about the service that was rendered 
in March.  He told me that we told him to just "fix the grinding noise" and 
to not fix the air conditioner because of the expense.  As stated earlier, 
the expense we were not able to deal with at the time was the 60,000-mile 
check-up, due to the fact we were paying so much to have the air conditioner 
fixed.  I tried to explain to him that he was completely wrong with his 
statement, that the service we didn't want was the 60,000-mile checkup, and 
that the full quote we were given to fix the air conditioner (approximately 
$1200.00) was changed to $955.65 after being told that some parts were not 
needed.  I asked him point blank why we would pay nearly a thousand dollars 
to fix a grinding noise and not have the air conditioning fixed in working 
order and what was the dealership trying to pull.  To me, this is completely 
ludicrous.  Kevin then said that our conversation was over, and that I was to 
talk to his Service Director.

On Wednesday, April 17, 2002, my father-in-law [name deleted],
spoke with Rick Link about the problem we were experiencing.  At that time, 
Mr. Link said exactly what his service manager stated the evening before.  
However, he offered a 20% discount to repair our problem.  In our minds, it 
should be a 100% discount because the dealership messed up the first time 
around saying that everything was fixed when it wasn't.  I then called Mr. 
Link and tried very calmly to explain our side of the story.  Obviously, he 
was standing behind his service manager's statement.

All my wife and I want is to have a functioning air conditioner, something 
that we thought we paid for back in March.  We will never use Highland Park 
Ford ever again, and I will demand to be removed from any and all of their 
mail and call lists.  We will try to find more ethical dealerships to do 
business with, as we still need to schedule our 60,000-mile maintenance work. 
 I certainly hope that isn't a pipe dream!  Dependant upon the outcome of our 
situation, we may never look at Ford products for our vehicular needs of the 
future either.  This situation with Highland Park Ford has left a very bad 
dislike for Ford products not only with us, but also with our family, friends 
and everyone else that we have shared our problem with.  I have owned several 
GM and Chrysler vehicles, and have never received the shoddy treatment like 
we are currently experiencing with Ford.

We would appreciate any assistance you may be able to offer us before I lodge 
a complaint with NHTSA, the Better Business Bureau, and our local consumer 
fraud news programs and offices.


Sincerely,



Todd [name deleted]

Cc: Highland Park Ford