AutoNation Ford Torrance - Service Center

While on the freeway cruising at about 70 mph, my friend all of a sudden experienced a loss of power and a loud popping, hissing noise. She pulled over and even though the engine could still run with the no all of a sudden experienced a loss of power and a loud popping, hissing noise. She pulled over and even though the engine could still run with the noise and roughness, she decided to call a tow truck. She towed it to Power Ford here in Torrance. They diagnosed it as "#6 cylinder at 20% compression, recommend long block replacement". When I questioned the service writer, Tom Noone,Assistant Service Manager about the well known issue with this particular series of engine of spark plugs blowing out causing the threads to strip out, Mr. Noone said that it was a rare occurrence and that it was not the problem with my friends engine. He said that it would cost $2200 to disassemble the engine and find the actual problem. Mr. Noon said that he did not recommend it because more than likely my friend would then still have to replace the engine at an additional cost of $9000. She told him that she did not have that kind of money available and that she would take her vehicle and think about her options. I was able to drive it two miles home. I removed the left bank cover to the coil packs and spark plugs. I discovered that the #6 cylinder spark plug had blown out from its threads and the coil pack had completely melted from the boot to the coil. I repaired it by re-threading the spark plug hole and using an insert as recommended on the sites that I have discovered on line. I really believe that POWER FORD in Torrance knew what the problem was and choose to try and sell my friend an engine for $9000 dollars instead of repairing the engine at a reported cost of $600-800 dollars. The "FORD TOUGH" is more like "FORD WEAK". You pay $65,000 for a Lincoln Navigator and 114,000 miles later they want you to pay another $9000 for a new engine. INCREDIBLE. We will make sure to tell all our friends and family about how "FORD" and especially POWER FORD in TOrrance are not a reputable company and all though I would love to by an American car, we will never by another FORD vehicle. More