Spark plug broken off at dealership

[Lowrider1976]

Hello brothers! My friend of 20 years also has a sho that he absolutely loves. It's a 2014 with a little over 150k, and he's been trying to everything to maintain it as he would like to keep it for as long as possible. Local tech suggested a spark plug change as he was getting a hesitation under heavy load that he(the tech) thought might be misfire. My friend thought it might be transmission related but the tech suggested this might be the actual problem. He did get a cel flash but I have no idea if he pulled codes etc. In the process of changing the plugs the tech broke one off and now he's being told it may be a 3-4k repair. He said something to the effect they might be pulling the cylinder to repair it and that's where things get obscure. I'm not sure if he meant the head? What would be the worst case scenario here, and does that seem like too much to spend if so? Thanks for any advice in advance!

 

[Joshw0000]

Is this at a Ford dealership or a random shop? The stutter is almost always a torque converter for this car.

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[SM105K]

If the head has to come off, better do the timing chains, timing guides, and water pump while you are there.

 

[Majestic]

Ummm... that should be a zero dollar repair if the tech broke the plug.

 

[Joshw0000]

Ummm... that should be a zero dollar repair if the tech broke the plug.

Yep. That's the point I was trying to get to. If it's a Ford Dealer, it should be their responsibility and they likely have a better/cheaper means of extracting it.

A mom and pop shop will typically charge you or tell you to have it towed somewhere else.

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[Lowrider1976]

If the head has to come off, better do the timing chains, timing guides, and water pump while you are there.

He just did all that work about 24 months ago. Should have done plugs while there imo

 

[Lowrider1976]

Thanks guys that's exactly what I was thinking, that it should be covered by them or at least split the cost. It is a dealership, but in my complicated little town it's a Chrysler dealership, which is owned by the same guy as the Ford dealership in town. The tech was a ford tech for many years before moving to the other shop.

I also suggested the possibly of torque converter, but at the same time the maintenance on the plugs still needed to be done so it wasn't going to be unnecessary either. Poor guy is super stressed

 

[Lowrider1976]

Update: just got word they were able to extract it...6 hours of labor

 

[Majestic]

Don't pay a dime. Their error, their fix.

 

[Joshw0000]

Agreed. I'm pretty sure the tech gets paid for a set amount of hours that a job should take. Most of the time they win and make more money but sometimes they lose.

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[SHOCALL]

They broke the plug. They can fix it. You have zero responsibility for a crappy tech being unable to execute a simple maintenance item.

 

[Highway Star]

Junk low mile motor.