A number of years ago, my 2009 Taurus had one of the rear suspension parts brefak right in the…read moredriveway. I had it towed somewhere I had used for years, they replaced the rear suspension. After that, the back end was loose in rain and snow. I took it back, as it was now burning through tires. The owner there told me everything checked out but it was clearly not right and they suggested me taking it to a tire and alignment place to get it fixed.
I figured I would take it to Conklin Ford to have it looked over since maybe it was better to have Ford people look over a Ford. They told me the rear suspension was shot and that a bunch of other things needed to be done for a total of $2200. (the suspension was almost still brand new). Instead, I took it to the tire and alignment place in Newton who told me "this is an easy fix, one of the rear wheels is out of alignment". $89 and several years later, it's been perfect. I vowed not to go there again.
Fast forward to 2026. In a weak moment, I brought in a Ford Edge after the brakes had trended softer after having a blown hose from the master cylinder replaced. They told me it was one of three (or all three) possible problems. Master, Brake Booster, ABS Pump. We replaced the master cylinder and then the brake booster, still not fixed. We are $1100 in. They wanted to replace the ABS pump, another $1700. I said no way and picked it up.
My son-in-law drove it home and said it feels the same as when we took it in. So this past weekend, he took it to his brother's house and bled the brakes and it was fine and remains fine.
In summary, in both of these cases, I would have spent thousands of dollars and neither problem would have been fixed. It seems that if there is not a code, they don't know how to troubleshoot and fix the problem. They seemingly use some kind of flow chart that anyone can use.
The people are friendly, they communicate well, I just don't trust them to fix a problem that does not come from a computer.
