Hello,

I had posted a couple of weeks ago asking for thoughts on purchasing a Freestyle, and greatly appreciated the response (both for and against). After consideration, I went ahead and bought a 05 Freestyle w/70k miles - it just fit the needs of my family really well. This was my first used car purchase.

We got it from a reputable Toyota dealer, who showed us their inspection report (no problems, of course), took it to my trusted mechanic for a full inspection ("great car, no real issues"), ran Autocheck and Carfax (one owner, no issues). It looked to be in perfect condition. But: it did not have maintenance records and I was too cheap to shell out for an extended warranty. Bet you can see what's coming next.

As we weren't sure of the maintenance history, we took it to the local Ford dealer to have the 60k maintenance done. I was concerned about the CVT after reading these boards. The mechanic is CVT certified, and has done many of these changes.

He called today to say one brake caliper was sticky ($300), and A/C fluid was dripping from the A/C pump ($900). The fluid was dyed, indicating someone had been looking for the leak. He says both should have been easily apparant to anyone inspecting the car.

The Toyota dealer won't take any responsibility for missing this("bought as is"), and my mechanic has asked to see the car again. We'll be taking it back to him soon.

My questions are: Should I just expect to eat these costs as a lesson learned ("don't buy without the maintenance records", "buy the warranty", "you just don't know what you'll get with a used car"). Or should I be angry at someone else? Shouldn't the dealer stand behind the car? The mechanic their inspection? What would you do?

Thanks again for any advice.

If you haven't had it repaired yet, I would take it back to your mechanic to verify if the problems really need to be fixed. You never know if the dealer is being honest with you or not. If you really do need the parts fixed, your mechanic could probably do it for less. The caliper might be able to be repaired instead of replaced for one depending on how badly it is sticking (if it even is).

Dont' always trust the dealer words , have your local mechanic look at the work , and I bet he will do it at half the price of the dealer. But really if the Toyota dealer is has had an inspection on the car they atleast should have given a 30 warranty. Which really is standing by their inspection.
Really not major issues and pocket busters, I wouldn't stress over it.

I agree with the above posts. Go back to your first mechanic as well.

Did the brakes pull to the left or right when braking with your hand off the wheel or not stop, squeal? If not, there is no "sticking brake caliper". The rotor would be warped as well.

Is the AC cold? If so, there cannot be a leak resulting in a drip of oil. The freon would have all leaked out first as it is a gas. If there was a seal leaking oil, you would not have any AC. Also, any Ford dealer can pull up your service history with the VIN number for free. Get that information for your files on a print out. Ford.com may be able to do it to if you register the car under the Owners section.

I do not trust dealers. I have a 2001 suburban I bought in 2004. In 2005 I took it to a GMC dealer for an oil change. They told be my steering box was leaking and it would be $800 or so to fix. I looked at the fluid they spilled on the box while checking the fluid, wiped it off, and it has been dry for the last 6 years! I had a similar experience with an Audi dealer in 1994. Same kind of stunt!

As a Mechanical Engineer, I do not trust dealers.... You will see my many posts on what I do myself for work on my cars.

If you find an honest one, hold onto them.

Best of luck!

...Norm

Finally, how long have you had the car? If these are indeed confirmed problems, go back ot the Toyota dealer and threaten to put a sign in the window of the car and post stuff about them on the net if they do not help you. In this economy, reputation is everything. By the way, I read somewhere that Ford ships the newer cars with Dye in the AC. I head that recently, although I do not know where.

Best of luck.

Years ago, I had a ceased caliper according to a Midas mechanic on a Chev Wagon at 30,000 miles. Well you guessed it, I drove the car to 150,000 miles with the same caliper until I traded it off. The only thing that was sticking is his fingers to my money or so he hoped.

I wouldn't hit yourself too hard with this. I think it's unlikely that any extended warranty would cover a pre-existing condition, and I think they would argue that these problems you're having existed at the time you bought the car. So even if you had bought one, you would still be paying for these current problems.

I also wouldn't beat yourself up too much with these extra costs. Ain't a man alive who has bought a used car and hasn't had to put some money into it early on. That's what buying used means. So what you do is pay the $1200 or whatever it's going to cost to get these problems fixed, add that to what you paid for the car, and, in your mind, that's what you REALLY paid for the car. And live with it. It's fine. You've got a decent car at a decent price. Life is too short to be second guessing yourself.

Thanks to you all - your comments have been a great help sorting this out. Here is the latest:

Took it back to my mechanic who found debris in the caliper, cleaned it, and says it is perfectly fine (you were all right!). He confirmed the dye leak from the AC - advising that is now readily apparant that the compressor is bad. He thinks he didn't see this during the pre-purchase inspection because the engine had been recently cleaned up, but won't hazard whether the dealer who sold the car should have known. However, I am feeling more strongly that this was a pre-existing condition, and know that the dealer had the car for several months - reasonably long enough that they should have seen some evidence of the problem. I will discuss this with them again, but don't expect much.

My mechanic is looking for a compressor, but hasn't had much luck yet. We were to take this car on a 17 hr trip to California from Seattle on Friday, through 100+ temps.

The local Ford dealership advises we can't access the previous owners maintenance records due to HIPAA laws. Is this true?

Thanks for the support jaunty75. I still feel like I've been taken for a ride, but will try to your encouragement to heart.

Ether the dealer is full of it, or just a wee bit confused on the name of the law.
" Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act "
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

Or maybe its his mental health records he was refering to

I agree with chaimav on this one. You're interested in the maintenance records on the car, not the name of the person who owned it. Even if this privacy law did apply, which it doesn't, can't the dealer look up the records without revealing to you the name of the previous owner? Of course he can. Maintenance records don't become hidden forever whenever a car changes hands. That would be absurd.

P/N 6F9Z19703A or YC2506

http://www.amazon.com/Motorcraft-YC2506 ... B000IYHGD2 Leave it to Amazon for the lowest cost. Brand New $199! And free shipping to boot

http://www.dragtimes.com/parts/Compress ... 20809.html

https://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/x,catalo ... C2506.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-FRE ... 0430222646

I would my a new Motorcraft (amazon) before a remanufactured unit. Especially for $199, you'll be out the door for less than $500.00.

I would personally be holding the mechanic who inspected the car responsible for the repairs. If anything, he should atleast eat the labor fees and just have you pay for the parts.

You purchased the car based on their expert advice... that's why you took to them before you purchased it!