Mechanic’s Error?

SHARONAG

MEMBER
2005 FORD EXPLORER
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
100,000 MILES

Okay. My car has been overheating so I took it to a mechanic, and he said that it was the water pump that got the vehicle back. I thought there was no more need for water jugs being toted around because it was fixed. The next day on the interstate it starts to run hot. There’s no shoulder and I couldn’t stop, and it took a while for me to be able to exit the interstate to stop. Fortunately, it didn’t crack the head or anything like that, but at that point, I had to get the car towed back to the mechanic's shop. So, then he tells me it’s the thermostat and the thermostat housing that he needs to replace. Did that now the car is running fine not overheating or anything like that but the bill is $725 plus I have to pay for towing and I feel like if he would have diagnosed it properly the first time I wouldn’t have to pay for towing at the least, but I’m not sure I just want to be fair. I just want y’all‘s opinion. Thank you.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,700 POSTS

Hi,

The interesting thing here is you were losing coolant. That is a common issue when the water pump is bad. They leak coolant from a weep hole.

On the other hand, the thermostat itself and housing may not have been leaking. So, he may not have considered that as an issue unless you told him there was an overheating issue.

However, personally I would have replaced the leaking pump first and then driven the vehicle to confirm there were no more problems. How many miles did you drive before it overheated?

Joe