focus sheared brake bleed nipple

bottletop

bottletop

bottletop

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So I just got a call from the ford dealers who have changed the brake fluid on my 2006 focus as part of the service. They sheared off the bleed nipple on the master cylinder and would like me to pay £150 to get it repaired!

Is this a **** take or what?

I said no way, but at some point in the future I am going to have to have it drilled etc or replaced. I appreciate this could happen on any car, but after only 3 years (feb 2006 the car was registered) I am pretty narked this has happened and then they want me to pay for it

Any opinions?
 
They sheared it off so its their fault, heavy handed mechanic.

I would be making them repair it, its not a part which you would expect to shear anyway! You can normally tell if a bolt is somewhat iffy when undoing it, and can stop, apply plus gas and/or heat to help undo it, then your very careful with it.
 
why should you have to pay for something they broke :s I would refuse, you put it in for a service and should expect it returned to you in the same condition you gave it to them in apart from service items.
 
Well I can certainly refuse to pay to have it done but then I am left with a sheared nipple. Am off to collect it now and have a "chat" with them about it.
 
im suprised they managed to shear it.

i did a brake fluid change on my gfs 55 fiesta the other week, all nipples were fine, even the tiny 6mm ones at the rear.

for a fluid flush, i dont know why they were bleeding the master tbh

was the last fluid flush done at ford too?
 
Bleed nipples often shear - it's a common fault on aluminium calipers in particular. Doesn't have anything to do with being heavy handed.
 
Bleed nipple is about £3 from Ford. Not sure why they want £150.

Myself, I had to replace the rear break cylinders on my old Mondeo as the nipples sheared. I could have got the sheared nipples drilled out and retap the cylinders but it was cheaper to just replace the cylidners.
 
Tesla said:
Bleed nipple is about £3 from Ford. Not sure why they want £150.
Click to expand...
Because you can't replace the nipple without getting the remains of the old one out first. That's probably what they want to charge £150 for. But I think you could probably replace the calipers totally for that.
 
Ok so picked my car up and the servicing manager explained that he had got the wrong info from the mechanic and they hadn't sheared the nipple - it was already like that when they got to it and they denied point blank doing it. I argued with them, and they claim the only time it could have happened was when a previous Ford dealer changed the brake fluid in july 2007, but they were prepared to knock the price down to £100.

So I agree, get home and take photos of the brake part and sure enough the corrosion and dirt on the shear suggest it wasn't done by them today, but by the previous Ford dealer who had serviced it from new and sheared the nipple during its first fluid change in a service when the car was only 17 months old and did nothing at the time to repair it under warranty.

That dealer again serviced it just prior to me buying it - so two goes to fix it, both fails, and they sold it to me with a sheared nipple that is now going to cost me £100 to fix.

I am writing them a dirty letter now demanding the £100 back for selling me a car with a fault that only they could have caused, and which should have been done the day it happened and certainly when servicing it prior to selling it.

Feel pretty bad for ball busting Sandicliffe Leciester as it wasn't their fault after all, but at the end of the day they did say first off they had done it so their internal communication is obviously carp.
Here is the photo - just need someone elses opinion that this is an old break and not brand new..certainly looks that way to me:
sheared.jpg


Now have to decide whether to do the right thing and apologise when I drop the car back in tomorrow and pay them the full £150.
 
What I would do is:

- don't apologise to the dealer and pay £100
- don't write a letter to the selling dealer unless you have nothing better to do, as you will get nowhere trying to prove that they sold it to you like that. Even if they had, they could just say that they didn't know and you should have spotted it.

I'm fairly sure it's not illegal to knowingly sell a car with a sheared nipple so legs to stand on = zero.

Finally get a quote from an indy garage if you're that fussed about £100.
 
as above. i'd be miffed that they sold it like that, but you've already got them down to £100, and £100 really isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things..

certainly don't go back an apologise :p
 
fair enough guys...will just pay the 100 notes. Have been thinking of flogging it and getting and Audi A3 as the drivers seat is so damn uncomfortable anyway. cheers
 
I was told by the garage they had tested it and there were no leaks, and that the brakes were operating fine...so maybe they just ignored any air in that part as it wasn't adversely affecting the braking.
 
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