Had to choose between saving a customer money or doing the job right on a Ford F-150

Guy comes in with a 2015 F-150, says he just wants a cheap fix for a loud knock. I could slap on some thick oil and send him down the road for 50 bucks, or drop the pan and find the real problem for 400. I told him flat out the cheap route was a bandaid and he'd be back in 2 months. He went for the full pull and we found a busted lifter in cylinder 4. Has anyone else had customers fight you on doing the right job?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahpatel1mo ago

My brother had a 2012 Silverado that sounded like a coffee can full of rocks.

hugo_jones1mo ago

Man, I've heard people say that about old Chevys my whole life. A little valve noise and some exhaust rattle isn't really the end of the world. Those 5.3L engines are known for making some weird sounds but they'll still run for 200,000 miles like that. Unless it's actually knocking hard and losing power, it's probably just the engine being a noisy old truck. I'd just turn up the radio and not worry about it.