Radio questions - 2002 Taurus

[C.J. Thomas]

Hey everyone,

I am hoping someone can help me out here. Several months ago, the defroster
in my 2002 ford Taurus started acting crazy. The thing wouldn't shut off,
as it blasts out heat at the highest temperature. After this happened, the
radio started acting crazy, too. Sometimes the radio doesn't even turn on.
Other times, I can't change the station or volume. So I have been driving
around with the defroster on all of the time and radio not working well.
So, I brought the car into the dealership, and they told me I needed to get
a new radio console located in the front of the car. They recommended I go
to a junk-yard, as new consoles cost nearly one thousand dollars. So, I
went on eBay and bought one. I brought the car back to the
dealership/service center, and they tried installing it. However, the
dealership told me the console I bought didn't work, so I must have
purchased a bad one. So, I went onto eBay and again bought another one.
This time, I bought the radio removal tools with it, and sure enough, when I
tried installing it myself, I still had the same problems with the defroster
and the radio. So, I thought I would buy another one from a rather
reputable radio dealer online (this one cost me $300, versus $20 for eBay
ones). Anyway, I went to install it today, and again, it didn't work! Am I
to think there must be something else wrong with the car besides the
console? Maybe a problem in the wiring? This is SOOOOO frustrating,
considering I spent money for the service center to originally diagnose the
problem, spent money on the 3 replacement radios, and spent money to have
the service center attempt to the install the first radio I bought on eBay.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Backyard Mechanic]

Post by C.J. Thomas
Hey everyone,
I am hoping someone can help me out here. Several months ago, the
defroster in my 2002 ford Taurus started acting crazy. The thing
wouldn't shut off, as it blasts out heat at the highest temperature.
After this happened, the radio started acting crazy, too. .. This is
SOOOOO frustrating, considering I
spent money for the service center to originally diagnose the problem,
spent money on the 3 replacement radios, and spent money to have the
service center attempt to the install the first radio I bought on
eBay.
Any advice would be appreciated.

The ADVICE is that that thing connects to wiring in the dash. And go to
another service shop.

Although it seems it MIGHT be possible to get two bad ones in a row, I
would have suspected something else and they 'shotgunned' the
diagnosis... but YOU did it three times.

Costly suppositions... here's a hint, next time you're sick and the Doc
says you have the flu... but it doesnt get better, go to a different Doc.

[C.J. Thomas]

Thanks for the reply. I actually called the same service center and spoke
to the service manager directly. They have the car again, and they are also
paying for our rental car. I was surprised at how nice he was....so fingers
crossed on this one.

Post by Backyard Mechanic

Post by C.J. Thomas
Hey everyone,
I am hoping someone can help me out here. Several months ago, the
defroster in my 2002 ford Taurus started acting crazy. The thing
wouldn't shut off, as it blasts out heat at the highest temperature.
After this happened, the radio started acting crazy, too. .. This is
SOOOOO frustrating, considering I
spent money for the service center to originally diagnose the problem,
spent money on the 3 replacement radios, and spent money to have the
service center attempt to the install the first radio I bought on
eBay.
Any advice would be appreciated.

The ADVICE is that that thing connects to wiring in the dash. And go to
another service shop.
Although it seems it MIGHT be possible to get two bad ones in a row, I
would have suspected something else and they 'shotgunned' the
diagnosis... but YOU did it three times.
Costly suppositions... here's a hint, next time you're sick and the Doc
says you have the flu... but it doesnt get better, go to a different Doc.
--
Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
you pay..DEAL with it!

[CyberWolf]

I have a 2002 Taurus and didn't have any problem with the radio or
console CD changer. It seems like it's an electrical problem with the
AC/heater and radio. You got screwed twice from the same service department
at the dealer. If they make a third strike, then they're out. Go to a
different Ford dealer service department or find a decent aftermarket repair
shop to diagnose the situation.

I've gone through similar experiences with 4 different Ford dealers in
my area. The service department at the dealer where I bought my car from
usually gets things done right the first time. However, one time they
couldn't diagnose the problem on an electrical problem in the instrument
clusters on my car, so I decided to take it to another dealership. The
second dealership refused to repair my car because they claimed that they
are not authorized to perform warranty repairs and referred me back to the
first dealer. I told the second dealer that I wasn't going back to that
first dealer because they couldn't fix the problem. I decided to go to a
third one. The third one repaired the problem, but somehow caused a fuse
shortage in my autolamp feature while repairing the electrical problem in
the instrument clusters. So, I took my car to a 4th dealer and they repaired
the autolamp feature by replacing the fuse panel. I have been going back to
the 4th dealer ever since because I am completely satisfied with their
services.You really need to go to a different dealership for a "second" or
"third" opinion like Backyard Mechanic said. Hopefully, things would work
out with the dealership since you spoke with their service manager. If you
are still not satisfied, then consult Ford Customer Service through the
factory.

~CyberWolf

Post by C.J. Thomas
Thanks for the reply. I actually called the same service center and spoke
to the service manager directly. They have the car again, and they are
also paying for our rental car. I was surprised at how nice he was....so
fingers crossed on this one.