Complaint Review: Palm Beach Lincoln Mercury

Greetings fellow Rip-Off Report readers. It's the car inspector again. I was dispatched by a major automotive extended warranty company to examine the air conditioning system on a 1995 Lincoln Mark 8 at Palm Beach Lincoln Mercury in West Palm Beach, FL.

The dealership had called the warranty company and advised them that the high side liquid line was leaking, the a/c compressor was siezed and the a/c clutch was damaged. The repair estimate was in excess of $1,200.00. The vehicle was still fully intact upon my arrival.

I started the engine and turned on the a/c. The air conditioning blew very cold and the a/c compressor did not make any abnormal noises. I allowed the vehicle to run for about 10 minutes and there were no problems noted. With the use of an electronic freon leak detector, I was unable to verify any a/c system freon leaks. I had the technician and the shop foreman at the vehicle and they could not show me any failure to the a/c system. The only problem I noted on this vehicle was that the serpentine belt was severely cracked and beginning to shred due to age and deterioration. Estimate to replace belt - about $100 parts and labor.