CONTACTS 
0201 - S & C Ford                         415 553 4400 fax or 800...
020101 - Mr. Bob Radcliff; Manager; Service Department     =Telephone/fax

SUBJECTS
Millie's Mercury Sable, 940423
Service after trip to San Diego, Warranty
Change Oil, Rotate Tires, Fix back door

0505 -    ..
0506 - Summary/Objective
0507 -
050701 - Follow up ref SDS 13 0000, ref SDS 11 0000.
050702 -
050703 - The final invoice shows a charge of $83.81.
050704 -
050705 - May have wheel alignment problem or some other problem that causes
050706 - vibration and car to drive off line.
050707 -
050708 -    [On 951006 report on wheel alignment issue. ref SDS 14 4561]
050709 -
050710 -
050711 -  ..
0508 -
0509 -
0510 - Progress
0511 -
051101 - We have another 200 miles to 36K miles.  Millie wants to be sure all
051102 - warranty work is performed before the warranty mileage limit is
051103 - reached.
051104 - ..
051105 - Talked to Bob, Service Manager
051106 -
051107 - Asked about wheel alignment from work on 950920, ref SDS 11 4461, and
051108 - mentioned experience yesterday. ref SDS 13 9640
051109 -
051110 -    He said the mechanic should set out what criteria was observed or
051111 -    considered in recommending corrective action, as in this case wheel
051112 -    alignment.  He recalled that the computer failure they had the past
051113 -    month caused inadequate reporting.
051114 -
051115 -    Bob will investigate and find out what was observed that shows
051116 -    wheel alignment is needed.
051117 -
051118 -       [On 951006 report on why wheel alignment recommended on 950909.
051119 -       ref SDS 15 9533]
051120 -
051121 -    Bob feels the customer should be notified immediatly about
051122 -    alignment problems that can impact performance, possibly safety, as
051123 -    reported yesterday, ref SDS 13 9640, rather than depend on the
051124 -    customer to interpret S&C's invoice for essential service, and
051125 -    schedule a return visit.  He feels this was particularly important
051126 -    in this case, because the invoice was delayed a week or so in
051127 -    distribution to the customer, ref SDS 11 9499, because the computer
051128 -    was down. ref SDS 9 5236
051129 -
051130 -    Bob will report to S&C management on this record for review of
051131 -    procedures.
051132 -
051133 -
051134 -
051135 -  ..
051136 - Brake Inspection; Interpretting Brake Lining Valuations
051137 -
051138 - I asked about interpreting brake lining inspections from work on
051139 - 950920, ref SDS 11 9652, and previously on 950407. ref SDS 1 7777
051140 -
051141 - The question had come up earlier on 950407. ref SDS 2 5555
051142 -
051143 -       [On 951006 report that inspection on 950407 may have been
051144 -       inaccurate. ref SDS 14 8766]
051145 -
051146 -    Bob said new brakes have 11/32 of lining.
051147 -
051148 -       [On 960802 Tom indicates new brakes can have as much as 13/32 of
051149 -       lining. ref SDS 17 9760]
051150 -
051151 -    S&C recommends replacement of the brake lining when the thickness
051152 -    reaches 3/32. So it appears at this time we are not in a zone that
051153 -    requires corrective action, based on the 950928 report. ref SDS 11
051154 -    9652
051155 -
051156 -       [On 951006 guidance from service manager. ref SDS 14 8766]
051157 -    ..
051158 -    I asked how the customer is able to make that determination
051159 -    based on the information in S&C's invoice?
051160 -
051161 -    Bob said the customer cannot do that because S&C's invoice does not
051162 -    have enough information.
051163 -
051164 -    He said the invoice should have stated the information more fully.
051165 -
051166 -    He said S&C and other car maintenance companies are under
051167 -    regulation by the State of California to avoid making unfounded
051168 -    recommendations to customers.  He cited the example of a mechanic
051169 -    saying to a customer that its brake lining is wearing out more
051170 -    quickly because they live on a hill.
051171 -
051172 -       [I did not pursue this issue, but it seems that this is
051173 -       precisely the kind of information a customer needs.  If the
051174 -       brakes are subjected to more demanding conditions then this
051175 -       should show up in a faster rate of wear and call for more
051176 -       frequent repair.  This should be evident from the history of
051177 -       wear, which is the purpose of periodic inspection.]
051178 -    ..
051179 -    I asked about the manufacturer's recommendations.  Obviously
051180 -    the product is designed to specific standards.  S&C has a duty to
051181 -    evaluate the wear and tear evident from inspection and alert the
051182 -    customer when product elements reach design criteria for corrective
051183 -    action.  Otherwise the concept of preventive maintenance has no
051184 -    meaning.
051185 -
051186 -    Bob agreed.  He feels the computer glitch that occurred the past
051187 -    month impacted the ability to adequately convey the mechanic's
051188 -    observations.
051189 -
051190 -        [See follow up on incorrect brake lining report ref SDS 16 line
051191 -        140, and lack of tire wear report, ref SDS 16 line 174.]
051192 -
051193 -
051194 - I started to tell Bob about my trip yesterday ref SDS 13 line 72.
051195 -
051196 -   Bob said he has to attend a meeting.  He said he was pulled away
051197 -   from that meeting to take my call.  He wants to complete that
051198 -   meeting, then call me back.
051199 -
051200 -
051201 -
051202 -  ..
0513 -
0514 -
0515 - Analysis
0516 -
051601 - Brake Inspection Shows Conflicting Standards & Practices
051602 -
051603 - Invoice 238805I received 950407 at ref SDS 2 line 76, showed "front"
051604 - at 9/32 and "rear" at 8/32, ref DRP 4 line 60. Carl indicated the full
051605 - value is 11/32 and corrective action is needed at 2/32, ref DRP 4 line
051606 - 62 per at ref SDS 2 line 78.
051607 -
051608 - If 11/32 is the baseline then we have not used 50% of the lining.
051609 -
051610 -      [On 951006 report that inspection on 950407 may have been
051611 -      inaccurate. ref SDS 14 8766]
051612 -
051613 -
051614 -  ..
051615 - Erratic Wear of Brakes Requires Investigation
051616 -
051617 - Is there any import to the apparant 100% change in the break wear
051618 - measurements, per above? ref SDS 0 0896
051619 -
051620 - The values in 950407 were front 9 and rear 8.
051621 -
051622 - On 950906 S&C invoice, ref DRP 7 0022, received in the record on
051623 - 950920, ref SDS 11 9499, showed front 6 and rear 6.
051624 -
051625 -     [On 951006 service manager contacting Ford. ref SDS 15 9649]
051626 -
051627 - Using 11/32 as a baseline, then from inception for a period of
051628 - approximately 14 months the front brake wore down 18% and the rear
051629 - brake wore 27% or about 50% faster than the front brake.
051630 -
051631 - However, over the next 5 months from 950407 to 950906 the front brake
051632 - wore an additional 3/32 or 27% while the rear brake wore only an
051633 - additional 2/32 or 18%.  Therefore the front brake wore 50% faster
051634 - than the rear brake during this period.
051635 - ..
051636 - These valuations suggest following questions:
051637 -
051638 -    •  What accounts for an apparent 100% change in the rate of wear
051639 -       between the front and rear brakes over a 5 month period?
051640 -
051641 -    •  How does this compare with industry standards?
051642 -
051643 -    •  Is the vehicle designed to produce disparate wear of linings for
051644 -       front and rear brakes, and if so is the wear on the Welch
051645 -       vehicle consistent with that design criteria?
051646 -
051647 -    •  Does a 100% change in the rate of wear indicate differences in
051648 -       the quality of the brake linings?
051649 -
051650 -    •  Does it reflect differences in driver performance or driving
051651 -       conditions?
051652 -
051653 -    •  Were the measurements taken imprecisely?
051654 -
051655 -    •  Do disparate brake lining rates indicate defective wheel
051656 -       alignment so that is why S&C recommends correcting the alignment
051657 -       in invoice 703616? ref DRP 7 0022
051658 -
051659 -     [On 951006 service manager offers guidance. ref SDS 14 8766]
051660 -
051661 -     [On 951006 service manager contacting Ford. ref SDS 15 9649]
051662 -
051663 -
051664 -
0517 -
0518 -
0519h-      Bob called back
0520 -
052001 - Need to review above analysis and ask about other questions on
052002 - 950927. ref SDS 13 9640
052003 -
052004 -
052005 -
052006 -
052007 -
0521 -