My 89 year old mother was just told that the brake and gas lines on her 1993 Mercury Marquis need to be replaced; 35,000 miles. She was leaving the dealer after a window repair and her brake light came on. They took the vehicle back in the garage and diagnosed the problem. I called the Ford dealer mechanic and he explained that the brake lines were rusted and that the fuel line is nearly perforated. The vehicle mainly sits in a driveway. The repairs will cost $1,760. Does all this sound reasonable?
Don’t know the labor price but Ford oe parts are #F2AZ-9L291-A $535.65 w/o ABS ( complete under car bundle, fuel and brake ). Or with ABS #F2AZ-9L291-B $702.52 . If it has ABS there are more tubes in the engine area from the control module to the tee which may need to be built. Knowing how much work this looks like I’d say the price is right. You would NEVER splice a brake line and especialy a rusted one, the rust will be elsewhere even if it hasn’t broken through yet.
This stuff does happen and is expensive.Is a different car a possibility?
On any 15 year-old vehicle rusted brake and fuel lines would be expected. The only thing I would be unhappy about is that she was allowed to drive out with a car in that condition.
Save a bundle! Take the car to an independent shop/mechanic. Auto parts stores have brake lines, and brakes hoses, in stock. Stock brake lines can be bent to form. This is not a difficult job. From a scale of one to ten, it’s a three.
I forgot to say: They didn’t let her drive the car away. They drove her home. A new car is a possibility and we are exploring that option. I told my mother it is high time she splurged on herself.
To all who have commented, thank you. This puts my mind at rest.