Plug Change + Air and Fuel Service!?

[Power Hungry]

Years ago when I was still wrenching, we'd run into problems occasionally on aluminum head imports. The customers would go for the record for longest time between tune-ups and by the time we'd see them, the plugs would be frozen in the heads. Usually, with a little care, we could get them out without incident but if there was any indication at all that the plug might be a problem, we'd have to tell the customer that they would be looking at additional costs to repair the threads for the spark plug. If they didn't agree, we didn't change the plug.

I don't necessarily find a problem with the whole plug issue from the mechanic's standpoint, but more that Ford finds this type of setup acceptable and isn't making any effort to improve the design... or at least build a better spark plug. It's bad enough that those stupid plugs are $10.00 each, but when I have to pay $400.00+ for a tune up (and I'm not getting Cap, Rotor, Wires, Fuel Filter AND Air Filter included) then I have a serious problem.

Sad... Sad... Sad...


On edit:

I talked to my dealer and he is somewhere in between the two prices. $160.00 Labor + plugs... so about $250.00. However, he DOES charge for the broken plugs at $82.00 an hours for however long it takes to remove them. I'm disappointed that Ford doesn't warranty this to them since it's obviously a design flaw with the spark plugs Ford choses to use. Maybe if enough people made noise about it...