I too was shocked to hear about how much the dealer charges to replace a simple light bulb in the dash! After some poking around on the Internet, I stumbled across instructions on how to replace the lamp yourself, with the use of a 9/32" socket to remove six screws and a two dollar bulb from any automotive store (#74 replacement lamp). I was able to replace the bulb in about 20 minutes, and obviously saved myself $150+. How can any Ford dealer justify charging that much for something so very, very simple! If I had known it was that simple, I would have done it much sooner.

A bulb in the instrument panel went out. It was the bulb that indicated what gear has been selected. The car was not driven much at night and it is not very difficult to determine if you are in park, drive, or reverse. However, this is my wife's car and she keeps it in emaculate condition, so I told her that I would have it fixed. The dealer said that the little bulb costs about $10, but he quoted a grand total cost of replacing it of about $180. My wife really wanted it fixed, but she is also very frugal and said that she would get by without it. The bulb going out may have been a harbinger of things to come. The transmission went totally out after about another 5000 miles - estimated about $3000 to fix. - See my other complaint.