Shifter and cable problems 2003 PT

[lonehorse]

Is anyone having trouble with their shifter knob, button, cable, or the actual shifter unit?
My PT is only 1 1/2 years old.
At 35,000 miles, the button on top of the shifter ball kept getting stuck down every time I would park the car. I would have to jiggle it for as long as 30 minutes to get it to pop back out so I could shift into drive. The dealer replaced the spring (which I have heard has been a problem) and the cable under warranty. 8,000 miles later it was getting harder and stiffer to shift and a piece of plastic on the shifter unit, where the cable is attached, completely broke off. The dealer tried to say I spilled a sticky liquid on the console and it went inside the cover and gummed up the cable. My feeling is that after removing the console cover for the first repair at 35,000 miles, the cover was not tightened down sufficiently and subsequently allowed liquid to seep in. The cup holder in the console is directly between the seats and 1" from the shifter unit so that any spillage from a cup is going to go right onto the cable if the console cover is not snug. Since I never had any problem with leakage into the unit until the mechanic removed the cover for the first repair, I do not feel I should have to pay for this repair. My feeling is that the design of the console cover (which has 2 front, one middle and 1 rear cup holders) is such the the cable and shifter unit need some additional protective cover or be in a sealed unit. A reasonable person would assume that it is OK to put a drink in the cup holder since it was designed as a cup holder, and that action would not be considered negligence or improper care on the part of the car owner.
They charged me $330 for the cable and a new shifter unit which I am disputing on the grounds that not replacing the cover correctly at 35,000 miles created the problem at 43,000 miles. I have a 7 year, 70 K Diamler Chrysler warranty.

[quicksilverdon]

They don't consider the shifter part of the driveline?? Get the regional Chrysler rep, or national involved.

I'm on several PT forums, and other than one or 2 folks that discovered the shift ball could be pulled off, haven't heard gripes about manual shifting.

Keep after dealer - I know clutch is considered a wear item, but shift linkage shouldn't be.