OK, so here's the scoop.
The green coolant looking fluid under the hood was cleaner / anti-rust agent. No problem there, just sloppy application.
As for the "hard to steer" bit...not sure, but it hasn't come back, and I haven't witnessed it, just the girlfriend. So we're on standby on that if it comes back.
The "Check Charging System" alert with the battery light illuminated; this one is a little more interesting.
They gave me a comparable courtesy car (2014 fiesta haha) to drive around while they had my XSport from 0930 - 1500 today. First they found the battery was no good...then after more digging found this:
It's the positive harness where it attached to the alternator. Apparently whomever's job it was to tighten this nut down for a solid connection partied a little too hard the night before. The nut wasn't even finger tight; so this terminal was rattling around on the post and not only did it fry the battery, but probably hasn't been very nice to the alternator...not to mention cooked it's little plastic house. SO, with the nut tightened down and a new battery in place, the XSport makes 14.1 volts at Idle. We're driving it again while waiting for the new alternator and harness to come in. Apparently this harness is like 4.5' long, so it will take another full day of install early next week. They initially told me 4 days to get the alternator, but now that it's been marked "911, urgent" they think they'll have it in two.
Kudos to the service guys at Preferred Ford in Grand Haven, MI. We didn't order it here, but this is my home dealership and they're doing great to get things how they should be.
