by "SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
Published 01/12/2017 at 09:00
by "SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
Published 01/12/2017 at 09:00
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STARS: 5
I get calls all the time from people whose cars are out of warranty and something has gone wrong. Something that seems like it ought to be fixed by the carmaker. Is there any way to get those repairs paid for by someone else?
This is a very narrow question. Obviously, if a car is out of warranty there is almost never any legal obligation for the manufacturer to fix something without charge. There are rare circumstances like mandated safety recalls but I am talking about the more common problem. The car has something wrong with it that seems like it ought be covered but isn’t.
The best examples are well-known issues which occur across platforms. They often also involve things where the manufacturer calls something “normal” until the warranty expires. Then the “normal” condition gets ugly. That engine noise was normal until a connecting rod let loose. The oil consumption was normal until the engine began burning more oil than a two-stroke weed whacker.
There are other situations too, but the key is that you sometimes CAN get help on a repair bill outside of warranty. There is no guarantee and this is not something “legal.” In other words, you aren’t going to invoke the law or threaten a lawsuit. You are going to appeal to their goodwill. Here is the audio:
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And the video:
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Pic at the top - Of the drivers represented in this pic: I’ve spoken to, met or interviewed 4 of the 6 and have driven the Isaac/71 and ridden in the Petty/43.
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Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 25 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and Michigan lemon law. He wrote The Lemon Law Bible and Chrysler’s Turbine Car: The Rise and Fall of Detroit’s Coolest Creation .
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"EL_ULY" (uly)
01/12/2017 at 09:22, STARS: 1
Seems like we do these weekly. Good customers just out of warranty or ones that get all their services done here afterwards. Something happens unfortunately and our reps understand and approve repairs. From covering a huge chunk to all of the repairs within our 4 brands.
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
01/12/2017 at 09:33, STARS: 0
Nice. And I’m sure that you have probably done the math on this and it works out for everyone, right?
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
01/12/2017 at 09:34, STARS: 1
I tried this after my throwout/slave failed two weeks after the warranty ended. I was offered $100 off the diagnostic fee after climbing the ladder. Just went to a local transmission shop. GM likely weren’t going to cover the failed part much less the damage caused anyways.
"EL_ULY" (uly)
01/12/2017 at 09:46, STARS: 1
Seeing our cost on these “expensive” modules or transmissions and having trainees do the majority of the work, it evens out lol :]
"jimz" (jimz)
01/12/2017 at 19:24, STARS: 0
for an example of the rough percentage of mark-ups on parts, take this receipt from O’Reilly:
The “net” price is what you would pay if you, as Joe Schmoe Lehto the customer, walked in and bought the parts for yourself. The “List” price is what you would typically pay for the parts if you brought your car to a shop and had them handle the repair; the shop would buy the parts from O’Reilly at the net price and mark them up to list price on the repair order.
in your brother’s case, if he was going through a Chevy/GMC dealer, it’s a bit different. typically for OEM service parts, IIRC the price is the same to you the customer whether it’s on a repair order or you walk up to the parts counter and buy it cash and carry.
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
01/12/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 0
Presumably the dealer buys the trans for a wholesale price and then sells it for retail. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t make any money on parts.