Comments on: After Warranty Assistance: Warranty Coverage For Vehicles Outside Of Warranty

By: Jason (admin)

Jason (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:24:37 +0000

Janet – If I had to guess, I’d say that the dealership was lying to you about looking at your car…they were probably too busy to get to it right away but instead of telling you that they said “we’re still trying to figure it out.”

My suggestion is to ask yourself if you would have taken the car elsewhere if they had told you it would take a week to get to it…if the answer is yes, then I would write a letter to the dealership’s general manager and send it certified mail detailing exactly what happened.

BTW, this situation is a good illustration of why I don’t like independent mechanics for late-model cars. They often can’t work on newer vehicles, so when something breaks and they can’t fix it, you find yourself in a situation. Since you don’t have a relationship with a local dealer, you don’t know who is good, and they’re not concerned with your business because you’ve gone elsewhere for all your maintenance.

I’m a fan of independent mechanics, but only when a car is 8 years old or older…that seems to be the cutoff.

By: Janet

Janet — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:18:29 +0000

My 2006 hybrid Highlander was towed to a Toyota dealership after it broke down and local mechanic was unable to fix. The power steering failed suddenly while I was turning the car in a driveway. The local mechanic told me that it was a common problem and might be covered by a recall.
The dealership has been telling me for the past week that they do not know what the problem is, only to tell me today that it is covered by a recall and will be fixed by this afternoon. I have been renting a car at my expense for the past week and I am really angry that the dealership took so long to diagnose what is clearly a common problem. Any suggestions for rental reimbursement?

By: Jason (admin)

Jason (admin) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:26:05 +0000

Wendy – If the total cost is $11,000 and you’re only being asked to pay $2,500 – and you’re out of warranty – I think you’ve done quite well already.

While I understand your point about a defective part, the fact is that it’s been five years and 87k miles since that part was brand new…there’s a point where a warranty has to end, and you’ve passed it, so anything at this point is gravy.

My suggestion is to see if you can get it to $1500, and/or ask about some sort of extended warranty on the new engine. They might be able to give you that.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:26:36 +0000

I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid with 87000 miles. The story now is that a valve spring in the engine weakened, came loose, flew around, and damaged many parts in the engine – short block, heads, and so on. Repair cost is $11,000 of which Toyota wants me to “participate” with $2500, the dealer is picking up some of it, and Toyota is paying the rest. Should I just be satisfied with this when I think the engine must have been defective for a part to weaken and break? I imagine this is my AWA, but is there any one I can go to for more assistance? I have been extremely nice to the service manager, and everyone at the dealer has been nice also.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:35:03 +0000

Ben – I’m having a hard time imagining how a 2009 Corolla with a transmission problem wouldn’t be covered – are they arguing abuse?

If that’s the case, then your best option is to return to the dealer and plead your case.

By: ben

ben — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:32:25 +0000

Help: I have a 2009 Carolla, less than 2 years old. 22k miles, Engine light on. Drives fine though. But I brought the car to the dealer to check. They claim it’s a transmission issue and it won’t be covered by the Warranty. I spoke to the service manager too. My wife used this car for work. What options do we have?

By: admin

admin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:59:45 +0000

I’m sorry scratch that – there’s no chance of any sort of AWA assistance on a 141k mile truck. You’re definitely on your own.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:58:45 +0000

After 100k miles, AWA is pretty much out the window. However, a Powerstroke diesel comes with a 100k mile warranty, so you might get a little help.

EGR valve problems are really common on 6.0 trucks – did you ever get an engine management computer update? There was a relationship between extended idle time and EGR valve clogging that was supposed to have been fixed by a engine computer update. If you did your regular maintenance at a Ford dealer, I’m sure they would have taken care of it for you. If not, that might be the reason you need another EGR valve.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:24:23 +0000

I have a 2005 F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab. 141000 miles, just had my 2nd egr go out. Any ideas about getting Ford to pay or help pay for this repair. The first one wernt out at 103000 miles. It seems that Ford has all these great people that design engines, they would stand behind this repair. So far no luck.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:34:32 +0000

Paul – The dealership service manager is your best shot. He or she has the most leverage with Toyota and the ability to get some or all of this repair covered.

You may have trouble getting AWA in this case – you said that you knew about this problem for some time, but you didn’t bring it in. I realize that was due to some health issues (sorry to hear that, hope things are better), but the letter of the warranty is clear: you must bring in your vehicle as soon as you notice something isn’t working properly. Failing to do so can cause more damage…if your door needs additional work because you didn’t bring it in quickly, then you’re probably out of luck.