[mjones21]

Since I got my Volt in May, I've brought it in for service 3 times. The first was for a routine inspection. The second was for replacement of my broken level 1 EVSE. The last visit was for repair of the squeaky brake pedal problem that was the subject of a service bulletin.

Candidly, I did not buy my car at this dealer's sales department. I found a much better deal about an hour away from home.

When I returned my courtesy car after my last appointment, I was given an invoice for damage to the loaner. The invoice was substantial, the damage was not (3 inch, hardly visible scratch to rear bumper on a dark gray car). The review of the car on return seemed...overly interested, particularly compared to the 10 second walkaround when I got the car. I also did not cause the damage, but I know I will have a tough time proving that.

I guess my question is, is the service department paid by GM for warranty work? Is it possible that they were upset with me for bringing it back in multiple times and for a sort of "cosmetic" issue with the brake pedal?

 

[jcanoe]

The service department will bill GM for any authorized warranty repairs or recalls. They may need to contact GM first to obtain approval, parts for the needed repairs. The service department, at their discretion, may apply service bulletin updates to your vehicle if they determine that your vehicle is one of the affected vehicles or if you experience a specific problem, i.e. gas engine backfiring, covered by the service bulletin. The service department is not required to apply all service bulletin updates to a vehicle just because the service bulletin has been issued and the customer requests the update.

 

[obermd]

Service departments are required to apply any recalls and TSBs that apply to the customer's concerns, but they are not required to apply TSBs not applicable to the reason the vehicle was brought in. GM pays them about half the rate they would charge you if it weren't a warranty repair. A squeaky brake pedal should be covered under warranty.

As for the loaner - this is why I dislike rentals of any sort. A loaner is a rental paid for by GM.

 

[Don M]

As for the loaner - this is why I dislike rentals of any sort. A loaner is a rental paid for by GM.

I agree - I've never requested or used a service loaner from any dealer while they worked on my car. If for some reason I cannot imagine, I found myself having to do so, I would take a dozen photographs of the car before I left the dealership that way when they try to get you to pay for damage you didn't cause, you could show them it was already there when you got the car

Don

 

[Btravelen]

Regarding the rental or 'loaner', I always go over them to point out existing damage prior to my taking it as im not going to let them accuse me of damage caused by someone else. I know this doesn't help in this case.

As far as service at a dealer that you didn't purchase from, GM or any other manufacturer requires them to service your vehicle. This includes warranty work. Don't let them shame you or question bringing it to them instead of where you purchased it.

 

[mjones21]

I have learned my lesson and will not be returning there. They have not "shamed" me into anything, but their actions here have lost them a customer. I was considering using them for my wife's new car when we get it next summer. Nope. Not anymore.

I'll just note that the car had somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 miles on it. It was not a brand new car and was clearly being used as a dedicated loaner. The idea that they will provide a "courtesy" service for their customers and then to turn around and act like this really bothers me.

 

[Steverino]

My dealer has a person that drives me home, no loaner needed. I pickup the car at the end of the day with my wife. Pretty convenient for me, no rental car issues.

Neither my Volt or Bolt were bought at this dealer.

 

[emg77]

Yeah... It's unfortunate to have learned it in this way, but you need to be a PITA and document every scratch, rim rash, windshield ding, etc when you get any loaner or rental car. My dealership spends 2-3 minutes documenting the crap out of damage to my car when I bring it in (and it's black with 50k miles, so there are a ton of little scratches, etc.), but they spend about 20 seconds looking over the loaner vehicles. I've never had an issue with them charging for anything, but I definitely note anything and I specifically check rims, windshield, and front/rear bumpers. The dealership wants these loaners to stay perfect, because they are basically selling them as highly discounted new cars after they have put up to 2300 miles on them (at least most of the dealers I go to operate their loaners this way).

I will say, the last time my Volt was in the shop, they were really backed up and it took over a week for them to look at my car (they told me that it would take that long when I dropped it off, so it wasn't a surprise). They didn't find anything wrong and charged me a $35 diagnostic fee, but gave me a loaner car that I put 500 miles on over the course of 8 days. All in all, that wasn't a bad deal.

 

[269983]

I have learned my lesson and will not be returning there. They have not "shamed" me into anything, but their actions here have lost them a customer. I was considering using them for my wife's new car when we get it next summer. Nope. Not anymore.

I'll just note that the car had somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 miles on it. It was not a brand new car and was clearly being used as a dedicated loaner. The idea that they will provide a "courtesy" service for their customers and then to turn around and act like this really bothers me.

To play devils advocate how do you know the vehicle was not damaged while in your possession? If the scratch was present when you took delivery why did you not make note of it? Finally, did you attempt to speak to anyone about the situation? If you feel the damage estimate is out of line with the damage perhaps it would be a wise idea to speak to them about it.

 

[alfon]

Its a good idea to take out your phone and do a complete video of the entire car that you will be using during repair work. Note by verbally stating any scratches, dents, etc. when filming the video on your phone. When you return the vehicle if an inspection is done and a dent on the car is presented to your attention, take out your phone and show the video which would clearly display the imperfection / dent, prior to you driving the car off the lot.

 

[mjones21]

To play devils advocate how do you know the vehicle was not damaged while in your possession? If the scratch was present when you took delivery why did you not make note of it? Finally, did you attempt to speak to anyone about the situation? If you feel the damage estimate is out of line with the damage perhaps it would be a wise idea to speak to them about it.

I already admitted I did not see it. That's on me. It was a grey car in a dimly lit garage in the morning. If it was on the front bumper, I would agree that it theoretically could have been caused by road debris in my possession. However, it was on the rear bumper, I was not hit, and I parked the car in my suburban driveway for about 4 hours. Yes, I did attempt to speak with people but ultimately decided to go through my insurance, as my own thoughts on how long it should take to replace and paint a bumper are far less persuasive than those of an adjuster who has reviewed and adjusted thousands of similar damage claims.

I suppose my point here is, if you are going to make a company decision to rack up 4,000 miles on a new car that you are going to specifically use as a loaner for your own service customers, you should be prepared to absorb the cost to repair small dings and scratches, or just sell the car as used when it's reached the end of its service life. Going after the customer for this kind of thing is bad business.

 

[turboguy327]

Service departments are required to apply any recalls and TSBs that apply to the customer's concerns, but they are not required to apply TSBs not applicable to the reason the vehicle was brought in. GM pays them about half the rate they would charge you if it weren't a warranty repair. A squeaky brake pedal should be covered under warranty.

As for the loaner - this is why I dislike rentals of any sort. A loaner is a rental paid for by GM.

Negative on TSBs. A TSB isn’t a recall or anything like that. A TSB used to be a guide for techs for common issues. If you don’t have a problem the TSB lists, there is nothing to repair. Dealers aren’t required to follow them. They should as it makes the technicians job easier but no legal requirements to do a TSB without that problem being present.

 

[turboguy327]

Service departments are required to apply any recalls and TSBs that apply to the customer's concerns, but they are not required to apply TSBs not applicable to the reason the vehicle was brought in. GM pays them about half the rate they would charge you if it weren't a warranty repair. A squeaky brake pedal should be covered under warranty.

As for the loaner - this is why I dislike rentals of any sort. A loaner is a rental paid for by GM.

Negative on TSBs. A TSB isn’t a recall or anything like that. A TSB used to be a guide for techs for common issues. If you don’t have a problem the TSB lists, there is nothing to repair. Dealers aren’t required to follow them. They should as it makes the technicians job easier but no legal requirements to do a TSB without that problem being present.

 

[jcanoe]

Negative on TSBs. A TSB isn’t a recall or anything like that. A TSB used to be a guide for techs for common issues. If you don’t have a problem the TSB lists, there is nothing to repair. Dealers aren’t required to follow them. They should as it makes the technicians job easier but no legal requirements to do a TSB without that problem being present.

Please remove as this is double posted.

 

[jcanoe]

My Chevrolet dealer must be one of the good ones. I have received a Volt LT or Premier every time I have had warranty repair on my 2017 Volt, had to leave the Volt for up to 5 days while waiting for parts. The only time I felt uneasy was the last time when I returned a like new 2017 Volt Premier. The floor mats and cargo area mat along with the EVSE were still in the original packaging inside the hatch storage area. I know that the EVSE is a commonly stolen item as these can easily be sold on ~bay. I should have but didn't point out to the service department coordinator that the EVSE etc. was still in the vehicle when I turned it in.

 

[269983]

I suppose my point here is, if you are going to make a company decision to rack up 4,000 miles on a new car that you are going to specifically use as a loaner for your own service customers, you should be prepared to absorb the cost to repair small dings and scratches, or just sell the car as used when it's reached the end of its service life. Going after the customer for this kind of thing is bad business.

It's an excellent point. IMO that's normal wear and tear.

 

[FI Spyder]

It's an excellent point. IMO that's normal wear and tear.

Except it's not. I remember a court case in People's Court. A person dinged the plaintiff's car in a parking lot. She said "oh, that's nothing it happens all the time, just normal wear and tear". Well the judge ruled it's not "normal wear and tear" and the person had to pay the hundreds of dollars it cost to fix the "normal wear and tear".

 

[supchrgamx]

Its a good idea to take out your phone and do a complete video of the entire car that you will be using during repair work. Note by verbally stating any scratches, dents, etc. when filming the video on your phone. When you return the vehicle if an inspection is done and a dent on the car is presented to your attention, take out your phone and show the video which would clearly display the imperfection / dent, prior to you driving the car off the lot.

I do the same thing but go 1 step farther
when I video the car I make sure who ever is providing the car is in the shot as well

 

[269983]

Except it's not. I remember a court case in People's Court. A person dinged the plaintiff's car in a parking lot. She said "oh, that's nothing it happens all the time, just normal wear and tear". Well the judge ruled it's not "normal wear and tear" and the person had to pay the hundreds of dollars it cost to fix the "normal wear and tear".

LOL! I think I saw that case. Was it a mother who's child had done the door ding?

As for whether it's normal wear I guess it depends on the extent of the damage. Recall we're discussing a rental / loaner vehicle and not someone's personal vehicle. Regardless it is, IMO, petty.

 

[mike100]

Dealers make a very reduced flat rate billable hours on warranty work. I actually had to repair my own volt on one occasion due to such low compensation that no mechanic was willing to take the time to do the job right- disclaimer i used to be a mechanic and doctors make the worst patients.