Legal / Moral responsibility for warranty repair -- please help :)

[2Fast4Mu]

I was hoping to ask for some help and opinions, please, regarding a service issue for my 2014 Camaro 2SS stereo.

Shortly after buying the car new, I noticed that the driver side front speaker would sporadically go almost mute. A few moments later, it would turn back on. Sometimes this issue will happen 20 times per hour and sometimes an hour or so will pass without it happening at all.

At first, I assumed there was a loose wire or something. I figured I was jiggling the wire as I was driving (maybe when hitting bumps), but over time this proved to not be the problem. I couldn’t find a pattern.

I took it to three different dealerships over 2.5 years and was never able to replicate the problem in front of a tech. The techs would even ride in the car with me for 30 min at a time but the speaker would never go mute when they were around. Needless to say, the dealerships just assumed I was fantasy prone or something. They never believed me when I told them what was happening and, since they couldn’t witness the issue, I couldn’t blame them.

This past summer, however, I finally found the pattern --- the issue only happened at low or normal volume ranges. When I had the techs in the car, we always had the volume at higher levels so they could easily hear the problem when it happened.
I took it back to the dealership and was finally able to prove to them that yes indeed, there is a problem…and that it could only be witnessed at lower or normal volumes.

They first replaced the driver side speaker because they assumed the speaker was bad. I left the dealership and everyone was proud that we had solved the problem – but I wasn’t gone for more than 5 minutes until it happened yet again. Clearly the problem wasn’t just a bad speaker. It’s been a few months, but I’m pretty sure they tried replacing the speaker again.

When the first repairs didn’t work, they told me “they would research the issue and would get back with me.” A few weeks passed and I got busy with summer and life. I knew my warranty was going to end soon so I went back to the dealership to see if they’d heard anything (they had not yet contacted me). To my surprise, my warranty had expired 2-3 weeks earlier (I thought I had a few more weeks left).

The dealership was nice, though, and they’ve been looking at this problem ever since ---- with no resolution. In the last few weeks, I know they’ve spent around 20 hours of labor looking at everything. They’ve checked the speakers, the wiring, the amp, etc. They’ve ripped out the carpet in the back and have gone through the fuses. They’re taken the door apart a bunch of times. I know they’re frustrated about the problem but they’ve been friendly and awesome about everything. I too have been very patient since they’ve been trying.

So…..here’s the issue.

I’m spending the entire day today at the dealership yet again. I think they’re going to be testing the head unit today (though I’m not sure). Technically, the 3 year/30k miles warranty expired three months ago….*but* they did begin the work (and witnessed the problem) before months before the warranty expired.

I’m curious where the legal and moral responsibility lies in regards to getting this fixed. Are they still liable for fixing this problem since

a) I’ve been trying to convince Chevy of this issue for three years and
b) I finally proved to them there was a problem (while it was under warranty) and
c) they attempted (unsuccessfully) to fix the problem while it was under warranty and
d) they’re still working on the issue months later?

At this point, it’s surely a problem with the radio (one of the two possibilities I considered when I first experienced the issues three years ago). I worry that they will want to charge me for parts (and maybe even labor) if/when they finally find the cause of the issue. From my perspective, I’ve been trying to get this issue resolved for three years….from their perspective, I only demonstrated the problem a few months ago.

I know this was a bit long --- but it’s been a long road for me I’d love some thoughts/insight/opinions on this matter as I’m sure many of you have had more experiencing working with dealerships than I have had.
Thanks so much!!

[KenKat]

Seems to me that since this is an issue that was identified before the warranty expired, Chevrolet is obligated to correct it regardless of whether the warranty has subsequently expired.

[Mark Jorgensen]

^^^^^^ This

[Avenging Orange]

I'm a little suprised that in all that time, they never checked or replaced the head unit.

[JerTM]

The amplifier is also a possibility.

[SummitWhite11]

Originally Posted by KenKat

Seems to me that since this is an issue that was identified before the warranty expired, Chevrolet is obligated to correct it regardless of whether the warranty has subsequently expired.

Agree hands down. At least this is what I have been told before at the dealership for other issues I had with my former 2011. As long as it is noted in the computer for all the visits you made based on the issues you were experiencing - they are obligated to fix it even after the warranty expired. Just because they couldn't pin point the problem before the warranty expired doesn't mean they are excused from it.

[2Fast4Mu]

Originally Posted by KenKat

Seems to me that since this is an issue that was identified before the warranty expired, Chevrolet is obligated to correct it regardless of whether the warranty has subsequently expired.

Thanks everyone for your input. I too believed this was *probably* the case, but honestly it worried me a bit.

Today, after spending another 5 hours at the dealership, they said they wanted to take the dash apart and look at the wiring. To do so, they wanted to give me a loaner. Since it's the holidays, I offered that I'd just bring it back on Monday after Tday and take the loaner then (I'd prefer to drive my own car during the holidays).

My fingers are crossed.

[Angrybird 12]

Yes if the problem was noted before the warranty expired and they did admit there was a problem then they are supposed to fix it under warranty. I have run into a similar issue before. A good dealer will not question it but a bad dealer you may have to go over their head and open a dispute.