Not covered under warranty...

[redneck2420]

So, I noticed a large puddle of transmission fluid under my baby on Sunday night when I arrived at a friends house. Looked under the car and it was covered in red grease. I thought to myself "Well, while this does suck, I haven't done anything retarded to the car and I know I haven't run anything over. This will surely be covered under the warranty, right?" So, the next day, I have the car towed to the closest dealership (because that's the only place GM Roadside assistance would tow it for free). It arrives at the dealership and sits for a day because the transmission guy they employ is out sick. No problem, they set me up with a nice loaner truck. I can be without my baby for a day.

About 9:00am the next morning, I get a call from the dealership saying that a rock had punctured the condenser (which also cools the power steering fluid, which in our 2010 Camaros is transmission fluid) and GM was calling it "Impact Damage". Impact damage is not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. This is coming out of pocket. So, I tell them to fix it (because I'm already going to have to pay for it to be fixed and don't want to pay to have it towed to my mechanic about 20 miles away) and I would be in later that day to pick it up and inspect the damage.

They are finished replacing the damaged condenser and my car is ready to go around 1:00pm. I ask to inspect the piece they removed and they show me the "hole" that was supposedly punched by a rock. Sure enough, it appeared as though a small rock bent the condenser just a little bit and probably punched a very small hole in it. The front of the car was fine, so whatever it was passed through the lower grille without causing as much as a scratch to the plastic but still had enough mass/force to put a hole in the metal condenser (which is located directly in front of the radiator behing the grille).

I couldn't think of any reason it wouldn't be considered impact damage and it not being covered it at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this was some sort of design defect. I don't know. Has anyone else had a problem like this? It seems like it would be build to withstand the force of anything that could pass through the lower grille (with the possible exception of a floor tile , which this wasn't. Well, at least I can't remember having any floor tiles thrown at my car while driving).

[shroomjohn]

wow that sucks seems like a hell of a loophole

[x626xBlack]

Sounds like the same thing you would get on a new set of tires from a nail... Road hazzard.

Hitting a rock or pebble at 70 mph (not sure why you would be going that slow....) has a lot of force. I am sure you have seen what they can do to a wind shield.

[trm0002]

It sucks but their logic and subsequent denial is correct. My car is at the dealer having the condenser replaced right now (well, tomorrow when the new one come in) but in my case, it is a warranty item. A seal is leaking causing my A/C to bleed out.

[Frank in MD]

Warranty covers workmanship and defects, not wear and tear from use, or road hazzards. Sounds like a fluke, but fluke things have a way of happening.

[RunningOnEmpty]

Wouldn't it also depend on your dealership?? I know some dealerships that do warranty repairs on cars that people abuse. Some guy that I met at a car show blew his transmission drag racing at the track and chevy repaired it under warranty.

[67 Convertible]

So what did the repair end up costing?? Just curious.....

[trm0002]

Originally Posted by RunningOnEmpty

Wouldn't it also depend on your dealership?? I know some dealerships that do warranty repairs on cars that people abuse. Some guy that I met at a car show blew his transmission drag racing at the track and chevy repaired it under warranty.

If the dealership is ever caught doing something like that- assuming they knew about the racing- they would be in a world of shit. So, no, it is not nearly as common as you may think.

[redneck2420]

Originally Posted by 67 Convertible

So what did the repair end up costing?? Just curious.....

$653.24

Basically enough to make me wish it were a transmission issue so that it would be free...

[RunningOnEmpty]

I'm not sure they knew or not. He didn't say but I would assume there would be visible evidence of the racing. Maybe not though...

I have heard of some dealerships paying out of pocket for repairs though. I went to school with a kid whose father was a BIG chevy guy. Had about 4 cars that he bought from the same dealer, one of which was a corvette.

Apparently he got some wider tires up front that started rubbing on the struts and he had a blow out on the highway. Had the car towed and asked how much the repairs would cost him. They told him it was no biggie and not to worry about a thing, they would handle it all.

Not sure how true that is though.

[x626xBlack]

Unless the driver told the Service Manager what he did to blow the Tranny, they had to replace it and I think they still had to honor the warranty. The car was built to be driven.

When a Dealership does warranty work they have to send the defective part to manufacturer for reimbursement. Unless the dealership wants to eat the cost, or you have bought a crap load of vehicles from them and they are willing to help you out... You will pay.

[RunningOnEmpty]

Yea thats what I figured

[trm0002]

Originally Posted by redneck2420

$653.24

Basically enough to make me wish it were a transmission issue so that it would be free...

To make matters even worse, I just looked at three different big online autopart houses and NONE list the condenser. Even if you wanted to (and had the skills to) swap it out yourself and then just take it somewhere to recharge the A/C you can't due to the "un"availability of the part itself.

I changed out the condenser in my 02 Impala last year in less than 3 hours. Including buying a "cheap" R134a recharge kit along with the condenser, the bill was less than $200.

[clg_98ta]

Its not a warranty issue. You can turn it into your insurance as a comprehensive claim, but you probably have something like a $500 deductable...