Dealer warranty question

[mooreeri]

I've got a 2001 manual Insight that I got about 4 months ago from a small shop that buys wrecked cars at auctions and fixes them up. Normally I wouldn't buy a car from a dealer or with a salvage title, but the car was so cheap and so clean that I had to get it. And everything has worked very well for the time I have had the car.

I was surprised to get a letter in the mail last week from my local honda dealer indicating that the car needed warranty work. Evidently the place I bought the car sells the info to someone who in turn harvests it for Honda dealers so that they can make money off of warranty work, or something like that. I called the dealer and they said that the recall mentioned was a "hardware update" and didn't know any more than that, but that I should bring the car in so they could look at it. They assured me there would not be any charge to me.

So thinking that surely they would catch their mistake and run the VIN, I took the car in on a saturday morning - needed to pick up a couple small parts that I had ordered anyway so no harm done. They looked it over, checked the codes (I didn't reset the codes 420 and 1457 so they could see them) and came back and said that they needed to order parts and when would I like to schedule service? I asked which parts and they said computer controllers (which made sense to me with those codes displayed). I said get the parts and lets do it, and then confirmed that this is all warranty work and that there would be no charge to me. They said right.

The parts haven't arrived yet, but should be here by wednesday and then I'll take it in thursday, and verify again that there is no charge to me. Any reason not to proceed with this? What could happen if they catch on to their mistake after they do the work? Am I doing something morally reprehensible? Would love to hear other opinions.

[flymuck]

Warranty work is reimbursed to the dealership by American Honda. I believe it would be American Honda that would catch the mistake, then it's likely that the dealer will come back to you and tell you that you'll have to pay (they may cut you a deal, considering they've told you it is warranty work, but I wouldn't expect it).

If you want to be safe, call American Honda directly and explain to them the situation. They'll look up your VIN and tell you whether or not you'd qualify for the warranty work. They've been known to occasionally help people with salvage cars by covering part of the cost of replacing the battery pack, which is (or at least was) very expensive.

[Robxiii]

Is this warranty work or part of a recall? I've had my Insight for over 7 yrs now, 150,000+ miles on it so it's well past warranty status

But the other day my low-beams stopped working. I had brought it in for that specific recall 2 years back, but they took care of it regardless. They called it 'warranty work' but it was part of a recall. As far as I know, with recall stuff it's always done free regardless.

[mooreeri]

I would call it part of a recall. But I thought that recall work was done only while a car was under warranty, and I thought a salvage title voided all warranties. Guess I'll find out this week. I think I'll let the dealer be the one to contact american honda and I'll see what happens - but I will keep making sure that they are not going to charge me. Hmmm, maybe I should get that in writing somehow.

[boogetyboogety]

I've always been under the impression that recall issues trump all warranty issues, so you should have the work done as promised by your dealer.

I admire your ethics, but there are times when being too honest might cost you. I would have absolutely no trouble getting this promised service done at no charge to me, as the dealer is obviously covering their end on this and knew what to tell you when they asked to inspect and then service your Insight. Karma works in mysterious ways, and in both directions. You may be getting a goodie that you really don't deserve, while at the same time your dealer might be atoning for that quoted $2,000 clutch job that netted them $1,800 last week on another car...

If you want to be safe, call American Honda directly and explain to them the situation.

I don't know that I'd do as flymuck suggests, no more than I'd whack a quiet hornet's nest with a broomstick just to see if there really are hornets inside. But, that's just me... you gotta do what you gotta do to sleep at night, so follow your instincts...

[flymuck]

Originally Posted by boogetyboogety

I don't know that I'd do as flymuck suggests, no more than I'd whack a quiet hornet's nest with a broomstick just to see if there really are hornets inside. But, that's just me... you gotta do what you gotta do to sleep at night, so follow your instincts...

Well, if the question is whether or not you want to end up paying for the work that the dealership is claiming will be free, then the *only* way to know if you'll be paying for it in the end is to call American Honda.

That's all I was saying.

They would be able to answer the question of whether or not recalls are covered when the car has a salvage title. I would be surprised if they are. But then, why else would he have gotten a letter?

[mooreeri]

Thanks for all the input. I didn't realize that salvage titles could be eligible for recalls - and I'm still not sure of it, but it gives me another line to use if they do try to charge me after the fact. I don't think I'll contact Honda North America at this point. Honestly, I assumed that the letter was sent to me from the dealer since they get paid for the work - whether it comes from Honda or me. Evidently I have more to learn about the difference between a recall issue and a warranty issue. I'll post again after the work is done. But I will ask again, before the work is done, if there will be any charge to me

[mooreeri]

Promised a followup - just in case anybody is checking. Classic Honda in Round Rock, Texas did recall work on my salvage title 2001 - no questions asked. They replaced the main computer, and the 2 battery controllers (listed as a "kit") and then updated the "PCM". My check engine light is gone and has not come back on after about 20 miles - normally it would be on my now. I expected that they would have to disconnect the battery, but no, all the radio stations are still there, the mileage for the last tank has not been reset - almost makes me think that they didn't do anything, but there are signs that they did go under the passenger side carpet, and the engine codes being gone is a good sign. They wouldn't let me have the old parts, since it was a recall. No charge for any of it. I feel lucky. It's great to be an Insight owner.

[boogetyboogety]