Why do dealers try to avoid warranty work if it pays the same as nonwarranty retail service?
My experiences with warranty repairs have been uniformly, extremely negative, as in having to call corporate headquarters and ask for assistance, and sometimes threatening to invoke arbitration. The way service departments acted, you’d think I was asking the dealer to fix the car for free and throw in a loaner.
There was never any question that the repairs were necessary and covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. The dealers simply did not want to do the work. Many times they asked whether I was a “loyal customer” and “bought the car there.” Two said to my face: “Why don’t you take it back where you bought it?”
Why should any of that matter if they are in states where they get reimbursed at 100 percent of the retail rate for parts and labor? They should be begging customers for warranty work. Instead, it’s the exact opposite.
Something else is going on. I’d like to know the true story.
SHERMAN JOHNSON, Middletown, Md.