Phil Thien
05-18-2012, 6:46 PM
A few (maybe three) months ago we took our 2009 Honda Odyssey into the dealer for an oil change and were told it needed rear shocks. They said shocks I believe, not struts. I'm not sure which this car actually has.
Anyhow, the work was under warranty, they told us to bring it back and get the work done. We did a day or two later.
Last week we took the car in for an oil change and were told it needed "rear shocks." This time the car is out of std. warranty and into extended warranty, with $100 deductible. So I'd owe $100 for the work.
"What?" I asked. "It just had the rear shocks replaced I thought."
So the service writer looked at the records and yelled to the mechanic "it just had rear shocks two months ago."
She (service writer) seemed agitated. We were told to bring it back, because I needed some weather stripping replaced. They said they'd do shocks at that time, under warranty (no charge).
Now, there has been a recall that I found that said the rear DOOR STRUTS for cars with power rear doors. That doesn't apply do me (I have a manual tailgate). I only bring it up because I wonder if there is confusion, like the computer is telling them to check the rear struts and they (dealer/service writer/tech) are getting confused?
So I have questions for the auto experts here.
(1) Were they just trying to take me for $100? I mean, is this a standard "we can easily pickup a $100 bill from unsuspecting customers" scam?
(2) Would they possibly have gone bad already? Maybe it is easy to install them improperly, leading to premature failure? We never really carry anything very heavy in the car, so I don't think it would be wear/tear, and it certainly isn't abuse. Maybe there is a design problem I should know about?
(3) Can I get under the car and tell (myself) if they need replacing? The first time around, we were told they were leaking. I believe they claimed they were leaking this time, too. (3a) Is it possible to mistake road-grime for leaking shocks? If I'm told they need to be replaced in the future, what do I look for?
(4) Does this car have shocks in the rear? I'm confused about the differences between struts, and shocks.
(5) We're in the extended warranty now. The question I have (maybe I should read the contract, but I will ask here instead) is, if the dealer finds problems that won't cause harm to the car (like a leaky shock), can I wait until there are 2-3 problems and pay a single deductible? Or do I have to fix problems immediately to keep the warranty? Or is the deductible $100 per problem? This is a Honda warranty, not a third-party. Hoping someone here knows the rules on this.
The main reason we purchased this van was the dealer is very close. It would suck if I have to be suspicious of them. I don't feel suspicious at this point. But maybe I should start making all the parts on the car with a permanent marker, LOL.
I wish I knew more about cars. They don't interest me at all, I should probably get interested to avoid confusion like this.
Anyhow, the work was under warranty, they told us to bring it back and get the work done. We did a day or two later.
Last week we took the car in for an oil change and were told it needed "rear shocks." This time the car is out of std. warranty and into extended warranty, with $100 deductible. So I'd owe $100 for the work.
"What?" I asked. "It just had the rear shocks replaced I thought."
So the service writer looked at the records and yelled to the mechanic "it just had rear shocks two months ago."
She (service writer) seemed agitated. We were told to bring it back, because I needed some weather stripping replaced. They said they'd do shocks at that time, under warranty (no charge).
Now, there has been a recall that I found that said the rear DOOR STRUTS for cars with power rear doors. That doesn't apply do me (I have a manual tailgate). I only bring it up because I wonder if there is confusion, like the computer is telling them to check the rear struts and they (dealer/service writer/tech) are getting confused?
So I have questions for the auto experts here.
(1) Were they just trying to take me for $100? I mean, is this a standard "we can easily pickup a $100 bill from unsuspecting customers" scam?
(2) Would they possibly have gone bad already? Maybe it is easy to install them improperly, leading to premature failure? We never really carry anything very heavy in the car, so I don't think it would be wear/tear, and it certainly isn't abuse. Maybe there is a design problem I should know about?
(3) Can I get under the car and tell (myself) if they need replacing? The first time around, we were told they were leaking. I believe they claimed they were leaking this time, too. (3a) Is it possible to mistake road-grime for leaking shocks? If I'm told they need to be replaced in the future, what do I look for?
(4) Does this car have shocks in the rear? I'm confused about the differences between struts, and shocks.
(5) We're in the extended warranty now. The question I have (maybe I should read the contract, but I will ask here instead) is, if the dealer finds problems that won't cause harm to the car (like a leaky shock), can I wait until there are 2-3 problems and pay a single deductible? Or do I have to fix problems immediately to keep the warranty? Or is the deductible $100 per problem? This is a Honda warranty, not a third-party. Hoping someone here knows the rules on this.
The main reason we purchased this van was the dealer is very close. It would suck if I have to be suspicious of them. I don't feel suspicious at this point. But maybe I should start making all the parts on the car with a permanent marker, LOL.
I wish I knew more about cars. They don't interest me at all, I should probably get interested to avoid confusion like this.