I am sure many of you (or is it just me?) have had a dealer try to charge you a $100 "deductible" for work performed, under 7/70, but after 3/36 for non-TSB powertrain repairs.
Just last week I had the local dealership repair the "weeping mini valve cover" on my N/A. No problem, I dropped the car off, declined a rental, and took the offered ride to work. They called in the late afternoon and said "it was done, do you need a ride?" I accepted the ride back and took the car home after the beautiful blond cashier said "No charge, Sir".
This morning, at work, the service adviser called me up to ask that I come in to pay the $100 deductible that he forgot to charge me last week. It turns out his service manager chewed on him for a bit in being remiss in making me pay when I picked up the car.
"No" says I.
"But you must" says he. This goes on a while. During the lulls, I searched and found this:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-tsb-work.html
and pointed out to him that
- The work performed was not TSB related, and
- My car was built BEFORE September 1, 2005
I was put on hold for too long waiting for the Service Manager to talk to me.
He called back 3 minutes later. I referred him to Document #WB-09-64-51S.
He asked, none to kindly where I got this document. I replied "from other concerned Chrysler owners".
We discussed each others interpretation of this document, and after I told him I regarded my ability to read above average he got a bit snotty with me.
I also told him it was a pretty cruddy thing to do, charging folks who were exempted this "deductible" thing. And he asked again where I got the document. I told him from the Chrysler 300 forum. Just to deflect any questions from us.
I did not bring up the "Maximum $65.50 thing.
My question is:
Besides Mr. Burns, has anyone who is exempt (build date/Non-TSB) had to pay this $100?
Is this a secret? Here is the cover page ( I underlined the TSB and Build Date stuff) :
TO: Dealer Principal, Service Mgr., Parts Mgr., and Warranty Claims Administrator. Please ensure that all affected dealership and sales personnel are aware of this new program.
Auburn Hills, Mich., Mar 31, 2009 - In an effort to offset rising warranty costs Chrysler will soon be implementing a surcharge for any and all repair work performed that is addressed by Technical Service Bulletins (TSB's). Effective June 1st, 2009, the surcharge will vary depending on the scope of the work involved, but will not exceed $65.50 per incident, regardless of the number of visits required to perform the necessary repairs. This program applies to U.S. markets only.
In the past, all work performed for TSB repairs was covered at no charge if the vehicle was still under the factory warranty. With the new program, parts and labor for the repair itself will still be covered outside of the surcharge.
The surcharge is necessary to cover rising warranty and overhead costs for the company and its dealers and is expected to raise nearly $36 million during the first year. Claims for work referenced by Service Bulletins have risen more than 16% during the past 18 months, and a high percentage of the claims are for preventive work - work that should not have been done unless the vehicle exhibited the exact issue as described in the bulletin.
Under the new program, dealer warranty claims that are suspected to be for "preventive" work will be aggressively reviewed, and compensation will be reduced or denied.
- Vehicles affected: All Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles built on or after September 1st, 2005. Excludes Sprinter vans and Dodge Ram chassis cab 3500 and 4500.
- Minimum surcharge: $12.00 - Maximum surcharge: $65.50
- Timing: Effective June 1st, 2009
- Labor Operation number: WB-09-064-51S
[*SRT, 4WD and AWD vehicle minimum surcharge is set at $21.00]
Dealers who have not received the complete 12-page document covering this new program please Email: dhb14@chrysler.com and include your dealer number in the correspondence. Please reference document WB-09-64-51S.
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