Following these six tips may help you
when your vehicle is in the shop:
NEVER LEAVE THE REPAIR FACILITY
- without a copy of the work orders. A complete record of the vehicle
history is very important, especially with
repeated problems. Although not absolutely necessary to prove your
claim at a later date, copies of the records prevent the dealer
from writing several
repair visits as one, a common practice.
ASK ABOUT TSB's - TSB (Technical
Service Bulletins) are instructions from the manufacturer that alert
dealerships about defects or repairs in certain
models. However, dealerships do not generally tell the customer
about TSBs
unless asked! So speak up. Ask the dealership to write your TSB
request on
the repair order even if told no TSBs exist for the concerns you
are
experiencing.
DEMAND RESPECT - You paid a
lot for your vehicle...so don't be afraid to go
over anyone's head if your vehicle isn't repaired properly. Part
of the
price of the car is the warranty service for which repairs are being
made.
You paid for it, you should get your moneys worth.
ARBITRATION - At present, the
Federal Trade Commission has determined that no manufacturer has
in place an "arbitration program" which complies with
Federal minimum standards. What this means is that the FTC finds
these programs to be unfair to consumers.
DON'T BE MISLED - In some situations,
the dealership may claim that the
consumer is causing the problem. This is a common tactic when the
dealership cannot fix the problem or the manufacturer has no repair
to correct the condition. Ask about the TSBs as stated above and
stick to your guns. Your situation is not as unique as the dealership
represents.
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