Need to vent about GM Certified Pre-Owned Warranty

[Matt_]

This'll be like that movie where you see the ending first, then get the story. Just need to vent.

Just got a call from the service department that has my Yukon, and after talking to the GM CPO rep, they confirmed my heating actuator is not covered under warranty. I didnt ask for confirmation, I asked them to clarify "why", because it should be

rewind

Purchased my CPO 2012 Yukon XL back in August. Flew out to Ohio to buy it, and one of the big selling points was the CPO warranty. Honestly the drivetrain warranty i could care less about, it's the 12month/12,000 Bumper to Bumper that i was interested in for once I found out which knicknacks weren't working that was bugging the previous owner.

Sure enough, two issues I noticed after a bit of driving... the moisture in both headlights, and the passenger defroster doesn't work very well (low airflow).

So i put almost 5k miles on it and schedule my first of 2 oil changes that also come with the CPO vehicles. Good news, the headlights are covered. Then i'm told that the defroster isnt working because one of the heating actuators isn't functioning properly, but that it's not covered under CPO warranty and the repair is around $1200, BUT they can help me out and do it for $900

Here are the parameters for the bumper to bumper warranty from GM CPO website

Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty

You can feel confident in your decision to buy a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle from Chevy, Buick or GMC. Each vehicle comes with the security of our Certified Pre-Owned 12-Month/12,000-Mile2 Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty in addition to any remaining original factory Bumper-to-Bumper warranty, all with a $0 deductible.

What's Included

Almost every part of our vehicles is covered under the 12-Month/12,000-Mile2 Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty (excludes normal wear and maintenance items). See below for the list of exclusions.

What's Not Included

Tire damage or wear
Damage due to bedliners
Damage due to accident, misuse or alteration
Collision, fire, theft, freezing, vandalism, riot, explosion or objects striking the vehicle
Misuse of the vehicle such as driving over curbs, overloading, racing or other competition. (Proper vehicle use is discussed in the owner manual.)
Alteration or modification to the vehicle, including the body, chassis or components, after final assembly by Chevy, Buick or GMC.
Coverages do not apply if the odometer has been disconnected, its reading has been altered, or mileage cannot be determined.
Damage or corrosion due to environment, chemical treatments, and/or aftermarket products
Damage due to insufficient or improper maintenance
Damage due to contaminated or poor-quality fuel

Now the service adviser has been a good dude, so i'm calm with him. I find out that he puts the part number into a system and that tells him if its covered or not. OK, no problem, I'll call GM CPO customer service and get to the bottom of this.

Call last night, explain the issue, get a case #, and they say they'll call the dealer in the AM. Cool, feeling pretty good now

Get a call right before I leave work, its the dealer. Service adviser tells me that the rep called, and "confirmed" the part isnt covered . I think the dude feels bad, because now he drops the price down to $599 (i used to be a tech, i know how "book time" vs "actual repair time" work.... and have no heartburn, there were jobs that I was able to do in half the time after i was experienced too).

But now it's a matter of principal. How the hell is a heating actuator excluded from CPO bumper to bumper warranty? I called back and followed up with an E-mail, and waiting to hear back from the GM CPO rep again.

Now, worst case they tell me to go pound sand... do I spend the $600, or try to do it myself. Really torn here. Since I had the warranty I didn't bother looking into it myself, so i'm not sure if this actuator will take mean hour to replace, or four. I'm guessing there's a trick to getting to it without having to take the dash out based on how much the dealer dropped the price for me...

 

[Darkanion]

That sucks.

 

[Matt_]

This e-mail is great.....

Upon speaking to the Service Manager and the Customer Experience Manager it is clear that their professional opinion is that this repair is not something that your warranty covers. The only other option I have is to send over your information to the district manager. I have sent over your information to the district manager of the dealership Christopher Munger, for further review. I am not promising that he will give a different resolution, but I want to make sure I exhaust all the options I have in assisting you with this vehicle concern. If the district managers agrees with the dealer, then I can only provide you with the GMC divisional address for you to write in your complaint. ( GMC Divisional Address - Address is PO Box 33172 - Detroit, MI 48232-5172). I ask that you allow 1-2 business for me to get a response from the district manager. You should receive a call from me no later than Tuesday. Thank You for your patience.

That first line makes no sense. So its up to the service manager (who is also the CE manager btw) to determine whether its covered? But this same dude is saying that its not on the "list" of whats covered based on the PN.

That right there makes me angry enough to spend the time to fix it myself. Left the service manager a message to have it ready for me to pick up tomorrow. Still being nice of course... i just want my truck back while i'm working this issue, and ill look into fixing it myself in the meantime.

 

[Draenor]

Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty


What's Not Included

Tire damage or wear
Damage due to bedliners
Damage due to accident, misuse or alteration
Collision, fire, theft, freezing, vandalism, riot, explosion or objects striking the vehicle
Misuse of the vehicle such as driving over curbs, overloading, racing or other competition. (Proper vehicle use is discussed in the owner manual.)
Alteration or modification to the vehicle, including the body, chassis or components, after final assembly by Chevy, Buick or GMC.
Coverages do not apply if the odometer has been disconnected, its reading has been altered, or mileage cannot be determined.
Damage or corrosion due to environment, chemical treatments, and/or aftermarket products
Damage due to insufficient or improper maintenance
Damage due to contaminated or poor-quality fuel

I'd send them this and ask them to tell you where does this part fit into one of these exclusions. If they still deny it, consult an attorney.

 

[Matt_]

That's exactly what I sent, and then how I replied to the above email. I take exception to "in their professional opinion" comment...

 

[Draenor]

But it doesn't state "up to the service manager" in the policy. It clearly stated the above exclusions. To me that's a breach of their contract or warranty service.

 

[Matt_]

But it doesn't state "up to the service manager" in the policy. It clearly stated the above exclusions. To me that's a breach of their contract or warranty service.

Agree 1000x

The service manager has seemingly been really good so far. So I forwarded him that response and am waiting his feedback . Either he's bullshitting me, or the CPO rep is. Either way I'm going to make someone give me a solid explanation in writing before this is done. And "opinion" is not a phrase I'll accept.

 

[Black02Silverado]

But it doesn't state "up to the service manager" in the policy. It clearly stated the above exclusions. To me that's a breach of their contract or warranty service.

I agree here. Maybe letting them know that this will be brought up with your attorney might make them change their mind. I don't see how it isn't covered.

Maybe call Judge Judy?

 

[Nick The Great]

Ugh I hate things like this. Such a PITA to deal with

Hopefully you can get this straightened out. Is there someone else you could escalate this to?

 

[geektoad]

Find a new dealer.