My 2017 Volt had a problem when I first bought it. The headlight switch didn’t work. It was always in “auto” mode. That was fine most of the time, and I wasn’t sure it was faulty, so I didn’t do anything until this week when I took it to the dealer. They found that the wiring behind the switch was faulty. The wires were not stripped properly, and a short circuit damaged the Body Control Module (BCM). They agreed that this was clearly a manufacturing defect. The BCM is behind the dash, and the repair cost about $1000. It was out of warranty, but since it was an original defect, I asked if they could contact GM to see if I could at least get a discount. They said they contacted GM, and GM did not offer any discount. Does that seem reasonable since it’s my fault for not reporting it sooner? Or should GM offer to cover it since it was an original defect?
Since you have no proof that it was an original defect, I don’t believe GM owes you anything. Others may have a different opinion.
What difference does our opinion make, we won’t pay for your repair and GM has already turned you down.
Yes, it was a factory defect but by waiting so longm you are the one that let them out of the warranty coverage.
You must contact GM yourself, the dealer can’t lobby for a warranty repair for your car, they want to know if the vehicle is owned by a somewhat loyal customer and not a used car lot. If the dealer were allowed to seek help for the customer there would be much corruption occurring to get warranty work performed.
What you are asking for is a goodwill warranty. As mentioned above, call GM directly, mention your plans for buying a Chevy Bolt next week and see if they will meet you half-way.
The folks at dealerships are notorious for making a lot of untrue statements.
Exactly!
Contact GM customer care, explain the situation as you did here, and ask what assistance they might offer. Don’t make threats, just ask. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Take your head and bang it against the wall you will get more satisfaction than dealing with G.M.
Thanks for the suggestions. As galant said, I was asking for a goodwill warranty. When I had a circulator pump replaced on a Toyota Prius, the dealer offered to contact Toyota since that pump had been part of a recall years ago. Toyota paid the full amount, about $400. The same pump had been replaced years prior, and that time the recall also covered the cost. Although I was negligent in not identifying the problem when I first bought the Volt, I thought GM might want to give me a break to establish good will.
One thing I wonder though, is how this problem was missed in the first place. Also, the Volt passed state inspection two times, and one time the dealer did the inspection. How did it pass with a faulty headlight switch? I suppose the headlights, fixed in auto mode, might come on in a dark garage, and that was good enough for a pass.
I probably won’t take this any further. I’m very happy with the Volt, and this is just one minor aggravation.