Just got my 09 Pontiac G6 back with with 78,700 miles on it. One of the cats was shot. The dealer replaced it at zero cost under the 80,000 mile emissions warranty. No questions, no problems, just had to wait a day for the parts to come in. So that’s about a $500 part with the gaskets and maybe $300 in labor. So yes, the New GM is standing behind them.
That’s great to hear. Another good test would be to see how the dealer would react if you came in with a bad cat and 81,000 miles on it.
“Another good test would be to see how the dealer would react if you came in with a bad cat and 81,000 miles on it.”
That would be a good test for a Toyota dealer, too.
Actually back in 88 or so I had an 86 Buick that was a thousand or so beyond the 50K warrenty. It developed crank sensor problem due to a bad balancer. The Buick dealer covered the $500 or so anyway. I dunno though 82K would be pushing it a little.
Any dealer in the US is required to do this or face the consequences from the EPA. Nobody wants to tangle with the EPA; they can be a complete nightmare from what I hear. If it’s beyond 80k miles, they no longer have to help a customer out like that, but a good dealer would likely offer to meet you halfway with the hope that you would buy more vehicles from them in the future.
Back in the early 90s when Honda was really making a name for itself with the Accord, I took my wife’s Accord in for routine service to the local Honda dealer. The service manager said they heard a sound they did not like and was afraid it might be a cracked head. The car had 60k on it, well over the 36 k power train warranty. They said, not to worry, the factory would cover it. They had the car for a week, gave me a free lowner with a full tank of gas.
At the end of the week, they sheepishly informed me that nothing was wrong even after taking the head off and testing it. No charge…and I got a free oil change, coolant change and valve adjustment. I ask them as I left if they would like to do a free yearly check, but I wanted something better then the Tempo to use for a week…they declined.
I was impressed enough to buy two more Accords from them.
The emissions warranty is a blanket warranty covering ALL makes and models for 8 years or 80k miles, not just GM.
I’ll offer this question to you:
If GM was so good, why did the converter fail in less than 80k miles?
“I’ll offer this question to you:
If GM was so good, why did the converter fail in less than 80k miles?”
Um, I’m not going to answer that on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me. The other one is still good. I just expected that there might be some hemming and hawing and approval etc.
Emissions warranty is backed by the EPA, I believe. That’s one agency you don’t want to mess with.
Your dealership knew this, thankfully, and didn’t charge you to replace it. So I’ll give them props for that. Not all dealerships are the same, you could have walked into a different shop and they’d tell you it’d be $1100 to replace it
Part of the conditions for the bailout was that the New GM or New Chrysler had to honor all warranties in effect for cars sold by the old companies, including discontinued models. They also had to provide service and parts for those cars during that period.
It will be interesting to see what kind of service Saturn owners are getting when the parts supply runs out.
The EPA warranty on emission gear, as pointed out is a federally mandated one and non-compliance will incur the wrath of the EPA.
“Emissions warranty is backed by the EPA, I believe. That’s one agency you don’t want to mess with.”
Unless you are Rick Perry. He would eliminate it. Do you think that is a good idea?
Considering that Republican Richard Nixon and congress worked together for the formation of the EPA in 1970, it shows you how far the Grand Old Party has "advanced."
If Rick were president, either Bing would be on his own or there would be no cats. ; just dirtier air or Bing out $800. Both are really great ideas, Rick.
The GOP also wants us to rid ourselves of the Consumer Protection agency. “Another great idea”. Oil and auto companies are so benevolent, they really need no oversight. We the consumers should be in good hands should Rick and Corp. Errr, I mean company win in Nov. of 2012. Heaven forbid we should have a govt. agency’s wrath fall upon an auto company to protect poor Bing.
Hmmm