Rant GRRRRR.......

[mikeandronda]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

So what Im hearing here is that a signed document that I payed for is worthless. I know if sign a lease Im legaly bound to it maybe I should quit paying on the loan if a signed document isnt binding. How can these guys be doing this leagaly. I just dont get it.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Because of the fine print. Most say that all work must be done by their technicians. ALL work. So if you replaced a fuse, if they want to be dirty, they got ya! There are some dealers that honestly don't get this. They have allowed the insurance companies to sell them on the profits of the policy. Then the dealer never really gets to see the ugly side unless the customer complains to them directly.<br /><br />With that said, get your salesman involved. It may not help your case, but it may make him wise to not selling another. And maybe he will pitch in to help with the costs, since he probably made about $400 (edit - looked at your first post, since you paid +$900, they probably made more like +$450) on that worthless piece of paper!<br /><br />Good luck and hope it comes out alright!

 

[dogsdad]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

I hate to break this to y'all, but ALL INSURANCE IS A RIPOFF. Insurance companies, even honest ones, must take in more than they pay out, and that means the consumer pays MORE in the end, one way or another. And don't even get me started on the insurance companies who are NOT honest. Once they have your money, it's hasta la vista, baby! They seem to have no problems collecting premiums, but experience all kinds of technical difficulties when it comes time to pay.<br /><br />Pass me a torch!<br /><br /><br />-dd-

 

[crab bait]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

it happend to my neighbor in his late model cougar.. <br /><br />at that point i just said shoot me..!! i lived to long ..!! what have 'they' done us..!! can't even change a friggin' battery anymore..!!

 

[theriver]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Whats a power jumper? I've never heard of such a process.<br /><br />I've switched batteries on many late model cars without any difficulties. Also, the + and - cable ends usually won't reach the "wrong" side of the battery nowadays, so hooking up a battery incorrectly is pretty much impossible (that plus what deputydawg said about the terminal post sizes)<br /><br />Unfortunately, the PCM was just fine. The warranty co is full of BS. (symptom not the cause). They can replace parts for a long time to come until they find the cause. Sounds like its time to find a competent mechanic. And all of the expense should be billed to the insurance co, and they can get a refund for the PCM from the garage that has misdiagnosed it.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

I want to know, who finally replaced the PCM? "your" Dodge Dealer, or the warranty company's "shop"? Just curious, because it sounds like neither knew what the problem was. <br />If the warranty company approved the replacement of the PCM, and their guy did it, you kinda "have" them. Think of it like the "in for a penny, in for a pound" situation. If for some reason the installation of a new battery had anything to do with this ( I doubt it), and they were going to "deny" your claim, they shot themselves down when they agreed to pay any of it. <br />In short, since they paid for any repair, they have to pay for all the repairs to fix this problem. Bring this up to them in a polite manner. If the person on the phone has been doing this long at all, they will understand right away. Better yet, phrase it as a question... "I don't understand, you paid for what you though was the problem, but now since that wasn't it, you won't pay to fix the original problem?"

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Ok heres the deal........both mechanics say that it was the PCI and until the fixed it their computers couldnt even get a good read to see if theres anything else wrong. So the waranty people agreed to pay for the PCI unit and then the come up with this other thing on the Trani that the waranty clearly states they do not cover. It only covers internal transmission parts and this a external part. Now the funny thing is that both parts are about the same price so now Im wondering if this is some sort of scam on their parts. Any ideas guys. The only thing I can think of is to demand the old parts so they can prove they are really blown I mean these guys could be making this up between them to get me to pay for something they are responsable for. Maybe Im just paraniod now but I will never get another one of these so called warantys and will make sure I tell every person I can about the great service i have recieved.

 

[theriver]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Theres no way the ECM/PCI was defective if the problem is still there.<br /><br />Demand results.<br /><br />A couple of other ideas:<br />the transmission should be scanned separately because it has various speed sensors. A transmission expert can also assess the health, and whether the tranny needs replacement/overhaul for some reason.<br /><br />Heres a long shot-but worth the check, see that the brake light switch isn't stuck on. It can cause a whole mess of issues, along with running down your battery in the first place.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

So TheRiver, what your saying is that you dont believe that The trani part went bad and then it caused the PCI thingy to go bad? It really doesnt sound right to me either but I am very mechanicaly illiterate (why I needed iboats to begin with) this sounds a bit funny to me and would love to take it somewere else but in truth I cant afford another tow and diagnostic charge. We are talking $ 75 at the first place and $800+ to fix allready. And all this right after Christmas. I aint got no more money and even this is gonna be a stretch.

 

[theriver]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Thats what I'm saying.<br /><br />I'd throw the ball in the court of the warranty co. Seek advice from them for direction on what to do. It should be up to them to fix your problem.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

There is a possibility that what they are saying is true, so don't be too dogmatic about it. Be polite, but firm in your conviction that since they started the quest for a solution, they should finish it. And ask them if it would not have been possible for the ECM, which they say malfunctioned, to have been the cause of the tranni sensor to go bad. Could have been a power spike the other way? And if a warrantied part caused a none warranty part to fail, wouldn't the non-warranty part be covered also?<br /><br />Just play some mind games with them and get them thinking. Let them know they are playing with someone who does not want to cheat them, but doesn't wanted to be cheated by them either.<br /><br />And remember, at this juncture, you may be able to catch more flys with honey than with BS.

 

[ob]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Mike ,Here's some info for you.<br /><br />2001 Dodge Grand Caravan service bulliten number B05 says that someone knows something they ain't telling you at the shop.<br /><br />TSB no. B05 dated 3/1/02<br />Componentower train/automatic transmision control module (tcm,pcm)<br /><br />You can visit www.nhtsa.gov to get a summary or call a reputable dealer service dept.Don't know the mileage on the vehicle but may have transferable factory drivetrain warranty.Had a complete tranny and driveshaft put in a 97' Pathfinder I had recently purchased with 47,000 miles.Still had 13,000 left on the factory warranty.Dug up the bulliten number and the dealer did the rest at no charge to me.Worth a try.<br /><br />BTW,I brought the service dept. 5 lbs of briskette and 2 pints of beans the day after the replacement.<br /><br />Funny thing is ,my wife had a 1990 Grand voyager with the same syptom.Wouldn't shift out of first gear.Cost us around $1000 to repair.Probabaly had a bulliten on it at the time but,work had me too busy to mess with it.I will never own another Chrysler product unless it's given to me.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Sounds like ob did his homework. This could help you, if your mileage is right, MR. Look into it!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Could have been a power spike the other way? And if a warrantied part caused a none warranty part to fail, wouldn't the non-warranty part be covered also?<br />

Excellent reasoning aspeck! You are either a professional in the business somewhere, or you have had a similiar experience.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

M&R, what's the name of the extended warranty company?

 

[dolluper]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

Electric shift sensor,connector pins or blown sensor common on those trannies, more like a 100 buck fix ,couldn't they figure that from the codes my god ,wouldn't run hardly with bad computer

 

[Twidget]

Re: Rant GRRRRR.......

My company uses Astro vans for our service fleet. I realize Chevy and Dodge are different, but the Astro tranny has an inherent design flaw(my opinion). They will exhibit the same symptom you are describing, the company paid for several rebuilds before we found an honest transmission shop that replaced a $100 dollar part that completely fixed the problem.<br /><br />I had a co worker once that was having problems similar to yours. She went to the local TV stations "consumer scam" reporter. Once a couple of the reporters called the company, they honored their warranty, post haste.<br /><br />Good luck.