Lengthy repairs and loaner cars

[UncaBuddha]

Does anyone know if there is a standard protocol at service departments for giving a loaner or rental when they keep your car for an extended period for warranty work? I always worry that if I make too big a fuss they will "spit in my hamburger" and mess up my truck. My 2020 has been in the shop for a week today with an oil leak and when I asked the manager (at checkin) "hey, do you have a loaner" he said "no but we will take you home". Anyone? @RamCares ?

 

[mikeru82]

It's up to the dealership. There is no guarantee from Stellantis/Ram that you'll receive a loaner when you take your truck in for repair or maintenance. I believe you are allowed a certain amount for a rental though. Although I'm not sure what that amount is. Check your warranty paperwork.

 

[brian42]

As mikeru82 said, many dealerships do not give out loaners for basic warranty work. The dealership setting you up with alternate wheels seems to be more the exception than the rule from what I've read/heard. I have a Big Horn so I'm not high on the premium/luxury list so my dealership would give me a loaner if there was one available (which was every time except for one). If I had a Limited I'm sure I would be higher up the food chain in priority.

I'm not sure why most dealerships don't do that. While it was a nice benefit the dealership wasn't doing it out of the kindness of their heart...they add $40/day to the bill they give Stellantis for the work to fix the truck.

For my MOPAR ESP I get a loaner/rental for up to 5 days after the dealership decides the issue falls under the ESP. This takes them a day-ish to figure that out so I have to drop it off, let them diagnose, get a ride home, then go back for a loaner/rental while the perform the repair. To their credit they will pay for an Uber to take me home but I live almost 30 miles away so I'm a little out of the area (there are a few dealerships closer but this is the only one I trust with my truck).

With COVID the dealership loaner fleet is shrinking. The last time I went in they said they were down to 3 loaners (they used to have around 40). Stellantis has a mileage cap before they have to be sold/returned and corporate hasn't been replenishing those fleets as they have been diverting the limited supply of vehicles to the front lot for sale.

 

[vincentw56]

I have a great dealer that gives loaners for extended work. But like others said, it is up to the dealer.

 

[flyinghigh89]

My 2019 has been in shop for a month, no loaner has been provided.

 

[UncaBuddha]

My 2019 has been in shop for a month, no loaner has been provided.

THIS!
It is almost like they think I bought the truck as a toy or a garage queen. I need the truck to do things, not to sit...

 

[flyinghigh89]

THIS!
It is almost like they think I bought the truck as a toy or a garage queen. I need the truck to do things, not to sit...

Exactly I need a truck for work and had to rent one at 350 a week not to mention it’s a piece of junk compared to mine. Working on getting a lawyer involved now

 

[ferraiolo1]

It’s all based on your dealer. My Subaru dealer gives me a new loader car even when I take mine in for an oil change. My gm dealer did the same. Unfortunately my local ram dealer will not, but they apparently have discounts for the local rental company for you to use.


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[RamCares]

Does anyone know if there is a standard protocol at service departments for giving a loaner or rental when they keep your car for an extended period for warranty work? I always worry that if I make too big a fuss they will "spit in my hamburger" and mess up my truck. My 2020 has been in the shop for a week today with an oil leak and when I asked the manager (at checkin) "hey, do you have a loaner" he said "no but we will take you home". Anyone? @RamCares ?

Hi,
Loaner vehicles are handled at the dealer level and our dealers are independently owned.

Rob
Ram Cares

 

[UncaBuddha]

Hi,
Loaner vehicles are handled at the dealer level and our dealers are independently owned.

Rob
Ram Cares

Thanks Rob. My wife spent less on her Mercedes and they MAKE SURE she has a loaner when she gets an oil change. Any $70,000 truck owner should be offered a rental or loaner when they have warranty work. The parent company ought to make sure of that so that we owners don't *****. AND the parent company should make sure the service managers call with status updates on vehicles under repair. My guy doesn't call at all...

 

[mikeru82]

Thanks Rob. My wife spent less on her Mercedes and they MAKE SURE she has a loaner when she gets an oil change. Any $70,000 truck owner should be offered a rental or loaner when they have warranty work. The parent company ought to make sure of that so that we owners don't *****. AND the parent company should make sure the service managers call with status updates on vehicles under repair. My guy doesn't call at all...

You're talking about customer service. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that customer service is very important. In fact, if I had to choose between the two, I'd rather have legendary customer service than have legendary quality. Even with legendary quality, you'll have some vehicles with problems. It's unavoidable. But if there are people there who will stand behind what they sell, most people are much more tolerant of those issues. Providing legendary customer service makes the customer feel like they are not going to be left holding the bag if something goes wrong. I would know that if I have an issue, I will be taken care of. Unfortunately, with independently owned dealerships, it's pretty much up to each individual dealership to provide that customer service. And many of them are only interested in getting the sale. Once they have your money they couldn't care less if you come back the next time you're in the market for a new vehicle. They know there will be plenty of other customers to sell to.

 

[UncaBuddha]

You're talking about customer service. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that customer service is very important. In fact, if I had to choose between the two, I'd rather have legendary customer service than have legendary quality. Even with legendary quality, you'll have some vehicles with problems. It's unavoidable. But if there are people there who will stand behind what they sell, most people are much more tolerant of those issues. Providing legendary customer service makes the customer feel like they are not going to be left holding the bag if something goes wrong. I would know that if I have an issue, I will be taken care of. Unfortunately, with independently owned dealerships, it's pretty much up to each individual dealership to provide that customer service. And many of them are only interested in getting the sale. Once they have your money they couldn't care less if you come back the next time you're in the market for a new vehicle. They know there will be plenty of other customers to sell to.

Agreed. And I think Rob's reply above is kind of a cop out. The parent company is responsible for the name on the side of the building. I have never understood why the service department isn't the BEST option to get a car worked on and serviced. They have the expertise and can pay their mechanics a little more to be the BEST since car sales can make up the difference. I had a Tundra for 16 years and NEVER had any problems...

 

[brian42]

I recently bought a used car (Cooper) from a local Honda dealership. I bought it as-is and in less than 100 miles (4 days later) the check engine light came in. I took it back to the used car sales manager and told him about the issue. I told him I understand that I bought it as-is but I paid a bit more to get it from a dealership knowing it would be a higher quality purchase that should last more than 100 miles before something goes wrong. They sent me to their service department, I left the non-Honda car with them, and they put me in a rental.

Long story short they sent the car to a Mini specialist to fix it. 9 days later I got the car back with a total bill of $0. They paid the shop for the repairs, covered my rental car for all 9 days, and wished me well with the car.

That's on the other side of the spectrum but it would be nice to have some kind of customer service consistency (e.g. loaner/rental) standard of expectation no matter what dealership you go to. I understand that vehicles are more expensive (I'm middle-aged so remember when $10K bought you a nice car) but I would think I'd be more than a number if I spent more money on my truck (with cloth seats) than a Mercedes C-class sedan.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Agreed. And I think Rob's reply above is kind of a cop out. The parent company is responsible for the name on the side of the building. I have never understood why the service department isn't the BEST option to get a car worked on and serviced. They have the expertise and can pay their mechanics a little more to be the BEST since car sales can make up the difference. I had a Tundra for 16 years and NEVER had any problems...

I independently owned is why.

Same reason you can go to two different of the same chain restaurants, one can be the worst experience of your life, and the other can be the best.

Some dealerships are smaller ones with lower inventory and can’t afford to have loaner vehicles. Generally it’s the larger high volume dealers who will give you a loaner. Regardless of brand. Which is why it pays to do your home work, and pick a dealership that offers everything you want. Just how some dealers offer free lifetime warranties and others don’t.


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[brian42]

The CDRJ dealership 2 miles from me offers lifetime loaners for any new vehicle stock you buy off their lot. Unfortunately they are one of the worst dealership in the area for customer service. They are on the third owner now since it was built a little over 10 years ago.

With that kind of deal I was willing to give them my business and buy a truck from them. When I told him I was coming from a diesel F-250 all he wanted to sell me was a 2500 (whether they were overstocked or he wanted a bigger commission I don't know) instead of a 1500, but he was not very polite about it and kept telling me that I needed the 2500. After talking with the salesman for 15 minutes my wife was done with them (as was I) and we left. As we were walking to the car one of the dealership staff raced through the lot in a diesel 2500 and did a burnout as they turned onto the street. We've never been back.

 

[millerbjm]

This is also why it is important to read the fine print in any warranty you consider - look for rental reimbursement or rental coverage as well as transferable and refundable. I had a warranty on my 2014 ram and every single repair they gave me a loaner/rental without question because they could bill it to the warranty. I have been fortunate that with the 2 dealerships I've worked with they always have made a loaner (dealership rental in reality) available - much more difficult to get like for like but at least they always give me a set of wheels with 4 doors.

 

[ToolJunkie]

I traded in my Cadillac after 8 years of ownership so I was spoiled. The dealership would always offer me a loaner if they were going to take more than 2 hours. When Inventories got low, they sold all their loaners but they rented several vehicles from Enterprise to loan to customers whether you were covered by a warranty or not. I have not taken in my RAM for service yet, so I may be in for some culture shock.

 

[n8zcc]

If you have a MAXCare on your vehicle, it covers a loaner vehicle.

 

[brian42]

If you have a MAXCare on your vehicle, it covers a loaner vehicle.

After the first day, then up to 5 days.

 

[byebyebowtie]

one of the things i miss about having a german car was their service. My BMW dealership ALWAYS had a loaner for me, and most times it was a newer better car than my own. They treated it like a sales tool. I remember dropping my 2011 328i off for an oil change one Friday morning they gave me a 2014 335i m-sport as a loaner. Service tech called me at 1pm that car was done but said "hey i know you're probably having fun in that loaner so hold onto for the weekend and ill see you Monday." Since then i can't get a loaner from chevy or ram even when the dealer themselves caused an issue that required fixing.