Beware the 36000 mile mark!

[GerryS]

Battery was dead after sitting in the garage for a week and a half. I called the dealer to see if they had a battery and if they were open. Yes to both so I jump started the truck and drove to the dealer. On the way the odometer rolled over 36k.
At the dealer I said I hope it’s covered since I’m at 3601 miles.
“Oh, that’s a problem, let me check with the manager”
He checks with the manager and comes back with, “The battery is only covered for 12 months/ 12000 miles”
Really?
As they are testing the battery and getting ready to charge me $290 for a new battery, I look over my warranty and argue with the manager. He says he will call and see what he can do.
Service writer comes back with “We are covering the battery, but there is still $50 for diagnosing and clearing codes”
By now I’ve been there for about two hours and getting impatient,so I bark out “REALLY!?” “Fine, just get me out of here!”
He comes back and says “No charge, I took took care of it personally”.
He said it as if he paid for it out of his own pocket.
Well, I got the battery covered, but I had to fight for it.

Here’s the mileage going to the dealer with the engine light on. I should have parked it and let them tow it from there. Here is the mileage in at 36001. Notice that it was covered as a one time only goodwill policy and not under warranty.

 

[mikeru82]

Battery was dead after sitting in the garage for a week and a half. I called the dealer to see if they had a battery and if they were open. Yes to both so I jump started the truck and drove to the dealer. On the way the odometer rolled over 36k.
At the dealer I said I hope it’s covered since I’m at 3601 miles.
“Oh, that’s a problem, let me check with the manager”
He checks with the manager and comes back with, “The battery is only covered for 12 months/ 12000 miles”
Really?
As they are testing the battery and getting ready to charge me $290 for a new battery, I look over my warranty and argue with the manager. He says he will call and see what he can do.
Service writer comes back with “We are covering the battery, but there is still $50 for diagnosing and clearing codes”
By now I’ve been there for about two hours and getting impatient,so I bark out “REALLY!?” “Fine, just get me out of here!”
He comes back and says “No charge, I took took care of it personally”.
He said it as if he paid for it out of his own pocket.
Well, I got the battery covered, but I had to fight for it.
View attachment 104949
Here’s the mileage going to the dealer with the engine light on. I should have parked it and let them tow it from there. View attachment 104950 Here is the mileage in at 36001. Notice that it was covered as a one time only goodwill policy and not under warranty.

I'm not sure why you're so upset that they covered it. Of course it was covered as a one time only goodwill policy. Your bumper to bumper warranty has expired, even if it was by 1 mile. What else would you have wanted them to do? You are actually fortunate that it was covered. Now take that $290 you would have spent on the battery and buy something nice for your truck.

 

[GerryS]

I'm not sure why you're so upset that they covered it. Of course it was covered as a one time only goodwill policy. Your bumper to bumper warranty has expired, even if it was by 1 mile. What else would you have wanted them to do? You are actually fortunate that it was covered. Now take that $290 you would have spent on the battery and buy something nice for your truck.

Well, the failure happened before the 36000 mile mark, right? I probably should have let them tow it the last two miles. Also, their claim that the battery is only covered for 12k/12 months kind of upset me too.

 

[LaxDfns15]

If it's documented before the 36,000 mile mark I agree that they didn't do you a favor, and they did their jobs. Also, it appears the battery warranty is 24 months OR the 3 year/36k mile warranty. "Whichever is more favorable to the customer." The only thing I would have done differently in your shoes is mention that you are very close to your 36k mile mark before driving to the dealer to make sure they know it's claimed before your warranty is expired.

 

[FN-2187]

Well, the failure happened before the 36000 mile mark, right? I probably should have let them tow it the last two miles. Also, their claim that the battery is only covered for 12k/12 months kind of upset me too.

All that typing and belly aching over a normal wear item like a battery? I can see this rant over a transmission or something, but a battery?

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[Blitzhawk]

Also, hindsight here but good advice for others. Take a picture of the mileage with check engine light on before driving it in and be sure the advisor knew when you brought it in. When I was an advisor, I would have wrote the ticket with the mileage off your picture (I would of anyway but that is probably why I am no longer in that field, lol).

 

[bigdodge]

batteries the factory uses never last long
I just get an interstate and forget about it

 

[IvoryHemi]

The OEM batteries are junk, I wouldn’t have bothered. Now you have to worry about it prematurely dying again.

 

[Richard320]

The OEM batteries are junk, I wouldn’t have bothered. Now you have to worry about it prematurely dying again.

I was kinda thinking that, too.

 

[GerryS]

If it's documented before the 36,000 mile mark I agree that they didn't do you a favor, and they did their jobs. Also, it appears the battery warranty is 24 months OR the 3 year/36k mile warranty. "Whichever is more favorable to the customer." The only thing I would have done differently in your shoes is mention that you are very close to your 36k mile mark before driving to the dealer to make sure they know it's claimed before your warranty is expired.

View attachment 104956

Ok, I guess I was going by these pages in my warranty.

And yeah, I should have mentioned the mileage on the phone. Unfortunately I didn’t notice until after I jump started and started driving. I thought the picture was enough.
Gerry

 

[LaxDfns15]

Regardless of whether the OEM batteries are junk or not, it's not a cheap replacement. I would have done exactly what @GerryS did and get a replacement if I was still under warranty when it failed.

 

[Svt40]

That's a shame to hear the batteries are junk.

The OEM battery in my '04 F150 lasted until 2016. Went through 3 aftermarket batteries '16 to '21
The OEM battery in my '01 Honda CBR lasted till 2012.

 

[Scram1500]

OEM wear items are made out of recycled ceral boxes these days. Funny that the price of the truck keeps going up though

 

[FN-2187]

That's a shame to hear the batteries are junk.

The OEM battery in my '04 F150 lasted until 2016. Went through 3 aftermarket batteries '16 to '21
The OEM battery in my '01 Honda CBR lasted till 2012.

It depends on where you live. Here in Arizona we are lucky to get 3 years out of any battery. There is no way to compare these normal wear items apples to apples across the board.

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[Mister 4x4]

Glad it eventually all worked out, Gerry.

I have mixed feelings, though. I agree that the stealership initially was being a bit of a stickler by stating that you're over your coverage period - it failed prior to the odo reading they saw, after all. I also agree that having it towed could've alleviated that issue. Not sure how else it could've gone any different.

However, I've never had a vehicle with a warranty I've ever had to use before (this is my first new one... ever!), and I've never had good luck or feelings when I've had to go to the stealership for anything other than a replacement part that I would install myself on my out-of-warranty vehicles, so I'm kind of out here by myself on what I would've done. Every time I've allowed the stealership to work on my vehicles, I've been disappointed, over-charged for sh!tty work, and had to follow-up behind and fix the other things they messed up in the process of attempting to repair the original issue. That's why I've learned to just do everything myself - especially, the 'little stuff' that winds up being more hassle that it's worth. Sorry, but $350-400 for an oil & filter change, spark plugs, air filter, and 'umpteen point inspection tune-up' is worth saving $250-300 and spending a few hours working on my vehicle knowing it's done right when I'm finished.

But... that's just me.

Having said all that, and for that price, I would've just gotten an Optima Red Top and been done with it all in around a half hour... again, for that price. $290 for a sub-standard 12K mile battery is ridiculous! I can't believe they're over $120 for an El Cheapo house brand these days! Batteries are consumables, just like tires, and if you get more than the covered time/mileage out of them, count yourself lucky. My '97 Ram's Mopar battery lasted around 7 years before I had to replace it, and I've never seen that kind of longevity since (except from the Optima in my Jeep). 3 years seems to be just about 'normal' these days for a battery, so I guess I'll see what happens in another 2+ years.

 

[arod412]

Yikes. I feel that the dealer had every right to not only deny your claim, you should have paid every little bit of it out of pocket.

Here is why:

1. It’s a wear and tear item…like tires, and an oil change. It’s not suppose to last…and 3 years in this day and age with all of the extra features, is a decent number. Due to this, I bought a trickle storage charger for my battery, so I can recharge it any time I want… so far it’s great for my Charger after 5+ years. I’m still going to replace the battery at some point..it doesn’t last forever.

2. Did you leave on any interior lights on….and electrical Add-ones (like fog lights, dash cam, aux comments that can draw power from the engine when it’s off)? Dealer doesn’t know this because all you could have done is turn off the light that was on. You just complained about battery issues, where it could be another electrical issue that they were investigating. You didn’t give them the time of day.

3. Did you even find out what the engine code was? Maybe you have a bigger issue, however “2 hours” isn’t good enough for you to look at other things besides the battery that can have an electrical drain. I would have asked what was that code, but you where extremely focus on only the battery.

4. While investigating your battery and the “check engine” light that they cleared because you didn’t give them the time to explain that, they also did a TSB on your truck with the floor matt. Another thing they didn’t have to do, but since it was there, they took care for you.

Look…I know stealerships have a bad name. I even bet some of that even comes from p!ssed off clients that complained about every little thing. Not all of them are like that, and some folks have a legit reason to be upset, however, I don’t think this one is something to be ticked off about.


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2016 Dodge Charger scat pack and my wife 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

 

[Rlaf75]

You got them to cover the battery so be happy with that. They didnt have to cover the battery and could've easily charged you for everything. You got "lucky" with a stock battery. Being its a 3 year old battery they dont usually hold up well to sitting unused for weeks at a time. Believe it or not you probably could gotten longer out of it if you drove the truck more. My suggestion would be to chill out about it and go have yourself a beer because the next time it's your dime that will cover the $300.

 

[Biga]

I had my battery replaced in June under warrenty, was around 32K. Just had my passenger mirror replaced under warranty at 36,500 miles. Dealer worked with me on that since it was just over the 36K mark.

 

[ldoh]

For me it's not just the what but also how things get done. I would seek out an independent trustworthy auto shop and leave that stealership for the apologists.

 

[ldoh]

I had my battery replaced in June under warrenty, was around 32K. Just had my passenger mirror replaced under warranty at 36,500 miles. Dealer worked with me on that since it was just over the 36K mark.

Agreed. It's not uncommon for a well run shop. And even the FCA online forums have several stories of previous gen ecodiesel failed engines being replaced just out of warranty.