is there any way to get GM to honor a TSB after the warranty is expired?

i just got my 1999 camaro SS 3 days ago and i've noticed the trip odometer resets when i start the car (TSB #99-08-49-009)


i've noticed instrument clusters are quite expensive ... and this is something the previous owner should have taken to the dealer. car has just shy of 43k miles on it.

 

I am also interested in knowing whether the TSB's are covered on non warranty vehicles. My cat converters are toast because my anti theft system fuel enable is not operating the right way. Aparently there was a service bulletin related to this, it is
TSB# 02-06-05-004. I want to know if the dealer will fix my anti theft fuel enable for free and the burnt out cats. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Ditto for me.Anyone out there have this info please ??

 

TSB's and what is covered under warranty are viewed by the dealership as two entirely different entities. The TSB's are there to alert the mechanic to common problems on a particular model or models so he doesn't have to start from scratch to diagnose a particular problem. The warranty is a period of time defined by a limitation of time and miles under which problems, whether covered under a TSB or not, will be repaired free of charge.

 

emission parts are covered for 6 or 7 years and 100k.



this is a federal law.

 

My computer used to reset all the time in cold weather until I finally put in a good battery.

 

My emissions warranty booklet shows both cats covered for 8 yrs/80K. Bad cats usually throw code 0420 for Bank 1, 0430 Bank 2.

 

so the fact my air system check valves are crapped out I can get em replaced free at the dealer because they are emissions equipment???


(the again id rather change the $10 parts myself... I dont trust the dealer)

 

I've been told that if you expressed a concern to the service writer while the car is under warranty, and have it documented on a service invoice, that they'll be easier to work with if it occurs out of warranty.

Small chance, but perhaps the previous owner has such a receipt.

 

To add to that, TSB are not recalls. They just let the mechanic know how to fix a problem that might occur. If you are in the warrenty period, it gets fixed for free, if not, you pay for it. A recall is only (usually) issued to fix safety issues that occur repeatedly in a certain model (ie a malfunctioning seatbelt) They fix those for free because they can be held liable for damages if they do not.

Dustin

 

I think your out of luck on you trip odometer problem. I had the annoying belt squeal on my SS and there is a bulliten for a new pulley/bracket/belt to fix it. I was told no dice and my SS only has 38xxx miles on it. I ended up pay $80 bucks for the parts and fixed it on my own time.

 

Try this site.

http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/ima...s/archive.html

 

I've had 2 service bulletin incidents;

The first was with the trip odo. resetting at start up, but that was resolved while under warranty. The dealer replaced the whole gauge cluster, but only after I presented the bulletin.

Recently, I had a bulletin which came out this past Feb. regarding the bubbling of paint on the roof bar. Being that the SS is out of warranty now, I contacted GM to speak with a factory rep., and was assigned a case. Long story short, since the car is out of warranty, GM agreed to pay half of the cost, but at least I was able to get the issue resolved.

 

What exactly is this gauge cluster bulletin? My car used to reset the trip odometor and jump the speedometor and rpm's to max on startup but only occasionally -- more often in cold weather. I always just imagined it was my battery and once I finally put a better one in, I haven't had a reset yet. Not to mention the pulses in lighting are nearly impossible to notice now.

 

As a technician at a dealer hopefully I can shed some light on this for you. As was said the service bulletins are just to alert us techs of a common problem among a certain vehicle, they are not a recall. They usually include steps to be taken to correct the problems, the needed parts, and the labor op for how much it pays. If the car is still under warranty then, yes a TSB would be taken care of with no out of pocket cost to the customer, however after warranty it's up to the individual dealer. If you have a problem noted by the dealer while still under warranty but they can't duplicate the problem, they should take care of it under warranty if the problem reappears after the factory warranty has expired, again though it would be up to the dealer. The dealer I work for has no problem taking care of things under warranty for cars with up to 60k on them if the customer is loyal to the dealer, i.e. bought several cars there, gets all service work done there, will be buying new cars from the dealer in the future, etc.

Your best bet for getting that TSB about the guages warrantied would be to take the car to the dealer that did all the service work, tell the service writer that you just purchased the car and it is displaying the symptoms of the TSB, and ask them if there is a chance that they can good will the warranty work for you.

As for getting cats replaced, if memory serves me they are under factory warranty for something like 8 yrs. and 80k, but I may be off a bit, seatbelts are warranty for 10 years or 100k.

If anybody has anymore questions feel free to post them and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.