Honda Warranty Question

Hey guys,

I went to the Honda dealer (Miller Honda in Van Nuys, CA) today, about my
2000 Civic air blower motor (air conditioning/heater fan) making a ticking
noise. I had gotten it "fixed" under warranty 2 months ago when I was in
Atlanta at the time, for the same problem, right before my warranty expired.
Now, 1 month after the warranty has expired, the dealer wants to charge me
$90 labor, plus another $100 for a new motor. I argued that since it had
been "fixed" two months prior, I should get the work done under warranty for
free. Does my argument seem valid to you?

When I refused the charges, the guy had the nerve to try to charge me 20
minutes labor for the mechanic sitting in the damn car and listening to the
ticking sound! No panels removed, no motor taken out, nothing..just sitting
there with the A/C on, listening for the ticking sound. It was more like 2
minutes than 20, since I was in there with him. Of course, he backed off
after a lot of shouting on my part. If he had charged me 20 minutes labor, I
would have charged him 20 minutes of using the gas. What a jerk.

I plan on pursuing this with American Honda Motors, and if that doesn't
work, perhaps the BBB will.

P.S. If you live in the San Fernando Valley near LA, avoid, at all
possibility Miller Honda service shop. I waited for 4 hours, with the car
waiting for 3 1/2 for them to tell me they were going to charge me. I
thought the whole point of appointments were so waiting would be minimized.

 

Before you go fuming to the Head Office, send a letter to
the owner of the dealership, and c.c. it to the service manager.
Detail everything that's happened and include copies of the
work orders related to the issue. Since the problem was not
effectively fixed the first time and you have proof of them
having worked on it, they should "finish the job".

 

I think there is a 1 year guarantee on Honda repair parts. I would try
another dealer then the Honda area rep.

 

unlike domestics, when it comes to foreign manufactures,
generally out of warranty is out of warranty, period. It may not
even be a defect. Are you sure you haven't dropped something
into the defroster vent or ingested something like a leaf or
piece of paper from outside? A 'ticking' noise is often caused
by the fan striking some foreign material in the HVAC system. We
have even found mouse nests in them as well.


mike hunt

 

Mike, I decided to attempt to fix this myself, so I poked my head under the
passenger side foot area, and unscrewed the motor. I found a bunch of small
leaves and a string in there, and took them out, but the noise persists. The
ticking isn't very loud, but it's loud enough to annoy the heck out of me.

 

I don't know over there, but here in Quebec, by law (Quebec Province
consumer law), as soon as a car repair goes over a certain amout (50 or
100$, I don't remember), the repair is guaranteed for a period of 3 months
or 5000 km (again the numbers might be wrong).
To my memory, Honda gives 1 year on their repairs. The fact the repair was
done on the warranty doesn't change anything in my opinion as it only means
that they are doing the same repair but you are not the one paying for it,
Honda is (not even the dealer).
So you are definitively right that they should fix it for free if it is the
same problem.

 

From the FAQ on Honda's web site:

Q. I had a part replaced under the terms of the vehicle's warranty, just
before the warranty expired. Does the warranty on that part start over
again?

A. No. Any parts that are replaced within the Distributor's Warranty, Power
Train Warranty, Emissions Warranty, etc. are covered only for the total time
or distance provided by the respective original warranty, starting when the
vehicle was first put into service.