GTP
Deutsche Pony
- Joined
- May 27, 2015
- Threads
- 203
- Messages
- 4,500
- Reaction score
- 2,328
- Location
- Indy
- Website
- www.BambergAudio.com
- First Name
- Philip
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 GT PP1 A10 Outrageous Orange HPDE mods
- Thread starter
- #1
2018 Non-Ford 4-cyl turbo SUV, 40k miles
Running poorly, Throws code
We assume it may still be under powertrain warranty, plus we have an ESP, so we take it to the dealer.
Service advisor says it is NOT covered under warranty because it is outside the 5-year powertrain window. They charge 1 hour for diagnostic at $155/hr. We approve.
Turns out to be a broken spark plug.
SA also says that ESP won't cover it because spark plugs are a "maintenance item", and the ESP ($100 deductible) does not cover any maintenance items.
Knowing that modern spark plug replacement is typically 50-100k miles, I push back a little. "If the maintenance schedule does not call for spark plug change at this mileage, then we have not been negligent in the vehicle maintenance. It should be covered by the ESP." Nope.
Flat rate labor time to replace all 4 is 1.3 hour. High-end sparks plugs run $26 each plus tax. (I crossed-shopped and this was not out of line.)
Estimated total is (1 + 1.3) * 155 + 110 = $460.
So, to summarize the visit, we took it to the dealer assuming warranty coverage. But once there, it had to be diagnosed, which turned out to be not-covered maintenance issue. But now the car is apart, and we are at 1.3 additional hour to complete the job, so we said to go ahead to completion. We didn't want to struggle with this ourselves, or pay the diag fee and start over at an independent shop.
But what really bugs me is the high hourly rate of $155.
When did this climb so high? Am I remembering wrong that it did not seem so long ago that it was half that much?
Running poorly, Throws code
We assume it may still be under powertrain warranty, plus we have an ESP, so we take it to the dealer.
Service advisor says it is NOT covered under warranty because it is outside the 5-year powertrain window. They charge 1 hour for diagnostic at $155/hr. We approve.
Turns out to be a broken spark plug.
SA also says that ESP won't cover it because spark plugs are a "maintenance item", and the ESP ($100 deductible) does not cover any maintenance items.
Knowing that modern spark plug replacement is typically 50-100k miles, I push back a little. "If the maintenance schedule does not call for spark plug change at this mileage, then we have not been negligent in the vehicle maintenance. It should be covered by the ESP." Nope.
Flat rate labor time to replace all 4 is 1.3 hour. High-end sparks plugs run $26 each plus tax. (I crossed-shopped and this was not out of line.)
Estimated total is (1 + 1.3) * 155 + 110 = $460.
So, to summarize the visit, we took it to the dealer assuming warranty coverage. But once there, it had to be diagnosed, which turned out to be not-covered maintenance issue. But now the car is apart, and we are at 1.3 additional hour to complete the job, so we said to go ahead to completion. We didn't want to struggle with this ourselves, or pay the diag fee and start over at an independent shop.
But what really bugs me is the high hourly rate of $155.
When did this climb so high? Am I remembering wrong that it did not seem so long ago that it was half that much?
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