I recently had some warranty issues with my truck, and spent numerous hours waiting for repairs. I read on this site that if you have a Chrysler extended warranty, you are eligible for a rental reimbursement.
Each time my truck was in for repair, I asked the dealer if there was a loaner or rental, and always got the same answer,”no, we don’t do that”.
Ram Cares contacted me after I posted an issue I was having with the dealer, and in my conversation they indicated I was eligible for a rental and she contacted the dealer who acknowledged they work with a rental company.
This morning I called to schedule to have some parts they ordered installed under warranty. I said I needed a rental car, and was told that when I brought my car in, they would have to call to get approval, and being that it was not going to be an overnight repair, it probably would not be approved.
The misinformation being spread around is ridiculous. So, I should go to the dealer in the morning, roll the dice and hope I can get a vehicle so that I can go to work. If not, hope that I can get a ride home so that I don’t spend the day in the “lounge”.
Maybe their goal is to discourage you from getting warranty work done. Every time I brought my truck in for a repair that should be covered under warranty, the first response is “that’s not covered” or “that’s normal”.
Only after pressing, will they check it out and admit there’s a problem.
The FCA dealer network leaves a lot to be desired.
From my perspective being a GM Dealer tech for 20 years: Disclaimer!!! I am going to tell this as I knew it and with no personal bias! Inasmuch as I quit GM as a factory tech in late 1999, things may have changed in the last 21 years!
When folks rolled into the dealers where I worked, there were certain factors directly figured into your "eligibility" for a rental or loaner. Does the "customer" have maintenance perfomed there? Although this is forbidden as a benchmark by corporate GM, the dealer principles are greedy business folks. If the repair history reflected a buch of ticky-tack trim repairs or just claims in general and they were not having oil changes etc. done there..... no loaner or rental.
This was unspoken, hush-hush truth that was never disclosed by anyone wishing to keep their jobs! Some of the behind closed doors conversations to which I was witness were not very nicely put about the customers who only darkened their door for warranty work.
I saw many people who DID have our facility do trans flushes, oil changes, decarb jobs.... you know, all the gravy jobs. Ih those cases, the management would deliver up a shiny new loaner or rental with heel clicking promptness.
I'm not saying anything negative about FCA. My own experience is that the Dodge dealer around the corner from me would never work on my lawnmower, much less my truck. The one in Tomball, Texas, has done work on my Liberty for my daughter who now owns it and they have all been stellar! I buy my FCA parts there as well... great people. They get double thumbs up from me!
You should call the 1-800 number and open a file with customer affairs. I can guarandamntee you that FCA wants your current and future business, and hates hearing about ****** CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index). They can rain down fire on those folks! And in my own experience, that was bad for dealer floor plans and special progrsm participations.
At Ford, I was privvy to situation of a woman who got real loud and was unrelenting about her then new 2002 Explorer.... as she rightfully should have. Myself and 2 other techs teamed up with a field engineer to get to the bottom of her problem (this car had only 4000 miles on it at that time). Her A/C would blow hot air intermittently.... the compressor would stop engaging at will. This was in August where we have high 90's with 85% up humidity here in Houston.
It turned out to be a bad instrument cluster after 4 PCM's and severl ulcers failed to help. Although diags led to the PCM even for the engineer, there was a weird phantom code in the HEC (hybrid Electronic Cluster). After Dearborn mucky mucks got involved and a scream about a buy back was tendered, it was fixed after the 6th time in for the same repair.. Yes! The CAN systems can do that!
Be the squeaky wheel! Do not relent! You will eventually get what you want and need!