Questioning Legality ofstatement local Commercial

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watching tv tonight, up pops a commercial for the Local Caddy dealer. in the Ad, they both say outloud, and with words on the screen, that only a Cadillac Dealer can Do Warranty work on a Cadillac.

my understanding of the magnuson-moss warranty act(granted only on a basic level) was that they couldn't say that since you didn't use brand x, parts, and it wasn't dealer serviced, that your warranty was voided, or that they couldn't deny the claim unless they found that the part used was the completely wrong thing,(not just a different brand, but not the proper part ) and that that wrong part was what caused the problem
 
They are inaccurate because ANY GM dealer COULD work on the vehicle if GM authorizes it. Like in the case of Saturn and Pontiac, when they went out of business GM authorized Chevy dealers to work on those two brands.
 
Why would Cadillac allow Joe's Grease Mechanic...no matter that Joe might be better than their mechanics, to work on a vehicle they are responsible for including financially for any warranty work? Now factory recommended maintenance is a different story.
 
Reminded me of a Cadillac dealership commercial I heard on the radio today. They say "Is your 4-5 year old car not running right anymore,starting right anymore,etc". What kind've POS car is on its deathbed in only 4-5 years?? That'd be an attrocity!
 
I assume "Warrant work" means repairs not routine maintenance.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Reminded me of a Cadillac dealership commercial I heard on the radio today. They say "Is your 4-5 year old car not running right anymore,starting right anymore,etc". What kind've POS car is on its deathbed in only 4-5 years?? That'd be an attrocity!


That is scary...
 
From Cadillac website:

CAN I TAKE MY CADILLAC TO ANY GM DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS?-

These repairs must be performed by an Authorized Cadillac dealer, except in an emergency situation when a covered part or a Cadillac dealer is not reasonably available to the vehicle owner. It's in your best interest to take your Cadillac vehicle to a Cadillac dealer for all repairs since they are the most knowledgeable about the particulars of your vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: Nate1979
From Cadillac website:

CAN I TAKE MY CADILLAC TO ANY GM DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS?-

These repairs must be performed by an Authorized Cadillac dealer, except in an emergency situation when a covered part or a Cadillac dealer is not reasonably available to the vehicle owner. It's in your best interest to take your Cadillac vehicle to a Cadillac dealer for all repairs since they are the most knowledgeable about the particulars of your vehicle.



Makes perfect sense.

Legally, it is accepted that you know the general terms of the purchase agreement and the warranty specifications and requirements when you purchase your vehicle. If you don't like them or disagree you should address those issues before your commit. If your questions can not be resolved then don't make the purchase. It's pretty simple.

This kind of diligence is going to become absolutely critical as life with a new motor vehicle becomes more and more complicated each year. Soon, you many end up leasing a vehicle like the current electric BMW where the manufacturer and dealer do not want you to even open the hood, let alone touch anything. It will come to a point where you will only be allowed to fuel/charge your vehicle, take it to the car wash and call the tow truck to the dealer for anything else including a flat tire during the warranty period.
 
My understanding is the SELLING dealer has to perform warranty covered work, even if it is not that brand's dealer.

For instance, I bought a Pontiac from a Chevy dealer, and they did warranty work, but when they went out of business, another Chevy dealer would not honor the warranty, they said I have to go to a Pontiac dealer. This applies only if your vehicle still has a factory warranty, and you want the dealer to fix it for free.
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
watching tv tonight, up pops a commercial for the Local Caddy dealer. in the Ad, they both say outloud, and with words on the screen, that only a Cadillac Dealer can Do Warranty work on a Cadillac.

my understanding of the magnuson-moss warranty act(granted only on a basic level) was that they couldn't say that since you didn't use brand x, parts, and it wasn't dealer serviced, that your warranty was voided, or that they couldn't deny the claim unless they found that the part used was the completely wrong thing,(not just a different brand, but not the proper part ) and that that wrong part was what caused the problem

Maybe they meant the dealership is the only place where repairs would be covered under the warranty?
 
I don't believe a Chevrolet dealer could perform warranty work on a Saturn (when they were still in business) even though they are both owned by mother GM.So I don't believe a different GM division could work on a Cadillac either,but I think the rules are looser for Buick,Chevrolet and GMC truck.
 
Originally Posted By: garageman402
My understanding is the SELLING dealer has to perform warranty covered work, even if it is not that brand's dealer.

I assume you are talking "used"..apples and oranges.
 
Anyone can perform normal service and the warranty stays intact. That's Magnuson-Moss.

But if you want Cadillac to pay for repair work under the terms of the warranty, then it must be a Cadillac dealer. The company pays, so they get to stipulate where the work is done.

Makes perfect sense to me.
 
I remember helping a friend with a "Porsche" 914 which needed valve seals. The distain of the white coated parts manager at the only Porsche dealer
around was evident, a brusk "no seals in stock". Since the car used a VW pancake 4 I said in a loud voice... "We'll go to the VW dealer and get a set, thanks for the help". The "helpful soul" turned colors but said not a word. At the VW dealer the parts guy said "Sure they'll fit, it's the same seal, the Porshe dealer gets them from us". The VW guys knew that engine better than the Porsche snobs. The seals were cheaper at the VW dealer, but I'll bet the Porsche guys charged Porsche prices for the seals they got from the VW dealer.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Nate1979 said:
"This kind of diligence is going to become absolutely critical as life with a new motor vehicle becomes more and more complicated each year. Soon, you many end up leasing a vehicle like the current electric BMW where the manufacturer and dealer do not want you to even open the hood, let alone touch anything. It will come to a point where you will only be allowed to fuel/charge your vehicle, take it to the car wash and call the tow truck to the dealer for anything else including a flat tire during the warranty period.


I agree. Automakers are thinking of using the DCMA to prevent software changes to "THEIR" vehicles. According to them, you don't "own" the vehicle anymore....

Crazy....

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/gm-ford-others-want-working-own-car-illegal-160000229.html

I talked about this years ago. Won't be long and we will all be "leasing" a car - like leasing MS Windows, Adobe, etc. Everything is going to licensing and no longer ownership. Keeps the steady flow of cash coming in. Look at the dealerships and the annual fees they pay for software flashing capability. Subscription "services" are the cash cows that keep on giving.
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
watching tv tonight, up pops a commercial for the Local Caddy dealer. in the Ad, they both say outloud, and with words on the screen, that only a Cadillac Dealer can Do Warranty work on a Cadillac.

my understanding of the magnuson-moss warranty act(granted only on a basic level) was that they couldn't say that since you didn't use brand x, parts, and it wasn't dealer serviced, that your warranty was voided, or that they couldn't deny the claim unless they found that the part used was the completely wrong thing,(not just a different brand, but not the proper part ) and that that wrong part was what caused the problem


My comments are based on what you have posted. I haven't seen the ad so I can only comment on what you have here...

Think about what they said = WARRANTY WORK! They didn't say you can't have general repairs and/or maintenance done elsewhere or that you can't do it yourself. They are talking about actually performing warranty work and what they said is legal. The Magnuson-Moss act does not forbid car mfg's from requiring that only one of their dealers do the work using OEM parts. A car mfg can 100% require only one of their dealers do warranty work with OEM parts.

Think about it, warranty work means no charge to the owner. Why would any car mfg let you go to Joe Blow the mechanic to fix something under warranty and pay him to fix it. That is unreasonable. The Magnuson-Moss act deals with general repairs and maintenance on your vehicle. Car mfg's absolutely can, and will, require one of their dealers( or an authorized location - good example would be a local body shop for dealers without one )to do the warranty work.

In the case of Cadillac it is up to GM to decide if the work can be done at another GM branded dealer. IF they will only allow another Cadillac dealer to do it then that is what must be done. If they allow another GM brand dealer to do it all the better.
 
Like Astro14 said..warranty work are repairs for a manufacturing defect or defective parts at no cost to the owner per the terms of the sale of the car. You do want Cadillac to do the warranty work.

Regular maintenance is another story. Oil changes and tune ups are not warranty work as there are no defects. Maintenance is part of any service agreement Cadillac or the dealer might have given you (free oil changes, regular wear and tear items like air filters and brake pads) outside of "warranty work".

Typical sleazy, nonsense fast car sales double talk in the ad...
 
Originally Posted By: DB_Cooper


Typical sleazy, nonsense fast car sales double talk in the ad...


Have you seen the ad the OP is talking about? Is there more said than what he/she posted? I don't see anything sleazy about saying only Cadillac can perform warranty work. Is that not what you yourself just said they have the right to require?

I can only assume you must have seen the ad because I don't get the sleazy comment otherwise? Not being a jerk here just confused.
 
One of my former widow sticker's forthrightly disclosed:

Quote:
Note GM cars are equipped with engines produced by various GM divisions.

Isn't GM just one big happy family? Parts bin engineering at its finest.
smile.gif


www.penskecadillac.com
 
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