Auto Warranty News

You have the five year warranty that came with the car and you put out another 700 and some change for the extended warranty and you feel you can breathe easily for 10 years. If you failed to save your oil receipts, you might find that the blown gasket you are replacing will not be covered. It’s in the extended warranty’s fine print.

This CBS13.com consumer report tells the story, the moral of which is get a folder for all automobile related paperwork and never fail to put all related expense receipts in it.

“Extended auto warranties may give you peace of mind when you buy them, promising years of service for your car. But we call on Kurtis Ming, with what you should know about the roadblocks before you decide to buy one.

When Randy Fetter bought his Hyundai Accent in 2002, the five-year factory warranty was a big selling point.

“They market themselves and position themselves as the best warranty in the business,” says Fetter.

For even more protection, randy paid $759 dollars to extend that warranty to ten years.

“This was one vehicle I wasn’t going to have to worry about for the next ten years,” he says.

So last month when his car broke down with a blown gasket, he expected the fix would be covered. But Hyundai refused, because Randy didn’t keep his receipts for oil changes.

It’s a clause listed in the fine print of his warranty.

An extended auto warranty can be a good deal. But before you buy, the experts at edmunds.com have a couple suggestions:

1. If you’re leasing your car or plan on getting a new model in a few years, extended warranties are usually not worth buying.

2. Make sure the extended warranty lengthens the term of the original warranty…

3. Maintaining the car your self could void the warranty. And always keep detailed records – hold on to receipts for repairs and routine maintenance, you may need them, as randy found out.

“They wanted to have it on there that you purchased this oil on this date, what the viscosity was,” says Randy.

After randy’s car was in the shop three weeks, Hyundai decided to honor the extended warranty and do the repairs”.

It’s a sad day to see a Viper in this condition, obviously well beyond the scope of any new car warranty. The story is told in a good auto blog you might like to bookmark for future reference, goes by the name Jalopnik.
Here the proprietor of Jalopnik ponders what could have caused this wreck,and no, a high rate of speed in not the reason.

“My uncle has been bugging the hell out of me to help him find a red Viper. We end up finding him a nice 04 with only 3K miles on it. Perfect shape and not a scratch or mark on it! He brought it by Friday afternoon to show it off to me. 24 hours later I’m having dinner with my wife and my cell phone keeps ringing. Pissed off, I finally pull it out of my pocket and it’s his boss/friend telling me that I needed to rush to the hospital and my uncle just flipped his new Viper. He’s going to be fine, but his passenger / brother in law got ejected (for some reason he didn’t put his seatbelt on and he’s got broken bones all over including his pelvis. Also, there’s tire marks all over his jacket as if the car ran over him after he got thrown out). Really odd accident!
Need help here for anyone with thoughts on what could have happened. My uncle told me he just pulled out of his neighborhood and knew the car was cold so he wasn’t getting on it at all. Plus, he lives right where it happened and knows there’s a stop sign just up the road. So, speed really didn’t have much to do with this. He says he just went into second, barely rolling along at about 30-40 mph and he hears a LOUD bang or pop! His first instinct was that he got rearended somehow, said that’s what it felt like. The next thing he knows, the steering is gone and the car veers off the road, across a driveway and then BAM, he’s upside down, stuck in the mud!”
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If you suspect that your battery is on it’s last legs there are a few basics to cover when deciding on a replacement. First, determine which size battery is appropriate for your car. You’ll also want to check the warranty dates printed on the battery, aiming for one that offers the longest free replacement time.
Consumer Reports goes into more detail:

Fresh is best. Batteries lose strength just sitting on a store shelf. Most are labeled with a shipping-date code. When shopping, look for a month code indicated by a letter (“A” for January, for example) and year (“6” for 2006). It’s best to choose a battery no more than six months old.

Insist on real-world performance. Cold-cranking amps (CCAs) are important, especially for those living in cold regions. CCAs are a measure of how much power a battery has at zero degrees Fahrenheit, when thickened engine oil makes an engine hardest to start and available battery power drops significantly. Generally, the higher the CCA rating, the greater the starting power of the battery regardless of temperature. In our tests, where batteries are charged at lower, more realistic voltage, we’ve found that few meet their cold-cranking claims. Only one new model provided the full 30 seconds of cranking power required by our CCA test this year, a decline from last year, when six passed.

Consider manufacturers’ CCA claims only as a rough guide, then choose a battery that performed well in our CCA tests.

Also look for a score of good or better in our life and reserve-capacity tests. A battery’s reserve capacity indicates how long it will power your car if the charging system fails or if the lights are left on when the engine is off. The models we tested with the best reserve capacity provided power for 120 to 150 minutes, but even models with the shortest reserve, 60 to 90 minutes, should provide sufficient power to get you to safety or start your car.

Pick the best warranty. Other numbers printed on the battery indicate warranty information. A code such as 24/84, for example, indicates a free-replacement period of 24 months and a prorated warranty of 84 months. It’s best to pick one with the longest free-replacement period available because the amount of reimbursement in the prorated period usually drops off quickly as the battery ages.

Choose the right battery for your climate. Chilling cold isn’t the hardest environment for batteries; hot temperatures actually cause more damage. While starting in frigid climates can be tough on a battery, heat saps more life over time. And the extra drain from air conditioning and increased under-hood temperatures in hot weather is especially taxing. Many batteries are specifically designed for Northern and Southern climates and are sold only in those regions.

Dispose of your old battery safely. Batteries contain lead that is highly toxic, but they are easily recycled. Most states require retailers to collect old batteries to keep the harmful lead inside them outside of the waste stream. If you do your own installation, you may pay a “core charge” of a few dollars if you don’t have an old battery to trade when you make your purchase. This is normally credited when you bring in the old battery.

It is very reassuring that now the used car buyer can look for used cars that have been certified and can easily shop for a good used car or extended warranty. There are still, however, some basic “rules of the road” to keep in mind when shopping for a used car.

• Do Check a used car history report This does not give you a 100% warranty that the car is OK, but may save you some money if it will show you some bad records, for example, if the car was written off after an accident or has had an odometer rolled back.
• Do ask someone knowledgeable to inspect the car for you; it may save you a lot of money.
• Don’t buy a car after a serious accident – especially following a frontal collision. You wouldn’t believe how many possible problems may arise later as a result of an accident.
• Don’t buy a car as soon as you see it. Take your time, test drive the car as long as you can. For example, some problems may only be caught when the engine is cold while other problems may only be discovered when cruising at highway speeds, etc.
• Don’t base your decision on what you have been told. “One Owner, highway driven” in fact, may be an ex-rental, heavily abused vehicle.
• Don’t buy a car if you have reservations or hesitate for one reason or another…if you don’t have a good ‘gut’ feeling about it. If the engine seems too noisy or works as if it is in rough shape and sounds heavy, the transmission shifts harshly, some works needs to be done, something seems to be wrong with the papers, etc. – move on.
• Don’t buy a car if it needs some “minor” repairs. Often this results in spending big bucks for repairs that never seem to end.
• Don’t buy a flooded car; it may look good and still be drivable but later a flooded car may develop many expensive to fix problems: corrosion, electrical, electronics, wheel bearings, transmission, etc.
• Don’t be rude to a salesperson at the dealership. Regardless of the many stereotypes we share, many salespersons are genuinely nice people. Be persistent but not rude; treat them well and they will be willing to help you…

(Source)

The auto business in Jamaica is thriving under the banner of New Line Prestige Motors Company.

“Under the New Line Prestige Motors Company marquee, the car dealership has the exclusive franchise to sell motor vehicles from four Chinese automobile manufacturers: Yutong – which carries the flagship buses which are now being used extensively by JUTC and a number of tour operators on the north coast; Zheng Xhiang (ZX) Auto – featuring four and two-wheel drive pickups as well as the Landman SUV; Cherry – carrying a range of sedans, minivans and SUVs; and Foton – the largest truck manufacturer in Asia.”

New Line Managing Director, Dr, Harry Benjamin, has praise for his Chinese line up, citing the use of the Cummins engine as a big plus.

“The engine is Cummings, one of the best in the world,” said Benjamin, referring in this case to the Yutong buses.

“They have been using a lot of German technology and the engines come with a two-year unlimited warranty.”

New Line evidently plans to cater to all sensibilities with their new dealership by also providing a spa, beauty parlour and internet connections for their car buying customers. The scope of the entire operation ensures market domination for a time to come.

“The new dealership, which opened last weekend, was developed on almost three acres of land in about six months. The pre-engineered steel facility has three structures, with the main building occupying about 15,000 square feet. It houses the showroom, the administrative and executive offices and a showroom, which accounts for 4,000 square feet of the space. There is also a warehouse, with some 28,000 square feet of racked storage space, a bonded warehouse capable of holding 80 vehicles, and a display lot with space for 70 vehicles.”
excerpted from the Jamaica Gleaner

Something that is not covered by your new car warranty is that “new car smell”. While most people welcome that new car aroma there are those who are concerned that the odor is full of toxins.

“Everyone knows that cars are a major source of air pollution. But most people don’t know that it isn’t only what comes out of tailpipes that’s the problem, but what’s inside cars as well. “New car smell” for example, comes from toxic chemicals being released from plastics, foams and fabrics used to make steering wheels, dashboards and seats.

These chemicals are inhaled or ingested by drivers and passengers through dust and air, potentially causing allergic or other acute reactions or even long-term health impacts such as birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in a car every day, toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles is becoming a major source of potential indoor air pollution.
from healthycar.org

In fact, if you drive a 2007 Nissan Versa, your toxin exposure is at it’s highest in the small car class while a Chevy Cobalt represents the least concern in the same class. You can determine the toxicity of your new car here.

Most would agree that there is nothing so particularly American as the image of a pick-up truck. Nonetheless, Toyota is determined to make inroads on that iconic association with their ‘B-cab” edition of the Tundra.

“Toyota Motor Corp. has extended a special offer to its dealers nationwide: They will be given $2,000 to purchase base-model “B-cab” editions of the Tundra pickup, redesigned for the 2007 model year to better compete with Detroit’s Big Three automakers in the full-size truck war.

The company is offering its more than 1,200 dealers in the United States the incentive to purchase the new Tundra for use as a parts delivery truck. Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said the program is a way to gain exposure for the new Tundra, which went on sale in February. Dealers typically have to go through other channels to buy the pickups for their own use, so this deal will save them time and money, Kwong said.

The incentive expires April 30 and is available for Lexus, Scion and Hino Motors Ltd., all truck dealers that sell Toyota vehicles. At the same time, the automaker is giving dealers cash incentives that can be used at their discretion to discount B-Cab editions of the 2007 by up to $1,000 on a nationwide basis, Kwong said. In some regions, the incentive is as high as $1,500.

A base model variant of the vehicle, composed of a basic two-door cab, carries a base price of $22,290, more than $2,000 higher than a base Ford Motor Co. F-150, the traditional segment leader.

Toyota is making a strong push into the full-size truck market. The company, in a surprising move, priced its trucks higher than the domestic competition in some cases, and now is offering special programs to cut prices and lure buyers.”
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Volkswagen joins Toyota in targeting new product at a specific region. Volkswagen is closing out talks around agreements with Malaysia’s Proton facility in development of a new sedan for the Asia-Pacific region.

“Volkswagen’s head of international sales Kevin Rose says talks between Volkswagen and Proton are now at a fairly advanced stage, and both parties clearly know what they would want from such an agreement. Volkswagen said it would also work within the Malaysian government’s March 31st 2007 deadline.

To Volkswagen, having control of the manufacturing facility is essential. “For us as a brand, it’s important that we can always say made by VW, or built by VW. Even in China, where for legal reasons we are a minority partner, we still have great control over the production, assembly, design of our products, and that’s incredibly important for us,” stressed Rose. Without that manufacturing control, the partnership will not happen. I sincerely hope with manufacturing control comes supplier control and the license to show problematic suppliers the door, regardless of know-who.

One of the first steps that Volkswagen will take once the partnership is finalised is to introduced a new small sedan targetted at the Asia-Pacific region. This type of regionally targetted engineering is something similiar to Toyota’s ASEAN Hiace/Hilux/Innova/Fortuner platform, or Nissan’s Livina Geniss. This new Volkswagen small sedan will be made in Malaysia at Proton’s plant. This will be followed by a bigger sedan to mark the opening of Volkswagen’s Singaporean showroom.”
from PaulTan.org

Auto Insider reports that Ford is still contending with fallout from electrical switch component allegedly involved in over 500 fires and over 1500 complaints.

“Al Gavegan Sr.’s death in a house fire last summer left family and friends in San Antonio searching for answers — and they say the evidence leads straight to Ford Motor Co. and a faulty electrical switch.

The retired government contractor was well-known as the guy who operated the time clock at high school football games and taught kids with special needs. On birthdays, he asked friends to forgo gifts in favor of teddy bears he could donate to sick children at a local hospital.

Hundreds attended his funeral after the 76-year-old died Aug. 14 in a blaze that started when a late-night fire spread from his 1994 Mercury Marquis parked in his attached garage, investigators found.

A police report listed the fire’s probable cause as “an electrical malfunction in the engine compartment of the vehicle.”

Gavegan’s family soon discovered that his Grand Marquis was one of 16 million Ford vehicles built with an electrical switch that has been linked to nearly 550 fires and about 1,500 complaints.

Since 1999, Ford has recalled 6.85 million vehicles with the switches, making it one of the largest auto safety recalls in U.S. history. On Monday, Ford again expanded the recall of vehicles with the speed control switches in question. The latest recall included 155,000 2003 model SUVs and pickup trucks. But millions of vehicles with the switch, including Gavegan’s Grand Marquis, have not been recalled.

Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said the company has been vigilant in recalling vehicles. “We’re continually looking at our products in light of how difficult this particular recall has been.”

Despite five recalls and an exhaustive federal safety investigation, Ford has been unable to put an end to switch issue.

Ford faces more than 20 lawsuits around the country — including a wrongful death lawsuit to be filed today by the Gavegan family in Bexar County Court in Texas.

Kinley says it is investigating the cause of the Gavegan fire and hasn’t reached any conclusions.”
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“The U.S. Department of Transportation today called on automakers, safety advocates and consumers to help the federal government develop a new and more effective five-star safety rating program used by many consumers when deciding which vehicles to buy.Secretary Peters and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Nicole Nason today kicked off a day-long public meeting on proposed improvements to the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) used to develop the government’s five-star safety ratings, and urged the public to offer suggestions on ways to improve the program by April 10, 2007.The Secretary asked for ideas on the best way to improve the current front, side and rollover tests conducted by NCAP. She also asked for advice on whether the Department’s proposed enhancements, including adding upper leg injuries to its frontal crash tests and head injuries to its side crash tests, would raise the bar on safety. She also asked for advice on the best way to include ratings for proven crash avoidance technologies such as electronic stability control, and those emerging ones like lane-departure and rear-collision avoidance.“While we have made some strong and sweeping recommendations for strengthening this system, we know that we don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. When it comes to saving lives and preventing injuries, there is always room for improvement” said Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Strengthening and improving the current five-star program will help us continue to give consumers the most up-to-date and useful information about the safety of the vehicles they are considering.”

For close to 30 years the NCAP has been providing consumers with realistic and reliable information on the safety performance of vehicles sold in America Secretary Peters noted but, she added that vehicles tested 10, 20 and 30 years ago are vastly different than today’s improved fleet. As technology has reshaped vehicle performance and safety, it has also reshaped driving habits and the public’s expectations for staying safe on the road. “The time has come to rethink our approach to testing the safety of vehicles in this country,” said Peters.

“As more safety technologies appear in our vehicles, our programs and procedures must be flexible to accommodate those advancements,” said Administrator Nason. “These new innovations have the potential to save thousands of lives, and we must never become complacent when it comes to that.”

The public comment period for the proposed changes to the current NCAP program, which began in January 2007 when Secretary Peters visited the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will close on April 10. NHTSA will begin to asses the comments and hopes to establish the proposed changes soon after.”
(source)