Another vent thread!

[MyakkaJeff]

Curious what you guys think about this... The battery in my '03 Hummer H2 crapped out on vacation (of course). Got it jumped and got it home but the battery wouldn't take a charge. I removed it and took it to my local Chevy dealer. The battery is a 79-6 year Professional Series. It was replaced under warranty in July of 04. I go up to the parts counter and explain my problem in my best "I'm your buddy mode". This is what he told me. Your Hummer's warranty is over (3 years) and this battery has already been replaced under warranty so you didn't pay for it. A new battery will be 165.00 plus tax. Now I'm out of buddy mode. I asked if it could be prorated because it's a 6 year battery. He says no. Even if it was the original battery it came with the vehicle and it has a 3 year warranty. BUT I say, it says 6 years on the battery. He says you didn't pay for that!!! Now I'm in Enemy mode (and probably made an A$$ out of myself). I said Bulls%^t I didn't pay for that battery, that battery cost me $53,000 dollars. It comes with the truck and I payed for it. That's when the service manager came out. He must of been listening to the whole thing. I got the battery prorated (still $98.00). Was I wrong? Sorry this was so long but I feel better.

[Long Roof]

Sounds justified to me.

[71swb4x4]

Sounds like the guy behind the service counter was having a bad day. Or he just doesn't know how to treat customers. Or he's an a-hole. Or all of the above.

[jorgensensc]

[MyakkaJeff]

It makes me wonder though. Has anyone had to buy a new battery after their vehicle warranty is up, but the battery warranty is still good? They just turn the battery in for credit!!!

[Mixup]

I have an 04 Tahoe with an extended warranty. The original 3 years is up and the battery quit. The dealer told me it's not covered. Only under the original warranty even though I'm still under the extended warranty.

[AusMarty]

They should have honoured the warranty on the battery and given you one for free, I would take it up with the battery company, I bet the place you took it to got full re-embersment from the battery company, My battery failed a few weeks ago and I took it back to the place I got it from he just looked at the date stamped on the side of it then gave me a new one
Plus I didn't have my receipt of purchase

[Smitty]

I would be calling the Area (District) GM Rep and raising holy hell. Battery says 6years. I don't know how they tie that in to the 3 yr. warrenty. BS

[MyakkaJeff]

Yup, I think we're being screwed. You know that battery goes back to AC/Delco and they get credit for it. They DO NOT keep track of which vehicle those batteries come out of.

[sleepyboy]

Nothing wrong with A-hole mode if you get what you want and save a buck..more dough in your wallet for beer.

[wibilly]

you were very justified in being pissedi think i would have thrown it at him a 6 year battery should have free replacement at 3 years. i certanly would not of paid them $98 for another battery that they will not stand behind. hell i bought a battery from wall mart with a free 3 year replacement, when it failed after 2 years[my fault, i unknownly left the dome light on for a few weeksin the dead of winter while i wasn't using it] i took it back they gave me a new one. when i asked if i still had 1 year warenty left they said no, it's a brand new 3 year free replacment warenty. not bad for a $68 battery

['68 longbed]

what's really bad is you just know that they get away with that over and over again. there's been several times that I just let crap like that go 'cus i'm in a hurry or just don't feel like getting into ANOTHER fight with some stupid service person.

I'm all for getting rude when the situation calls for it.

[Longhorn Man]

Honestly, once I found out I'd still be paying 100 bucks, i woulda gone elsewhere... optima maybe.

[BurnoutNova]

i dont think the ac delco battery should have been over 100$ at full price!

at the dealership i work at motorcraft batteries installed are like 110$ and we never cahrge labor when theres a warranty or prorating involved

so much for customer service!

[ChevyC102007]

I know what ya mean by rude service techs, when I had my 95 Chevy Z-71 the coolant sensor went out and even though I had bought the truck used it still had a 60 day or so powertrain warranty. Went to the dealer to get it fixed and the service writer tried to tell me that Id have to pay for it! SO I slipped into "Fix the damn truck or I will have your job" mood and low and behold it got fixed. Sometimes ya gotta deal with idiots like that even when ya wanna ring their dang necks

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

I bought a 6 year AC DELCO battery for my 70' GMC 3 months ago as this is the only battery that I will use. My alternator screwed up killed the battery and it was replaced over the counter (24 month replacement no questions asked for the first 2 years out of the 6 years warrenty.) The battery cost $98.00 plus tax. I've had really good luck with these batteries as they last way past the warrenty.

esll.

PS: There is just something wrong with the appearence of any other brand in a GM truck. "IMHO"

[67 cst swb]

A 6 year warranty is a 6 year warranty.... period
I've sold auto parts for 20 years. The servicing location for said battery should warranty the battery for whomever brings it in, prorated for whatever time is left on the warranty, regardless of what original $ was paid for the battery... whether acquired with or without vehicle... PERIOD!
A batteries warranty in exactly that "The batteries warranty"
You are correct... good job getting them to prorate that for you.
Now, you'll need to check out the problem for 3rd battery in that short of time...

[Blue_71]

they were trying to screw you-- i work in a chevy dealership.

if a battery is replaced under your 3 yr/36K warranty, said batteries warranty starts the day its installed. so say you had 35,999 miles on it and your battery goes dead, the new battery (that was put in for free) has a 6 yr pro-rated warranty. just an FYI also-- the 79/6 series delcos are freakin expensive, something like $170 list price. and those batteries you turn in do NOT go back to acdelco, i take every battery i replace to the salvage yard myself... $2 per battery. (that is if the parts manager doesnt get to it before me and add it to his stack of scrap )

[BurnoutNova]

yeah at the ford dealer i work at we NEVER need to turn in batteries on new ones for cores...

[Blue_71]

ok i checked today-- my price on a 79/6 year is $129, list price is $160. i wasnt too far off (irrelavant i know, but i was curious)

[MyakkaJeff]

Blue_71, Yeah I knew they were expensive, I had 2 of them in my diesel work truck. I expected to pay for it prorated, but when told no warranty because I didn't pay for it!!! I might not be able to go back there. But like EastsideLowlife said, I like to use Delco batteries in my Chevys. Thanks guys.

[screamin_eagle]

I think maybe you got screwed when you bought the so called Hummer

[Brock]

I worked at a dealership and my brother was the shop foreman. If someone comes into the shop with a "they're gonna fix this thing regardless" attitude, there's a good chance its gonna cost them. Shop manager's have ways to get things done warranteed or not. You did the right thing with starting out with "buddy" mode. Once they attempted to screw ya then go into pissed mode. For the $100 it cost in prorated fees, you could have gone elsewhere and purchased a quality battery and done two things productive 1) went to someone that will uphold the warranty of the battery, AND 2) taken your money elsewhere.

I bought a battery for my racecar, my nephew proceeded to get run over a couple of weeks later and knocked a hole in it (he's fine actually he said it straightened out his back a little). I took it back, they gave me a new one...no charge. I did have a receipt

[MyakkaJeff]

That was a different kind of screwed. The FUN kind...

[MyakkaJeff]

Brock- Believe me I thought about just leaving, but I wasn't sure I could get a comparable battery just anywhere, so I let it play out. I had replaced the batteries in my 93 diesel work truck (chevy 6.5 turbo diesel) with aftermarket batteries and they lasted just over a year. The Delco batteries lasted much longer but at $165.00 each. This last battery lasted 38 months. BTW, was told free replacement within 30 months.