A New Low (Diagnostic Fee for Warranty Work)?

I have not seen this. Maybe it's a California thing. I would not be returning to that dealer.

I would think a simple demonstration of the malfunctioning window lift would be simple enough to demonstrate that it is a warranty issue.

 

I've been charged "diagnostic fee" not only from Toyota but also from other dealers as well as independent repair shops, but they were all for out of warranty repairs. And even for those, if the diagnostic indicates need for a repair, and I let them work on the repair needed, the diagnostic fees are waived in most cases. For any warranty works, I have not been charged for the "diagnostic fee", however, I think they are just included in the warranty cost. So, if they do charge $150 "diagnostic fee" and it turned out it is determined to need a warranty repair, the cost would be rolled into the warranty bill to manufacture not to the customer. If the repair is not covered by warranty, then customer would be responsible for the bill.

 

This seems awfully cheesy. In the case of another open thread, where the steering wheel veneer is peeling, it would be so easy for the dealer to charge $150 to deny the warranty claim.

 

Yeah, that is conceivable. But I think many dealers, out of good will do the initial inspection/diagnostic to come up with an estimate for free. My current Toyota dealer actually advertises free complimentary diagnostic. But I have had dealers and repair shops wanting to charge me $100 to just to hook up diagnostic computer through OBD to read codes.

 

It is a different situation if the car is out of warranty. You would expect to pay a shop for their time (perhaps not $100 just to hook up), but in a warranty situation the manufacturer and dealer should not be setting up a fee system to suppress warranty claims.

 

Agreed. Glad my dealer does not charge any diagnostic fee.

 

in the olden days, you just asked the service writer if it was covered

what's next, your house burns down, and the insurance company wants $500. to come take a look and see if you're covered?

 

I get the sense the diagnostic visit came into vogue about 20 years back? It used to be you presented the car with a problem, they looked it over, confirmed, gave you an estimate and booked an appointment for repair, all for free. It was the cost of doing business.

I can recall the first time I encountered this. I had a fairly straightforward issue, phoned ahead, described it, booked an appointment. I dropped off the car, got a call a couple of hours later, something like "We've checked it, and you're right that it's a problem, c'mon in, settle up for the diagnostic fee, and we'll book an appointment for the repair...".

 

But maybe it shouldn't cost you money, ever. Yes the business needs to pay an employee, and it takes time, but is it necessary that the potential customer pays, from the moment he shows up with a problem?

That's the way it is, because they all do it that way now. All it takes is for a few to "break ranks", go back to free diagnostics, and maybe others would be playing catchup. Realistically, everybody's bill maybe needs to go up a bit, for real work, but yeah.

I appreciate in your case it was a potential warranty issue. But even then, the "threat" that you could be out $150, if it was deemed to not qualify as warranty work: that's going to scare people off from even approaching the dealership.

 

Exactly correct.

 

I suspect an important question is, is a chattering / shaking window that still rolls all the way up, even a warranty failure at all? If the service writer already knows that the warranty doesn't cover it until the window fails to roll up, then of course they can stack on the diagnostic fee for a non-warranty item.

 

In my opinion, this is a clear warranty issue unless the window has been damaged by the owner. Windows go up and down smoothly on delivery, and should continue to do so during the warranty period.

 

There are opinions, and then there is the actual print in the warranty booklet. And most of it isn't even fine print.

For example, on page 14 of my 2012 Warranty & Maintenance Guide:

"WHAT IS NOT COVERED
...
Normal Wear and Tear

Noise, vibration, cosmetic conditions and other deterioration caused by normal wear and tear."

Considering how I've heard other manufacturers deny warranty claims for items that had not yet actually failed, but simply no longer worked as smoothly as desired or were even on a very clear path to future failure, I'd not be surprised to see this chattering denied warranty service by a picky dealer.

 

If this is the way manufacturers are going to start handling minor items like this, they will lose many customers to those manufacturers that don't play this game. I have had warranty service on a number of cars and in no case have I been treated unreasonably on claims. VW changed out a rear view mirror that was getting droopy, for example.

In any case, I would continue to submit these warranty claims during services - this gives you a record that the fault existed during the warranty period if it continues beyond the warranty period.