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Paid full price for a 2016 EX-L in Oct 2015. Now another dealer said I have a 2015?

6K views 26 replies 21 participants last post by  jeffs3232 
#1 ·
Paid full price for a 2016 EX-L in Oct 2015 in Napa CA. Now dealer in Fremont CA said I have a 2015 model and refused to honor warranty to replace a burned third brake light...

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Another example of dealer trying to pull a fast one? That service adviser in Fremont Dealer said they needed $60 + parts to change a bulb (HaHa). I insisted no and he got me a "supervisior" who of course was backing him.

I bought the bulb for $5 and I will DIY.

What if tomorrow my transmission dies?
I have 29K on it.
 
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#3 ·
I would be surprised if a burnt out tail light bulb would be covered by warranty?? But as already said that is the manufacture date. Sounds like you need to find a new dealer.

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#4 ·
Ok. If a burned light bulb is not covered under warranty, that is fine and I will DIY.
But why did this service adviser tell me it's a 2015 model and therefore out of warranty and point me to the door sticker and said "see, it is a 2015"? Then when I asked for a supervisor, I could tell in their eyes that they were "signaling each other" to continue the lie. Then the supervisor asked if I bought the van from them, I said no and he said "oh well, I could only tell you the fact and for the rest, you need to go back to the Napa dealer."

I hate dealerships. They are all liars.
 
#5 ·
Interesting! I was under the impression that the 3yr/36k warranty started on the day it was purchased. At least, that's what the salesperson told me in 2012.
 
#6 ·
Do you still have the original window sticker that came with the car? That should have the model year on it. Just seems like th e dealer didn't want to be bothered and thought the could get $60 out of you.

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#7 ·
The under hood sticker will tell which year the vehicle suppose be. Also the tenth letter/digit also shows the year. They started with letter “A” in 2010, at 2011 it went to “B”. So there’s way to tell which year is it, if all the stickers are missing. “G” should be 2016 model year.
 
#8 ·
Burned out bulbs are considered a normal wear-and-tear kind of thing and are not covered under warranty. $60 is probably in the neighbourhood of half an hour's worth of the shop rate.

Seems to me like this dealership is trying to test how stupid you are. The last thing they should ever see from you is your burned out brake light driving away.
 
#9 ·
Right. Even if it's a 2015, it should still be under warranty (maybe not the bulb) if it's 3yr/36k. I did not question because when he said "it is a 2015", I was immediately in battle mode.
Anyways, I hate dealing with dealers and if I have to, I would need to be fully prepared for their lies. I was there to do a recall service and asking about the light bulb replacement was just a mind-as-well.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
#18 ·
Have you ever brought your to this dealer before for warranty work? If not it is likely that they just dont want you to come back for warranty work. Most dealers lose money on warranty work so unless you bought the van from them they may not want to deal with you.

As for the warranty itself it is based on the purchase date. Has nothing to do with the model year or manufacture date. The coverage, however, is tied to the model year.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yes, as ojisonracer said, the G in your VIN definitively means you've got a 2016 model year van. No doubt at all. The build date on the sticker just says when it rolled off the line. Many manufacturers do the switch around August.

I agree with CroMath that the dealer may be testing you. I'd find the warranty paperwork, read and understand it, and if it should be covered go in there prepared. Don't believe anything they say if it conflicts with what you know to be true.

And typically, the warranty period begins when you buy the car, regardless of when it was built, the model year, or the salesman's birthday.
 
#11 ·
Paid full price for a 2016 EX-L in Oct 2015 in Napa CA. Now dealer in Fremont CA said I have a 2015 model and refused to honor warranty to replace a burned third brake light...

View attachment 135834

Another example of dealer trying to pull a fast one? That service adviser in Fremont Dealer said they needed $60 + parts to change a bulb (HaHa). I insisted no and he got me a "supervisior" who of course was backing him.

I bought the bulb for $5 and I will DIY.

What if tomorrow my transmission dies?
I have 29K on it.
You have a early model 2016. They are pulling a fast one for sure.

Why would the transmission die? Change the ATF frequently and don't rely on the service adviser/dealership. Brake light bulbs are a wear and tear item. I wouldn't waste my time going to the dealer to change out the $5 bulb that takes 2 mins to replace.

Write your experience of your dealership on Google. Don't be afraid to leave a review.
 
#12 ·
Read your warranty booklet. Normal wear items are never covered. Brakes, tires, wiper blades, bulbs, trim, ornamentation, ball joints, etc are typically not covered. That's why it's a limited new car warranty. Even things like the battery and certain other parts are considered an 'accessory' and not covered by the full 3/36k warranty. In Canada, the coverage is 3 years / 60k kms so basically the same thing. And the warranty should only ever be from your in service date unless it was a demo or service loaner. Check your purchase paperwork.

That being said, the dealer should be able to tell you that based on your in service date, your warranty was good until a specific date. You can call Honda to verify. Powertrain (which is where your transmission is covered), might be different. I think its 5 year / 100,000 kms in Canada but not sure about US.

Hope that helps!
 
#16 ·
Light bulbs might not be included as a warranty item, but oh boy, am I lucky that the head light LED assembly on my 2016 Accord is. Just got back from my dealer for a battery replacement and the service advisor noticed that the right LED was burned out. That assembly is a whopping $1400.00 plus another $100 for labor. Of course NC to me. Keeping an eye on the left side until Feb. 2019 when my warranty runs out.
 
#20 ·
I hate dealerships

I was taking a CSE prep course. On of the other pupils worked for a dealership. Not a Honda dealer. He was telling the class how the dealership charged people for replacing power steering fluid on vehicles that had electric power steering. It's like lawyers if their mouth is in motion they're probably lying. Anyway I would have called the dealer I purchased from on my cell and put them on the phone with dealer who claimed your car was 2015 not 2016. That would have been fun.
 
#22 ·
The new models of virtually every manufacturer usually come out September of the previous year, i.e. the 2020 models should be sitting here on the lots this month. The door tag will say "manufactured 8-2019” or something to that effect . This has been done all my 35 years of driving, and much, much earlier than that. If I had this experience, I would let the dealer know how mentally numb they are, are never give them a penny of my money.

+1 on the VIN telling the true model year
Your title will have the model year
Your insurance card will have the model year

And by all means follow the advice to do a review on them. They read those reviews, and many are concerned. A buddy of mine did that for a new Toyota Sienna he had some work done on. He received a call from the service manger only a few hours later. In a nice way, he told them to shove it, and be happy that he wasn't more blunt on his review lol
 
#25 ·
It's based on in-service date (date you bought the car new), regarding when your warranty starts, regardless what the door says. Find a new service advisor, yours doesn't know jack blankety blank.
 
#26 ·
Yes.

And even if you no longer have your dealer paperwork, your vehicle title (at least here in CA) should have that date it was sold. Here in CA, it is listed as the "odometer date." That's the date your vehicle warranty begins. Dealer service paperwork since then probably also has that date or the date the warranty expires on it.

And agreeing also with the many posts above to look at the VIN for the model year.
 
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