I bought an 03TL a few months ago and also purchased a 60month/100,000 mile service agreement from the dealer. The dealer clearly explained and documented the agreement with an "in-service" date as the date I bought the TL ('06).

I got a letter from the "warranty" company (not the dealer) today that states that they are revising/correcting the contract to state the warranty is actually from "in-service" date 2003. Effectively cutting down my service time. Also, stating that I have 30 days to contest this.


My questions are... is this legal to alter an agreement after its signed at the dealership and do I have enough ground to argue with the warranty company ?
(I plan to call the dealer in case I get resistance from the service warranty company). Has anyone faced this and is there any advice ?

Thanks in advance!

RK (NJ)

 

That is a question you should be asking a lawyer

 

However, "in-service" dates in the car business always means (to my knowledge) the date the car FIRST entered service, beginning with the day it was purchased new.

 

I agree. If you contest this they will probably say that the dealer made a good faith mistake and quote industry policy and definitions regarding "in-service" date.

You may as well ask and get their response before paying legal fees.

 

I agree with this. More than likely, even if you have a lawyer, they will have more and potentially more experience with this type of case. Good luck, but it sounds like you got screwed out of most of you warranty.

 

If the dealer did, in fact, document the in-service date as being the date you bought the car, the dealer should stand behind the original agreement.

Before contacting a lawyer, which would probably cost more than it's worth, I would talk to the dealership. Give them a chance to make it right.

Bring copies of all the paperwork with you. You wouldn't wnnt them to lose an original document while they're reviewing it.

Good Luck!

Bob

 

Did you get the information in writing from the dealer?

 

I have the actual signed service agreement in writing (my copy) which states the in-service date is '06. I fel duped as I paid $700+ for the contract (100,000 miles/60 months). If it comes down to making a deal with the dealer i.e they can't help change the ammeded terms in any way, what kind of compensation can I ask for ? My pref. is to ask for my money back.... but I don't know if that's a possibility. Some kind of service deal with the dealership ?

 

If you have a signed agreement that states a 2006 in-service date then you should be OK.

Tell the dealership that you would not have purchased the extended warranty for $700 if it had a 2003 in-service date. Then tell them that you want a full refund or a price reduction that reflects the reduction in coverage.

Compare the duration of the coverage with the two different in-service dates to get an idea what price reduction would be appropriate. Would you be getting 24 months of coverage instead of 60? Then you can argue that the warranty should be priced at (24/60)* $700 = $280. So you could ask for something like $420 back (700 - 280 = 420)

Be prepared to threaten legal action if they are unreasonable.

Bob

 

Thanks alot for the advice. I'll let you guys know what happens.

 

So here's what happened... it took some effort to get the dealer to recognize alphabets on the contract but ultimately he did accept it a mistake. Is willing to refund the money paid or extend the current (shortened) term by 1 year. I am still thinking whether my 03TL really needs this warranty as cond. is good. The refund seems very attractive.

 

That's great news! And a thumbs up to the dealer for doing the right thing.

Your TL should be very reliable with the exception of the transmission. Is your TL among the 2003 TLs that Acura has covered with the 100,000 mile/7 year transmission warranty? (For some reason Acura will not cover ever 2003 TL) If not, you might want to consider buying the extended warranty to cover a potential transmission failure.

A replacement transmission can run around $3,000 to $4,000.

Bob

 

Thanks for that info ! I checked it out and I don't have any manufacturer warranty now. The warranty was a short 3 month/2000 mile type of thing (from when I bought this used 03TL). I think I will go for the 1 year extension offer on that service agreement. I have a long commute (stop/go) that could kill any transmission.