I’m thinking of taking in my telluride so they can see if there is anything wrong that would be replaced/repaired under warranty. Any tips?
About 5000 miles ago there was an oil pan leaking and boot gasket leaking. Both were repaired under warranty.
Thanks Diana
A seemingly simple question, on the surface. In reality, a bit more complex.
TLDR: Get an independent shop (you'll need to pay for this) perform the assessment and then present their findings to the dealer.
Longer answer: I've been service writer, dealer technician, shop foreman, service manager and specialist shop (longest period) owner. Therefore I think I can speak with a modicum of intelligence about what can happen.
Most dealerships are now part of a much larger group of dealerships. Some as small as five. Most in the teens to 30 range. Then there's the big boys like Penske or Hendricks. They have but one goal in mind; PROFIT.
Most of their staff and top level managers have a salary, AND are incentivized to selling more with tiered bonus' linked to their individual department's profit over that of last month and the same date from the year before.
This creates an atmosphere to pick and choose the higher profit items, rather than focus on what could be a innocuous item today however, can become a major issue in the future.
I know many dealership technicians, and they are capable and fantastic! However they spend their time in an environment to sell, sell, and sell. After I left the dealership fold, it took me almost a year to get away from some of the bad habits they instilled in me.
Not all dealers are bad, most care about the CSI rating they get. Albeit second to the points I raise above. You may get a concerned technician that wants to "check everything" and be on the lookout for you? You may gat the technician (see incentives above) that wants to sell you brakes early, and may miss what you're really after?
IMO a GOOD independent shop will be on the lookout for your behalf. I often warned my customers of impending warranty work. Printed such with diagnostic scans and/or on their invoice.
IMO you should be establishing a relationship with an independent at least once in a while to keep a balance. Also someone you can trust/use when the warranty runs out.
As ALWAYS, get all your concerns and complaints documented (this means actually putting it in writing ON THE TICKET) so should they come back with "could not duplicate" , you have it in writing during the warranty period. If it's not documented. You're out of luck.
