AC Delco - Jessup Auto Plaza 6 year warranty is a joke Cathedral City California
I have a 2003 Cadillac CTS that I love. But the battery that GM puts in this car, an AC Delco Professional, says it has a 6 year warranty. The dealer where I purchased it put in a new battery at no cost because I had purchased an extended warranty up to 100,000 miles, beyond their original 36,000 mile one. About every year and a half it died, and I would go back to have it replaced. They did replace it up til the time my warranty on the car wore out.
In April of 2007 they had replaced it with a new one at no cost. A 6yr warranty on the battery is what it said. When I went back to replace it today, Sep 9, 2008 16 months later, they said they couldn't because my 100,000 mile warranty on my car had expired. What I found out is that the warranty on the battery is considered a part of the extended factory warranty, and that warranty is not given to the consumer but to the dealer. And I paid plenty for the extended warranty, so in reality I had pre-paid for those new batteries. What kind of a scam is that? Since the Delco battery seems to be the only kind I can find for my CTS, no other automotive stores had batteries that would fit my model, I was forced to purchase a new battery for almost $200, plus labor at the dealer.
I looked up Delco batteries to see what their warranty was and it said for the Professional series it was 18 months. So what's the 6 yr thing they have on the battery itself mean and why won't they replace it if it's within their stated warranty "period" anyway, which I thought was supposed to be 6 years. Well, obviously I had to pay for it or not drive, so I did. Now the dealer says that my next one will be free if it's within the 18 month "limited warranty" period. I don't know what you think, but I feel ripped off.
Sandy
La Quinta, California
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Lee
Moreno Valley,California,
U.S.A.
AC Delco Battery Warranty
#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, February 11, 2009
There is a lot of mis information and confusion when it comes to an AC Delco battery warranty. First of all, most extended service contracts are mechanical breakdown policies. They generally cover "covered components" for mechanical failures. Most contracts do not cover items such as batteries, brake pads, clutches, rotors, etc. as these are generally considered a maintenance item. If the vehicle is under the bumper to bumper warranty, the battery is covered usually. In GM case, GM will pay parts and labor to replace battery to dealership under the warranty. Any part installed in a GM vehicle (including battery) is covered for a minimum of 12 months or 12,000 miles from time of purchase or until the end of the bumper to bumper warranty, whichever is greater. Example: your car has 34,000 miles on it, bumper to bumper warranty expires at 36,000. The battery would be covered under the GM warranty for 12,000 from 34,000, or, up to 46,000 miles. The car is out of warranty at 36,000 miles. Next example: your car has 11,000 miles on it, and warranty expires at 36,000 miles. The bumper to bumper doesnt expire on mileage for an additional 25,000 miles. So, the battery is covered up to 36,000 miles. Whichever is greater. The label on the battery for a "60 month" or "72 month" battery has no bearing on a battery replaced under warranty at no charge to the customer. This "60" or "72" month warranty only applies on a customer transaction. If a customer purchases a 60 month battery and has it installed in their vehicle, the consumer receives a warranty from AC Delco that is prorated. During the first 18 months, the battery would be replaced for no charge on the battery part, but customer is responsible for the labor. After 18 months, the battery is prorated based on the number of months you own the battery. This is done because the new battery comes with a new warranty. So, in essence, you only pay for the number of months you used the battery. Your new battery warranty starts all over. Naturally, there is one exclusion to this: If a GM Dealer installs a new AC Delco Battery at the dealership, GM Parts warranty covers parts and labor for 12 months or 12,000, so customer would not be responsible for this time period. From 12,001 to 18,000, AC Delco still covers the battery part, but customer would be responsible for labor. After 18,000 miles, customer is responsible for prorated part amount on battery and the labor to install. I know this is a little confusing, but, that is the way the warranty is. Just because a "72 month" battery is installed in a vehicle does not mean you have a 72 month warranty if it is replaced under the vehicle warranty. Only if you bought the battery and paid for it. As for AC Delco battery positive post, yes, there was an issue with this concern. AC Delco used to assist on replacement of battery cables for this concern if customer took to dealership. Be advised, there was a service bulletin for this and a specific operation code (Z operation) for processing the claim. A lot of dealerships are not aware of this as the bulleting was about 5 years ago. But, to the best of my knowledge, it is still in existance. Ask a GM Dealership Service Manager to review. Hope this helps.