MarcoRemius

Question for everyone...

If I bring my vehicle in for a CPO warranty claim and they find "nothing wrong", should I get charged for the diag time?

I had two concerns with my car recently:

• On hot days I've smelled coolant from my car after shutting it off.
• Transmission doesn't like to shift into first sometimes after sitting at a traffic light.

I brought the car into the dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong on either count. So they slapped me with a $142 Diag Fee and sent me on my way. Is that normal? Or should that be covered under warranty?

Cbst09

That's not normal from my experience. My car is CPO and I brought it in for a problem the dealer could not reproduce and there was no charge for the diagnostic.

blakecam

The difficulty of shifting into first is a common issue with our cars and is really not a "problem." It has been well documented in these forums. It primarily happens when the car is cold, and can be remedied by double clutching to shift into first.

As far as the diagnostic fee, I would not be happy with that as most dealers would do it free of charge as a good will gesture. If there is another dealer in your area, I would call them to ask if they charge a diagnostic fee.

MarcoRemius

That's kind of what I figured. I wouldn't brought it in solely for the first gear thing, but since I was worried about a coolant leak I figured what the heck.

Anyone else with experience with this?

Ezkill

Yes, and I've never been charged a diagnostic fee by anyone, especially on warranty. Even the dealerships for some of the Italian cars I've owned/still own don't do that and they're typically much more charge happy then Porsche.

In your case I'd be extra irritated by those charges - first of all you're on warranty and came with what you believe to be a real issue. Just because the dealership couldn't find it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I had a convertible with intermittent passenger side leaks in rain. Ended up having to take it in 3-4 times before they found the problem(it was back in the early 2000's so I don't recall exactly how many times). If they had charged me a diagnostic fee on top of wasting hours of my time having to go back over and over again I would have been livid. Finally changed out the top and had to re-align it twice before all problems stopped.

I can understand why a dealership would do this but I don't think I'd accept it. If they didn't make you sign something before they took the car in saying you are responsible for a diagnostic fee I wouldn't have paid it. I can't even remember taking a car in and not having to sign or initial some document with an estimate or work order that includes text about possible charges. If you signed something like that and didn't read it through you are probably SOL.

MarcoRemius

Thank you for that insight. The only thing I signed when i dropped off the car was the waiver for the loaner car.

rickdogg82

Would Fidelity or other aftermarket warranty companies pay the diagnostic fee?

Ynot

I'm sure every dealer is different but mine does not charge for CPO inspection. They provide complimentary inspections once a quarter. My dealer even called me to bring it in for a CPO inspection before warranty expires. The other dealership around here charges $150 to plug it in their diagnostic tool. My advice, find another dealer.

Petza914

Coolant smell could be a small crack in the resevoir tank that is lot leaking enough for it to hit the ground - it's burning away before it gets there. Probably need to pressure test the resevoir to see if it slowly bleeds off pressure. Also check to see if the water pump is starting to weep (any dried residue toward the bottom of it)?

1st gear problem will likely be fixed by renewing your gear lube with Mobil PTX. There's a separate thread on this here and it has worked for a lot of people.