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ACDelco Warranty Coverage – You won’t believe this one.
A gentleman from our local area is out of state when his older 200K+
Suburban quits running. The truck needs a fuel pump. He ends up at an
“ACDelco shop”. Pump replaced and away he goes.
Soon after he has returns home the fuel gauge ceases to function. He
does a bit of research and decides that the cause is likely related to
the fuel pump. We sell a number of product lines including ACDelco. He
calls and makes an appointment (extremely polite and professional guy…
the kind you wish could train your staff).
We test and find the fuel pump is the likely cause. We get a bit ahead
of ourselves and drop the tank since this seems like a slam dunk deal.
Once dropped, the label indicates the pump is a brand “X”…in other
words, not ACDelco. I do not know exactly what transpired at the other
shop, but I do know the customer left there 100% convinced he received
an ACDelco fuel pump. So, the phone calling begins….to the other shop,
to ACDelco, the customer, brand “X” and so on.
Brand “X” will give our customer another pump when he returns the old
one. Will they pay a labor claim? Forget it. Ditto for the other shop.
After several phone calls back and forth between the ACDelco and the
customer (who has no apparent special influence or connection with
ACDelco), ACDelco calls us and tells us to install a brand new
ACDelco pump for which they will pay us full retail parts, labor, tax
and whatever else is needed. Installation is completed and we get paid
via ACDelco credit card the same day.
Really…no kidding.
So, what story do you have of beyond expectations great warranty
coverage?
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10 Replies
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Being a Delco PSC shop its good to hear this kind of response from Delco, I think that the parts supplier must have sold it to the original shop as a Delco part, Why else would Delco stand behind it ?
I do know they have expanded thier warranty coverage lately to the PSC/TSS shops.
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The new AC Delco program is great, I even tend to spend more with them because they are taking care of us.
Gene Morrill AAM
Certified Automotive Specialists
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I was once overwhelmed by NAPA’s AutoCare warranty. Customer had a GM diesel truck and a 5 month old NAPA starter failed. It was installed by another shop 30 miles away (less that 25 miles requires towing back to original shop) After a relatively painless call to 1-800-LET NAPA I was told to submit a bill for the full retail price of the starter, paid my rate according to Mitchell time (.9hr, sweet) and oh yeah, add .5 for diagnosis (super sweet, how hard is it to diagnose a failed starter… IT DON”T WORK!) The check came in 10 days
Now on the other hand, I recently ordered a diesel injection pump for a TDI Jetta from a retail supplier in Pontiac MI (had the best price for an aging car) The car ran after we installed the pump, but the MIL was on, the cold start injector was open circuited. I asked to have another pump sent out, charge it on my card, and I’ll send this one back for warranty coverage and my customer will get back on the road, but one day late.
But Noooo, they will not sell me another injector pump; yes they have 2 more on the shelf, but policy states that the defective pump must be sent back, inspected, then repaired or replaced at the management’s discretion (10 to 14 days). I can see the point of keeping the angry customer from reversing the CC charge, but this was not acceptable.
Long story short, I robbed the needed parts from my “core” before I returned it and re-rebuilt the rebuilt pump. Yes, I know… deal with reputable suppliers and they WILL take care of you.
I wish WE had an AC Delco supplier…
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Tom Piippo wrote:
I wish WE had an AC Delco supplier…
I would think that Rowerdink could UPS anything you needed overnight.
Their website says anything ordered by 3:30PM will be shipped same day.
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Does anyone get labor time back using a part from Advanced Auto parts.
The rep said they will pay us labor for a bad alternator or starter.
I dont like chain store rebuilds or china new parts but we have had big
complaints selling a alternators for 800 installed on older cars.
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Almost all of the aftermarket parts store chains have some kind of
labor warranty program. Each has their own system, but most or all
have something. I know with some of them you have to be part of their
“program”.
In most cases, the cost of signing up is offset by the discounts and
other benefits. A lot of shops participate in two or three programs.
We have been running into less defective parts lately, so the need for
the labor coverage has been reduced.
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Advance Auto Parts does have a good labor claim system. The more
detailed you are in your invoicing, the quicker you’ll get paid. For
example, if your original invoice to the customer simply states “Parts
– $100, “Labor – $100”, it will take more work on their part to insure
you purchased the part from them. If your invoice states “P7784 –
Alternator – $100, Labor – 1hr @ $100″, you’re likely to get a
response the same day. I’ve recently submitted a labor claim for a
fuel pump and because my invoice was detailed, I received the claim
confirmation the same day. I know of other shops in this area that do
not submit detailed invoices in their claims and it takes several
days.
KEY: contact your area Advance Auto Parts Commercial Accounts Manager
(CAM). They key the warranty claims themselves now. The store should
be able to give you his/her number.
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I wouldn’t consider buying parts from a vendor that gave labor warranty. Warranty costs are always distributed over the product cost and since I am on the wrong end of the bell curve for needed coverage I am guaranteed to lose. I sure don’t want my parts costs to reflect the warranty costs of the average parts diagnostic repair shop.
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Steve,
NAPA is my primary supplier and they pay labor without batting an eye. Anytime I do a price comparison, NAPA still has better prices than Auto-Value and Advance (the only other suppliers in our area) who do NOT pay labor.
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I refuse to buy parts from Advance. When I first opened my shop I tried using their parts, lifetime warranty don’t ya know. Well 28 days after installing a “premium” alternator the truck comes in on a hook. Alldata shows 1.1 or 1.2 to R&R the alt. I get 1/2 at their “generous” $25.00 / hour, no testing allowance plus I got to eat the tow bill, they wouldn’t pay it. No thank you anymore. I installed pads, rotors and calipers on another car. Advance was the only place in town with all of the parts. The first complaint after a week was squealing that I traced to a large piece of metallic content in the pad. Well a complete brake job again with a new rotor and she was happy but I got .8 for the pads, nothing for the rotor or the testing. The following year she came back with a complaint that the brake pedal went to the floor and then she pumped it again and then the brakes were grinding. I inspected the brakes and found one of the rear pads had de-laminated and only the backing plate was left. I called Advance and explained that I had replaced pads, rotors and calipers and one had de-laminated but all the remaining pads had at least 80% material left and they were all even. Sorry, there had to be something wrong with the brake system. I had replaced everything and all the remaining pads were worn evenly. Sorry a caliper must be dragging and wore out the pad. I got to pay to replace the pads and the rotors again with no help from the junk parts store. NEVER again will I buy anything from Advance, even if they are the only place in town with the parts. The customer will have to wait until a real parts store can get the parts.
I am a NAPA AutoCare Center so NAPA is my first call for most parts anyway now. But one time I was pricing out a radiator for a customer who was in a yank for their car so I looked up Autozone and their price for a SpectraPremium radiator was almost the list price from NAPA. Regardless I have a real hard time supporting a parts store that actively and aggressively undermines the value of my skills, knowledge and abilities.
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