warranty claim denied

[monkin]

We took our car in for low tire pressure.

They said the front two tpms sensors were fractured
and it must have happened when the tires were
replaced. We did have the tires replaced 3 months
ago but had no problems til this week.

I called suzuki.. they called the service mgr and determined
its not covered. Suzuki acted like they just didnt care.

The sensors were $180 a piece and $85 for labor.

My question is...Am I being unreasonable? I feel like
it probably wasn't the tire replacement since it was
too long ago... and suzuki could care less what I think.

Edit..

Whew..well..now that I'm past my spontanous anger phase
because I didn't get my way..LOL. Maybe they have to
assume I'm being dishonest. I do understand this happens
and the dealer can't cover items that were damaged due
to misuse.

I am just going to let it go.. and pray that God handles it
if it needs further attention..<smile> or karma if you prefer.

[murcod]

It sucks, but I can see their view- particularly when the tyres have been replaced. It would have been nice for them to help out on the pricing.

[chazyouwin]

I'd check the warranty documentation and discuss the specifics with the dealer. You say "Suzuki" made the determination, but it sounds like it was the dealer. If the TPMS are not out of warranty, I would ask the dealer to escalate to Suzuki itself. There's a bunch of things that don't sound right - the speculation as to the cause, and the fact that both went out. You don't say how many miles you have, but if you are within the first 24000 or so I suspect this will be covered. I have successfully pressed dealers for coverage - they often have no real idea what they are doing, and the idea that something "must have" happened suggests they are speculating.

[chazyouwin]

By the way, when I purchased TPMS from Tirerack.com they were $50 per TPMS. Still expensive, but nowhere near what you paid.

[09c300]

You claim the TMPS are fractured. If that,s true, the following will not help.
I have a competative vehicle with TMPS. a short time ago some other poster on another forum had the TMPS LED Icon illuninate on his dashboard.
A few posters replied and informed him to try a procedure which involved inserting the ignition key without starting the engine. I can't remember the sequence, but whatever it was, cured the problem. It could be Suzuki has a similar cure, and the dealer is not aware of it. Try contacting Suzuki to find out if there is such a procedure.
Good luck.

[monkin]

Thanks for the help folks. The car has 22K miles on it.

Yes..it was the service manager at the dealer who made the determination.
The service manager was VERY firm about not covering the repair.

I did explain the reason why I was puzzled..he still would not
adknowledge there was even a remote possibility it wasn't the tire
installers fault.

I am looking at the defective sensors now..apparantly they are
cracked right below where the valve cap goes on. Looks like
it was rubbing against some sort of sleeve that goes thru the rim.
I can't see the crack...just going on what I was told.

You guys may not believe this..but its true...

The suzuki lady put me on hold and called the dealer service manager.
When she came back to me..she stated the repair was not covered.
I asked her why..and pleaded my case tactfully..IMO..LOL
Then she said the case is closed and hung upp on me. That upset
me more than anything.

Oh well...I need to let this go and move on. Like I said..God will
handle it from here. I have learned that the satisfaction of
my instincts cannot be the sole aim in my life...<smile>

Thanks again everyone.

[chazyouwin]

Google cracked tpms and you get a lot of interesting warranty stories. Here's a link to discussion on a Mercedes site, where the prices might make you feel a little better:

http://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w204/ ... ensor.html