Takata woes, and other whining.

I'm a little annoyed today, because I am lousy at getting things done. My 09 Fit is subject to the Takata "Shotgun" airbag recall. Today marks my third visit to the dealer in a year, and still no action. I told them upon my first visit that I was not afraid to drive it ( 2 mile commute, safety glasses at all times), and to take their time. Months later,(second visit) I explained that I was preparing to move, and needed this done within a month please. The response was

"Did we order parts?",

to which I replied "Well, I certainly hope so, when I came in here months ago."

They had not, but did so that day, saying they would call me when it was ready.

Today, two months later- 8+ total, I believe, I asked if we could do anything, and was told they hadn't arrived yet. The guy offered to show me that they had indeed been ordered and he could show me they had not been received. I understand all this, but I personally know several people who have milked the free rental car offer associated with this recall, drove rentals for a month or more, and now have their airbags replaced, specifically because they were not easy to work with. I feel I am being marginalized because I refuse to go in there with blood in my eye.

In semi-related news, a grad student in my special lady friend's orbit did get the rental while this was being handled on her car. She couldn't afford the $17 /day insurance the rental company wanted to tag on, and so, went without. Same dealer put her in the rental, THEN ordered parts-weeks pass. Sure enough, a parking lot hit-and-run left her with a broken tail-light, damaged bumper, and a $800+ bill that they claim is her responsibility.

One more gripe, then I'm done, I promise. Nightmare at the drugstore. I've got to get GOUT meds. It takes 20 minutes just to drop off, and since I recognize my stearoid-elevated mood, tell them I'll return once they are ready. They say an hour should be good. I give them two-still not ready.

I'm really not seeking advice here, unless someone has some to help the grad-student.

Maybe this should have gone in the rants thread.

Moral of the story: Don't be like me. Advocate well for yourself. This does not mean to be a jerk, but do be assertive, it is the only thing that works in our instnt-gratification society. Cease whining.

So, a few weeks back I stopped by my former employer. Got to see this in hte back parts room:

That is an entire skid of airbag inflators.

Never volunteer "and take your time."

You have to realize the size of the dealership, the wait list and what their weekly/monthly allocation is. We have 600+ people on wait lists for airbag recalls (don't know how many we were getting per week/month). We also had 60+ people on a list for frame replacements, when I left we were still only getting 1-2/month. On the flip side, we routinely had 20-30 leaf springs in stock sitting around. This stuff takes time. It would be different if they could order parts without a VIN# and keep some in stock.

Also, that dealer sounds scummy. Certain recalls will have the rental covered by the corporate (toyota/honda/etc) company if the recall is going to take over X days. Not to mention, they should be carrying coverage on all vehicles in their lots, especially on rental vehicles.

1kris06 wrote: You have to realize the size of the dealership, the wait list and what their weekly/monthly allocation is. We have 600+ people on wait lists for airbag recalls (don't know how many we were getting per week/month). We also had 60+ people on a list for frame replacements, when I left we were still only getting 1-2/month. On the flip side, we routinely had 20-30 leaf springs in stock sitting around. This stuff takes time. It would be different if they could order parts without a VIN# and keep some in stock.

This is all true.

But hey, at least you're not sitting behind this stuff:

-URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/business/airbag-propellant-bound-for-takata-factory-detonates-en-route.html?_r=0[/URL]

Another Takata airbag death.....

truck carrying inflators crashed and blew up victim's home....

kb58 wrote: Never volunteer "and take your time."

Yep translates to you get served last.

The insurance thing I would fight. There should be no cost for the rental. And that includes insurance.

oldeskewltoy wrote: Another Takata airbag death..... truck carrying inflators crashed and blew up victim's home....

SCOOPED YOU but my link doesnt work

kb58 wrote: Never volunteer "and take your time."

Truer words were never spoken. I am hoping by speaking this aloud, I'll begin the long journey out of chumpsville.

The only valiant thing to do is try to help the young lady who is being taken advantage of here. Advice? E-mail letter to Honda? I could get in the service manager's neck on her behalf (consumer advocacy is even less her area then mine). I believe talking to the rental place is useless.

Does she have full coverage on her personal vehicle? If so often times that insurance will cover the rental car. And if she has uninsured motorist coverage them it may cover the hit and run with no deductible. That will vary by insurance company though. She should talk to hers.

In reply to wheelsmithy:

Hello,

We work with American Honda Customer Service Department. We are sorry for the frustration and inconvenience that the Takata airbag inflator recall has caused. We would like to review your concern to try and expedite a solution. Please PM your name, address, phone #, VIN, and the dealership name.

Thank you.

Sebastian Honda Automobile Customer Service American Honda Motor Co., Inc. 1919 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90501

Contact Options: Twitter: @HondaCustSvc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honda/ Automobile Customer Service Phone Number: 1-800-999-1009 opt. 7

The notecard I got in the mail was pretty funny. It said that my vehicle was included in the recall, that there was a lengthy wait associated with getting parts, and that I should not use the front passenger seat of my vehicle. They would let me know when they get the parts. I'm not holding my breath. I suspect the vehicle will be in the scrapyard before they get around to fixing it.

wheelsmithy wrote: Moral of the story: Don't be like me. Advocate well for yourself. This does not mean to be a jerk, but do be assertive, it is the only thing that works in our instnt-gratification society. Cease whining.

There's always the debacle Toyota has been making of this recall. Father in laws truck has been in something like 3 times now having his airbag replaced. At this rate, his steering wheel is going to wear out.

First Toyota was just swapping used bad airbags around between vehicles. Then they replaced them with new bad airbags. Then they replaced those bad airbags with different bad airbags. As well replacing bad airbags with unknown airbags.

Currently, Toyota has promised to stop all that and to replace all those airbags with truly good airbags, promise!. But they've no idea when this will happen.

Huckleberry wrote:

To be fair, my local Honda dealer called, we scheduled the airbag replacement, and they under-promised, and over-delivered. Bonus, thanks to this forum, I just learned the timing chain is designed to last the life of the engine. Happy days are here again.

I love a happy ending

Shoot I'm trying to buy a new to me vehicle and am being told no sale until completed. Too bad I need it now

It's okay, I have two Takata recalls on a car I don't even possess yet

EastCoastMojo wrote: I love a happy ending

I just can't. Too easy.

wheelsmithy wrote: Bonus, thanks to this forum, I just learned the timing chain is designed to last the life of the engine. Happy days are here again.

Yes, when the timing chain fails, your engine's life is over.

bentwrench wrote:

wheelsmithy wrote: Bonus, thanks to this forum, I just learned the timing chain is designed to last the life of the engine. Happy days are here again.

Yes, when the timing chain fails, your engine's life is over.

Not entirely true. It was fairly common in the K24's to replace the chain, guides and tensioners because of stretch, causing a cam timing code. This was usually because of extended drain intervals that the OE maintenance minder follows.

I got the 'pre-recall' notice for my E46 in September 2014. I got the passenger-side airbag recall notice in May 2015, with a note that they would contact me once parts were available. Before that could happen, I got the driver's side recall notice in July of 2015 - again, stating that they would contact me for action when parts became available.

Flash forward to last week, November 2016. I just got my first notice that parts were available. This is a permanent fix part for the driver's side, but still only an interim fix for the passenger side. 18 months since the actual recall and it's still only an interim fix!

wheelsmithy wrote: One more gripe, then I'm done, I promise. Nightmare at the drugstore. I've got to get GOUT meds. It takes 20 minutes just to drop off, and since I recognize my stearoid-elevated mood, tell them I'll return once they are ready. They say an hour should be good. I give them two-still not ready.

I drive across town to a pharmacy rather than use the one that is within 1 block of my house. I won't even set foot in that store anymore, for anything. Whenever I dropped off a prescription, they would tell me some arbitrary number of hours until it was ready. Which was pointless, because they were never even going to look at that damn prescription again until I came back to pick it up. 2 hours, 2 days, didn't matter, I'd still have to wait half an hour for it no matter how much extra time I gave them.

dculberson wrote: Does she have full coverage on her personal vehicle? If so often times that insurance will cover the rental car. And if she has uninsured motorist coverage them it may cover the hit and run with no deductible. That will vary by insurance company though. She should talk to hers.

I think my credit card covers me on rental insurance. But is this a rental?