Not covered by warranty??

Hey guys
Swung by toyota to get a replacememtt screw for the sensor that fell out. Truck is a 2019. Parts guy said it's not covered by the 3/36 warranty, how is it not? This is not a wear and tear part. It's not about the 3 bucks its about the principle, I'm gonna argue it tomorrow when i go to pick it up. Opinions?

 

Not every issue with a vehicle is a warranty issue. Could have been tweakers stealing it for scrap value, sounds like an insurance claim.

 

That's absolutely a warranty issue. The only argument they could have is misuse/abuse... and I don't think you can abuse a door close sensor.

 

Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place. Reference, Anybody?

In all seriousness though, I’d grab my sales person or manager before I went to the parts counter and then ask them, are you really going to make me pay for this?

 

Most parts guys don't know what should be and should not be covered. That's what the service writers are for.
Also note, the dealership likely will not give you the part and make a claim under warranty, because in order for it to be covered they have to make the repair.
In short, it could be covered under warranty if you follow the proper channels.

 

I would say it is warranty. The only way that would fall out is if they did not torque it down at the factory. Unless of course someone else worked on it after delivery, but I doubt that, otherwise you probably would have mentioned that.

 

Do you have the screw that fell out? If you don't have it, how can they warranty it? They need to see a sign of defect.

 

This is how dealerships lose business to good dealerships. Titus toyota in tacoma, living uo to their reputation.

 

Im pretty sure screws arw designed to atay in place, but im not an engineer....

 

I'm an civil engineer. You are correct.

Let's get a second opinion from a Mechanical (?) engineer. @tonered ?

 

My English good lol. New phone trying to learn swype is failing i guess

 

Which easily leads into the dealership denying fixing it under warranty. They can say screws don’t just fall out, if it’s not there then you must have removed it and lost it. That’s just as likely (probably more so) than the screw having fallen out on its own.

They could also just give you the screw since it is a $3 part and send you on your way though.

 

I'd save your gripe for something more worthwhile.
Just go in and tell them your not happy and leave it at that.

 

It's a $0.30 part... they just happen to charge $3.00 for it.

I can see where there's no way to prove it was a failure of the bolt... but there's also no evidence to suggest OP removed it. The dealership is being ridiculous if they don't replace this and eat the cost.

 

This post is defective.^

 

Customer goes into a dealership for a leaking main seal...

"Sir, do you have the oil that leaked out? If you don't have the oil, how do we know the part was defective? Maybe you took the oil out of the engine and placed it on the ground"

 

If I was the dealer, I would give you the screw for free, but I also agree that it's not a warranty issue. I can't see how they could warranty a missing part unless you could prove there was a defect that caused it to be "missing."

 

A dealer isn't going to replace a seal that the customer says is leaking. They're going to check to actually see if it's leaking.

 

Yeah and no. A thread needs either torque or a resisting load to not back itself out. Mainly, threads only make contact in a few places until put under a load that either deforms the threads just enough, or an elastic material is used to create that preload.

So basically, a lot of surface area and static friction keeps plain threads in place.

For the OP, it is weird that the fastener is gone, yet there are no marks on the door from it backing out?

 

I think you're missing the point... The bolt not being there (having backed out) IS the defect. There is zero evidence to show that the OP tampered with it. I can see where this comes down to the dealer's discretion, but they'd be fools to not replace it.