2008 Passenger Airbag Recall Questions

[striker1211]

I am taking my car to the GM dealer tomorrow for GM safety recall # 15815 . They sent me a letter in like March and months later they finally said the part was available (June) and now I finally have enough time to have my car out of service for a full day so I am taking it in. The dealer said it would take two hours of labor and they may have to get the part delivered to them. I am dropping the car off at 9AM and they said if its not done by five I can come pick it up because I need it the day after in the morning. My questions are:

1. Aren't they supposed to provide a courtesy car for use while it is for a recall? They have a courtesy shuttle to get me home but no "rental" vehicle. I would be happy to drive around a courtesy vehicle for a few days.

2. Do GM dealers not get paid for doing recall work, or get paid at a lesser rate? Does it hurt a dealer to have to do a recall repair?

3. If you had this done how long did it take?

Thanks.

[jayoldschool]

1. no
2. They get paid the time that the recall states.
3. The actual work is fast. The car will sit there more than it will be worked on. I dropped mine in the morning, and got it that afternoon.

[Jhinman]

2. Do GM dealers not get paid for doing recall work, or get paid at a lesser rate? Does it hurt a dealer to have to do a recall repair?

Thanks.

The dealership I took mine to said they love doing recalls. Not only is gm covering parts and labour but it gives them a chance to get a look at the car for things like tires or alignment that may need being done. As a matter of fact they seemed almost disappointed when they have my car back and informed me it was in other wise perfect shape after replacing the airbag.

[Caretaker]

......NEWS FLASH........Dealers like seeing cars so they can perform unnecessary "repairs" in order to keep the lights on...........Now back to our regularly scheduled program.........

[striker1211]

Ah I guess that makes sense, them wanting to soak you for more stuff. I took my Vibe to Spartan Toyota in Lansing for a tranny fluid swap and when I got it back they said I needed a new belt tensioner to the tune of just under $400. I politely declined and I've driven it 80 THOUSAND miles since then with no issues. I actually do think I need a wheel bearing soon though so if they mention that I will know I was right in my diagnosis so that's nice... anyways, I just dropped it off and I'll update this thread with my experience.

[tommytipover]

2. Do GM dealers not get paid for doing recall work, or get paid at a lesser rate? Does it hurt a dealer to have to do a recall repair?

They get paid at a lesser rate. Probably not enough to cover all the time they spend on the phone talking about parts availability, let alone the cost of the repair. so be nice to them, you'll be the 4,785,432nd person they've talked to about airbag recalls today.