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Beware Hard Body Cladding No Warranty

L

lottoman

Full Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
16
I had a small scrape at the bottom of my bumper dont know how it got there but bumper was not punctured or damaged or out of place but it cracked 8 inches above the scrape and gm dealership says well it was caused by the scrape at the bottom of the bumper so no warranty this is suppose to be a truck and i can live with the scrape its not even noticable and the bumper is still in the normal place but a crack in the top of the bumper two inches long and a good 8 inches from the scrape mean that if anything comes in contact with the bumper and the cladding cracks anywhere as a result of that scrape then there is no warranty so buyers beware
 
MY PASSANGER SIDE FRONT JUST IN FRONT OF THE DOOR IS BROKEN ALL THE WAY A CROSS...
THE PEICE BEHIND LOOKS LIKE CRAP.

I WONDER IF THEIR IS SOME KIND OF REPACEMENT PARTS FOR THE CLADDING MAYBE SAY DIAMOND PLATED OR STAINESS STEEL ?

I WILL GET A PIC UP SOON....
 
That is pretty much what I would expect from the dealer. And damage to the part in proximity to the crack would restrict it from getting replaced under warranty.
 
Seems like the dealer is saying that the scrape and crack were the result of one incident. Is this true? If it is, and you were responsibile for the damage, then it is not covered under warranty - insurance (subject to deductable) yes, warrenty no.

Now, if that is not the case - i.e. you think the crack was the result of improper assembly or defective material - then it should be covered by your warranty - but that's a tough sell given the close proximity between the crack and the scrape.

And obviously, if the scrape and crack were on the truck from the factory, they should cover replacement under warranty.
 
I lost the piece of cladding in front of my rear driver's side wheel well. Not sure how it happened, but they ARE replacing it. I was driving down the highway and heard a "flapping" sound and a "pop". Had no idea what it was. Did not even realize the piece was missing until I left work this evening and did the parking lot "walk around". They have it in the shop and are replacing the piece - gave me a rental car and apologized.

Maybe you should pull the piece off and say that it came off when you were driving down the road - Just a thought

Steve.

 
fbuhler,

how in the world could you possible damage your cladding? :eek: ;)

BTW, I've been threating my wife to get away from the rat race and move us to Montana, but I know absolutely nothing about the place ('cept it's big and there are not many people). There's just something intriguing about the place.
 
lottoman said:
I had a small scrape at the bottom of my bumper dont know how it got there but bumper was not punctured or damaged or out of place but it cracked 8 inches above the scrape and gm dealership says well it was caused by the scrape at the bottom of the bumper so no warranty this is suppose to be a truck and i can live with the scrape its not even noticable and the bumper is still in the normal place but a crack in the top of the bumper two inches long and a good 8 inches from the scrape mean that if anything comes in contact with the bumper and the cladding cracks anywhere as a result of that scrape then there is no warranty so buyers beware
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Sounds like the AV was parked too close to a parking barrier (like a pole with concrete in it) that came up to just above the bottom of the cladding. Likely the scrape is where the top of the pole pressed into the bumper and the crack is the result of the cladding flexing as the pole pressed it in. Press in on cladding at the scrape and see if the crack "hinges" open when you do that.

But take any other vehicle that doesn't have a solid steel bumper and put it in that same situation and it will come out looking a LOT worse. Plastic will pop off of the sides of the car and the bumper will crease in the middle and stay that way when you back off of the obstacle. And you wouldn't be covered by warranty on those either.

That of course is a just a SWAG (Scientific Wild A** Guess). The Scientific part just means that there's some educated intelligent process in making the guess but it's still just a guess. :p

That cladding is pretty amazing stuff though. I got rear ended by a full size van and came away with not even a scratch. The cladding over my rear bumper flexed up for a bit. But I told them I wouldn't claim it unless it didn't go back down, and within' the day it did just that.

Sorry, warranty is for things that go wrong with the vehicle on their own during normal use. Insurance is for the rest. :(
 
lottoman

Sorry, but I gotta agree with everyone else on this one. If its not a manufactures defect then your at their mercy. There is a BMC(I think thats right) on the front bumper seperating from the truck. My front bumper is poking out on the sides by the wheel well and they are going to replace it. Also my rear passanger side door cladding is coming off and they are replacing it as well just waiting on the parts.

dday
 
dday said:
There is a BMC(I think thats right) on the front bumper seperating from the truck. ?My front bumper is poking out on the sides by the wheel well and they are going to replace it.
Click to expand...
Would that maybe be a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin I think)? If so can someone post the number and the details of it?

 
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