I have a car under warranty, purchased in November 2007. I am losing brake fluid - 4 ounces in 10 days - and it (obviously) needs a repair. I have about 2,700 miles on the car.

There is ONE dealership in my area and another 2 hours away. The dealership is being investigated by the DMV for fraud and I only know that because I date a Police Officer. It's not public knowledge.

Do I HAVE to take the car to the factory-authorized dealership - the only one in town, obviously - for this repair work. I realize it could be an expensive repair but could I pay for it at a private garage which has techs familiar with the make/model and then ask for reimbursement? Or how would this work?

If it matters, it's a high end car.

twinkiedooter

I find it most interesting that the dealership who insisted on changing your brake fluid as it was "cloudy" now you are losing brake fluid.

I'd contact the other dealership and ask them that question as obviously the original dealership is not to be trusted.

I don't think that the warranty will be honored though unless a dealership does the work.

If push comes to shove, I'd have my car towed to the other dealership 2 hours away to have them do the work. Do you have AAA?

And please, don't drive this car until the brakes are working properly. We don't want to lose our Judy. Ok?

Maybe Captain Rich or This will be able to give you a more definitive answer.

JudyKayTee

Hi Twinkie - cloudy brake fluid is the Summer car but point well taken. Wonder if AAA would tow it for me?

Good thought - I know I'm going to get worked over by the dealer if I take it there.

twinkiedooter

The AAA only goes so far for free. It's been a long time since I had them, but even if you did have to pay something on top of their radius coverage, it would be well worth it in the end. You can find out how much extra you would owe when you call them up to arrange for towing. Speak to the customer service people at AAA about this.

this8384

What year, make & model? I think you said Mercedes but I don't want to assume; we all know why that word starts the way it does

Did you buy the car brand-new with a warranty through the dealership or with one of the warranties offered by a 3rd party? 3rd party warranties can be performed by anyone; dealership warranties need to be done at the dealership.

You could have an independent shop inspect the car to at least see what the problem is.

twinkiedooter

This - yes, I was thinking of having the problem at least diagnosed to see if it was just a fitting that came loose or something along those lines.

CaptainRich

If you're losing brake fluid, I would recommend you stop at the first place that can do a brake inspection.... NOW!

Make certain the inspection is thorough. Insist that you see exactly what they see. Most places will understand your urgency and be as careful as possible. They should also provide you with a written description of what they found. <-- Critical for your warranty concerns.
Once the inspection is complete, only you can decide if you should "pay now and reimburse later" to take care of your car.

Many times, if you can't get to the local options quickly, they will allow for you to go to another dealer, with distance restrictions of course.
Imagine if you were taking a short trip and "suddenly," you noticed an unexplained brake fluid loss!

Take it in and at least have it analyzed. Please?

JudyKayTee

It is a Mercedes sedan, it's actually at an independent repair shop right now. I had it towed in last night when I found a puddle of something or other under the car. They are going to diagnose the problem and make a recommendation. I won't have any idea until late today. My inclination is to have them repair it and then talk to the dealership about the cost. I do, however, realize this could be very expensive or something minor - so I'm waiting to see.

I appreciate the advice, I truly do. This has been the Year of The Car Repairs for me - my husband bought two new cars 3 weeks before he died (never drove my car) so that there wouldn't be problems - and I've had nothing but problems with both.

this8384

Isn't that the way it always goes? You plan ahead, get everything organized and then have the pleasure of watching it all fall to pieces around you.

Let us know what they find. I would maybe contact the dealership prior to have the independent shop repair the problem, at least let them know that there is absolutely no way to safely get the car to their shop....unless, of course, they'd like to tow it for free. Make a point of telling them that it's under warranty and you need your vehicle ASAP, etc.

MsMewiththat

AAA in my area has plans that allow for up to 5 10 and 100 miles. All different annual fees... learned that the hard way. A simple $10 upgrade could save you approx $3.50 per mile
I would check in the fine print of your warranty. There may very well be an allowance for having the work preformed somewhere else. Call the warranty company as well and ask them. I would think that if there is a limitation on who can preform the work they would be able to tell you. I don't have mine with me or I would quote what I read. However, there is a blurb about having the work preformed by the shop of my choice and being reimbursed. After all we do have to be comfortable with where we have the work preformed.
I would also recommend having the car towed in as leaking fluid most likely means something is disconnected? Break line?
If you are forced to go to that dealership, You are almost better off having the work inspected somewhere else first to identify the problem.
Best of luck, I know the horror of dealing with a dealership you don't have faith and trust in.