Hi guys, I'm having an issue right now, and I just need some advice... So, a little back story: I've got a 2003 with 204k miles and I recently had my Inverter assembly go bad. The cost for the part alone was going to be $3300, but I was able to find a lightly used one on eBay for $750. And my local dealership changed it for me with the caveat that they couldn't warrant the part, which I fully agreed to and understand. HOWEVER, there was a service bulletin with my repair stating that when that part is replaced, the inverter water pump is supposed to be replaced also. Wen they serviced my car, they did not perform this service. When I saw how low my bill was, I asked them about it and they assured me that there was no need to replace that part. I shrugged and accepted their judgement. That was two days ago. Today, my car died in the same EXACT fashion as when I brought it in for the inverter. Now, while I do understand that my used part was installed at my own risk with no guarantee, it seems likely that failure to follow through with the service bulletin may have caused the part to fail. Does it sound like this is something the dealership should cover free of charge, or is this just a bad-luck used part purchase and I'll have to eat the cost? Thank for any input, -Shawn
What does this mean? " Today, my car died in the same EXACT fashion as when I brought it in for the inverter. " What has failed? Is it the inverter water pump? Or is it the used inverter assembly? Or is it both? I kind of think you are out of luck. The dealership only did EXACTLY what you asked them to do. They only replaced the part that you provided. First of all you have to determine what at this point has failed. If it's NOT the inverter water pump, then you don't have much of a case. If the inverter water pump has failed I suppose you could claim you were given bad advice. But is that negligence? I'm not sure. Since you had knowledge of this service bulletin, you could of insisted that the water pump be replaced. But I'd say the first step is finding out exactly what has failed at this point.
Well, it's the pump that was bad. I'm paying to replace that (I was going to initially, anyway) and they say that the inverter should be fine once that's done. Hopefully, they're right. I've made it clear that, if the inverter has gone bad, I'm going to consider them responsible for not changing the water pump. So, we'll see. I'll post here so anyone with a similar situation can see how it turned out.
Missed this post before... It did turn out to be the water pump (apparently, this part failing will cause the inverter to intentionally shut down, which looks the same as when it fails). And they didn't do exactly what was asked of them. I asked them to change out the water pump because I didn't want to chance keeping in a part that could kill the part I was having installed with no warranty. So, if replacing the water pump (which I am gladly paying for) fixes the car, then no issues. If the used inverter is bad, then I can only assume it is because the water pump wasn't changed when it was supposed to be. I think it's safe to call that negligence. If it had been different and the inverter had just flat-out failed, then I would in no way attempt to have any service comped. I had it installed at my own risk. As it is, I'm hoping the manager was correct and the inverter will function without issue once the new water pump is in.
Sorry for your troubles. We know this: inverter coolant pumps fail - need to be replaced with most recent version bleeding inverter coolant loop is a pain-in-the-*ss - the most successful technique involves using a vacuum source. I did it using the manual described, plastic tubes, and carried around some 'make up' as the air bubbles eventually found their way out. inverter overheating is usually a 'warning', not a hard failure - past experience. Often folks have been able to let the car sit and 'limp home'. Can you provide more details about the failure mode(s)? Do you still have the original inverter? Bob Wilson
I am wondering how the tech could install the new inverter without determining that the coolant pump was bad. It seems unlikely that the pump would fail only two days after service was performed. There is a reasonable chance that after the new inverter coolant pump is installed, the newly installed inverter will work fine, if you shut the car down immediately upon seeing the overheating warning. For that matter, the old inverter may also still be operational. Did you ever try to make the car READY after giving the old inverter a chance to cool down? If you did and the car became READY, then the old inverter could be reinstalled.
You can get the pump for less than $150 and if you can get another converter for the same price and then add the cost of installation, then get the new mechanic to certify that it was the previous installers negligence that caused the problem, you MIGHT be able to convince a small claims judge to force them to recoop some of your losses. How much is your time and headache worth? I wish I could be more encouraging but that's reality.
Well that changes things a bit. From your original post I did not get that you had asked them to change out the water pump. If you specifically ask them to do so, and they did not? That's different.
