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Rear LED fail and dealer says not covered?

swyman

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45k on my 2018 Rubicon and finally got around to taking it to the dealer so I can have my drivers side tail light (LED) replaced. No big deal, I have the Max Lifetime warranty so I took it in this morning so they could order one, figured they wouldn't have one in stock and they didn't. Just got a call from the service rep and she said the tail light is NOT covered under the Max lifetime warranty? That bastard in the finance department told me it would cover everything but had a $100 deductible. They said it will cost me $640 to replace it! I am sooo pissed, can't believe I paid for that warranty and they not covering that. I specifically asked before I purchased the warranty if it covered the radio if it took a crap (just being a smart azz) and he told me yes? Guess I should have said tail light. Any options?
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45k on my 2018 Rubicon and finally got around to taking it to the dealer so I can have my drivers side tail light (LED) replaced. No big deal, I have the Max Lifetime warranty so I took it in this morning so they could order one, figured they wouldn't have one in stock and they didn't. Just got a call from the service rep and she said the tail light is NOT covered under the Max lifetime warranty? That bastard in the finance department told me it would cover everything but had a $100 deductible. They said it will cost me $640 to replace it! I am sooo pissed, can't believe I paid for that warranty and they not covering that. I specifically asked before I purchased the warranty if it covered the radio if it took a crap (just being a smart azz) and he told me yes? Guess I should have said tail light. Any options?
Do you have a copy of the warranty with all the fine print? If it’s an exclusionary warranty it should list what’s NOT covered. Everything else should be covered for manufacture’s defect.

Make them prove to you it’s not covered in the fine print. Never trust anything that comes from the dealer, especially finance department.
 

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Lights are usually listed in the exclusion list of Max care. That said, it failed on a two year old Jeep - clearly a manufacturing defect. For example, Battery is not covered either, but if it fails on a new Jeep, it is common for the dealer to replace under warranty anyway. I don't know all the venues that are available, but If I were you, I will find out and escalate.
 

ChrispyJL

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$640 for 1 light?
Not only is it not being covered a load of shit...but that price is also a load of shit.
Tell them you want to test drive another JL, drive it home and swap the light lmao.
 

dsgrey

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$640 is outrageous but not surprising. We had a 92 Chrysler minivan that lost a headlight due to road debris the same year we bought it. Back then those one piece plastic housings were a new thing. It cost $450 to replace.
 

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TJ2018

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That's a pretty crappy deal. Though most warranties don't include wear items such as lights... though it seems terribly soon for an LED to be going out like that.

Not that this helps much, but you can get one from @AllMoparParts.com for $559.
 

TJ2018

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Sorry to say but I am now happy that I didn't get the LED package.
LED's have a typical lifespan of 50,000 hours (compared to non-LED of 400-600 hours) so they don't typically require replacing. In the OPs case it is clearly a defective product (in either the LED or the electronics) and should be covered under warranty but the dealer is squirming out of it under the "lights exempt" clause.

Still glad I have the factory LED's as it's an awesome lighting package. Just keeping fingers crossed there's not a bum diode or circuit component in there.
 

TJ2018

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Hmmm... I couldn't find lights listed under the standard warranty as being excluded. In the extended warranty there is an exclusion for "... lights (bulb, sealed beams, lenses)" However, the LED tail light does not fit this description.

I call BS on the dealer at this point. Wonder if @JeepCares could clarify if the LED light assembly is covered by warranty (standard and/or extended).
 
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JimLee

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LED's have a typical lifespan of 50,000 hours (compared to non-LED of 400-600 hours) so they don't typically require replacing. In the OPs case it is clearly a defective product (in either the LED or the electronics) and should be covered under warranty but the dealer is squirming out of it under the "lights exempt" clause.

Still glad I have the factory LED's as it's an awesome lighting package. Just keeping fingers crossed there's not a bum diode or circuit component in there.
If one of mine goes bad it's $3.99 for a pair of bulbs at Autozone. I'm glad you like yours but i'd be livid at having to pay over $500 for a replacement light. No thanks, I don't trust any dealer to do what they should.
 

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Jeepsterfreak

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LED's have a typical lifespan of 50,000 hours (compared to non-LED of 400-600 hours) so they don't typically require replacing. In the OPs case it is clearly a defective product (in either the LED or the electronics) and should be covered under warranty but the dealer is squirming out of it under the "lights exempt" clause.

Still glad I have the factory LED's as it's an awesome lighting package. Just keeping fingers crossed there's not a bum diode or circuit component in there.
Pretty sure I remember reading a post about a similar situation. If I remember correctly, it was due to a bad seal on the tail light housing exposing it to the elements.

Regarding LEDs, I purchased some ordinary LED house bulbs to replace CFL bulbs in my kitchen light fixtures. Paid more money for ones assembled in USA thinking they would be higher quality than China made. Something like $6 for a 4 pack. 2 out of 4 stopped working within 2 weeks! Back to CFLs.
 

TJ2018

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According to the 2018 Warranty - Gas with the 3-year 36K mile factory warranty:

2.1 Basic Limited Warranty:
B.
"There is no list of covered parts since the only exception are tires and Unwired headphones. You pay nothing for these repairs.

The following items are covered only for 12 months or for 12,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first:

Brakes (rotors, pads, linings, and drums);
Wiper blades
Clutch Discs or Modular Clutch Assembly (as equipped);
Windshield and Rear Window; and
Wheel Alignment and Wheel Balancing.

3.3 Maintenance Costs Not Covers: Lubrication, Engine tune ups, Replacing filters, coolant, spark plugs, bulbs, or fuses (unless those costs result from a covered repair); cleaning and polishing, replacing worn wiper blades, worn brake pads and linings, or clutch linings."

An LED light assembly does not have a bulb and therefore is not excluded under the warranty.
 
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TJ2018

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If one of mine goes bad it's $3.99 for a pair of bulbs at Autozone. I'm glad you like yours but i'd be livid at having to pay over $500 for a replacement light. No thanks, I don't trust any dealer to do what they should.
Not a matter of doing what they should. The LED's are covered under the standard warranty. There is NO exclusion listed for LED's. As mentioned above they do exclude bulbs, but that's not the case here.

Any dealer who says an LED is a bulb clearly has their head up their @ss.
 

TJ2018

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Just got a call from the service rep and she said the tail light is NOT covered under the Max lifetime warranty?
There is a clause in the lifetime warranty that excludes "lights" but the language is somewhat ambiguous as it mentions (bulb, sealed beams, lenes) in the exclusion. I could fight the dealer's warranty denial based on that alone... however...

But see my posts above as the LED lights SHOULD be covered under the standard 3-year/36,000 mi warranty. There is no exclusion for LED's (bulbs ARE excluded, but LEDs are not bulbs).

I'd fight this like crazy....
 

TJ2018

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Regarding LEDs, I purchased some ordinary LED house bulbs to replace CFL bulbs in my kitchen light fixtures. Paid more money for ones assembled in USA thinking they would be higher quality than China made. Something like $6 for a 4 pack. 2 out of 4 stopped working within 2 weeks! Back to CFLs.
Haha! Don't blame you. The early LED options were pretty crappy (especially when used with dimmers). When we bought our house 9 years ago we put up recessed ceiling lighting with CFL's (that look like floods). The darn flood lenses kept falling off and shattering on the floor (these were the best CFL lights we could find). Would happen randomly and for no apparent reason. Once we switched to LED's they've worked flawlessly. Out of the 20 we installed about 7 years ago (tossed all the crappy CFL floods) not one has even hiccuped.
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