Why are some dealers so resistant to doing warranty work?

[gily25]

It might depend on what the work is...some dealers will have already performed the job in question and either put them into a lemon law situation (which can mean legal fees and administrative hassle) or it took much longer than their allotted time.

You could always ask why they don't want to perform the job, a forthcoming manager may be able to give you an answer like"we're too busy right now" well if it's not CEL or about the start a fire you might be able to wait until they're a little slower. You work with their team, you'll probable find you get better service anyhow, you get all pissy and say you're going to another dealership eventually no dealer will want to work with you. *2 cents*

[FV]

reimbursed? dealerships get paid for warranty work. dealerships are independent businesses and the labor they put in to do warranty work gets paid for.

[wheelhaus]

The dealers who are insistent or very helpful doing warranty work are run by people with either integrity or strong drive/business sense.

If it's integrity, they see the big picture, that you will be a return customer over the long run and they genuinely want to see their customers happy and taken care of.

If it's strong drive/business sense, then they see any incoming work has the potential to make money, but the most efficient shops will make money on any job, warranty or otherwise.

If they deny all sorts of warranty work for whatever reason, or they're just inefficient and cheap, or have inadequate mechanics, or a crap work ethic, they likely see warranty work as a waste of time. Their numbers look better and the manager may get a pat on the back. They may also be bitter; maybe too many customers have lied to them about their cars to get warranty work, or too many reimburesements denied by the manufacturer.