posted 08-22-2005 12:05 PM                  

The cooling unit on my 2002 Prowler went out yesterday and resulted in the "burning up" of the lower part of the engine. Only 11,386 miles on her. 2 months out of warranty with no extended warranty. Estimated cost $6,700! Service manager is going to DC to see what they will do. He is asking for them to supply the parts if I'll pay for the labor. DC Regional person is out until tomorrow. I'm staying calm for now because the dealer has been fantastic to deal with in the past.

I don't know whether to be p***ed or sad.

posted 08-22-2005 12:44 PM                  

You say the cooling unit failed. What happened? Did you continue to drive it?

If you followed DCX's service procedures and can document it, I'd guess that you have a good chance of receiving help. Make sure to tell them of other DCX vehicles that you current own.

posted 08-22-2005 12:52 PM                  

I don't want to seem like I'm busting on DC and the Prowler, I don't want to discourage anyone who may be in the market for one and I don't want to hurt the possible resale of anyone's Prowler particularly mine.

posted 08-22-2005 01:02 PM                  

My owner's manual is in the car at the dealership. Do you or anyone out there in POALand have the number at hand?
I've got the serial number and mileage.

Thanks for the tip.

The dealer is very aware of the car and of my family. They've treated me like royalty in the past.

posted 08-22-2005 01:45 PM                  

Yesterday my daughter asked since I was very dirty from yard chores, if my Sister-in-Law could take her for a "Prowler ride". I said sure (even though a little birdy in my head said be careful). I went to pull the Kat out of the garage and saw it was low and gas so I drove 1.5 miles to get some gas and drove back home.

I had some problem 3 weeks ago at the beach with it going to 3/4 on the heat when the a/c was on, but it was 102 degrees down there then and when I'd turn the a/c off it would drop to 1/2. I drove it at the beach, the 3.5 hours back and 3 other times since without a heating problem.

Remembering the heat incident at the beach I turned the a/c on high on the gas trip and the needle stayed at 1/2. I told my Sister-in-Law to watch the temp meter closely and to turn off the a/c if the needle got to 3/4. She drove 2 miles and noticed the needle reaching just short of 3/4 and promptly turned off the a/c. She and my daughter said the needle kept climbing and they pulled off the road another mile up. This was a total of 3.2 miles, 1.9 miles with a/c and 1.3 without it (I measured it). When I got there, coolant had boiled over into the curb. I opened the hood let it cool down for approx. 30 minutes. I then carefully took the cap off and coolant/water sprayed out. I let it cool 1 hour and poured coolant and water in. I let it cool for another hour. I started it up to take it home, but heard an awlful clacking sound and immediately turned engine off. Since it was in a dangerous situation on the side of a busy 5 lane hwy, I started it up to pull it into an apartment parking lot. Dealership was closed (Sunday) and the lot was secure, so I locked it and covered it up until I could contact the dealer this morning. My Brother-in-law is a cop and he volunteered to have his men check on it every 2 hours.

I called the dealer this morning and they sent an exotic car towing service to meet me. At the dealership, they said they would have to put it on a lift and pull the pan to see the damage. They thought it may be a bearing. Prowler/Viper tech as well as the Service Manager told me they would personally handle it and that at night they would keep it covered and inside.

Service manager called me back late in the morning and told me that the cooling unit had gone out and had caused the the lower part of the engine to burn up. $6700 estimate and they would see if DCX rep. would help.

These are the complete and 110% truthful facts.

posted 08-22-2005 03:26 PM                  

Few questions for you. I am in the auto business and while reading your post my first question was: what is the "cooling unit"?? Are they referring to the radiator, water pump, oil cooler?? Not that I will claim to know everything (I don't) but I am not aware of a specific part called a "cooling unit" which causes overheating. Ask them to be more specific if they have not done so already. I assume right now they are referring to the radiator.

Regarding the engine damage, sounds like it must have spun a bearing or two and ruined the crankshaft. That would be my guess as to the high cost of the repair. Given the price of parts today, I'm not surprised as it would result in a complete overhaul if bearing shavings were found in the oil pan. Can't take chances and have to replace all bearings and flush block.

If you have all your receipts, or a record of maintenance, and assuming that there is a visible cause for the "cooling unit" failure (whatever that really means) you should have a good chance at getting the manufacturer to help with repair costs.

2 years ago I purchased a 1996 Chevy Truck with only 27,000 miles on it. Just prior to my purchasing it, the owner had spun a rod bearing. This guy was meticulous in his maintenance and record keeping, and even though the truck had been out of GM warranty for nearly 6 years, he went to GM with his files and problem, and GM not only agreed to a 100% repair, they installed a new "long block" which is basically a new engine without the accessories attached, and covered the full bill! I write about this because I have seen many other times when repairs have been approved by our company (VW) and I urge you to make contact with DCX.
Good luck !!

posted 08-22-2005 03:56 PM                    

quote:

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Originally posted by RPL:
Here's the DCX Customer Center number: 800-992-1997. Try calling mid-morning, 9:30 to 11:00 or 1:30 to 3:00. You're more likely to have a shorter wait.

Recommendation, the less said the better. Stick to the facts that day with no reference to past experience. The fact is that the car was operating with the temperature gauge in the middle when you took it out to get gas. That was with the AC on. Why did you notice? It was over a 100 degrees and you were concerned about operating the AC. State the distance driven and what occurred. Don't speculate as to the cause.

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Very Good Advise ... I would follow that and see if you can't get this problem resolved quickly. Good luck.

posted 08-22-2005 10:51 PM                  

******************************************************

I can relate one story I followed last fall concerning a 3.5L engine 'cooking' in a Chrysler 300. A local pilot for one of the airlines, used his 300 as a driver to and from our Phx. airport. While during the original 3/36 warranty period, the pilot had this vehicle into a DC service department three times for overheating issues. The techs had replaced the water pump, the thermostat, all hoses, the radiator, etc. etc. After the 3/36 had expired,,, and a fourth time at overheating occurred, DC finally approved a new 'long block' 3.5L to be installed. The Tech told me the charge back to DC was $6,000. All ended well,,,,and nobody at the service department has seen the 300 again.

posted 08-23-2005 05:57 AM                  

That is what the tech told me and I was asking other questions but never asked what a cooling unit is.
I was kind of bummed out and didn't ask.

posted 08-23-2005 12:14 PM                  

Lastest
I called the DCX Customer Center Bob so graciously posted (Thanks for the advice too Bob). Jolanda was extremely helpful. We had a 30 minute conversation with her placing me on hold numerous times to talk with different departments and with my dealer, service manager and Prowler tech. She left me saying she had all the information she needed and would be back with me before noon (this was at 9:30 am) asking for more info. or would have a resolution to my request for financial relief.

I then called the Service Manager to let him know that I was not pulling "an end run" on him by calling DCX, but was putting them on notice of the incident. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the call.

I got a voice mail message back from Jolanda (DCX) at 10:30 am saying that DCX was going to give some assistance and that the assistance would be through the dealer and the dealer would be contacting me.

OK-
My warranty ran out in March, I don't have an extended warranty and they don't have to do anything, but.....it only has 11,386 miles on it, I baby it, take it only to a 5 Star dealership for all work/service and it was promptly stopped once the overheating occured.
What is fair?

posted 08-23-2005 02:42 PM                  

JMO...Don't agree to a settlement until someone explains to you in detail what exactly the "cooling unit" is, and how it contributed to the damage. My opinion is that whatever the relationship is between the cause and the result, is the basis for how you proceed to negotiate. Manufacturers provide "goodwill" reimbursements for many reasons. The fact that your warranty ended in March is not as significant in my opinion to how many miles you may have driven since the warranty period ended. Assuming the mileage accumulation is minimal over the past 4-5 months, and better yet if you can prove it by receipts or some other valid method, you may be able to argue that the problem may have surfaced potentially during the warranty period had you driven the car more frequently. Another potential point to present can be that whatever failed in the "cooling unit" occurred due to summer heat and you are a victim of bad timing versus the end of your warranty period. I hope you can see the value in having a clear explanation of what actually happened to your car, so that you can better negotiate your settlement.