Questions and Answers

TSB Or The Shaft? Q. Hello Vincent, I read a post on your site that said that there was a TSB issued on April 20, 1999 for Hondas MIL light coming on. The TSB as you described it 99-029 was to replace a burnt fuse and to repair a wiring harness that is rubbing against the intake manifold.

I own a 1997 Honda Civic LX with a 1.6 liter engine, manual transmission with the 2HGEJ6 VIN number, therefore I believe my car was affected. Yesterday I had my car into the Honda Dealership because the engine light was on, and the engine idle was not regular. Also yesterday morning, my speedometer didn't work. I brought it in, and low and behold, they said they had to replace a fuse and repair some wiring behind the manifold that was shorting or something.

I called them today to ask about the TSB and inquire if Honda should have repaired it free of charge. The Service rep I was speaking to, said that car owners are never notified about these bulletins, just the technicians. He also said that the repair free of charge was only good under 60,000 Kms. Is this true? I thought that a TSB didn't have any time limits.

Any info you could give me on TSB's and how they work, and whether I'm getting shafted by this dealership would help greatly!

Thanks,
Carolyn

A. The short answer is no, you did not get the shaft. If the car was out of warranty, then the normal charges apply.

Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) are issued by a vehicle manufacturers to alert technicians to product updates and known issues. They are not, in any way, an extension of, or addition to, the new car warranty. If the condition in a TSB happens in warranty, then the condition is repaired under the warranty. If it happens outside the warranty period, it is up to the customer to pay for the repair.

Under some circumstances there may be the possibility of a "Good Will" repair. This means that the vehicle is just out of warranty but has a known problem and either the dealer or the auto maker will warranty the repair in order to satisfy a customer.

TSB's are for informational purposes only. They are not recalls. Another person had a similar question about Recalls And TSB's.

In this case, from the bulletin:

Out of warranty: Any repair performed after warranty expiration may be eligible for goodwill consideration by the District Service Manager or your Zone Office. You must request consideration, and get a decision, before starting work.

So a call to the District Service Manager may get you a reimbursement. But that is not guaranteed.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA