Denied Warranty Claim for a Non-functional Blinker

[penguin_wai]

Hey guys, a few months ago I discovered there's some water vapour inside the left rear blinker of my stinger after a car wash. I checked with a dealership advisor here in Calgary and he thought it was condensation. At that time the blinker was still working. After an accident hitting a jaywalking cyclist in May, the blinker has stopped working. I originally thought it was due to the accident, but the insurance company has denied claim since I hit the cyclist in the front, but it was the rear blinker not working. I checked again with the same dealership advisor, hoping to land a warranty claim. However, he denied my claim as he thought the scuff marks (red circle) on the blinker is the culprit causing water to seep through and made the blinker non-functional, so it wasn't something covered under warranty. The only option I get is to pay around $1,100 to replace the entire set of blinker. While I'm doubtful about his comments because they were inconsistent (condensation vs. scuff mark leading to water seepage), I also wonder whether these seemingly minimal scuff marks would cause water to seep through and trip the blinker (I use touchless car wash weekly). Will I have any luck seeking a warranty claim from another dealership?

Thanks for your comments in advance.

 

[Snicklefritz]

More details needed. Are you out of bumper to bumper warranty? Pictures are very useful. If "scuff marks" indicate some kind of damage then that is not a warranty claim, but it might be an insurance claim. Paying a $500 deductible is a better prospect than over twice that for replacement.

 

[penguin_wai]

More details needed. Are you out of bumper to bumper warranty? Pictures are very useful. If "scuff marks" indicate some kind of damage then that is not a warranty claim, but it might be an insurance claim. Paying a $500 deductible is a better prospect than over twice that for replacement.

Thanks. See the elongated mark in the red circle. I'm still within the bumper to bumper warranty period. I'm just skeptical whether the seemingly minimal scuff marks on the light would cause water to seep through.

 

[JSolo]

Maybe I'm blind. Not seeing any scuff mark in the red circle in the pic. Sounds like BS to me. Try a different dealership. Don't volunteer any more info than necessary.

 

[bfglitch]

Thanks. See the elongated mark in the red circle. I'm still within the bumper to bumper warranty period. I'm just skeptical whether the seemingly minimal scuff marks on the light would cause water to seep through.

I'd see if you can use a polish or something to buff it out and bring it to a different dealer. I highly doubt whatever left that scuff caused water intrusion.

 

[JSolo]

That's like claiming a scratch on the EV battery housing has caused catastrophic failure of the battery within. Something i've read EV's have been totaled out for.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Thanks. See the elongated mark in the red circle. I'm still within the bumper to bumper warranty period. I'm just skeptical whether the seemingly minimal scuff marks on the light would cause water to seep through.

I concur with the advice to try a different dealer. If you can rub that scuff out, they won't get to use it as an excuse for denying replacement under warranty.

What do you think caused the scuff mark? Could an impact that doesn't crack the outer plastic cause a crack or separation that's only visible when you take the taillight assembly out? You have moisture in the red part of the taillight too, not just the blinker clear plastic area.

 

[Alpinesting]

That really looks like a bad seal on the tail light assembly to me. Tail lights are pretty thick and can take a beating to

a point so I'm not sure. Run your fingernail along the tail light and see if you can feel a crack in the it.

 

[Ah GetFd]

How old is the car and why did this not happen when it was close to new?

This is what a dealer would be asking

Warranty is for manufacturing defect and these things show up early in the piece

Warranty also covers operational life for the remainder of the warranty period

The factory would be asking how many other cars have this failure?

The dealer also, gets paid by the factory, and if they know that the factory will refuse then they know they wont get paid.

Here, they take photos if unsure and send them to Kia corporate unless it is so obvious that it is a defect. Head cracks. Diff falls out. Fully dealer serviced. No modifications etc.

There IS water on the inside so it IS getting in. That IS a problem. Unless you can see that it is a seal its probably your problem.

 

[Alpinesting]

This kind of looks like it is leaking from the top.

 

[penguin_wai]

I concur with the advice to try a different dealer. If you can rub that scuff out, they won't get to use it as an excuse for denying replacement under warranty.

What do you think caused the scuff mark? Could an impact that doesn't crack the outer plastic cause a crack or separation that's only visible when you take the taillight assembly out? You have moisture in the red part of the taillight too, not just the blinker clear plastic area.

I suspect it's someone who mistakenly hit the blinker part with a cart at a parking lot, but I removed the scuff mark with wax today already. I'll see how another dealer speak about that.

 

[penguin_wai]

How old is the car and why did this not happen when it was close to new?

This is what a dealer would be asking

Warranty is for manufacturing defect and these things show up early in the piece

Warranty also covers operational life for the remainder of the warranty period

The factory would be asking how many other cars have this failure?

The dealer also, gets paid by the factory, and if they know that the factory will refuse then they know they wont get paid.

Here, they take photos if unsure and send them to Kia corporate unless it is so obvious that it is a defect. Head cracks. Diff falls out. Fully dealer serviced. No modifications etc.

There IS water on the inside so it IS getting in. That IS a problem. Unless you can see that it is a seal its probably your problem.

It's a 2022 one so around 3.5 yrs.

 

[penguin_wai]

This kind of looks like it is leaking from the top.View attachment 91721

yeah I tried running a fingernail round the light and couldn't feel a crack.

 

[JSolo]

I see a crack here - outlined in yellow. Near the top.

https://imgur.com/5F0NH85