TSB question

OK you guys if a car has a TSB is it only good till the warranty runs out?What about recalls how long are they good for?
Example my wifes car is a 96 way out of warranty can I still get TSBs fixed free?What if it had a recall same question.

 

TSB's are not free after warranty unless they are part of a recall.Also TSB's are not blanlet statements,it doesn't mean every car in that model/year is or will be affected.TSB's are meant for professional use.I've seen TSBs about paint coming off mufflers,who cares.If something is safety or emission related it will most likely be a recall and be free.

 

I see your point on TSB after warranty being a you pay item.Seems to me the general public has no clue about TSBs and that is a bonus for the car maker but not the consumer.
Lets take a recall what if you have a car and you are a second owner and it has a recall for lets say snapping tie rods a very unsafe condition.
Is the car company still responsible to fix car free even if recall is years later?

 

All you have to do is call your OEM with your VIN # and they can tell you if your vehicle is affected or if the recall was already done.

A TSB doesn't always equate to a "AHA!!! Caught you Mr. OEM. You have a problem and you didn't tell me, the car owner!".

I have seen TSBs that are capacity charts and just FYI for dealers. For instance, do you as a car owner care that the service writer must enter OASIS codes in the system so the dealer will get reimbursed? Think not. LOL.

Main thing with a TSB: If you have a problem, it's worth checking out on Alldata.com (you'll only get the titles there, you need a full Alldata subscription to get the bulletin text).

If you find a title that makes sense, see your OEM dealer and ask them to show it to you or explain. A good service writer will gladly do so.

 

Recalls are free if you 1 million miles they are still free.Auto makers are required by law to send out notices fer recalls.It also doesn't matter how many people owned it or how old the car is.The reason for them being for professional use is for example a MIL lamp is on.Ok wow my car is broke I remember a TSB about that so now it's free goody goody.So I take my car to the dealer and they check it and it has a code p0442.They tell me I'll cut you a break it's only 25 dollars because you left your gas cap loose.But mister dealer there was a tsb for the mil being on.Yes you are correct but that was for p1404 so it doesn't pertain to this problem and your vin isn't affected anyhow.So as you can see it could pose more confusion than it.s worth,plus having the tsb will not include some specific testing to get to a tsb in the first place.Calling a dealer may or may not get you tsb info even if you have the #.A flat rate tech or comission service advisor may not want to look it up for free to save you a buck.

 

If you have a specific TSB or recall you are interested in, post the number or title here and I will see if I can dig it up. I do have Alldata here at home on my PC.
Billy

 

Thanks guys lots of good info.I was just wondering I don't have any TSBs I am not aware of on my new Toyota because I also chat with a Toyota Forum.
I was going to check on any recalls for my wifes 96 Buick skylark.
She bought it before we were married from a used car lot and it is a real piece of ----
It runs good but I cannot keep up with all the little stuff that is defective from power windows to gremlin electrical faults.
I guess the recalls are just for real unsafe conditions however I recall a time I had an 89 Chevy pick up and they had a recall on the transmission dip stick.I ended up with two of them somehow