Isn't RepairPal Optional?

[danielt1263]

I'm confused about something. I've never bought an after-market warranty product, but my understanding was that if you have one (assuming you get pre-authorization), you could just go to any repair place and then submit the bill to the warrantor for reimbursement, or maybe the shop would submit it for you if they were nice or had an agreement with the warrantor. Am I right in my assumption?

If I am right, wouldn't Slate's warranty work the same way? Yea, you can go to a RepairPal place and Slate will encourage you to do so, but is it actually required?

Also, I get that Slate will be certifying some RepairPal shops, but they are also releasing all of the repair and parts manuals, effectively their own Haynes/Chiltons guide, so again, shouldn't any shop be able to do the work (assuming they otherwise could, for eg they know how to do HV work in general, then they could use the guides that Slate will publish to do Slate specific HV work).

Everybody seems so worried about whether or not a RepairPal is near them but I don't understand why that is such a concern...

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I'm confused about something. I've never bought an after-market warranty product, but my understanding was that if you have one (assuming you get pre-authorization), you could just go to any repair place and then submit the bill to the warrantor for reimbursement, or maybe the shop would submit it for you if they were nice or had an agreement with the warrantor. Am I right in my assumption?

If I am right, wouldn't Slate's warranty work the same way? Yea, you can go to a RepairPal place and Slate will encourage you to do so, but is it actually required?

Also, I get that Slate will be certifying some RepairPal shops, but they are also releasing all of the repair and parts manuals, effectively their own Haynes/Chiltons guide, so again, shouldn't any shop be able to do the work (assuming they otherwise could, for eg they know how to do HV work in general, then they could use the guides that Slate will publish to do Slate specific HV work).

Everybody seems so worried about whether or not a RepairPal is near them but I don't understand why that is such a concern...

Bc there are relatively more computer nerds than wrench-turners running around now?

That’s a daunting task to folks who have never even been inside a Harbor Freight.

They fear the unknown and/or know that they have few skills and/or believe their time is best spent elsewhere…that’s the use case for RP as I see it.

 

[danielt1263]

I mean Slate has said you can do your own warranty work. I can only assume that means, you contact them and get pre-authorization, they send you required parts and a check for the fair labor value, and you do the work.

I don't see how dealing with any random repair shop would be any different.

 

[danielt1263]

Bc there are relatively more computer nerds than wrench-turners running around now?

That’s a daunting task to folks who have never even been inside a Harbor Freight.

They fear the unknown and/or know that they have few skills and/or believe their time is best spent elsewhere…that’s the use case for RP as I see it.

I don't get your point. How is that a use case for RepairPal specifically? Is Slate saying that only Slate authorized shops can do warranty work, and they will only authorize RepairPal shops? If that's the case what about individual owners doing the work? They said we could...

 

[AeroWolf]

I expect this is probably the result the general populus being conditioned to have warranty repairs done at local dealerships. And transposing that behavioral conditioning to Slate's announced warranty partner "Repair-Pal." The more probable reality is that the only part of the Slate that requires a "specialty service" is the electric drivetrain (battery, inverter, motor, thermal management system). So, I can understand wanting to know of "Repair Pal" locations that can handle the electric drivetrain servicing. And I think this servicing just means having proper equipment for extracting the battery to get to other components safely for replacement and re assembly.

But I expect any body, suspension, and tire shop to be able to handle most of the vehicle's servicing needs.

 

[AZFox]

I mean Slate has said you can do your own warranty work.

If that's the case what about individual owners doing the work? They said we could...

Customers can DIY warranty repairs, "which is a first in the industry".

That's a pretty cool feature if you ask me.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I don't get your point. How is that a use case for RepairPal specifically? Is Slate saying that only Slate authorized shops can do warranty work, and they will only authorize RepairPal shops? If that's the case what about individual owners doing the work? They said we could...

I get what you’re saying now.

I actually don’t know on necessary manufacturing repairs (recall and warranty).

Is RP necessary or is only the outcome necessary (the repair)?

 

[Kopsis]

The truth is we don't know. Slate has been pretty light on "official" warranty details. My prediction is that they'll allow anyone to submit a warranty claim for repairs covered by the bumper-to-bumper warranty, but may require some level of certification for HV work under the battery/powertrain warranty.

Slate has indicated that they intend to let any shop get Slate certified (not just RepairPal) but no details on what that would entail. They've also indicated that only a fraction of the Slate certified RepairPal shops will actually be certified for HV system repairs. Again, we don't know what credentials and/or training that actually requires.

 

[danielt1263]

They've also indicated that only a fraction of the Slate certified RepairPal shops will actually be certified for HV system repairs. Again, we don't know what credentials and/or training that actually requires.

I thought we do know that information. It was in the RepairPal webinar.

 

[tubes]

We established that the Magnusun-Moss warranty act allows maintenance during the warranty period anywhere you would like. However, the manufacturer can require specific authorized outlets, usually dealerships, for covered repairs. Slate is indicating that they will be different in this area. What their exact guidelines are is still TBD. I'm going to guess there might be a preauthorization process.

 

[Kopsis]

I thought we do know that information. It was in the RepairPal webinar.

That's specific to shops getting certified through RepairPal -- there's nothing on whether non-affiliate certification will be available. It's also somewhat vague. "Slate-specific HV training" doesn't really tell us much. The few specifics they do provide are mostly safety-oriented and not in any way related to being able to actually diagnose HV system problems.

 

[EV Trek]

Slate told me that with their roadside assistance that if you need towed they will pay to tow to the nearest authorized repair facility if available. They did not say within how many miles. So I don’t know what will happen if there is no authorized facility near by.
Hopefully they will clarify everything before deliveries begin.

 

[KevinRS]

Slate told me that with their roadside assistance that if you need towed they will pay to tow to the nearest authorized repair facility if available. They did not say within how many miles. So I don’t know what will happen if there is no authorized facility near by.
Hopefully they will clarify everything before deliveries begin.

That would be why they added that roadside assistance. Because some may be concerned that the nearest shop that can do HV work will be expensive to tow to.
The plan should cover towing however far is needed, with the exceptions of Alaska and Hawaii, and maybe if you manage to get stuck somewhere way out in the middle of nowhere.

While yes, any reasonably good shop should be able to do most work on a Slate, where you will probably need to go to repairpal specifically is when Slate is paying for the work, as in warrantee work. Other shops might be able to do the work, but Slate isn't going to want to negotiate with every independent shop on rates. They already will have set rates with Repairpal.

 

[kvermeer]

... They've also indicated that only a fraction of the Slate certified RepairPal shops will actually be certified for HV system repairs. Again, we don't know what credentials and/or training that actually requires.

I thought we do know that information. It was in the RepairPal webinar.

We don't have a access to the training, but the general certification requirements to access it are public:

https://pages.repairpal.com/slate-webinarondemand

It's discussed at around 20 minutes into the webinar.

But in general, yeah, I agree that there's a big mental adjustment that has to be made; Slate is generally open to repair by anyone, including owners, with the exception of the high-voltage systems. Yes, the RepairPal network is great, but it's more of an optional sales tool for independent shops to find customers, and the Slate partnership is an optional extension to that tool which gives a shop access to a few more customers.

If you bring your Ford with a warranty issue to a Ford dealership, they basically have to repair it to maintain their status with Ford.

That compulsion doesn't exist in the same way for Slate. While most shops want all the work they can get, an individual shop can, in theory, decline to pursue Slate certification.

 

[sodamo]

Didn’t part of Pep Boys get sold recently?