With the extreamly long warrantys that are available on new cars and an expensive repair necessary for my (out of warrenty) car, I began to wonder this. Are Dealers required to provide you with transportation while your car is being repaired? Are they required to fix your car within a certain amount of time? Would this depend on the manufacturer or are there state or fedral rules on this?
I know that some dealers do provide loaners, but most that I’ve dealt with do not.
I’m pretty certain that a requirement to provide a loaner would be imposed by the manufacturer. After all, they are paying for the repairs under the warentee.
I’ve never heard of any State of Federal rules covering this.
It is not a requirement, but it is a “perk” provided by alot of higher dollar car manufacturers.
All the BMW dealers that I know provide loaner (demo) BMW’s while your car is being serviced. This could just be a common dealer policy, but I think it is in fact a BMW USA policy. This applies not only to warrantee repairs but normal maintenance (oil and filter changes, etc) as well.
One of the dealers in town not only does all that, but will actually bring the loaner car to you and pick your car up for you. My car always comes back washed and vacuumed as well.
Just de-lurking here for a minute.
It pretty much depends on the manufacturer and the individual dealer.
When I worked for a Honda dealer, there were NO loaner cars available at all - if you wanted a car when you were in for service, you paid for a rental. That was the dealer’s policy though, not Honda’s. (As far as warranty repair goes - I think Honda’s rule was that if your repair took longer than 5 business days they would pay for a rental car.)
When I worked at a BMW dealer, there were loaners available for warranty and regular retail customers, although the customer generally had to book in advance. This was BMW policy - the dealer HAD to have loaners available, and they HAD to be BMWs, not any other brand.
Sometimes, even if the do give you a loaner, you end up wishing they hadn’t. When my decade-old Integra needed more than one days’ worth of fixin’s, the dealer gave me the last available loaner on his lot - a Geo Metro. Had I known what it was going to be like to drive that sucker, I’d have walked the 4 miles to the subway stop, gotten home, and just stayed there until the repairs were finished.
Whether you get a loaner or not often depends upon the “deal” you made when you bought the car. One local dealer around here advertises a “free loaner for life” if you buy a new car from him.
Sometimes, even if they do give you a loaner, you end up wishing they hadn’t. When my decade-old Integra needed more than one days’ worth of fixin’s, the dealer gave me the last available loaner on his lot - a Geo Metro. Had I known what it was going to be like to drive that sucker, I’d have walked the 4 miles to the subway stop, gotten home, and just stayed there until the repairs were finished.
Whether you get a loaner or not often depends upon the “deal” you made when you bought the car. One local dealer around here advertises a “free loaner for life” if you buy a new car from him.
Damned hamsters.
Well, if you want one, when you buy a new car, then let your dealer know that so that he can suggest a maintenance package that has it 
Saturn used to give out loaners for any warrantee work. If there were none on the lot, they’d rent a car for you.
Not sure if this is still being done, but back in the early 90s, all dealers did it.
Do you refer to the double-posting hamsters running the SDMB servers, or the ones under the hood of that Geo Metro?
