SPECIAL POLICY: DOOR HINGE REPLACEMENT DUE TO BREAKAGE
SUBJECT: SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT DOOR HINGES
MODELS AFFECTED: CERTAIN 1988-89 REGAL COUPES WITH 8.7mm CONICAL PIN DOOR HINGES
NOTE: Buick Special Policy bulletins in the future will be printed on blue paper for easier recognition.
General Motors has determined that certain 1988-89 Regal coupes with 8.7mm conical pin door hinges have had a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If the lower hinge breaks, the door may require more effort to close, or a popping or scraping noise might be heard. If the upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the outside door handle may drop down, making the door difficult to reposition and close properly.
NOTICE
It has been determined that a primary cause of door hinge fractures is corrosion of the door hinge. Accordingly, the majority of vehicles experiencing this condition will be located in high corrosion areas (Canadian Maritime Provinces, New England, Great Lakes States).
As a result (and also due to limited parts availability) owner mailings will be phased out first to owners of vehicles located in high corrosion areas and then expanded to include other regions. Dealers should be certain to consider this corrosion factor when placing parts orders.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1988-89 Regal coupes with 8.7mm conical pin door hinges built within the following VIN breakpoints:
PLANT YEAR MODEL PLANT CODE FROM THROUGH ---- ----- ----- ----- ---- ------- 1988 Regal Oshawa #2 1 J1400016 J1529270 1989 Regal Oshawa #2 1 K1400026 K1447999
SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT
This special Policy covers the condition described above for ten (10) years and unlimited mileage with no deductible from the date the vehicle was originally placed into service regardless of ownership. Correction at no charge to the customer will consist of replacing all door hinges in involved vehicles which experience failure of any 8.7mm single-hung door hinge. 11.3mm single-hung hinges will be used to replace the 8.7mm single hung hinges when a failure occurs. Repair of any minor body damage that may have occurred due to hinge breakage is also covered.
This "Special Policy Adjustment Bulletin" should be filed in your "Special Policy Adjustment Bulletins" binder furnished to dealers by General Motors.
REIMBURSEMENT
NOTICE: When a customer requests reimbursement, dealers are to schedule an appointment to have all door hinges (including those replaced previously) replaced with the 11.3mm hinges required for this special policy.
Customer claims for reimbursement on previously paid repairs to correct a broken door hinge are to be submitted by December 31, 1992 according to the instructions included in this bulletin (the time limitation for presenting the original paid receipt may be longer depending upon the law in your state). Owners (and/or prior owners) must submit original documentation which reasonably confirms the amount of unreimbursed repair expense(s), a description of the repair, date of the repair, and the person or entity performing the repair. Customers from the states of Connecticut and Virginia must submit requests for reimbursement directly to Buick per instructions in the owner letter.
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this Special Policy by Buick Motor Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).
PARTS INFORMATION
Parts for this special policy will be available beginning March 2, 1992 and are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO). To ensure these parts will be obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a "C.I.O." order with no special instruction code, but on an advise code (2). QUANTITY/ PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION VEHICLE
10218446 Left Door Hinge Kit 1 10218445 Right Door Hinge Kit 1
Each door hinge kit contains 2 hinges, 4 nuts and 4 bolts.
Due to initial parts quantity restrictions, please limit initial ordering of hinge kits to your previous dealership experience with this condition.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
NOTICE: HIGHLIGHTS OF HINGE REPLACEMENT METHOD:
a. Door remains on vehicle.
b. Access to both door hinges is made through front wheelhouse area.
c. Hinges come pre-primed and are NOT to be painted.
NOTICE: IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE DOOR REALIGNMENT, DO NOT REMOVE BOTH DOOR HINGES AT SAME TIME. DO EACH HINGE SEPARATELY. REPLACE BROKEN HINGE(S) FIRST.
1. Place vehicle on hoist.
2. Obtain hinge kits for both door locations.
3. Using proper lift points, raise vehicle to half up position (until wheel/tire is chest high).
4. Using two pieces of masking tape, place one piece to bridge gap between door and rocker panel and second piece to bridge gap between door and quarter panel to act as reference points for door alignment (see illustration).
5. Cut tape at gap area using utility knife or other suitable tool.
6. Remove front tire/wheel assembly.
7. Starting at top center of front wheelhouse liner, remove all attaching screws located rearward of top center of liner.
8. Loosen liner from fender and position liner forward of front suspension assembly.
9. Remove insulator cover attachments and insulator cover (located between fender and hinge pillar).
10. Clean hinge mounting surfaces on door and body with rag and mark hinge locations on body surfaces with grease pencil or other suitable marker.
NOTICE: REPLACE BROKEN HINGE BEFORE REPLACING OTHER HINGE ON A DOOR.
11. Remove one hinge attaching fasteners and hinge from vehicle.
12. Install new hinge within previously marked locations using new fasteners and lightly tighten fasteners.
13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 for remaining hinge.
14. Repeat steps 4 through 13 for the remaining front door.
15. Install both tire/wheel assemblies to vehicle and lower vehicle to ground level.
16. Inspect edges of tape on doors and with aid of a helper, align doors as necessary.
17. Raise vehicle to previous position and remove front tire/wheel assemblies.
18. Tighten and torque hinge attachments to 20 - 28 N.m (15 to 20 lb. ft.).
19. Reinstall insulator covers between fenders and hinge pillars.
20. Reposition and install wheelhouse liners using original screws.
21. Reinstall tire/wheel assembly. Torque wheel lug nuts to 140 N.m (100 lbs. ft.)
22. Carefully remove reference tape from doors, rockers and quarters.
23. Lower hoist and remove vehicle.
DISPOSITION OF REPLACED PARTS
Replaced parts must be held for disposition by Buick Zone/Branch Contact personnel. Parts must have a claim tag attached showing the repair order and the VIN of the vehicle from which they were removed.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Use applicable labor operations indicated below.
Failed Other Sublet Part Part Part Failure Labor Labor Labor Dealer Oper. Count No. Allow. Code Op. No. Hours Hours MTL TWG
o Install New Door Hinges (Both Sides) 2 10218445 or * 95 T1831 1.6 ## ### 10218446
o Reimbursement for Previous Repair - -- -- 95 #T1834 (see instructions for reimbursement)
* The "Parts Allowance" should be the sum total of the current GMSPO Dealer Net price plus current handling allowance of all parts required for the repair
# T1834 is not to be used for residents of the states of Connecticut and Virginia. Requests from these residents must be submitted in writing to Buick Motor Division. See owner letter for details.
## Use "Other Labor Hours" for repair of associated minor body damage that may have resulted due to a hinge failure when the body repair is performed by the dealer.
### Use "Sublet Dealer MTL TWG" for repair of associated minor body damage that may have resulted due to a hinge failure when the dealer sublets body shop work and repair.
Note: New hinges come pre-primed and are NOT to be painted.
REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT INSTRUCTIONS EXCEPT CONNECTICUT AND VIRGINIA RESIDENTS* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Customer presents dealer with original receipts verifying the repair, the vehicle, the amount charged and the payment to correct broken door hinge and associated minor body damage.
2. Dealer complete a repair order (R.O.) showing:
- Repair order date
- Vehicle Identification Number
- Current Mileage (If vehicle has been sold and current mileage cannot be determined, enter mileage at time of repair. Should odometer mileage be 100,000 or greater for claims submission enter 99,999
- Owner's address
- Attach original owner's or dealer's paid invoices/receipts covering repair within the Special Coverage guidelines
- Labor Operation Number T1834 and Failure Code 95.
- Total amount of reimbursement based on 100% of OWNER'S EXPENSE related to covered door hinge repair.
- May submit 0.2 hour in 'Other Labor Hours' field for reimbursement administrative allowance.
3. Owner (or prior owner seeking reimbursement) signs the repair order as acknowledgement of requested reimbursement amount.
4. Customer is given a copy of repair order.
5. Dealer issues the owner a reimbursement check for the approved amount. The check number must be entered on the repair order and a copy of the check must be attached to original paid invoices/receipts.
6. The dealer submits a claim to Buick for processing.
7. All supporting documentation must be available for review by Buick personnel as needed.
NOTICE: Refer to Buick Service Policies and Procedures Manual, Section 1.6.1 i for specific procedures for Customer Reimbursement verification.
In the event the Dealer Service Manager and the owner cannot reach agreement on amount eligible for reimbursement after review of invoices/receipts, the zone/branch should be contacted for determination of covered expense. In such cases, an explanation should be included on the R.O.
Note: Residents of Connecticut and Virginia must submit request for reimbursement in writing directly to Buick Motor Division per instructions in owner letter.
Dear 1988-89 Buick Regal Owner:
We, at Buick Motor Division, are very proud of the Regal and sincerely hope that you are happy with your vehicle. We are also proud of the warranty coverage that we provide you. Sometimes, however, we need to make some special arrangements so that things which might happen, even to a very small number of our customers, are handled properly.
Some customers with 1988-89 Regals may have a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If a lower hinge breaks, it will require more effort to close the door, or you may hear a popping or scraping noise. If an upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the outside door handle will drop down, making it difficult to reposition and close the door properly.
Most Regals are not experiencing this problem. In fact, because the condition is primarily a corrosion problem, very few vehicles outside New England and the Great Lakes States are likely to experience a broken hinge. Nevertheless, we are taking this action for all Regal owners.
- We are providing owners with special coverage for this hinge condition. In the event of any door hinge failure, all door hinges will be replaced at no charge to the owner. This coverage will be in effect for 10 years and unlimited mileage from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service regardless of ownership.
(Statement for all states except below) - If you have already paid for some or all of the cost to have a broken hinge replaced, prior to receipt of this letter, you must contact your Buick Dealer Service Department to seek reimbursement. Please provide your dealer with your original paid receipts or invoices verifying the repair, the amount charged, proof of your payment and date of payment of those charges by December 31, 1992 (this time limitation for presenting the receipt may be longer depending upon the law in your state).
(Statement for Connecticut and Virginia) - If you have already paid for some or all of the cost to have a broken hinge replaced prior to receipt of this letter, you must write to Buick Motor Division, P. 0. Box 2003, Flint, MI 48501-2003 to seek reimbursement. Please provide along with your request your original paid receipts or invoices verifying the repair, the amount charged, proof of your payment and date of payment of those charges. This information must be provided by December 31, 1992 (this time limitation for presenting receipts may be longer depending upon the law in your state).
Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a Buick dealer. We suggest that you go to your selling or servicing dealer, but you may select any Buick dealer. You may want to call the dealer service department first to find out how long they will need to have the car so that you can schedule the most convenient time for yourself. Keep this letter with your other important glovebox literature for future reference.
If your car ever has a broken door hinge, we suggest that you fully close the door, lock it, and take advantage of this coverage as soon as possible.
We are sorry if this condition causes you any inconvenience. By taking this action, however, we hope to show that we value having you as a Buick customer.
General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
