Two of the Torx bits on the bed are rusted, and the dealer is having a hard time getting the right bolts.

Here's what happened: Wed, Oct 11, I brought my Ridge in for its first oil change and asked for the 2 rusted bolts to be replaced. I also asked if I could keep the rusted bolts, the service guy said 'yes'. They finished the oil change and told me that they didn't have the 2 bolts I needed, and would need to order them. (this dealer is about 30 minutes from my house, I go there because I bought the Ridge there). I told him I didn't have time to come by for 2 bolts, and he told me it would only take 5 minutes, and they close at 9pm. I have class in the evenings and wouldn't make it until close to 9pm. I told him I'll work around my schedule when the bolts arrive, then decide when I would come in.

I called Mon, Oct 16 for the bolts, and they hadn't arrived (service guy said it would arrive no later than monday...) I got a call Tuesday evening that the bolts arrived. I asked if I would bring it in Wed morning at 7:30am and get it done quickly, after putting me on hold forever, they said no. So i told them I didn't know when i would come in, and hung up. Went to class and got out early so i thought i'd make the trip to the dealer and get it done. When i got there they basically laughed at me and asked if i was leaving it overnight and that i should've called before i came. (Fine, it was my fault I didn't call ahead of time, but I figured if they open til 9pm, and I got there at 8:35, tehre was more than enought time to put in the bolts). The service guy looked at the bolts and said it would take 30 minutes just to take out the bolts. *sigh* I emphasized that the other guy had told me 5 minutes and now 30? So they went, slowly, looking for tools and took out the bolt in less than 30 seconds (duh, it's not rocket science!). Then they went looking for the bolts.... :( It took them about 10 minutes or so to find the bolts and take them out and tell me they were wrong. :mad: Fine, please order the correct bolts, and i asked that the parts guy look twice to see what bolts needed to be ordered.... I took my bolt (didn't wait for them to put it back in) and left. The asst manager said they would mail the bolts when they arrived b/c it was an inconvenience. yeah, sure

Tues, oct 24th: Received postcard that the parts they ordered are in, please schedule and appointment ASAP otherwise we will return your parts to the manufacturer by Nov 4th....

Fri, Oct 27: Called dealer in the morning (8am) and told them that the parts were supposed to be mailed to me. Was on hold for 5 minutes before the lady came back to tell me they would 'call me right back'. At noon, got a call from Mel, he didn't want to mail them, but after explaining the whole thing again, he said he would have their shuttle service drop it off at my house. A few minutes later he called to tell me that they were special bolts, torx, yada yada yada. I said i have the torx to take it out at home, hence the mailing to my house.... Then he called again to tell me that, the parts are under warranty so I need to give them the rusted bolts back so they get credit from honda.....fine, I'll drop it off when I get my next oil change...in 5 months.

Sat, Oct 28: Called dealer at 9am, (no bolts when I got home), asked for Mel, he said they were busy and he mailed the bolts out....I said i would call when I received the bolts.

Mon, Oct 30: Came home, found bolts and service paper on front door (they didn't mail it, they dropped off with shuttle serivice...) There was a note: Please return old parts ASAP - Mel. I took a look at the bolts, and was not happy. They were wrong bolts! :mad: They're the smaller bolts than the ones I needed, but at least they're torx....

I haven't called Mel, I don't plan on it. If they want their parts back, they can call me, and when they do, they'll find out that they ordered wrong parts, and they won't be getting them back, not til the next oil change....

Does anyone have any idea what the parts # is for the torx bolts? One is the left striker when you open the tailgate, there's 3 bolts on the top, 2 smaller ones and 1 that is bigger, mine is the smaller one. The other rusted one is on the tie downs....I looked on Majestic Honda and I think they are called 'Flange Torx Bolt (8x30) - 2048964 for both of them, but I'm not sure. I don't understand what the 8x30 means, that that mean it's a T30? I think those are T40s or T50s....

If I could get the bolts anywhere else I would, but I think only the dealer has that size bolts, I'm tempted to try anotehr dealer, but I'll probably get the same issues since it's a warranty issue......Any ideas or comments on what I should do? :confused:

they won't be getting them back, not til the next oil change....
I would take my next oil change and the rest of my business to another dealer as fast as my RL could carry me. Any dealer that treats their customers that poorly doesn't deserve to have them. Do dealers make mistakes? Certainly, but when they do, they should try to correct them with the least inconvience to the customer.
As for asking for the parts back ASAP, thay's just rediculous. First, it's a minor cost so they could easily eat it without you having to make a special trip back to the dealership. Secondly, based on my experience as a former non-Honda parts and service director, Honda will never see those bolts. Yes, the dealer is supposed to keep them until the claim is paid, but then they are scrapped at the dealership. The chances of a service rep asking to verify they have the parts is slim to none. That is, unless they are under scrutiny for warranty abuse.
Unless they have special heads, you can probably get replacement bolts at any good hardware or autoparts store. Just take the old ones with you and have them measure them. The 8x30 means they are 8mm in diameter and 30mm long.

they were ~$2 a piece here http://www.bernardiparts.com/SearchResults.aspx?SearchType=Model&Image=14SJC5_015_0008.GIF

Thanks for your responses, I'll just wait a few months until my next oil change to decide what to do, or when they call (which I highly doubet...)

I just hit mine with some Rustoleum. 2 minutes. Problem solved.

Thanks for your responses, I'll just wait a few months until my next oil change to decide what to do, or when they call (which I highly doubet...)
When I put my "D"-rings in my RL's bed as psango suggested and illustrates here (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=118136&postcount=47), I used stainless steel bolts and washers that I got at a local ACE hardware store.
I just took the original torx-head bolts into the store (as Webwader already suggested), and compared them to the bolts I wanted - to determine the correct sizes. I got hexhead bolts for about a buck each. They're a little more than normal because they're metric and they're stainless.
If you decide not to wait so long, and go this route, you may want to get enough of the bolts/washers to replace the ones next to the rusted ones. Then, they'll match, and you may save yourself some grief. If one or two have rusted, they may all rust. The stainless bolts won't. Mine haven't even discolored in the 3-4 months since they've been exposed to the elements.

I don't know the torque specs on the bolt locations you want to replace, but you could probably check the remaining ones with a torque wrench to get the spec. The stainless hexheads should allow you to achieve the needed torque for an 8X30 bolt.

Good luck with your dealer's service dept., :rolleyes:
Pug

I'd have to agree with the earlier post. If my Honda dealer gave me the run around like that I'd drop 'em like a hot rock. To ask for a couple of $2 bolts for credit back from Honda? Please, they'll probably toss them in the 'use these again' bin.

~Steve

I did figure out that the bolts they sent me were for the bed panels, they're abit smaller than the tie down bolts that I needed. I'm thinking about just keeping them, plus I already forgot what I did with them.... :rolleyes: I just tossed them somewhere and now I forget where.... :p