I am being quoted around $1500 by the dealership for repairs to fix codes P0A81 and P0A27.

I understand these cover the battery fan replacement and the battery wiring harness replacement that have both been covered in this forum.

For what it's worth, TSB 09-17-7, which covers P0A81, has just been superceded by TSB 16-01-18 (according to the dealership), of which I can find no reference on the Internet, AllDataDIY or anywhere else. The technician I spoke to said he can't pull it up in their internal system either other than the instructions themselves.

My question is that the technician I spoke to said that the hours specified in a TSB are "warranty hours" and that out-of-warranty work conducted in accordance with a specific TSB incurs a 50% markup of those exact hours. Meaning I will be charged for 9.2 total hours even though the TSB's indicate 6.1 hours.

Has anyone else encountered this markup in hours? Is there any reason not to do the fixes myself mentioned in this thread and then just pay to have the BCM flash done after the fact?

 

I do know that dealerships are compensated for warranty work at a much lower rate than their standard hourly labor charge. How they calculate it (or explain it) probably varies.

I can't imagine what would cause the battery wiring harness to need replacing, other than fire, accident, or serious corrosion. Wiring harnesses just don't fail in service.

I would buy the fans myself and change them out, then clear the codes. It doesn't look very difficult.

 

The wiring harness is required to bypass a corroded resistor, according the the TSB information I read. That makes sense as I have only gotten two SSN's in the four years I've owned this FEH. It must be intermittently failing on mine, however this time it took over 30 minutes before I could power the vehicle back on. That and the fact that it suddenly shut down the ICE when it kicked off (fortunately, I was stopped at a red light, not five minutes earlier when I was going 60+ in rush hour on the interstate) was enough cause for me to pursue it further.

It looks like the TSB update (16-0118) broadens the applicability up to 2012 models and adds procedures in for those affected vehicles. There is also a new/updated fan kit (type B) that is substantially more expensive than the type-A. I bought the type-A, but for future folks, be aware there are two kits. According to the parts rep I talked to, they are identical in every way except for price.

Either way, I declined to have the dealership do the work. That kind of markup is pretty extreme for what is reportedly a 1-2 hour job to do both. I am also not interested in having my battery removed if it is not necessary. There is too much opportunity to break something else in the process.