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Turbo Failure?

26K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  jblackburn 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

New to the forum- But I wanted to chime in and see what everyone else thought.

Bought a new 2013 Chevy Cruze LT. Has the leather seats, but heater, decked out and all that jazz. It has about 46,000 miles on it.

Anyways, I took it in for an oil change Monday, and shortly after (about 20 minutes after I left the shop) I noticed that my engine light came on, my acceleration died, it was idling pretty roughly, and it was making a strange noise in the engine compartment. I had only driven about 30-40 miles between the oil change and taking it back.

SO, I took it in the next morning, first thing after work- and I waited 5 HOURS in the lobby (mind you I work 3rd shift, plus two part time day jobs- so time and sleep are precious to me.), and they still hadn't even LOOKED at it! Finally- I had a family member come pick me up. The service department got a pretty stern talking to- Anyways, on our way back to the car, the service manager runs up and tells us "It's just as I thought! Your turbo failed!" (Just what he thought? He hadn't even looked at it!)

Before we left they let us know that the Powertrain warranty won't cover it, so they're double checking with my secondary extended warranty.

Anyone else had similar problems?

This is my second ever car- My previous was a 1986 Chevy El Camino, and I loved it! It's why I decided to go with Chevy in the first place! But with all the recalls and now this, I'm seriously reconsidering my Chevy ownership and thinking about switching to Ford or another competitor.
 
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#3 ·
I think that's what we'll do.

More than anything, I think I'm upset with the dealership, not necessarily any particular worker. They were super nice, shuttled me to pick up some lunch during my 5 hour wait. But if they knew they were busy and wouldn't be able to look at it immediately (or within a few hours), I could have made arrangements to be picked up- since I'm not old enough to use a rental and live 40 minutes away.

Like I said, I work about 70 hours a week. I did not want to spend my day "off" in a frigid lobby.

I am concerned that they said it isn't covered! I have the powertrain warranty and an extended 5 year bumper to bumper warranty. It just seems too odd that it would have happened right after I got my oil changed there. Does that seem off to anyone else?
 
#5 ·
Nada. Nothing like that, that I've seen.

Anyone know a price range that these cost?

If anything, I could imagine it being plugged up, but it's strange to me that it would go AFTER the new oil went in? They checked it and know that there were no problems before they did the oil change.

How many miles does it take to run out of oil or plug up? I've been up to date on my oil changes, so that's kind of weird.
 
#6 ·
Turbo failure doesn't line up with the chain of events described.....description is more like a failed cam cover (pcv valve cover).

Regardless, turbo or cover, both are covered under the 5/100 powertrain so your dealer is already suspect.....can't read a warranty policy and proceedure manual, can't diagnose......move on to another dealer.....nice folks won't make the car run any better no matter how they smooze you.

Rob
 
#9 ·
Run screaming into the night from this dealership's service department. Contact the Chevy Customer Care folks here and document the problem with them and tell them who the dealership is also.
 
#10 · (Edited)
That's about where I'm at!

From what I understand the code that came up during diagnostics is an "E" for emissions, with the word "underboost". Plus I would be out of the 3 year/36,000. However I *THOUGHT* that they kept saying I had a 5 year/100,000 warranty. Stopped in this morning on my way to work, looks like it would be about $800-1000 + 4 hours of labor.

They're going to call MPP to see what they will cover. But they did verify that it is in fact that the turbo has failed- so it's gone from a guess to gospel.

The dealership is Sullivan-Parkhill in Champaign, Illinois. (Bewareeeeee!) :banghead:
 
#11 ·
Stopped in this morning on my way to work, looks like it would be about $800-1000 + 4 hours of labor.
- No!! - when my nearly 3 yr old 2011 ECO had Turbo failure it was fully covered under warranty. I only had 23,000 miles. I had just changed my oil to Pennzoil Ultra maybe 300 miles before my Turbo failed.
 
#12 ·
I think where they're trying to get me is the fact that I'm past the 36,000/3 year thing? So I guess I am confused as to what the 5 year/100,000 warranty covers. They have not been very helpful at explaining it.

However, I have never changed the oil myself- I always let the professionals handle it...
 
#14 ·
3/36 is the bumper to bumper coverage......that means everything from the front to the rear of the car.....window motors/switches.....for the most part, everything it takes to make a car.

The 5/100 coverage that continues for another two years and 64000 miles is called Powertrain.
It covers the engine,(and transmission) from the air cleaner housing to the exaust manifold and everything in between that is mechanical (meaning, not the fuel system...thats another warranty title).

If your turbo has indeed failed, it is 100% covered, with no deductable involved......the warranty stipulates the customer bears no expense whatsoever.....nothing......same would apply to the valve cover.
The warranty is applied to the vehicle, regardless of how many owners the car has had......there is no requirement for transfer of coverage for the powertrain or any other warranty coverage the car had in effect at original sale.

Repeating......you have NO financial exposure for a powertrain claim.....that includes any parts or fluids required in conjunction with the repair.

Rob
 
#18 ·
Hi Blaylock,

Congratulations on your new purchase! I can certainly understand how frustrating it can be to experience difficulties with a new vehicle. I apologize for the five hour wait time that you had to experience at the dealership. We will be happy to look further into your concern. Please send us a private message with your full contact information, VIN, current mileage, and dealership name if the extra help is needed. Also, please reference this thread in the message. We look forward to helping with your concern!

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care
 
#22 · (Edited)
thats the 1st think that went though my mind, he just had oil changed 30 miles back and turbo fails? Heat, lack of oil and for foreign object damage cause 99% of turbo failures....

OP, you say there wasn't any smoke from tailpipe? Turbo bearing failure will cause seals to fail and dump engine oil into exhaust...

did oil change place check engine air filter? Maybe something got loose, a tool, bolt or something fell into intake piping and locked turbo up?.....I'm just guessing of course....

Either way contact GM customer care and get the dealer to play ball, also get a copy of warranty repair order and let us know what the issue was....
 
#20 ·
Are you sure the oil was full ?
That is a great question and I can't understand why GM refuses to put a low oil indictor in this turbo engine. This is one of the first cars I have owned with out this indicator. Previous GMs had this, my new BMW has it, my 1988 Alfa Romeo has it.
 
#24 ·
I have never seen a low oil indicator, do you mean low oil pressure?
When my wife had her 2000 Olds Intrigue with the shortstar V6, indicator would come on when 1.5 quarts low (6qt capacity).
 
#26 · (Edited)
Don't think oil level had anything to do with the failure since it had no signs of that type of failure. Since the wastegate is what is causing the po299 not the actual turbo itself remember it's 2011 most if not all 2011 and early 2012 will have this same issue.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Wow

That amazes me what a horrible dealer you have there!
I feel sorry for you already, good thing about Chevrolet is that there plenty to go to.

What a horrible event, i see you live in Atlanta.
If you're in Georgia, go to Rick Hendrick, buford highway. They have given me 100% service there!
Might want to give it a shot calling them and call them.
 
#32 ·
Hey guys,

I printed out the warranty you all posted yesterday- highlighted where it said "turbocharger" under the engine section- And of course, as I was pulling in to the dealership they called!

They said they "overlooked" that section in the warranty because it showed an emission code and not an engine code.

I am disappointed that they wouldn't know the warranty on a car so new, but at the moment I'm just happy it's getting fixed. I'm lucky enough to have an extra car around so I didn't have to use a rental, which would have been from enterprise, due to my age.

After this I will avoid this particular dealership like the plague, and stick to Miles-Davis in Decatur, where it was purchased. They have always had excellent service.
 
#34 ·
If they don't know the warranty basics, I'm left wondering if they know how to do an R&R on the turbo properly. Good luck.
 
#37 ·
The old PW did not cover Super/turbochargers from what I have been told so most still go off that
 
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#36 ·
Glad to hear it is working out. I try to go to the dealer I purchased the car at if I can.. they are more likely to want to correct the mistake as they can lose you as a future potential customer or people you know. This isn't always the case but I have had better success doing it that way.

Let us know when you get it back on the road and how it feels.
 
#39 ·
Hey guys,

Wanted to check in-

My turbo has been replaced! According to them, my oil tube was clogged.

They replaced everything at no charge.

I will be leaving them a survey, with mixed feelings. They fixed it much more quickly than I anticipated, but I'm still upset about some of the other things that occurred.

Thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement!
 
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