AC compressor, loud clunking, and now a bad lifter??!

8830 Views 20 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Cruzette, Dec 21, 2020

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2012 (Edited)

I'm at my wit's end with this car now. First, had the AC compressor repaired under warranty. Now there's a loud clunking/popping sound from the right front of the car. To top it off, there's a loud squeaking coming from the engine bay. They removed and replaced probably everything and its mother under the hood and the noise is still present. They have come to the conclusion that it's coming from inside the motor and think it's a lifter. Placed a call to GM and are now waiting for a lifter to arrive. They're having trouble getting parts however, because all parts being made are being sent to the assembly line. I was told that if the lifter doesn't fix it, they will have to try getting a new head to see if that resolves it. I've been without my car all week (driving a gas-sucking 2012 Malibu loaner. Don't get me started on THAT! No other loaners available) and could be without it even longer. 14,000 miles and it already needs engine work? Not to mention the other two issues. Unacceptable! I have also placed a call to GM and should hear back tomorrow. Not a happy camper right now! Anyone else have engine work done on theirs or know of anyone who has?

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XtremeRevolution

· #2 · Mar 30, 2012

I think you may be the first who's come in for engine related work.

When did you get your oil change, at what mileage, and with what oil? Lifters don't just explode. I've disassembled and reassembled them for cleaning when replacing manifold gaskets on 3800s in the past and I can assure you that it takes a long time for a lifter to go bad. The parts simply don't just break. It sounds to me like there's a different problem going on and you have an incompetent dealer.

Loud clunk/pops should be replaced immediately as those are often ball joints or tie rods, both of which shouldn't be driven on.

Sorry to hear about all of these issues. Keep us updated on how GM handles all of this.

Chevy Customer Care

· #3 · Mar 30, 2012

CruzeLS said:
I'm at my wit's end with this car now. First, had the AC compressor repaired under warranty. Now there's a loud clunking/popping sound from the right front of the car. To top it off, there's a loud squeaking coming from the engine bay. They removed and replaced probably everything and its mother under the hood and the noise is still present. They have come to the conclusion that it's coming from inside the motor and think it's a lifter. Placed a call to GM and are now waiting for a lifter to arrive. They're having trouble getting parts however, because all parts being made are being sent to the assembly line. I was told that if the lifter doesn't fix it, they will have to try getting a new head to see if that resolves it. I've been without my car all week (driving a gas-sucking 2012 Malibu loaner. Don't get me started on THAT! No other loaners available) and could be without it even longer. 14,000 miles and it already needs engine work? Not to mention the other two issues. Unacceptable! I have also placed a call to GM and should hear back tomorrow. Not a happy camper right now! Anyone else have engine work done on theirs or know of anyone who has?

CruzeLS,
I see that you have already contacted GM. If you have any further questions or would like any further assistance from me please feel free to contact me. Please keep me posted.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 30, 2012

The dealer did the first oil change at ~8000 miles with ACDelco 5W30 w/Dexos. I'm having them do the second oil change while it's in the shop. Percentage is over 50% right now but I don't want to go by that. It's extremely frustrating. I looked into the lemon law but it doesn't appear as though I "qualify" for that at this point. I'm hoping they get back to me today with some more information. The person from GM that I spoke to said they will "see what they can do" about reimbursing me for the cost of fuel in the loaner. The dealer said they would try as well.

XtremeRevolution

· #5 · Mar 30, 2012

CruzeLS said:
The dealer did the first oil change at ~8000 miles with ACDelco 5W30 w/Dexos. I'm having them do the second oil change while it's in the shop. Percentage is over 50% right now but I don't want to go by that. It's extremely frustrating. I looked into the lemon law but it doesn't appear as though I "qualify" for that at this point. I'm hoping they get back to me today with some more information. The person from GM that I spoke to said they will "see what they can do" about reimbursing me for the cost of fuel in the loaner. The dealer said they would try as well.

They will reimburse you. Seems they are doing so with everyone who is having problem with their Cruze. One guy said his transmission went bad, so they replaced it for him entirely (with a complete new one), gave him 3 years/36 months free maintenance, and paid for 3 months of his car payments.

When I had the strut issue with my car, they sent my dealer an strut from their emergency inventory (that was almost a month ago and the strut is still not available for dealers to order), and they gave me 1year/12 months free maintenance. Just hang in there. I've been in your situation before and it sucks pretty badly, but I trust that GM will make it right.

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 30, 2012

Thanks for the reassurance. It's nice to hear someone else was in a similar spot. I also trust that GM will come through with something. I love this car and would absolutely buy it again but if I could do it again, I would've waited for another year or two. Hindsight is always 20/20, though. I'll keep everyone posted.

Dale_K

· #7 · Mar 30, 2012

Is the car with the bad lifter a 1.8 or 1.4? Actually I don't then either motor technically has "lifters" but I know what you mean. There are completely different valve trains on the 1.8 and 1.4 and the 1.4 is supposed to be higher technology/newer design.

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 30, 2012

1.8

Jim Frye

· #9 · Mar 30, 2012

The "loud popping" from the right front sounds like the badly designed struts that have been written about here for some time. Chevy has a newly designed front strut, but it appears to be in short supply.

XtremeRevolution

· #10 · Mar 30, 2012

Dale_K said:
Is the car with the bad lifter a 1.8 or 1.4? Actually I don't then either motor technically has "lifters" but I know what you mean. There are completely different valve trains on the 1.8 and 1.4 and the 1.4 is supposed to be higher technology/newer design.

DOHC motors also use hydraulic roller lifters to automatically eliminate any valve clearance.

Jim Frye said:
The "loud popping" from the right front sounds like the badly designed struts that have been written about here for some time. Chevy has a newly designed front strut, but it appears to be in short supply.

The popping noise I experienced wasn't at all loud. The strut noise happens to both struts, not just one.

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 3, 2012

UPDATE:

Spoke with the dealership today (of course, I had to call them) and they said my car will be done for tomorrow. They're working on it as I type this and then want to test drive it. GM is supposed to call me back today between 4-6 EST so I guess I'll know then what they're going to do for me. Hopefully this is the last time I need to put this thing in the shop for a long time! I'm REALLY looking forward to driving my Cruze again

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #12 · Apr 3, 2012

GM left a Voicemail for me stating that they would like to offer me their SmartCare maintenance for 12 months/12000 miles. Does that seem like fair compensation for my car being in the shop three times in 14000 miles, the latest issue being a need for motor work? I've never been through this kind of thing before so I want to make sure I'm being justly compensated.

GoldenCruze

· #13 · Apr 3, 2012

They don't have offer the SmartCare to begin with.

CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 3, 2012 (Edited)

Look, I'm not asking GM for a new car here nor am I disappointed with their offering. Just looking for some opinions. I know they didn't HAVE to offer anything at all, but, at 14000 miles, I should not HAVE to worry about having motor work done. After being bailed out, I think they owe it to their customers, who will be footing that bill in the long run, to provide them with a quality product and exceptional customer service no matter what manner they choose to do so. That's not asking for much. Having said that, I'm not about to just roll over and be apathetic about the situation. They should, out of good faith, compensate their customers when it's justified. I didn't expect them to offer anything but an apology and possibly reimbursement for fuel, so I got more than expected anyhow. Thank you for your insight.

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CruzeLS

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 5, 2012

Got my car back today and everything is perfect. Quiet as a church mouse. All of the lifters were replaced and the service manager said they torqued everything down on the suspension. I'm assuming something was just loose because the clunking is gone. I would venture to say that the car runs and feels better than the day I drove it off the lot. Felt great to be driving my car again

Hopefully, I won't be Back to the dealer for anything but routine maintenance for a long time.

spungebob24

· #16 · Sep 14, 2012

i have the same problem with my cruze also, it only has 860 miles on it, go figure!

Chevy Customer Care

· #17 · Sep 16, 2012

spungebob24 said:
i have the same problem with my cruze also, it only has 860 miles on it, go figure!

spungebob24,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are experiencing with your Cruze. Have you had your dealer look into this for you? I would suggest that you take your Cruze into your dealer if you have not already. Please keep me posted on this and if you have any other questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

spungebob24

· #18 · Sep 21, 2012

yes the car is at the dealership now! Heres my story, i brought the car to the dealership two weeks ago and told them there was a lifter noise so they checked it out and said they didnt hear any abnormal engine noise, so i took it home and i could still hear the motor making noise. I sent gm an email, they got back to me and i explained to them my problem and wanted me to take it back to the dealer. When i got to the dealer the head mechanic came out and did hear this noise, so i left it there for them on monday (9/17). They are going to change the head on the motor and a couple of other things and now their just waiting for parts. I think its pretty sad that you buy a new car and 860 miles later the motor is getting torn apart. i hope this doesnt compromise the reliability of the motor in the future. i hope they get this right or they might be keeping that car and i'll be driving something else! i'm really disappointed at this point with that car and i'm waiting to see what gm is going to do with all the b/s i put up with so far!!!!

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Chevy Customer Care

· #19 · Sep 24, 2012

spungebob24 said:
yes the car is at the dealership now! Heres my story, i brought the car to the dealership two weeks ago and told them there was a lifter noise so they checked it out and said they didnt hear any abnormal engine noise, so i took it home and i could still hear the motor making noise. I sent gm an email, they got back to me and i explained to them my problem and wanted me to take it back to the dealer. When i got to the dealer the head mechanic came out and did hear this noise, so i left it there for them on monday (9/17). They are going to change the head on the motor and a couple of other things and now their just waiting for parts. I think its pretty sad that you buy a new car and 860 miles later the motor is getting torn apart. i hope this doesnt compromise the reliability of the motor in the future. i hope they get this right or they might be keeping that car and i'll be driving something else! i'm really disappointed at this point with that car and i'm waiting to see what gm is going to do with all the b/s i put up with so far!!!!

spungebob24,
I understand your concerns with this issue. I would like to look into this further for you. Can you please send me a PM with your VIN? I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

XtremeRevolution

· #20 · Sep 24, 2012

CruzeLS said:
Look, I'm not asking GM for a new car here nor am I disappointed with their offering. Just looking for some opinions. I know they didn't HAVE to offer anything at all, but, at 14000 miles, I should not HAVE to worry about having motor work done. After being bailed out, I think they owe it to their customers, who will be footing that bill in the long run, to provide them with a quality product and exceptional customer service no matter what manner they choose to do so. That's not asking for much. Having said that, I'm not about to just roll over and be apathetic about the situation. They should, out of good faith, compensate their customers when it's justified. I didn't expect them to offer anything but an apology and possibly reimbursement for fuel, so I got more than expected anyhow. Thank you for your insight.

I think they did well to offer you that maintenance package. It's not a whole lot, but it's certainly something.

As for the bail out, that's not something they owe any of us. That was a government thing entirely, so if anyone owes you something, it's the government that invested in GM. I say invested because there are more factors involved than you are aware of. It wasn't just GM that received government help; it was Chrystler, Ford (if you look at the details, you'll see it's true), and even imports like Toyota got assistance from their respective governments. The economy hit them all pretty hard. The "bailout" was necessary to keep business going in the US. Without it, the consequences would have been devastating. Hundreds of thousands of jobs would be lost, jobs that all pay their 12-20% of income tax every year...

I think if you requested a reimbursement of fuel, they might do it for you.

In any case, can you check something for me? I need to know what month your vehicle was manufactured in. It will be on the driver's door jamb.

spungebob24 said:
yes the car is at the dealership now! Heres my story, i brought the car to the dealership two weeks ago and told them there was a lifter noise so they checked it out and said they didnt hear any abnormal engine noise, so i took it home and i could still hear the motor making noise. I sent gm an email, they got back to me and i explained to them my problem and wanted me to take it back to the dealer. When i got to the dealer the head mechanic came out and did hear this noise, so i left it there for them on monday (9/17). They are going to change the head on the motor and a couple of other things and now their just waiting for parts. I think its pretty sad that you buy a new car and 860 miles later the motor is getting torn apart. i hope this doesnt compromise the reliability of the motor in the future. i hope they get this right or they might be keeping that car and i'll be driving something else! i'm really disappointed at this point with that car and i'm waiting to see what gm is going to do with all the b/s i put up with so far!!!!

I'll ask Tom Read over in GM Powertrain if he knows anything about this issue. So long as GM is taking care of you, I wouldn't be worried. You have a 5 year, 100k mile warranty on this car. Any significant issue that can come up will most likely manifest itself during that time period.

Can you also check your driver's door jamb and let me know when your car was manufactured?

Welcome to CruzeTalk by the way.

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