[CruzeGen22017]

Hey guys, I apologize for not posting any new modifications or anything of that sort as I have been fighting GM. If anyone has had to get the vehicle in for service/recall program for the center high mount 3rd brake light, I strongly suggest anyone who owns a Gen 2 sedan to continuously check for water leaks. My vehicle so far has had 6 water leaks since January 23rd, and 4 failed attempts to fix it. I have had 4 separate cases of water leaking to my battery compartment, 1 case of water leaking underneath the spare tire and tool holder, 2 cases of water leaking into the left rear back seat, and 3 cases of water leaking behind the plastic trim piece at the back of the inside of the trunk. My last case was water leaking into the dip in the plastic trim piece at the back of the trunk from the top of the trunk lid, as the rubber seal, the dealership fixed 3 times did not meet the trunk lid in the middle. The dealerships fix was to use seal bond ( the black windshield glue used when replacing windshields) underneath the rubber trunk seal to better protect it from leaking, but that has since failed. The dealership also used seal bond to fix a defective seal the manufacturer made. I am not sure what your dealership may do or will choose to do, but I would work with GM if this has happened to you, as the dealership also destroyed my headliner near the rear deck.

Unfortunately, I have sadly fought with GM long enough to make them buy the vehicle back, as it is considered a lemon in my state, and according to the BBB autoline regarding Chevrolet products. I am very sad that after owning the vehicle for 10 months, this is what I have to deal with. I have had to fight with the dealership as well as GM because GM was supposed to repurchase the vehicle after the 3rd failed attempt, but the dealership went against GMs strong suggestion that they do not try and attempt to fix the water leak, as it had been determined to be a Manufacturers Defect. i will be leaving the GM brands of vehicles and I do not foresee me returning to ever owning another GM product again. The safety of my myself and especially my daughter, was truly not taken highly with GM and I value my safety and my daughters safety much more.

If anyone has any questions or has had any problems like I have, please feel free to message me or reply to this post and I will be glad to inform you of the steps required and needed to help you pursue actions.

I wish each and every one of you, a safe ownership with your Cruze's.

 

[pontiacgt]

I'm actually taking mine in for the last leak you mention. however I figured out where it actually leaking. its leaking from the taillights on trunk. I thought it was from the spoiler but its not. mine was not leaking at first then it started to when it rains. It seems the seals around the light or the lights themselves are leaking. When it leaks I can pull the trunk cover down and see water on them. it then puddles near latch on the plastic trim piece. sucks you have to get rid of it. however all manufactures have issues with leaks. its one of the hardest thing to fix on a car when they happen. Water doesn't always leak anywhere near where it puddles. Its really a game of cat and mouse.

 

[Tomko]

Leaks sound simple but can be really difficult to find and correct. Often it's a case of hit and miss.

Sorry to hear that your dealership damaged your car.

What brand have you decided to go with as a replacement?

 

[CruzeGen22017]

The leak was not simple to find... the dealership tore half of my trunk carpet out after the 3rd failed attempt, just to find out that a seal made by the manufacturer was not completely sealing the body on the inside of my trunk near the right rear fender well, causing water to come up from the outside in.. they fixed that but it started leaking there again. The dealership hasn't been very friendly with me about it either as the general sales manager told me " if you have a problem call GM or the BBB" which I did.. and now GM is buying my car back and giving me a refund.

as far as another brand goes, I've owned two Hyundais before. And neither one of the 2 gave me any kind of issues like this. Physically or mechanically. They were so sound it was unbelievable. So I may end up going back to Hyundai or another import. As I've seen so many domestic companies having more issues than the rest.

 

[CruzeGen22017]

Pontiac GT, what sucks even worse is that the 2016-17 Malibus are having the same issues with the trunk seal not meeting the trunk lid properly, and they're having to shim the rubber seal up higher so that it will stop the water leaking.. its sad to see two vehicles, completely separate in design and in style, having the same issues..

 

[jblackburn]

I'm actually taking mine in for the last leak you mention. however I figured out where it actually leaking. its leaking from the taillights on trunk. I thought it was from the spoiler but its not. mine was not leaking at first then it started to when it rains. It seems the seals around the light or the lights themselves are leaking. When it leaks I can pull the trunk cover down and see water on them. it then puddles near latch on the plastic trim piece. sucks you have to get rid of it. however all manufactures have issues with leaks. its one of the hardest thing to fix on a car when they happen. Water doesn't always leak anywhere near where it puddles. Its really a game of cat and mouse.

My 2012 leaked around the right taillight too. Soaked my entire trunk carpet, spare tire well, etc...didn't drive the car for a few days, and it smelled gross. Luckily, they did find it on the first attempt when I took it in.

So far nothing on my 2016. Fingers crossed.

 

[Merc6]

The leak was not simple to find... the dealership tore half of my trunk carpet out after the 3rd failed attempt, just to find out that a seal made by the manufacturer was not completely sealing the body on the inside of my trunk near the right rear fender well, causing water to come up from the outside in.. they fixed that but it started leaking there again. The dealership hasn't been very friendly with me about it either as the general sales manager told me " if you have a problem call GM or the BBB" which I did.. and now GM is buying my car back and giving me a refund.

as far as another brand goes, I've owned two Hyundais before. And neither one of the 2 gave me any kind of issues like this. Physically or mechanically. They were so sound it was unbelievable. So I may end up going back to Hyundai or another import. As I've seen so many domestic companies having more issues than the rest.

Sorry for your loss. If we are gonna lose you to Hyundai, will it at least be the Elantra Sport?

 

[CruzeGen22017]

Merc6, it's funny that you say that specific vehicle because that was my first choice. A local dealership near my work has been willing to sell me the 6spd manual, silver, black leather Interior with the technology package, for less than $20,000. I have owned an Elantra limited and a Santa Fe sport prior. The only I had during my time with both vehicles, is the left front wheel bearing on the Elantra went bad after 25,000 miles. Luckily warranty covered and drove like a champ until I traded it in for th Santa Fe Sport... I had often thought about going back to Ford and looking into a Focus, but after my moms Titanium had have to the transmission rebuilt 3 times because the dual clutch system kept failing, I don't know if I can trust domestics anymore

 

[spaycace]

I'm not really sure if there are any true "domestics" anymore. Maybe I've been lucky with all my GM vehicles, as I've yet to have a problem with any of them (and I've owned quite a few since the age of 18) so far. I'm a loyal GM guy and most likely always will be based upon childhood memories of what happened with other vehicles I "grew up" in ... Best of luck with your next vehicle purchase. I'm hoping to be a Cruze owner again soon!

 

[pontiacgt]

Pontiac GT, what sucks even worse is that the 2016

its not the seal that is leaking which I first I though it was. Its leaking around the taillights on trunk. If I pull back the trunk cover you can see water on both taillights and nothing higher. All they have sealing them is a foam rubber that can soak water. I think they should a have a solid rubber around them or the taillights themselves are leaking. I will find out what they do tomorrow hopefully.

 

[jblackburn]

If you want a Focus, don't bother with the regular one. The DCT is indeed crap. Get the ST.

The Elantra Sport is actually quite good. Peppy motor and a competent suspension setup - something Hyundai usually messes up. I thought I had the last gen Elantra at the top of my list until I drove it. It felt like a deer on ice on a bumpy road.

 

[obermd]

So another hack dealership is causing GM to loose a customer. I wonder if GM will ever learn that their dealerships are their worst enemies.

 

[pontiacgt]

Well my water leak from the trunk was the spoiler leaking at the bolts. So for everyone with the RS package if you get leaks in the very back it could very well be the spoiler doing it.

 

[jsnowbordr47]

So another hack dealership is causing GM to loose a customer. I wonder if GM will ever learn that their dealerships are their worst enemies.

Agreed, GM's dealerships, particularly the service departments across the board seem to be among the worst in the industry. My 2016.5 Cruze was/is having wind noise issues on both driver and passenger front doors.


I finally got one dealership to fix one of the noise issues (turns out the other dealership that did some work on the car did some damage to the wind shield plastic liner inside the door itself or something like that), but the other side is still being dismissed as normal. But I find it hard to believe that the noise is normal.


I think I'm going to try my local Cadillac/Buick dealership, they might have higher standards than Chevrolet dealerships or at the very least I hope they will give me some "backyard" type fixes to get the wind noise to stop.

Chevy/GM Customer Care isn't all that helpful either, the corporate jargon line that they rely on the service techs to make the call is pretty lame. So basically one guy who might be super busy tasked with handling 14+ cars already in the service bay just got pulled off his intake manifold replacement job to do a ride along for your wind noise concerns. You think he really cares that your car has wind noise when he's gotta finish that manifold job tomorrow? I'd bet money that's why so many things get dismissed as "normal" at car dealership service departments. They probably hear it or feel it, but they also hear their supervisor yelling in their ear to finish the other job.lol


I can accept a factory defect, no manufacturer is perfect, just as long as the problem gets addressed/fixed. My buddy just had his contract for his new 2016 Hyundai Sonata Sport cancelled because they couldn't fix an issue with the paint finish. He bought the car last month and literally only had it to drive for about 2-1/2 weeks. Dealership has had it ever since to try and touch up the paint job. He finally enough and I guess showed enough muscle to get them to cancel the contract. He wanted to jump into a Cruze or Malibu, but his wife is set on the Sonata for its large back seat, so they're going to try Hyundai again.

 

[renaku4]

Sorry to hear about the problems with your Cruze, both the water leak and wind noise guys.

One thing I've experienced on the technician side of things (journeyperson auto body tech at a GM bodyshop for 13 years) is the lack of information often taken by the manager/service writer from the customer. I've done way more wind noise & water leak diagnosing and repairing than I'd almost care to admit. Wind noise is especially hard to find. Water can be tricky as well, but often times easier if you strip out some of the interior and have someone hose the car down while you're inside. Then just watch for the water and trace it back to where it's coming in. Wind noise can be quite frustrating as the tech often isn't sure what the noise is the customer is hearing. I don't know how many times my manager would give me keys for my next job and say it's wind noise. Ok, where is the noise coming from? At what speed? Is it windy out when it's happening? Is it when the customer is driving into the wind? Questions like that need to be asked. But in my experience (maybe other dealerships plan it out better than mine did, but I've also talked to a number of other techs from different dealers that have the same issues) the above questions aren't being asked of the custoner, and myself as a tech have to try to find out where this noise is, under what conditions it's happening and try to solve it, all within a short time frame (let's face it, wind noise/water leaks don't pay well and the boss wants bigger higher paying jobs being done instead). Ideally I would've loved to have the customer drive the vehicle with me and tell me when they hear the noise and where they perceive it's coming from. Once i know the conditions it's much easier for me to repair it.

I'm not sure in the cases from the OP and jsnowbordr47 how well you were questioned by the service writer/manager as to conditions this is happening so my above rant my be rendered moot (thanks for listening though lol), but just thought I'd share my experience as a tech as to why it can take a while or several tries to have these issues repaired.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Starks8]

Sorry for your loss. If we are gonna lose you to Hyunada, will it at least be the Elantra Sport?

I know the Elantra Sport is what I'm looking at. I've been following that car ever since I saw pictures of it about a year or more back.

 

[Starks8]

So another hack dealership is causing GM to loose a customer. I wonder if GM will ever learn that their dealerships are their worst enemies.

I couldn't agree with this more! The lack of quality service from the Chevy dealerships I've been to is at least 80% of the reason I don't see myself coming back to Chevy for a very long time, if ever,

 

[sparkman]

So another hack dealership is causing GM to loose a customer. I wonder if GM will ever learn that their dealerships are their worst enemies.

Make me another customer who won't be buying GM for that specific reason as well.


Pending test drive the Elantra Sport is what I am getting. If I don't like how it drives, I'm 100% getting the Limited w/Ultimate Package. Test drove that recently and loved it. Got a buddy up in Akron that is ready to sell me one, but I am SO close to paying the Cruze off and I want to do that first.

 

[Merc6]

Being that I left "Them Domestics" alone, There is pros and cons to that. Honda dealerships and hours look way better but are seriously super overpriced. OMG the facility is "Nordstrom Beautiful" and everyone was super nice granted I picked the 10:15 PM service time because it was $20 cheaper than a normal dealer service shop hour to get stuff done. They really did try to make me pay for this facility! LOL I refuse to mention what my trip cost me after $20 coupon but I'm still torn on if I should have gotten the free oil change and wash package for like $3000 or not. Wind noises are handled differently with Honda if there is no TSB for it. Lots of people on the forums complain about having to eat the diagnostic fee for them to attempt to fix it and the forums seem to have accepted that's what you get for trying to get Acura quality in a Honda. That being said, my Honda cost me about what a Malibu would have if i settled with that car only and stuck it out with the domestics. I actually did homework, test drove the same car different trans in 3 different dealership environments(freeway, well off suburbs traffic, and horrible roads in the hood) and none of the issues showed up until right around 5000 miles. In general all service departments have issues especially if you followed adventure time Subaru issue that took place here a few years back. That guy has import and domestic dealerships he runs into the ground.

 

[obermd]

Sorry to hear about the problems with your Cruze, both the water leak and wind noise guys.

One thing I've experienced on the technician side of things (journeyperson auto body tech at a GM bodyshop for 13 years) is the lack of information often taken by the manager/service writer from the customer. I've done way more wind noise & water leak diagnosing and repairing than I'd almost care to admit. Wind noise is especially hard to find. Water can be tricky as well, but often times easier if you strip out some of the interior and have someone hose the car down while you're inside. Then just watch for the water and trace it back to where it's coming in. Wind noise can be quite frustrating as the tech often isn't sure what the noise is the customer is hearing. I don't know how many times my manager would give me keys for my next job and say it's wind noise. Ok, where is the noise coming from? At what speed? Is it windy out when it's happening? Is it when the customer is driving into the wind? Questions like that need to be asked. But in my experience (maybe other dealerships plan it out better than mine did, but I've also talked to a number of other techs from different dealers that have the same issues) the above questions aren't being asked of the custoner, and myself as a tech have to try to find out where this noise is, under what conditions it's happening and try to solve it, all within a short time frame (let's face it, wind noise/water leaks don't pay well and the boss wants bigger higher paying jobs being done instead). Ideally I would've loved to have the customer drive the vehicle with me and tell me when they hear the noise and where they perceive it's coming from. Once i know the conditions it's much easier for me to repair it.

I'm not sure in the cases from the OP and jsnowbordr47 how well you were questioned by the service writer/manager as to conditions this is happening so my above rant my be rendered moot (thanks for listening though lol), but just thought I'd share my experience as a tech as to why it can take a while or several tries to have these issues repaired.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Agreed. On the flip side I've given all this type of information to the service writer and when I get the service ticket back at the end none of the information I gave is on there. Part of the problem is GM's service system appears to only allow something like 50 characters in the customer complaint description.