Likely my last GM product....

4002 Views 31 Replies 10 Participants Last post by EricSmit, Mar 31, 2017

cblock1434

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2017

Need to share an experience and see if anyone has any ideas for helping. Bought a 2012 Cruze ECO with MF3 6 speed new in 2012. At around 60k miles or so, 3-4 started to whine. Took to dealer, they wrote up the RO saying no trouble found, but told me it was failing and to come back before warranty was up and they would replace it. Time flew by and I called 2 weeks after warranty was up. (I was thinking i bought it in April 2012, but it was actually Feb 2012) So this was all explained to the service writer and he advised I'd have about $300 into the repair with a cost share program, which I was ok with... I missed the warranty by 2 weeks for an existing concern (and one that is all over these boards from factory under fill and poor bearing lubrication). 2 days later, they call and tell me trans is junk, and I will owe $1100 to repair. This just isn't right. I had an existing concern, what is a known GM issue, and the dealer changed the game. What are your thoughts on this? I am definitely not a happy camper. My car has been at dealer for 2+ weeks. I cannot get GM to return my calls, and the dealer is just referring to the "online" calculator for warranty cost share. I think this whole situation is ridiculous for a known defect, and an existing and prior customer complaint on this car. To be fair, I was perfectly willing to pay $300 for my mistake of warranty expiration (2 weeks off on expiration), but $1100 seems unrealistic for this situation. Thoughts? I am I being unreasonable, or is there a path to a helpful resolution for this? Thanks all!

The trans whines like crazy in 3,4 and a little less in 5 and 6. At 0 mph, there is a lot of bearing noise with clutch pedal out, noise stops with pedal is pushed in. Sounds like a shift bearing something terrible. Sounds like it did back at 60k miles when they said nothing was wrong...

Car now has about 94k miles.

Carl

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EricSmit

· #2 · Mar 27, 2017

I mean, I really do feel bad for you Carl, but you missed your warranty. Unfortunately, you're kind of at fault here. $1100 is pretty much bang on, and frankly they're kind of hooking you up. I know it doesn't seem that way, but that's the unfortunate truth. Your "documented information on an existing concern" would be the RO that they gave you, which says nothing is wrong.

EricSmit

· #3 · Mar 27, 2017

Also, jumping on an enthusiasts' forum with your first post bashing the entire brand as a whole usually won't get you the responses you're looking for.

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MP81

· #4 · Mar 27, 2017

EricSmit said:
Also, jumping on an enthusiasts' forum with your first post bashing the entire brand as a whole usually won't get you the responses you're looking for.

These aren't the responses you're looking for.

Sorry, I couldn't help it.

But I agree - I wouldn't expect the dealer to suddenly honor the warranty if I brought the car back after it ended.

Now, if the dealer quoted you $300 for the repair but then suddenly increased it to $1100...something is amiss, in my opinion. Keep in mind - the dealers are independent of GM. GM doesn't like dealership dickery as much as you don't like it. @Chevy Customer Care may be able to assist.

Reactions: 2

EricSmit

· #5 · Mar 27, 2017

MP81 said:
These aren't the responses you're looking for.

Sorry, I couldn't help it.

But I agree - I wouldn't expect the dealer to suddenly honor the warranty if I brought the car back after it ended.

Now, if the dealer quoted you $300 for the repair but then suddenly increased it to $1100...something is amiss, in my opinion. Keep in mind - the dealers are independent of GM. GM doesn't like dealership dickery as much as you don't like it. @Chevy Customer Care may be able to assist.

10/10. hahaha.

Unfortunately for OP, I believe he was quoted $300 as an initial quote before they actually took a look at it, and then when they found out the extent of repairs needed, they called and said "unfortunately we found more."

obermd

· #6 · Mar 27, 2017

I would definitely be asking our Chevy Customer Care account to look into this one. You had the whine before the warranty was up and the dealership blew you off.

Reactions: 5

EricSmit

· #7 · Mar 27, 2017

obermd said:
I would definitely be asking our Chevy Customer Care account to look into this one. You had the whine before the warranty was up and the dealership blew you off.

The dealership's service department blew it off, which is a different point to note. OP accepted that, left, and then his warranty expired.

EricSmit

· #8 · Mar 27, 2017

Keep in mind, I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here as the mind of a service department.

Robby

· #9 · Mar 27, 2017

cblock1434 said:
Need to share an experience and see if anyone has any ideas for helping. Bought a 2012 Cruze ECO with MF3 6 speed new in 2012. At around 60k miles or so, 3-4 started to whine. Took to dealer, they wrote up the RO saying no trouble found, but told me it was failing and to come back before warranty was up and they would replace it. Time flew by and I called 2 weeks after warranty was up. (I was thinking i bought it in April 2012, but it was actually Feb 2012) So this was all explained to the service writer and he advised I'd have about $300 into the repair with a cost share program, which I was ok with... I missed the warranty by 2 weeks for an existing concern (and one that is all over these boards from factory under fill and poor bearing lubrication). 2 days later, they call and tell me trans is junk, and I will owe $1100 to repair. This just isn't right. I had an existing concern, what is a known GM issue, and the dealer changed the game. What are your thoughts on this? I am definitely not a happy camper. My car has been at dealer for 2+ weeks. I cannot get GM to return my calls, and the dealer is just referring to the "online" calculator for warranty cost share. I think this whole situation is ridiculous for a known defect, and an existing and prior customer complaint on this car. To be fair, I was perfectly willing to pay $300 for my mistake of warranty expiration (2 weeks off on expiration), but $1100 seems unrealistic for this situation. Thoughts? I am I being unreasonable, or is there a path to a helpful resolution for this? Thanks all!

The trans whines like crazy in 3,4 and a little less in 5 and 6. At 0 mph, there is a lot of bearing noise with clutch pedal out, noise stops with pedal is pushed in. Sounds like a shift bearing something terrible. Sounds like it did back at 60k miles when they said nothing was wrong... Car now has about 94k miles.

Carl

Since you indicate you have paperwork indicating the concern was brought to the dealers attention during warranty and were told to come back prior to expiration, I believe you have a valid case.

Instruct the dealer you wish to meet with the district service manager for a goodwill extension on the trans.
The dealer will either be instructed to repair under goodwill by the DSM (no inspection) or, if the claim is going to be denied it is denied by the DSM....not second party through the dealer.

This is a case of really poor dealer follow through and should have (could have) been handled transparently with no direct (or expense) involvement from you. Try to avoid blaming the corporation for a dealer not taking a proactive stance on your behalf.

Stand firm though....I would be shocked if the corporation does not step up.

Rob

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cblock1434

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 28, 2017

Thank you all for the replies. I didn't intend to make my first post on the site so negative. I've watched the forum for years since I bought the car. I still really like it, and thus far have had 2 bad dealer experiences with this car (this being one of them). Everything will work itself out. I appreciate you all reading, listening and responding.

EricSmit

· #11 · Mar 28, 2017

cblock1434 said:
Thank you all for the replies. I didn't intend to make my first post on the site so negative. I've watched the forum for years since I bought the car. I still really like it, and thus far have had 2 bad dealer experiences with this car (this being one of them). Everything will work itself out. I appreciate you all reading, listening and responding.

If you need any help, I do work at a dealership, and might be able to direct you if you get stuck. My number is in my signature.

Tomko

· #12 · Mar 28, 2017

A shame you missed your warranty expire by two weeks. I would imagine that you're pretty upset with yourself about that. But we've all blown something like that at one time or another.

Just last month my wife thought she'd won $75,000 on a lotto ticket. Turns out she was only off by one number. Sure glad she didn't blow that 75 large before getting the ticket checked.

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Merc6

· #13 · Mar 28, 2017

Yeah hopefully they can help you out on some of the cost. This is the reality of having a low volume of manual cars on a lot to have a tech go look at. I had some issues and that went 6 months because they couldn't even find another manual Cruze with same quirk to pretend it's normal. Trans issues start to be common due to the fact they come underfilled for a few years from the factory. I called myself swapping the gear oil out early around 20K miles and still ended up with a 2nd trans around 40K. The wine was semi low around 33K and they kinda assumed it was normal when they were in there for the 3rd axle and a LCA. Due to my driving I was able to rack up some more miles and it was to the point of being louder than the radio @ 23 vol on the freeway.

MP81

· #14 · Mar 28, 2017

Tomko said:
A shame you missed your warranty expire by two weeks. I would imagine that you're pretty upset with yourself about that. But we've all blown something like that at one time or another.

And some dealers certainly are more willing to let something like that slide depending on how close you were mileage-wise. When they first replaced the side detection sensors, we were maybe 1-2k out of warranty (well within the year limit, though) and our dealer just wrote it up as being scheduled before warranty was up. They were great about it. They serviced that part again for free, under the warranty (of the warranty repair), but this last time we were outside that.

So it depends on the dealer, as well - but they should have taken care of it the first time, I'm thinking.

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cblock1434

Discussion Starter · #15 · Mar 28, 2017

Eric, different question, related to EPS service... (Or any other one that can answer...) Let's say I took my car in for a steering wheel clock spring recall, and when I picked it up, the car wouldn't turn right more than 1 steering wheel rotation until it bottomed out on the electrical stop. Forcing it past the soft stop disabled EPS and let me steer mechanical lock to lock properly. What are possible causes, hypothetically? I'm leaning that my wheel was put on 1 turn off of center. My snap on scanner showed position of sensor center when wheel was 1 turn to the left. Other possible causes? They said the steering sheel sensor was not calibrated properly. I thought it was odd that one turn off, exactly, for the actual sensor reading.

EricSmit

· #16 · Mar 28, 2017

cblock1434 said:
Eric, different question, related to EPS service... (Or any other one that can answer...) Let's say I took my car in for a steering wheel clock spring recall, and when I picked it up, the car wouldn't turn right more than 1 steering wheel rotation until it bottomed out on the electrical stop. Forcing it past the soft stop disabled EPS and let me steer mechanical lock to lock properly. What are possible causes, hypothetically? I'm leaning that my wheel was put on 1 turn off of center. My snap on scanner showed position of sensor center when wheel was 1 turn to the left. Other possible causes? They said the steering sheel sensor was not calibrated properly. I thought it was odd that one turn off, exactly, for the actual sensor reading.

When they say calibrated improperly, you guys are talking about the same issue but wording it differently. Obviously take it back and get it fixed.

Chevy Customer Care

· #17 · Mar 28, 2017

Hello Carl,

We truly regret to hear of your sentiments. Please know that your are a valued GM customer and we want you to have a positive experience with our products as well as our dealerships. We apologized this does not seem to be the case with your Cruze and the dealership ans would like to assist in any way that we can. Although we cannot guarantee any particular outcome, we welcome the opportunity to reach out to your dealership to gather some additional information. If this is something you are interested in, please send us a private message with your full contact information, VIN, and the name of the involved dealership. To learn more about GM's privacy policy, you can visit bit.ly/2lzGxXu

Best,

Netty J.
Chevrolet Customer Care

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Tomko

· #18 · Mar 28, 2017

MP81 said:
And some dealers certainly are more willing to let something like that slide depending on how close you were mileage-wise. When they first replaced the side detection sensors, we were maybe 1-2k out of warranty (well within the year limit, though) and our dealer just wrote it up as being scheduled before warranty was up. They were great about it. They serviced that part again for free, under the warranty (of the warranty repair), but this last time we were outside that.

So it depends on the dealer, as well - but they should have taken care of it the first time, I'm thinking.

Usually dealers with whom you have an established relationship will work to make things happen for you in a situation like this.

Established relationship means you buy vehicles there and get them serviced there - or buy your parts there. If you don't do two out of those three then they're not in an established relationship with you.

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Markj2222

· #19 · Mar 28, 2017 (Edited)

I grew up with GM, my experience with their 2000-2012 lineup has been nothing but horrendous. 2000 Venture van came with a plastic head gasket *cant make this crap up PLASTIC And they all failed like our cruze PCV valve's and it was too much of a job for the dealship so they refused to help. 2003 Pontiac sunfire lost all its electrical, dealer keeps moving the job forward until it was outside warranty!

Same story with my 2012 cruze, the PCV orange check failed causing a turbo failure. Dealer voids my warranty saying turbo mods with no proof! I bought a new turbo and fixed it myself and had it fail before the next oil change because i didn't fix my PCV issue *missing orange check-valve* 100% stock with a PCV issue, lost my warrenty, 2 turbos, 1000$ bill shipping a dead car 2000 miles, and another $5000 for an aftermarket turbo because a confused and fustraded young me didn't know that PCV issues could blow turbos, they didnt release the tech bullitin that may have helped the dealer fix my car until a year after i installed my aftermarket turbo. By that time a guy on the forum by the name of titan and i tore the entire pcv system apart, wreaking hundres of dollers in GM parts just to make drop mach diagrams of the entire PCV system in the 1.4t

Only had my car for 2 years before this chain of events, well within warranty. They shouldn't have that power at the dealership, but chevy customer service just told me sorry and offered an apology to nurse my +$5000 in dealership directly realated and provalbe damaged. But after being though this process with the venture and only getting an insulting amount from the courts of canada on a $1000+ repair. I know first hand the court system in canada will not be able to provide me justice.

Back to my 2000 venture, we went into a class action lawsuit against and wasted years of effort and money, and we WON!

TORONTO - General Motors Corp. agreed to settle 17 Canadian lawsuits claiming a defective part in cars made between 1995 and 2003 caused engines to overheat and seize, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said "GM will pay car owners $50" (remember dealship refused to fix the venture gasket, cost us $1000 in parts and was over a 20 hour replacement doing it ourselves before we warped the block. Could only imagin all the old ladies who got robbed at the dealer with a $4000 parts and service bill)

It happened in the past, it happens now, it will continue to happen in the future...

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Markj2222

· #20 · Mar 28, 2017

So no im not ever buying a GM product new or used, until i the consumer can see massive changes in customer relations and product quality moving to a point where a GM product can work from factory. Maybe by 2027 GM can possibly convince me otherwise that their cars work, even if pop culture says they are good and reliable, i'll just assume the gernal population has got it wrong like so many other things. So atleast 10 years of other fools getting scammed by them before i consider to re-add GM to my possible car vendor list.

I love my cruze, i just hate that it costs $5000+ to keep a new one working... and too see that most new GM's follow this trend... I believe in vehicle ownership without having to spend Thousands in or out of warranty. If a subaru owner can keep a WRX STI working for 10+ years for less time and money then i spent on my cruze and have 400 AWHP. I no longer beleive in GM's power to make 115 whp for 60k miles without voiding the warranty on a stock cruze.

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