[Cgharbidge]

Hey everyone,
I drive a 2011 Cruze LS, my first new vehicle (6th vehicle overall) with just over 50000 Km. I seem to keep running into issues past my warranty date or just in general, and I seem to be getting the run around from the dealership. I won't list everything, but I'll list some of the major ones and number them for ease of reading.

1/ Fixed - The first major issue was my car revving quite high, after a while I lost power in the acceleration and needed to replace a piston. Just 1-2 month after warranty according to the service advisor. This took the tech quite a few hours of time to troubleshoot and after having the work discounted I believe I paid over $500.00 but under $1000.00.
2/Brake maintenance package recommended - While I was travelling for work, I had my car put in for an oil change and my GF approved work/picked it up. One of the services she approved was the brakes to be cleaned. Since then (almost 2 years) I have constant squeeling in the brakes, I've had the car in a couple times since and I keep getting the run around on this one. I'm not sure how much I've paid here, but it hasn't been resolved. It is in the shop again today with another problem to be looked at, hopefully this one can be resolved as it is super embarrassing to drive around town and have everyone look as your brakes bursts everyone's eardrums.
3/Replaced under warranty after a second check - Car threw a check engine light - Hooked up the OBD and it came up with error code "P0597 Thermostat Heater Control Circuit Open DTC". I'm not 100% sure on this guy, but the service advisor noted that I am past my warranty again on this. Waiting to hear back on how this one will work.

Issues 2 and 3 are being looked at right now, both I have been quoted at $150.00+ each ($300.00+) to investigate. Now my vehicle experience is probably lacking, but I have not had as many issues as I currently am now. Not even from a Mazda I bought half submerged in a swamp and 20 years old.

I don't expect any advice, but if you have some please feel free to comment. At minimum, at least someone searching for similar problems may stumble across this post. I'll also update the post as more information becomes available.
Thanks,
Cody

 

[Cgharbidge]

I am assuming that by first put into service is me driving off the lot (As it is a new car), if so then from the paper records it looks like the service date started on August 12, 2011, putting this under 5 years. If it is when it arrives at the lot, then I very well may be over 5 years. Thanks for taking the time to reply Obermd.

 

[Cgharbidge]

Hey Jim, thanks for the clarification and time to write back. The car is 50K and with everyone's help and the service advisor double checking my policy using your advice it looks like I'll be covered for the thermostat.
Unfortunately again, they found nothing wrong with the brakes, so I am getting them to do the brake maintenance package in hopes that it will resolve the issue and if it re-occurs I'll take it to a new dealership.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Cgharbidge]

1. Is the noise audible when you are driving without the brakes being applied? If so, the pads are not retracting fully from the rotors and are sort of just skimming them lightly enough to cause the noise.

No, no noise when driving. Only time the noise happens is when I come to a stop and press down on the pedal.

2. Does the noise go away when you apply the brakes? Again, they might not be retracting fully due to corroded caliper slides.

When fully depressed the noise does go away.

3. How old (miles) are the pads? Are they the originals? Guessing they are and after five years of use, things might be a bit corroded in the area.

Yeah they are the original pads, although I have done regular maintenance and even now I am being told that they are fine after an thorough inspection from the technician.

4. If the brakes squeal when they are applied, I'd bet the pads and/or rotors are glazed. This would warrant a brake pad and rotor turning or replacement service. In this instance, the noise might be the wear fingers on the pads doing their job. They're little metal fingers that screech on the rotors to let you know the pads are worn enough to require replacement. A quick inspection by a mechanic that knows (or gives a crap to look) will tell you this.

The Service Advisor/Mechanic said I didn't need any work done on this, but I asked for it to be performed anyway. I'll update tomorrow when I get the car back to see if this resolved the issue, or if they uncovered a problem when they've performed the work.

Once again thanks everyone for taking the time to post.