[obermd]

I've seen dealerships simply refuse to do tire/wheel work if the wheel lock wasn't sitting in plain sight or better yet, handed to the service adviser. As for the DEF top-off, I wonder how many people driving the CDT even know where this tank is located - this is a shared problem between the sales staff for not telling the owner where it's located and the owner for not bothering to read their owner's manual. IMO GM made two huge errors putting this tank in the spare tire well - first, now there's no place for a spare, and second, it's not easily accessible for refills.

It's simply amazing how much crap service techs have to put up with. Make sure your car is cleaned out before dropping it off. This means get all the trash out of it, empty the trunk if there's a chance the techs need to get in there, etc.

 

[jblackburn]

They coulda easily put it in the spare tire well, but with a fill port in the fuel tank door like Ford and Dodge do with diesel pickups.

Woulda made it easier for everyone involved. There just isn't a whole lot of spare room in one of these cars.

 

[2013LT]

Last time my wheel lock was in the trunk. I never thought of this. However there was NOTHING else in my trunk... I agree with you 100% and will be more considerate in the future

 

[Jim Frye]

Last thing I want is someone rifling around in my trunk, even though there's not much in it except what came from the factory. The lock key always goes in the cup holder when the cars go in for service and I let the writer know about it. Once found two keys in the cup holder, mine and the mechanics (cheap Gorilla locks from another tire store). Had to take the wrench bender's back inside.

 

[TDCruze]

I hate that the filler for the DEF is in the trunk. I usually don't have much of anything in there, but its still a poor last minute engineering decision. I bet a lot of people that buy this car don't know that the tank is in the trunk.

 

[NickD]

Purchased genuine Toyota keyed lug nuts from my dealer, four nuts in the package and the adapter. When I learned I could buy the adapter from just about any auto supply store. Removed these keyed lugs nuts and installed the originals back on.

These were also a pain in the butt for me also.

Is this DEF a US thing? Didn't see anything like this on that Italian diesel Ford Cmax. Was surprisingly quiet, no smoke out of the exhaust pipe. See literally thousands of diesel trucks on the highway puffing black smoke. Worse ones are our school buses in town with the exhaust out the rear end.

And I wonder why they call that vent under the windshield, the fresh air intake. That air isn't anything but fresh. Just like the EPA, just picking on the little guys. Then they kill the engine when the DEF goes low? Isn't this a contradiction to all these ignition problems GM has? Another is this stupid traction control killing the engine.

 

[NickD]

While under the subject of dealer complaints, most I am hearing, can't unscrew a component. Have to break it off, and try to explain to either the customer or the insurance company why they have to charge extra.

Also see you posted this yesterday, a Sunday, so must have visited your dealer on a Saturday. This is more recent, shops were typically closed on a Saturday for years. But least around here, opened until noon.

All dealerships around here are closed on Sunday, ha, just about the only time most people have time to buy a car. Sales section closes at 6:00 PM just like all the businesses in downtown do, and complain about low sales.

Just about any person I know, both husband and wife are working during the day, have to, to make ends meet. Our dealer does stay open until 8:00 PM just on a Thursday night, Friday is for getting drunk. We had to wait until Thursday night before we could pick up our Cruze because of work.

But being retired now, and go to my dealer during the daytime, the sales department is deserted.

 

[jblackburn]

Idk about you, but it's rare to see a tractor trailer or bus around these parts smoking these days. Our city buses and school buses have been fitted with DEF injection, and tractor trailer owners have been forced to install pollution control systems (either DEF or DPF or both).

With all the traffic here, it's a great thing. I hate diesel fumes.

 

[NickD]

Idk about you, but it's rare to see a tractor trailer or bus around these parts smoking these days. Our city buses and school buses have been fitted with DEF injection, and tractor trailer owners have been forced to install pollution control systems (either DEF or DPF or both).

With all the traffic here, it's a great thing. I hate diesel fumes.

Ha, here we go again with 50 different states and 50 different sets of laws. Then certain parties are concerned about the clean air act, others say its nonsense. Our current party in charge closed down all the state emission inspection stations. Too expensive they said.

But to be on the emission clean air act side, certified thousands of shops just to check to see if your check engine lamp is off. And you have to pay for this service.

 

[spacedout]

Purchased genuine Toyota keyed lug nuts from my dealer, four nuts in the package and the adapter. When I learned I could buy the adapter from just about any auto supply store. Removed these keyed lugs nuts and installed the originals back on.

Those wheel locks only slow down a thief a few seconds, its not like there is 100 different type of wheel locks either besides they could just go buy the same one you have. Those locks are worthless & as the OP pointed out, probably just annoying to the dealer. I pay for insurance every month for years I have never needed to use, think I would rather just file a claim for stolen rims.

Is this DEF a US thing? Didn't see anything like this on that Italian diesel Ford Cmax. Was surprisingly quiet, no smoke out of the exhaust pipe. See literally thousands of diesel trucks on the highway puffing black smoke. Worse ones are our school buses in town with the exhaust out the rear end.

No DEF is not just the US, as most of Europe has been installing it on their diesels too. Its possible that C-max didn't have def, but at a minimum it had a DPF. Even if it did have DEF since you can go 10K miles before a top off, you probably wouldn't notice anyway. Diesel exhaust fluid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The reason you see so many black smoking diesels in this state is old equipment. All the newer school buses(since 2010?) have DEF. GM and ford added it to their trucks around the same time too. Diesel Exhaust Fluid Benefits - Thomas Built Buses

Now if someone would stop all the idiots rolling coal!