BEC Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 And Counting Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 We'll have to think of a new name for GM! What a fiasco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted July 1, 2005 Author Share Posted July 1, 2005 Well, GM Corporate did offer me 3 free oil changes today for my trouble. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Too bad, Honda, Nissan or Toyota don't make a big duelly so you would have something reliable. I still find all or most of american made vehicles seriously lacking in quality compared to their foriegn made counter parts. While they have gottn better they are not there yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 I think the full size and larger trucks made by GM are some of the most reliable vehicles ever made. My 2001 Chevrolet 3500 that I traded in on the new 2005 Chevrolet 3500 has been almost flawless in every way for its 4 years of very heavy duty service. The new one I bought on the July 13, went into the shop for an engine problem on July 16. It has been in the shop since that time, 16 days as of today. The modern diesel engine in these trucks is an incredibly complex thing. Producing over 300 horsepower and over 600 ft. pounds of torque along with getting over 18 mpg (empty) at highway speed is remarkable for a 6800 pound (empty weight) vehicle. Compare that pound for pound to a Honda Civic to get an idea of how impressive that economy is. But. it seems, the complexity of this engine just puts it outside the abilities of the typical GM maintenance shop. Mine was the first of these that this particular Dealership had seen with an internal engine problem. Or at least the first one that they had attempted a repair on. All their work has been directed by the GM factory techs on this and that is some of the slow down. I understand that they have to first receive direction from the factory, then perform the action while video taping the work. After each step is performed, the factory techs evaluate the results and then decide on the next step. The dealership wanted to just replace the truck and have GM come get the broke one. GM wanted to try the repair. Getting parts has been a nightmare and my direct conversations with GM Customer Assistance have been quite a bad experience. The current money crunch that GM is experiencing may have something to do with this problem. That is, repair of this truck, by the local dealership is cheaper if they can pull off the repair. Now this repair has taken so long that there is not an equivalent truck even available within at least a 300 mile radius. The GM "Employee Pricing for Everyone" program is working and eliminating the supply of trucks. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Button Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 GM keeps doing what they're doing and they'll keep gettin what they're gettin. I just took one of my two GM vehicles in for a checkup. Bad alignment causing premature tire wear. Didn't offer anything and said that an alignment is regularly scheduled maintenance recommended every 12K miles. They wanted to charge me, so I took it to an independent. So you have to get your vehicle aligned every 12K miles: never heard of that before? Odometer reading of 21,743 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 My odometer reading is at 1,022 and holding. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbean Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 sorry to hear of your bad gm experience, i was at a dealer 2 weeks ago for a new silverado, price was good for me with the incentives being offered but i took it out for a ride, it shifted terribly and rode like it had stone tires. i almost signed for it still, but on the way home changed my mind. my old 91' silverado has 530,000 miles on it rode quieter and smoother, shifts perfect and has never given me a serious problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 i'll never buy GM again ... now, the 30 y/o GM products, yea .. but the newer cars are such crap i can't belive ... Wife Had to Have a Malibu .. or .. what passes for a Malibu, now .. in 60, 000 mi ..the following repairs ... Leaking Manifold ... $600 Broken Strut.... ABS Failure...... $500 Alternator ... $440 ...Twice ..! Blower Motor ...... good thing she bought thier overpriced Extended Warranty.. i don't have time to spend on fixin a daily driver .. .................................................just my SS 454 ... i'll stick to my Ranger pickups ...thanks .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleve Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 This is why GM is going broke... A client of mine with a brand new Tahoe developed major engine trouble within a few weeks of delivery, before the first oil change was even due. He was without his $35,000+ vehicle for over a month. In both instances, a company that valued it's customers would have swapped out the vehicle, no questions asked. BEC should not be placed in this position because GM is a top-heavy bureacracy that can't see the forest from the trees. If I were you, I'd file a complaint with the State A.G's office - many states have "Lemon Laws" that severely penalize dealerships/manufacturers for this type of inexcusable behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 BEC, What a bunch of bullsh!t from GM. With stories like this it's no wonder a lot of people are migrating toward the foreign full size trucks, and I really don't blame them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyjeep Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 I owned a '95 Chevy full-size pickup bout 2 years ago. Was my first car, bought it with 45k sold with 78k. Loved that truck, no problems whatsoever. Great running truck. Now I own a 03 wrangler, again another great vehicle. If I do get a truck again, despite what people are saying I will get a Chevy....or a Dodge. Drove a brand new 02 Dodge Turbo Diesel Dually to prom my senior year. Wow...is all I can say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Wow interesting I own a 2004 Silverado 1500 problem free @ 17K + miles as I would expect it to be. I have a number of friends at work who drive older GM models the same way ... no problems. Now as for Bobs new diesel yeah I guess complexities may contribute this. The new engines are something to behold. But still at some point GM should pony up and offer you some form of compensating although cost of 3 free oil changes @ 15 quarts a pop is no cheap offering it doesnt compensate for the loss of utility/usage of your truck. As for Toyota/ Nissan and other imports I have been burned too many times on cars with very poor engines. Two Toyota where the head gasket blew and block cracked at 70K miles all Toyota offered was an apology. I will never again buy a Toyota product I have had similar but not quite as severe issues with Nissan and Mazda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 It's all about the blue oval!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 In the truck for heavy duty use, there is no foreign made option. You will buy a GM, Ford or Dodge. All of these have their good and bad points. GM has a sightly better truck in that range now in my opinion. I just happened to get a bad one. I will, in the end, get lots more than three free oil changes for this inconvenience. I expect the value of this compensation will be at least $5000.00. Their latest offer is about $3200.00, but I am not even discussing my compensation until they can provide me a drivable truck. Forget the Lemon Law. That only makes you whole again as if you never traded. I expect much more than that. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 The thing I hate about GM trucks is that they last so long. I trade every 10 to 15 years whether I need to or not. I've had all the Tieyota I want. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Ears Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 '98 GMC 1/2 ton 180,000 miles, no problems. At this point, I wouldn't want that truck back. I would make them get another one and still sweeten the deal more. Like wheels and tires or more options. Something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted July 5, 2005 Author Share Posted July 5, 2005 My new truck actually ran again this morning. They told me I could take it out for a road test around noon. I was there at noon, but then they told me it failed their road test. Something was "not quite right" was all they would tell me. 18 days in the shop now. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 That definately sucks Bob, I have a similar dilema with my sister's car and a certain bodyshop. They had called and said that it was ready to go for Saturday morning. We went last moday to pick it up, but did not accept the keys. First they did a poor repair, then it was damaged while in their care! They said that it was "not their problem" and suggested that we call our insurance company! I was about ready to strangle that manager. The car had been originally been sideswiped on the driver's side, then a poor repair: door hung almost 1/4" too low at the rear, primer overspray on the front bumper, visible distortion in the rear bumper cover where it was repaired, sanding marks in the paint. Then to top it all off, the same side was damaged again! This time the new rear door was damaged, the 1/4 panel, tire/rim, and side of the rear bumper cover. Looking at the estimate, there was a $ 725 aluminum rim billed out, this car has steel wheels and hubcaps! Can anyone say "insurance fraud"? It was " a clerical error " according to the bodyshop. It is because of stuff like this that the industry that I was working in has a very bad rap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyjeep Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Somebody needs to be conked in the head a few times. Beat some sense into them. That is just down right bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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