Waterpump & GM Techs... Yuck.
02-09-2011, 08:07 PM
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Waterpump & GM Techs... Yuck. Sigh... 2 weeks ago my car overheated, just breaking even with the redline when I noticed and shut it off immediately.
After about a minute of looking under the hood, looking at my overflow tank pissing out good ol' Dexron, and seeing belt particles on the underside of the hood, it was obvious my water pump had locked up. And I noticed this all at 11pm in the pitch-black darkness of Valley Forge National Park in 15 degree weather.
A few days later I had it towed to the nearest dealer to my house. (I'm currently away at school otherwise I obviously would've fixed it myself.) I told the service manager what had happened and how I suspected the water pump.
The following day I received a phone call saying "The water pump appears to be fine, however, the hoses are leaking... All 4." Not wanting to doubt the dealer and admitting I must've been wrong, I told them to fix it. $75 in Diag. charges and $654.92 to replace the hoses, which included $180 to flush the system and $30 in antifreeze....
The day after, I picked up the car and drove it 2 miles down the road headed towards school and my roommate sees the check gauges light and yells, "What the ****!". Again, overheating and at red line when I notice. I swear, these things shoot up in a second. I pop the hood and see the same damn symptoms I noticed the first time.
I ended up calling the dealer, he arranged a tow truck and we took it back. It was pulled back into the bay almost immediately and 15 minutes later, the guy working on it comes in and tells the service manager and I that the water pump is locked up. Furious, at this point, I walk outside to go smoke. When I come back inside that goddamn service manager had a quote to replace the water pump for $7xx.xx dollars. I looked at him and said you're out of your mind and walked a half mile back to my house.
Than, I get on the internet to find the GM Complain Hotline and gave them a call. They didn't seem to happy about the situation, and called the dealership and the service manager stated that basically the same story but included the detail "the car is not stock." Apparently the mechanics are clueless as is the service manager not knowing what in god's green earth SLP is/was.. On top of that, they had admitted to not test driving the car because it does not have plates... IT HAS A TEMP TAG IN THE WINDOW, How much more obvious can it get?!
Long story shorter, my dad talked them down to replacing the water pump for their cost of the pump itself. However, I'm still not happy and am going to be calling the district manager back in the morning to see what can be done.
At this point, I'm a bit pissed of their poor service and unknowledgable staff, having to pay a premium price for horrible work. The usual piston slap being MUCH louder as of when I picked the car up. (However, maybe that's due to not being driven in a little over 2 weeks.) And now having the fear that something may be warped as a result.
/Rant for now. Fingers are tired of typing.
-Derek
After about a minute of looking under the hood, looking at my overflow tank pissing out good ol' Dexron, and seeing belt particles on the underside of the hood, it was obvious my water pump had locked up. And I noticed this all at 11pm in the pitch-black darkness of Valley Forge National Park in 15 degree weather.
A few days later I had it towed to the nearest dealer to my house. (I'm currently away at school otherwise I obviously would've fixed it myself.) I told the service manager what had happened and how I suspected the water pump.
The following day I received a phone call saying "The water pump appears to be fine, however, the hoses are leaking... All 4." Not wanting to doubt the dealer and admitting I must've been wrong, I told them to fix it. $75 in Diag. charges and $654.92 to replace the hoses, which included $180 to flush the system and $30 in antifreeze....
The day after, I picked up the car and drove it 2 miles down the road headed towards school and my roommate sees the check gauges light and yells, "What the ****!". Again, overheating and at red line when I notice. I swear, these things shoot up in a second. I pop the hood and see the same damn symptoms I noticed the first time.
I ended up calling the dealer, he arranged a tow truck and we took it back. It was pulled back into the bay almost immediately and 15 minutes later, the guy working on it comes in and tells the service manager and I that the water pump is locked up. Furious, at this point, I walk outside to go smoke. When I come back inside that goddamn service manager had a quote to replace the water pump for $7xx.xx dollars. I looked at him and said you're out of your mind and walked a half mile back to my house.
Than, I get on the internet to find the GM Complain Hotline and gave them a call. They didn't seem to happy about the situation, and called the dealership and the service manager stated that basically the same story but included the detail "the car is not stock." Apparently the mechanics are clueless as is the service manager not knowing what in god's green earth SLP is/was.. On top of that, they had admitted to not test driving the car because it does not have plates... IT HAS A TEMP TAG IN THE WINDOW, How much more obvious can it get?!
Long story shorter, my dad talked them down to replacing the water pump for their cost of the pump itself. However, I'm still not happy and am going to be calling the district manager back in the morning to see what can be done.
At this point, I'm a bit pissed of their poor service and unknowledgable staff, having to pay a premium price for horrible work. The usual piston slap being MUCH louder as of when I picked the car up. (However, maybe that's due to not being driven in a little over 2 weeks.) And now having the fear that something may be warped as a result.
/Rant for now. Fingers are tired of typing.
-Derek
02-09-2011, 08:44 PM
#2
Hope the piston slap problem increasing isnt due to overheating the car, a highly possible cause. As far as you experience with the dealership, you aint the only one bubba, That price to change your hoses is flat out ridiculous. And 700 to do the water pump is insane, I can do mine in under 30 minutes. And the dealership service is less than to be happy with for most of my experiences. I bought a factory battery once when I took my truck in for an oil change and they tried to charge me 25.00 to put it in, and on another oil change my wife took it in and they tried to hit her for almost 40.00 because of a stripped oil plug, Ended up fixing it for free when we told them they have changed the oil in the truck since I bought it, My truck had a 2 year powertrain warranty if I had the dealer Do the oil, and then there was the tranny flush ORDEAL. So dont feel alone out there, and raise all the cain you can, maybe they will get the hint.
02-09-2011, 09:09 PM
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The slap goes away after a few minutes, but I've never heard it as audible as I did when I picked it up. Hopefully its from not driving in about 2 weeks. Perhaps ill call the guy from GM tomorrow and tell him that slap was nowhere like that before I took it there.... maybe get a new motor? Haha.
I'm just very pissed about this whole situation.
I'm just very pissed about this whole situation.
02-12-2011, 06:12 PM
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Oh I know man. I just didn't have the time for all that. I would've loved to do the work myself but to tow it back home, an hour away, would cost $200 at least.
However, one little peeve of my own is cheap import parts. Aftermarket parts are nice, but I've got a bit of trust issues with quality of other parts made elsewhere. However, these GM hoses are made in mexico... how sad.
However, one little peeve of my own is cheap import parts. Aftermarket parts are nice, but I've got a bit of trust issues with quality of other parts made elsewhere. However, these GM hoses are made in mexico... how sad.
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02-13-2011, 08:17 AM
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Well, you've got to realize that I wouldn't have the chance to fix it for atleast a few more weeks. Between my school and work schedule, I don't even have enough time to sleep. I also just needed my car fixed fast so that I can get back and forth to both.
02-13-2011, 09:20 AM
#9
Good Luck with the Gm complaint line!
I had a dealer rebuild my rear for $1900 after my warranty was voided b/c of Long tube headers and no cats.
Fast forward 6 months and 2,000 miles. Said dealer "Not Stockberger" was no longer a Chevy Dealer. Rear end seizes up completly and I have to take the vehicle to a "certified chevorlet" repair facility to have the rear fixed under what I assume would be a 12/12 warranty.
New dealer refuses to fix the vehicle b/c of other dealers faulty workmanship. Most notably someone carved made in China on the dif with dremel. New dealer insists that I was out drag racing the car and they need to perform certain tests on the vehicle. My response was "What tests are you performing on my vehicle?" There respone "We can't tell you." I was at the dealer in no less than 5 minutes and grabbed my keys. Apparantly they were checking my window for paint from drag racing and the wheel wells? I informed them I have never raced the vehicle and to get bent.
I then proceded to call the GM complaint hotline and wait 3 weeks for the rep to come out to no avail. After calling both dealers continuously new GM dealer agrees to fix the vehicle. My argument was I had a GM certified technician in a GM certified repair facility using GM parts and you are not going to honor my warranty? I have never been so pist in my life.
GM calls to follow up after the entire disaster. "So will this effect your future purchasing with GM?"
I had a dealer rebuild my rear for $1900 after my warranty was voided b/c of Long tube headers and no cats.
Fast forward 6 months and 2,000 miles. Said dealer "Not Stockberger" was no longer a Chevy Dealer. Rear end seizes up completly and I have to take the vehicle to a "certified chevorlet" repair facility to have the rear fixed under what I assume would be a 12/12 warranty.
New dealer refuses to fix the vehicle b/c of other dealers faulty workmanship. Most notably someone carved made in China on the dif with dremel. New dealer insists that I was out drag racing the car and they need to perform certain tests on the vehicle. My response was "What tests are you performing on my vehicle?" There respone "We can't tell you." I was at the dealer in no less than 5 minutes and grabbed my keys. Apparantly they were checking my window for paint from drag racing and the wheel wells? I informed them I have never raced the vehicle and to get bent.
I then proceded to call the GM complaint hotline and wait 3 weeks for the rep to come out to no avail. After calling both dealers continuously new GM dealer agrees to fix the vehicle. My argument was I had a GM certified technician in a GM certified repair facility using GM parts and you are not going to honor my warranty? I have never been so pist in my life.
GM calls to follow up after the entire disaster. "So will this effect your future purchasing with GM?"
