(Sensored!!) GM Dealership woes....

Status
Not open for further replies.
If you have the brakes repaired somewhere else, or DIY, check the lines for tampering (intentional sabotage). I hate accusing someone of wrongdoing without proof, but we have all heard mechanic's stories. Somebody there might have the incentive to tamper, don't know.
 
Of course techs and service writers tag-team on repairs , finding safety issues with brakes, etc... to screw the customer.

Those flat rate tech barely make it week to week and love when an older car pulls into their service bay.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Brake lines do just go out especially with age. With an old (12 years) car of my parents, Dad moved it out of the driveway and had no brakes at the curb. Rust gets in weird places, especially hidden places.


Yepper! At the bottom of my hilly driveway I discovered my 13 year old brake lines broke
crazy2.gif
. Of course I live in salty NJ that will kill a new car in 5 years.

Whimsey
 
Taking an older car to the dealer is always a gamble. Ever since a local Honda dealer botched an ignition switch recall on my Accord, I've become extremely wary. I hesitantly took my 13 yr old Infiniti and Accord in for the Takata airbag recall recently since I wasn't fond of having projectile metal shards flying at me in case of an accident. Luckily the repairs went fine.
 
Last edited:
Change it & look closely for any actual rust. The new nickel-copper lines are really easy to bend in any shape you need, and hopefully you just need one from the MC to the proportioning valve, should only be a few $. Ancient brake fluid can even make them rust on the INSIDE!
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Change it & look closely for any actual rust. The new nickel-copper lines are really easy to bend in any shape you need, and hopefully you just need one from the MC to the proportioning valve, should only be a few $. Ancient brake fluid can even make them rust on the INSIDE!


Tell me about it! BMW has people changing brake fluid every 2 years for fear of corrosion. I've known people who have gone 10 years on the same brake fluid. Its true I guess that brake fluid is hydrophilic way too much.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I doubt they see a 15 year old car with 240k on it as their meal ticket for the day, every Tech in the shop is probably running as fast as they can when they see something like that roll in.


+1

You own a 240K vehicle in a very bad rust belt state.. Lucky that it didn't fail sooner on the road. I guarantee you fixing brake lines on your car was not anyones' cup of tea and meal ticket for the day. Stuff happens... Realists realize this and know life isn't perfect. Roll with it...Don't be a hater...


BurrWinder
 
Originally Posted By: Tzu
I am ticked off right now, so forgive my emotions at the moment I write this.

I just took my '00 Impala in for the ignition recall that I signed up for in March of this year. After 3 reminders from GM that I still haven't taken it in even though I was on the list, they fast forwarded me in the waiting line (I don't know why). Basically, they just glue an insert into the key slot making an elongated opening now one with a center hole. I had only 1 original key that I gave them to fix, and ordered 2 brand new dealer keys make off my VIN number. First the guy tried to make a new key off the old, well worn one instead of using the numbers. Luckily my 72 yr old dad was with me and caught that one. He looked embarrassed and cut 2 new ones like it should have been done and they work fine. The new keys have the elongated holes like the old recalled one, so [censored] GM??? Wouldn't all those keys be scrapped in favor of the single hole one? Yeah, some recall for safety GM.

Secondly, I do 99% of my own car repairs and there was no issues with the car except a small leak in the EVAP system that I couldn't trace. Instead of just buying parts and throwing them on, I decided to have the dealer do a diagnostic and pinpoint it to a tee. $89 for the fee only to come up with it needs a new fuel pump and the entire fuel lines replaced due to rust. The car is not rusty coming from 5 years in Georgia and Carwell rust treatments every 2 years underneath since '05. I replaced the fuel pump last year with an A/C Delco in my driveway and all has been fine since a month ago and a continuous CEL. The car is averaging 27.4mpg with the light on, so it must be a small leak. Total estimate for that job is $1,200 at this dealer. I declined.

Thirdly, I the car was driving fine otherwise to the dealer 5 miles away. My dad and I were having breakfast together waiting for the car, when 10 minutes after I dropped it off, they called and said there was a major brake line leaking fluid all over the floor and the brake pedal almost bottomed out. I don't know how hard they beat on it driving it from the road to the empty bay 80' away, but now they asked me if I wanted an estimate for that "new" problem. I declined again, but I was for sure not a happy camper.

I've been screwed over by 2 different GM dealerships with the same car. A few years ago another Pontiac/GMC/Cadillac dealer charged me $110 to misdiagnose a bad transmission for a faulty MAF sensor. They quoted me $2000 to R/R transmission and in real life a new $120 MAF from car parts store fixed it fine.

I'm sorry GM that I drive a nice looking, 99% rust free 240k mile 15 year old Impala loaded LS, but if this is how you deal with potential customers, I'm staying with Toyota. In fact, my beater Camry will have to do until I can get my Chevy back on the road. Four hours ago, my car was fine. Now it's on ramps in front of my house leaking brake fluid into a bucket waiting to fix it at home. What are the odds of it "just happening" when a dealer just drove it less than 100 feet? Dealers suck!!!
frown.gif




What you gonna do when that Toyota dealer scrwes you? Not just a GM phenomenon.
 
Originally Posted By: BurrWinder
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I doubt they see a 15 year old car with 240k on it as their meal ticket for the day, every Tech in the shop is probably running as fast as they can when they see something like that roll in.


+1

You own a 240K vehicle in a very bad rust belt state.. Lucky that it didn't fail sooner on the road. I guarantee you fixing brake lines on your car was not anyones' cup of tea and meal ticket for the day. Stuff happens... Realists realize this and know life isn't perfect. Roll with it...Don't be a hater...


BurrWinder


+1 fixing a brake line under an old rusty car is not any techs choice of upsell. He will wait for the newer cleaner car to work on. Then they will upsell a brake fluid flush, brake pads, or injector clean..etc..

no tech in his right mind wants to have to be the guy getting rust all over his head and in his eyes changing a brake line on a 15 year old car. Im sure none of them think they get paid enough for that job.

Im not pro dealer, the one in my town is pretty scummy as well, I'm simply stating it it unlikely they tampered with that, I could be wrong, however.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: BurrWinder
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I doubt they see a 15 year old car with 240k on it as their meal ticket for the day, every Tech in the shop is probably running as fast as they can when they see something like that roll in.


+1

You own a 240K vehicle in a very bad rust belt state.. Lucky that it didn't fail sooner on the road. I guarantee you fixing brake lines on your car was not anyones' cup of tea and meal ticket for the day. Stuff happens... Realists realize this and know life isn't perfect. Roll with it...Don't be a hater...


BurrWinder


+1 fixing a brake line under an old rusty car is not any techs choice of upsell. He will wait for the newer cleaner car to work on. Then they will upsell a brake fluid flush, brake pads, or injector clean..etc..

no tech in his right mind wants to have to be the guy getting rust all over his head and in his eyes changing a brake line on a 15 year old car. Im sure none of them think they get paid enough for that job.

Im not pro dealer, the one in my town is pretty scummy as well, I'm simply stating it it unlikely they tampered with that, I could be wrong, however.



I think the OP holds/thinks his car is in better shape than it actually is.............
 
Originally Posted By: Tzu
The new keys have the elongated holes like the old recalled one, so [censored] GM??? Wouldn't all those keys be scrapped in favor of the single hole one?


Nope.

The only blank GM offers for pre-transponder keys has the old style key ring opening, with a note in the catalog to either use the inserts or cover kits to make the key compliant with the recall (if applicable). The kits for the recall are not even 50 cents, but it's a silly added step and is perplexing to customers.

For the "+" transponder keys, GM does have a revised key blank design that has only a small hole at the center and comes with a small key ring already attached. However, they still offer the blanks with the elongated hole since trucks were not covered under the recall.

Though switching to a new, universal style of head for the key blanks would seem like a simple enough solution, that would have its own hassles/costs. They would have to get the aftermarket on board with it, destroy or find some way to reuse existing supplies of blanks, etc. I would bet the bulk of the blanks out there for these cars are aftermarket.

This whole recall has been a mess. When customers get the recall letter, they think GM is going to cover a new cylinder/switch/Pass Lock sensor/whatever else is not working on the car. Instead, they get an obvious Band Aid literally glued on to their existing keys, and the ignition cylinder is just as messed up as before. Only Cobalt/HHR based vehicles are actually having any parts replaced. I know GM was panicking at the height of this whole "unintended key rotation" thing, but they really should have just made this apply to the Cobalt/HHR/G5/etc. I don't think there is any real benefit to inconveniencing owners of Impalas and Grand Ams just to glue plastic on their keys.
 
My HHR got its keys done and I have the simple central hole on my transponder key. The dealer was professional.

As for brake lines, they go bad and rot either under the line nut, or under a clamp, and can literally be an inch of line that's on the verge of blowing next to virgin steel the rest of the way down.

When you monkey with a car, albeit not for an ignition switch problem, you can metal fatigue the brake lines. The ethics are muddy. I used to work at a tire shop that required techs to do a multipoint inspection up on the lift with any oil change, tire job, battery etc. A "good" brake line will flex over a foot and bend gently while a "bad" one will transfer all its force to the bad inch which can snap. Should the tech yank on the brake lines as a matter of course? No, but it could save your day.
 
Originally Posted By: B20z
......dealer will screw you 5 ways from Sunday. You know, people being honest. This forum is run by ..... Do they get off on it? Who's to say.

BITOG is a ball ...... suck with a lining ... info and anecdotes. Amongst all of the other ridiculous (criminal?) games .... dealers play nothing is better ...... scam. ..... teamwork between the "techs" and the finance office involving some loosened connections and an "imminent safety concern"...


B20z, better not leave your basement I guess, huh?
tin_foil_hat-218x300.gif
 
Okay? The same car came in while I was cashing out except it was red. Mine is a custom 2 tone white/silver Impala. Must have been Impala repair day. If I drove a 1986 Celebrity with brake line work, yeah they would run away.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I doubt they see a 15 year old car with 240k on it as their meal ticket for the day, every Tech in the shop is probably running as fast as they can when they see something like that roll in.
 
I'm relaxed and open minded now. People are so quick to pounce on me because I was finding it incredible coincidental that this just happened within 80 feet on the dealer's lot. I could have driven 1 mile away and the same could have happened to me? Maybe nothing for another 20k miles? Who knows...Then I would have praised the dealer and had a different reaction altogether. Sure.

I know it's an older car with miles on it. My rusty Camry went to an independent shop for a front end alignment last year, and I apologized for it being older, rusty, and with a 60,000 more miles than the Impala, and I honestly got the best alignment I've ever had. They had many reasons to just blow it off, say it's old and drool at the 2012 Malibu in for a tire rotation/ oil change. They impressed me and in retrospect, I should have went there instead. Next time I will.

How can I get past the previous dealer diagnosing a bad transmission when I found a test and final solution off of Google? Maybe I just had a bad day, but still this makes me very nervous going to any dealer, Toyota included. My coupon for a free NYS inspection at a totally different Chevy dealer took over 2 hours 4 years ago with the same car again. A little excessive and annoying for me. I'll spend the $21 and be out in 20 minutes thank you.

I'll just fix it at home for $20 and call it done. But to have people judge the condition of my car 2,000 miles away is funny. Not every car in New York State 15 years old is a rust bucket. My truck is the same age with 24,000 more miles. I guess I'm screwed? That one ain't ever going to a dealer. Mark my word.
 
Normally, your attention to your vehicles might have been lauded but you crossed a dealer's golden word. Luckily BITOG's best is here to read you the riot act and tell you "where you went wrong"
smirk.gif


(I share your pain on NY dealers. Setting new lows in an industry racing to the center of the Earth)
 
Originally Posted By: B20z
Originally Posted By: BurrWinder

You own a 240K vehicle in a very bad rust belt state.. Lucky that it didn't fail sooner on the road. I guarantee you fixing brake lines on your car was not anyones' cup of tea and meal ticket for the day. Stuff happens... Realists realize this and know life isn't perfect. Roll with it...Don't be a hater...


BurrWinder


"Realists" are the people on this forum that are willing to admit the dealer will screw you 5 ways from Sunday. You know, people being honest. This forum is run by the likes of the Cardinal and the Ranger who toe the company line even when they're off the clock. Do they get off on it? Who's to say.

BITOG is a ball of corporate suck with a lining of good info and anecdotes. Amongst all of the other ridiculous (criminal?) games I've seen dealers play nothing is better than the "get you into a nice new car today!" scam. It's a great show of teamwork between the "techs" and the finance office involving some loosened connections and an "imminent safety concern"...
 
Originally Posted By: B20z
Normally, your attention to your vehicles might have been lauded but you crossed a dealer's golden word. Luckily BITOG's best is here to read you the riot act and tell you "where you went wrong"
smirk.gif


(I share your pain on NY dealers. Setting new lows in an industry racing to the center of the Earth)


The bottom line is there are way too many tales of horror regarding dealers, whether related in person, or on the internet to believe that consumers are just embellishing, or too "negative" because after all only a few bad apples exist in this industry, on the contrary. The only benefit of modern media and the internet is that the horror stories are more efficiently communicated which in turn has made many customers so leery about getting any repair work done many simply wait until something breaks before they go to the shop to have it repaired, and the industry is waking up to the fact that they have to do something to stop losing business across the board, from chain shop, (always risky), to dealer (often times risky and a huge rip off too) to even the indy shop which can be just as shady as either of the other types of shops. I have noticed to some degree if you go into a shop with a reasonable understanding of how your vehicle systems work you have a good chance of getting the job done right and not being ripped off. But then again I and others have experienced the unhappiness of shops when they can't [censored] you because you know the game and understand the repairs needed, often times you will get curt, and angry attitudes from the staff, even if you are very polite and reasonable.
 
Oh yes, ALL dealers are evil, ALL dealers are only out to rip you off, ALL dealers are crooks. You guys sound just like the folks screaming about race, and guess what, you find it regardless of if it was truely there or not.

Quick question, ever changed the brake fluid in that 15 year old car?
 
Last edited:
Tzu- things do truly happen. Just today in fact- and I'm 100% dead serious, a customer's rear brake line blew out on me while I was moving it from the lot to the shop...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top