GM needs some revisions in Policies

[01_Duramax_Dually]

Took truck in today finally for the Steering rattle. I had been in 3 previous times before and they did not have the bearing kit. Well my truck is over the mileage(3year 36K mile) I have 37,008 miles. The area is somewhat gray as it could be construed that it ends at 36,999 not at 36K. Either way they now call me up and say I have to pay for this. I told them CALL the factory on it. I am 8 miles over and this is a noted failure and annoyance and should be honored. When I came in and was waiting for the bearing kit I had 36,1K miles.

I am alright with things that break outside the warranty. I do not expect the General or any company for that matter to pick up the tab forever, but at some point where do you call it. If you know there is a problem and you have entered a FIX, then they should have allowances.

Just bothers me that it is so cut and dry but yet the design flaw is with them, not us owners. The dealer is going to go to bat for me but he said it is their call.

Geeeeez.

[JimWilson]

With the $$'s these trucks cost I'd say push them a little. If the service manager won't budge get a hold of your salesman. They're are *always* alternatives available to them...

[FirstDiesel]

I've had a few "issues" with my S10. I've asked a few times about the coverage since I have gone out of warranty without them resolving the problems. I get "Can't Duplicate Symptoms" tickets from them. I have been assured that if I have had the problem serviced under warranty and it fails after that they will cover it. That said I don't have a pray of believing that they will fix the problem when I reach 100k but if it's 40 or 45k they are going to fix it or we'll be dancing about it.

[gardnerteam]

My experience (15 new GMC/Chev trucks in 22 yrs) that GM is very liberal with allowing overlimits mileage for many repairs, expecially known problem areas, ONCE YOU CAN GET THROUGH THE DEALER TO GM. The problem is the dealer usually, not GM. Ask for the name and phone number of the GM service Rep and call him and complain. It does work most of the time if you are reasonable. It does PO the dealer and the idiot service writer though. I've gone over the service writer, service manager and owners head so many times to the GM field Rep over the past many years (11 at the same dealer) that now they are paranoid when they see me coming, treat me well, and handle the problem before I even mention going to a field Rep. Have just hit 34,000 on my 2002 D/A, so should be trying it again soon.

[Paintdude]

Just remember, that a steering problem can be considered a SAFTEY ISSUE!!! :cool:

[TBC]

If you have had it in before the warranty expired and they didnot fix the problem it is still under warranty. It is a previously reported unfixed problem. Dig out the paperwork.

Tom

[bbattrell]

Jeff
I would think they should have to cover it. You already brought it in for the problem before 36K, and they didn't fix it.
Good Luck
Bill

[bbattrell]

I guess I was to slow Tom's reply makes since.

[01_Duramax_Dually]

UPDATE,
Well went to see friend in Parts department after I heard it might not be covered under warranty. Explained what was up. He went out to service writer and said ...HEY, He is my friend and Fellow racer....The guy said "Ohhhh, a friend" "No problem...We will take care of it..."

At end of day...Steering fix, warranty billed, truck washed and cleaned and we are good to go.

Sometimes things do work out....with a little help from your friends... :D

[DURAMAXHD2001]

AS A SERVICE MANAGER AT A MAJOR DEALER I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THE SERVICE MANGER HAS 99.9% CONTROL OVER EXTEND GOODWILL COVERAGE. THE REPS WILL CALL AND ASK THE SM HIS POSITION ON ISSUE AND ASM WILL 99.9 BACK UP DEALER SM. THE PROBLEM YOU DESCRIBE SOUNDS LIKE LACK OF LUBE IN STEERING SHAFT THAT IS SIMPLE FIX AND HAS BEEN ON A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR MANY MONTHS. MORE INFO ON BEARING WOULD BE NICE. ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH DEALER SM AND YOU MAY GET FARTHER THAN RAISING YOUR VOICE. IT WORKS AT MY STORE. MOST PEOPLE NATURALLY GO ON DEFENSIVE OR RUN SCARED WHEN APPROACHED. I REFUSE TO GIVE TO A LOUD CUSTOMER, I WILL NOT TRAIN THEM TO SCREAM AND BE REWARDED. TALK ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM AND CONCERN STATE YOUR POSITION ASSURE THE SM YOU WILL BE BACK TO DO BUSINESS AND YOU WILL GET A LOT FARTHER. MY ASM WHEN ASKED FOR OK FOR GOODWILL WILL ASK CUSTOMER FOR COMPLETLY SATISFIED SURVEY CSI. IF THEY HESITATE OR TALK LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO BE COMPLETLY SATISFIED THE GOODWILL PARTICIPATION IS RETRACTED. SORRY FOR THE POST THIS SUBJECT JUST HITS HOME FROM THE OTHER SIDE WE ARE HUMAN TOO.

[FirstDiesel]

DURAMAXHD2001

Did I read your post correctly?? You think the cure here is some grease and you need info on the bearing kit??

[gardnerteam]

To DuramaxHD2001 - I totally agree with you when you have a service manager who cares or a dealer who cares. This site is full of situations where owners feel the dealer either ignores them or works against them. Nowhere in my above statement do I suggest screaming, being loud, nasty or anything else like that - that almost never produces results and makes your request more unreasonable to the service manager or writer. After you have talked to the service manager and still gotten no results (and it happens often), then go to the Rep. Never badmouth the dealer or service people to a Rep, just appeal to his sense of fair play and it will go a long way. My point was when you get no where with the dealer, go over his head. For me, the area Rep has overridden the dealer EVERYTIME. After being overridden several times by the Rep, the dealer finally comes to the realization that you will not give up, and treats your situation with a little more care and seriousness. Over the past two or three years, I have not had to go to a Rep because the dealer found a way to solve the problem as a policy fix. The only question is who is going to pay for it - GM, the dealer (almost never) or me. One should also be careful that he is reasonable in his approach and not ask for things that have no merit. You are correct that many service managers do their absolute best to solve problems - my suggestion was for those who don't. My service manager and writers are great people who take pride in what they do and try to solve problems.

[01_Duramax_Dually]

DURAMAXHD2001,
Thank you for your side. And I agree, you are person like me. I had 100% respect for the SM. He was a cool nice guy. We even joked about how his Surburban had the same issue a while back. He was right on with his statement to me saying that he will have to call to get approval. I had no issues. He said sometimes he can get them to sway and go the one time goodwill for out of warranty conditions especially since the Parts manager came out and said he was in weeks earlier asking about a bearing kit..
Please understand, I was not at all angry about this. I just think it is funny how the system works. unfortunately it seems to work against most of us. This particular dealer is the best without issue in my book. They have supported the car club I used to be in by letting us use their building to conduct meetings, Parts manager helps with my race program and the service department has been 100% fair. Heck, they even replaced the entire latch assy in my center console after I told them it was sticking and would not open time to time. He said they have a "Fix Kit" for it and it is somewhat expensive. He said they tried lubing it but it did not help. Sp they went the extra mile for me.
My original statment when I started the thread was the fact that GM has a design flaw. They know it, we all know it. They even started the "Grease Campaign" to fix it. I just think that if they have this problem their should fix this no matter what. Whether you have 36, 300 miles or 50 or even 100K miles. It is wrong. It is a safety issue. Why should us consumers have to suffer with a bad design. The truck is awesome. Everything else is perfect in my book. Why have me as a unsatisfied customer after purchasing a 40K truck when they could spend 1.2 hours book time to fix it the way it should be?
Semms penny wise and pound foolish. It almost appears that GM is sitting their saying COME 3YR-36K, THIS WAY WE CAN CHARGE THEM... :D ...

Carry-On!

[MudNurI]

. THE PROBLEM YOU DESCRIBE SOUNDS LIKE LACK OF LUBE IN STEERING SHAFT THAT IS SIMPLE FIX AND HAS BEEN ON A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR MANY MONTHS. MORE INFO ON BEARING WOULD BE NICE.

Sounds just like what my dealer tried to pull with me for 4 months,,,till I went to a different dealer and had the bearing kit installed...rattle gone!

ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH DEALER SM AND YOU MAY GET FARTHER THAN RAISING YOUR VOICE.

almost 40 vehicles purchased from this dealership in our family...seems like a relationship.


SORRY FOR THE POST THIS SUBJECT JUST HITS HOME FROM THE OTHER SIDE WE ARE HUMAN TOO.

As am I and I am also very educated in my truck. I know what is normal, and what is not normal..my service manager has NEVER DRIVEN a D/A...wonder if he thought the launch shudder was normal..


Do a search for NSBU with topics started by me...see how nice my Service Manager was to me! For the record, I NEVER raised my voice to him, just politley explained to him that he didn't know his a** from a hole in the ground, I had an ALLISON transmission, it is not controlled by linkage- it has a NSBU, etc. etc....top that off with the Bearing Kit that I asked 5000 times for, with the correct part number, with a call from a GMC dealer - his name number title, etc.. top that off with the seat belts that locked on my kids when they weren't moving...oh and wait, then there is the VANDALISM that happened to by vehicle while in there care-...hmmmmm wonder what I did to deserve to be treated like this...Guess it's not a good idea for a customer to know more aobut there truck than a service manager....or maybe yet it's worse, I'm a woman and I knew too much...

I don't get the way some of these GM employees think....regardless of WHO pays for it, either GM or the customer- the dealer is getting paid...geez


I'm not trying to be a b*tch...but man when I look outside at my $50K truck, with a NASTY gouge on the hood, and a service manager, general manager and owner who are refusing to pay to fix it...I get a bit Ticked off!

Brandy

[mackin]

I here ya Brandy.......


It's a shame of the lack of info and training, on our vehicle, that is not passed down to the individuals that deal with the consumer and the level of frustration that does and will arise because of it.....Can't blame the individual, unless he gets personal ,as in your case, you should still be reeling from that incident, but the management/corporation is at fault.....I believe most would like to help but must imply by the book logic......


It's been 22 thousand miles and 16 months I haven't missed much at my selling dealer......Same oh same oh.....


I have begun my journey to have some issue resolved and some features activated.....I'm taking notes...The stories I hold right now are near unbelievable.....So far 2 days of calls return calls and I've called in the big guns today (My good friend, outside of dealer) to assist, he knows most of the participating players there personally, he'll be stopping by.....Unfreakin believable.....


My truck has yet to get to the dealer but at least I got the invite to get to the Tech II OBD with the shop Forman, and go for a ride if need be....Any time I want,"no appointment".....That's a A-plus.....As you see I have made some progress......Must be my laundry list of purchases.....

More to come.....In the coming weeks, maybe, I may just get frustrated and do the back door thingamabob.....Let some one go do a complete download....Hope my lope is cold related only,and I don't have to bring it in......

MAC

[ 11-26-2002: Message edited by: mackin ]</p>

[MudNurI]

Mackin- boy do I know that feeling! nothing like getting the run around...I have found, from asking questions to people "inside"...(no disrespect for anyone in this position) that most dealerships prefer to have service writers/managers that have no "vehicle education"..because for the simple fact that it's not there place to diagnose the problem, only to type it into the computer and send it to the tech. Now this is definetly true at the dealerships I have dealt with. At a local ford dealership- they have fresh out of high school girls for ALL the service writer positions-- now I'm a chick, but am not the norm, most of them could care less what a NSBU or even a transmission does for that fact. Plus, most customers are less likely to get "upset" at a girl..since they figure they don't know what they are talking about anyway when it comes to vehicles. I asked the GM at the ford dealer WHY he has girls at the service counter, his answer was my observation to a T...(the ford dealership has ALWAYS gone above and beyond)..our PSD is a work truck, with a rack dump body/lift gate on it. It's over warranty by about 3500 miles, but we just had the transmission rebuilt under warranty. No ifs, ands or buts about it...just brought it in, they thought it was something simple, ended up needing a rebuild. Never once did we get the "its outta warranty" crap that we get with our D/A...funniest part about it is service is what's going to get you back to the dealer. I can get a deal on a truck at any GM dealer in the area, each one will just about match any other price...so it doesn't matter where I buy, but if your service dept sucks, I wont buy from ya again. That said, our new suburban will NOT come from a dealer around here...now I'm still stuck on where to get it worked on, but eh, maybe by then someone will realize that service is where you make your money, not the sale..

hmm maybe I should open up a GM dealership....think I could out service all the ones in a 75 mile radius for sure! And all I would have to do is return phone calls...think I'm going to have to run this by the old man...

Brandy

[bbattrell]

Jeff
hey email me bbattrell@aol.com If you are around this weekend I would like to come by.
Bill