Warning for GM owners

[HeinekenMan]

I've been having some problems with my old Cavalier, and I finally took the time to search the web. I discovered that the antifreeze GM used in its cars from 1995 to 2000 or so is causing serious problems. There was a national class action suit, but it was rejected in February, with the judge citing the complexity of a national suit that would get tangled in the multiple state laws.

In any case, this is a warning to you. If you have a GM car made during these years, you might check to see if it had Dex-Cool in the radiator. This stuff was supposed to last for something like 150,000 miles or five years. The problem is that it's eating away at all of the car's parts, leaving a sludge behind. Once you have the problem, it becomes fairly expensive. And a lot of people are just now learning this, as the problem doesn't really develop until the coolant has been in the car for several years.

I'm taking my car to a mechanic on Saturday, but I already know what he's going to tell me, which is that I have gasket and manifold problems, and possibly thermostat, radiator and water pump issues as well. Some people have spent upward of $2,000 on the problem. The best you can do if you own a GM that came new with Dex-Cool is to flush the **** out of the system, over and over, then add regular green antifreeze and hope for the best. The alternative, which I would suggest, is to sell the car and let somebody else deal with the problem when it develops.

And don't think this is an isolated thing. From what I've read, there are hundreds of thousands who have faced the problem. If you don't believe me, go here:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/gm_dexcool.html

And to think that the ****ers won't recall the cars...

What a bunch of BS.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I'm glad I drive a Cobalt.

 

[SoSueMe]

Our 2004 Cavalier is a piece of ****, so is their customer service.

Here's what happened:
Better half here's weird noises in front end. I IMMEDIATELY call to book an appoint (that was on a Thursday). The earliest they have is Monday. We bring it in. About $600 work to be done on the struts. Our warranty expired THE SUNDAY and they would NOT honour it on the Monday.

Now, the trunk leaks. Water settling into the spare tire hole beneath the trunk floor.

Also, radio and interior light decide to go and off at any given time.

And the Big Three wonder why we North Americans are turning to foreign cars.

In all honesty, I'm more pissed about not honouring the warranty.

I'll NEVER by a car made by the Big Three again.

 

[slappy4428]

Our 2004 Cavalier is a piece of ****, so is their customer service.

Here's what happened:
Better half here's weird noises in front end. I IMMEDIATELY call to book an appoint (that was on a Thursday). The earliest they have is Monday. We bring it in. About $600 work to be done on the struts. Our warranty expired THE SUNDAY and they would NOT honour it on the Monday.

Now, the trunk leaks. Water settling into the spare tire hole beneath the trunk floor.

Also, radio and interior light decide to go and off at any given time.

And the Big Three wonder why we North Americans are turning to foreign cars.

In all honesty, I'm more pissed about not honouring the warranty.

I'll NEVER by a car made by the Big Three again.

Complain to the regional manager NOW... explain the situation and if they don't bite, go keep going up the food chain. Gently tell thatm that the dealership refused to let you come in and -- wow, what a coincidence -- it was after the warranty expired...

 

[SoSueMe]

You know Slappy, I should.

But in the past year I've battled with West Jet (and won in the fact I got back my $962 in tickets they refused to refund for TWO YEARS); Rogers (and won in the fact I got reimbursed the $100 connection fee for the home phone and they gave me one month free unlimited North American long distance); and Bell (and won, getting three free movies, four months free satellite TV and discounted long distance for four months).

Seriously, I'm tired of dealing with these huge corporations. They are all the same, it's like pulling teeth to get anything from them. I fear GM would be the hardest to deal with as it's the biggest and richest.

But, we'll see. I know these companies can beat.

 

[Rosie]

Let me second Slappy's suggestion. I'm sure things have changed somewhat since I worked for a GM car dealer back in the dark ages, but the dealer should have honored the warranty.

Get the regional manager involved.

 

[Football_Bat]

I was having problems a few years ago. Coolant lines kept springing leaks and finally, my radiator was shot. Replaced the parts and had new coolant put in. No problems since.

 

[kleeda]

I had a very expensive Hyundai A/C repair covered by the manufacturer 2,000 miles after the warranty expired on a '96 Elantra Wagon. I didn't even ask for it. The district manager called me and said, "Mr. Kleeda, we're covering this because it simply should not have happened and clearly was a manufacturing defect. It's on us, and I apologize for the inconvenience."

A similar problem with a 99 Grand Prix STILL UNDER warranty and they tried very hard not to cover it. Said it was excessive wear and tear. I was like, "It's an A/C unit, I turn it on and off. I live in Texas. Other than that, where's the excessive use?"

I try not to even RENT a GM car.

 

[SixToe]

I once drove a Chevy pickup that began having problems, so I took it to the dealership to be checked.

The guy says, "Good thing you came in. This part is prone to catching on fire. They're asking dealers to replace it for free, unless it catches on fire."

I was incredulous. Because I got there before it fried, I would get a free part and no labor charge. But if it burned, then I was SOL?

"Yep. Not enough of them have caught on fire yet for them to issue a recall, but enough have for them to know it's a problem."

 

[Hustle]

Back when I had my old '95 Jimmy, it was getting up there in age and I was still paranoid about it nickel and diming me (as had happened with my even older Dakota, which pushed me pretty far into debt). Driving along I-95 one day, suddenly the gas pedal stopped working and I started smelling gas. Pulled over as quick as I could and shut everything off. Got it towed to the dealer, which was nearby.

Some sort of coupling on the gas line had failed, a $36 part. Yet somehow it took an all-day repair, after which they handed me a $600 bill. So, needless to say, when it was time to upgrade, we bought a Ford from a different dealer.

And my wife would urge all of you disgruntled GM owners in the Northwest to visit her family's Ford dealership in Bend, Ore.

 

[SoSueMe]

With the exchange rate where it is (and having a customs agent as a good friend in Vancouver!) I'd certainly make the trip down to buy my next car!

 

[RedCanuck]

Yeah, I had a 2003 Cavalier and had very similar problems to FootballBat from the get-go. Last year, I got a Cobalt though, and it seems they've improved the cars a lot over that time.

 

[OTD]

Our 2004 Cavalier is a piece of ****, so is their customer service.

Here's what happened:
Better half here's weird noises in front end. I IMMEDIATELY call to book an appoint (that was on a Thursday). The earliest they have is Monday. We bring it in. About $600 work to be done on the struts. Our warranty expired THE SUNDAY and they would NOT honour it on the Monday.

Now, the trunk leaks. Water settling into the spare tire hole beneath the trunk floor.

Also, radio and interior light decide to go and off at any given time.

And the Big Three wonder why we North Americans are turning to foreign cars.

In all honesty, I'm more pissed about not honouring the warranty.

I'll NEVER by a car made by the Big Three again.

I'll third Slappy's suggestion. Call the regional manager. He (or she) has the authority to OK a warranty repair. If you don't get immediate help, write a him (or her) letter (snail mail). Keep a copy. Then continue up the chain.

I will say that if my warranty was running out Sunday, I'd bring the car there on Thursday and make them check it in, that way it's in there in time.

 

[HeinekenMan]

Yep. Hundreds of thousands of folks have had the problem that FB mentioned. GM swears that it isn't caused by their antifreeze, but mechanics across the country, along with consumers and lawyers, disagree.

The corrosion affects the radiator cap, the radiator, hoses, water pumps, intake manifolds and more. I'm not so naive that I don't think a 10-year-old car should have mechanical problems, but what I've heard is that the same problem returns in about two years because the antifreeze is still in there. They say you can't really flush the stuff out because it sticks to the inside of all parts, where it works its corrosive magic. I just think it's an interesting development.

 

[Runaway Jim]

I grew up in a Ford-Chevy-GM family. Foreign cars were never an option. When my first car in high school (a 1985 Aries K) spontaneously combusted while I was driving home from my senior prom, I bought a 1981 Ford Grenada. After the driver and passenger-side doors both proved to be too heavy for their hinges, the alternator fried out and the engine later died, I bought another Ford -- this one a 1986 Escort. I had better luck with that one; it went almost four years before it finally gave up the ghost. Then it was onto a Ford Tempo (horrible) and a Chevy Cavalier (even worse). Finally, after putting several mechanics' kids through college, I met Mrs. Runaway, who turned me on to Honda products.

Since then we've had three Civics, a CRV and just recently bought a Pilot. The first Civic was great, until some douchebag broadsided my wife and totalled it. The second Civic was a used one we bought to hold us over, and not only did it give us no mechanical problems at all, we wound up getting a fair amount back when we traded it in for the new Civic we bought four years ago. In the meantime, our CRV ran great until we traded it in (getting a huge amount for it) for the Pilot, which has been a dream so far (knock on wood).

The moral to the story: Until I see one of the Big Three make a car that comes anywhere close to the Hondas I've owned in the past decade, I'm never going back. Most Hondas are assembled in the U.S. anyway, so it's not like I'm turning my back on my country or anything. I just think they make superior cars -- much better than their American counterparts.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I grew up in a Ford-Chevy-GM family. Foreign cars were never an option. When my first car in high school (a 1985 Aries K) spontaneously combusted while I was driving home from my senior prom, I bought a 1981 Ford Grenada. After the driver and passenger-side doors both proved to be too heavy for their hinges, the alternator fried out and the engine later died, I bought another Ford -- this one a 1986 Escort. I had better luck with that one; it went almost four years before it finally gave up the ghost. Then it was onto a Ford Tempo (horrible) and a Chevy Cavalier (even worse). Finally, after putting several mechanics' kids through college, I met Mrs. Runaway, who turned me on to Honda products.

Since then we've had three Civics, a CRV and just recently bought a Pilot. The first Civic was great, until some douchebag broadsided my wife and totalled it. The second Civic was a used one we bought to hold us over, and not only did it give us no mechanical problems at all, we wound up getting a fair amount back when we traded it in for the new Civic we bought four years ago. In the meantime, our CRV ran great until we traded it in (getting a huge amount for it) for the Pilot, which has been a dream so far (knock on wood).

The moral to the story: Until I see one of the Big Three make a car that comes anywhere close to the Hondas I've owned in the past decade, I'm never going back. Most Hondas are assembled in the U.S. anyway, so it's not like I'm turning my back on my country or anything. I just think they make superior cars -- much better than their American counterparts.

If this story doesn't tell this board how badly the Big Three are screwing up, nothing will.

FWIW, owning a GM should come with a vehicle-sized warning label. One day, my mother's finally going to get that memo.

 

[SoSueMe]

I have to say, my father worked 37 years manufacturing Chrysler cars, trucks and vans. He retired two Saturdays ago.

I nor my family have never owned anything other than a Chrysler product, for obvious reasons; the company put food on our table and put me through school.

My fiancee bought the GM car.

So far, everything I've - or we've - owned has sucked.

Now that pops is out of there, I will most definitely be buying foreign from here on out.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I have to say, my father worked 37 years manufacturing Chrysler cars, trucks and vans. He retired two Saturdays ago.

I nor my family have never owned anything other than a Chrysler product, for obvious reasons; the company put food on our table and put me through school.

My fiancee bought the GM car.

So far, everything I've - or we've - owned has sucked.

Now that pops is out of there, I will most definitely be buying foreign from here on out.

My step father's brother was an auditor for Chrysler so that's all his family drove as well. In 1995 he bought a brand new Stratus and I bought a 1990 Lincoln Continental with 60,000 miles on it. Despite the Continental rep for being one of the worst domestic vehicles ever produced, his car was in the shop eight times to my twice in the first year.

I honestly have no idea how Chrysler stays in business. I know of no one who drives one and no one who wants one. They cant be selling that many Dodge Rams.

 

[Runaway Jim]

That's why all the hand-wringing about the Big Three amuses me. They seem to think there's some big mystery as to why their companies are circling the drain. They love to blame the unions and all these other factors, but what it really boils down to is they make inferior products.

As an addendum to my original tale, my mother -- after years of driving nothing but American cars -- finally broke down and bought a Toyota this year. Her previous car -- a Le baron -- was bought brand new. Within a year, the paintjob started flaking, but she somehow got dicked out of getting it fixed under warranty. That was the start of a decade of engine problems, mystery noises and frustration.

If a long-time customer like her can finally get fed up, I'm not sure if The Big Three can come back.

 

[lono]

I had a very expensive Hyundai A/C repair covered by the manufacturer 2,000 miles after the warranty expired on a '96 Elantra Wagon. I didn't even ask for it. The district manager called me and said, "Mr. Kleeda, we're covering this because it simply should not have happened and clearly was a manufacturing defect. It's on us, and I apologize for the inconvenience."

A similar problem with a 99 Grand Prix STILL UNDER warranty and they tried very hard not to cover it. Said it was excessive wear and tear. I was like, "It's an A/C unit, I turn it on and off. I live in Texas. Other than that, where's the excessive use?"

I try not to even RENT a GM car.

Kleeda:

I'll go you one better.

Some years ago, I bought a used Toyota with about 25,000 miles on it. It was not purchased from a Toyota dealer.

Two years later, it's a three-year-old car with 58,000 miles on it, when one morning I hear a funny noise, so I take it to a Toyota dealer.

They call me an hour later and say they've found metal shavings in the transmission fluid. I ask what it's going to cost, thinking it's going to be a super expensive proposition.

I'm told that they contacted the regional service office and even though the car is three years old and has a lot of miles, there's no way a transmission should fail that soon, so they are replacing it free of charge.

Regrettably, I've moved since and the local Toyota dealer isn't that sharp, but the Honda people here are great and have bent over backwards to take care of our cars.