2011 5.3 Lifter tick / dealer experience

j-ten-ner · April 7, 2012

...NOBODY is prefect no matter WHAT resources they have.

Fair enough. But than stand up for your mistake and fix it.

In my business, when I screw up I have to fix it on my own expenses.

Otherwise I would be out of business.

Because of I'm a Pro I should know better and do it right in the first place.

Especially when the same mistake happened before!

I don't care who has to deal with who for reason of internal policy of the dealership.

They want the money I worked for. And not only a little.

Fortunately until today I was able to fix my cars by myself and did not have to go to a dealership. I would throw up if I had to pay with my hard earned money for a none-fix and shrug of the shoulders.

I can not imagine to charge my costumers for a job what is not done! Period.

"Uh...I did this and that but sorry it is not what you wanted. Anyway it makes $ xyz plus taxes...". EH...WHAT?

so long

j-ten-ner

ChevyTech77 · April 8, 2012

...NOBODY is prefect no matter WHAT resources they have.

Fair enough. But than stand up for your mistake and fix it.

In my business, when I screw up I have to fix it on my own expenses.

Otherwise I would be out of business.

Because of I'm a Pro I should know better and do it right in the first place.

Especially when the same mistake happened before!

I don't care who has to deal with who for reason of internal policy of the dealership.

They want the money I worked for. And not only a little.

Fortunately until today I was able to fix my cars by myself and did not have to go to a dealership. I would throw up if I had to pay with my hard earned money for a none-fix and shrug of the shoulders.

I can not imagine to charge my costumers for a job what is not done! Period.

"Uh...I did this and that but sorry it is not what you wanted. Anyway it makes $ xyz plus taxes...". EH...WHAT?

so long

j-ten-ner

I'm not sure how things are handled where YOU come from bud but I've certainly eaten my fair share of labor time over

the years for things that I've done and/or the customer THOUGHT that I did wrong, just to please the damn customer. I

have this feeling that you have not one bit of an idea of how the inner workings of a GM dealership work, not a bit. Hell,

most of you do not and if you spent a few days around there, you'd have a whole nother out look on issues like this but

hey, us in the business are just all crooks that want to take your money a phuck you over as much as possible so why

listen to me, right?

And just a little food for thought here and then you and I are done talking...

When was the last time that your doctor did NOT charge your insurance for a second visit for the same issue? How about

the dentist?

j-ten-ner · April 8, 2012

whatever...

Doug_Scott · April 8, 2012

On #1 - On the mower - depends... if the mower has a history of not starting due to the parts listed... yes I would replace all of them. Because my time is worth more than driving to town 5 times to get $10 parts.

Mechanic should not just throw parts at a problem, they should be diagnosing the problem, and then repair what they found wrong. In other words, you do not just replace everything it could possibly be, you replace/repair the part that has failed or is out of spec.

As to the OP issue, I don't know why the shop released the vehicle after the first attempt failed. The mechanic should never have marked the job as complete if the noise was still there. The last time I worked at a dealership, the shop foreman would road test or verify the problem was in deed resolved before letting the mechanic close the invoice/work order.

gmtech4 · April 8, 2012

On #1 - On the mower - depends... if the mower has a history of not starting due to the parts listed... yes I would replace all of them. Because my time is worth more than driving to town 5 times to get $10 parts.

Mechanic should not just throw parts at a problem, they should be diagnosing the problem, and then repair what they found wrong. In other words, you do not just replace everything it could possibly be, you replace/repair the part that has failed or is out of spec.

As to the OP issue, I don't know why the shop released the vehicle after the first attempt failed. The mechanic should never have marked the job as complete if the noise was still there. The last time I worked at a dealership, the shop foreman would road test or verify the problem was in deed resolved before letting the mechanic close the invoice/work order.

they probably released it because the op wanted it ,,,,,

on tough cases ,TAC (Technical Assitance Center)(called crack line)is called ,they can tell you what to replace and the claim will be paid with a TAC case number attached to the R.O.

like chevy said ,roll a toolbox in a store and find out what its like(not you Doug )just a blanket statement

Morgan1986 · April 8, 2012

all I am hearing is a broken system. I am sure the techs and mancahics want to fix the vehical the best they can but their hands are tied . I dont believe all companyies are like this but majority are probely like this.

joshrt24 · April 9, 2012

Well that's good for you, I paid for a new vehicle, not a rattling POS. I would expect noises after so many miles but not before my first oil change.

I was really blindsided by this whole thing. I really thought the first repair would have done it. I think the biggest problem is that GM doesn't allow the tech to diagnose the vehicle. From what I was told the tech was only aloud to find out where the noise is coming from then follow a list of things that GM automatically wants them to replace. The part that mad me mad was when they told the tech to tear down my motor piece by piece and figure it out.. at that point the motor should have been shipped back to GM for an engineer to inspect and send me a new one.

I build boats for a living so I am quite familiar with production and warranty and replacements, we deal with them every single day. We replace more than we ' fix ' . We usually take the old part and let the engineers test and find out the cause so we can keep from having that issue in the future. Not to mention our goal is 100% customer satisfaction no matter what.

O.K. I really, really should stay out of this but I've gotta clarify a few things here,

1. 110% wrong. GM does NOT, tell the dealer tech to NOT diagnose the vehicle. Hell, that is 110% the tech's job. What you have here is a tech that is trying to fix a PART problem and has gotten GM involved because no matter how many lifters he installs in the vehicle, or engines that he replaces there is still a HIGH probability, the rattle noise on start up is still going to be there. Trust me, I know how the repair process works in a GM dealership from top to bottom. I am deeply entrenched in it, everyday.

2. A well trained, intellegent technician should be more than capable of disassembling and diagnosing an engine noise issue. Engine mechanical repair has been, and continues to be, a well taught and rehearsed repair area in the automotive field. It is basic auto repair 101 really and if you can't trust a well trained tech to tear an engine down and diagnose a noise concern well then I'd take my truck elsewhere or walk because complete engine replacement is rarely ever needed and rarely ever cost effective over a partial repair. Being a trained GM technician I can certainly tell you that I PRIDE myself in knowing how to "fix it". While complete replacement is necessary in certain repairs, it is not always the case either.

3. Blindsided? Did someone lie to you somewhere along the way or?? Did you not buy a mechanical device, that is mass produced, without the knowledge that it may break?

4. I'm sure you, as do I, always strive for 100% customer satisfaction in our work but it doesn't always happen. With a post like this I'd be willing to bet that maybe somebody "beat up" on you in a satisfaction survey somewhere along the line and if they haven't, they will someday, trust me. You can be 110% perfect at all times in everything you do and somewhere, someone will STILL not be happy with your work, it's a fact of life. Remember that next time you start a bitch thread such as this on an internet website and stomp your feet DEMANDING shit that NO ONE is INTITLED TO just because they bought a brand new vehicle and are having problems. Matter of fact, no one is intitled to ANYTHING in this life, period but hey, some of us get it and some don't.

No literally when I took the truck the first time the tech told me they got a bulletin saying if you get one with this noise replace the oil pump. That is all he did on the first visit. The service manager explained to me that GM makes the shots on bran new vehicles and that there isn't anything the dealer can say or do. I'm not making this shit up.

This bran new engine turning out to be a piece of shit at 3200 miles is every reason to stomp my feet. The time they spent dicking around with it trying to fix it ( and still can't tell me what went down) they cost me a lot of money. I use my truck for business not just leisurely driving.

I can tell you this much, as a ford man taking the leap to chevy and this happening.. guess what brand my next truck will be? And the tahoe I was about to buy my fiance.. yeah that just turned into an expedition or explorer. Now had they have compensated me and treated me better and had me in a rental truck the entire time, things might have worked out differently.

joshrt24 · April 9, 2012

Well that's good for you, I paid for a new vehicle, not a rattling POS. I would expect noises after so many miles but not before my first oil change.

I was really blindsided by this whole thing. I really thought the first repair would have done it. I think the biggest problem is that GM doesn't allow the tech to diagnose the vehicle. From what I was told the tech was only aloud to find out where the noise is coming from then follow a list of things that GM automatically wants them to replace. The part that mad me mad was when they told the tech to tear down my motor piece by piece and figure it out.. at that point the motor should have been shipped back to GM for an engineer to inspect and send me a new one.

I build boats for a living so I am quite familiar with production and warranty and replacements, we deal with them every single day. We replace more than we ' fix ' . We usually take the old part and let the engineers test and find out the cause so we can keep from having that issue in the future. Not to mention our goal is 100% customer satisfaction no matter what.

O.K. I really, really should stay out of this but I've gotta clarify a few things here,

1. 110% wrong. GM does NOT, tell the dealer tech to NOT diagnose the vehicle. Hell, that is 110% the tech's job. What you have here is a tech that is trying to fix a PART problem and has gotten GM involved because no matter how many lifters he installs in the vehicle, or engines that he replaces there is still a HIGH probability, the rattle noise on start up is still going to be there. Trust me, I know how the repair process works in a GM dealership from top to bottom. I am deeply entrenched in it, everyday.

2. A well trained, intellegent technician should be more than capable of disassembling and diagnosing an engine noise issue. Engine mechanical repair has been, and continues to be, a well taught and rehearsed repair area in the automotive field. It is basic auto repair 101 really and if you can't trust a well trained tech to tear an engine down and diagnose a noise concern well then I'd take my truck elsewhere or walk because complete engine replacement is rarely ever needed and rarely ever cost effective over a partial repair. Being a trained GM technician I can certainly tell you that I PRIDE myself in knowing how to "fix it". While complete replacement is necessary in certain repairs, it is not always the case either.

3. Blindsided? Did someone lie to you somewhere along the way or?? Did you not buy a mechanical device, that is mass produced, without the knowledge that it may break?

4. I'm sure you, as do I, always strive for 100% customer satisfaction in our work but it doesn't always happen. With a post like this I'd be willing to bet that maybe somebody "beat up" on you in a satisfaction survey somewhere along the line and if they haven't, they will someday, trust me. You can be 110% perfect at all times in everything you do and somewhere, someone will STILL not be happy with your work, it's a fact of life. Remember that next time you start a bitch thread such as this on an internet website and stomp your feet DEMANDING shit that NO ONE is INTITLED TO just because they bought a brand new vehicle and are having problems. Matter of fact, no one is intitled to ANYTHING in this life, period but hey, some of us get it and some don't.

Glad you did chime in....

On #1 - I think what is flustrating to a customer (me included) is multiple trips for same problem... If it was your personal truck and your working on it on what little free time you have (because going to the dealership is on my time not my employeers!) would you replace an oil shield... put it all back together, drive it.. same problem, then replace a few lifters, put it all back together, drive it, replace a few more lifters, put it all back together, drive it some more, then replace the cam... etc .etc... Not me... I would attempt to fix it right the first time and avoid doing it multiple times. Put the shield, lifters and cam all in at the same time! Now I'm sure in bean couting world its more cost effective for GM to pay to disassemble mutliple times... but GM does not put a price on the customer satisfaction (as they should), flustration and sucking up all you vacation time going to the dealership multiple times for the same problem...

#2 - Agree... I have 0 complaints with the techs at the dealerships I have been to... They are great! The folks between the techs and customer not so much... they are "working" the system like they should to keep the dealership profitable and pretty much know what its going to take to get GM to pay (them) for the fix. Some do a good job of keeping the customer happy and getting GM to pay for the fix and some dont. Thus the customer gets to visit them several times for the same fix because that the way GM corporate says to fix it to get paid, even though I'm pretty sure a seasoned Tech knows what the problem is, seen it before and knows a percentage of how many required all the parts to fix it and not just one part at a time.

#3 - I agree not really blindsided as the OP said... and should not expect 100% satisfaction in something as complicated as a truck.. But me personally is how it is handled when there is a problem and I can tell you there is a noticable difference between manufactures and the truck segment from the Big 3 is IMHO is going the wrong way on something that costs 2 time as much as a car which seem to have improved in satisfaction and quality atleast in our camp.

#4 - Glad its just a bitch thread on the internet and has not driven his truck through the dealerships front window (joking! do not attempt!).

I consider it to be blindsided .. for gods sake it didn't even make it to its first oil change!?!? Who isn't blind sided when they buy a bran new vehicle and have to replace the motor right out of the gate???? lol

joshrt24 · April 9, 2012

did they not offer you a loaner vehicle so you can get back to work? everytime i take my wife's SRX in for free oil changes, tire rotations, etc they always offer us a loaner vehicle even though it doesn't take them more than an hour to do. thankfully i've had no powertrain warranty claims to date on my truck and i've got over 25,000 miles.

word on the statement about businesses just trying to make money. my wife's mom got suckered into a lot of unnecessary repairs on a honda civic she used to own. i think the worst one they got her with was replacing the motor mounts that showed no signs of wear! she didn't care about my opinion on it. just seemed everytime she went to get an oil change they'd try and sell her other services.

I bought the extended warranty which covers rentals. I was in two different impala's, and a crysler 300 !! no truck until the very end which was only for two days.

joshrt24 · April 10, 2012

On #1 - On the mower - depends... if the mower has a history of not starting due to the parts listed... yes I would replace all of them. Because my time is worth more than driving to town 5 times to get $10 parts.

Mechanic should not just throw parts at a problem, they should be diagnosing the problem, and then repair what they found wrong. In other words, you do not just replace everything it could possibly be, you replace/repair the part that has failed or is out of spec.

As to the OP issue, I don't know why the shop released the vehicle after the first attempt failed. The mechanic should never have marked the job as complete if the noise was still there. The last time I worked at a dealership, the shop foreman would road test or verify the problem was in deed resolved before letting the mechanic close the invoice/work order.

Well the noise was hit or miss.One of those where it doesn't like to do it for the tech but drive off the lot and it starts up again.

We found that the noise could be distinctly heard at cold starts.

On #1 - On the mower - depends... if the mower has a history of not starting due to the parts listed... yes I would replace all of them. Because my time is worth more than driving to town 5 times to get $10 parts.

Mechanic should not just throw parts at a problem, they should be diagnosing the problem, and then repair what they found wrong. In other words, you do not just replace everything it could possibly be, you replace/repair the part that has failed or is out of spec.

As to the OP issue, I don't know why the shop released the vehicle after the first attempt failed. The mechanic should never have marked the job as complete if the noise was still there. The last time I worked at a dealership, the shop foreman would road test or verify the problem was in deed resolved before letting the mechanic close the invoice/work order.

they probably released it because the op wanted it ,,,,,

on tough cases ,TAC (Technical Assitance Center)(called crack line)is called ,they can tell you what to replace and the claim will be paid with a TAC case number attached to the R.O.

like chevy said ,roll a toolbox in a store and find out what its like(not you Doug )just a blanket statement

Nope they released it because they said it was fixed, called me up and told me to come pick it up.

joshrt24 · April 10, 2012

all I am hearing is a broken system. I am sure the techs and mancahics want to fix the vehical the best they can but their hands are tied . I dont believe all companyies are like this but majority are probely like this.

This is exactly right.

I may not have mentioned it on here before but I did in the surveys.. I had several good talks with the tech, he was a stand up guy and was doing everything he could. He told me that he fought with gm trying to get a new motor and they kept telling him to replace this and replace that.. he is the one that told me there was nothing the dealer could do and that it was ALL up to GM. also the service adviser treated me well too. It was the director of operations at the dealer that gave me the run around about incentives. I asked him about incentive in the first place but he kept telling me oh yeah you will be very fairly compensated and we talked about running boards, bed liner, remote start.. and he kept telling me he was speaking with the GM rep about it. blah blah blah.. he kept feeding me BS.

Here is the deal- I bought I truck. No I didn't expect it to be perfect. But no where in my mind did I think that a truck with a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty would require a new motor at 3200 miles AND have to make so many trips to the dealer to get it worked out. It cost me time, travel and most importantly a lot of business and money.

This should have been handled at least by the second trip down there. We aren't talking about a minor problem like the window won't roll down or the seat heater won't work.. were talking about internal engine problems from the get go. Which is unacceptable to me as a customer buying a bran new vehicle. If it were used I would totally expect something to happen just after buying it lol. Or I would even expect little stuff to happen on this new truck but not major stuff.

How would any of you feel if you were driving down the road in your bran new truck and the transmission plopped down on the pavement? Would your attitude still be.. " well its not perfect "?

Oh lets not forget the fact that they should have at LEAST stuck me in a truck of some sort .. that seems fair considering I did buy a truck..right?

The one payment they are giving me is indeed a good thing but no it does not make of for the experience. Thing should have been much smoother and yeah I do not need to be caught up in the middle between the dealer and GM.

BY THE WAY total cost of this deal was $15,500 . that price is coming from the manager of the dealer who wrote it all up.

ChevyTech77 · April 10, 2012

Bottom line, and I'm standing my ground about this because weather you believe it or not I know a little more about how the system works than you do, the dealership tech is blowing smoke up your ass to make you happy face to face. It's on him to fix your vehicle and not all GM's fault. I deal in GM service above a dealership level now-a-days and I can tell you that the tech can smile in your face and still drop the ball behind the scenes. Unfortunantly, he's making all GM technicians look like complete smucks in the meantime which sucks. There's all kinds of bulletins that don't mean that is the fix besides, bulletins are to give the tech some insight to possible issues not diagnose the problem for them.

Also, shit happens and you can stomp your feet all you want it's only making things worse for you now. Good job.

Enjoy your Ford's. I'm sure they'll be problem free.

Doug_Scott · April 10, 2012

Unlike electronics, sometimes a bad part will show up right away, and sometimes it takes years. This is why they give a warranty. If the vehicle was not going to experience bad parts issue, why have the warranty.

Personally, I would prefer it to fail as the OPs failed. No questions about where the oil changes were made, no issues of having run the engine out of oil, and pretty much a certainty that the OP did nothing to create this issue. Having the tech talk nice to you, and basically stroke your emotions is really no different to what con men do. I have had a few "comebacks" on a warranty repair, every mechanic has, but to keep getting the same tech to attempt to fix it is not the answer. After a couple of attempts, it is time to get another tech involved, either to work with, or to replace the original tech. Unless they find another issue, comebacks are not a paying job to the tech. About the only time I experienced a comeback that actually paid me was for a wiring issue on a then brand new 78 Chrysler New Yorker. Took me a long time to find a ground wire that had been pierced by a trim screw, and the screw also pierced the dash light feed. With the radio on, no issue, turn the radio off, no dash lights.