Shake or Vibration Issues

[unhappy camper]

I am the next guy on this unhappy list. 2018 Silverado 1500 LTZ, Z71 with 20" factory wheels and Goodyear eagle somethings, vehicle came with 18". the dealership installed a leveling kit,  and aftermarket wheels and tires,  but did not change the factory shocks and it rode horrible.  All the same issues. going thru the same things, but so far the dealership doing the work has been great. Had a pico test done (at the dealership where i purchased) at about 60 miles but they did not hook up anything like what is posted in the TAC  or vibration analysis info. then gave me the story that it needed about 1200 miles on it, get this, for the suspension to settle... before GM would help them with further work. Had to have another dealer remove the kit and return to factory settings etc. Have been calling and taking this to as many private "mechanics" as possible to have drive and give me their ideas. Just found this site today and I gotta tell you all thank you for you input and sharing all the troubles you all have had. What slays me is that this thread was started in 2013 and still does not appear, from what I have read, that there is not a difinative answer on exactly how to repair things. So frustrating. What really puts me over the edge is that I test drove 10 different vehicles and not 1 of them showed any of these symptoms, took my time, did my homework, or so I thought,  and really thought I was on to something great. Not so much. So now I get to go along on this journey so many of you have regretfully have done. I am a diehard GM fan but this has really been a terrible experience. Just along to play the game now.

[JimCost2014]

1 hour ago, unhappy camper said:

I am the next guy on this unhappy list. 2018 Silverado 1500 LTZ, Z71 with 20" factory wheels and Goodyear eagle somethings, vehicle came with 18". the dealership installed a leveling kit,  and aftermarket wheels and tires,  but did not change the factory shocks and it rode horrible.  All the same issues. going thru the same things, but so far the dealership doing the work has been great. Had a pico test done (at the dealership where i purchased) at about 60 miles but they did not hook up anything like what is posted in the TAC  or vibration analysis info. then gave me the story that it needed about 1200 miles on it, get this, for the suspension to settle... before GM would help them with further work. Had to have another dealer remove the kit and return to factory settings etc. Have been calling and taking this to as many private "mechanics" as possible to have drive and give me their ideas. Just found this site today and I gotta tell you all thank you for you input and sharing all the troubles you all have had. What slays me is that this thread was started in 2013 and still does not appear, from what I have read, that there is not a difinative answer on exactly how to repair things. So frustrating. What really puts me over the edge is that I test drove 10 different vehicles and not 1 of them showed any of these symptoms, took my time, did my homework, or so I thought,  and really thought I was on to something great. Not so much. So now I get to go along on this journey so many of you have regretfully have done. I am a diehard GM fan but this has really been a terrible experience. Just along to play the game now.

Welcome to the site. Open a claim with GM before you let anyone else start "repairing things". Now that you have had 2 different dealers doing warranty work on your truck, get with GM and see how they want you to proceed, the warranty is there to be used to make you a Happy Camper.

[unhappy camper]

Thank you, I did open a case yesterday with GM. I feel so much better since I found this site. All the great posts and the information is very helpful. I have made very specific notes on this since the morning I got it. Mileage etc who I talked to and all of the paperwork from the dealers etc. I know a few ppl that have these pickups and no problems with them. So hopefully this will be taken care of soon!!

[JimCost2014]

37 minutes ago, unhappy camper said:

Thank you, I did open a case yesterday with GM. I feel so much better since I found this site. All the great posts and the information is very helpful. I have made very specific notes on this since the morning I got it. Mileage etc who I talked to and all of the paperwork from the dealers etc. I know a few ppl that have these pickups and no problems with them. So hopefully this will be taken care of soon!!

No problem, just be patient with the process, escalate when needed. Do you have a good relationship with the service manager at either dealership? They can be instrumental in getting things fixed.

[unhappy camper]

Jim,  Yes I do. I have tried very hard to build and maintain a good relationship and have been polite and courteous. I know they are not personally responsible for these problems but are the main link to get to a good resolution. They have been great so far and when I talked to the guy at the dealer where purchased,  and told him things were unacceptable, he gave me the GM contact info. We both maintained proper communication. I learned a long time ago to never go in with an attitude to start as I had seen others do. Nobody likes being attacked right off the start. Thank you again for your advice, I really appreciate it.

[JimCost2014]

8 hours ago, unhappy camper said:

Jim,  Yes I do. I have tried very hard to build and maintain a good relationship and have been polite and courteous. I know they are not personally responsible for these problems but are the main link to get to a good resolution. They have been great so far and when I talked to the guy at the dealer where purchased,  and told him things were unacceptable, he gave me the GM contact info. We both maintained proper communication. I learned a long time ago to never go in with an attitude to start as I had seen others do. Nobody likes being attacked right off the start. Thank you again for your advice, I really appreciate it.

You are very welcome. And no they don't, because they can have the repairs vetoed if you are too big of a pain. Are you speaking with the dealerships local/regional rep? 

[unhappy camper]

15 hours ago, JimCost2014 said:

You are very welcome. And no they don't, because they can have the repairs vetoed if you are too big of a pain. Are you speaking with the dealerships local/regional rep? 

I was not aware of such a person/position. How do i find out who this is?  Have only dealt with the shop mgr.  I went to a private repair shop and talked to them yesterday. Finally some young guys that have a clue!!!  They started talking about ways that can look for vibrations in different ways that I have never heard of.  He said everything has a spec and it can be checked pretty easily. Gave me some things to look into. One suggestion was to inflate the tires to the max air pressure labeled on the tire then drive it and see if it makes any difference.  Missed the call back from GM cust support yesterday so will give them a call very first thing Monday. I gave him this forum info so he can look further into things. Told him if they could find some answers they could make a lot of money as ppl run past their warranty and on all the used pickups and suv's out there. Also do u know of anyplace that does the on vehicle tire balance? Not sure if there is one in Montana anymore. Man I hope we get this figured out. I have been spending soo much time on this and not getting other stuff done!! Thanks again.

[JimCost2014]

3 hours ago, unhappy camper said:

I was not aware of such a person/position. How do i find out who this is?  Have only dealt with the shop mgr.  I went to a private repair shop and talked to them yesterday. Finally some young guys that have a clue!!!  They started talking about ways that can look for vibrations in different ways that I have never heard of.  He said everything has a spec and it can be checked pretty easily. Gave me some things to look into. One suggestion was to inflate the tires to the max air pressure labeled on the tire then drive it and see if it makes any difference.  Missed the call back from GM cust support yesterday so will give them a call very first thing Monday. I gave him this forum info so he can look further into things. Told him if they could find some answers they could make a lot of money as ppl run past their warranty and on all the used pickups and suv's out there. Also do u know of anyplace that does the on vehicle tire balance? Not sure if there is one in Montana anymore. Man I hope we get this figured out. I have been spending soo much time on this and not getting other stuff done!! Thanks again.

In order, all dealers have a rep from Chevy for service related issues, they are next to impossible (in my experiences) to speak too. They get involved when you escalate the problem beyond the dealership to give final approval for repairs, buy backs and so on. I am not sure where you are at with the process, and I know that most do not like being the squeaky wheel, but these trucks are not cheap. Unfortunately, you can not take the truck elsewhere at this point for repairs without Chevy's blessing, and I am really surprised another dealership tried correcting another dealerships work when it was a warranty repair. Don't bring up this site to the service manager, they hate the site and all of us arm chair quarterbacks on here that know everything. It could be a simple fix, maybe tire pressure, but more than likely bad tires, or ones that need to be "road forced balanced" by the dealership. You are walking a very thin line if GM hears you are attempting repairs without them knowing. Good luck, be patient, if you play their game, you will get the truck that you want.

[unhappy camper]

Great advice, thanks again. I am going to play their game for sure but it really sucks since I am 125 miles one way from them. Looks like this post has really quieted down the past few days. I wont let anyone look at it other than go for a ride at this point. That will be a last resort only if needed.   Hope to get it in for a road surface balance and PICO test this week.

[unhappy camper]

On 10/29/2018 at 7:58 AM, Dearmosd said:

no recall, but a $60k+ mistake trusting GM to do the right thing. I avoided the Ford Expedition due to it being the first year back on production and never trusted the first gen of anything but I am regretting not looking at Ford before pulling the trigger on the 2018 Suburban.

 

I am just stumped that all the test drives of 2016-2017 used suburbans and 2018 Yukon I never left what I am feeling in my suburban.

 

This is exactly the same thing that happened to me. That is why I wanted a new vehicle they drove so nice. Now I wonder if any of them had the problem and may have been fixed or something.  I was looking for a suburban but did not find the one I wanted so ended up with this... 

[JimCost2014]

5 hours ago, unhappy camper said:

Great advice, thanks again. I am going to play their game for sure but it really sucks since I am 125 miles one way from them. Looks like this post has really quieted down the past few days. I wont let anyone look at it other than go for a ride at this point. That will be a last resort only if needed.   Hope to get it in for a road surface balance and PICO test this week.

Make sure you relay how much of an inconvenience this is for you. Stress the fact that will need transportation that you like if they need your truck for an extended time period. 

[Olvim]

Had my first oil change and service today at 6900 miles. Turns out all four of my tires (which were just replaced in October, 2018 at the same dealership) were off balance again. This either speaks volumes to GM Tech abilities or to the incredible ability for the Goodyear SRAs to change drastically over less than 3,000 miles. I get that balance changes over time, especially with new tires, but this has been excessive. 

 

Smooth as glass on the highway up to 85, by the way. Drove around long enough to let them heat up to be sure I wasn’t being fooled. I thought the truck was smooth back in October. Today is a totally different experience. Drives better than my wife’s Equinox now. We’ll see if this sticks, or if in another 1000 miles the tires are all out of balance again. Quick reminder from my previous posts; I had a vibration in my steering wheel and sometimes the center console (bench seat) since purchase. The rear end, gas pedal, seats, and the cab as a whole have always been smooth. 

 

2018 Chevy Silverado LT Z71 Crew Cab, 3.42

Edited January 15, 2019 by Olvim

[SS502]

This is starting to make me wonder if SOME of the blame should be on the tire manufacturers. I’ve read tons of complaints about tires and everyone blames the GM folks. If anything it seems the GM techs shouldn’t have to cover tire manufacture defects yet we expect them too. I only say this because my GM dealership is IMHO VERY attentive to my needs. Should they know every fix? No. Should they be good? Yes but gosh we blame a lot on them. We need to remember that they didn’t engineer these things nor did they live in Mexico where a lot of them were made. My service department is excellent.

[Olvim]

17 hours ago, SS502 said:

This is starting to make me wonder if SOME of the blame should be on the tire manufacturers. I’ve read tons of complaints about tires and everyone blames the GM folks. If anything it seems the GM techs shouldn’t have to cover tire manufacture defects yet we expect them too. I only say this because my GM dealership is IMHO VERY attentive to my needs. Should they know every fix? No. Should they be good? Yes but gosh we blame a lot on them. We need to remember that they didn’t engineer these things nor did they live in Mexico where a lot of them were made. My service department is excellent.

While I agree with you a lot of the blame should be on Goodyear, in my case, as it took TWENTY TWO tires ordered BY THE DEALER from THEIR tire distributor to get four within spec, my truck was nonetheless in the dealership shop for 48 days over NINE different visits with two GM Engineer appearances and work with a District Rep over the first eight months of ownership for what turned out to be.... BALANCING!?! Up until yesterday, they were using the cheap sticky weights, too - you know, the ones they cut to size/weight. They must’ve hired a new tire guy because the OEM weights are now back on my wheels, and my truck finally drives great (here’s hoping it STAYS that way). How this happened and went on this long is beyond me, but the blame is absolutely not solely on the tire manufactures. GM contracted with them to put these piece of shit Goodyear’s on their trucks. That’s their problem, not mine. And all the time I wasted dealing with this in a brand new vehicle is something I’ll never get back, along with all the scratches I have on my rims now from the movement of weights on NINE different occasions. I gave them plenty of chances to get it right (nicely and respectfully, I might add), only to be told “we don’t feel anything” and “the truck is operating as designed.” Bullshit. 

 

To me, this is absolutely unacceptable, from Goodyear’s manufacturing process, to GM’s lack of customer service, and my dealerships ridiculous hoops and awfully trained techs. I told the dealer at multiple intervals that if the tires were that bad, they should’ve upgraded me to Michelin’s or Coopers by now. I was told by the District Rep that was “legally impossible” due to the Tread Act and all the fallout from Firestone back in the day. After buying two cars from this dealer, I guarantee I won’t be returning ever again. 

 

Given my experience, I give props solely to the GM District Rep. He upfront admitted something was wrong with my truck when he drove it. Without his help, I’d still be dealing with this issue with the dealer’s service department, who he told me, did NOT believe me when I said there were vibrations. I wrote GM a letter about my experience that included his praise. The guy did his job, reimbursed me a monthly payment for having my truck for so long (34 days straight for one visit), and for now, my vibrations are resolved. 

[SS502]

3 minutes ago, Olvim said:

While I agree with you a lot of the blame should be on Goodyear, in my case, as it took TWENTY TWO tires ordered BY THE DEALER from THEIR tire distributor to get four within spec, my truck was nonetheless in the dealership shop for 48 days over NINE different visits with two GM Engineer appearances and work with a District Rep over the first eight months of ownership for what turned out to be.... BALANCING!?! Up until yesterday, they were using the cheap sticky weights, too - you know, the ones they cut to size/weight. They must’ve hired a new tire guy because the OEM weights are now back on my wheels, and my truck finally drives great (here’s hoping it STAYS that way). How this happened and went on this long is beyond me, but the blame is absolutely not solely on the tire manufactures. GM contracted with them to put these piece of shit Goodyear’s on their trucks. That’s their problem, not mine. And all the time I wasted dealing with this in a brand new vehicle is something I’ll never get back, along with all the scratches I have on my rims now from the movement of weights on NINE different occasions. I gave them plenty of chances to get it right (nicely and respectfully, I might add), only to be told “we don’t feel anything” and “the truck is operating as designed.” Bullshit. 

 

To me, this is absolutely unacceptable, from Goodyear’s manufacturing process, to GM’s lack of customer service, and my dealerships ridiculous hoops and awfully trained techs. I told the dealer at multiple intervals that if the tires were that bad, they should’ve upgraded me to Michelin’s or Coopers by now. I was told by the District Rep that was “legally impossible” due to the Tread Act and all the fallout from Firestone back in the day. After buying two cars from this dealer, I guarantee I won’t be returning ever again. 

 

Given my experience, I give props solely to the GM District Rep. He upfront admitted something was wrong with my truck when he drove it. Without his help, I’d still be dealing with this issue with the dealer’s service department, who he told me, did NOT believe me when I said there were vibrations. I wrote GM a letter about my experience that included his praise. The guy did his job, reimbursed me a monthly payment for having my truck for so long (34 days straight for one visit), and for now, my vibrations are resolved. 

I'd be upset too....you are certainly justified in your disgust.