Dealer messed up?

TomTom · June 18, 2003

My truck has always leaned to the drivers side by about an inch. I took it in to a dealer who said the rear leaf springs needed to be replaced, which they did. When I got it back it still leaned to the side. I took it to another dealer this morning to look at it and the first thing he said was that the other dealer put on the springs wrong and that the 1st dealer notched the frame. I am hoping you guys that are a little more experienced working with dealers might have an idea about my options. I am a little disturbed to say the least. Thanks for any ideas. Oh, I have a 2002 2wd ext cab.

tboat · June 19, 2003

I can't believe somebody is that stupid. I don't know how big the notch is but I would be afraid of the notch. I am not an engineer but I have worked with plenty building semi-trailers. The notch in the frame if it hasn't weakened the frame will definately cause a stress raiser in that area that could lead to failure. You need to get somebody from Chevy to say that was the wrong thing to do or hire a professional engineer to do some calculations and hire a lawyer. I would be furious if some idiot butchered up my frame.

timk49 · June 19, 2003

Just go back and put a notch in the service managers head.

asepgrad98 · June 19, 2003

would love to see pics, the first dealer should fix it correctly obviously.

seadoons · June 19, 2003

I would be all over GM. Not the dealership, but call General Motors. If one of the dealerships has said that the frame is notched and another dealership caused it, I would be tell GM that you are concerned for your safety (which you should be). The structural integrity of the frame isn't what it was before it was notched, and can really cause injury or death in the case of an accident. Maybe you can even go to the dealership and talk to a general manager about it, telling him you don't feel safe in it. I promise you no dealer is going to take a chance, because if you do get in a wreck and get hurt, even if the frame didn't breakdown, you could still sue them and say you got hurt because of that frame.

Ben · June 19, 2003

Agree with all and add that many new frames today are hydroformed (used liquid to "forg" the metal into a die). Since they can do such great & complicated shapes, they make the frame section to suit and that means they also reduced the gauge in some. By reducing the gauge, they then use higher alloy for added strength, plus some are work hardened and/or tempered.

What all this has "POTENTIAL" is that the notch will have stress raiser (cracks will propagate from there) and all flexing of the frame will concentrate there.

Recommend you have the 2nd dealer put it in writing, get letter to GM's local rep and demand that they respond in writing back to you. Keep good records. Take pictures and staple them to the work order of 1st dealer and 2nd dealer.

Really no notch is too SMALL, as stress raiser is stress raiser.

If you've ever bent a piece of metal back and forth to break it and found that it was taking too long and ended up cutting a notch in it where you want it to break, then going back to rebend it back and forth. It will break right at that notch...aka stress raiser.