Lemon or Lemonade?

scott19677 · May 19, 2017

Don't Do It Op!!!! I've bought over 10 Silverado's in the last ten years and MANY other GM products like Camaros, 'Vette's, even a Saturn when they came out( that was an awesome car btw) then things took a dump when I traded my 2012 Z71 for a new '14 when they hit the lots in '13. So I know there are always gonna be some first year bugs to work out but this one was one big POS. Well I thought I'd just eat crow and trade it in on another '14 a few months later. It was even worse. So that's when I started raising hell even up to the point of contacting Mary Barra. I actually got a lot of traction with her assistant and they agreed to doing a "fair" trade in assistance offer on any other '14 on the lot. OK this where you can call me stupid 'cause I thought what are the odds that I would get reamed again. After all nearly a year had gone by and surely the bugs were fixed by now. WRONG!!! So that old saying about "fool me twice.." could not be more fitting.

So... currently my dumb ass is waiting around to take a peek at the next gen trucks hoping GM has got their act together because I REALLY want a new truck. If I'm not impressed as a mofo I'm gonna jump ship and buy a new 392 Dodge Durango. Sad thing is, I feel like I'm a cheating husband for even thinking about switching brands after decades of driving GM only. But what's a guy to do? After all the Furds are going to be a nightmare with those buried turbos that you have to remove half of the front suspension to access, the Rams, Toyota and Nissan all look like they have Down's syndrome. Sad thing is, GM isn't going to change as long as these thing are flying off the lots.

And for all you guys that haven't had a single problem good for you. I've heard it all before. Save it. I just want to give the OP a little heads up. The quality of the current K2's is hit or miss. It's too bad because GM drivetrain's are nearly bulletproof. But damn it seems like it is something every day with these trucks. Just little stuff (except the vibes) but for the money these things bring I expect better.

Ok rant over, I have another page open on the ole inter web looking at Scat pack Chargers and trying to locate that 392 Durango lol.

And for the guys that want to chime in and say that the 16's17's and newer ones are all better now I will refer you to the million page thread on the "vibes" section. Hell they still can't stop the freaking seats from clicking and clacking.

Just saying. But they shure are pretty trucks....lol

Good luck.

JimCost2014 · May 19, 2017

My 14 was taken back on a trade allowance (sneaky way of buyback). So far I have had only 2 minor issues with my 16 that I fixed myself. Otherwise it has been a great truck, so, in my case, yes I would.

Silverado Steve · May 19, 2017

If GM bought my truck back or offered a stellar trade in no out of pocket, then yes. If no, and I had to take a bath on a trade, I'd go with a different brand if I were that frustrated. Truth be told, visit a RAM, Ford and even a Tundra Forum and you will see complaints that will cause you to look and rethink your decision to buy their product. Luckily for me, my truck has been great and I feel GM can build a great product.

CounterMeasure · May 19, 2017

As soon as Dodge, Ford or Toyota come out with a truck that meets or beats the 6.2L in my truck, this one is gone, and it will be the last GM truck I own.

I loved my Tundra. I just wish they would finally update the driveline with some tech from this decade.

1997SierraSLT · May 19, 2017

Never owned anything but a GM until 3 years ago. Why....because my father was a GM guy. Needless to say after owning 5 GM's ranging from 1970's to 1990's, I became quite a decent mechanic. I had to or I would have gone broke paying a shop to maintain them.

Then I wised up and bought an 07' Toyota 4Runner with 40,000 miles on the odometer (Crapota to all the die-hard ignorant GM folks who will go to their grave owning GM because they think Global Motors money is staying here on USA soil....blah blah blah). Just turned 100,000 miles on the odometer. It is the most reliable and bullet-proof vehicle I've ever owned. The quality is light years ahead of GM. I change oil & rotate the tires every 5k and put gas in it......that's it. Never had a check engine light come on, everything works flawlessly as it should, and still not even a remote sign of fluid leaks anywhere. God....It's so nice to have so much free time on my hands to actually enjoy life and no longer be a slave to owning a GM vehicle.

Unfortunately, GM has had every opportunity in it's 100+ year history to build a quality vehicle. Instead, they're primary directive has been and always will be, good ol' American quarterly profits above all else. But GM knows they do not have to build a quality vehicle as long as the American consumer keeps purchasing. Plus, GM has big government tucked into their back pocket to gladly give them another taxpayer funded bailout because they've somehow convinced our big government they are too big to fail. A win-win for GM, eh?

Cottonwoodguy · May 20, 2017

I think 99% of the GM trucks out there are fine. I would definitely give it another shot.

You think that the amount of problems is way higher because that's what you read on here. how many people do you know in real life with the same problems?

I don't really think the amount of problems are higher because of what I read on here. I think my truck is a piece of crap because it is, and GM will not fix it. If GM would fix the issues with the shifting and clunking I would not be so critical of the truck and it's issues. Last GMC I bought new was in 1997. K2500 4X4 with a 454. Had the motor replaced under warranty at 30K due to a rod knock. GM took care of it and I was not opposed to buying another GM. If fact I have purchased 4 since then. When I was in business I ran 50K miles a year towing a trailer. I have run Fords and GM's all vehicles break and have issues sometimes. No vehicle I have owned in 34 years of owning 4X4 trucks has been as problematic without a resolution as this 2016 Silverado.

Cottonwoodguy · May 20, 2017

And get what???

That is a good question. I guess I would do some additional research and find out which companies will stand behind their products. GM is not one of them.

aseibel · May 20, 2017

I think my truck is a piece of crap because it is, and GM will not fix it. If GM would fix the issues with the shifting and clunking I would not be so critical of the truck and it's issues.

I'm sorry about your truck's issues. I cannot relate.

SilveradoSaver · May 20, 2017

I guess it depends on what kind of issues I was having. As I get older I find myself taking more time with test drives to try and limit "surprises" but obviously not everything can be caught on a simple test drive. I have always owned GM vehicles, so if I were to get a lemon I would probably give them another chance. If it happened for a second time I may be very hesitant though. But overall I think every vehicle company will have lemons here and there, so going from A to B doesn't mean you wouldn't get a lemon. It's rolling the dice I suppose.

ShamrockShooter · May 21, 2017

I've had quite a few issues with my truck, but mostly minor. I think if it was a lease I would not care about most of the issues. But when you spend big bucks to buy the stakes are higher.

I really like most everything about my truck. But I'm not going through summer without a/c as my truck sits now. I think I would be inclined to try another silverado simply because of the $5k I have invested in a leer truck cap, borla exhaust, and extra set of midnight rims and tires and husky mats. I would consider a lease this time just because it would be a temp vehicle I wouldn't care about rusting frames, chipping paint or clunking transmissions.

Also on the bright side of making a lemon into lemonade, by having lots of issues early on and replaced under warranty, you get those faults fixed under warranty instead of later on when it's at your expense.

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ct_corey · May 22, 2017

I have had a few annoying issues with mine, Since I am a lease customer I know after my lease is up in 2 years I can just easily try another truck. If I had bought my truck I would have been super upset. Especially last time I went to the dealer and they handed me a piece of paper that says its normal for my truck to vibrate.

Graphic · May 22, 2017

I guess the biggest thing I took out of my lemon was GM has no loyalty to their customers. That's just business. The Ram I traded for had been okay. Nothing spectacular, but not bad at all.

Now that I have had a couple years to get over the anger, I'm of the mind that brand loyalty is no longer a thing to the companies or to me. Next purchase all brands will get a look. I will look more at warranty coverage and lengths, etc. No longer a GM loyalist. I don't hate them, but they are no longer the only brand for me to look at.

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SAKO79 · May 24, 2017

I had a 2014 gmc sierra 1500 I was at the dealership 68 times in two and a half years I lost countless hours of lost wages and wasted my time at the dealerships. They kept blaming problems on the tires and everything instead of trying to help me out and fixing things. I was only a GM customer until this truck it forced me to buy my first ever Ford 2016 F150 and no word of a lie it is the best truck I've ever owned out of 9 gets better fuel economy than my 5.3 L and I have the 5 liter V8 my F150 also has a heavy duty payload package I've had it for 9 months now not one issue no vibration step on the gas tires spin It drives like a truck is supposed to

f8l vnm · May 24, 2017

my 14 was bought back and I didn't hesitate to get another one and got a 16

Yes problems are hassles but if your getting your money back , then to me it was worth it.

Also what else was I going to get ? The F150 has options I love and wish the GM had but I'm not a big fan of the looks or the engines. same thing with Dodge . So it was easy choice for me. Back to GM.