ripped off?

DR3DO9 · February 17, 2006

I have a 2002 suburban 40k miles 6" fabtech lift. The ABS and brake light came on so I Dropped the truck off yesterday morning at Lehmers (gmc dealership) in concord CA with a guy named Francis. I then went to work but forgot to mention I had wheel locks so went back to the dealership to show Francis where I hid the lock but he was in a meeting. While I was waiting a mechanic had come from the back and I asked if he knew where my truck was, I described my truck and he glanced at the paperwork in his hand and said that he was the one that just got finished looking at it. I mentioned the wheel locks but to my surprise he said they wouldn't need the lock and explained what was wrong with the truck. The mechanic told me that the wire to the speed sensor was shot because it was getting pinched between the suspension parts and that's why the lights came on. Just then Francis comes up, gets behind his computer and the mechanic re-explains to him what the problem is and leaves. Francis starts punching things into the computer and tells me it'll be $650 because they'll need to replace both speed sensors. I mention why I came back and now Francis says "yes" they'll need the wheel lock to replace the sensors. The thing is Francis wasn't around when the mechanic told me they wouldn't need the wheel lock. I'm now thinking the mechanic could have done the repair without taking the wheels off. Could they have JUST replaced the wire to the speed sensor or did the whole unit need to be replaced? Do speed sensors normally go out after only 40k? Is it even possible to have examined the speed sensors with the wheels on to determine if they needed to be replaced in the first place? Did I just spend $650 on an unnecessary repair that could have just been a $10 fix?

pm26 · February 17, 2006

When you have doubts like that you should do the following before paying the bill:

Ask for your old parts. If they cannot produce them it is highly doubtful that they replaced them in the first place.

Get the retail prices on the replacement parts.

Find out how much labor it takes to replace the subject parts. There are labor estimate guide books that dealerships typically use for this purpose. Ask them to show you what the estimate in hours is for a given job, and how much disassembly is required. And then ask them what the hourly rate is for the dealership. This is typically $ 70-90 an hour these days.

It is always a very good idea to get a written estimate boefore they even start replacing things.

Your bill should have a detailed breakdown of parts cost and labor costs. You can verify if the amount you paid is in the ballpark.

DR3DO9 · February 17, 2006

Thanks PM26... I don't doubt whether the parts were replaced or not. I'm pretty sure that most dealer$hip$ are pretty honest regarding changing part$ as promised but as far as being honest about if the part actually needs to be replaced, i'm not too sure about.

As far as parts and labor go:

$121 each sensor

$390 labor

$20 tax = $650

Seemed a little high at the time but also seemed like a necessary repair.

Basically what I want to know about the speed sensor is if the wires alone are replaceable or if they're hard-wired into the sensor and also if speed sensors normally go out after 40k miles?

MS3DALE · February 17, 2006

The wires alone are not replaceable,They are "hard-wired" into the sensors so you must buy new sensors.

40k is a little early for them to fail but remember the sensors themselves didn't go out in your truck but rather the wires got pinched.

One other thing,You do have to remove the wheels to replace the sensors.

DR3DO9 · February 17, 2006

Thanks MS3DALE

Things just seemed a little fishy after the wheel lock incident. Thanks for clearing this up.

sgiangregorio · February 18, 2006

But $650 and you're only 4000 miles out of warranty, probably a bit less?? I'd be calling Chevy quicker than anything. I'd also speak with the service manager. Heck, due to prior issues, I had a $1500 front end bearing/axle job done on my truck, no charge, at 50000 miles by making a simple phone call to Chevy.

sgiangregorio · February 18, 2006

Oh, wait, you already paid and picked it up? It might be harder now, but I would still contact Chevy and explain your disappointment with such an expensive repair so shortly out of warranty. Ask for the mileage that the vehicle had on it when it was first registered too. If by some chance it was a demo with 3-4000 miles on it, you may just find it's still under warranty (although I would think the dealer would know this when they punched the VIN in).

sonjaab · February 18, 2006

I too would give them the "why isn't it covered under warranty"

routine too.................

BUT>>>>>>>>>i can just hear it now...........

"SORRY....Your NON factory 6 inch lift caused the problem so

your outta luck" excuse !!!!!!!!!!!

Wingnut · February 21, 2006

I too would give them the "why isn't it covered under warranty"
routine too.................

BUT>>>>>>>>>i can just hear it now...........

"SORRY....Your NON factory 6 inch lift caused the problem so

your outta luck" excuse !!!!!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well...Evidently that non-factory aftermarket part caused the failure. Why should the dealership pay for it?

sgiangregorio · February 21, 2006

I think I missed that. This was caused my a modification? In that case, I don't know what you could do, but pay. That stinks.

DR3DO9 · February 21, 2006

They wouldn't cover something like this under warranty. It technically wasn't the sensor that went out but the wire and it was my lift kit that pinched the wire... I'm probably confusing people by asking if a sensor usually goes out at 40k miles but I was only asking that cause I thought the wire itself was replacable and had a suspicion that the dealership wanted to change it JUST to change it (way more profit to replace 2 sensors then just 2 wires). Since 4wheelparts intalled the kit maybe I should get them to foot the bill! yeah right!

I did notice my shiny new wires were re-routed and tied onto the arms of the suspension and they look pretty long with a good amount of slack now. And not that I don't believe MS3DALE or anything but now I'm wondering how long the wires coming off of the sensor actually are. Is there a 2nd wire that connects from the sensor wire to the computer or can the speed sensorwire reach all the way to the computer? I tried to pull up pictures of a chevy speed sensor and the only ones I found had shorter wires. Which didn't look long enough to get tangled in the suspension. If my sensor looks anything like those then chances are it was that 2nd wire that got pinched and was the only thing that needed to be replaced and not the entire sensor.

I'll keep you posted.