New (to Me) Sierra Woes

[Boomer73]

After having a Sonoma for nearly 10 years that I worked to death and it never gave me any problems I was sold on GMC trucks and pretty settled on buying another GMC. So about three weeks ago after about two months of searching and a number of test drives I found a 2003 2500HD at a dealership in Harrisonburg, VA. I traveled the 3 hours and 200 miles with a wife and two toddlers in tow to look at the truck. Everything was as advertised, the test drive revealed no issues, the carfax was clean, the vehicle was state inspected, with a 30 day 1000mi drive train warranty. So I bought it.

 

Big mistake.

 

20 minutes into the ride home the gauge cluster failed - speedo, tach, and voltmeter just gave up. I stopped and called the dealership but it was 6:20pm on a Saturday and they were closed not to open again until Monday. So I didn't really have any choice but to press on. About 30 minutes into the trip (after getting through the traffic and to open road) I began noticing a intermittent vibration that seemed to be coming from the transfer case in the 62+ mph range. By the time I got home I had intermittent airbag warning lights.

 

Monday morning the vehicle went into my local shop for Maryland state inspection and of course the vehicle failed inspection rather miserably and other issues were found:

 

-Bad gauge cluster

-Left and right inner tie rods worn

-Power steering fluid pump shot

-Left wheel bearing and hub

-Intermittent airbag sensor cause unknown

-Inconsistent idle at operating temperature

-Glove box inoperable

-Mystery vibration somewhere in the driveline

 

After $3,700 later the gauge cluster has been replaced and upgraded, the tie rods, hub, and PS pump have been replaced, I sniped a brand new glove box assembly ($400 dealer quote) for $27 on ebay, my dealership found a rodent nest inside this "immaculate vehicle and determined that the rodents had been chewing on the wiring harness cause an intermittent short that was resulting in the erroneous air bag warning, and a ton of carbon buildup was found in the throttle body which was the cause of the idle problem. The only thing mystifying the service department at the local dealership is the vibration and the only suggestion they could offer was to guess at things to try replacing. Gee, I'm glad I'm made of money so I can just keep throwing it at the problems until they all go away.

 

So does anyone have an idea on the what could be causing the tremendous vibration at 62+ mph? Its not wheels, tires, or any suspension components - that's all been checked and double checked. The dealer says the U-joints look new but that it appears that the yoke has a small, minor "ding" in it. Could that "minor" blemish be causing this problem?

[different_seasons]

Your problem was you didn't drive back to the dealer Monday morning.

[pwall]

Not sure about the vibration but I hope that the dealership where you bought the vechicle will be re-imbursing you.

[Boomer73]

Well the dealer was 200 miles away and putting my family through another 6 hour trip virtually back to back wasn't really an option. The dealer claimed that the dealer up here and my independent mechanic were both liars and were just trying to make some money. I guess it takes one to know one. I did get the vehicle well below market value, but after repairs I'm sure it will be a wash.

[mcreyaufmiller]

I would call the dealer and talk to the owner. Explain the problems to him and if he still calls your people lairs, threaten a lawsuit to get your maney back from him.

[TEE]

Yep...shoulda' took it back and told them to keep it...period!

You have 72 hours to return it.

[Boomer73]

Yep...shoulda' took it back and told them to keep it...period!

You have 72 hours to return it.

 

The 72 hour thing is a myth. Ask any attorney.

[Boomer73]

So it turns out that the problem was a damaged slip yoke and output shaft bushing that caused the vibration. Who knows how that happened. Its smooth as glass now. I had the drive shaft balanced while it was apart. Turns out that the PO replaced the u-joints fairly recently - maybe to try to solve this problem.

[citydriver]

Sorry to hear that you were taken. Sounds alot like the truck may have been a re-built Kartina victim, these things are starting to hit the market in force. CARFAX is a good tool to check when looking for a vehicle, however it has its limitions, and the crooks know how to get around it. And unfortunately you have to rely on the old saying "BUYER BEWARE"

 

Glad you got the vibration problem fixed and I hope you don't have any more problems....GOOD LUCK

[BigWheelinBubba]

No offense, but to me $4k is worth a 6 hour drive in my book.

[Mighty HD]

That's why I NEVER buy a used vehicle, EVER.

 

I know what I put my ZR2 in before I traded it in. It looked like it had never been off road, not a speck of mud. The day before it was sunk in a mudhole up to the windshield.

[bassadict69]

I always take a used vehicle home for a day or two before buying it. If the dealer will not let me do that, I will get back in MY truck & leave. There have been times where a quick test drive looked good but a day into it, things started showing up!

 

I would have definately made the trip back to the dealership! Family or no family!

[tswiii]

Glad you got it worked out. Thanks for posting the fix on this board because maybe it will answer someone else's question...

[tforbes]

Had a similar dealer issue several years ago. Now, when I am in the market (always) I just have a local dealer bring the truck to town and then I drive it and take it home for several days. See how many of those things I can make show up. Glad you got it all worked out and runnin smooth.

[tforbes]

Had a similar dealer issue several years ago. Now, when I am in the market (always) I just have a local dealer bring the truck to town and then I drive it and take it home for several days. See how many of those things I can make show up. Glad you got it all worked out and runnin smooth.