1ST Experience W/ Warranty Work / Shocks Too Heavy Duty??

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:24 am

Well I Took My Crew Into My Local Dealer Too Have Some Warranty Work done. Radio Is Freaking Out, Balance Shaft Noise, Rear Driveshaft Leak, Squeaking In The Rear End. New Radio Had To Be Ordered..Driveshaft Leak Fixed & Fluid Checked All Good So Far....After A Test Drive It Was Determined That My Balance Shaft Noise Was Noticable But Not Noisy Enough To Require The Balance Shaft Fix (because Of the labor required & additional parts they would have to warranty).. They Took A Look Under My Truck For The Rear End Squeak And Determined My Rancho 5000 Shocks Are TOO HEAVY DUTY For My Truck And Installation Of These Are Going To Cause Permanent Damange To My Suspension (So No Warranty Coverage)...Then Just To See What They Had To Say I Ask What would Happen If I Installed A 2" Body Lift To The Truck And They Told Me There Would Be No Suspension Warranty At All Because I Would Change The The Universal Joint Angles....Huh...Guess I Will Fix My Own Truck From Now On As The Dealer Cannot Seem To Be Able To Handle Any Modifications To Their Vehicles......

Scott03 · Post by **Scott03** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:12 am

It's not that they can't handle any modifications, it's that they won't (under warranty).

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:55 pm

I'd shop for another dealer.

I'm not sure what the problem was with this one , other than a huge lack of understanding on their part.

The reasons you relay are not valid reasons to deny warranty.

I would guess if it could be proven that damage was indeed caused by the aftermarket shock absorbers or BL , then you would have a damage claim against their manufacturer.

I would write the the shock manufacturer demanding your money back, or that they mediate with the dealer to restore your valid warranty.

Might be worth while to show the dealer a copy of the The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act too. That is if you really want to be a hard nose with this dealer.

Scott03 · Post by **Scott03** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 3:30 pm

The hard part of an aftermarket piece is proving to the dealership that it did not cause the problem, there is no way possible to prove that it did not have anything to do with the problem....the dealer will win.

Also why should they cover the problem when you put on after market products....when the OEM would and/or could have lasted longer and possibly not caused the problem in the first place....just some thoughts

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 3:56 pm

gocntry wrote:... I Ask What would Happen If I Installed A 2" Body Lift To The Truck And They Told Me There Would Be No Suspension Warranty At All Because I Would Change The The Universal Joint Angles....

I guess we all know that this is BS.
The BL does not change the suspension in any manner.

24digger · Post by **24digger** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 6:19 pm

That was going to be my comment about the body lift. I don't think they know what their talking about. I have Rancho rs 5000 shocks on my truck and they said that they were designed for our size truck.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 6:30 pm

assuming you didn't throw out the stock shocks when you did the rancho replacement... throw the old ones back on and bring the truck back to dealer for warranty repairs. it's a bit of a hassle but if the repair will cost you otherwise...

and on the bright side, after a few times into the dealer, you'll be a shock replacin' pro

Maximous · Post by **Maximous** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:41 pm

yeah, im not tracking on the BL BS, my dealer is the one that told me i should do a BL, as did the local service rep, if it was up to him, the 6in SL with 35's would still be completely under warranty, but, as most cases with cool people, its not up to him, the area service rep says no and thats what goes, he has no need for customization, so he doesn't see that anybody should want to do it either, then, wait now that i think about it, do they even make anything that would viod the warranty on a 03 Minivan

TheBigFitz · Post by **TheBigFitz** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:06 am

The BL should not void the warranty. I have had by CV joints and ball joints replaced post BL and they were covered. To avoid a hassle with the dealer though, I put my stock wheels and tires back on and take of my 31's before taking it in.

The rear seal leak, I have had mine replaced twice.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:55 am

Ok....Now They Are Just Playing With Me....After I Talked With Them On The Phone Yesterday Morning...(about 11am)..And They Told Me All The Happy Stuff About The Shocks & I Told Them I Totally Disagree With Their Tech About The Ranchos Being Too HEAVY DUTY, They Were To Do A State Inspection. The Lady told Me 1 Hour Or So...They Finished About 5pm. She Also Told Me That The Radio That Had To Be ORDERED Would Be About 1-2 Weeks To Get In. So I Pick Up My Truck At 8pm Last Night After work and Lo and Behold At 9:30 Am This Morning The Same Lady Calls And Says We Received Your Radio And Need To Set UP An Appointment To fix It. I Just Kinda Laughed And Told Her I Would Call Her Back. Once I got To Thinking About It I Also Own An AWD Astro Van That I Bought From The Same Dealer W/ The Same Rancho Shocks And They Actually Fixed 1 That Had Come Loose And Never Said A Word About That Vehicle Having Aftermarket Parts On It And It Was Still Under Warranty Too. Well Sorry About The Huge Bitch Post....Thanks For Letting Me Blow Off Steam...Think I Will Just Put An Aftermarket Stereo In Blow Off The Dealer, Write Gm A Letter And Keep Reading This Site For All The GREAT INFO That Gets Posted Here.....

Jeff

Post by **HenryJ** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 7:12 am

gocntry wrote:...Think I Will ... Write Gm A Letter .....

Be sure to name the specific dealership, and allow room for them to make things right with you.

Not all GM dealerships are difficult to deal with, and even those who are... may just be having a bad day.

best of luck and I hope things work out for the best.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 7:22 am

You do realize that any GM dealer will do warranty work for you, right? you don't have to go back to the same joint you bought the car from. If you're having a bad experiance with them, try another. you may get better service somewhere else.

I recommend not getting into an argument with the dealership in person or over the phone about what they should and should not cover. You will likely only get yourself even more aggrivated and say something you shouldn't.

Take the time to write a letter. This will give you an opertunity to organize your thoughts and reread after cooling down. Further, they are far more likely to take a physical piece of paper seriously. As apposed to hanging up on you and laughing it off as though you're some nut job giving them a hard time.

also, GM takes customer comments and complaints very seriously. copy your letter to:

Chevrolet
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, MI 48232-5170

or:

GMC Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-5172

and be sure to add the

CC: Chevrolet
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, MI 48232-5170

to the bottom of the letter. so, that the dealer knows that there is another copy of this letter and the manager can't just toss it in the trash and forget about it. Or, I guess he could but, that won't make it go away.

Good luck.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 4:21 pm

Am jotting this moment down in my jornal! I am agreeing with Barch on this one and think he has some good advice.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 4:41 pm

it can't be that rare an event

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:52 am

my only question -- how in God's name do you type like that?

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 5:09 pm

"my only question in God's name do you type like that?" May I ask to whom you are addressing with that?

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 5:53 pm

edited.

I was referring to the thread starter's unique capitalization skills.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 5:38 am

Barch,
I Am Going To Write A Letter Like You Suggested, I Will Not Call The Dealer And Get Into An Argument With Them, I Called My Local GMC Dealer But They Said The Will Not Do Warranty Work On A Chevrolet Only Paid Service Work. As A Matter Of Fact When I First Dropped The Crew Off At The Chevy Dealer That Was The One Question I Was Ask First Was "The Only Service You Want Done Is A State Inspection??...No Other Paid Work??", And On My Reciept And On The Phone They Kept Pushing The Point That If I Didnt Like What I Was Being Told I Should Go To Another Dealer For A Second Opinion.....So I Guess I Go To A Second Dealer To Buy Any More Vehicles Too.....

Adrenalnjunky.....I Have Always Typed Like This....Never Took Formal Typing Lessons And Have Been On A Computer Since The Good Old Days Of The Commodore 64 & Direct Dial BBS Systems...Just A Screwed Up Habit I Can't Seem To Break...

Quitting Smoking Was Easier Than Changing My Typing Habits.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:35 am

as ridiculous as it seems, that is too often the case. you'd think that the service department would be more closely attuned to the sales department at these dealerships and understand their influence on sales and repeat business. particularly with the way it seems vehicles are made to last almost as long as the finance schedule, it stands to reason that they'd want to ensure that they had a customer for life. more and more often though I get the impression that these departments are in some sort of competition with each other.

also, it makes very little sense for the dealer to deny warranty work. there may very well be incentives for encouraging billable repairs but, it's not like the cost of warranty work comes out of their pocket. it's akin to a mcdonalds employees refusing to replace a poorly prepared bigmac on the grounds that they cost so much to make.

More importantly though...
Let's find you a dealer with a service department that will fix your truck. I would not hesitate to call GM customer service and ask for the address of a qualified warranty service location. I suspect that they'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 7:06 am

Writing the letter is definitely the way to go.

By taking the time to put it on paper , you will emphasize your point ten fold. Very rarely do people take the time, so for every one that does they must assume that there are at least nine more with the same position who did not take the time to write it down and mail it in.
At least that is what I have heard about the formula our government representatives use.

Another thing that I read somewhere around here is, that their bonus structure is based on customer satisfaction. By contacting GM customer service you WILL be hitting them where it hurts...right in the pocketbook!

Enough complaints and GM is not shy about pulling the franchise. We lost a lousy dealer here a few years back. It was picked up by a local competitor. I can't say if the change was a huge improvement, but things are a little better for the buyers for sure.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:29 am

This may or not help you in your situation but, joining https://www.mygmlink.com/ this site will give you alternative dealerships, notifys you of recalls, special offers and helps you keep up to date on routine maintenance

malkavian · Post by **malkavian** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 12:29 am

Hey guys newbie to the site. Just wanted to drop some information on the Magnuson Moss warranty act of 1975. To deny warranty work due to modifications the manufactuer has to prove that the part you installed caused the damage that you are trying to get repaired under warranty.
i.e. you put lift kit on and your engine starts missing. they cannot deny warranty unless gmc, honda, or whomever proves your modification caused the problem. heres a link to some info on the federal law.

http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/magnusonmoss.htm

there are plenty of good sites who explain this law in laymens terms. So check it out.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:05 am

It's good to know that the law is on your side in cases like this but, be very careful about demanding service based on what you may have read about a previous ruling. I'm not sure but I think it's a pretty safe guess that General Motors has a lawyer or two on staff that will counter that finding with all sorts of legal mumbo-jumbo and this situation will likely escalate WAY beyond your original intention. Also, we're talking about repairs that cost a couple of hundred dollars. Do you really want to get into hiring a lawyer and taking time off work to appear in court over this?

Reading those articles is very helpful but I recommend not quoting them or implying that you know anything about them.

Post by **HenryJ** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:52 am

barch97 wrote:It's good to know that the law is on your side in cases like this but, be very careful about demanding service based on what you may have read about a previous ruling.... this situation will likely escalate WAY beyond your original intention. ...

Yeah, but if you really want to "burn your bridges" read them the "riot act!"

It doesn't hurt to educate some of them, after all there are quite a few "kids" that have never heard of this stuff and still have a "god complex" that came with their new job as a service manager

There are tactful ways of dealing with these situations, but Barch is right...be prepared to find another dealership, or better yet do the repairs yourself.

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:47 am

adrenalnjunky wrote:edited.

I was referring to the thread starter's unique capitalization skills.

I Type Like This All The Time At Work. Being A Draftsman All My Notes And Instructions On Drawings Are All Done Like This.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:35 am

Well,
Here Is The Latest To This Saga......I Have Written But Not Mailed The Letter To Chevy Yet, The Reason Behind this Is I Received A Follow Up Call On The Service Visit To The Dealer, A Person From The Main Office At The Dealer (I Guess) Called To Make Sure My Visit Was 100% Positive, So (in a very calm & collected manner), I Proceded To Tell My Story To Her And She Told Me To Wait Until This Week When The Head Service Supervisor Would Be Back From Vacation And She Was Gonna Have A Meeting With Him And Then Call Me Back And Let Me Know Something, They Still Have The Radio They Were Supposed To Install To Replace My Bad Factory One And I Told Them I Really Didnt See Any Reason To Make Another Service Appointment To Have Them Install It I Would Fix The Problem Myself and Install An Aftermarket One. So We Shall See What They Have To Say Next Week If Or When They Call Me Back.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:02 am

If all GM products are like my wife's cavalier ('03) you gonna have to keep your GM radio and relocate it somewhere. when you put an aftermarket system in. Seems the radios are required for the system and serves as a "black box" like in airliners. I threw hers in the trunk when I installed her sony cd, cd-r mp3 player. Hope I am wrong.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:41 am

f9k9 wrote:If all GM products are like my wife's cavalier ('03) you gonna have to keep your GM radio and relocate it somewhere. when you put an aftermarket system in. Seems the radios are required for the system and serves as a "black box" like in airliners. I threw hers in the trunk when I installed her sony cd, cd-r mp3 player. Hope I am wrong.

This was talked about a while back in another thread. Something about the door chimes and warning alarms, etc running through th radio. I do NOT believe it applies to our trucks.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 2:24 pm

Makes sense, Barch since regulations on trucks are a little behind the passenger cars. The gap has narrowed since all or the pollution and safety requirements started. I just assumed (yes, I know what happens when you assume) that if the lowly base model cavalier has the black box "thingy" that the magnificent, worldly, almighty S=10 CC would have one as well.

Post by **Walt** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 10:31 am

I'm lucky. The dealership I use is run by a good family and they're pretty relaxed. They take care of me pretty well. My paint is chipping off the bottom of my wheel wells and one of the rear flares has chipped alot, so they're repainting a good bit of the truck. (I dropped the truck off right after I put the WAAG Sportster on). And I'm out of my warranty. Also they say they will guarantee anything damaged because of the torsion bar crank for 100,000 miles

I have that in writing since my torsion bars are cranked ALL the way.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 11:52 am

The Ending to The Story:
I Had A Message On My Machine Monday While I was At Work....It Was Basically An "i'm really sorry" And "We Didnt Mean for You To Feel Like You Were Being Blown Off" Message But I didnt Expect More Than That. But I Was At Work When some Other Guy Just Called And Said "You Need To Make An Appt To Get Your Stereo Done", I Told Him I Would Call Him Back As I Had To Work A Ton Of Hours And A Bunch Of Days Straight, Well The Lady Who Called Me The First Time Called Again Wednesday And Ask Was I Gonna Let Them Install The Stereo??, I Politely Replied Yes It Needed Fixed And Staying Mad Was Not Going To Fix The Problem But I Couldnt Be Without My Truck At The Moment, So Thursday She Comes To My Work Picks Up The Truck Goes And Has It Repaired And Brings It Back To Me Within About 3 Hours. Told Me If I Needed To Bring It In Again Give Her A Call And She Would Take Care Of It. So I Believe They Have Redeemed Themselves, And The Squeak In The Rear??...I Was Reading In Another Post About The Emergency Brakes Rubbing On A Bracket Right In Front Of The Tire, So I Checked It Out And Thats What It Was..Took Off The Bracket...Adjusted The Bracket W/ A Vise And A BFH And No More Squeak..So Thanks For All The Info Supplied Here...S-10crewcab.Com Fixed A Problem The Dealer Couldnt Find

Jeff

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 12:16 pm

gocntry wrote:...S-10crewcab.Com Fixed A Problem The Dealer Couldnt Find

Glad everything worked out for the best

That is what S-10CREWWCAB.COM is all about, sharing information and solving problems

S-10CREWCAB.NET

1ST Experience W/ Warranty Work / Shocks Too Heavy Duty??

1ST Experience W/ Warranty Work / Shocks Too Heavy Duty??

Re: 1ST Experience W/ Warranty Work / Shocks Too Heavy Duty?