Posted on 02/27/2005 8:02:13 PM PST by CHARLITE
Many people have many problems with many things. Some you have control over and some you don’t. The real problem begins when you can’t get your problem solved. “What? You won't help me? But? You have my money! My product doesn’t work!”
Have you ever been in this situation? I have had problems with products or services several times and they are usually quickly resolved. Well, over the past year I have had several problems that just haven’t gotten resolved. So, what better place to take them than to the public.
I may even make this a recurring column and discuss other people’s problems.
In October 2003 I purchased a Chevrolet SS pickup truck for my soon-to-be wife. The sales rep, which happened to be the manager, told me this truck was the best truck on the road. Well, having owned Chevrolet’s all my life and trusting this sales rep and dealership, away I went in my new truck.
Things were good for the first few months. Then, my wife drove the truck to see her parents an hour away. She called me and said the truck was vibrating so much that it was giving her a headache. When she took it by the dealership they told her it was normal and couldn’t be fixed. At the time I didn’t have a chance to deal with the situation because of a race for Congress. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait a few more months.
In August of 2004 I took the truck to the Chevrolet dealership. They said they found nothing technically wrong with the vehicle. Technically? Interesting term in customer service. After several more visits to the dealership and after being turned down by the GM rep to have a meeting I contacted the Better Business Bureau.
I filled out the normal paperwork for the Bureau and waited to hear back. After I did not, I contacted the GM Corporation Customer Service Center. I was promptly contacted by "Regina." Hmm, getting places, I thought. Several, several weeks later -- and three skipped conference calls by Regina -- I was told that my Chevrolet SS pickup truck comes standard with vibration. Can I get that in writing? "No. We can't give you anything in writing."
Excuse me? Regina with GM told me that the shaking and rattling in my brand new SS was normal. But, but Regina, GM and my local Chevrolet dealership? Why would you sell me a brand new SS that vibrates and then refuse to fix it?
Like I said before, I have driven Z71’s and Tahoe’s all my life. They don’t come standard with vibration.
My wife and I now have a six-week old baby. For those who have children you know it is a feat to get them to sleep. Well, we can’t even drive the “best truck on the road” because it wakes our baby. Now, Chevrolet is proudly releasing an entire line of SS trucks and cars. The commercial is catchy and brilliantly put together. However, instead of driving a car that is smooth like a record it feels more like an accordion.
Chevrolet says it has better resale value then Ford or Dodge. Well, the SS pickup’s sticker price is over $40,000 new and you can buy a year and a half old one for $24,000.
My advice to consumers is to only purchase these vehicles if you want a ride that will give you a headache, chatter your teeth and keep your baby awake. So, buyer (and stock-holder) beware. The new Super Sport is one sport short of being super. Your best bet? Get a few horses and a log wagon, it's a lot cheaper and just as “smooth”.
Comments:nathan@nathantabor.com
I would have thought that standard feature would have been a hit with the ladies.
And of course, those perfectly balanced tired wouldn't STAY balanced once they got a little wear on them.
Hey Nathan. Did the truck vibrate when you test drove it? His ol' lady probably hit a curb and doesn't want to admit it.
And then these American car companies stand in utter bafflement when people like me absolultely REFUSE to even consider buying another of their products. First I got screwed by Chevy, then Saturn. Fool me once, shame on me. I as fooled twice. Never again.
For the record, I will not even bother getting a quote for any American car company. I don't care if the new American vehicle is $10, not interested.
I have Toyotas now, a Lexus with 165,000 miles without a problem, and a pickup with 162,000; again both are problem free. Why would I ever consider buying American again?
American cars didn't lose a customer, they threw sticks and stones at them, and drove them to their competition. Then they wonder why we aren't coming back to get screwed over again.
"Hey Nathan. Did the truck vibrate when you test drove it? His ol' lady probably hit a curb and doesn't want to admit it."
Alot of people tend to leave those little details out when they want it fixed for free.
This would be EASILY corrected by simply doing an alignment and wheel balance. So, if this is the problem, is the dealer stupid or incompetent?
my Mazda B2200 developed a rattle from hell once.
the front left tire was wearing asymmetrically, possibly from a brake caliper malfunction
new tires and new brakes ended the trouble permanently
He doesn't say where the problem comes from. Is it in the drive train, engine or brakes and has he had two or three independents look at it.
Interesting .... so is this a vehicle design issue, or a tire design issue? One would think that this would have surfaced during the first round of Quality and Reliability testing. Seems like a pretty profound problem to me.
Not if one of the wheels is bent.
Weird, I have a Pontiac Bonneville with 225,000 miles and it runs like a champ, doesn`t even leak or use any oil. Also have a Fullsize Ford van with 206,000 miles and same deal, runs absolutley fantastic. I would drive it across the country tomorrow.
But...... I have a Ford Windstar van with 106,000 and wouldn`t recommend one to someone I didn`t like. Horrible vehicle. I don`t go two months without some issue cropping up. Don`t know why I even keep it around.
I finally came to laugh at the phrase, especially when it makes you think of "stone age technology" and the rate of depreciation (like a rock).
This is easier to find than balancing a tire. If it is bent, the tire will 'wobble' either up and down, or from side to side. Been there, done that. Even a very minor bend (1/16 of an inch) is easily observable on the rack.
Constantly
Having
Every
Vehicle
Recalled
Over
Lousy
Engineering
Teams
If they're the "Heartbeat of America", then why is the name itself French? Chevy hasn't built a real SS since 1970.
He's there now.
Wouldn't it be great if he discovered the root of the problem from FReepers, and was able to get his truck running smoothly, as it should, thanks to you all?
Thanks!
Char :)
I wish I could post the graphs directly, but if you subscribe to Consumer Reports, you can see the bad news for yourself.
Each car's overall score is calculated for its 2002, 2003, and 2004 versions. It's also weighted to emphasize more serious problem areas, including the engine, transmission, cooling system, and drive system. This overall score is then compared with the average for all the 2002, 2003, and 2004 cars in the survey. The charts reflect how the car compared with that all-car average.
Toyta Tundra +50% above average
Ford F150 (2WD) + 5% above average
Dodge Ram -5%
Nisan Titan -8%
Chev Avalanche -15%
Chev Silvarado -18%
GMC Sierra -18%
Ford F150 (4WD) -50%
Dad was a Service Manager for a Chevy Dealership and his advice to buyers was:
"Never buy a vehicle the first year it comes out! New models are frequently recalled for defects. It takes a year of complaints to work out the last of the bugs and correct the tooling. The second or third model year is a much better vehicle."
It is a pretty truck, though.
Perhaps you can isolate the trouble --- does it vibrate when it's sitting still, in park? Got to be a rough engine. If it only vibrates when in motion, try shifting into neutral (while it's rolling) and see if it still vibrates. Tell the dealer the results of your experiments, and he might get a clue.
As an alternative, call an alighnment and frame shop and ask if they have a machine which will spin your wheels up to highway speeds while it's on the rack. They can then inspect it and probably find the trouble.
I wonder if it's an '03 or '04 ? There are 72 Technical Service Bulletins on the '03 and 54 for the '04.
It's still gotta be under warranty (unless they've already blew the miles).
I'd ask for a test drive in another one, have a friend and a dealer rep ride along and have the dealer rep point out the standard vibration in it.
When it ain't there...you have 2 witnesses...of which one who wont lie.
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