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 owned a couple of those 2.3 4 cyl Fords. It wasn`t unusual for them to ping under heavy loads, but that doesn`t mean it was normal. Infact, detonation is very harmful to engines. The fact that the mechanics tried to resolve the problem in the way you described was just bad. That is the type of typical "fix" for someone who couldn`t figure out a problem.
I resolved the pinging under a load issue in the 79 Capri RS I owned buy installing "colder" firing spark plugs. No pinging and no noticeable loss of power after that. It was a good car for me. I drove the car for a number of years until it needed tires. It had the TRX suspension option and only one tire munfacturer made tires to fit the rims !! They were pretty expensive for me at the time so I just sold the car. : )
(Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News.")
Oops.
"detonation" : should read "premature detonation".
Time for bed.
Sorry, you are wrong also...Ford stands for Fix Or Repair Daily
I think if this vehicle had a good set of train horns, nobody would notice a little bit of vibration.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1352480/posts
WSG, your thinking this morning is shallow.
When you take a new or old vehicle to a garage (Dealer's or unaffiliated) it is their responsibility to find the problem. If it does not fall under warranty due to damage, their responsibility is to inform the owner and then the onus is then on his pocketbook.
The owner should have been informed of the cause of the vibration regardless of cause.
The other thing I know of that can cause a vibration is a broken belt in one of the tires.
The other possibility is that their wheel balancing machine could be messed up. It happens.
I had a vibration that the local NTB could not fix despited repeated attempts to balance the wheels, I went to another NTB and they balanced the wheels with no problem.
So all I can conclude is that the local NTB's wheel balancing machine was messed up. Or they had no idea how to use it..but three different people tried, so that tends to make me think this problem was with the machine.
CHEVROLET = Crummy heads every value rocks oil leaks every time.
The "octane adjust" jumper is on most EEC-IV Ford vehicles, and it is a diagnostic tool.
Anyone who would just remove the jumper to fix a problem is incompetent.
If it makes you feel better to believe that a competent technician couldn't have fixed that problem, so be it..but it's not true.
The Ford 500 may get horrible reviews, but most auto reviewers are out there. (They dinged the Buick LaCrosse because the tachometer doesn't have a redline..who cares, it's an automatic! It's not like you can over-rev it by downshifting!).
Normal people who drive the Ford 500 mostly like it.
"It had the TRX suspension option and only one tire munfacturer made tires to fit the rims !! They were pretty expensive for me at the time so I just sold the car. : )"
Most people just switched over to regular rims due to the cost of TRX tires. Apparently, you'd break even by your second tire replacement if you bought the rims new, and much sooner than that if you bought them used.
It may be just a coincidence, but GM owns something like 30% of Isuzu...
Carolyn
The Toyotas I've driven have been wonderful and the Lexus's have been superb.
Ford and GM have lost a customer forever in me.
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