So, I’ve been a promoter of GM for some time having owned a few used ones:
84 GMC high Seirra
96 Camaro
2000 Buick Century
91 Blazer
I’ve had generally luck with all of these. I also like what GM has been doign for the past few years in terms of power-train options and improvements in their trucks so I purchased a new 2007 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L for my wife in October of '07. The truck has been going through brakes every 15,000 which seems like allot to me, but it could be my wife’s driving. Other than the the truck has been problem free, until last weekend when it breached the 36,000 mile mark.
Driving down the 33 to the Bandit’s game on Friday night (36,270 miles on the truck), the fuel gauge drops from 1/2 talk to empty over the course of 2 seconds or so. It continues to fluctuate between 1/2 and empty for the remainder of the drive in roughly 15 second intervals inconsistently, and set off a CEL: P0463 Fuel Level Sensor Circuit High Voltage
Now, I like the truck and don’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I call my dealer expecting them to say, “of course we stand behind your truck. you are less than 1% over on mileage of course we’ll fix it.” Instead I learn that I’m going to have to pay $95 for them to decide if they can perform a good will repair or not. What the heck is this?! If they decide it is good will, then I guess I don’t have to pay, but it doesn’t seem worth the risk to me. They also took the liberty to tell me that if they changed my oil, I have a better change of them doing the good will repair for me. Now that I’m over the warranty mark, I have a fear that the truck is going to start systematically nickel and diming me.
It almost seems cheaper to just change the sending unit myself than risk getting charged for them to look at it and decide not to cover it and have to do it anyway. URG. It’s not even 2 years old!
Edit: Cliffs: 07 Chevy likely needs fuel tank sending unit (1.5 years old, 36,300 miles). Do I just replace it myself (~$80 and half a day, or do I pay $95 to have it potentially repaired as a “good will” repair?
Yeah it is horrible that they are considering a goodwill claim for you…
One electric issue and you now fear the truck is going to nickel and dime you?
If you don’t want to worry about repairs outside warranty, buy a service contract. Thinking any car is going to be worry free is ignorant in my opinion, no matter what the make and model, things go wrong.
and if anything the guy was probably just trying to be straight with you telling you about the oil change thing, its not like its up to him weather its done for free or not, it would act as leverage to who ever decides that…
Really? I expect 2-3 years of general maintenance only out of a new car/truck. Maybe that’s too much to ask from GM? That’s kind of my point, little things like electrical problems are annoying. That’s why I bought a new truck vs used. If it happened during the first 6 months, I could understand it being a bad part. After 1.5 years, it feels more like a bad design. How many other bad designs are going to pop up now that it’s out of warranty? Also, the truck has more than 100 TSB’s which is allot (to me at least).
meh, I’ll probably just fix it myself. If it were one of my customers there would be no discussion. They would have a repair. I don’t mind doing repairs myself at all, and I’m not worried about it.
It’s really not a big deal I am just surprised at the response from the dealer.
I thought my car would be worry free, that was the whole reasoning behind buying a new car. I even laughed at the salesman when he dropped a form in front of me and asked me to circle the service contract he wanted me to dish out for. And after 4.5 years of hard driving, the car has been absolutely worry free. I guess ignorance is bliss…or maybe there is actually some truth to the “urban legend” that Toyota’s have a better build quality than their domestic counterparts. :gotme:
in my opinion thats a shitty dealership. i had an experience with a honda atv that had a 12 month warrenty. 13 months went by and the transmission shit the bed, lost 5th gear. dealership wouldnt do anything. i called up headquarters and told em i bought a honda for reliablility and didnt think i should need any extended warrenty. the next week i had my atv back from the dealership with a $1800 dollar bill that didnt cost me a dime. and to boot they were quite nice to me after. if i were you, i wouldnt go to that chevy dealership again if they dont fix it. its only a couple hundred past warrenty.
GM has stated that service managers are no longer allowed to approve goodwill jobs. The service managers have to place a call and get the approval from some GM department. I’m not sure on the lagistics of it, but you get the idea. it is their idea of trying to save money.