Dealership service Fail HELP!

[1967stella]

So I had my car almost %100 back to factory aside for the aftermarket muffler only, and an intake cone filter in place of the factory air box.

I took it into the dealership for the prior P0299 pending code that wouldn't go away and then came on full 1 time. As well as last week, the engine started wining loudly at speed (not rpm dependent), and then temps rose to 230 and the coolant was drained. I replaced the coolant but the temps are still high, before last week the temps never got above 212 in a year and a half.

Dropped it off this morning, and the dealer called me to let me know that everything is done, they didn't have to do anything, and the car is running perfectly. They said that they test drove the car and "couldn't replicate the engine wine" of course, and since their is no code they are not going to look at the waste gate actuator pin. They are also not going to look further into the engine wine, high temps, or burning of coolant.

He went on to say that, "he is helping me out" by not reporting my "racing mods" to GM because they would void all warranty. I asked the advisor if I could have a service rep sit in my car at speed and then sit in a showroom sonic at speed and then have them tell me that they cant hear the difference. He said that before they look into it i have to have the factory muffler back on as well as the intake then they would take a look.

I referenced this forum and the multiple people who have had the P0299 code as well as referenced the tech bulletin about it.

While factory tuned again my main concern is the engine wining, high temps, and burning through coolant. To me the wining sounds like the start to a water pump failure, it made the same sound on 3 of my trucks when it happened. How would a muffler impact the water pump or the temps rising ???

ALSO, they said that even though my car hasn't gone above 212 in 1.5 years that the 230 temp is completely normal and i shouldn't worry about it.

What should I do now?? im at 36,080 miles on the car as it was dropped off this morning. should I press on them with the warranty bit, OR should i just suck it up and deal with it on my own. I'm leaning towards doing it on my own.
I have had 1 Honda, and 2 Toyotas. I had intakes and exhaust systems on each one and not once did they go off on the warranty bit. I finally got over the initial dealership screwing up the paint all over my car and decided to take it in, only to be burned.

 

[Luv2xlr8]

My sonic is always around 225 and in the summer occasionally it went up to 230. It's been like this ever since I picked it up from the lot. I have a 1.8 though

 

[Swordsmith]

I believe what they are saying is that if you want them to do an apples to apples comparison of the sound between your car and a stock car, that they want you to put the stock parts back on that make it sound different. That seems relatively reasonable.

They may also be saying that they don't want to do any work on a "racing mod" version of the car, which is somewhat less reasonable... but that's not the way I'm seeing what you're saying they said.

If your problem turns out to be something that could have been caused by your mods, then it certainly is technically your problem and your expense, although they have the power to just shrug that off and write it up as a covered problem anyway.

If on the other hand it's something that has nothing to do with your mods, then it turns out it is not legal for them to deny you coverage, many have posted the link to a court case where that was decided... I can't remember what it was, the Moss Act?

 

[1967stella]

Yea i wish it was just the sound. they said that before they will look at it again, everything has to be completely factory. And yes it is illegal, i plan on bringing it up to them in person.

The act was the Magnuson-Moss warranty act and yes it says that it is illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket part.

also with the apples to apples, the sound of the whine is as noticible as the difference between a harley and crotch rocket. its so loud you can hear it over the radio..

 

[1967stella]

also says that "the dealer/ manufacturer has the right to deny a warranty repair but THEY MUST demonstrate that the aftermarket part caused the problem.

 

[Larrymer]

You still have your powertrain warranty if there's an issue, don't worry about the miles. But yes, return it to stock and let them see if they can find the issue.

You don't even know what the issue is yet, you don't know if it was or wasn't caused by something you did. It drives me crazy when people mod their cars "throwing the warranty out the window" then complain when there's an issue. I don't know what mods you have, but if you're asking more power and torque from the engine than when it was new then you're stressing things more than before, period. They realize this already and are working with you to help you out. And yet you're getting all defensive about THEM doing something illegal when they're actually doing you a favor.

 

[sx sonic]

How often is the underboost code coming on?

If It's every few thousand miles than go completely back to stock and drive until the light comes on. When it does take it back to that dealer and explain to them they might aswell put on a turbo assembly, and that you're doing them a favor since there's a bulletin out for that code, and you know a quality intake and cat back exhaust are incapable of affecting engine output on a Chevy 1.4t (you just like the noise ). Then you'll state that your doing them a favor by not giving them a crap review if they exercise their due diligence and solve your issue. Also state your understanding of the Magnusson Moss act, and you'd appreciate them not deflecting their responsibility by trying to impose unjust concern on an owner.


Now the coolant issue, I've no idea. Sounds like a leak or bad water pump. Is anything weeping down the front of the block?

 

[ss2000slp]

Sounds as if you may be better off going to another dealer. No reason to remove your exhaust if you can hear the engine whine over it. When you go to another dealer, tell them about your experience at the first place, and they will probably go farther out of their way to help you, to get a new customer. Again, as SX said, run the stock tune for a while to see if the code comes back on (after getting the coolant issue solved, because that sounds a little more serious).

 

[1967stella]

The underboost was coming on as a pending code daily. I put everything back to factory (except intake and exhaust) , flashed back to stock, and had driven it for about 600 miles. The car still wont hit the original factory 12psi that i saw on the UG, it is currently hitting 12.

I went back in to pick up my car last night, I asked for a service manager right off the bat. They didn't send the service manager over, they sent a service adviser over. I explained the issue that i had and then the issue with what i was told by their rep. I mentioned that i have had toyotas, hondas, and Chevy with aftermarket exhaust and intake kits and a dealer has never denied working on an issue for warranty for this.

I asked them to take a look at the waste gate actuator pin, showed them the multiple time stamped pictures of the pending code popping into the Ultra Gauge, and referenced the tech bulletin. He said that they will not even look at that unless there is a current code. Went on to say, when anybody brings their car in the only work we will do must result from a MIL, if there is no MIL then there is no work to be done and everything is fine.

I asked him to have a service rep sit in the car with me to tell me he cant hear the wine. And if he "cant hear anything wrong" then to sit in a for sale car as a test drive and tell me that there is no difference. He declined this as well. Said that they are not going to go on a wild goose chase in search of issues, and that they test drove my car and it was running perfectly fine.

Asked about the over heating and coolant loss associated with the engine wine. explained once again that my car had never hit more than 212 even on a hot day, and once the wine started it is now constantly over 220-230. Also, that once i looked at the temp i checked the coolant reservoir and it was dry. He said that it is running normally...

HOW CAN A CAR BE RUNNING NORMALLY IF IT IS BURNING/ LEAKING LARGE AMOUNTS OF COOLANT???

not to mention, the manual for the car clearly states that the coolant is to be left in the car for 150,000 miles. I'm GLAD that i don't just listen to that.

so far the current status is I paid their BS diagnostic fee of 125 for them to just plug in the reader scan and then refuse to look in to the symptoms. I told the service advisor that I expect to hear from their manager tomorrow (today) to discuss the issues. And then I slid him the Magnuson-Moss warranty act printed out with many highlighted sections. Also slid him a copy from SEMA's page about the FTC regulations for aftermarket parts also with highlighted sections. I politely asked him to give this to the manager when he speaks with him regarding the issue and that I am not the typical "uneducated consumer" for a lack of better words.

Ill update this with any new news.

 

[austinw24]

subbed. I wanna see the updates on this. best of luck!

 

[ss2000slp]

Wow. After all that they charged you? What a sh*t dealer.

 

[1967stella]

yea trust me i know. BUT, im not the guy to throw a tantrum and then try to walk out without paying. not to mention i had to pay to get the car. but you better believe that there will be MANYYY reviews posted. Then an email to their GM directly stating that i have reached out and not received help and a refusal to look into symptoms. and was told that I would have the service manager or director give me a call the next day to discuss and didn't get any thing. Then at the bottom say here is some reading, and reference the MANY sites where the review is and is going to be.

not to mention i agreed to the 125 diagnostic fee, but i at least expected them to do a little more than just plug in the reader, un plug it and then say sorry we arent going to look further everything is perfectly fine.

 

[ChrisJ]

Just need to comment on "not to mention, the manual for the car clearly states that the coolant is to be left in the car for 150,000 miles. I'm GLAD that i don't just listen to that."

It says it can be used for 150,000 miles or 5 years. No where does it say "you can let the system run low and ignore everything for this time period." You are still expected to check fluids as you always have been.

Other than that, I've got nothing to add for the conversation.

 

[1967stella]

oh yes.. that will also be included in my nice review. im having some of our marketing and customer relations guys at my work to help me write it :banana:

 

[simple2me]

sounds like you found a crappy dealership like myself AND forget about GM Customer Service assisting you. They had the same luck I did getting answers or calls back from the dealership. I kept my cool through the whole ordeal but did exchange some words with the Service Manager when he smarted off to me and more less called me a liar. He claimed to have personally drove my car and there were no issues. I told him if you drove my car, you drove it from the back of the shop to the front and in that distance you wouldn't have noticed a thing. Since he was in his fancy dancy clothes I crawled on the ground and snapped photos from under the car and shoved the phone in his face and ask him if what he saw was "CORRECTLY PUT TOGETHER". 30 minutes later he came back, held his hand out to shake hands and apologize. I pushed his hand away and told him to just get my car fixed. I sat at the dealership talking trash to anyone and everyone that came in about their crappy service and disrespectful service manager. I wrote a bad review on their Facebook page, etc..... I actually went back on 10/18 because I noticed they left part of the inner fender off when they replaced the transmission. Everyone saw me and didn't say a word. I talk to my service advisor and he wanted me to make an appointment. I asked if that was necessary for a piece of plastic and asked to speak to the service manager. He was in a meeting and they took my information. I left and an hour later they called and asked which piece it was so I told them and they ordered it and called me when it arrived. They asked if I wanted them to put it on and I declined the offer and picked up my inner fender free of charge. I had already put 22000 miles on the car since getting the tranny replaced. Hope you find a dealership willing to work on the car "as is" or talk some sense into them. Sorry for the long post.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

I am available to call the dealership or submit a dealership complaint if you would like 1967stella. I can also document your issues with the dealership to have a record of it if you would like me to. I am really sorry about your negative experience.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[1967stella]

I went to another dealership much closer to me and i didn't even mention in detail bad experience. set up an appt for next friday. told them about intake and exhaust. i asked if i could take a tech for a quick spin to hear the issue that i was complaining about before finalizing the appointment. 1 min later the service manager walked out without question to go for a test drive. within 10 seconds of pulling out of the parking lot and not even to 30 mph yet, he said "yea i hear that wine gotta be deaf if you cant. There would be nothing from your muffler or intake that would effect the transmission if that is what it is. I have no idea why they wouldn't look at it"

so i got an appointment scheduled to take it in on next friday!

 

[sx sonic]

Good deal

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

I am really glad to see that you found a dealership that is providing a much more positive dealership experience. Let me know if you want to submit a complaint about your previous dealership. Thanks for keeping us posted.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[berwadhwilles]

So I had my car almost %100 back to factory aside for the aftermarket muffler only, and an intake cone filter in place of the factory air box.

I took it into the dealership for the prior P0299 pending code that wouldn't go away and then came on full 1 time. As well as last week, the engine started wining loudly at speed (not rpm dependent), and then temps rose to 230 and the coolant was drained. I replaced the coolant but the temps are still high, before last week the temps never got above 212 in a year and a half.

Dropped it off this morning, and the dealer called me to let me know that everything is done, they didn't have to do anything, and the car is running perfectly. They said that they test drove the car and "couldn't replicate the engine wine" of course, and since their is no code they are not going to look at the waste gate actuator pin. They are also not going to look further into the engine wine, high temps, or burning of coolant.

He went on to say that, "he is helping me out" by not reporting my "racing mods" to GM because they would void all warranty. I asked the advisor if I could have a service rep sit in my car at speed and then sit in a showroom sonic at speed and then have them tell me that they cant hear the difference. He said that before they look into it i have to have the factory muffler back on as well as the intake then they would take a look.

I referenced this forum and the multiple people who have had the P0299 code as well as referenced the tech bulletin about it.

While factory tuned again my main concern is the engine wining, high temps, and burning through coolant. To me the wining sounds like the start to a water pump failure, it made the same sound on 3 of my trucks when it happened. How would a muffler impact the water pump or the temps rising ???

ALSO, they said that even though my car hasn't gone above 212 in 1.5 years that the 230 temp is completely normal and i shouldn't worry about it.

What should I do now?? im at 36,080 miles on the car as it was dropped off this morning. should I press on them with the warranty bit, OR should i just suck it up and deal with it on my own. I'm leaning towards doing it on my own.
I have had 1 Honda, and 2 Toyotas. I had intakes and exhaust systems on each one and not once did they go off on the warranty bit. I finally got over the initial dealership screwing up the paint all over my car and decided to take it in, only to be burned.

I would suggest you that if its in a warranty period then claim a warranty on them this is because the problem that you depicted on your post seems like a big problem so its better to go for a warranty rather than going for different repairing n all.