Car crap sucks
We bought my wife a car last summer when we sold the house. Lease turn-in, dealer certified, paid cash. After a few months the check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer (because warranty) they didn't find anything wrong, reset the warning and gave it back.
About a month later it happened again. This time they said the first aid kit my wife put under the driver's seat had bumped into one of the plugs under the seat. (Eg: The seat belt sensor maybe.) That sounded ... plausible?
Fast forward to May, and it's running rough when cold, like it's missing on one cylinder. This time we take it to our regular mechanic instead of the dealer. They replace a bad coil. We get home, next morning it's doing the same thing when cold. Take it back, they check more and tell us there's coolant in the cylinder, which means bad head gasket.
We go back to the dealer and tell them the symptoms. They give us a loaner because this will take a while. Two days later they say they need to replace the wiring harness, which is not under warranty. I tell them my mechanic saw coolant in the cylinder, and they should check that.
A week later they say, "Yes, it's internal, but not the head gasket. We need to replace the engine." Okay then, that's definitely warranty.
Three weeks later they tell us it's done, and that we still need to pay for the wiring harness. WTF? They said they had to replace that first in order to do the diagnostics that would allow them to file the warranty claim with corporate. After some back and forth, it was clear they wouldn't budge so I paid it, planning to file a complaint with corporate.
Wife showed up to pick it up, saw the bill, and raised hell. Told the service manager our mechanic checked the wiring harness and it was good. Eventually left, saying she'd take it up with the GM.
She got the car home and said it's worse than before. Shifting is bad, revs to 8k trying to get on the freeway, thermostat shows near redline 5 minutes after starting. And the interior smells like smoke - cherry cigar smoke.
She took it back today and raised hell. They offered her a replacement: 1-year newer, higher trim package, and we're out a little more. And the warranty starts from today, so we've got another year to figure out if anything is busted.
About a month later it happened again. This time they said the first aid kit my wife put under the driver's seat had bumped into one of the plugs under the seat. (Eg: The seat belt sensor maybe.) That sounded ... plausible?
Fast forward to May, and it's running rough when cold, like it's missing on one cylinder. This time we take it to our regular mechanic instead of the dealer. They replace a bad coil. We get home, next morning it's doing the same thing when cold. Take it back, they check more and tell us there's coolant in the cylinder, which means bad head gasket.
We go back to the dealer and tell them the symptoms. They give us a loaner because this will take a while. Two days later they say they need to replace the wiring harness, which is not under warranty. I tell them my mechanic saw coolant in the cylinder, and they should check that.
A week later they say, "Yes, it's internal, but not the head gasket. We need to replace the engine." Okay then, that's definitely warranty.
Three weeks later they tell us it's done, and that we still need to pay for the wiring harness. WTF? They said they had to replace that first in order to do the diagnostics that would allow them to file the warranty claim with corporate. After some back and forth, it was clear they wouldn't budge so I paid it, planning to file a complaint with corporate.
Wife showed up to pick it up, saw the bill, and raised hell. Told the service manager our mechanic checked the wiring harness and it was good. Eventually left, saying she'd take it up with the GM.
She got the car home and said it's worse than before. Shifting is bad, revs to 8k trying to get on the freeway, thermostat shows near redline 5 minutes after starting. And the interior smells like smoke - cherry cigar smoke.
She took it back today and raised hell. They offered her a replacement: 1-year newer, higher trim package, and we're out a little more. And the warranty starts from today, so we've got another year to figure out if anything is busted.
