We needed to purchase a RELIABLE van since our Chevy Astro was breaking down on a regular basis. We thought buying a "almost new" van with only 12,000 miles and a factory warranty would ease our troubles. Of course, we had a much higher payment, but it was worth it since the van would be reliable for years to come! Right? Well, if that was the case you wouldn't be reading this.
Before the warranty ended, we had a few loose ends that had to be taken care of.
*Weather stripping for slider door needed to be replaced - done.
*Fan blower switch didn't work on one of the settings - fixed. (after three visits to the dealership)
*Passenger side window extremely slow in going up/down - fixed, well for at least 6 months.
*Thump while stopping after filling gas tank - Forgot to tell them about it.. D'oh!
*Glove compartment wouldn't stay closed - fixed.
*Mentioned that the power steering was weak when the vehicle wasn't moving, but the dealership couldn't reproduce the problem.
Now, I'd consider most of this normal. After all, it is a GM.... er, I mean mechanical... right?
So, just before the van turns 4 (about 35,000 miles) I feel the transmission begin to slip. It doesn't happen very often, but I end up taking it in to a local (reputable) transmission shop to have it checked. They couldn't initially reproduce the problem, but when they pulled the fluid pan they found a large amount of metal filings on the bottom of the pan. I was told that the transmission would need a full rebuild at $2400+tax (they also said that the tie rod ends were shot and needed to be replaced). I called my local Pontiac dealer and explained the problem and was told GM wouldn't consider helping since the van was over its "time" in warranty even though the mileage was under 36,000 miles. The dealership was happy to replace the transmission for $2,500 + tax. I didn't have the money at the time, so I decided to drive the van while I saved up the money to replace the transmission.
Now, this van is treated like a baby. It's never been used to tow anything or haul heavy loads. We use it to take the kids to school and go to and from work (which is only a few miles away). Even the folks at the transmission shop noted how nice the van is.
Five months later, at a stop sign, the transmission fails. Not kind of fails, COMPLETELY fails.
Miles - just over 37,000 miles.
I had the van towed to my local Pontiac dealer in a last ditch effort to have GM pony up a new transmission. The service rep "Tony" was very nice but didn't think GM would do anything for me. He got hold of the regional GM rep (who happened to be on the lot that day) and pleaded my case. The GM rep "Dorian" wouldn't make any decision until the transmission was completely torn down (at a cost to me of $400 - $500). Tony said that his tech hooked up the van to the computer and reported that first gear and reverse were gone, and second gear was almost gone.
There really wasn't any sense in me paying that kind of money for them to say, "Yep, you're screwed" since:
1.The van had to be towed into the dealership.
2.The tech reported that most of the gears were fried.
3.The transmission shop that originally looked at the transmission said that it would need a complete rebuild.
Tony relayed the message to Dorian that I couldn't afford to be stuck with the cost of the teardown AND a new transmission if GM wouldn't be able to help. The response from GM? Sorry, we can't help you. I was also charged $91.00 for the dealership to look at the transmission. (Local shops either offer a free diagnostic, or charge a fee of $40 - $50)
If I would have done everything the GM rep wanted me to, my total cost would have been well over $3,500.00 (if you include the teardown, the transmission, and the tie rods). By the way, the price of the transmission went up over $250.00 since I first called the dealership five months ago.
So, what did I do? I called the towing company and had the van towed to the local tranny shop (and I'm glad I did). They took in the van and had to replace everything except the chain.
Here are some pictures of the damaged parts:
Before the warranty ended, we had a few loose ends that had to be taken care of.
*Weather stripping for slider door needed to be replaced - done.
*Fan blower switch didn't work on one of the settings - fixed. (after three visits to the dealership)
*Passenger side window extremely slow in going up/down - fixed, well for at least 6 months.
*Thump while stopping after filling gas tank - Forgot to tell them about it.. D'oh!
*Glove compartment wouldn't stay closed - fixed.
*Mentioned that the power steering was weak when the vehicle wasn't moving, but the dealership couldn't reproduce the problem.
Now, I'd consider most of this normal. After all, it is a GM.... er, I mean mechanical... right?
So, just before the van turns 4 (about 35,000 miles) I feel the transmission begin to slip. It doesn't happen very often, but I end up taking it in to a local (reputable) transmission shop to have it checked. They couldn't initially reproduce the problem, but when they pulled the fluid pan they found a large amount of metal filings on the bottom of the pan. I was told that the transmission would need a full rebuild at $2400+tax (they also said that the tie rod ends were shot and needed to be replaced). I called my local Pontiac dealer and explained the problem and was told GM wouldn't consider helping since the van was over its "time" in warranty even though the mileage was under 36,000 miles. The dealership was happy to replace the transmission for $2,500 + tax. I didn't have the money at the time, so I decided to drive the van while I saved up the money to replace the transmission.
Now, this van is treated like a baby. It's never been used to tow anything or haul heavy loads. We use it to take the kids to school and go to and from work (which is only a few miles away). Even the folks at the transmission shop noted how nice the van is.
Five months later, at a stop sign, the transmission fails. Not kind of fails, COMPLETELY fails.
Miles - just over 37,000 miles.
I had the van towed to my local Pontiac dealer in a last ditch effort to have GM pony up a new transmission. The service rep "Tony" was very nice but didn't think GM would do anything for me. He got hold of the regional GM rep (who happened to be on the lot that day) and pleaded my case. The GM rep "Dorian" wouldn't make any decision until the transmission was completely torn down (at a cost to me of $400 - $500). Tony said that his tech hooked up the van to the computer and reported that first gear and reverse were gone, and second gear was almost gone.
There really wasn't any sense in me paying that kind of money for them to say, "Yep, you're screwed" since:
1.The van had to be towed into the dealership.
2.The tech reported that most of the gears were fried.
3.The transmission shop that originally looked at the transmission said that it would need a complete rebuild.
Tony relayed the message to Dorian that I couldn't afford to be stuck with the cost of the teardown AND a new transmission if GM wouldn't be able to help. The response from GM? Sorry, we can't help you. I was also charged $91.00 for the dealership to look at the transmission. (Local shops either offer a free diagnostic, or charge a fee of $40 - $50)
If I would have done everything the GM rep wanted me to, my total cost would have been well over $3,500.00 (if you include the teardown, the transmission, and the tie rods). By the way, the price of the transmission went up over $250.00 since I first called the dealership five months ago.
So, what did I do? I called the towing company and had the van towed to the local tranny shop (and I'm glad I did). They took in the van and had to replace everything except the chain.
Here are some pictures of the damaged parts:
It all started here... This was the catalyst for making GMSucks.Net....
TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 37,000 MILES...
As you can see, these parts are pretty banged up. The picture on the far left shows a gear that's been stripped, and is almost smooth, while the other parts have chunks missing from the gears. This shouldn't happen to a transmission with such low miles.
The transmission shop included a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty which was less than I would have gotten from the GM replacement (3 year 50,000 miles).
Why did I pick the local transmission shop instead of a GM dealer?
*The local shop told me that if I had problems past the warranty period, THEY WOULD WORK WITH ME ON THE REPAIR BY NOT CHARGING ME FULL RETAIL FOR PARTS AND LABOR. This is what GM should be doing for customers who have major problems that are just outside the warranty period. Instead, GM turns its back.
*My understanding is that the replacement GM transmissions are rebuilt in Mexico or Canada... I'd rather do my part to help keep jobs in America.
*The local transmission shop seemed to care about me as a customer. They even installed the tie rod ends without charging me any labor. (GOOD BUSINESS)
So, the van drives great now, except for:
*Radio lights are starting to go out.
*Passenger side window is now slower than a turtle again.
*Thumping sound from the back is still there after filling up gas tank.
*Brakes are starting to wobble when being used. (Damaged Rotors - Will replace soon)
*Power steering is very stiff when the vehicle isn't moving, and it appears to be getting worse.
*Intake manifold is now leaking all over my driveway. (Getting fixed, costing me $800.00) See article about the Intake HERE
If you have a story to tell, feel free to join the forums and let the world know how you feel about GM.
The transmission shop included a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty which was less than I would have gotten from the GM replacement (3 year 50,000 miles).
Why did I pick the local transmission shop instead of a GM dealer?
*The local shop told me that if I had problems past the warranty period, THEY WOULD WORK WITH ME ON THE REPAIR BY NOT CHARGING ME FULL RETAIL FOR PARTS AND LABOR. This is what GM should be doing for customers who have major problems that are just outside the warranty period. Instead, GM turns its back.
*My understanding is that the replacement GM transmissions are rebuilt in Mexico or Canada... I'd rather do my part to help keep jobs in America.
*The local transmission shop seemed to care about me as a customer. They even installed the tie rod ends without charging me any labor. (GOOD BUSINESS)
So, the van drives great now, except for:
*Radio lights are starting to go out.
*Passenger side window is now slower than a turtle again.
*Thumping sound from the back is still there after filling up gas tank.
*Brakes are starting to wobble when being used. (Damaged Rotors - Will replace soon)
*Power steering is very stiff when the vehicle isn't moving, and it appears to be getting worse.
*Intake manifold is now leaking all over my driveway. (Getting fixed, costing me $800.00) See article about the Intake HERE
If you have a story to tell, feel free to join the forums and let the world know how you feel about GM.
