Early June, the air conditioning dies. I take it to a repair shop to get the freon recharged. 2 days later it dies. When I take it back in, they recharge it again, and this time put some dye into the container that holds the freon so they can see where the leak is, if it leaks out again.
Air lasts for 2 weeks this time before it dies again. I take it back to the shop, and now they're telling me there is no leak, but rather some other part....the name of which escapes me now, but it's an essential part to the air conditioning system working properly.
I get told that the part is around $200 to replace, but because it's buried so deep in the dashboard, it's another $800 in labor to get at it to remove, and replace with the new part.
I decide that I've poured enough money into this ATM on wheels, and have been going all summer without air. Thankfully, I have the Nissan, and the wife isn't working right now, but still uncomfortable for whomever has to drive it.
I'd like to meet the engineer that decided to put that part where it's located, and say a few choice words to that person. Of course this is something that got designed back in 95 or 96 for a 1999 model, so they're probably not at GM anymore.
I'd gladly make that engineer that decided to put that part where it is, replace it for me.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Saturday, December 16, 2006
The final straw
Since my last post, "touch wood", my car has been running problem free, and all that's been required was regular ongoing maintenance, and replacement of brakes & tires etc.
Until this past week......... forgive my lack of mechanical terms, but here's what has happened now. The radiator system and the plumbing system attached to it, (as I understand it) is designed to move the anti freeze over the top of the motor to keep it cool when running, and then it circles back into the radiator, much like our own internal blood circulatory system.
What has happened, is that the components used to keep the antifreeze close but separate from the actual engine the burns the gas, has failed, and for 1 week, the antifreeze leaked into the engine, and so for a week, unknown to me, I was driving around burning gas and antifreeze.
Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way when the temperature needle rose in front of my very eyes in a matter of minutes while on a freeway. The radiator was out of antifreeze because it was internally leaking into the engine.
I have the car towed to the repair garage. The mechanic advises me that the engine is shot as a result, and I need a new (or rebuilt or used) engine. He also tells me that this problem is common to this precise type of Pontiac engine, as he's seen it over and over in the past.
I'm about to fork over $2900 for a used motor because of this "common problem" found in Pontiac motors.
Words cannot do justice to the anger & frustration I'm feeling right now. All I can do is write it here, and hope it's a warning to anyone thinking of buying a GM product.
Until this past week......... forgive my lack of mechanical terms, but here's what has happened now. The radiator system and the plumbing system attached to it, (as I understand it) is designed to move the anti freeze over the top of the motor to keep it cool when running, and then it circles back into the radiator, much like our own internal blood circulatory system.
What has happened, is that the components used to keep the antifreeze close but separate from the actual engine the burns the gas, has failed, and for 1 week, the antifreeze leaked into the engine, and so for a week, unknown to me, I was driving around burning gas and antifreeze.
Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way when the temperature needle rose in front of my very eyes in a matter of minutes while on a freeway. The radiator was out of antifreeze because it was internally leaking into the engine.
I have the car towed to the repair garage. The mechanic advises me that the engine is shot as a result, and I need a new (or rebuilt or used) engine. He also tells me that this problem is common to this precise type of Pontiac engine, as he's seen it over and over in the past.
I'm about to fork over $2900 for a used motor because of this "common problem" found in Pontiac motors.
Words cannot do justice to the anger & frustration I'm feeling right now. All I can do is write it here, and hope it's a warning to anyone thinking of buying a GM product.
Monday, November 21, 2005
GM Pays the price
Today, I read that GM is laying of 30,000 people and closing down a number of manufacturing plants. Clearly, it's because more and more people are not buying their vehicles. Some are not buying due to price, some because of bad service, and others because of bad quality. I feel for the employees that are losing their jobs, but it's the decision makers at the top that should be gone. The people that signed off on bad design which led to bad quality, the people that signed off on the "ok" to go with lesser quality on parts, and the "ok" to build stuff faster with less quality checks. It's all of these little decisions that led GM to start putting out a product that quite simply does not last and is too expensive to own because of how fast repairs need to be made for stuff wearing out that shouldn't wear out as fast as it does.
This big announcement today was a result of poor quality product over a number of years. My own particular car was only 3 years old when I bought it, and with repairs, I've almost paid for it twice.
If you are a GM shareholder, and have lost 40% of your share value this year, you should be thinking about kicking out the guys at the top of the company you own.
This big announcement today was a result of poor quality product over a number of years. My own particular car was only 3 years old when I bought it, and with repairs, I've almost paid for it twice.
If you are a GM shareholder, and have lost 40% of your share value this year, you should be thinking about kicking out the guys at the top of the company you own.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Share your story here as well
I've had 4 or 5 emails from people in Canada and the USA, in the past month or so; that have found this blog, and they've emailed me directly with their nightmare of a story with their GM vehicle. In some cases it was poor manufacturing quality and even worse support from dealers, and in one other case it was an actual stolen GM vehicle that a GM dealer got stuck with, who then sold it to a customer who also thought he was buying a legitament vehicle. Once the customer discovered that the vehicle was stolen, of course he was looking for some compensation from the dealer, which never happened.
Anyways, the point is that I invite you to add your story here, especially if you are from Canada and have experienced problems with GM or their products on the Canadian side of the border. If you took the time to find this blog, then you most likely have a very good story to tell which others need to see, that involves GM in Canada. Here's the place to sound off & put it on the record.
Maybe someday, some GM senior manager or executive will find this blog, read these stories, and actually say...."hey...these people have a point....we did drop the ball in these cases".
Anyways, the point is that I invite you to add your story here, especially if you are from Canada and have experienced problems with GM or their products on the Canadian side of the border. If you took the time to find this blog, then you most likely have a very good story to tell which others need to see, that involves GM in Canada. Here's the place to sound off & put it on the record.
Maybe someday, some GM senior manager or executive will find this blog, read these stories, and actually say...."hey...these people have a point....we did drop the ball in these cases".
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
GM now giving their cars away with staff discounts
So now GM's sales are hurting bad enough that they're announcing factory closures and they're giving everyone access to the same discounts that their staff get. Hopefully someone at GM realizes why they've had to take these two very drastic moves. Simply put, their quality is not as good as their competitors, and their customer service is even less desireable.
Unfortunately, those of us, who helped finance GM's long term quality assurance program, by forking over thousands of dollars in repairs that were required far too early on cars built 5 or 6 years ago, won't be able to take advantage of the employee discounts, because we spent all our money on repairs on the heaps that we made the mistake of purchasing, and still unfortunately own. ( Not that I want to buy another GM anyways...it's just so ironic)
GM's financial problems are a direct result of them putting out an inferior product, and them losing their focus on former lifetime customers like me. They have coming to them, exactly what they deserve for ignoring what's important.
If you're a GM shareholder and reading this, I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for you right now, that you've lost so much share value. Your management team ( yes, yours since you are an owner of the company) has led your company onto the downward spiral, and you let it happen.
Unfortunately, those of us, who helped finance GM's long term quality assurance program, by forking over thousands of dollars in repairs that were required far too early on cars built 5 or 6 years ago, won't be able to take advantage of the employee discounts, because we spent all our money on repairs on the heaps that we made the mistake of purchasing, and still unfortunately own. ( Not that I want to buy another GM anyways...it's just so ironic)
GM's financial problems are a direct result of them putting out an inferior product, and them losing their focus on former lifetime customers like me. They have coming to them, exactly what they deserve for ignoring what's important.
If you're a GM shareholder and reading this, I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for you right now, that you've lost so much share value. Your management team ( yes, yours since you are an owner of the company) has led your company onto the downward spiral, and you let it happen.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
continuation of the nightmare
Today, I find that the leak that appeared to have returned, was a new item. The AC lines were plugged with debris which caused the lines to back up and leak fluid onto the car floor, so not a reoccurence of the first leak fixed in December. New battery installed. And since it was there anyways, test the AC system and refill any missing freon.
All told, just over $500 again. I'm now up to $3400 since December 1st on this car (not counting oil changes etc). Over $1100 of which I attribute to manufacturing quality issues, product quality issues (which is unacceptable) versus normal wear and tear (which I'm ok with paying for).
The ultimate smack in the face was the rude customer service manager from the GM Canada Service Center, and then one of their reprentatives recently trying to tell me that because I've not gotten all of my regular maintenance (oil changes etc) done at the dealership, that is why the rust problem happened and why they cannot help me.
Not only do I feel financially ripped off, I feel completely dropped by a large corporation that I have been loyal to, my entire driving life. Never again. Take note....their stock price is dropping like a rock for a reason. I'm not the only one that experiencing these nightmares.
All told, just over $500 again. I'm now up to $3400 since December 1st on this car (not counting oil changes etc). Over $1100 of which I attribute to manufacturing quality issues, product quality issues (which is unacceptable) versus normal wear and tear (which I'm ok with paying for).
The ultimate smack in the face was the rude customer service manager from the GM Canada Service Center, and then one of their reprentatives recently trying to tell me that because I've not gotten all of my regular maintenance (oil changes etc) done at the dealership, that is why the rust problem happened and why they cannot help me.
Not only do I feel financially ripped off, I feel completely dropped by a large corporation that I have been loyal to, my entire driving life. Never again. Take note....their stock price is dropping like a rock for a reason. I'm not the only one that experiencing these nightmares.
Monday, April 25, 2005
A nightmare
This is being written by someone who since his first vehicle in 1985 has sworn by GM products all the way. In my mind, they were the best vehicles on the road…..until now……. I live in Mississauga, Ontario; Canda.
My wife and I purchased a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 4dr in Sept 2001. This is my 5th GM vehicle. At the time the car had 23,000 km on it. One could assume that the car was being turned back onto the dealer’s lot because the lease was up, or perhaps because it was a lemon. I assumed the first. Turns out I was dead wrong. Thankfully, I purchased the extended warranty which was around $800 extra, because over the next 2 years, the GM dealer poured another $1600 of work into this car in warranty work for all kinds of various things.
Like any car, mine has seen some wear & tear and is now up to 146,000 km, and there’s been the usual brakes & cylinders replacements, tire changes, and all the normal tune ups & oil changes etc that go with owning a car. I have no issues with normal wear & tear problems…it’s a part of life.
However, what has happened with my car in the past 4 months, has got me thinking, I’ve purchased my very last GM car. First up was the heater transistor needed replacing, although it had been replaced not 13 months earlier. $150.
Next up, the heater motor ran out of oil so it started to make a howling noise everytime someone touched the brakes. Thankfully a GM mechanic was able to force some oil back into heater motor and he did it at no charge, but put me on notice that it’s just a matter of time before the motor goes and the part itself will be $180.
Next up, throughout October & November, we started to notice that everytime we had the car parked on our driveway outside and it snowed or rained, that there was water on the floor of the front passenger side of the car. Turns out there was a leak up behind the heater somewhere due to rust. $550 to plug that leak, just before Xmas. GM has been selling cars in Canada for over 80 years. You’d think they know that salt is used on the roads here in Ontario in the winter, and build a car with metal that can stand more than 5 yrs on the road.
The next quality based issue was Jan 5th. I’m driving to work on a morning when it’s getting colder outside. I put my window down to have a smoke and it stops working. New electrical switch required to get the power window going. $372.
Since the beginning of December, I’ve spent $1090 on items that I don’t necessarily see as “wear & tear”….not in a car that’s only got 146,000 km on it and fairly well taken care of. I could see it if this was a car with 200,000+ km that some of the things that have happened to me in the past month, would happen through wear & tear, but not on this car, not this early.
In my opinion, GM has completely lost it’s focus when it comes to securing quality parts & components to build it’s cars and/or the quality of work that goes into building their vehicles is way lower than what it used to be. I’ve decided that I’m not going to be one of the people that continues to finance GM’s Quality Assurance Long Term testing program any longer, where the lucky winner gets to fork over money to fix GM’s problems, and they say thank you very much for the money and keep the data.
After each incident, I sent an email to GM on their website, documenting the problem. After the “patch the rust box” incident, I finally got a call from a CSR at GM while I was away on vacation for Xmas. We managed to connect just after new year’s. While she was nice and quietly listened to me, there were no offers to do anything for me, only that she’d look into a few things and get back to me. She finally got back to me and told me that there was nothing GM could do. I asked her to escalate my complaint to her supervisor. She told me that it would take a couple of days, but someone would call me.
Jan 7th, a supervisor/manager at the GM customer service center got back to me. She basically explained to me what the front line representative did, and that GM is under no obligation contractually to do anything for me, which I agreed with. I told the manager, I’m looking for an exception to GM’s policy. She explained that there is some leeway on GM’s policy (outside of their contractual obligations) but that my vehicle was too old for consideration to activate it.
I told the manager that I would like to have my file escalated to her boss to have a discussion with that individual. She told me that if I wanted my file escalated, the proper channel to use would be to call the dealership and get the name of the District Service Manager that looks after the dealerships in the geographical area where I bought my car. Instead of offering to provide me with this person’s name, she basically left me with the impression that I had to proactively call the dealership and track down this contact info myself.
I continued to ask this manager for the name of her boss, and she continued to tell me that I had to call the dealership where I bought my car from. We went around in circles three or four times with my query and this response from her. She has a boss, and I wanted to speak to that person. She refused to provide me with that person’s name or contact info. Near the tail end of our discussion, she told me, “we’ve been through this three times already, and the response is the same, and you’d get the same response from anyone else here.” I happen to find this manager’s handling of my call, quite rude and non customer service focused. I asked to speak to her superior, (perhaps not right that second but eventually ) and she refused me on multiple counts. I can assure you, that in my business, that would not happen. A 3 page letter has been sent to the president of GM Canada about my recent experiences. We’ll see if it even makes it into his office, let alone me getting some useless reply. As of January 19th, there’s been no reply.
To add even more misery to this pathetic story; Jan 15th, I take my car into a Goodyear Auto Service shop to get them to look at a “hum” that just developed in the past couple of days. I’m nervous that it’s the power train or transmission. Nope, it’s both front wheel bearings, tighten up a tie rod, and a wheel alignment. With taxes another $1900. Of course, today’s repair is normal wear and tear, but still adds to the overall total that I’ve forked over recently.
Not counting gas, insurance, highway toll charges etc, I’ve poured $2900 into my car from Dec 1, 2004 to Jan 15, 2005.
If you’re driving a GM vehicle, sell it or trade it off…..immediately…..don’t wait until you get stuck up the %^&*( like me.
The only way these big companies will get the message that their manufacturing quality sucks, is for thousands of consumers to vote with their dollars and buy non North American made cars. I sent letters a couple days ago to every single member of the GM Board of Directors in Detroit. I eventually did get a call from someone at GM Canada again, and like the former experience, there's nothing they can do for me, and the representative tried to suggest that because all of my service work has not been done at a GM dealer, that could be part of my problems. Please !!!! Me not getting an oil change at my GM dealer has nothing to do with my vehicle rusting out prematurely.
We need to let em have it where it hurts the most, right in the pocket book. If you have recently experienced manufacturing quality problems with you’re GM vehicle, don’t keep it quiet. Tell GM, go to www.gmcanada.com and click on their contact us link at the bottom of the home page.
April 25, 2005; the rusty leak on my car is back. After a rainy weekend, water is collecting on the passenger side floor. Going back to the dealership tomorrow. We'll see if they'll fix their mistakes.
Is it just me? Am I overreacting?
My wife and I purchased a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 4dr in Sept 2001. This is my 5th GM vehicle. At the time the car had 23,000 km on it. One could assume that the car was being turned back onto the dealer’s lot because the lease was up, or perhaps because it was a lemon. I assumed the first. Turns out I was dead wrong. Thankfully, I purchased the extended warranty which was around $800 extra, because over the next 2 years, the GM dealer poured another $1600 of work into this car in warranty work for all kinds of various things.
Like any car, mine has seen some wear & tear and is now up to 146,000 km, and there’s been the usual brakes & cylinders replacements, tire changes, and all the normal tune ups & oil changes etc that go with owning a car. I have no issues with normal wear & tear problems…it’s a part of life.
However, what has happened with my car in the past 4 months, has got me thinking, I’ve purchased my very last GM car. First up was the heater transistor needed replacing, although it had been replaced not 13 months earlier. $150.
Next up, the heater motor ran out of oil so it started to make a howling noise everytime someone touched the brakes. Thankfully a GM mechanic was able to force some oil back into heater motor and he did it at no charge, but put me on notice that it’s just a matter of time before the motor goes and the part itself will be $180.
Next up, throughout October & November, we started to notice that everytime we had the car parked on our driveway outside and it snowed or rained, that there was water on the floor of the front passenger side of the car. Turns out there was a leak up behind the heater somewhere due to rust. $550 to plug that leak, just before Xmas. GM has been selling cars in Canada for over 80 years. You’d think they know that salt is used on the roads here in Ontario in the winter, and build a car with metal that can stand more than 5 yrs on the road.
The next quality based issue was Jan 5th. I’m driving to work on a morning when it’s getting colder outside. I put my window down to have a smoke and it stops working. New electrical switch required to get the power window going. $372.
Since the beginning of December, I’ve spent $1090 on items that I don’t necessarily see as “wear & tear”….not in a car that’s only got 146,000 km on it and fairly well taken care of. I could see it if this was a car with 200,000+ km that some of the things that have happened to me in the past month, would happen through wear & tear, but not on this car, not this early.
In my opinion, GM has completely lost it’s focus when it comes to securing quality parts & components to build it’s cars and/or the quality of work that goes into building their vehicles is way lower than what it used to be. I’ve decided that I’m not going to be one of the people that continues to finance GM’s Quality Assurance Long Term testing program any longer, where the lucky winner gets to fork over money to fix GM’s problems, and they say thank you very much for the money and keep the data.
After each incident, I sent an email to GM on their website, documenting the problem. After the “patch the rust box” incident, I finally got a call from a CSR at GM while I was away on vacation for Xmas. We managed to connect just after new year’s. While she was nice and quietly listened to me, there were no offers to do anything for me, only that she’d look into a few things and get back to me. She finally got back to me and told me that there was nothing GM could do. I asked her to escalate my complaint to her supervisor. She told me that it would take a couple of days, but someone would call me.
Jan 7th, a supervisor/manager at the GM customer service center got back to me. She basically explained to me what the front line representative did, and that GM is under no obligation contractually to do anything for me, which I agreed with. I told the manager, I’m looking for an exception to GM’s policy. She explained that there is some leeway on GM’s policy (outside of their contractual obligations) but that my vehicle was too old for consideration to activate it.
I told the manager that I would like to have my file escalated to her boss to have a discussion with that individual. She told me that if I wanted my file escalated, the proper channel to use would be to call the dealership and get the name of the District Service Manager that looks after the dealerships in the geographical area where I bought my car. Instead of offering to provide me with this person’s name, she basically left me with the impression that I had to proactively call the dealership and track down this contact info myself.
I continued to ask this manager for the name of her boss, and she continued to tell me that I had to call the dealership where I bought my car from. We went around in circles three or four times with my query and this response from her. She has a boss, and I wanted to speak to that person. She refused to provide me with that person’s name or contact info. Near the tail end of our discussion, she told me, “we’ve been through this three times already, and the response is the same, and you’d get the same response from anyone else here.” I happen to find this manager’s handling of my call, quite rude and non customer service focused. I asked to speak to her superior, (perhaps not right that second but eventually ) and she refused me on multiple counts. I can assure you, that in my business, that would not happen. A 3 page letter has been sent to the president of GM Canada about my recent experiences. We’ll see if it even makes it into his office, let alone me getting some useless reply. As of January 19th, there’s been no reply.
To add even more misery to this pathetic story; Jan 15th, I take my car into a Goodyear Auto Service shop to get them to look at a “hum” that just developed in the past couple of days. I’m nervous that it’s the power train or transmission. Nope, it’s both front wheel bearings, tighten up a tie rod, and a wheel alignment. With taxes another $1900. Of course, today’s repair is normal wear and tear, but still adds to the overall total that I’ve forked over recently.
Not counting gas, insurance, highway toll charges etc, I’ve poured $2900 into my car from Dec 1, 2004 to Jan 15, 2005.
If you’re driving a GM vehicle, sell it or trade it off…..immediately…..don’t wait until you get stuck up the %^&*( like me.
The only way these big companies will get the message that their manufacturing quality sucks, is for thousands of consumers to vote with their dollars and buy non North American made cars. I sent letters a couple days ago to every single member of the GM Board of Directors in Detroit. I eventually did get a call from someone at GM Canada again, and like the former experience, there's nothing they can do for me, and the representative tried to suggest that because all of my service work has not been done at a GM dealer, that could be part of my problems. Please !!!! Me not getting an oil change at my GM dealer has nothing to do with my vehicle rusting out prematurely.
We need to let em have it where it hurts the most, right in the pocket book. If you have recently experienced manufacturing quality problems with you’re GM vehicle, don’t keep it quiet. Tell GM, go to www.gmcanada.com and click on their contact us link at the bottom of the home page.
April 25, 2005; the rusty leak on my car is back. After a rainy weekend, water is collecting on the passenger side floor. Going back to the dealership tomorrow. We'll see if they'll fix their mistakes.
Is it just me? Am I overreacting?
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