O/T Now, I'm The One Who Is Mad!

Took the Yukon in because of an antifreeze leak last Wednesday. They call back in about 40 minutes and tell me it needs a water pump. Yeah right, okay,
whatever.

Pick up the truck last Thursday, pay the $137 (deductible plus a new fan belt) and bring 'er home.

Two days later, I notice the antifreeze leak is far worse now than it was before it took it in. OKay, fine.

Take the thing back in this morning and tell 'em to make another run at it and see if maybe they can get it right this time.

Feller calls 30 minutes ago and says that the intake gaskets are leaking (Oh, that's a big surprise!) and that it must have just started since the last repair; further I'll have to cough up another $100 deductible. I explain to the young gentleman that he is suckin' wind and that I'm not paying another deductible charge.

Now, he says that he'll have to talk to his boss. Well, okay, go talk to your boss, I don't give a fig.

He calls back.

Says that really, due to the way that the contract is written, legally I am obligated to pay a total of $200 deductible since I had
two separate defective parts.

Hmmmmm m Yeah, right.

But, he continues, that since the dealership was customer oriented, that they would eat the $100 in question. Fine. Fix the damned thing.

Been thinking about this for the past few minutes and I'm getting' madder and madder by the minute. How damned dumb do they think I am anyway? This
outfit has insulted my meager, room temperature intellect.

Me thinks the thing is going down the road to Ford. At least, they do not treat their customers this way.

Rant over,

Allan

The orange coolant keeps the aluminum in the radiator from being eaten from the ph changes in the green stuff.
Coolants job is to cool the engine and not eat the radiator or heater core, not to seal leaks...

And use some common sense? Boy, I don't think that is gonna work. :>)

Allan

Back in '78 I bought a new pickup over the phone, which was located at Rosen Novak's lot down in Omaha; I jumped a plane, flew down there and drove it home across state overnight.

It sets out here in the yard today, and for just hammerin' around and doin' my everyday odd jobs, it is still my favorite old workhorse.

She ain't much to look at, but when something goes wrong, I fix it 'cause that old gal has treated me right for many years.

Allan

2 yrs ago the advisor at the local Ford/Dodge delar gave me the song and dance on my truck '01 Ram 2500. $1600 to put a grease seal in the front axle and, I love this $800 to replace 1 freeze plug in the head. $1 for the plug and $799 labor. I made the argument that a freeze plug should be covered under the 100,000 engine warranty. Wrong, but if I take the head off to change the 'non warranty' freeze plug I void the warranty on the rest of the engine. Of course it is the one next to the firewall. Long story short, local mechanic was able to drill and tap a pipe plug in with an angle drill. He also made a tool to put the seal in without dissassembly of the front axle. Cost me $350 out the door and $13.50x3 for the seals (he had to try twice to get the seal to hold).

As a service technician, if I'm working on something or in an area that something gets blown out of the water, the first thing that I do is retrace my steps and take a look at it. I don't care for eating crow in front of a customer, but there's nothing like denying it to a customer, then having to go back and get caught with your pants down.

May as well just drop your pants in front of the customer and get it over with, fix what you probably caused, then beat feet before the cops get there for dropping your pants. Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Trouble with this one is, it has a 100K mile warranty, 'cause I opted for it when we bought it. :>(

I think it's gotta go tho; but darnit! It is one flashy truck and rides better than any car I've ever been in.

And so it goes; maybe we should all go back to the saddle horses.

Allan

Did the usual dicker dance on the price, got it written down, paid the downpayment, they ordered it. I said total cost, out the door, tax, everything, no other costs. Fine.

When it came, they said on the phone already, oops they forgot a $100 dealer cost, if I would be willing to pay that. I didn't even reply.

When I got there & we tidied up the paperwork & were sitting beside it, sure enough the guy had a $100 extra charge on it, said well it was really a bill, I wasn't totally obligated to pay it but really it would be my bill.....

I just stared at him. I was really too upset to actually speak to him. I just stared. So, he did cross it off, and we finished up our business.

If he only knew how much business a rip-off stunt like that cost him. That was 12 years ago, & it is still _the_ memory I have of that dealership.

Handshake meant nothing to them.

--->Paul

Yes, this is the point I'm trying to make. It isn't the money; heck, ya can't even make a quick trip thru the grocery store for $100. But it is the principle of the thing.

I wonder if they even know how they can make people mad at 'em trying to pull the wool over like this.

These folks, so far, have tripped all over themselves to make me happy and I don't want to cause any undue strain.

But, I usualy let an outfit take one swipe at me; could just be an error in judgement or some such thing. And, if it ever happens again they are gonna see my wrangler patch a walkin' out the door.

Allan

I was forming in my head the fact that the price of beans had gone down 15 cents a bushel between the time we signed the deal & delivery of the pickup came, and if he wanted to reopen negociations I"d be happy to offer a bit less considering how things have changed for me as well.... But, I couldn"t quite get that out...

--->Paul

stuck to my old 74 power wagon and fix it my self!

I dont like taking it in for repairs or if I do that then I will want to stand there and WATCH!!

there's no one there to be sure the job is done right.. kind of a pi** off..

same to tractor.. that'd better not happppen!!!!! !

steve

Just got rid of my 2000 Jimmy with 75K on it. It had the 4.3 liter in it. The intake gaskets on that thing was about the ONLY thing that hadn't gone wrong with that entire car. Sure gled to get rid of it and hope the replacement Envoy with the 4.2 straight 6 will be a better car. Larry

And it's not just GM. The wizards at Ford used plastic intake manifolds on the 4.6 "modular" V-8's, (amoungst others). Neighbor lost an engine in a Lincoln because the plastic water passage in the intake split. A year ot two later, the manifold on the replacement engine split. They stopped in time with that one. Ford's fix is a new aluminum intake $600.00+, not to mention other neeeded parts and labor.

Yeah, it was leaking out on the garage floor. That wasn't the rub.

The darned registered cats that the wife raises were out there lickin' it up and gettin' really sick.

It's just not nice to fool with ol' Mother Nature here. :>)

Allan

I'm startin' to get a little concerned about you. :>) Ya gotta start kickin' back somewhat.

LOL!

Chevy doesn't make the Yukon. Never has.

Allan

They are kinda like the cheer-leading squad, anyway. Flip 'em up-side-down and they all appear to be sisters. :>)

Ooooops! Did I say that?

Allan

FelPro makes a replacement gasket set with a GM part number.

Guess is kind've like replacing a timing belt or chain, then not dropping the oil pan to get broken teeth or rubber out before it gets sucked up into the oil pump sump, clogs the screen, and causes serious damage. Happens every day.

Evidently, I've got this flashing "Stupid" sign up on my brow and they would probably try to ding me the $100 deductible for each bad bearing. :>)

Later,

Allan

If I don't jest, I'll go into one of me "depression" moods. :>)

Heck with it; It already has quite a few miles on it and is about ready for someone else to own pretty soon anyway. And most of the time it just sets in the garage; don't put more than about 5K miles a year on it.

I just don't wanna spend any money 'till the wife and I get this chunk of ground bought. Don't know yet how hard that is gonna hit the old piggy bank.

'Sides, like an old mechanic told me when I was just a kid, "No use gettin' mad at it; it is just a piece of iron".

Been rainin' here all day; you guys gettin it up there?

Allan

Took an 88' tree down for a lady who didn't want it to crush her house nor damage her fancy cedar clothesline posts. Nobody else would do the job. I cabled it and use my trusty Oliver to tug on it while I cut. Sure enough, dead center right between the posts. The instant it hit the ground it started to rain and has continued all day. Supposed to rain for the next two days. When it dries up, I'll go back and buck the thing clean.

Ron

The leak is real hard to find. Took me 6 months of dedicated looking plus a tip from a friend to find mine.

Lots of people with post '96 GM trucks are having the problem. Should have recalled them.

When I got mine off, I compared it to the new Federal Mongul I bought and the quality of the OEM was obviously very substandard.

Mark

Yeah, I know. I've worked for both GM & Ford.

I'm just venting before I throw a mental rod! :>)

Thanks,

Allan

I had fixed the stupid little plastic snaptogether assembly where the heater hose hooks to the block ( it was leaking so I had to buy a new plastic snaptogether piece...stupid design, but im sure it helps assembly on the line ).

Once that leak was fixed.....I noticed antifreeze leaking from around the intake manifold gaskets...I had to retorque the bolts on it to get the leaks on that to quit.

It was very odd, only time I remember that happening. It was a 350, 5.7 liter engine, at least all the pieces involved on the intake were metal, not plastic.

steveormary