You may have noticed a lack of posts relating to our 2007
Chevy Silverado. No, it’s not because we’ve been blinded by our shiny new
Tundra, but rather it’s because our full size Chevy’s been on the DL (that’s
the Disabled List for you non-baseball folk).
Stricken with squeaky brakes and a transmission “whump”,
the Silverado recently went to Santa Monica Chevy and Buick
for service.
The appointment-making process couldn’t be easier: they don’t do them. I was told to bring the car in whenever I wanted and they would look at it “in the order it was received.” I brought the Silverado in just before lunch, there was no line and a service advisor was quick to help.
When asked when they would look at the truck, they replied “It depends what’s before it.” I mistaken assumed they knew what they had in line. No approximate timeframe for service and no guaranteed appointment fit my schedule, but for those who can’t just reach into the Long Term fleet and grab something else for an indeterminate amount of time, this could present a problem.
I didn't hear from them the day I dropped it off and that was expected. Late on day two, however, still no word, so I called them for an update. They informed me that they had, under warranty, replaced the 3-4 piston as the 3-4 clutch was leaking pressure. They had also reconditioned the transmission. I reminded them that our complaint was with the 1-2 and off-neutral shifts, not the 3-4, but our trusty advisor assured us that this was the proper fix.
Day 3, he said, was when they planned to look at the brakes. And so on day 3 I called. The truck was finished, the brakes were slightly glazed and there’s nothing they could do. The high-pitched squeal was “normal.”
When I arrived to pick up the Silverado, the service advisor didn't speak to me, he simply pointed to the cashier. As for the cashier, I have never seen a cashier in any business-- not retail, not fast food, not anywhere-- so disinterested and lethargic while taking my money. Sure, it was only $34.38, which was the only cost incurred (for an oil change), but I would have appreciated more than a blank stare and weary shuffle.
On the way home from the dealership I noticed the whump right away. The transmission was no better than when we left it days earlier. Nor, obviously, were the untouched brakes.
We’re going to take the Silverado to our normal Chevy service center soon. We’ll post updates as we receive them.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 21,817 miles.
When asked when they would look at the truck, they replied “It depends what’s before it.” I mistaken assumed they knew what they had in line. No approximate timeframe for service and no guaranteed appointment fit my schedule, but for those who can’t just reach into the Long Term fleet and grab something else for an indeterminate amount of time, this could present a problem.
I didn't hear from them the day I dropped it off and that was expected. Late on day two, however, still no word, so I called them for an update. They informed me that they had, under warranty, replaced the 3-4 piston as the 3-4 clutch was leaking pressure. They had also reconditioned the transmission. I reminded them that our complaint was with the 1-2 and off-neutral shifts, not the 3-4, but our trusty advisor assured us that this was the proper fix.
Day 3, he said, was when they planned to look at the brakes. And so on day 3 I called. The truck was finished, the brakes were slightly glazed and there’s nothing they could do. The high-pitched squeal was “normal.”
When I arrived to pick up the Silverado, the service advisor didn't speak to me, he simply pointed to the cashier. As for the cashier, I have never seen a cashier in any business-- not retail, not fast food, not anywhere-- so disinterested and lethargic while taking my money. Sure, it was only $34.38, which was the only cost incurred (for an oil change), but I would have appreciated more than a blank stare and weary shuffle.
On the way home from the dealership I noticed the whump right away. The transmission was no better than when we left it days earlier. Nor, obviously, were the untouched brakes.
We’re going to take the Silverado to our normal Chevy service center soon. We’ll post updates as we receive them.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 21,817 miles.
redliner says:
03:26 PM, 01/ 2/08
So what your saying is that you gave them your truck for 3 days, and got it back in the shape as before?! Outrageous!
crowb says:
04:04 PM, 01/ 2/08
I think I just vomited in my own mouth.
thebigal says:
04:22 PM, 01/ 2/08
That's not cool... I hope you updated your Dealer Rating's sheet appropriately. I still can't believe it took 3 days to figure out all that.
FWIW, over Christmas I had the opportunity to drive my Dad's '07 Silvy, but didn't notice a transmissin thump. He seems to like it quite well and it gets regular use as a "truck". His only niggle with it was the driver's side speakers have cut out on him and the ONSTAR seems to intermittently quit workking.
Oh and he also averages 17.8 MPG according to his trip counter. As I was driving it around I tried to pay attention to when it dropped to V4, but I couldn't really tell. The only way I could tell was by looking at the display that told me it was in V4...
louiswei says:
04:29 PM, 01/ 2/08
Where is 1487?
hondacura4 says:
04:44 PM, 01/ 2/08
No, where is "onlyGMmatters"? This truck like anything else offered can break!
desmolicious says:
04:49 PM, 01/ 2/08
What is it with stealerships in Santa Monica? The BMW joint is horrible, the Jeep place is crooked, the Honda place ripped Edmunds off, now the GM place...
toyota4life says:
05:27 PM, 01/ 2/08
No surprises here at all, the 2002 i drive to work every day is allot worst, recall on tailgate cables/ when you start it up in the mornings the (service engine soon) light comes on , you hit the gas pedal and the RPM drops all the way down ,the first year i got it i drove over 4 inches of concrete / unpaved drive way , the steering rod broke , now every time you turn the wheel you hear a engine whine, the ass end is so weak we had to add two leafs on each side in the rear because it sagged so bad, every time i hear these fanboys talk how great these trucks are i LMAO, because it's all BS.
desmolicious says:
07:28 PM, 01/ 2/08
Umm, doesn't the handle "toyota4life" make you a fanboy too? A case of the pot calling the kettle black...
stovt001 says:
09:54 PM, 01/ 2/08
Seconded
Also, you should realize that company owned vehicles are not usually taken care of as well as a consumer owned car. When the driver, owner, and person responsible for maintenance are not the same person, only bad things can happen.
Also, Toyota4life, maybe you can help explain what's going on with my grandma's Rav4. Stuff keeps failing on it, but all the other Toyota fanboys insist that nothing could ever go wrong on a Toyota.
toyota4life says:
04:01 AM, 01/ 3/08
SORRY!domestic fanboys,i just realize the reason for hating on toyota so much,today is GM's 100 birthday and will not live to see another,as they stated on (MSNBC)they will not survive as a stand alone company past 2010,SO SAD!...MAYBE TOYOTA WILL GIVE THEM A HELPING HAND,please feel free to continue and blast toyota if it makes you happy,god knows it only gets worse for you guys,well let me go start up that silverado i need atleast 30 min for it to warm up,
mr215 says:
06:41 AM, 01/ 3/08
Did the truck break down? It seems like there are a lot of comments about how poor quality this vehicle is but it appears its still running. BTW, we all know that manufacturers have little control over independent dealers so criticizing the cashier seems kind of pointless.
Based on the terrible reliability of this truck it appears the Tundra is looking better and better. When will GM ever learn? 21k miles and this Chevy is on its death bed.
bimmerjay says:
11:24 AM, 01/ 3/08
"It seems like there are a lot of comments about how poor quality this vehicle is but it appears its still running."
Uh, I'm not sure if "its still running" is a good indicator of the "quality" of a 2007 MY vehicle with ~20k on the clock. lol
deagle13 says:
11:29 AM, 01/ 3/08
The only reason I opened this thread is because I saw the name "Santa Monica Chevy" and was curious to see if their service department had improved since I last used them (in 2000). Apparently not.
Try one of the Rydell stores in the valley - MUCH better service and their hours rival 7-11.
mr215 says:
11:54 AM, 01/ 3/08
"Uh, I'm not sure if "its still running" is a good indicator of the "quality" of a 2007 MY vehicle with ~20k on the clock. lol"
Just saying that there appears to be a lot of fuss about a vehicle that is running. While the issues need to be corrected the truck is still operating as far as I can tell. I'm not sure this is the definitive proof that GM products are unreliable as some have suggested here.
skierx420 says:
12:17 PM, 01/ 3/08
I once owned an old used Ford truck that whenever it went into overdrive it made a "clunk" i was told by a tech that this was normal for this transmission. It clunked like that until the 302 engine went out at 200k+. (spun main bearing) maybe just maybe that the sound is just a quirk. It might not be though. However, glazed brakes can be remedied. Just turn the rotors and scuff the pads a little.
z479 says:
01:34 PM, 01/ 3/08
Toyota4life...I dont know how you can say GM or anyone else can say GM won't make it past 2010. My family has always owned GM cars, with 2 currently in the family. My mom was in the market for a new car last summer and I told her, try out the new Toytoa Camry, its the best selling car in America and the most reliable (allegedly) so how can you go wrong?
Well the car hasnt exactly been spotless in terms of reliability. I know it was a first model year, and so is the Silverado, so give them some slack. As an mech. engineer myself, so much goes into making a car these days that its hard to have the average consumer understand that. The automotive companys as any other company are having some difficulty these days, the world economy is just in a slump, and outrageous oil/food/housing costs are not helping the US market.
z479 says:
01:37 PM, 01/ 3/08
so really, theres nothing wrong with the silverado, almost every car in the LT fleet has had warped rotors for some reason. I'm guessing its all the LA traffic, but maybe manufacturers are trying to save costs in places you wont really notice on a test drive.
toyota4life says:
02:27 PM, 01/ 3/08
so really, theres nothing wrong with the silverado........LOL, never mind.
estreka says:
02:59 PM, 01/ 3/08
That's disappointing. In related news, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are ending their relationships with various dealerships. GM and Ford are shutting down ~3% of their dealerships while Chrysler is shutting down ~4%.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2008-01-02-closing-dealerships_N.htm?csp=34
altimadude00 says:
04:11 PM, 01/ 3/08
I wonder what kinds of comments will pop up when the Tundra has it's first hick-up?
Toyota fans: "It's nothing." "Just let it run it's course." "Its not serious."
Domestic fans: "Ah HA!" "Chinks in the armor!" "Foreign piece of crap!"
(Yes I know the Tundra was built in America)
aurakr says:
04:14 PM, 01/ 3/08
Hello to all:
Owning a Chevy and Saturn, I can say from experience that Saturn is far better in treatment at the service departments. I am always pleased by the service at Saturn. When I go to the Chevy dealership for service on my wife's Venture, often I feel like Mike above.
However, I would be complaining to anyone and everyone if that ever happened to me. Chevy really needs to understand that people expect much better service than they have provided.
With the car sales market expected to shrink in 2008, service will make or break a car sale.
If I were you, I would have spoke with the general manager of the service department and raised holy, well you get my drift. That is unacceptable no matter what.
stovt001 says:
10:17 PM, 01/ 3/08
I would also recommend Rydell. They are a tad bit slow (but at least way better than this) but they have good customer service. Last time I took my car in for service, they listened to what I wanted and just did it. No pressure to upsell, no bull, just a "yes sir, please feel free to enjoy our lounge until it is done." The lounge wasn't great, but it was still one of my better dealership service experiences.
jdub53084 says:
11:09 PM, 01/ 3/08
I'm sorry that the Edmunds staff has been given the run-around.As an automotive service professional and student in dealer management, this is a really sad case.
Plus this dealer spent a lot of GM's warranty money "reconditioning"(your term or the dealers?) a transmission with only 20K on it.
I have heard of over-hauls, replacements, and re-builds, but reconditioning sounds like something you do your hair...
boxermike says:
08:19 AM, 01/ 4/08
jdub: "reconditioning" is the dealer term, which is what I always use when writing the blogs. I'll italicize them if they're particularly uninformative/deceptive.
And Aurakr is right about Saturn service, it's some of the best in the game.
-mike m.
mr215 says:
08:32 AM, 01/ 4/08
The long term fleet here proves that problems occur across the board, even with Hondas and Toyotas. I'm not quite understanding why people are so excited about this truck's issues. Whether its fair or not you cannot be surprised when people make a big deal out of an import vehicle reliability issue because we have been told for so long that import quality is leagues ahead of Big 3 quality. What we have here are people who seemingly love imports and get mad when people note (correctly) that imports are not infallable and then rush to rejoice whenever a domestic product has a problem. The Silverado's tranny has not failed and the truck hasnt been towed. The problem needs to be fixed but lets not act like the vehicle has left anyone stranded or is unoperational.
lazyhater says:
04:44 PM, 01/ 4/08
All dealer service departments are a joke, period.
SubyTrojan says:
05:06 PM, 01/ 4/08
That's not true, lazyhater. You just need a good service advisor and good technician to work on the vehicle. Unfortunately, that's a rare combination these days. Having worked in two service departments, I got to know the right people. :o)
firstwagon says:
04:15 PM, 01/ 6/08
So the only way to get good service is to work there or "know the right people"???
I think that proves lazyhater is right.
I used to work at a Mazda dealer and I wouldn't trust them to change my oil.
stephen987 says:
05:43 AM, 01/ 7/08
My truck sounds a lot like Edmunds' 07 Silverado. The brakes on mine grind rather than squeal, and the tranny shifts indifferently at best. Then again, mine's a Mexican-built '94 Ram 1500 with 143k miles on it.
Maybe Edmunds will get to do a long-term test on California's Lemon Law next.
k8do says:
02:32 PM, 01/ 8/08
Just some general comments...
I agree that Saturn's service is the best - almost to the point of being annoying with their follow up letters and phone calls... (3 Saturns)
On DexCool, you need to change it every two years, just like any other coolant, or else you WILL have clogging problems and gasket leaks... I found that out the hard way... I'm slow, but I do catch on... What I am are doing now, is switching to a non Dexcool on the first flush at the 2 year point...
On the Silverado (I am actually looking for a new pickup at this point to replace our oldest - a 98)... I've had at least three Silverados (I lose count)and I consider them to be good vehicles (not perfect but good)...
The Vortec 350 V8 engines have been almost bullet proof, however... The 98 had to have the intake gaskets replaced at 106K miles - and I think two sets of belts, 'several' brake jobs (it's weak point) and two major tune ups with new plugs, etc, and that is it over it's life... In hindsight, had I gotten rid of the Dexcool sooner on the vehicle, I feel the gaskets would not have rotted like they did...
However, this engine <the '98 Vortec 350 Silverado> starts and runs like new... It was driven 600 miles in the past 24 hours (127K miles) and got 16 mpg at 75mph on I-80 like there was nothing to it...
I am looking at the other makes, Toyota, Ford, Dodge... Not sure what I am going to buy...
member12 says:
06:23 PM, 05/ 3/08
Sucks to hear about your rough shifting transmission.
17,000 miles on mine and I have no problems or regrets....great truck.