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Remember a few days ago when they told us that we'd get a new transmission as opposed to ripping ours open and fixing it?
Well, looks like plans changed.
That thing all wrapped up by the coffee cup? That's half of the new 2nd gear synchro.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ *the same mileage it was last blog*
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half_ton says:
05:28 PM, 04/26/10
The only potential benefit I see to this is if they are able to determine why it failed. If that's not possible then why not just replace it?
Side note to Dan, you do an excellent job of suspension walk arounds . . . how about one for the tranny?
carguy622 says:
05:29 PM, 04/26/10
As someone who appreciated mechanics I enjoy this picture. I enjoy even more that it's not my car.
Why the change of heart? Were fairly certain that they knew what the exact problem was, and thus felt that they should just open it up and fix it?
mannyman1 says:
05:30 PM, 04/26/10
hrmmm.
i wonder if they know that your car is from edmund's test fleet...
and if that would affect their decision to repair the synchro versus dropping in a new tranny.
i guess they would want to showcase that they are competent at repairing things, but its riskier i think than giving you guys a complete new unit.
but then again the new unit could fail again and that would look extra terrible.
i hope they dont have a kenmore appliance repair guy/girl fixing the transmission.
either way i hope your tranny operation goes well.
its been a while since ive seen the inside of a tranny.
that tranny looks funny all laid out like that.
banhugh says:
05:30 PM, 04/26/10
"I enjoy even more that it's not my car" LOL!!! Me too, that's why I don't lent my car to anyone that doesn't know how to drive...
mannyman1 says:
05:36 PM, 04/26/10
oh and to add....
i like how mr.jim-bob and mr.billy-joe service techs have laid out all of the fine inner workings of a transmission on that pristine surface free of dirt and things that could scratch the gears...
you guys should get the gears cryo'ed, shot peened and WPCed while its all out like that.
firstwagon says:
05:40 PM, 04/26/10
Please tell me you are taking it apart yourself and that messy bench of scattered parts is not at a professional dealership.
stingray454 says:
05:46 PM, 04/26/10
Good grief that's scary looking, and I'm a good do-it-yourselfer mechanic. If that was my new car, I would be a bit ill looking at the transmission in pieces like that.
mannyman1 says:
05:46 PM, 04/26/10
firstwagon says:
05:40 PM, 04/26/10
Please tell me you are taking it apart yourself and that messy bench of scattered parts is not at a professional dealership.
- you think your average DIYer has that custom precision cut wood triangulated gearshaft holding device the gm like the dealership has?
get real buddy, that is a $42048+ tool right there
lowmilelude says:
05:49 PM, 04/26/10
Had to replace a synchro on the Prelude's transmission once. Talk about a PITA, but it was cheaper than a whole new unit. Plus, I got some cool leftover parts to make a lamp stand with.
Of course, that was after almost 10yrs and 70k miles of daily driving and weekend races. A tad longer than this Chevy unit seems to have lasted...
texases says:
05:49 PM, 04/26/10
+10, firstwagon - I was amazed to see that tranny taken apart on what could have been my workbench at home, if I didn't care...WTF?
kingkhalas says:
05:54 PM, 04/26/10
typical dealership double talk.
mannyman1 says:
05:55 PM, 04/26/10
lowmilelude says:
05:49 PM, 04/26/10
Had to replace a synchro on the Prelude's transmission once. Talk about a PITA, but it was cheaper than a whole new unit. Plus, I got some cool leftover parts to make a lamp stand with.
Of course, that was after almost 10yrs and 70k miles of daily driving and weekend races. A tad longer than this Chevy unit seems to have lasted...
- why does the age of the synchro matter? its not like they get weaker with time/years, they get weaker with use.
- your prelude didnt have to deal with the stresses that the maro engine is putting on the gearbox.
not a fanboy or defending the camaro, just stating facts.
greenpony says:
06:12 PM, 04/26/10
So Mike, why did they change their minds?
dbostondriver says:
06:26 PM, 04/26/10
$10 Bucks says they loose something. "Hey Bucky, you done seen that 6th gear? No? I guess five ill do." Table looks real professional. GM Out!
roadburner says:
06:43 PM, 04/26/10
Judging by the way parts are strewn all over the place I'm betting something gets left out OR a foreign object finds its way in...
gregnv says:
07:12 PM, 04/26/10
This kind of s**t is what got GM into trouble last time. A car problem compounded by dealership problems. They set the expectation by telling you you'll get a replacement only to take a shot at doing a repair with a mechanic that may or may not be familiar with this version of the transmission.
majin_ssj_eric says:
08:02 PM, 04/26/10
Good lord, I'd have been on the phone to GM Corporate faster than they could declare another bankruptcy! This is totally unacceptable. Remind me again what Nissan's response was to the failed 370Z tranny? I'm guessing it didn't involve "Mutt and Geoff" disassembling the thing on a dirty bench, outside, amonst yesterday's day-old coffee.....
lautomobile says:
08:09 PM, 04/26/10
Well there's your problem...
rtblues says:
08:39 PM, 04/26/10
Well,
Judging from the 50 year old craftsman (Sears) screwdrivers/chisles/prybars and the ever-so-accurate tape measure along with the Kenmore appliance gift mug (also Sears) I would say from the gathered intelligence and the look of that work bench, indeed this tech repaired dryers and trash compactors.
Gentleman, good luck with this one.
yellowmiata says:
09:39 PM, 04/26/10
I have to admit, the fact that 3 of your cars that I can remember off the top of my head have had transmission problems, I'm starting to move fault from the cars to the drivers. Statistics are no longer on your side.
bimmerjay says:
11:00 PM, 04/26/10
Oh boy, this is NOT going to end well. The Chevy dealer also tried to fix Edmunds' problematic Silverado transmission several times before it completely failed. And that is a highly contaminated work area with parts strewn about... good luck guys.
So I wonder if the output shaft is ok on this car.
stovt001 says:
12:05 AM, 04/27/10
It still amazes me that you guys insist on going back to the same GM dealers you always have problems with when there are tons of great GM dealers in the area. I know I've found a few good ones. Whatever happened to that dealer ratings tool on Edmunds that was being advertised so heavily around here a while back. Why not use that? I hate to feed into a conspiracy theory here, but it is almost like you guys want to have a bad experience at a GM dealer.
pat1usmc says:
04:40 AM, 04/27/10
I'm glad other's are amazed at this picture!! Are you freaking kidding me?! How did you allow that? The only good thing about this is that now you have proof!
It reminds me of those pictures of the spark plug factory in China...
http://www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=1063782
dougtheeng says:
05:05 AM, 04/27/10
Yikes. I'm glad its not my Camaro right now.
jdub53084 says:
06:26 AM, 04/27/10
I've been giggling watching the updates on the Camaro trans repair..
Then I watch the burn out videos over and over again!!
bodyblue says:
06:52 AM, 04/27/10
Have them fix it (if they can) and get rid of it......and people seriously wonder why GM has the reputation it has. If you have to shop around to find a good GM dealer then why by one of their cars???
actualsize says:
06:59 AM, 04/27/10
I can't even begin to tell you how grossed-out I am by this picture. I grew up working in a race shop and THAT is one sloppy "workspace". Love the "Kenmore Elite" coffee cup, too. Yeah, our trusty tranny mechanic cut his teeth on washers and dryers. And dig that hunk of firewood being employed to keep the gear teeth off the bench.
Dan
ed124c says:
07:46 AM, 04/27/10
Picture of the year! I'd like to see Leno do a spoof in front of this photo-- dressed up like Mr Goodwrench.
Even scarier than "The Operation" show on cable. I thought we would have more fun with the '94 Miata post, but right now this is the winner. GM wins!
zcalvert says:
08:16 AM, 04/27/10
maybe this wasn't the best pic to post since you guys often try to tell us you take care of your long term cars just as well as the rest of us take care of the cars we actually OWN.
jasond52 says:
08:40 AM, 04/27/10
When I saw the pic, I thought they were disassembling the tranny to find the cause of the failure -- who cares if it's done on a dirt-strewn table? My jaw dropped when I read they were "fixing" it and planning to reassemble it and put it back in the car, cigarette butts and all.
jeepsrt says:
08:40 AM, 04/27/10
I would demand a new transmission, especially after seeing this picture.
chuckg says:
08:51 AM, 04/27/10
There is no excuse for this. I'm sure Chevy just loves seeing this pic on Edmunds.
Looks to me like the Camaro is going to be a short term car.
travelingman79 says:
09:26 AM, 04/27/10
I wonder if that wrench along the left side of the table is a "Goodwrench." No matter how good the products are, there are some vestiges of "old GM" that just won't go away.
crackheadalley says:
11:46 AM, 04/27/10
Oh, you guys do this because it is not your money...
How much do you think you can get for this Camaro on a trade for a Corolla or Civic 5-speed? Cause that's what you want to be driving after they try to put this thing back together into one piece.
I swear to God, my workbench (inherited from my grandfather and used by my kid) sits between an old fridge and 4 old dirt bikes and looks like the workbench for the assembly of a space mission spacecraft at JPL compared to this. All its missing is the half-cut thinner can holding all the bolts and nuts. And the guy selling tacos in the street and the dog. Then yoiu could be on a roadside shop in Mexico or Central America.
I won't be surprised if you get a skip-shift feature after they are finished with the job. And they will try to convince you it is "normal".
aurakr says:
02:16 PM, 04/27/10
As a person who owns GM products, this is totally wrong. Pictures like this are one of the many reasons I went with Saturn over Chevy at the time. Not sure what my next vehicle might be, but even though I have owned a Chevy for the last 10 years, and have always had a Chevy of some sort in the drive way, along with other GM makes, I do not trust the CHEVY dealerships.
I agree with everyone else, I would never again go to that dealership. Is there anyway you could advertise the name of that dealership in big letters so no IL reader ever goes there again???
cx7lover says:
02:58 PM, 04/27/10
GM is BACK bby w/ the new 2010 Camaro.
desmolicious says:
03:02 PM, 04/27/10
I don't know why people are fretting. What could possibly go wrong?
beermagazine says:
03:25 PM, 04/27/10
Actually I guess I'm the only one that thinks maybe the give the parts a nice cleaning before putting it back together...but yes it is a funny picture.
lre107 says:
04:56 PM, 04/27/10
You can't blaim GM for that table, it is the dealership mechanics deal, but I have to agree, that is a very unprofessional way to disassemble and assemble a transmisson. I have never been a proffesional mechanic, but I have worked in plenty of dealerships and have never seen a tranny guy that messy before. Surprised they didn't just put in a new tranny, when you figure in labor for R & R and repair, it problem comes close to just replacing it with a new one.
stovt001 says:
07:31 PM, 04/27/10
"If you have to shop around to find a good GM dealer then why by one of their cars??? "
Bodyblue, usually I'd have a sarcastic remark to indicate just what type of tool I thought you were, but I'll just get straight to it this time. You are an ignorant fanboy troll who is either completely oblivious to real life or you ignore the facts in your crusade against GM.
ALL brands have good and bad dealerships. I'm still shocked by how many people, especially on car sites, are ignorant of the fact that manufacturers neither own nor operate dealerships. Franchise laws make it next to impossible to control their behavior in any way at all, and they cannot be shut down. Look, GM and Chrysler tried, and the government shot them down because dealers are a powerful lobbying force.
The only real force encouraging good business practices from dealerships are simple market forces, but some of them just don't get that they have to compete for business. Santa Monica GM dealerships know they actually have to compete to be as bad as possible, because they know Edmunds will only use the absolute worst GM dealerships to cast the product (and the company, due to the ignorance noted above) in as bad a light as possible.
My family has owned products from nearly every Japanese and domestic brand (oddly, no Korean or European cars yet, other than a '71 Super Beetle) and every brand had its good and bad dealers. The last Chevy dealer I was at treated me great, as did the one before that. The one before that? Absolute rubbish.
boxermike says:
08:21 PM, 04/27/10
Some good responses so far..nice. Answers to some questions below:
1) We use this dealership-- despite the Silverado issue-- because they are the best and the closest to our work/office.
2) If we hadn't seen this table, I'd be giving them five-stars for knowing how to treat a customer.
3) I'm still giving them five-stars on how to treat customers. What percentage of people go back to the shop? Should our assumptions of what might happen after/before this picture taint that? My gut says no...but if the trans breaks again. Yes.
4) This is the best comment so far, "- you think your average DIYer has that custom precision cut wood triangulated gearshaft holding device the gm like the dealership has? "
-mm
gcn says:
08:31 PM, 04/27/10
I'm waiting for the next update to be that a new tranny is going in after all - after GM sees this picture and blows a fuse at the way the job is being done. That's just no way for a professional to strip down and store parts. It can't just be cleaned without stripping out the remaining gearsets, bearings and shafts completely. This dealer has essentially killed this transmission.
cr_driver says:
10:56 PM, 04/27/10
This is amazing!
keptman says:
11:17 PM, 04/27/10
If anyone had any doubts about this being a GM dealership, just look at the Mr. Goodwrench shirts in the background. Now I know why the steering rack had to be replaced twice on my 2005 Malibu. YIKES!
travelingman79 says:
06:39 AM, 04/28/10
Are they providing a loaner car while the repair is done? If so, that might be an opportunity to do a mini-review of another GM model...
half_ton says:
08:53 AM, 04/28/10
gcn brings up an interesting point; have you guys contacted GM or considered contacting GM about this photo? I admit you don't want to bring heat on any business/person/dealer/orginization over one incident but this . . . this NEEDS their attention.