Top being replaced for almost three weeks now? Need advice!
 

So I finally decide to go into the dealership to have my top replaced due to scuffs and partial tears. The service rep first tells me there is nothing they can do, and that this is caused by putting the top down when the car is wet. Since it is my car and I know that's not the cause I was skeptical from the beginning. The service rep calls me back later and says the TSB was done wrong and that he got me a new top from Chevy, great right?

I took the car in over two and a half weeks ago and he said it would take them about three days. I'm not really pushy so I waited a little longer and then started calling more repeatedly. I literally have heard "your car should be done today or tomorrow" over five times at this point. To make matters worse when the car isn't done I can't even get a call back. I have not been contacted one time in the past three weeks with an update unless I have called first.

There is a difference between bad customer service, and non-existent customer service. This is by far the worst service experience I have ever received in my life. I have heard everything from they are stretching the top out now, to they had to order new hooks for the new top.

Has anyone experienced something similar and what are my options at this point? I still do not have the car back. I am a younger guy and this is the first nice car I have ever bought. I am not sure what to do and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

Shady, shady, shady.
 

Steve, I hesitate to toss gas on the fire, but I hope you logged your mileage when you dropped your car off at the dealer.

A lady here and on Facebook had her car returned after a couple of weeks "in service" and it had more than 700 additional miles on it.

I kid you not. :mad2::mad2::mad2:

If I were you, I'd pay the Service Department an impromptu visit.
You have every right to see your car.
Make sure it hasn't been driven on some guy's vacation or has been in an accident.

:eyebulge:

Post Script for all...
 

Steve, if I had a Camaro like yours, I'd invest in a ($275) GPS Tracking/Mapping device and hide it deep inside the dash whenever I took such a car in for "service"...

I bought one a couple of years ago. They work great...just ask my teenage son. :rolleyes:

There's only one problem.
You'll most likely not be happy when you download and view the data on your computer. :fear:

firstly,
you need to find a reputable dealer with convertible top experience.The cause they gave you which you probably know, "you put your top down wet" , is complete b.s.

I have had all the problems with my car, broken 5th bow, then water management bag failure and now top replacement.In total , I was out approx. 3-4 weeks in total, so about 1 week at a time for the repair...ie monday to friday, sometimes got my car back on the friday and if not was usually the monday.The longest repair I had to wait for was the water management bag due to the fact the dealer had to pinpoint the problem, then order parts and had to wait for the car to properly dry out, which took a couple of extra days.

If the dealer is giving you the run around...get over there,voice your concerns with the service manager and the general manager.Be assertive and polite but not a jack@$$.Just get to the bottom of it and make sure they did not take it for a joy ride or smash it up.

Thanks for the advice. To be honest I never thought about stopping by to see the car in the past two and a half weeks. Partly because I was nervous to ruffle their feathers until after my car was completely finished. I figure if I piss them off they will just half ass the rest of the job.

This could get interesting :confused:

That is why I had said be assertive to get the answers you seek but at the same time be polite as to not piss them off...unless of coarse they did something stupid like take your car for a joyride or smashed it up... then it's okay to go ballistic on them.

Exactly the same line of bullshit they fed me on my first car. Put down top wet. When I was finally approved for my buyback and had Jack Pantaleo on the phone with the service manager, I told him, top down wet? Don't think so, I was right and you were wrong. Some of these dealerships have worse customer service than a dog turd in a dog park.

"It was caused by putting the top down when it's wet" =
We don't know what the hell to do to fix your top"

I had a dealership recently take 3 weeks - they didn't drive it any extra, but they just didn't know how the hell to install it. After I picked it up, the frame arms were showing on the inside over the driver & passenger front windows. When I'd put the top down, you could see straps hanging all over the place.

On my receipt, they put "Customer must manually adjust straps when raising/lowering the top".

So I took it to a different dealer in town - on the write up, they said "top was installed incorrectly". and then they sent it to a local top shop. In 3 days I had it back & everything worked correctly.

I'm telling you, that dealership is just sitting on it because they don't know what the hell to do.

That is what I think as well. I will let you guys know how it turns out. They said it should be done today or tomorrow....... I don't know what I am going to do if I hear that again and it falls through

On the plus side days out of service being fixed can and will be applied should you go the lemon law route. Good luck and keep us posted.

Hello xcarolina23,

I would like to apologize for the difficulties you’ve been experiencing in regards to your vehicle and the service received from your dealer. I would definitely like the opportunity to look into this matter for you. If you would private message me your VIN # and mileage along with your full name and phone contact and address, I will investigate further. Also, I will need your dealer’s information, that being, name, address and phone contact number.

Reggie B.
Chevrolet Customer Care.

A favor...
 

Steve, when you get your car back, compare the "starting mileage" on your Work Order and what your odometer reads.

Please do it for my curiosity. Thanks. :thumbsup:

"Rode hard and put away wet" only applies to horses. :twitch:

Wow, as customers, we are so conditioned that we have to walk on eggshells and diligently work at not pissing off car mechanics.

After a hidden microphone recorded a GM mechanic's Camaro abusive joy-ride and was posted on YouTube...and then a customer gets her car back with 770 miles added to her odometer, you'll never convince me that a car in for service at a dealership FOR THREE WEEKS OR MORE is just sitting there safe and secure inside.

Another example...many years ago, I dropped my Corvette off for a simple state inspection and walked a couple of blocks to have lunch. As I finished eating, two mechanics pulled into the parking lot in my car to pick up lunch orders!

When I went outside to say hello, they nervously said, "A test drive is a necessary part of the inspection process." They had no answer when I pointed to the new inspection stickers that they had already put on the car.

IMHO, without an honest (and skilled) Service Department, it isn't worth buying an expensive sports car. :rant:

The truth is Chevy allots them like 4 hours to change the lid. It typically takes 2-3 days if they know what they are doing. Here is my theory, they may not know what they are doing at your dealership and now have a lot more hours than that sunk in your car. If your trying to make money, where are you going to alot you manpower? On the paying warranty jobs right? So it may no longer be their priority. Time for you to make it their priority...hell I'd be down there every day, twice a day....piss them off, lol...it would be my mission!

Reggie, PM Sent. Car still isn't done.

Very similar story... I had an 03 Vette and had it in for something... not sure what.

I had the intake and exhaust done, no issue with warranty.

As I was waiting for the car, Tech had to test drive it, I hear it screaming through the town on a back road. I was standing there with the service manager.
He could probably tell by the look on my face that I knew it was mine.

Tech gets back, tossed me the keys like he was "done" with my car and says, nice hot rod you got there........ I was furious!!!!!

After 20 minutes of I am sorry, here is free this and free that.... they never saw the car, or any of my cars again. They lost out on quite a bit of business and got a bad rap through my clubs, buddy's... anyone that would listen.

This was 9 years ago, I don't blame the guy, hell if I had access to different car I would test drive them too....

Ah, great disappointment :mad: ! I thought this stuff had finally gone away. Please tell me they gave these excuses last year.

Here's the scoop. As many have already said (and as you can find in a search on here), we have all heard those excuses. Those are NOT from your dealership. Those are originally from GM. GM's first line of defense was to deny, deny, deny. The dealerships were told to take that position from GM (as well as the "normal" comments, the "it'll wash away comments", the "You left something in your trunk" comments and the multitude of other insulting excuses the dealerships were told to give).

Now as time has gone on, and GM has seen more and more of these problems (with more and more pressure from the owners for them to do something about it), it appeared that they softened their stance. Lately I have seen more and more attempts by the dealerships to actually work with the customer than just try to blow them off with those excuses. We see TSB's and new tops coming out in an actual attempt to fix the problem. We see the possibility of the 2013's NOT having the same problems as ours did.

So I start thinking that, hey maybe GM got the picture.

And then I see this;
and wonder if we are back to square one.

Let's hope that this is an isolated case.

As for the top, mine was done in two days with them holding onto it for an extra day to be sure. But I also had (according to them) 4 company tech/"engineers" working on it.

While I'm not as suspicious as Micheal (though the extra miles certainly could be true), I strongly believe that they have screwed up the install and are trying to fix/get out of it some way. This would not be a GM screw up. This would be a dealership screw up.

I would say take a look on here or the fb page ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/226942550693692/ ) to see the areas where they should have slid in the channel, instead of pounding it in. You will be able to tell if they have attempted to pound it in. At least then when you go, you will have a little substance to work with. As we have seen on here, if they have attempted to pound it in, then they have broken it.

Unfortunately, you are still stuck with that dealership. They have to be given a chance to fix the top. Now that certainly doesn't mean you can't contact GM or your state licensing agency or your BBB or the owner of the dealership or your mother or etc.....you get my drift. Not putting pressure on them and not "pissing them off" will do more harm to you than putting pressure on them and pissing them the hell off. I suspect that its already a forgone conclusion that they have screwed up the top, so you might as well get it sooner than later.

Well guys, another day down and still no car. At this point I believe the car qualifies for the lemon law but I really don't want to take that route, especially since it's not something mechanical.

If I bought the car used does the lemon law even apply to me? I have a feeling it doesn't apply to me because if it did the dealer would have been a little more prompt on getting my car fixed.

You might want to check out the lemon law for your state.

http://www.bbb.org/us/auto-line-lemon-law/

First, make a casual, unannounced visit to the dealership.
If you can subtly wander around the Service Department outside lot, look for your car.
If you can't find it, ask if it is inside in a service bay.
Depending on their answer, think of something you have in the glove box or in the trunk and tell them you need to retrieve it.

If your car isn't there, or they won't let you see it, ask to speak with the manager of the dealership and ask one very important question...

Where the Hell is my car? :mad2:

If you get your car back with a "This Car Climbed Mt. Washington" bumper sticker on it, you'll know where it's been the last three weeks. :twitch:

You'll find that thread on the FACEBOOK page. :thumbsup:

I just posted this in another forum so I copied and pasted here. Below is my experience with the top.

I just had mine replaced this week. I got it back yesterday, it is quoted as a 6 hour job but it took them 5 days to get it back to me. The dealer did this themselves which they clearly didn't know how to do. They leak tested it into day 3 and found it was draining into the car. They had some specialist come in to fix that. They did put the recall kit in but I did not ask for any part numbers. A simple cover in the trunk was not put back together properly (lazily looked over) and there is a rattle of a piece of metal in the side of my car that is either something that was dropped down there or something that is loose. They also put a big scratch in the "A" pillar, filled it with touch up paint and were not going to tell me about it. As if I wouldn't notice. Going back Monday to see how they are going to remedy all of this. Had to leave when I picked it up before I really lost it.

Ok so I got the car back and have to say I am pleased with the top as of now. However, durability is the name of the game and only time will tell if it was truly done correctly. They put an upgraded top on the car and it fits very snug, opens and closes well, and even has some improvements up front where it locks. The wind noise is also reduced.

But....... Of course this couldn't be done without any issues. I asked them up front to NOT wash my car. Sure enough I go there and the car is fully detailed. They did it for free and were quick to point out that is was a $130 value. This was supposed to be their token of kindness to make me feel better about waiting three weeks. So I took the car out in the sun and of course pointed out the awful job they did on the detail. Wax in the crevices, hazing, etc... Now I will have to spend another weekend re-correcting the paint.

At this point I have learned that they really couldn't care less about the car or person. Maybe if I was driving an older car or daily driver I wouldn't care as much, but I feel like they didn't give two shits about actually taking care of my car. I obviously will never be going back to this dealer again, and will advise the club to do the same.

Live and learn I guess. I'll keep you posted if I have any setbacks.

I too always ask them not to wash my car if I bring it in for service, the trick is to leave it dusty, this way you can tell where they rubbed up against it. If it comes back detailed and has been there longer than it should have I would be concerned they scratched (dented) it and fixed it, look close for overspray. I write DO NOT WASH! on several pieces of paper and tape them to the dash, leave them on the seats and floor mats, they will try to hide mistakes before coming clean. It has happen to me and many others. If you know what to look fore you will be able to find it. Good luck!

In and out mileage?
:pop2:

Just rolled over a mile. Don't know if it was from going to the garage or if they drove it to make sure wind noise wasn't an issue. I really think the main issue was they just didn't know what the hell they were doing. The second issue is obviously they don't listen lol. Now it's just time to sit and wait and hope for the best.

A Paint-Thickness Meter is the quickest way to find body work.
If you deal in used cars, or are a car collector, it's money very well-spent. :thumb:

I discovered a repaired passenger door panel on a brand new Avalanche.
The paint was a little wavy, and the meter proved it.

The dealer said it came in with a couple of .22 bullet holes in the door.
It was allegedly subject to target practice/vandalism while on the rail car. :der:

Thinking the car might be bad luck, I decided to pass on the Capone Chevy. :smoking:

That's excellent news.
Instead of sitting, waiting, and hoping, GO OUT AND ENJOY DRIVING! :happyanim: