Why I will NEVER shop at a Dale Jr Chevrolet. And how GM has let me down - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 09:48 AM

... and why my next vehicle may be a ford :(

I love Chevrolet, always have, but this whole experience is driving me nuts. I have had constant issues with my car since purchase and have been given the run around by the dealer in my town (Dale Jr.)

6 months after purchase, ticking noise from valve train. Determined to be lifter not pumping all the way up and fixed. Noise returns next day. Take to separate dealer and they keep car for several days and then say that there is a sound but no point in fixing. It's logged as an existing issue and Im told to drive it till be breaks

Oil pump dies and leaves me stranded one night

3-4 months later get a no oil warning. They say it's because it's time for an oil change and I pay for that. An oil change was done when pump was replaced.... so either car is burning oil or it was never filled all the way up after pump replacement. They write that they want to do an oil consumption test but never inform me of this

Ticking noise still occurs, and I get a check engine light. Take it in and it's a bad O2 sensor in exhaust. they suspect oil burning and THIS TIME tell me to bring it back in 1k miles for consumption test

Check engine comes back on the next day and they say "it will keep coming on and off... and to just bring it in after 1k miles

Bring it in after ~1k miles and they determine that it burned ~2qts of oil. Schedule a de-carbonization of the rings

Emergency brake cable breaks one night (....seriously?) so I take it in next day for that and decarbonization. Fixed after 6 days

Next day, check engine light comes on (seriously?!!!!) Take it in and it's the other O2 sensor. They replace it

Next day, check engine light comes on (SERIOUSLY?!?!)

So that's where we are today. My car has been in the shop for more than 20 days cumulative since I bought, and they have tried 3+ times to fix the check engine light issue on top of major valve train issues 6 months after buying it which has still been a persistent issue since it was "fixed". So what did I do? I wrote to GM asking them to buy the car back because I feel that it's a lemon.

I get a reply the next day from GM Customer Care telling me to expect a call from a Sr. adviser within 1-2 business days.
3-4 days go by with no response, so I email them again.

Additional 1-2 days go by, so I call and get sent to the Sr. adviser voice mail. Leave voicemail requesting update

2 more days go by with no response so I email them again....

A week later I get a call from the GM Early Response Team. I google them and find this post (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...esponse%20team Note: It seems the oil pump failure is common.... why is this not a recall? Perhaps people should look into it, since Chrysler just got that huge judgement for failing to issue recalls and had to buy vehicles back. ) from a guy who seems to have A LOT of the same issues as me.... Early response team person says they have no record of the dealer reaching out to them for assistance with my issues. This tells me Dale Jr. is lazy and not interested in fixing my issue in the first place.

Early response team tells me to expect contact by end of week. I never hear back from them that week and leave voicemail for them on Friday afternoon

Following Monday dealer contacts me and offers to work a really good deal on a trade in to get me in a reliable car (additional monies off a new vehicle via their distract manager). I send some VINs of cars on their lot, and a build out on the site, of what I like. A week and a half goes by with no update.

I go in this past weekend and the guy appears to have NO idea who I am or what I'm talking about until I give a lot of detailed info and it finally clicks. He says he thought they were waiting on an update from GM though (does no one talk to anyone else in this business?) He takes my number and promises to call me by the end of the day. I never get that call

I call GM early response team back this past Tuesday saying that I feel like the dealer and gm is giving me the run around until I give up and ask for a call back ASAP. I still have no gotten a call back.

I tried to be reasonable saying that I want it bought back, or at least a good deal on a trade in and new vehicle (still a Chevy / GMC) so that I can get what I wanted when I bought a new car in the first place: A reliable car I feel like I can trust. Because right now I don't have that. I felt this was more than fair to them, especially considering the countless times I have taken annual leave from my work to drop-off/pick the car up. And the fact that 3 of the times they had it, it was for extended periods (approaching 6-7 days) over holiday weekends requiring me to cancel travel plans. It wasn't until the last few months that I have been given loaners when I told them that their initial policy of a rental car for only 2 days, after which it's my cost, was not going to fly.

But the dealer has been dropping the ball and apparently made no effort to fix my car (seemingly for the same reason as the above Camaro5 poster - they can't get paid unless they fix it) or keep me as a customer. And the GM Customer Care department and Early Response team are both incapable of following through on their promises of providing updates or calling back in their "1-2 business day" promise.

I'm looking into the Lemon Law, but it seems that the form HAS to be filed within 2 years + 60 days of the purchase of the vehicle? Even though all my existing issues were logged well before that 2 year mark. *sigh*

[/rant]
[/sells my GM stock] (Not really... but this is seriously disappointing me and giving me a bad taste in my mouth about a company that I have stood up for anytime the local Mustang drivers trash talk. Even through the recalls)

TooCool5 · 09-10-2015, 10:17 AM

I would contact the GM rep. on here and take a second look at your states Lemon laws.

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 10:24 AM

Who is the rep here? Maybe I'll just PM them a link to this post so they see it. I have explained my entire story at length to 6 people over the phone now and I am beyond sick of it. I feel like each time I talk to some one at the dealer or GM it's a different person who asks "So what's your problem?" to which I want to say "GO LISTEN TO THE RECORDING FROM THE LAST TIME I CALLED" lol

As far as Lemon Law, I came across this:
http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/...2578BF0058928C

"DO NOT DELAY IN COMPLETING THIS FORM. It must be received by the Office of the Attorney General (Department of Legal Affairs) no later than 60 days after the expiration of your Lemon Law rights period (24 months from the date of delivery of the vehicle), or 30 days from the date of final action of a state-certified, manufacturer-sponsored arbitration program (BBB/AUTOLINE, NCDS, CAP Motors), whichever is later."

But maybe I'll give a local lawyer a call and get their input?

Red Jewel RS · 09-10-2015, 10:45 AM

Wow! Don't give up. I work for a very large company and it's easy to become just a "number" but, there is someone there that cares. Be persistence, keep your cool, skip the crap and go to the top.

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Jewel RS

Wow! Don't give up. I work for a very large company and it's easy to become just a "number" but, there is someone there that cares. Be persistence, keep your cool, skip the crap and go to the top.

Thanks man! I just don't know how to get there. It seems like the dealership doesn't give a crap - I'm just one guy and they can get 10 buyers in place of me. I am inclined to find the emails for the General Manager, district manager, and regional manager, and send them my info and copy my original post on here and say how disgusted I am with my the way they have treated me.... But I'm not sure what it will accomplish as helping me out would cause them to lose money. And that is the exact opposite of their business strategy.

As far as GM, I either get voicemails with no return calls when I leave a message (or a return call a week and a half later saying "Just work with the dealership"), or I get some Tier 1 customer support person who says "Our system says so-and-so is working your case number. They will be in contact soon".

I told them VERY early on, when the valve train sound came back, that it made me concerned for possible future problems. I re-iterated that when the oil pump died on me. I said I wanted a new engine (which is what they had to do for the ZL1 guy whose post I linked to in the original post above). If they wouldn't do that, when there is obviously a similar issue they had to do it for, I am skeptical how willing they will be to help me when I'm asking for a buy back so that I can get into a car/truck that I actually TRUST.

I'm inclined to say, if they ask if they can just replace my camaro with another one, "After all the time of mine that you have wasted? Giving me the run around? Refusing to fix the issue, and requiring me to spend vacation time and cancel travel plans? Unless that Camaro's trim starts with a "Z", you can forget about"

Snoman · 09-10-2015, 11:11 AM

Chevrolet Customer SVC

I am unfamiliar with any assistance William has provided anyone on C5, most of his 8,000 posts seem to be simply "PM me your issue".

eh, don't let some random googling of law get you discouraged, professional consultations are free

Desert Dweller · 09-10-2015, 11:22 AM

Time to lawyer up. Letter to the CEO of Dale JR Chevrolet demanding the car be repaired to your complete satisfaction or replaced. Give them 2 weeks to comply or you're going to sue.

chuckstacamaro · 09-10-2015, 11:28 AM

contact Becky at Rodgers Chevrolet, she seems to have helped a lot of people on the forum. Good Luck

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desert Dweller

Time to lawyer up. Letter to the CEO of Dale JR Chevrolet demanding the car be repaired to your complete satisfaction or replaced. Give them 2 weeks to comply or you're going to sue.

Out of curiosity, what type of potential cost would I be looking at to have a lawyer prepare and send that letter? I worry that any gains obtained through them buying it back are lost in lawyer fees. Or if they refuse, then I have gained nothing and lost the lawyer fees associated with it.

motorhead · 09-10-2015, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoleLife

Out of curiosity, what type of potential cost would I be looking at to have a lawyer prepare and send that letter? I worry that any gains obtained through them buying it back are lost in lawyer fees. Or if they refuse, then I have gained nothing and lost the lawyer fees associated with it.

You could always do what my dad did with a Ford many years ago that was only six months old. He hung lemons all over it and parked it right against the show room doors and took the keys right before they opened up for the day. They finally got the point and took the car back for a different model.

Tenring · 09-10-2015, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoleLife

Office of the Attorney General

File a complaint with this (state AG) office, the dealership will respond to their involvement almost immediately . ...........also contact the BBB and start discussions with them.

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenring

File a complaint with this (state AG) office, the dealership will respond to their involvement almost immediately . ...........also contact the BBB and start discussions with them.

That's a good idea, thanks!

I should note, I purchased the car from a different dealer than Dale Jr. I bought it from a dealer about 30min out of town because they were willing to actually deal with me on the price.

But because I can't drive it an extra 30min each direction every time I need it fixed or serviced, I have been going through Dale Jr. here in town for all the work.

Will that complicate anything regarding the buy-back / etc?

And is my complaint with the dealership or GM to the State AG office? Because right now both of them are proving incapable of following through on promises and returning calls

Tenring · 09-10-2015, 06:32 PM

You are doing good at keeping calm in dealing with this, remember for everyone else involved it is not personal just business.

NoleLife · 09-10-2015, 07:54 PM

Thank you - I've definitely tried to keep everything respectful and professional throughout this, but I've definitely had a couple "Grrrr!" moments in my head when I keep calling back or leaving messages and can't get an answer or a returned call.

It was pretty frustrating when at first the sales rep didn't know who I was when I came in. Or when he didn't return my call as agreed.

But, I have been advised to contact a specific person at GM, as well as limit further details on a public forum in light of recent actions that I have taken. I will update when I can/know more.

09-10-2015, 09:48 AM	#1
NoleLife Drives: 2013 2SS M6 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Tallahassee, Fl Posts: 205	Why I will NEVER shop at a Dale Jr Chevrolet. And how GM has let me down ... and why my next vehicle may be a ford :( I love Chevrolet, always have, but this whole experience is driving me nuts. I have had constant issues with my car since purchase and have been given the run around by the dealer in my town (Dale Jr.) 6 months after purchase, ticking noise from valve train. Determined to be lifter not pumping all the way up and fixed. Noise returns next day. Take to separate dealer and they keep car for several days and then say that there is a sound but no point in fixing. It's logged as an existing issue and Im told to drive it till be breaks Oil pump dies and leaves me stranded one night 3-4 months later get a no oil warning. They say it's because it's time for an oil change and I pay for that. An oil change was done when pump was replaced.... so either car is burning oil or it was never filled all the way up after pump replacement. They write that they want to do an oil consumption test but never inform me of this Ticking noise still occurs, and I get a check engine light. Take it in and it's a bad O2 sensor in exhaust. they suspect oil burning and THIS TIME tell me to bring it back in 1k miles for consumption test Check engine comes back on the next day and they say "it will keep coming on and off... and to just bring it in after 1k miles Bring it in after ~1k miles and they determine that it burned ~2qts of oil. Schedule a de-carbonization of the rings Emergency brake cable breaks one night (....seriously?) so I take it in next day for that and decarbonization. Fixed after 6 days Next day, check engine light comes on (seriously?!!!!) Take it in and it's the other O2 sensor. They replace it Next day, check engine light comes on (SERIOUSLY?!?!) So that's where we are today. My car has been in the shop for more than 20 days cumulative since I bought, and they have tried 3+ times to fix the check engine light issue on top of major valve train issues 6 months after buying it which has still been a persistent issue since it was "fixed". So what did I do? I wrote to GM asking them to buy the car back because I feel that it's a lemon. I get a reply the next day from GM Customer Care telling me to expect a call from a Sr. adviser within 1-2 business days. 3-4 days go by with no response, so I email them again. Additional 1-2 days go by, so I call and get sent to the Sr. adviser voice mail. Leave voicemail requesting update 2 more days go by with no response so I email them again.... A week later I get a call from the GM Early Response Team. I google them and find this post (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...esponse%20team Note: It seems the oil pump failure is common.... why is this not a recall? Perhaps people should look into it, since Chrysler just got that huge judgement for failing to issue recalls and had to buy vehicles back. ) from a guy who seems to have A LOT of the same issues as me.... Early response team person says they have no record of the dealer reaching out to them for assistance with my issues. This tells me Dale Jr. is lazy and not interested in fixing my issue in the first place. Early response team tells me to expect contact by end of week. I never hear back from them that week and leave voicemail for them on Friday afternoon Following Monday dealer contacts me and offers to work a really good deal on a trade in to get me in a reliable car (additional monies off a new vehicle via their distract manager). I send some VINs of cars on their lot, and a build out on the site, of what I like. A week and a half goes by with no update. I go in this past weekend and the guy appears to have NO idea who I am or what I'm talking about until I give a lot of detailed info and it finally clicks. He says he thought they were waiting on an update from GM though (does no one talk to anyone else in this business?) He takes my number and promises to call me by the end of the day. I never get that call I call GM early response team back this past Tuesday saying that I feel like the dealer and gm is giving me the run around until I give up and ask for a call back ASAP. I still have no gotten a call back. I tried to be reasonable saying that I want it bought back, or at least a good deal on a trade in and new vehicle (still a Chevy / GMC) so that I can get what I wanted when I bought a new car in the first place: A reliable car I feel like I can trust. Because right now I don't have that. I felt this was more than fair to them, especially considering the countless times I have taken annual leave from my work to drop-off/pick the car up. And the fact that 3 of the times they had it, it was for extended periods (approaching 6-7 days) over holiday weekends requiring me to cancel travel plans. It wasn't until the last few months that I have been given loaners when I told them that their initial policy of a rental car for only 2 days, after which it's my cost, was not going to fly. But the dealer has been dropping the ball and apparently made no effort to fix my car (seemingly for the same reason as the above Camaro5 poster - they can't get paid unless they fix it) or keep me as a customer. And the GM Customer Care department and Early Response team are both incapable of following through on their promises of providing updates or calling back in their "1-2 business day" promise. I'm looking into the Lemon Law, but it seems that the form HAS to be filed within 2 years + 60 days of the purchase of the vehicle? Even though all my existing issues were logged well before that 2 year mark. sigh [/rant] [/sells my GM stock] (Not really... but this is seriously disappointing me and giving me a bad taste in my mouth about a company that I have stood up for anytime the local Mustang drivers trash talk. Even through the recalls) Last edited by NoleLife; 09-10-2015 at 08:21 PM. Reason: Adding left out details, and formatting

09-10-2015, 10:17 AM	#2
TooCool5 Drives: 2010 Camaro 1LS 3.6 LLT V6 325 HP Join Date: May 2009 Location: LS Posts: 4,244 View My Garage	I would contact the GM rep. on here and take a second look at your states Lemon laws. __________________ 2010 Camaro Auto, Inferno Orange, Titanium Interior, Gearhead Wheels AIRAID CAI

09-10-2015, 11:22 AM	#7
Desert Dweller Drives: 2015 Z/28 #334 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Arizona Posts: 167 View My Garage	Time to lawyer up. Letter to the CEO of Dale JR Chevrolet demanding the car be repaired to your complete satisfaction or replaced. Give them 2 weeks to comply or you're going to sue. __________________

09-10-2015, 10:24 AM	#3
NoleLife Drives: 2013 2SS M6 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Tallahassee, Fl Posts: 205	Who is the rep here? Maybe I'll just PM them a link to this post so they see it. I have explained my entire story at length to 6 people over the phone now and I am beyond sick of it. I feel like each time I talk to some one at the dealer or GM it's a different person who asks "So what's your problem?" to which I want to say "GO LISTEN TO THE RECORDING FROM THE LAST TIME I CALLED" lol As far as Lemon Law, I came across this: http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/...2578BF0058928C "DO NOT DELAY IN COMPLETING THIS FORM. It must be received by the Office of the Attorney General (Department of Legal Affairs) no later than 60 days after the expiration of your Lemon Law rights period (24 months from the date of delivery of the vehicle), or 30 days from the date of final action of a state-certified, manufacturer-sponsored arbitration program (BBB/AUTOLINE, NCDS, CAP Motors), whichever is later." But maybe I'll give a local lawyer a call and get their input?

09-10-2015, 10:45 AM	#4
Red Jewel RS Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Billings, MT Posts: 891 View My Garage	Wow! Don't give up. I work for a very large company and it's easy to become just a "number" but, there is someone there that cares. Be persistence, keep your cool, skip the crap and go to the top.

09-10-2015, 11:11 AM	#6
Snoman H-Town Camaro Club Drives: 2013 Dusk Edition 2SS/M6/Sun/NPP Join Date: May 2014 Location: Houston Posts: 2,234 View My Garage	Chevrolet Customer SVC I am unfamiliar with any assistance William has provided anyone on C5, most of his 8,000 posts seem to be simply "PM me your issue". eh, don't let some random googling of law get you discouraged, professional consultations are free

09-10-2015, 11:28 AM	#8
chuckstacamaro Drives: 2014 2SS/RS BRM Purchase 03/19/2014 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 538 View My Garage	contact Becky at Rodgers Chevrolet, she seems to have helped a lot of people on the forum. Good Luck

09-10-2015, 06:32 PM	#13
Tenring Drives: 2014 2SS/RS - SIM Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Arizona Posts: 2,188	You are doing good at keeping calm in dealing with this, remember for everyone else involved it is not personal just business.

09-10-2015, 07:54 PM	#14
NoleLife Drives: 2013 2SS M6 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Tallahassee, Fl Posts: 205	Thank you - I've definitely tried to keep everything respectful and professional throughout this, but I've definitely had a couple "Grrrr!" moments in my head when I keep calling back or leaving messages and can't get an answer or a returned call. It was pretty frustrating when at first the sales rep didn't know who I was when I came in. Or when he didn't return my call as agreed. But, I have been advised to contact a specific person at GM, as well as limit further details on a public forum in light of recent actions that I have taken. I will update when I can/know more.