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Started lemon law process today

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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 02:25 PM
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Default Started lemon law process today

I'm sending off my 30 day demand letter to Chevrolet today which is required before the Lemon Law can be invoked in Texas.

It's something that I hate to do because I love my car (2004 triple black vert) and this is probably an isolated case but ... 30 days in the garage for a 2.5 month old car that I am making $800 payments on is trashing my patience.

I posted about leaking gas tanks earlier (Leaking gas tank link) and I have been waiting on parts ever since June 24th. The gas tanks arrived yesterday but there is still no crossover tube. I can't believe Chevrolet wouldn't have parts for the 2004 model year, it's inexcusable. If someone has a problem a couple of years down the road are they going to have to fabricate the parts themselves?

So if they fix it in the next 30 days great, I'll write it off as a once-in-a-lifetime type issue and continue to enjoy my car ... if not, I'll cut my losses, let the Texas Motor Vehicle Division deem it a lemon and force a buyout or replacement.

So pissed~
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 02:28 PM
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That sucks! Hope you get your issues resolved. If they do lemon law it, are you getting another one?
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 02:28 PM
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Man I'm so sorry to hear that... I hope all works out. Maybe they'll get their stuff together, fix that problem, and you'll be problem free afterward for years.

Hope it all ends well.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 02:32 PM
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After reading your original thread on the subject, it looks like a few 04's are having this problem. Weren't the sending units and tanks redesigned in 04, the same ones to be used in the C6? Hmmmmm.....
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 02:51 PM
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I feel your pain, I bought what was supposed to be a great car but 2 of its first 4 months were spent in the shop, absolutely unbelievable. (this is not my corvette I am talking about) The process began in March and can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 1/2 years I am told by our lawyer. The manufacturer seems to take the attitude that a large percentage of these lemon law complaints will simply give up and trade the car in after a certain amount of time so the process is incredibly slow. I am soooo motivated that I will wait until the end of time for justice Tricky because they would prefer you not to drive the car (in my case) to show that the car is a POS but one has to get to work.

Best of luck and keeping fighting the good fight

Pete
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Automag928
That sucks! Hope you get your issues resolved. If they do lemon law it, are you getting another one?
The Texas Lemon Law gives you the option of replacing or buying out the car.

I'd probably choose to have the car replaced because it would result in the least amount of out-of-pocket expense.

If they buy-out the car, they charge you a "fair use charge" which is equal to the current mileage divided by either 100,000 or 120,000 (not sure) times the purchase price of the car. If they bought out the car I'd probably see if I could find a good deal on a gen 2 Viper.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Black04Vert
I'm sending off my 30 day demand letter to Chevrolet today which is required before the Lemon Law can be invoked in Texas.

It's something that I hate to do because I love my car (2004 triple black vert) and this is probably an isolated case but ... 30 days in the garage for a 2.5 month old car that I am making $800 payments on is trashing my patience.

I posted about leaking gas tanks earlier (Leaking gas tank link) and I have been waiting on parts ever since June 24th. The gas tanks arrived yesterday but there is still no crossover tube. I can't believe Chevrolet wouldn't have parts for the 2004 model year, it's inexcusable. If someone has a problem a couple of years down the road are they going to have to fabricate the parts themselves?

So if they fix it in the next 30 days great, I'll write it off as a once-in-a-lifetime type issue and continue to enjoy my car ... if not, I'll cut my losses, let the Texas Motor Vehicle Division deem it a lemon and force a buyout or replacement.

So pissed~
Good luck. I filed Lemon Law on my 99 Coupe. It spent 83 days in the shop the first 12 mos. of ownership. I had all my documents and the whole nine yards. The administrative jerk I had was just that. Because I sighed when he said he rule in 90 days after the hearing, he changed it to 120 days. When we went outside the rep from Chevy said he knew my administator and because of my actions he'd probably rule against me which he did. Good luck and if you go to a hearing by all means don't sigh or make remarks.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 04:36 PM
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I bought a brand new Caravan a few years ago. The dealer had it 3 of the first 4 weeks with a nagging driveability problem - going into the limp mode. I considered the lemon law - but talked to my lawyer first. He wrote a letter to the dealer and within a week they offered my money back - or to rebuild another one for me. I didn't need to invoke the lemon law - thankfully.

I hope you get taken care of.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 04:51 PM
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A full two thirds of the problems are generated by the dealers themselves. Parts are in fact available and in good supply. parts availability is in most cases a dealer issue. I have seen cars in the shop for all kinds of reasons and when the dealer says it is for parts, it is usually for another reason and not parts! there is no excuse for keeping your car for so long. Sometimes they do it just on a plain priority issue. I have over the years learned the tricks of these guys.

They play the money game all the way to the end.

Good luck! Wring their widdow necks!
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:05 PM
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did they give you a loaner while its been in the shop??? and i dont mean a cavalier...i mean somthing on the same level as the vette?
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by EVIL_C5
did they give you a loaner while its been in the shop??? and i dont mean a cavalier...i mean somthing on the same level as the vette?
Yes they gave me a loaner Tahoe (I am guessing a $30K or slightly less vehicle for this older base model), which they are obligated to do since I purchased a 5 year extended warranty when I bought the car. I'm not sure GM makes a comparable product to their Corvette.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:32 PM
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Sorry you are having so many problems with your new car. Hopefully GM can get yours fixed and you can start to enjoy it. If not, good luck on the lemon law process.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:33 PM
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Originally Posted by alex1217
After reading your original thread on the subject, it looks like a few 04's are having this problem. Weren't the sending units and tanks redesigned in 04, the same ones to be used in the C6? Hmmmmm.....
Can anyone confirm that the C6 gas tank is the same one used in the 2004 vette?
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:34 PM
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It is always the dealers I have learned to never buy or have a vehicle serviced if there is only one dealer in town. No competition breeds poor dealers.

Best of Luck!

pete
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Black04Vert
I'm sending off my 30 day demand letter to Chevrolet today which is required before the Lemon Law can be invoked in Texas.

It's something that I hate to do because I love my car (2004 triple black vert) and this is probably an isolated case but ... 30 days in the garage for a 2.5 month old car that I am making $800 payments on is trashing my patience.

I posted about leaking gas tanks earlier (Leaking gas tank link) and I have been waiting on parts ever since June 24th. The gas tanks arrived yesterday but there is still no crossover tube. I can't believe Chevrolet wouldn't have parts for the 2004 model year, it's inexcusable. If someone has a problem a couple of years down the road are they going to have to fabricate the parts themselves?

So if they fix it in the next 30 days great, I'll write it off as a once-in-a-lifetime type issue and continue to enjoy my car ... if not, I'll cut my losses, let the Texas Motor Vehicle Division deem it a lemon and force a buyout or replacement.

So pissed~
When was you car built (use the forum thread titled year born)? My '04 Vert was built March 05, 2004 and so far w/4000 miles, no gas tank leak. My '03 Coupe was the car from hell since I was constantly taking it down to the dealer for one thing or another (new car).

Last edited by Vettlldo; Jul 20, 2004 at 05:45 PM.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 06:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Black04Vert
Can anyone confirm that the C6 gas tank is the same one used in the 2004 vette?
Excert from a thread on the C5 Registry -

*******
Those of you who own a C5 produced after VIN number ending in 35114929, built on November 22, 2002 are driving the Corvette of the Future! Those smart engineers at GM were able to improve on the C5’s (future C6) fuel system with newly designed tanks, quieter fuel pump, and GREATLY improved fuel gauge measuring system. There were so many items replaced with this new C6 design that a SPECIAL RPO code FFS was assigned to the new system. Every C5 from the above VIN forward will have this new enhanced system. (As an additional note, for those of our members who have been following the Cadillac XLR, this new fuel system is also being incorporated into this design.)
*******

Did the FFS code carry into the 04 model?
The changes made mid year to the 2003 model corrected the fuel gauge problems of earlier models. The guage would stick, or fluctuate.

I don't know if the physical size of the components are identical to the 03-04 model tanks, but your 04 tanks have been in production since November 2002.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 07:01 PM
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Check out this tread: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=865141
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 07:15 PM
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What can I say. It really sucks. They couldn't use the crossover from the original tanks? Sounds like a dealer problem to me. Now that you have contacted GM maybe the dealer will get off their butts. And if and when you get this resolved I wouldn't be going back to that dealer again. They should at least reimburse you for two months of payments on the car. I think your showing great resolve in this. I'd have gone ballistic way before this. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 07:18 PM
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I have learned to never buy or have a vehicle serviced if there is only one dealer in town. No competition breeds poor dealers.
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Old Jul 20, 2004 | 07:26 PM
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Man :mad
Good Luck....It should NEVER be this way........They should JUMP all over a quick fix.
Whatever happend to "Customer Service"
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