Stopped by the dealer today for the first oil change and there was a recall on certain VINS for low diff fluid, Bowling Green mistake. A test drive is to follow.... If Bearing noise - means diff change! How can this happen? GM has been testing pre production vehicles for most of 2013! Equally, if not more disturbing is the real possibility of over filling the Z 51 oil reservoir. Supplemental manual requires 9.8 quarts not 10.3 as stated in owners manual!
My VIN 1252

 

This has been discussed at length some time ago... the supplier of the diff made a mistake. They were supposed to be delivered to GM filled with fluid but weren't.

 

We'll ok, but you would think GM would contact owners direct and immediately. I Have owned this car since Oct 11th. If the diff fluid is low , and I don't know yet if it is, it appears that they are waiting for me to burn the bearings before action is taken. Makes no sense at the management, if you want to call it that, level.

 

I agree... this should have been better communicated for sure.

 

Actually, the problem wasn't that they weren't delivered with fluid but that the level was wrong when they get installed and plumbed into the cooler. They didn't take the cooler and it's lines into account when they spec's the fluid amount.

I believe the TSB instructed the dealers to contact their buyers and not to just wait till the customer came in.

 

I got my car mid-October and asked the dealer to include the differential fluid check as part of the PDI after reading some horror stories here on the Forum. No problems so far (2200 miles)

 

As I understand it, it isn't a recall, it's a TSB

HUGE difference

 

Yep. A TSB is performed by the dealer when you bring your car in complaining about the howling sound in the rear and all the smoke following your car own the highway.

A recall is when you get a letter from GM asking you to bring in your car(even if it's not howling or smoking) so they can take a look at it and fix the problem before it actually is a problem.

 

A TSB is a technical service bulletin, which is essentially instructions for a technician to repair a known potential but not guaranteed issue upon customer complaint of the given symptoms. Most of the time a TSB is NOT free unless the car is currently under warranty. TSB's performed outside the warranty period are Customer Pay work, not warranty.

A recall is generally reserved for safety issues and is completed with or without a customer complaint, ie. illegal to not perform the work even if the customer only requested an oil change, also illegal for a dealer to sell a car with an open recall. Recall work is always under warranty; ie not the customer's responsibility to fund repair.

The issue is that technicians become familiar with the TSBs on given models, often doing the work whether the customer mentioned the symptom or not, robbing manufacturers of millions (in some cases billions) of warranty repair dollars and often times convincing the customer that because there is a TSB, it must be done, even if the car is out of warranty and the customer did not experience the symptom and tell the customer they have to pay for this "required" work and creating dissatisfaction.

TSB and recall info is available to independent shops as well as dealers but increasingly requires expensive special tools only available to the dealerships (until the aftermarket catches up, sometimes years later).

 

My story is a little old, but I think the corporate culture may still be the same. I had a Vette that had contaminated brake fluid installed at the factory which resulted in a significant reduction in braking effectiveness. There was a TSB issued for this, but when I went in (with the warranty still in effect) they spent more time trying to convince me that I didn't understand how ABS brakes worked than trying to fix the problem.

I finally did a complete brake bleeding myself, which fixed the problem, rather than fight with the dealer for a solution. This was after I had purchased an extended warranty from this very dealership!

I was left with the strong impression that the GM customer had better look out for himself. I was amazed at the energy and determination that they could put into fighting their customers' warranty claims.

 

It's an individual dealer and sometimes an individual technician that can alter the customer experience, like in this case. Depending on even which GM rep you get can change the perspective.

 

My differential was down over a quart. Dealer claims it was checked and full before I took delivery. They claim they will show documentation. I have documentation from an independent shop that they added over one quart of fluid today at 4500 miles. I was under the car and witnessed them adding the fluid.

 

Of course you are right, but my experience is way too common to
call it an aberration. A Corvette specialist from out of state was the one who clued me in to the TSB, but these brakes could've easily killed me and other people (yes, they were that bad) and the dealership was only interested in me going away.

When I look at the ignition switch story, I think about my brakes and I can only conclude that GM is willing to take some losses among its customer base. Kind of makes me feel like I'm back in the military.

 

Where have you been? This has been discussed for many months, many times. I read this forum at least a few times a week just for that reason. I don't want any surprises that can be prevented.

 

Good thing that every C7 owner(all 16,640 of them) is a member of this forum and checks in hourly to see if someone has made a post as to what GM is supposed to be doing to his car to keep in top notch shape, since GM doesn't contacts the owners directly. Correct?

 

Heh, heh, Joe, thanks, ... you summed it up best!

The dealer service rep told me it was a recall specifically on my car ... It seems she misspoke ?
Turns out the diff fluid level was ok. ....
I had reported no bearing noise ...
However, a kid took the car out for a test drive, *%*#@! ... (not required if diff not low and no noise reported).
Car comes back covered in dust .... was squeaky clean when I brought it in.
To change the oil and check the diff took 3 hours starting at 7:30 on appointment.
The head service rep had no idea what the correct fill was for a Z51 ... I let him know before he started .... I was going by the Sup Manual ...9.8 quarts.
This issue has been all over the forum but the possibility of over filling is serious and when dealing with shade tree mechanics it can not be stressed enough!

Sam

 

Thanks again Joe!

Sam

 

Steve, When I picked up my C7 Oct 11th my wife immediately noticed that the CRM "premium paint" top did not match the rest of the car. The salesman rounded up the "paint specialist" and he proceeded with a classic, "Are you going to believe what you see, or, are you going to believe what I tell you", pitch. 75K car! Intense aggravation ensued. I took the car back to BG and they swapped the top immediately.
This is a sad contrast: We have a highly professional team of C7 engineers producing a fantastic new car .... but they are struggling with, to some extent, an unprofessional group of shade tree mechanics at various levels. This unprofessional Chevrolet DNA also extends, to some extent, into dealer sales force scams as we have learned on the forum.

Since 1996 I have owned 5 Hondas. Every aspect of the sales and service experience has been outstanding. It is a pleasure to deal with them.

When will GM ever learn??? They need to set quality standards and clean house! The C7 Vette is a great car and deserves better!

Vette customers deserve better!



Sam

 

you are correct, but the problem is gm AND their dealers. the majority of dealers are small ones and they will not have the necessary staff with experience to service your car. period. its that simple. are there exceptions-yes, but few. the only solution is to go to a large dealer, who has enough invested to actually train and hire competent staff. simple stuff. and yes, even then you may get a moron. morons happen. doofy

 

I don't want to come across as too negative: despite my experiences, I'll probably buy GM again. I just wish I didn't feel like such a sucker for doing it.