GM Does Not Care About Fixing Problems - My Last Corvette
 

I own a 2010 Grand Sport Corvette which the Nav unit in it. The XM radio randomly cuts in and out - not under obstructions or bridges or trees - you can not tell where or when. I have beent to two dealerships, both say they can't replicate the problem and I will have to wait until it breaks completely before they will do anything. One service manager actually said hey if we start replacing parts and put int three and don't fix then GM will have to buy it back and GM won't go down that road.

So I am stuck with an XM radio that is annoying and at times downright unusable. You would think if you pay nearly 60K for one of their products and it is the eighth Corvette you have purchased they might be interested in customer satisfaction. Obviously NOT!.

I have tried contacting the factory, they assigned an "Executive Assistance Program" to resolving the problem (right!) and this has gone nowhere. So, they have lost a loyal customer.

Now I truly understand the reason GM is bankrupt. You just can't treat customers this way.

My guess is GM cares very much - that your dealer sucks. Why not try another GM dealer? Satellite reception is not rocket science. Not certain but as I understand there are XM antennas in both side mirrors. Maybe one or both connections need to be checked?

Personally I find it tough to understand your "My Last Corvette" comment all based on XM. I tend to focus on the cars performance, not some stupid XM waste of weight I would never have paid money for if it was an option.

Some problems, trivial as they may seem, are a real problem to the owner but not so much to the dealer. I agree with you that this should be fixed without any questions asked. If it were me, I'd try another dealer or wait for assistance from GM. If it's a loose antenna connection (that's what it sounds like), it'll manifest itself to the point where they could diagnose it and fix it. :thumbs:

If you're referring to XM that disappears from the radio from time to time,it happens on mine too.I don't think it's a GM thing,but an XM thing their reception sucks and there's no 2 ways about it.I switched my module from xm to sir-gm1 and put an antenna on top of the car and the reception is way better.Sometimes though,the satellite just goes away and I have to hit the band button a few times to get it back.Other then that,check your connections out back and make sure it's tight.

you feel that way now, just wait till your roof starts popping and creaking!

J/K

seriously though, i wouldn't get that worked up over XM. Their customer service is so bad you will probably end up firing them anyway. i did, i have an ipod and CD's that work fine. As for getting yours fixed...Find another dealer to take it too, also maybe talk to the GM rep that is on this site...surely someone can help you find him.

The vette is truly an awesome car, im sorry for your problems.

Good luck!!

Comon problem with XM......especially in a Corvette (plastic).

Xm
 

I understand you being upset with the XM performance. IMO XM is about the worst of the worst when it comes to customer concern. Have you tried calling them and seeing what they can do. They may be able to do a reprogram of some kind. Hopefully that will help. I will tell you that the XM reception in my 09 Coupe has gotten poorer and poorer. It is much worse in this car than the prior cars. I get the feeling that once the merger took place something got cheapened and thats why reception is very poor in some areas. I can be out in the country and the reception gets lost. ... I also understand when talking to the dealer they say we could not get the problem to show itself it front of them. I am very tired of this. So far, the new GM has not shown me anything much better than the old GM. Good Luck...

I personally would not blow a gasket over XM reception, but it's apparently very important to you. We have XM in our 09 Lexus and 09 Tahoe with excellent reception, but the vette's (prior 08 and current 10) have less than perfect XM reception - cuts out often.

I have noticed that it seems to cutout in the same places, even those that don't appear to have an obstruction. I've read that it may have something to do with the lack of metal body panels in the car - not sure if that's true though.

Common and very much rehashed on Corvette sites...Plastic car, low-slung car...equals marginal XM reception...especially in areas with high obstructions (mountains, buildings, etc.). I've also noticed an issue with XM where I live (and really only in the area I'm in, not the whole town), but I'm guessing that it may have something to do with being only a couple miles due north of an air force base...

I dont think the OP is making the "My Last Corvette" comment because of the XM.... Instead, its because of the customer service (or lack thereof) he's received. He'd probably feel that way regardless of what part is causing the problem.

I'm not at all suprised that the dealer failed to meet expectations. However, I'm a little disppointed to hear that GM didnt provide much help either.

I agree that the OP should try another dealer, even though it doesnt fix the underlying problem of terrible customer service.

My '07 C6 had about 7K miles when the driver's seat leather started showing excessive wear. I took it to the first dealer and they said they wont cover it under warranty as it is a common problem with the C6s. He even showed me a used C6 on the lot with similar mileage that had comparable wear. I still found it unacceptable since its a $60K car!
I took it to another dealer and he agreed that it was unacceptable and replaced it under warranty. I've been going to him ever since.
You just need to find the right dealer.

Let us know how this ends... Good luck.

This is not just a Corvette problem. My last car was a 2005 Infiniti G35X with factory XM. I was never great but got noticeably worse after Sirius bought XM. I had heard that they turned off the ground repeaters (either by government FCC decree or by choice) but I was never able to confirm this. My new ride, a Ford Taurus SHO has Sirius and it is much better on my commute. I live in northern NJ and my commute is 20 miles. I find the Vette to be about par with the Infiniti.

And this is the only reason you won't buy another GM car? :crazy:

I have a year's subscription in mine, I never listen to it. On the few occasions that I have, same problem, it cuts out frequently.
The only thing I listen to is the exhaust and it never cuts out.......except when I press the man switch. :lol:

Understand your frustration but to go to the extent of why GM went Bankrupt and this being your last Vette over XM radio is a bit beyond me.

I understand your frustration but I also can see where it's hard to fix a problem that can't be replicated or observed. Did either of the dealerships perform a general diagnostics on the XM system? Assuming so and assuming no problem was found I can sort of see their point. It's like taking a car in and complaining of a 'noise.' They can check things out but in the absence of finding anything wrong there's nothing to fix. It's a Catch-22 to be sure.

I often take an unresolved problem right to the company owner. Maybe contact the Obama Administration....they seized the company. Let's see how well they do. ;)

On a more serious note, I hope it works out well for you.

I use two dealerships, one in Knoxville and one in Atlanta, both are very good. Dealerships vary, it is not General Motors. If GM owned every dealership, service would always be good (or at least in my mind it would be).

Like someone mentioned earlier I dont think its the XM thats bothering him but the complete lack of competent customer service. If he cant get something as simple as the XM fixed whats going to happen if he has to bring his car in for a more serious issue.

How is it GM's fault if the radio is working everytime they test the car? To fix a problem you have to have a problem to fix.

If the problem is random and there is no way to determine when it will occur how would go about trying to fix it? Would you approve/pay the dealership for tearing your car apart so they can take every part of the subsystem and subject the components to heat and vibration, etc to see if they can make the failure occur often enough to figure out what is causing it? If it doesn't fail you pay for the work and if it does they do.

If it is working when they test the car how do they know you are doing anything but blowing smoke? How do they know you just aren't very observant and don't realize the signal is being blocked by something above or beside the road?

By the way NDF or No Defect Found is a common diagnosis on electronic items no matter which industry they are marketed in. The service people in the other industries can't fix those kind of problems either.

Have you worked with the dealership to help make the problem occur or are you like Obama with BP screaming and hollering and thus getting a deaf ear?

Bill

Have you ever had XM before? A friend has a scooby-do with XM and it cuts in and out just like a regular terrestrial radio does when it's on the fringe. Worse than any other satellite radio I've seen, and they are all a bit spotty.

Satellites need a clear shot at the antenna. Ever wonder why TV satellite dishes are placed where they are on houses?

Does not seem like a GM issue to me. Dump Sirius/XM.

You should see how much fun I am having with Ford's sync technology. If I skip the songs too fast the entire system locks up and I have to pull a fuse or disconnect battery to reset. This is on a trial Ford for the company that we are thinking about getting.

This made the whole thread worthwhile.