 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / GMC Cars / January 2006GM Customer Service
What a joke. After an hour on the phone with this young lady, I was coaxed into taking my new car back to the dealer for "an evaluation" of my tire problems. Needless to say that after three hours wait, my cell phone rings and in the dealer's waiting room I was told that my tires would not be replaced by GM. I was told by the service mechanic that my tire had a staple in it and that they did not have the equipment to repair that. The tire pressure read out said that the air pressure in the left rear was low. The staple was in the right front tire. I drove to my tire shop and they took the staple (very large industrial kind of staple) out of the tire, put two small patches inside the tire, remounted and inflated the tire. They put that tire on the balance machine and you could see the wobble in the tire on the balance machine. That tire took 8 oz. of weight on inside and outside of the wheel. The machine showed that that tire is out of balance not the wheel. Now with the staple in the tire Goodyear probably wont talk to me about this either. I picked up a set of Michelin LTX M/S at cost and took them to my tire shop to have mounted on this 2005 Chevy Tahoe Limited $49,500.00 auto. GM can put Michelin tires on some Cadillacs but the lowly Tahoe got Goodyears. Now I hear that batches of tires are often "out of round - or - have flat spots" in them when they come from the factory. Is this another "car sales line" or can that be true. I thought the tire industry was put on notice after the Ford Explorer/Firestone issue. At the tire shop I saw tires that looked like they had exploded with good tread ripped right off the tire, what gives here. GM customer service seems to be anything but and I now have new tires on my car, photos of the old ones with multiple two and three ounce weights on them and the new tires have almost no weights on the wheels. Guess the car now cost me $50,500.00. Happy motoring. No wonder folks end up going to Toyota and Honda. There are no other choices. It is really difficult to be loyal to an American brand automobile these days. TPBeach I don't know why tire manufacturers allow 'crap' tires to be put on new vehicles. The owners are going to go out of their way not to buy that brand anymore. I am on my 3rd set of Generals for my Silverado, (replaced by the dealer) for bounce, vibration. The new ones seem good for about 3-4000 miles then the same problem. Am I going to buy Generals anymore...h*** no. Am I going back to my dealer for a new vehicle when I need service or a new vehicle...h*** yes. > What a joke. After an hour on the phone with this young lady, I was > coaxed into taking my new car back to the dealer for "an evaluation" of [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > these days. > TPBeach > I don't know why tire manufacturers allow 'crap' tires to be put on new > vehicles. The owners are going to go out of their way not to buy that brand [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Am I going back to my dealer for a new vehicle when I need service or a new > vehicle...h*** yes. Generals suck, period. It's fairly common knowledge that Generals wear, ride, and handle like iron. They must also be real cheap. I recall being told of a conversation between an ABS development engineer and one of the customer's representatives (customer being one of the Big Three) - there was an issue with one of their medium duty truck platforms not being able to meet the appropriate standards for braking distance due essentially to the mfgr. of said platform spec'ing shite tires. The engineer basically told customer's representative this. Cust. rep. strongly expressed concern and doubt about said engineer's skills as he was "unaware of any problem like this that couldn't be handled through software." I guess there's people working for the big three that don't understand basic concepts like static and dynamic friction coefficients, as shocking as that may sound... I don't know to this day how that situation was resolved, but it made me want to put my head through a wall... nate > > I don't know why tire manufacturers allow 'crap' tires to be put on new > > vehicles. The owners are going to go out of their way not to buy that brand [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Generals suck, period. The last Generals that I had on a car were truly terrible. Sidewall blowouts on 3 of the 4, IIRC. > What a joke. After an hour on the phone with this young lady, I was > coaxed into taking my new car back to the dealer for "an evaluation" of > my tire problems. Needless to say that after three hours wait, my cell > phone rings and in the dealer's waiting room I was told that my tires > would not be replaced by GM. Why were you talking to GM customer service about your tire problems? Every new vehicle I've ever bought had a card in the glove box that said that the tires are warranted by the tire manufacturer. Not by GM. I was told by the service mechanic that my > tire had a staple in it and that they did not have the equipment to > repair that. The tire pressure read out said that the air pressure in [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Now with the staple in the tire Goodyear probably wont talk to me about > this either. Did you check with Goodyear? They can't help you if you don't tell them about the problem. I picked up a set of Michelin LTX M/S at cost and took > them to my tire shop to have mounted on this 2005 Chevy Tahoe Limited > $49,500.00 auto. GM can put Michelin tires on some Cadillacs but the > lowly Tahoe got Goodyears. Now I hear that batches of tires are often > "out of round - or - have flat spots" in them when they come from the > factory. You're liable to "hear" anything. Is this another "car sales line" or can that be true. I > thought the tire industry was put on notice after the Ford > Explorer/Firestone issue. At the tire shop I saw tires that looked like > they had exploded with good tread ripped right off the tire, what gives > here. "What gives" is tires come apart after being run flat or too low, for too long. Drive any interstate highway and you'll see lots of examples. > GM customer service seems to be anything but and I now have new tires > on my car, photos of the old ones with multiple two and three ounce > weights on them and the new tires have almost no weights on the wheels. > Guess the car now cost me $50,500.00. My last set of LTX M/S cost me right at $600 mounted and balanced. I'm sure glad I don't have to buy them "at cost". ;-) > Happy motoring. > No wonder folks end up going to Toyota and Honda. There are no other > choices. As in this case, people often create their own problems. I doubt you'd be happy there either. > It is really difficult to be loyal to an American brand automobile > these days. > TPBeach You should have gone to Goodyear. Who's fault is it that you didn't? Dave The dealer is one that I have purchased a number of cars from in the past. I had no reason not to trust them to do the right thing. As for driving, I have been a licensed driver for 55 years and do know a little bit about tires, wheels and cars. I also know when customer service sucks. I have a new GMC Sierra that is no problem whatsoever sitting on new General tires. My Tahoe is on the other side of the garage sitting on new Michelin P275-55R20's. I would like to see you purchase them for $600.00 mounted and balanced. The tires that went on the Dodge Colt are just a bit smaller. I don't feel that I should have to defend my statements but it appears that you are interested in finding fault in just about anything posted here. Perhaps you should look into a job in GM customer service. TPBeach > The dealer is one that I have purchased a number of cars from in the > past. I had no reason not to trust them to do the right thing. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > TPBeach Hmmmmm... who ya talkin' to Azonie?  Signature-Mike- mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net The guy that told me I would probably find fault in a Toyota really pis**d me off. This new Tahoe is a dream car to drive and it is better on gas than my last Silverado. Living out in the middle of nowhere, I can stay speed limit or better with cruise control on. The little ones love the built in DVD sets, I love the headphones. The dogs like the fact that the back two seats come out and they have all the room in the world. Frankly, this is almost as beautiful as my 2004 Avalanche. At times I wish I still had it but it was more car than we needed. I am sad that I have lost my relationship with my Chevy dealer. They have resorted to calling me Mr. Beach instead of Ted. All I wanted was a new set of tires on the car when it had 34 miles on it. TPBeach > What a joke. <snip> Well let's see... I'm not defending GM in any way, but your post doesn't stand up under its own weight. First off, you bitch because GM won't stand behind a tire with an industrial staple in it? How is that a GM warranty issue? Second - you make no reference to poor driving with the factory tires, so one has to assume that it rolled along smoothly. Suddenly the tires are drastically out of round? Not that I question the tires being out of round - essentially, all tires are out of round to some degree, and that's often quite an alarming degree. My point is that the tires were apparently quite suitable to you before a tire store told you they were out of round. Not sure I understand how that's a GM problem. Signature-Mike- mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net Vehicle manufactures do not warrant tires. Ford is the only vehicle manufacture to warrant the tires on their vehicles. Read your warranty booklet, other manufacture refer you to the tire manufactures for tire related problems. mike hunt >> What a joke. > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > quite suitable to you before a tire store told you they were out of round. > Not sure I understand how that's a GM problem. > Vehicle manufactures do not warrant tires. Ford is the only vehicle > manufacture to warrant the tires on their vehicles. Read your warranty > booklet, other manufacture refer you to the tire manufactures for tire > related problems. > > mike hunt Which policy is absurd. The vehicle manufacturer specifies, purchases and installs the tires just like they do other parts of the vehicle. The manufacturer doesn't make many of the components on the vehicle, but should still be responsible for them. The customer paid GM, not Goodyear. John > > Vehicle manufactures do not warrant tires. > > > Which policy is absurd. The vehicle manufacturer specifies, purchases > and installs the tires just like they do other parts of the vehicle. > The manufacturer doesn't make many of the components on the vehicle, but > should still be responsible for them. > > The customer paid GM, not Goodyear. It may seem absurd to you, but that's the way it's been for as long as I can remember. The tire manufacturers have their own dealer/warranty networks. Dave >It may seem absurd to you, but that's the way it's been for as long as I can >remember. >The tire manufacturers have their own dealer/warranty networks. > >Dave And I can remember being whipsawed between the two. When I was having premature tire failure on my new car, The auto dealer said; "Not our problem... bad tires" The tire dealer said; "Not our problem... bad alignment" I guess they play that game often.... <rj> I find that hard for me to understand. Different alignment problems produce distinct patterns on a tire. Particular tire problem like tread separation or ply delaminating are obvious. What problems you are experiencing should be apparent to any observant technician or a tire store manager. Have one write their analyses of the problem, on the work order, and take it to the other to rebut their definition of the problem, WBMA mike hunt >>It may seem absurd to you, but that's the way it's been for as long as I >>can [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > <rj> This car drove badly at 60 on the "test" drive.I was told that the car had flat spots from sitting. That I should drive it about 300 miles and the flat spots would "work themselves out". The car had 34 miles on it when sold to me and some of that was my test drive. At speeds over 60 the steering wheel shook badly. I went back to the dealer and had to argue then agree to pay for the balance job just to get them to look at the tires. STOP. This is a new car. I cannot drive it on the highway. Tech comes on to sales floor and tells salesman something. I was told that there were two "bad tires" on my car and some old guy drove the thing in to Phoenix and had Goodyear (Discount Tire) put two new tires on the car. I wanted the car taken to my tire shop but they claimed that they did not have an account with them. THIS CAR IS STILL BRAND NEW. ALL MILEAGE IS BETWEEN MY HOUSE AND THE DEALER. Car still drove badly (not as bad) but now the steering wheel is canted to the right and the car drifts to the left. Front end is out of alignment. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? I argue for new tires with the salesman and was told to contact Regency. I DID NOT BUY THE CAR FROM REGENCY. They did the conversion on the car and took off the tires that came from the factory and replaced them with P275 55 R20's. They just happened to be Goodyear LS tires. I am getting pretty fed up with a new Chevy that drives like crap. Fed up I contact GM customer service. They tell me to take the car back to the dealer for an "evaluation of the problem". In an hour or two they call me back and say, NOT GM's problem. Dealer corrects the front end problem and balances the two OLD tires. I take the car to my tire shop and have all 4 wheels rebalanced. One tire has noticable "Wobble" on the machine and ends up taking 8 oz. of weight. (1/2 lb.) the two new tires were not balanced properly. Michelin tires arrive, I have my guys mount and balance them and the car drives properly. SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE NEW TIRES? TPBeach > This car drove badly at 60 on the "test" drive.I was told that the car > had flat spots from sitting. That I should drive it about 300 miles and [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE NEW TIRES? > TPBeach Did you read your Regency warranty? I just did on their website. It states that they undertake and warrant all modifications, customizing services and equipment installations to be free from defects etc. for the warranty period. It also says that the Regency Service Department is your PRIMARY contact for obtaining information or assistance relating to warranty parts or repairs. GM customer service quite properly told you that it wasn't their problem. Regency is a completely different company that warrants what THEY do to a vehicle after it leaves the factory. Had you bothered to read the warranty, you would have known that. You were given good advice, to contact Regency, which it appears you completely ignored, because you "didn't buy the car" from them. Fact is, you DID buy the tires and wheels from them, not GM. If you were to call Regency and explain the problems you've had, they 'might' try to help you out, but I wouldn't hold my breath at this point. Dave The Regency warranty does not warrant tires, and after discussing this problem with their customer service guy he eventually faxed back a "sorry, we will not cover your tires" to me. I therefore am going back to the company from which I purchased the vehicle. TPB Why anyone would put 20" tires on a passenger vehicle in the first place is a mystery to me. "This car drove badly at 60". -So I bought it. > Why anyone would put 20" tires on a passenger vehicle in the first place > is a mystery to me. > > What a joke. > > <snip> > > Well let's see... Happy that you are not defending GM. Before I signed the docs on this Tahoe, I told the salemen that this car has a bad shake at speeds over 60. I was told that that was because it was sitting around on the tires (Goodyear LS) for a few months and that I should drive the car for a few hundred miles and it would work itself out. I never heard of anything so stupid in my life but again, thinking that I could get them balanced all would be well. I took the car back to the dealer and coaxed them into balancing the wheels. The tech came back into the sales area and the next thing I know they drove my car to Phoenix to get Goodyear to replace tires under GOODYEAR WARRANTY. When it came back it had two new Goodyear LS 2's on it and it still drove like sh.t. At that time the car had less than 500 miles on it. Now the steering wheel was canted to the right and the car drifted to the left. Front end totally out of alignment. Chevy dealer did the front end and balanced THE TWO OLDER TIRES. Car still drove like sh.t. Was told to contact Regency, the company that did the conversion. Someone else told me to contact the GM zone rep. It was impossible to get anyone to tell me how to contact the GM zone rep for Phoenix, AZ or whatever zone we are in here. Decided that I would take a buddy up- on the offer to get a set of Michelin LTX M/S tires at his cost. Had them mounted and balanced at my tire shop. The car finally drives beautifully. I did contact Regency last week and they told me that they would call me back sometime next week. I did not mention the rear seat that will not fold or fasten itself back to the floor. Parts on order. I did not mention that Regency left the original spare on the car but you cannot mount that spare on any of the wheels due to the dust covers on the brake calipers. I did not mention that the carbon fiber dash does not extend to the console and rear heat controls. I did not mention that the guy at Regency told me to be careful with my ring on the steering wheel because it may cause the carbon fiber to peel. I did not mention that the two covers that were installed when the roof luggage racks were removed have bad chips in the paint. Other than that, I just love the car. TPBeach I think I would have went to a Goodyear tire shop and got those tires replaced, if they were that bad. Michelin doesn't make the best tire either, my Blazer wore them out in 35,000 miles. I replaced them with Coopers and they lasted over 45,000 miles, at which I sold the vehicle, and they still didn't look that bad. My opinion is Michelin are over rated. The Goodyears on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. > What a joke. After an hour on the phone with this young lady, I was > coaxed into taking my new car back to the dealer for "an evaluation" of [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > these days. > TPBeach Well Lurch, tread life is only one factor. Tire design is a bag of trade-offs, with things like tread life, traction (dry, wet or perhaps mud and snow too), heat dissipation, maximum rated speed, etc. all playing a role. While I do not know if it is the situation in the case you mention, I do know that typically when long lasting tread life is prioritized, traction (especially dry) is usually degraded as a design trade off. Personally, I prioritize on traction over tread life because my life is more important than the tread's life. >I think I would have went to a Goodyear tire shop and got those tires >replaced, if they were that bad. Michelin doesn't make the best tire either, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, >but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. Ref my above message, even though the tires were warranted by the tire manufacturer, my dealer changed and replaced the tires twice. ( I am on my 3rd set @22000 miles. 02 silverado ext cab) It may be due to my complaint within the 2nd week of ownership that they felt responsible. On my previous truck, premium tires (goodyear) were on my invoice. I had a lot of trouble with them as well, and after several alignments, rebalancing etc. I demanded a warranty claim to the GY tire shop. I was told that they would pro-rate them on the remaining tread. The pro rate was on the MSRP of the tires which turned out to be more than the same tire on sale at that dealer. I bought Michelon m/s and they were on the truck when I sold it (92 silverado 4.3)@ 88,000 miles. All the vibration, shaking, uneven wear went away as soon as I dumped the GYr's. > Well Lurch, tread life is only one factor. Tire design is a bag of > trade-offs, with things like tread life, traction (dry, wet or perhaps [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >>on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, >>but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. > Ref my above message, even though the tires were warranted by the tire > manufacturer, my dealer changed and replaced the tires twice. For what it's worth Mike - there is no "above message". If you're re-posting this to usenet from some other forum, you need to be aware of the format that your posts appear here. Hats off to you all the same for at least including the text from the previous poster(s) to which you are responding. > ( I am on my > 3rd set @22000 miles. 02 silverado ext cab) It may be due to my complaint [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > pro-rate them on the remaining tread. The pro rate was on the MSRP of the > tires which turned out to be more than the same tire on sale at that dealer. Good for you. I'm no fan of Goodyear tires and I'm glad to see someone get a deal out of the whole affair. Signature-Mike- mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net >> Ref my above message, even though the tires were warranted by the tire >> manufacturer, my dealer changed and replaced the tires twice. > > For what it's worth Mike - there is no "above message". Post I was refering to was on the 13th (yesterday) its above on mine...anyways here it is in case you are interested I don't know why tire manufacturers allow 'crap' tires to be put on new vehicles. The owners are going to go out of their way not to buy that brand anymore. I am on my 3rd set of Generals for my Silverado, (replaced by the dealer) for bounce, vibration. The new ones seem good for about 3-4000 miles then the same problem. Am I going to buy Generals anymore...h*** no. Am I going back to my dealer for a new vehicle when I need service or a new vehicle...h*** yes. If you're > re-posting this to usenet from some other forum, you need to be aware of > the [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > get > a deal out of the whole affair. Yeah, I had GY on my car (were the orginals install by factory). They were performance tires but let me tell you, their traction in the wet was sooooo horrible it was scary. Truly scary because it was magnified by having gobs of power to the drive wheels. I put on some Michellin Pilot Sports and have noticed a DRAMATIC improvement in wet traction. I have also noticed improvement in other areas though to a lesser degree than the wet traction improvement. >Ref my above message, even though the tires were warranted by the tire >manufacturer, my dealer changed and replaced the tires twice. ( I am on my [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >>>on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, >>>but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. Yeah, finally, 3 weeks and 1400 miles after purchase, the Tahoe rides like a dream. I purchased a pick up truck at a GMC dealer and they offered to service the Tahoe for me as well. It is a longer drive but now I don't mind the drive. To me, Customer Service means just that, customer & service. Lately it appears that Customer Service has become the name of a department where the customer has become the enemy and must be dealt with accordingly. I invite anyone to read the customer comments/reviews on the Goodyear LS and LS2 tires on the Tire Rack web site. They seem to be dog tires and I would hope that the NTSB would check that site out too. As for Toyotas, the one and only 4 Runner I had was built for a shorter person and I chose not to have the seat permanently moved back an inch or two. Therefore, it was my one and only foreign built car. Oh, also it would not get out of its own way with a very slow V-6 engine. TPBeach >SNIP< I'm glad things have worked out for you. I have a Wrangler that I was going to get rid of because of the ride, but I put a set of the Michelin LTX's on it and now I plan on keeping it at least a few more years. I'm afraid that what you describe at the GM dealership has spread to almost all dealerships. In years past dealers seemed to see Customer Service as a loss leader, a way to build customer loyalty and increase future sales. Now, they see it as a profit center, a way of making more money off anyone that comes in. The last 4 vehicles I've bought at dealerships are Jeeps. I still have 3 of them, but in the last 10 years I've failed to find a Dealership where I consider their shops both honest and competent. I spent 4 hours one Saturday morning trying to get a 30 minute oil change only to find out they were trying to charge me an additional $272 for a front end alignment I had not authorized and did not need. I know people who have had experiences at Nissan dealerships that were just as bad. One friend that drives a Murano checked his oil after getting back from an oil change and found that the oil was a pint low and obviously dirty. The oil filter had not been changed, either. Both things that he'd paid for. So, I understand your frustration, but I don't think the problem is just limited to GM. Later, Andy C.(never #) I think that sometimes the manufacturers cherry-pick the best tires, and the second best go to the tire shops. Years ago I had great luck with Goodyears on a new car, 40K miles + and totally even wear. I put 4 new Goodyears on it, then a few months later went to have the balance checked for a long trip. The Goodyear service tech showed me with a runout gauge where all 4 tires were unbalanceable - either out of round, or extremely wobbly. Never bought Goodyears again; I now have Michelins on all my tires for several years and have been very happy with them. I started buying Michelins when an industrial consultant (NOT from Michelin, just a general troubleshooter) gave a talk at my company - he spoke very highly of the quality control and manufacturing processes at Michelin. So this guy has actually been in the factory and seen how they do things. -= Larry A. >Ref my above message, even though the tires were warranted by the tire >manufacturer, my dealer changed and replaced the tires twice. ( I am on my [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >>>on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, >>>but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. Amen, SgtSilicon! Many years ago I was unhappy with the short life of my motorcycle's rear tire. I got one with a harder rear tire, guaranteed to last much longer. I had constant skidding problems with it (duh), and finally plowed up a quarter mile of ground (thankfully in the middle of the freeway lanes) when it locked up during an emergency stop. Hell with long life; go for the traction. Or you'll be IN traction!! -= Larry A. >Well Lurch, tread life is only one factor. Tire design is a bag of >trade-offs, with things like tread life, traction (dry, wet or perhaps [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >>on my Z-71 still had better than half the tread at 45,000 and rode great, >>but the tires need to be rotated every 8-10,000 miles. > I picked up a set of Michelin LTX M/S at cost and took > them to my tire shop to have mounted on this 2005 Chevy Tahoe Limited > $49,500.00 auto. You are one of the zillions of people silly enough to spend $50,000 on $25,000 worth of truck. It is no wonder that GM and others make all of their profits on these monsters. Big, cheaply built trucks sold at luxury car prices. Lutz & friends are laughing at you all the way to the bank. John > It is really difficult to be loyal to an American brand automobile > these days. You noticed! Your problem is -55 tires. You will never get that setup to work. I had -70s on my car and they were nothing but trouble. Fortunately, -75s fit without interference and properly mate to the old wheels, albeit with a miscalibration of the speedometer and slight loss of acceleration performance. All the problems went away and they were the same problems you have experienced. I hope the Chinese cars come in with -80 tires. They are a practical people, the Chinese. But, if they emulate the popular trend of "rubber-band" tires, they can count me out as a potential customer. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.