Some Dealerships Suck - GM Edition 

Old customer service saying: "Treat me right, I will tell a friend..treat me wrong and I will tell everybody."

When the oem replacement pigtail comes with a heavier gauge of wire than the factory oem pigtail, you know that the manufacturer has become aware of a problem.

As a "retired" service manager at a Ford, L M, Mercedes Benz for 25 years, I/my dealership would have investigated what was wrong. If it turned out to be a 500.00 or more repair I would have called Ford or M B. They would have told me to write up an "Out Of Warranty Claim" and have the factory rep sign off on it when in the next week. In this case we would have just fixed it. The PART cost to the Dealer is just that "COST" and we paid our techs till 5 PM if they were working on a car/truck or not so there is no extra cost in labor. When you consider what any dealership spends in a week for radio, TV, Newspaper advertisement , billboards out on the highway, etc. etc. just to get a customer in the showroom in the first place the handling of this particular situation was just WRONG.

I've been involved in a warranty issue. A chevy came into our non dealer shop and I believed it was in warranty. The dealer down the street told the cust it was out the morning it came in. I called was told same, I called fh Dailey next town over, I worked there a few years earlier, and they said they would get it taken care of. They warrant the issue and we made a cust for life.

1 happy customer tell 5 people, 1 pissed off customer tells 10! Words to remember

The only time a dealer has gone out of their way for me on warranty work was to find a way not to fix the vehicle.

I had a dealer that I've be going to for 17 years. I bought 6 vehicles from them, 3 of them were brand new. The ABS wheel sensor went bad my wife's car which has a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty. I could fix it, but I got a warranty on it. So, I took it in. The service writer said "no problem, we'll take care of it under warranty!" No mention of cost, so I assume no money out of pocket. Great! I look at their trucks while I wait. They didn't have anything on the lot I lot. Then the sales guy says wait here, I think I got the prefect truck for you. He goes to the back lot and rolls up in a great looking, low mileage, all black, '18 Ram 2500 that just came in on trade with an quality lift kit and other cool mods. Wow! I figure somebody dropped $4500 in mods on the truck. The price was terrific, too, and they were going to treat me right trading in my truck. Sweat. I'll take it! I'm working out the deal to buy it when the service writer comes up to me, "your wife's car is ready, and oh by the way, that will be $100." "$100 bucks to replace a wheel sensor?! No way! You didn't mention anything about cost." "Well, let me talk to the service manager." I keep working on the deal with the sales. We got everything setup. I'm ready to buy. All I need to do is go home, get my truck then come back to finish up on the new truck. The service writer comes with the service manager while I'm talking to the sell manager. He basically says said "FU, and pay up!" I again mention there was no mention of any costs,. He said "you should've known." "I was in here 3 months ago for $3k of warranty work and there was no deductible." He said "I wasn't here back then and this is how we do it. Somebody messed up on your service, because you should have paid an deductible." "No man, someone took care of me. If I pay that $100, the deal on the truck is off I'll never step foot in this dealership again." He said "Rules are rules" And that was that. I won't be going back and I won't send my friends there either.

Most Stealerships are 'always' nice in the beginning... to get the sale. It's a gamble after that!

I had to take my Ford to a dealership for a "known issue" with the screen on the oil pickup getting clogged. It was under warranty and I had a buddy hook it up to his computer before I took it in so I knew exactly what the issue was and told the dealership what it was before I took it in. They did the work "free" but still charged me $73 for "diagnosing" a problem when I told them what the problem was and it was a known issue. I asked the owner himself if he was really willing to lose a customer over $73 because if he didn't waive it I'd never come back. He didn't waive it. I've bought six vehicles since that one and each time I emailed him a picture of me with my new vehicle with a caption that said "Another sale lost over $73!"

I work for a Toyota dealer in the midwest, we goodwill most things just out of warranty. Of course we have decades of loyal customers that bring their family and friends vehicles to us.

I've been a Chevy man all my life. In 2005 I bought a brand new HD2500 Diesel...bought it because of the research I did on the engine and trans. Everything around the engine/trans broke each year over three years and they always gave me a bullsnockers reason why that part was not under warranty. Traded it in on a Toyota Tundra and never looked back. I love my Tundra 5.7L!! Excellent truck!!

Actually, I am impressed at how you repaired the connection. You made the cuts back far enough, you staggered the two wire cuts, you soldered the wires, you used heat shrink tubing and wrapped up things well without butt connectors -

I was a Service Manager for 8 years and I would always “good will” a repair that close to the warranty expiration. In some cases 50/50 or a 3-way split depending on the situation. My goal was to create a new customer for future opportunities or to keep one in the fold.

The alligator clip wire holder is genius!

I just posted this video all over their Facebook page...that'll learn em'

the internet makes a permanent record and you have made your mark with integrity and sensible diagnostic skills.thinking out loud and processing the evidence to support your hypothesis with systemic accuracy is truly your forte.make the time and take the time to enjoy this life however you see fit. there will always be another car to fix.carpe diem and best regards you are exceptional.

When I was 19 and still going to school for my automotive degree, I had the lovely experience of working for a ford dealership here in northeast ohio. It was all fun in games til this one old man came in with his 2001 mercury grand marquis, for his oil change and tire rotation. I was looking around for anything outta the norm and spotted oil seeping out of the head gasket of all things. That car was new and only had 7k on it. I told the service writer about the problem and he grabbed the master tech to come over to look at it. I was a rookie then so they kept an eye out on me, lol. They looked at me and said, what leak? I learned that day that I had enough of the dealer experience. I went to school to help people, no screw them over. I know now that not all dealers are that way but as a new guy in the field, it was sickening. I ran outside and found that old man before he left. Told him what he needed to do. It wasn't long afterwards I left that place. It's sad because I was really loving that job til then. Any way that's my store hope you all never have to experience what I did

I always love the "Nobody else has had this problem ", whenever you have a complaint!

My grandmother would say that dealership is "penny wise and pound foolish."

You remind me of The Shade Tree Mechanic back then. No nonsense and to the point... Bravo

GM really messed this one up. Remember they only win initial quality "awards" not long term awards.

I don't know what would tick me off more. No coverage 3 days out of warranty or $100 for the pigtail!

Not-so-fun fact: I have never gotten any of my vehicles back from a dealership both properly repaired and undamaged.

I'm commenting on a 5 year old video. Don't know if anyone will see this. Not a warranty story, but a dealership story just the same. I bought an Infinity off of a Lease, 22k miles, two year old car in Michigan. Drove it for a couple of years and went to Utah to complete a graduate degree (wife is from back west). One day the car was acting a little funny so took it to the Nissan shop for an inspection. Recommendation was to replace a tie rod plus an alignment, replace a knock sensor ($800+labor), and an oxygen sensor ($180+labor). Took it to a local shop the next Saturday morning to replace the tie rod and received nearly the same recommendation and quote for the knock sensor and oxygen sensor. Got a call from the shop owner on Monday morning. Conversation went something like this. Mr. Brown, you had your Infinity in the shop on Saturday for a tie rod and alignment. Mr. Brown (me): yes. Shop owner: your car has the exact same engine as the Maxima (could have been the Ultima, can't remember). The price for the knock sensor for the Maxima was $200+labor and the price for the oxygen sensor was $38+labor). Shop owner: if you crosswalk the part numbers between the Maxima and the Infinity, they are the exact same parts. We'll replace them at the Maxima rate. Mr. Brown: put them in!! We went back to that "mom and pop" shop for the next five years until I graduated and moved to Indiana for my next job. The Infinity was a great car. The only reason we could afford it was that it came in off a lease program. I guess if you get labeled as someone with money (owning a luxury car), someone is always after your money!

I'm too poor to have a car within 20 years of having factory warranty 😬

We would have definitely "goodwilled" that repair where i work

"Thank you for calling Blah Blah Chevy where our customers are our top priority. Please go through an elaborate computer menu before we put you on hold for 20 minuets."

That loud noise in the background at the dealership is them SCREWING the next customer!!

Now that dealership is wishing it would’ve just paid for that damn connector! Well done, Eric!

If you get good service you might tell 10 people. If you get poor service you might tell 30 people, and they in turn will tell others. Keep up the good work, Eric O.

planned obsolescence, they're getting more accurate on the timing.

My favorite auto repair channel! Eric, you do the BEST job at explaining your work as you go.

A garage that you trust to do work on your car is like having a doctor you trust and respect they are both invaluable . My dealings with dealerships are painful and I try to avoid them even if I have to fork up some money.

Eric, they're called "Stealerships" for a reason!

On my first Honda, the window regulator went out a few days after the warranty ended. The manager immediately approved the repair, for free. That gave me warm and fuzzy feelings toward Honda.

Been to the dealership in a big town and a little one, my experience has been the little one needs every customer and the big one does not. So my service always better in the small town. Thank you for being honest and thorough.

You think calling a dealership sucks, you should try working at one lol 😂 great video

I avoid the dealership whenever I can. Every single issue that requires the involvement of the dealership I’ve ever had was unpleasant to say the least.

I just had a similar problem on my son's 2016 Colorado, 2 weeks out of warranty with 32 thousand miles. The service power steering light came on, this truck has electric power steering, owners manual says do not drive take to dealer when this light comes on, could have been a bad steering rack for several thousand dollars but all they found was a chaffed wire wanted $900 for 4 hours of troubleshooting time and repair. I ask them to call factory area service manager and they refused. After arguing with them for 45 minutes and pointing out that I had bought 3 vehicles from them in the last 5 years they finally lowered the cost to $600 or so. paid their fee and will never buy a car from them again. Oh and I made sure I told everyone I could about how I was treated. Funny thing, their customer relations manager call me a couple of days after the repair to see how the service went, I told her the story, she was going to check into it and call me back, been 2 months still waiting for the call.

My dad took his Silverado to the local dealer for an issue and they replaced some very expensive parts and then said after the problem came right back they didn't know how to fix it. He went to an honest local repair guy like yourself and they found the problem and charged far less. I will personally never take my vehicle to a dealership. Another story is when I bought my used car from a dealer the sales person said they would fix some things and when I went to pay for it the next day they changed their mind. So much for a verbal agreement. Screw dealerships.

at 16 right out of the gate I was almost ripped off by my first repair. Took it to a shop they told me I needed and entire engine. Towed to another shop and they fixed it for 150 bucks. Mad and angry I learned how to fix my own car. Never looked back.

Bro, I’m not going to lie, if I still lived in NY and didn’t perform my own maintenance I’d take my stuff to you in a heart beat. Keep up the good work.

I've had warranty work on a Caddy that had a whole host of "issues". The dealer never fixed it on the first go-round. Once it was out of warranty, I took it to a local shop where I received great service. Dealers care about the sale, not the service.

The only dealership I've had good luck with is Elk Grove in Sacramento. They were professional, did good work, and honest. I've gone to two mechanics. One in Campbell, CA, and Brake Masters in Elk Grove, CA. Both are honest, and take care of their clients.

Good ole super 33, a revelation in the world of electrical tape. Works even when it's so cold you can't feel your fingers.

That dealership lost a customer for $100 + your time to fix it! So sad... Great job on the fix, soldering it's the best way!

14k miles and already in the shop. That’s GM for you.

Something tells me you talk Like this even when the camera is off . You cracked me up . Keep up the good work

Lets just say my experiences with dealers have made me watch channels like this so I can do my own repairs.

This is the time you take care of him by giving him a discount and now you have a customer for life.

Eric O that is why so many people on youtube have so much respect for you. I know I do. I dont comment very often but you deserve a comment on this.

Like a dog eating a potato chip the click Eric makes with his knife every time sounds very satisfying.

I’m a tech at a Hyundai dealer in WNY and my service manager gives stuff away under warranty all the time even if they are out he finds a way, and us techs still get paid on it.

It costs a lot less to retain a customer, than to have to get new ones.

Its amazing how much more thicker the replacements wires are compared to the originals. Its like GM was planning for it to break

One happy customer gets another , one unhappy customer you lose 10 possibles. That's what my dad taught me.

My vehicles are so old, I can still fix 'em myself!

When I worked at a GM dealer back when dirt was invented, we had a certain amount of warranty goodwill allowance from our Rep to cover things like this for our "good" customers. This doesn't sound like a very good dealership to not even ask their Rep to cover it under warranty.

Can confirm 10 years ago they were still called roach clips 🔥💨

I know this is a year later but I totally agree that the dealership lost out big time trying to save s couple hundred bucks! I had an issue with my Toyota a few years ago, like a month off warranty. They said, no problem we'll just backdate the repair. And yes i did go back and buy a new one later. Thanks for the videos!

Watching and listening to you fix things is as relaxing as watching this old house.I love it.

Welcome to Chevrolet, service with a smirk.

Difference between a hack mechanic and a good one...a soldering jig.Way to go Dr.O!

Yeah... And the dealership might save a few bucks, but You can sure bet that that customer is never buying another vehicle there again, and you can bet that they relayed this story to anyone who would listen.

There is something relaxing watching someone else work on vehicles😁. I don’t have to😂

When you said it was $100 for it I thought it included the wheel speed sensor! $100 for just the connector is ridiculous!

I like how he made sure to ask you what repair it needs before answering your question.

Years ago I picked up a NEW Chevy pick up for our company , and as I was looking through the papers in the glove box I found a slip that said , " This vehicle assembled in MEXICO " ! I could not help myself with laughter . Sometimes during a rainy day the truck would not start , turn over , no start . I called the dealership about this and was told to ," Bang on the gas tank " then it should start !

Damn if I just needed 15k miles for 3 years I’d would of just bought a beater truck. Dave Ramsey would be pissed 😂😂

$100+ for a connector that would of cost them 30cents. That says it all by itself.

I worked flat rate at a Gm dealership and your right when things slowed down we got screwed.

I worked at a GM dealer, you said "Rules are the rules" NO!! A three week strike would be a game changer. I had several times of "not so nice" conversations with the shop manager and rep. Good vid Eric.

When I was a tech, and this thing came into my bay, I would have just fixed it, and told the writer to work it out with the regional rep.

That's a memory -- splice the wires with a stagger. My dad taught me that back in the 60's when I was a kid.

Since you asked about our experiences at the end of the vid, here's mine. Bought a brand new 08 Mazda 3s 2.3 5 speed, in the early spring of that yr. Car had 8 miles on it. That winter, I started having trouble with 2nd gear engagement when it was lower than +40F*. I brought it in and they claimed there was nothing wrong, let the car warm up before driving. I asked how do you warm up MANUAL transmission fluid w/o driving it? Anyways, it got worse and eventually started to grind, no matter how hot the car's engine was, or how gentle I tried to shift. I brought it in again, and they changed the fluid. ( this was the Japanese engine and trans, not the Ford sourced). The day I picked it up, it was 20*. And guess what? The 1st time I shifted from 1st to 2nd, GRIND. I took it directly back and made the service manager drive it. And it ground on him every time. He even tried to double clutch, still did it. He claimed he was gonna call corporate and request a new trans. The car only had about 10k on it. Weeks went by, never heard from him. I called and he claimed that corporate said no! This was now late January, and it was really cold. I actually stopped using 2nd, as it would no longer go in at all. 1 day I forgot and upshifted like a normal driver.. BANG and the car was now stuck in 2nd with a trail of fluid following me. I managed to get the car home, as I was only a couple blocks away. I called them to come get it, send a towtruck. What happened was the syncro broke, which broke the shift fork, and it went through the case! That car sat at Mazda for 2 MONTHS before they put a new trans and clutch in, under warranty. This time the dealership was saying no, and corporate was saying yes. I had to call a lawyer though before they would talk to me. We were going to lemon law the car. They finally fixed it. However, I had to eat the cost of the lawyer as well as having a rental car for 2 months, which in itself cost me $700.00. The very day I got the car back, I took it to CarMax and they gave me a great price for what was essentially a new car. Then I went back to the dealership and made them refund me the extended warranty I bought for $2000.00, which by contract, they had to do since the car was still technically under 1 yr old. That covered the cost of the lawyer and rental. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share. BTW, that Mazda dealership closed in '10.... I know Ford is also getting very stingy about their warranties too. They want all the documentations and that proof that no one else had tried to fix said problem(s) before they touched it. And then you as the customer play the waiting game..

I worked as a salesman at a Chevy dealership for two weeks in the 1980s. Many of the sales techniques made me too uncomfortable to continue in the business.

Grew up loving GM, only drove GM, went to college for the GM ASEP program. My dad bought a 2017 Impala (yea, yea) 300 miles later, fuel pump went out. 3 weeks before warranty expiring, corrosion on negative battery cable, towed to shop, part delayed 3 weeks due to GM strike, still covered it. As an ex GM tech, makes me sick the way the company went..

Hey Eric. As always, love your videos. The educational, and the entertainment value is top drawer. I work on a Chevrolet dealership in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. We see this type of thing come in on a daily basis and for us at least, we bend over backwards to take care of issues like this. EVEN if the vehicle was not bought at our dealership. It comes down to the culture that is instilled by the the dealer principle. Our culture is take care of the customer. But in this case, it seems that the culture is not the same. And, if the dealership had taken care of him, hen we wouldn’t have had this video. Thanks Eric.

I’ve owned ford, chevy and dodge. All had problems every year one way or another. Finally decided on Toyota and haven’t had problems yet! 4 years in now🙂.

Was a gmc guy but ill never buy another gm vehicle again. They build the cheapest vehicles ever. Buy a Japanese built vehicle. South main you are the real deal cheers bud from Canada 🇨🇦

That air hammering part over the phone was so funny. Keep up the good work Eric.

Eric, there's a customer the dealership lost, I mean come on, take care of a good customer. You are one meticulous mechanic in doing that repair right. Thanks, for the video!!

Somebody at the office upstairs in the GM building downthumbed this.

I am thankful for guys like you showing me how to DIY so I don't get ripped off by dealerships. Neighbor took his chevy to the dealer. They talked him into a bunch of services and when he picked it up 2 days and $700 later it left him stranded after the money light came back on, flashing this time after driving it off the lot 30 minutes later. Now 4 more days later and they still have it and won't give him a loaner. Bad business.

I wish I lived near you Eric. I have spent a whole bunch of my time learning how to fix my own vehicles because I can't trust the parts shotgun mechanics in my area. It's been 7 years since I have given any of my hard earned money to a parts changer but I would would bring my car to you.

Eric, thanks for the idea on the alligator clip soldering holder. Just made one when I finished this video.Don’t know why I never thought of it before.👍👍

It's a GM story that's as old as time. In 1980, my starter went out after 12 mo. 1 week. Back then cars had a 12mo. 12,000 mile factory warranty. Chevy said too bad and wouldn't discount a starter, for me to install myself. I bought my 1st Honda in 1984 and have had several Honda/Acura vehicles. since then. I can't talk about Honda/Acura warranty issues, because I've never had to call their service department, in 36 years.

Isn't it amazing how when it comes to "Tolerances" in SAE/Aerospace we operate with defined limits yet the "Big 3" do not on Warranties ... BMW as well (had an M3 in Belgium back in the days of a 1 year Warranty" and blew a Head Gasket (a known "Manufacturing Defect) sitting in Traffic and cost me $2k and 3 months to get it fixed ... even with this Gringo Texan telling them their 3 million Euro machine was wrong and the timing was off) ... never bought another BMW again .... nor will I. Sadly, "Corp America" has also lost the plot and this is a prime example ... thanks for making this guy's problem as painless as you could !!! Bravo

I am such a fan, I watch your ads thru-n-thru.

14,000 miles, and from this day forward, it will be a money pit for the owner. How sad.

This customer should call the regional rep and have a chat with him/her about this dealer.

Yes - ALWAYS about who is going to pay. You are absolutely correct - the dealer played thier card wrong - for sure , 3 days out of warranty , only 14 k miles. Bad call by the dealer , it is said if you make your customer happy - they may tell 1 or 2 friends , disappoint your customer and they will be sure to tell 20 friends and generally take their business elsewhere. You just gained another life customer - as you understand the customer / business relationship . As ALWAYS - GREAT WORK 👍👍👍👍✌️✌️✌️

The engineer that designed a part to fail 3 days out of warranty will probably get a big bonus.

GM = General Madness. You have more composure than I would!

I feel your pain brother. I have worked as tech at few dealerships and they are horrible to customers AND technicians.They even battle internally....body shop vs. service dept. Vs. Sales...Vs. Parts dept etc....

Nice to see a fellow wrencher knows how to use a soldering iron and shrink tape and is neat and better than factory!

Goodwill Missing. Make sure the customer keeps your receipt, at some point there will probably be a recall on that and he will be able to submit the receipt for reimbursement.

The dealership is like the casinos they’re friendly and nice at first and at the end they want to gouge eyes out 😂 🤣

Bought my first brand new car when I was 18. Spent $325 on a state of the art (LOL) Kenwood pull out CD player. Took the car to the dealer for a repair. The dealer called in the afternoon to let me know that something came up and they would have to keep it overnight. The next morning I get a call from the dealer telling me that someone had broken into their service area (outdoors) and smashed my window and dash and took the stereo. It had been 8 months since I bought the stereo and I couldn't find the receipt. They refused to replace it with a pull out model. The owner asked me if it was a pull out why did I leave it in the dash? One week later it was stolen again even with the alarm set in a parking lot. That was thirty years ago and to think they lost a customer for life over a difference in price of a whopping $49 still blows my mind. If you live in a small town with no competition the dealer has no incentive to do the right thing. Fish in a barrel folks! That's not to say all small dealers do this but it has been my case. I drive two and a half hours to buy my Fords.

I like how you think and the way you treat your customers.