Going to apologize in advance for the length of this thing. I just need help. Wanted to be as thorough as possible.
I'm in the middle of one of the worst experiences I've ever had with vehicle ownership. I'm open to suggestions on what I can do. From the top;
My family and I have always owned GMC vehicles. I currently own 4 different vehicles, all made by GMC. The cars have always been reliable and, until recently, dealerships and service departments have always provided the utmost courtesy and customer service.
I have a 2013 GMC Acadia that I've always maintained incredibly well. I absolutely love the car. For 90K miles, it had never given me any issues. It was a perfect family car. Always reliable and comfortable.
At 96K miles, the transmission started to show some signs of hesitations in between shifts. The car started to lose power the more I drove it. It wasn't horrible, and I don't drive it like a nascar vehicle, so I figured it was just starting to show it's age and the thought was not bothersome. Then the bucking started. Between 2nd and 3rd there would be a hard buck in the vehicle as I drove.
I brought it to Coleman GMC in Lawrenceville NJ the dealer at 99,092 miles and explained the issue to them. I expected a bit of push back on warranty covered repairs because the warranty expired at 100K miled, but I was pleasantly surprised. They promptly called me back and told me that the torque converter was going to be replaced under warranty. I picked up the vehicle a couple days later and as I drove away I noticed the bucking was completely gone, but the hesitation was still there ever so slightly. I figured it was as good as it was going to get, and that I could deal with that amount of hesitation.
As I drove it over the next 3 months the hesitations started to get worse. They weren't constant, but when they popped up the were completely noticeable. I started to worry that if I continued driving it that it would result in the same bucking as before. I stopped driving it unless I had to over the months and ended up bringing it back to GMC to see if they would take another look at the transmission with 99,789 miles on it. Then things became uncomfortable...
After I dropped it off I received a call letting me know that they were unable to duplicate the issues that I mentioned. They asked if I could drive the vehicle with one of their mechanics so I could point out the hesitations. I agreed. They let me know that they were having the warranty for the transmission extended another 2 years and 24K miles just in case they missed something. Then they moved on to the next issue...
My Acadia was burning oil and the engine was bone dry. I was confused, as this had never been an issue before, and they had just had it less than 700 miles ago. They asked for authorization to charge me $48.20 for an oil change, and, before I could think about the situation, I agreed.
They called me again and told me the car was ready for pickup. I asked them what happened in order to make the vehicle burn oil at that rate, and they said they had no idea at this point. They said that I needed to drive it for 1,000 miles and bring it back so they could properly diagnose it. I told them that it would take me out of warranty, and they said not to worry about it, that they would fix the oil consumption. I asked them if they had checked the oil on it's original visit for the torque converter replacement. They said of course they checked it, it was standard procedure and none of the liquid levels in the car were low at that time.
When I went to pick it up, I was still charged $48.20 for the oil change even though they had just agreed that they would fix the issue and had asked me not to worry about the situation. I was under the impression that we had a clear understanding of the situation. I had never had an oil related issue with my vehicle until they had performed a major mechanical procedure in the vehicle, and they were now taking responsibility for the issue. When I asked them about possible damage to the engine from running on low oil, they brushed it off and said that we needed to start with the driving test that would take me out of warranty.
I called the GMC customer service warranty line. That's when all hell broke loose. The first person I spoke with was pleasant. He was a senior advisor, I believe his name was John. He put in a request for a supervisor to call me back, named Kenneth. This was on Oct 17th. He told me it would be 48 hours. 10 Days later, after receiving no call back, I called in again. They had transferred me to another senior advisor, who acknowledged that I had called in 10 days ago but couldn't allow me to speak with a supervisor at that time. He scheduled another call back. 48 hour window. No call. 5:00PM approaches on the 31st. I call in again. New senior advisor, Scott (I believe). This one is rude and purposely pushing me off. I ask to speak to a supervisor, he's not willing to transfer me. He says a supervisor, Kenneth, will call me back within 24 hours. 24 hours later, no call back.
At this point, I'm furious. I've explained the entire situation over and over to new people every time. I call back again, they put me on with Scott. Scott tells me that no supervisor needs to call me back. He says bring the car in after you drive it 1000 miles. It's our only option. I explain to him that it's been 16 days at this point. I was expecting something helpful. Along the lines of an extended warranty for the engine, refund for the oil change, guaranteed coverage for anything damaged as a result of the vehicle being driven for up to 700 miles with no oil. He says there is nothing else they are willing to do. I demand to speak to a supervisor. He does not allow it, schedules another call back from one for 24 hours.
The 17th day. I receive a call from Kenneth, the Supervisor. He tells me that there is nothing else they can do. I have to deal with the service department at Coleman. He tells me that owners have to accept responsibility for repair costs, and that GMC cannot always help. I explain to him that I don't know whether or not there is damage to the engine as a result of this oil fiasco. He agrees. I ask him to cover any subsequent damage due to the incident. He says he's not going to discuss "hypothetical coverages" for damage that may or may not exist. I ask him what the point of a warranty was in the first place. He says he's ending the call.
I'm pissed. I've always loved GMC. This single incident has made me want to run as fast as I possibly can away, trade into another brand that wouldn't allow this, and never look back. But I love my cars. I love my Acadia. I will switch if I'm forced to, and I'll take everyone I can with me. But I just want this to get fixed.
I called back and asked to speak with anyone except scott and Kenneth. A wonderful person named Keith picks up the phone and schedules a call back with a supervisor above Kenneth's position. I explain my reservations about call backs at this point and he's more than understanding. He takes the time to explain his confidence in the system. He helps me through the aggravation. He tells me that we will get something worked out that will make sure that I'm more than satisfied, that I'm happy by the end of this. I'm thankful, I accept a 24 call back.
I have serious doubts on whether or not I will get a call tomorrow. If by some stroke of luck, that does happen, what should I say? I haven't driven my car for 17 days. I want to drive my damn car without risking thousands of dollars in repairs for something that the dealership should be accepting responsibility for. Please, any suggestions would be helpful.
I'm in the middle of one of the worst experiences I've ever had with vehicle ownership. I'm open to suggestions on what I can do. From the top;
My family and I have always owned GMC vehicles. I currently own 4 different vehicles, all made by GMC. The cars have always been reliable and, until recently, dealerships and service departments have always provided the utmost courtesy and customer service.
I have a 2013 GMC Acadia that I've always maintained incredibly well. I absolutely love the car. For 90K miles, it had never given me any issues. It was a perfect family car. Always reliable and comfortable.
At 96K miles, the transmission started to show some signs of hesitations in between shifts. The car started to lose power the more I drove it. It wasn't horrible, and I don't drive it like a nascar vehicle, so I figured it was just starting to show it's age and the thought was not bothersome. Then the bucking started. Between 2nd and 3rd there would be a hard buck in the vehicle as I drove.
I brought it to Coleman GMC in Lawrenceville NJ the dealer at 99,092 miles and explained the issue to them. I expected a bit of push back on warranty covered repairs because the warranty expired at 100K miled, but I was pleasantly surprised. They promptly called me back and told me that the torque converter was going to be replaced under warranty. I picked up the vehicle a couple days later and as I drove away I noticed the bucking was completely gone, but the hesitation was still there ever so slightly. I figured it was as good as it was going to get, and that I could deal with that amount of hesitation.
As I drove it over the next 3 months the hesitations started to get worse. They weren't constant, but when they popped up the were completely noticeable. I started to worry that if I continued driving it that it would result in the same bucking as before. I stopped driving it unless I had to over the months and ended up bringing it back to GMC to see if they would take another look at the transmission with 99,789 miles on it. Then things became uncomfortable...
After I dropped it off I received a call letting me know that they were unable to duplicate the issues that I mentioned. They asked if I could drive the vehicle with one of their mechanics so I could point out the hesitations. I agreed. They let me know that they were having the warranty for the transmission extended another 2 years and 24K miles just in case they missed something. Then they moved on to the next issue...
My Acadia was burning oil and the engine was bone dry. I was confused, as this had never been an issue before, and they had just had it less than 700 miles ago. They asked for authorization to charge me $48.20 for an oil change, and, before I could think about the situation, I agreed.
They called me again and told me the car was ready for pickup. I asked them what happened in order to make the vehicle burn oil at that rate, and they said they had no idea at this point. They said that I needed to drive it for 1,000 miles and bring it back so they could properly diagnose it. I told them that it would take me out of warranty, and they said not to worry about it, that they would fix the oil consumption. I asked them if they had checked the oil on it's original visit for the torque converter replacement. They said of course they checked it, it was standard procedure and none of the liquid levels in the car were low at that time.
When I went to pick it up, I was still charged $48.20 for the oil change even though they had just agreed that they would fix the issue and had asked me not to worry about the situation. I was under the impression that we had a clear understanding of the situation. I had never had an oil related issue with my vehicle until they had performed a major mechanical procedure in the vehicle, and they were now taking responsibility for the issue. When I asked them about possible damage to the engine from running on low oil, they brushed it off and said that we needed to start with the driving test that would take me out of warranty.
I called the GMC customer service warranty line. That's when all hell broke loose. The first person I spoke with was pleasant. He was a senior advisor, I believe his name was John. He put in a request for a supervisor to call me back, named Kenneth. This was on Oct 17th. He told me it would be 48 hours. 10 Days later, after receiving no call back, I called in again. They had transferred me to another senior advisor, who acknowledged that I had called in 10 days ago but couldn't allow me to speak with a supervisor at that time. He scheduled another call back. 48 hour window. No call. 5:00PM approaches on the 31st. I call in again. New senior advisor, Scott (I believe). This one is rude and purposely pushing me off. I ask to speak to a supervisor, he's not willing to transfer me. He says a supervisor, Kenneth, will call me back within 24 hours. 24 hours later, no call back.
At this point, I'm furious. I've explained the entire situation over and over to new people every time. I call back again, they put me on with Scott. Scott tells me that no supervisor needs to call me back. He says bring the car in after you drive it 1000 miles. It's our only option. I explain to him that it's been 16 days at this point. I was expecting something helpful. Along the lines of an extended warranty for the engine, refund for the oil change, guaranteed coverage for anything damaged as a result of the vehicle being driven for up to 700 miles with no oil. He says there is nothing else they are willing to do. I demand to speak to a supervisor. He does not allow it, schedules another call back from one for 24 hours.
The 17th day. I receive a call from Kenneth, the Supervisor. He tells me that there is nothing else they can do. I have to deal with the service department at Coleman. He tells me that owners have to accept responsibility for repair costs, and that GMC cannot always help. I explain to him that I don't know whether or not there is damage to the engine as a result of this oil fiasco. He agrees. I ask him to cover any subsequent damage due to the incident. He says he's not going to discuss "hypothetical coverages" for damage that may or may not exist. I ask him what the point of a warranty was in the first place. He says he's ending the call.
I'm pissed. I've always loved GMC. This single incident has made me want to run as fast as I possibly can away, trade into another brand that wouldn't allow this, and never look back. But I love my cars. I love my Acadia. I will switch if I'm forced to, and I'll take everyone I can with me. But I just want this to get fixed.
I called back and asked to speak with anyone except scott and Kenneth. A wonderful person named Keith picks up the phone and schedules a call back with a supervisor above Kenneth's position. I explain my reservations about call backs at this point and he's more than understanding. He takes the time to explain his confidence in the system. He helps me through the aggravation. He tells me that we will get something worked out that will make sure that I'm more than satisfied, that I'm happy by the end of this. I'm thankful, I accept a 24 call back.
I have serious doubts on whether or not I will get a call tomorrow. If by some stroke of luck, that does happen, what should I say? I haven't driven my car for 17 days. I want to drive my damn car without risking thousands of dollars in repairs for something that the dealership should be accepting responsibility for. Please, any suggestions would be helpful.
