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Comments
Well, now it's only six months later (48,000 miles on the car now) and it's leaking again. After sitting in the dealership shop for FIVE DAYS, they finally got around to looking at it -- and they're saying one of the HEAD BOLTS is broken. Yeah right. Now WHO would've done THAT? Maybe the incompetent service guys as they overtightened the head after the repair in March? They're saying they won't cover it.
We planned to keep this car until it hit 80,000 miles or so. My wife doesn't drive it very much, and it still looks new. But now we're already shopping for a replacement (and it WON'T be a GM product) for a car that has only 48,000 miles on it. What a piece of crap.
Meade
BTW, I just heard back from the dealership. It was a broken bolt and TO MY AMAZEMENT AND DISBELIEF, they admitted that they probably overtorqued the bolts back in March. Therefore I'm not going to be charged.
But read what the Service Manager told me -- I can't believe he told me this little "secret":
Chevy's recall instructs their service departments to replace the head gasket but keep using the old head bolts, which goes against Chevrolet's OWN service guidelines that instruct their mechanics to use NEW HEAD BOLTS each time they install a new gasket.
Looks like another example of GM cutting corners at their customers' expense to me. But I've learned my lesson now. My days as a GM customer are numbered. What's the adage? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME."
(But I'd replace "fool" with "screw" in the above adage.)
Meade
In my opinion the Civic and the Focus are better cars, but they also costs more. We are leasing and it would be $50-60/month more. To me, that's the gas money for the month.
Maybe you're lucky ... so far. But go and read the "consumer complaints" section on NHTSA's web site. Just enter Cavalier for 1995 through 1999 and have fun.
We are far from the only ones experiencing these problems.
And Malibu99, I don't think the problems with my head gasket have anything to do with the quality of my dealership. And GM didn't publish a "hidden recall" to cover their asses about this problem because of a few blown head gaskets here and there. This is a major, major problem ... and what makes it even worse is that they elected to cut corners when remedying it.
But don't just take my word for it ... go to the NHTSA web site and read the complaints of others who have played Head-Gasket-of-the-Month with their Cavaliers.
Meade
j/k
I wish you luck with your Cavalier. And I hope you get rid of it early unless you want a maintenance nightmare on your hands. This will be my last post about this; I have all the proof I need sitting in my driveway and on NHTSA's web site. Did you watch Dateline NBC last night? Did you see how NHTSA's now in trouble with Congress for not doing anything about all the consumer complaints about Ford Explorers losing their tires? Now Ford's on the hot seat along with Firestone. I have a feeling NHTSA's going to become a lot more accountable in the coming months.
Just remember what I said. If you keep your Cavalier a few years, this discussion will come back to you.
Meade
And I was told Thursday that if any more head bolts break, they won't cover them. Nothing like generating nice, closed-ended comments like that to guarantee repeat business. You know, when my 1994 Mazda truck started having pre-detonation problems at 52,000 miles (2,000 miles out of warranty), they stood behind it and covered it under warranty. I met with Mazda factory reps who came to my dealership from Maryland to meet ME and discuss my vehicle's problem. They kept working on the problem until resolving it two years later at 98,000 miles, and none of the work ever cost me a CENT. They paid for loaner cars (sometimes up to a week), a head check and resurfacing, new intake manifold, new engine computer, new oxygen sensors, new ignition module -- quite a hefty bill -- all after my original warranty had expired. That's one reason I'm driving a 2000 Mazda now -- even though I had a Mazda "lemon" (built by Ford, actually), they treated me right -- at the corporate AND dealership levels -- and won my repeat business.
My 1988 HYUNDAI EXCEL (hey, I was in college and needed a cheap car) lost its transmission 4,000 miles out of warranty. Hyundai offered to (and did) pay HALF of the $800 cost of the repair.
You know, there are ways to keep customers, and there are ways to lose customers. My profession is marketing (not for a car company). Chevrolet, in my opinion, at both the corporate and dealership level, has a long way to go before I'll ever consider being their customer again. And I will preach my hatred of their corporation and our dealership until they prove otherwise.
Wouldn't you do the same if YOU bought a product that broke down all the time, and the manufacturer AND service people wouldn't stand behind it? Don't fault me and say "tough to be you" for acting like any normal person would. And I'm not fretting over it -- you seem to think I'm sitting here crying in my Corn Flakes. These forums are for sharing ideas and experiences, and I'm sharing mine. I've made my decision. No more Chevrolet products!
Meade
Good luck with your next car when it breaks down, sound slike a pattern of bad cars. Really though, better luck next time.
All I can say is, $300 into a 6 year old car isn't much. They have fixed everything and you have a working car. Speculating that something else will go wrong is pointless as the car is getting up in years. They can't warranty the product indefinitely. I don't think you have a lot to complain about. Don't buy another Chevy.. be happy.
BTW.. Ford and Mazda are basically the same company.
PS: Sounds like you are more concerned with excellent service. In this area no one beats Saturn. Try trading the Cavalier for a Saturn SL their service will take your breath away. The dealership by my house cleans and vaccums the cars when they are done servicing them and as an added touch of care they leave a mint on your dashboard. Execllent service, try that brand and you might find what you are looking for. Good luck!
I busted a power steering pump and a/c line because I was breathing too hard.
No, gentlemen ... I had these problems because I bought a crappy car.
For some reason you have to resort to name-calling and personal put-downs to try to prove your point. I've made my point. Have fun with your Mr. Gutwrench products!
Bye bye!
And MD is right. No reason to call names because someone doesn't agree with your point. Make sense?
No the Cavalier isn't the greatest car in the world, but most people are generally happy with them.
MD has a choice, trade the car for a Saturn if service is the concern or keep the violins going with the car he or she owns.
Second, not everyone in the world has an endless supply of cash. Purchasing another car isn't an option for us right now. We were kind of hoping (actually, EXPECTING) that a modern car by any major manufacturer could last more than 50,000 miles before turning into a maintenance nightmare. Obviously we made the wrong choice.
We WILL eventually wind up purchasing another car. But it won't be a Saturn -- they're made by GM too. Nope, we'll be heading to the imports. And before you start in on me, just think about what you'd do if you were in my shoes. A car is a major investment for us (I would think for anyone), and we don't feel like taking any more chances. Sure, an import might have trouble too -- there are no guarantees. I'm not closed-minded enough to think like that. But I've taken my chances with GM and lost. So it's time to try something else.
And teo, how can you keep saying I "just had a lousy dealership experience?" Are you not paying attention? The problems I've had (and have been continuing to have) with this car were manufacturing defects! We aren't even taking the car to the same dealership we bought it from! The dealership had nothing to do with the faulty head gasket GM recalled, the head bolts GM told them to use again when GM's own service manuals tell them to replace them with new ones, or the a/c and power steering hoses that were mounted so that they rubbed against the serpentine belt!
The car was MADE poorly. Maybe yours wasn't. That's wonderful; enjoy it! But I'm not going to take the chance again. That's all I'm saying!
Meade
Don't blame you for changing, but please don't infer from your experience means all GM cars are "crap".
PS: This doesn't mean these are bad cars but md appears to buy the lemons of every brand he touches. Good luck!
And if you read the leading consumer magazines, the Cavalier, Malibu, and most American cars have average or lower reliability. Most foreign (Japanese or European) cars have average or better reliability. American cars may be cheaper, but low price alone doesn't equal value.
If you'll notice, my 1994 Mazda pickup was a piece of junk too -- as you point out, malibu -- but did you know that since 1994, the Mazda B-series trucks have been re-badged Ford Rangers? My truck had Ford's 2.3-liter four-cylinder in it, and all the electrical and mechanical trimmings -- all proudly stamped with "Motorcraft" and "Ford" labels. The only thing manufactured by Mazda on the entire truck was the transmission, which is also used in Ford's Ranger.
My new Mazda Protege that Vocus spoke of was built in Hiroshima, Japan (yeah yeah, I've heard all of the bomb jokes) and has been flawless for the 7,200 miles I've put on it since I bought it in May. The 1992 Protege that I had before making the stupid decision to trade it in on the truck went 82,000 miles without ONE problem. I never did anything but change the oil and perform the recommended maintenance.
See a pattern? Of the cars I've had, my Japan-built Mazdas have been flawless. My domestic-built vehicles have been what's-wrong-this-time maintenance nightmares. You'll probably be quick to point out that I had a 1988 Hyundai Excel whose transmission died. And if you do that, I'll say fine -- if you're going to put Chevrolet and Hyundai in the same category, then you've actually strengthened my point. In fact, the late '80s Pontiac LeMans was built by Daewoo -- a Korean company facing bankruptcy that even Ford won't purchase (Ford nixed the deal this morning). So maybe I just need to stay with cars that were built in Japan, because to date I've had NO PROBLEMS AT ALL with ANY VEHICLE I've owned that was made in Japan.
Meade
I agree a few brands have better reliability, but in general American cars are at average or above in reliability. VW, all Korean and a few Japanese makes are below GM. Like I said before, the Cavalier is probably one of GMs weakest models.
Malibu, we're really doing the same thing. You're staying with Chevrolet because they've never done you wrong. That's great, and I wish you the best. I'm staying with Mazda (built in Japan) because they've never done me wrong. I share my opinions, you share yours. See how this works?
Meade
Think about it ... the Cavalier is GM's bread-and-butter car. I'd bet (I don't know, but I would bet) that the Cavalier is the top selling car made by GM -- at least here in America. On top of that, the Cavalier, since it's low-priced, is probably the first experience with GM products for a lot of young people. To cause a behavior change and win a GM customer for life, maybe they need to rethink the quality of their entry-level vehicle.
Meade
Meade
dealer's mechanics had broken a head bolt"
Well that's not GMs fault, that's your dealer's fault. Don't blame the car.
Alas, GM caused the head bolt problem because used, corroded head bolts are not supposed to be re-installed and re-torqued after head work! Go read ANY GM service manual!!!
Meade
Plus, the car has less than 50K on it. It shouldn't be blowing anything yet. It's just an excuse Chevrolet uses to cover up their poor manufacturing, and a poor excuse at that. I guess, like my mother used to say, a poor excuse is better than none at all, right? The bottom line is if Chevrolet would have made the engines correctly in the first place, the head wouldn't have had to be replaced and there wouldn't be all this drama to cause the second occurence. Secondly, Chevrolet sent a memo to the dealers that said specifically NOT to use the same head bolts. No matter who has done it, the manufacturer sent a letter saying NOT to do it. When you are a dealership, you listen to the company, and not do what you feel like to save on some shop supplies.