Saturn ION Maintenance and Repair
July 19th 2008 my daughter drover her new 2007 Saturn Ion through a street that had three inches of water on the road. The water spashed as she went through the water and the car died. After several attempts to start the vehicle it was towed to Saturn of Cedar Rapids. The starter would not turn the engine over and we were told that the engine had water in it and needed to be replaced at $6200.00 dollars. Her bumper to bumper 36000 3 year warrant would not be honored as the saturn dealership said it was her fault that she drove through the water. (Actuall milege 11400 bought in Novemner of 2007) Saturn Dealership would not help kept saying that it was not covered the engine had to be replaced. Saturn the company support echoed that it had to be the owners fault as quoted to them by the dealer. Questioned on why the engine could not be rebuilt and always told had to be replaced with new engine. Took my own mechanic to the dealership, vehicle was hydrolocked and after 15 minutes of work my mechanic had the vehicle running and there was not any damage to engine. So check the fine print Bumper to bumper does not help if they will not honor it. I have to question the ability of the service department to diagnose the correct problem. Saturn Ion has the air intake hose right behind the passenger headlight, nothing covering the opening so water can go into the intake any time water is splashed into the engine compartment in my opinion.
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The following is my biggest worry: on two occasions, the air vents emitted a tar-burning kind of smell. The first time, I was climbing a hill with the a/c on full and the smell lingered for about 2 minutes or 2 miles then dissappeared. The second time I was on the flat but still with the a/c on; this time it was only a wiff for a few seconds but very distinctively the same smell as the first time.
I'm also suspicious of a clicking noise when I turn at low speeds...dont know if its from the wheels or the steering system...could this be related to the smell problem, or am I just being new buyer paranoid...?
As a part time mechanic, it is stories like this that make me think twice about being a full time mechanic.
sorry, but, it was your daughter's fault and I hope she learned a lesson from it.
:confuse:
If I recall, there is more foam insulation that you now have to remove. Then you will need a torx wrench -- t15 or t20, I can't recall which-- to remove the several torx screws that secure the power assembly to the mirror housing. Then reinstall
That is essentially all there is to it -- I had a damaged mirror exterior but working power element, so I had to remove my power mirror, disassembled it to remove the power component and re-install the power component in a used manual mirror housing (the housings are the same). Entire job took about 40 minutes.
I took my car in for just an oil change at one of those multi do it chain shops. So, without my knowledge, they did a 20 something point inspection and tallied $1800 in repairs and maintenance.
They said I had 5% life on my breaks, and I still had 30% when I got them measured somewhere else. Moreover, they said 3 out of the four struts were leaking, and they needed to be replaced--very expensive, and I can't afford it right now.
The car has no obvious symptoms of failing struts--no bouncing, corners fine, good on bumps, and passes the push down test with flying colors.
Is this place just trying to exploit me and scare me to make money fast, or is this just a slow leak that Saturn owners have experienced that can take a considerable amount of time to actually start to show symptoms?
He showed them to me. I don't know if that was just superficial grease, a very slow leak, or what.
How long did other Saturn owners wait if this really is a problem?
Leaking at 54,400 miles?? I want to wait till I start to notice symptoms before even thinking about getting them replaced because the leak must be superficial or slow, because I notice no symptoms compared to the car's entire life.
I think this guy is trying to promote business in this slugish economy. He gave me all kinds of witty answers to my doubts of not noticing, like, "It's like a father not noticing much change in his kids because he with them all the time, but an uncle who would if he only sees them once in a while."
Is this a real problem that is known to progress fast in a 2004 Saturn ION 1?
Is this guy just trying to make money and change something too soon?
Can some leakage be superficial and normal?
Your help is highly appreciated! Please help stop cusomer exploitation.
Thanks
What has happened recently is that if I do not drive my Saturn at least every day, my battery is dead. As long as I start it & do something with it daily, I'm okay. But if it sets for 2 or more days, when I try to start it, the battery is flat dead.
Is this a relay that's gone bad? What do I need to look for? (Or have my mechanic look for?)
If you have a teenage driver in an Ion, I strongly urge you to re-consider putting them in another vehicle. 3 times my young daughter was put in jepordy. First passlock problem not being able to start the car, second, power steering going out while driving, that could have been real ugly, and just recently not being able to shut the car off. The dealers gladly take your money to fix the problems but like I said Corp. is no help. I guess until someone is badly hurt or killed, Saturn or GM doesn't really care. Take it from someone who been there. Good Luck
Hate to say this, but if you are a woman they will totally take advantage of your ignorance on the subject. And it's not just the car repair business either. Veterinarians and Doctors and Lawyers are the SAME WAY! CROOKS!
But when you ask a chain business, they'll swear to there little stupid sign that says get them changed. Don't ask for an opinion at Midas either.
They are CROOKS! Just like u said.
There are honest good people out there,luckily, but placed like these should be reported, or something... The chevy dealer told me they were fine and Saturn, too.
I took it to a mechanic he said my battery was almost dead and that could have cause it so I got a new battery and a couple months later it did it again.
Ive searched the internet and have found that a lot of saturn ions have had this problem, yet no fix. There are horror stories of people almost getting killed cause their car just shuts off on the highway. A few people even said that they took it to saturn themselves (when they were still in business) and they had multiple things switched and fixed and blah blah blah and STILL it continues to shut off on its own.
I also read that someone at saturn said this is a major problems with ions and nobody knows whats wrong with the car.
ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED! Im afraid im gonna have to just get rid of the car even though its only 6 years old, its either that or potentially get killed or in a severe accident. Thanks in advance!
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Look forward to hearing from you,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I recently am having problems with my 06 Saturn Ion, the gas gauge will indicate that I am low when I have gas. The gauge will go from a half a tank to empty back up to quarter and then back to half a tank. Where would I find information on an extended warranty, I have not received no letter with this information.
Thanks for your help,
JoAnn :sick:
The service contracts that GM has available (GM Protection Plans or GMPP) are only available during the vehicle's initial manufacturer's limited warranty, or the bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. However, there may be other third party service contracts that your local dealership would be able to recommend.
I'm sorry to hear about your gas gauge. Were you planning on having this looked into?
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Beware and Good Luck
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