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kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
If you worked on the truck you could probably get away with $600 in parts to fix your truck. If using a mechanic you're looking at over $1000 to fix it. A replacement catalytic convter is close to $300 wholesale. Not sure if the truck is worth saving.
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Please keep us posted on any information from the dealership.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Can you please keep me posted on what happens with Customer Assistance? I apologize for your frustrations. I look forward to your update.
Christina
GM Customer Service
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Do you currently have a case set up with GM Customer Assistance? If so, could you please email me the case number?
You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
2010 at 18000 miles had engine rebuilt, cam shaft failure... Sounds like a common problem. Well the end of this story is the day after I got it back I traded it off at a 30%loss guess the value of
GM's are not what they used to be. Replaced it with a 2011 chevy camaro. Dealer stated there are some issues ie... Exhaust system. But "GM" is refusing to pay for the repair as they state that is inherent to that type of system which is there because of the AFM. I think it time that GM stops trying to B.S. The government for the bad fuel milage and charge the penalty like Dodge does for not getting within the fuel guide lines. Thanks GM for finally getting it through my head, this is my last run around with a GM product as this company has no interests in the satisfaction of its consumer. On a positive note I have owned 78 camaro, 84 camaro four chevy trucks and my last 2011 camaro up to "2010 I had a good run.
I have an 07 with 43,000 miles and so far no problems. Do all these engines have this issue after so many miles or just some of them?
I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with your complete contact information, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer? I would like to set up a case for you with GM Customer Assistance. This will document your concerns and that you are experiencing them under warranty. Has the dealer involved technical assistance? If not, I would recommend asking them to do so. I look forward to your email.
Christina
GM Customer Assistance
There is absolutely no truth to the fact they are replacing cylinders due to AFM.
Read how it works-it's a very simple system-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Fuel_Management
Do a google search - see for yourself. I guess maybe a few have had problems. I couldn't find anything on a google search.
The vast majority are happy.
1.)Rear Power Window did not work.
2.)Drivers Side Seat Motor did not work.
3.)Whole Carpet Kit had to be replaced because of defect causing it to fall down under the brake and gas petal. They took out full interior trim and broke all clips that hold all plastic pieces in place.
4.)Recall for Window Washer Heater. Causing Trucks to catch fire. Took it out and dissabled it.
5.)Stering Wheel Control Lights would not work.
6.)All 4 Door Handles Broke, almost off the truck.
7.)Oil Dip Stick Tube broke away from the block at the bolt.
8.)A/C Wire Harness to the fan blower motor.
9.)Battery Replaced
10.)Oil Consumption with AFM. They opened up the motor and put some coller on the AFM valve.
Not even my first oil change since having the work done and it consumes again with the message coming on Low Oil.
Local GMC Dealer " Phillips Buick GMC " Fruitland Park, Florida has been the ones to perform the repairs. On the second time in about the oil consumption I am being given the run around about it not being a problem. And they want to do a 1000 Mile test VS the standard 2000 mile 1 quart test. Even after the valve coller work to repair this problem, it still exists at the same rate.
Along with the consumption issue I also noticed that my gas mileage went down. I complained of this as well. I haven't got more than 15 MPG on Highway almost since new. Sticker says 16 MPG City, 21 MPG Highway. After they did the work I got about 2.5 MPG more for about 6 tanks of gas. Then the gas mileage droped again and the oil low message came on again.
I had such a problem with an aftermarket warranty that the original GMC Dealer " Fountain Auto Mall " Orlando, Florida,sold me. They sold me a $2,400 warrany that when I had to use it at Phillips GMC I was told that Phillips GMC would not honor it even though I bought it from another GMC Dealer. I also found out that the second warranty that I was sold ONLY provided the exact same coverage that the manufacture sold with the truck. 36,000 bumper to bumper and 100,000 drive train. I finally called the aftermarket warranty company and got $800 prorated back to me.
I am currently consulting an Attorney for action against GM for the Lemon. And the original Dealer Fountain Auto Mall GMC for their deceptive practice of the useles aftermarket warranty.
The firm that I am using is Krohn & Moss, Ltd. they will take a case for free if it is legit.
I'm interested in any feedback anyone may have.
I bought my truck and the dealer tried to sell me a third party warranty. The first question one should ask is "Is this a GM warranty?" Most of these third party warranty companies are "fly by night" and I don't blame the second dealer for not accepting it. There is a good chance they would not be paid by the warranty company. Dealers sell what makes the most money for them, not what is best for you. Good luck with the rest of your problems.
BTW-you really over paid for that warranty.
SecurantUSA
Making the impossible possible!
Even 80 on a flat road will not get you in 4 cylinder mode except going down a hill.
I don't think GM should have ever put the V8-V4 indicator on the dash. Just let it go about it's business and nobody knows the difference. JMHO.
Do you know if there is an adjustment for the gas pedal?
You are also assuming that the truck doesn't have a problem. I have driven both ways on the same stretch of highway (no wind), over inflated the tires, upgraded to higher octane gas and no extra weight or passengers. If Chevrolet didn't show on the dashboard when the AFM is changing from 8 to 4 cylinders you couldn't pinpoint why the gas mileage is so bad because it is not activating a trouble code. Why cover up the fact that it is not working?? On the highway I am getting about one more mile per gallon that city driving 15 MPG). That's probably because of not stopping and accelerating
I have a 2011-5.3 Crew Cab with 2WD. I also have a tonneau cover which may or may not gain mpg.
I am not downplaying your problem. All I am am saying at highway speeds the AFM will not come much on unless your going downhill. The truck weighs close to 6,000 pounds and it takes a little to move it along.
Good luck on your issue.
Sorry to hear about the problems with your vehicle. Since you have spoken with customer assistance, could you please send us your case number? We would like to look further into your situation.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
My service #: 71983951187
I hope you have better luck than I am having trying to convience someone that I really do have a problem. Since my last post, I took the truck back to
Ron Craft Chevrolet in Baytown, Texas. Mr Foust was a little more helpful on this visit and I am hopeful he will follow thru and help me. The following is that part of my documentation of the problem:
10/18/2011 Afternoon - I drove over to Ron Craft Chevrolet and sat down to talk with Paul Foust. I explained that I was still having the same problem. He contacted someone referred to as a 2nd level Tech. at GM. He was referred to a document that he had not seen before (Document ID: 1995547). It describes how the AFM system works and some possible reasons the truck could be having this problem.
Together, we did a test drive in the truck and used his hand held plug in computer diagnostic tool. He could see that the engine was not dropping back to 4 cylinders at highway speed except when there was a decline in the highway or when removing my foot from the gas pedal. His diagnostic tool also showed there was some sort of problem with the MAP and possibly the acceleration. He was unsure about how to address the problem. He ask me to call him on Friday the 21st.
This is a follow up to my reply back to you yesterday. what I really need is a GM engineer, but it's next to impossible to get that level of service, for some reason?? If nobody knows how to correct the problem, why not????
10/21/2011 11:15 AM - I called Mr. Foust at Ron Craft and left message. He Called me back about 15 minutes later. He said he had driven another truck on the lot, and it had a similar problem. He hasn’t been able to talk to anyone about how to correct it. Said he would call me back sometime next week. This has been dragging out like this for almost two months now.
I have looked into your case and they are working on it. Thank you for your patience, I understand this is frustrating. I apologize for the inconvenience. Your dealer is researching this further with Technical Assistance. I recommend continuing to work with your dealer.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Thanks again Christina for your attempt to help, but it looks like I won't be getting any assistance from GM. There really is a problem!
The truck is drive by wire - so the trucks computer would in all likelihood control that function.
Some dealerships I located in the Houston area include:
David Taylor Cadillac Buick GMC (Phone 713.777.7151)
Beck & Masten Buick-GMC Truck Gulf Freeway (Phone 713.947.4111)
Demontrond Automotive Group, Inc. (Phone 281.872.7200)
West Point Buick GMC (Phone 281.579.4300)
If these aren't able to assist, the following link should help you find more dealerships in your area: http://www.gm.com/vehicles/dealerLocator.html#
Hope this helps,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I apologize for a poor response on my part – thank you for clarifying what you need. If you would be so kind as to send us an email that contains this information, as well as your vehicle’s VIN, we can ask our Technical Assistance Center for more information in regards to the AFM question you are posing.
Again, I apologize for my earlier poor response and look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
This Truck is a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab, Engine: Vortec 5.3L V8 w/Active Fuel Management (AFM), Rear Axle 3.42 ratio, VIN# 3GCPCSEO3BG252186 (EPA Tested these vehicles) Their Average estimated fuel economy average was:
CITY 15 mpg HIGHWAY 21 mpg (city is correct- Hwy 16 MPG, AFM has problem not going to 4 cylinder mode at hwy. speed, about 70 MPH (please see my prior posts)
This fuel economy is advertised and touted openly by all the sales people at the different dealerships I contacted, including Ron Craft Chevrolet before I bought the truck.
9/6/2011 - Called Chevrolet manufacturer 1 866 790-5700 x 21162 BECKY . She gave me a service #: 71983951187 -
11/2/2011 Gm engineer finally looked at my truck this, as I previously posted.
11/2/2011 Mr. Foust called for me to bring my truck to let the engineer look at it. I left it at Ron Craft about 9:30 and picked it up about 3:00 PM. Mr. Foust said the engineer checked the truck and they took it for a test drive. Mr. Foust said they could not get the AFM to change from 8 to 4 cylinders at the normal “open road speed limit” of 70 MPH, but they did get it to stay in 4 cylinder mode once, for one minute at 66 MPH . And the location where they were able to achieve that was on a very long and slight decline of the Hwy. on I 10 east near FM 146, close to Mt. Belview. To my disappointment and surprise, he said it was working okay.???? This I do not believe! It defies common sense. Why would GM build and advertise their “ Active Fuel Management” system when it doesn’t work at the normal highway speed limit of 70 MPH, at the very time it is most needed to get its highway fuel economy? I don’t think working at 66 MPH or less, for one minute, qualifies for working “okay”! Besides, who would want to take a chance on driving at LESS THAN 66 MPH on the open road and possibly get ran over by a fast moving truck. Also, it only worked for ONE MINUTE, and that was on a slight downhill grade (most of the time it wouldn’t be working at all). Please read the brief paragraph from the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Owner’s Manual, p. 9-40, explaining the operation of the “Active Fuel Management” Driving and Operation. Is this not doublespeak, or what?
This Truck is a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab, Engine: Vortec 5.3L V8 w/Active Fuel Management (AFM), Rear Axle 3.42 ratio, VIN# 3GCPCSEO3BG252186 (EPA Tested these vehicles) Their Average estimated fuel economy average was:
CITY 15 mpg HIGHWAY 21 mpg (city is correct- Hwy 16 MPG, AFM has problem not going to 4 cylinder mode at hwy. speed, about 70 MPH (please see my prior posts)
The AFM and its fuel economy are advertised and touted openly by all the sales people at the different dealerships I contacted, including Ron Craft Chevrolet before I bought the truck.
9/6/2011 - Called Chevrolet manufacturer 1 866 790-5700 x 21162 BECKY . She gave me a service #: 71983951187 -
11/2/2011 Gm engineer finally looked at my truck this, as I previously posted.
11/2/2011 Mr. Foust called for me to bring my truck to let the engineer look at it. I left it at Ron Craft about 9:30 and picked it up about 3:00 PM. Mr. Foust said the engineer checked the truck and they took it for a test drive. Mr. Foust said they could not get the AFM to change from 8 to 4 cylinders at the normal “open road speed limit” of 70 MPH, but they did get it to stay in 4 cylinder mode once, for one minute at 66 MPH . And the location where they were able to achieve that was on a very long and slight decline of the Hwy. on I 10 east near FM 146, close to Mt. Belview. To my disappointment and surprise, he said it was working okay.???? This I do not believe! It defies common sense. Why would GM build and advertise their “ Active Fuel Management” system when it doesn’t work at the normal highway speed limit of 70 MPH, at the very time it is most needed to get its highway fuel economy? I don’t think working at 66 MPH or less, for one minute, qualifies for working “okay”! Besides, who would want to take a chance on driving at LESS THAN 66 MPH on the open road and possibly get ran over by a fast moving truck. Also, it only worked for ONE MINUTE, and that was on a slight downhill grade (most of the time it wouldn’t be working at all). Please read the brief paragraph from the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Owner’s Manual, p. 9-40, explaining the operation of the “Active Fuel Management” Driving and Operation. Is this not doublespeak, or what?
I have read that if the accelerator/throttle is more than 6%, the engine will not drop back to 4 cylinder mode.
My AFM 2011 5.3 Silverado (8 to 4 cylinders) acts as though it's right at the verge of going into 4 cylinder mode at steady highway speed, but will only go there for maybe a second or two (infrequently) on level ground. Its like it just needs a small adjustment (somewhere) to make it stay in 4 cylinder mode. I know it won't work at 70+ MPH, but this is at 55-60 MPH. I've taken it to the dealers, but they can't find any trouble codes to tell them what to do. The dealers I have spoken with don't seem to know much about the AFM. If it doesn't show a trouble code, they don't know how (or have the time) to trace the problem. I'm just grasping at straws, the throttle may or may not even be the problem. If anyone is familiar with this problem, please let me know
MY average mpg (5.3-Crewcab) city is no more than 15 - usually less. The truck does get close to 20mpg highway if you keep it at 65mph and below and no head wind. 6% throttle is not very much - it takes more than that to move a 5,500 pound truck down the freeway.
The AFM is highly misunderstood by both salespeople and the owners.
I suggest renting another truck. It will probably be the same way. It's one thing to say it doesn't work correctly, do you have anything to compare it to?
It seems like GM could come up with an (approved) slightly modified ECM computer program that could be used in cases like ours. When they can't find a way to make them work the way the Owner's Manual describes. Most people drive faster than 45 - 55 MPH. (mine will only stay in V4 mode for short distances at 40 MPH) I don't understand the restriction? It's like punishing you for buying one of them.
Honestly -I do not work for GM. There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding these trucks. There is NO WAY anyone is getting 22-23mpg with these trucks. These things weigh 5,500 pounds - it ain't gonna happen. Do a google search on the Ford F150s with the ECOTEC, even they are not getting that type of mpg.
If your AFM is coming on going down hills - it's working. If it's not, then there is something wrong.
I averaged 20mpg from Salt Lake City, UT to Mesquite, NV recently, and that was over three different 6,000 foot mountain passes. That's the best one can hope for.
It always amazes me at the mpg claims made on the Internet. FYI-it happens on all forums for all makes. I don't know it must give some guys a rush to "stretch" the truth about the mpg.
Please, if this concerns you and makes you unhappy, rent another truck and prove it to yourself. It's a truck and it isn't going to get stellar mpg regardless of what the dealers salesman told you, what others SAY they are getting, OR EVEN what the owner's manual says.
If you driving a truck and not using it for towing, hauling - if it's just a grocery getter and your concerned about mpg, I am sorry you bought the wrong vehicle.
Good luck - I wish you well.
15mpg is about right at 75 mph.
If per your own words your using it for family transportation and not towing and hauling on a regular basis-you indeed bought the wrong vehicle.
You would have been better off buying a Malibu and renting a truck for your occasional utility needs.