GM buyback question

What is the name of your state? south carolina

January 2005 i bought a brand new Chevy Avalanche. first month
everything was fine.

1St problem:
in the second month i started having problems with a clunking noise
in the front end when making turns. took it to dealer who found a TSB on this problem. fixed it(attempted).
every month since the same problem keeps coming back. i take it in, they say
they repaired it. some months i have had to take it in more than "once". the dealer always is nice and ATTEMPTS to fix it. problem keeps coming back.
after bringing it back on the 3rd time the service manager rode with me to "hear" the problem. while riding around with him and him realizing what the problem was, he made a statement that chevy knows about this problem because it is happening to almost all of these 2wd avalanches. he also made a statement that chevy has no idea how to fix it, and basically i was going to have to live with it.
i kindly told him i didn't care whether they had to change out the entire front end, chevy was going to fix it because i wasn't about to "live with it".

2nd problem: this truck has electric seats with memory settings. the drivers side has broken about 4 -5 times. they've replaced sensors, motors, and had to re-program the computer several times. now after fixing again last week, it is breaking again.

3rd problem: radio controls in the back of vehicle have died and been replaced.

4th problem: the A/C compressor has started getting louder when it engages, they look at it, and say it's normal. it's louder (clunk sound) than when i was first using it.

sorry this is long, but i wanted to give you thorough information.

i called GM about filing for the "Buyback" program. they took info, called the
local dealer and got their info. they told me they'd call me back in a couple of days.

after waiting almost 2 weeks, they never called. so i called them back. they asked that i give the dealer another try. so i did.
dealer kept it a couple of days, replaced all the body mounts, called and said it's fixed.
made it about a day, and problem came back. not only did it come back, but now the truck "squeeks" with every little bump in the road. sounds like an old truck driving down a dirt road, or worse, an old boxspring matress with newlywed couple.

nobody from dealer or GM has contacted me to see if the problem is fixed. i guess i'll have to call them again.


my question is i don't know what to expect from this. do i need a lawyer to handle this? or is it straight forward where i can handle it?

will they offer to give me a replacement avalanche?
if they "buy it back" how does that work? if i paid a sticker price of $33K, is this how much they give me, or do they just pay the loan off? what about the amount of money i put down on vehicle?

they have an new '05 tahoe still on the lot.... would they offer that as replacement?

i really like the avalanche, it fits my lifestyle perfectly. i just want one that
works, or at least can be fixed correctly.

please give advice.

thank you.

wolfsmane said:

What is the name of your state? south carolina

January 2005 i bought a brand new Chevy Avalanche. first month
everything was fine.

1St problem:
in the second month i started having problems with a clunking noise
in the front end when making turns. took it to dealer who found a TSB on this problem. fixed it(attempted).
every month since the same problem keeps coming back. i take it in, they say
they repaired it. some months i have had to take it in more than "once". the dealer always is nice and ATTEMPTS to fix it. problem keeps coming back.
after bringing it back on the 3rd time the service manager rode with me to "hear" the problem. while riding around with him and him realizing what the problem was, he made a statement that chevy knows about this problem because it is happening to almost all of these 2wd avalanches. he also made a statement that chevy has no idea how to fix it, and basically i was going to have to live with it.
i kindly told him i didn't care whether they had to change out the entire front end, chevy was going to fix it because i wasn't about to "live with it".

2nd problem: this truck has electric seats with memory settings. the drivers side has broken about 4 -5 times. they've replaced sensors, motors, and had to re-program the computer several times. now after fixing again last week, it is breaking again.

3rd problem: radio controls in the back of vehicle have died and been replaced.

4th problem: the A/C compressor has started getting louder when it engages, they look at it, and say it's normal. it's louder (clunk sound) than when i was first using it.

sorry this is long, but i wanted to give you thorough information.

i called GM about filing for the "Buyback" program. they took info, called the
local dealer and got their info. they told me they'd call me back in a couple of days.

after waiting almost 2 weeks, they never called. so i called them back. they asked that i give the dealer another try. so i did.
dealer kept it a couple of days, replaced all the body mounts, called and said it's fixed.
made it about a day, and problem came back. not only did it come back, but now the truck "squeeks" with every little bump in the road. sounds like an old truck driving down a dirt road, or worse, an old boxspring matress with newlywed couple.

nobody from dealer or GM has contacted me to see if the problem is fixed. i guess i'll have to call them again.


my question is i don't know what to expect from this. do i need a lawyer to handle this? or is it straight forward where i can handle it?

will they offer to give me a replacement avalanche?
if they "buy it back" how does that work? if i paid a sticker price of $33K, is this how much they give me, or do they just pay the loan off? what about the amount of money i put down on vehicle?

they have an new '05 tahoe still on the lot.... would they offer that as replacement?

i really like the avalanche, it fits my lifestyle perfectly. i just want one that
works, or at least can be fixed correctly.

please give advice.

thank you.

Click to expand...

I will answer part of your question:

Everything you describe is common to the Avalanches and Tahoes.

My response:

This is sad. We're told to "Buy American" to help keep the American worker at his/her job and to help them pay their way in life. Sounds great! Until, of course, you've found you purchased a 4 ton hunk of scrap metal crap, that was built either on a Monday or a Friday - - the worst days to build a vehicle.

Kinda pisses you off, don't it?

You should have bought a Mitsubishi "Montero" of equivalent size. Far, far, better quality and would NEVER have caused you these problems. The only problem with this is that the American worker gets nothing.

Perhaps America should get out of the vehicle-making business. We build crap!


IAAL

Litigation! said:

My response:

This is sad. We're told to "Buy American" to help keep the American worker at his/her job and to help them pay their way in life. Sounds great! Until, of course, you've found you purchased a 4 ton hunk of scrap metal crap, that was built either on a Monday or a Friday - - the worst days to build a vehicle.

Kinda pisses you off, don't it?

You should have bought a Mitsubishi "Montero" of equivalent size. Far, far, better quality and would NEVER have caused you these problems. The only problem with this is that the American worker gets nothing.

Perhaps America should get out of the vehicle-making business. We build crap!


IAAL

Click to expand...

i agree with some of what you said.

i've owned mitubishi before, and have had several aqaintances and friends
who have had them as well.
i have never once seen a quality made mitubishi. if they sold them for a quarter of their asking price, and gave a lifetime, unconditional warranty, i wouldn't buy one.

but, unfortunately, none of that helps me with my situation.

anyone with knowledge with this ?

wolfsmane said:

i agree with some of what you said.

i've owned mitubishi before, and have had several aqaintances and friends
who have had them as well.
i have never once seen a quality made mitubishi. if they sold them for a quarter of their asking price, and gave a lifetime, unconditional warranty, i wouldn't buy one.

but, unfortunately, none of that helps me with my situation.

Click to expand...

My response:

Okay, have fun with your 4-ton paperweight with wheels!

IAAL

Litigation! said:

My response:

Okay, have fun with your 4-ton paperweight with wheels!

IAAL

Click to expand...

you apparently misread or , misinterpreted my original post.

nowhere in that post did i ask for anyones advice about whether
foreign vehicles are superior to american, nor did i ask any opinions
about whether this truck is a POS paperweight.

quite simply i asked what i should expect when/if i have to go through
the GM buyback process, and what legal options i have.

if you like mitsubishi, then good for you. i like american(despite their faults) and particularly GM.

so what, my paper weight is heavier than yours**************

wolfsmane said:

you apparently misread or , misinterpreted my original post.

nowhere in that post did i ask for anyones advice about whether
foreign vehicles are superior to american, nor did i ask any opinions
about whether this truck is a POS paperweight.

quite simply i asked what i should expect when/if i have to go through
the GM buyback process, and what legal options i have.

if you like mitsubishi, then good for you. i like american(despite their faults) and particularly GM.

so what, my paper weight is heavier than yours**************

Click to expand...

My response:

Pal, I was only "suggesting" Mitsubishi. Any vehicle, however, will last a lifetime if you properly care for it by reading the User Manual and Maintenance Schedule, something your friends obviously never did. It was only "suggested" because the "Montero" is in the same class of vehicles, not something I own or drive. I happen to drive a convertible Rolls Royce, but that's not either here nor there.

You see, if you had read your User Manual, you would have found and read about the Arbitration process - - and this was a big tip-off that neither you, or your friends, read User Manuals, which leads me to believe that was the reason why your friends had so much trouble with Mitsubishi products.

So, it bears repeating - -

Okay, have fun with your 4-ton paperweight with wheels!

IAAL

Litigation! said:

My response:

Pal, I was only "suggesting" Mitsubishi. Any vehicle, however, will last a lifetime if you properly care for it by reading the User Manual and Maintenance Schedule, something your friends obviously never did. It was only "suggested" because the "Montero" is in the same class of vehicles, not something I own or drive. I happen to drive a convertible Rolls Royce, but that's not either here nor there.

You see, if you had read your User Manual, you would have found and read about the Arbitration process - - and this was a big tip-off that neither you, or your friends, read User Manuals, which leads me to believe that was the reason why your friends had so much trouble with Mitsubishi products.

So, it bears repeating - -

Okay, have fun with your 4-ton paperweight with wheels!

IAAL

Click to expand...

the quality of mitsubishi was not a matter of upkeep/maintanence.
it was just poor quality in general. and i'm fully aware, user manual or no manual, how to properly maintain a vehicle.
i am not trying to debate the quality of mitsubishi or gm with you. nor am i
trying to debate upkeep of each vehicle, nor whether i read or have read the owners manual. i HAVE read the owners manual. i do know about the arbitration. i already have it started.

all i am asking of you and others here is what can i expect to happen, since i've never been down this road before.

what i was hoping for since this is the lemon law thread, was someone that had knowledge of the proceedures that take place, like do they offer to swap the lemon for a good vehicle, or maybe what kind of guidelines they go buy to determine how much $$$ they pay when/if they buy it back.

and since i do like GM (when they work properly ), will i be blacklisted from buying another GM?

i am not here looking for an argument, and it is apparent that i have
P***ed you off, although it was never my intention to do so.
so here my is apology to you.

all i ever wanted was a little guidance, maybe things to watch out for, what MY rights are concerning these procedures, and some friendly advice(not about which brand).


i bought a GM,.... telling me i "should have bought another brand" doesn't do anything to help my situation out. out of all the GM's i have owned, as well as my family, this is the first one i've been dissappointed with. i am sure every car manufacturer has a "lemon" that makes it to the dealership once in a while.


do you have any knowledge or experience with this type of situation(buy back) that you can help me with?

just wanted to say thanks for the help....

Lemon laws only apply to very serious problems that affect the safe operation of the vehicle. The clunking sound you get in the front end may or may not affect the safe operation and you need to provide more specific info on exactly what they've replaced.

My first piece of advice is to do everything in writing via Certified Mail Return Receipt. Phone calls as you've already seen don't really do much good.

The big picture

I know you want to be fathful to GM and you are looking for a quick fix but you need to ask yourself something. Is there really a quick fix? We are in trouble with the American car industry. Why is this happening? I have read post after post about problems with our American Cars. The bottom line is I suspect that we are way behind on the technoligy and the quality of our cars. We are in trouble.

It all happenened when we sent Dr. W. Edwards Demingto Japan shortly after WW2 to improve the economy where from 1950 onward, he taught top management the principles of Statistical process control a forerunner of Total quality management . Under Deming’s stewardship, Japan became renowned for producing innovative high quality products. Deming is regarded as having had more impact upon Japanese manufacturing and business than any other individual not of Japanese heritage. Japan really didnt invent anything. They just kept improving it and improving it until it couldnt be improved anymore. They relied heavily on feed back from the consumer and the guy on the production floor. They valued this advise and made the improvements.

Where are the improvemnents in our cars. I dont know the answer but I cant afford to take a chance and buy an American car on a fixed income and pay a dealership outrages repair bills for something that should have been improved over the years. I know you want to support GM but you probably need to rethink this when you want to trade the car off for another gm product. When your warrenty runs out, then what? Just some friendly advise. Dont get upset. Just want you to see the big picture.
I am from Washington State.

Hey there wolfsmaine....

Yeah... pet peeve of mine here on this website. People giving their "opinion" rather than actually giving you a legal advice or sticking to or around the topic at hand.

Don't worry. The American manufacturers are still on top of the heap when it comes to technology. We're the ones the spurred the OBDII systems, and we're the ones that have the technology to make more power from our systems, with less moving parts than anyone on the planet. Although... you'd expect U.S. manufacturers to be more worried about creating high gas milage vehicles that didn't leak oil, required less maintanance, or things of that nature. But then again..... that would jepordize job security.... right??

So in answer to your question. I'm not sure how the lemon laws work in your state, I'm from California where we have one. But here is your states consumer affairs weblink to answer some of your questions.

http://www.scconsumer.gov/faqs/lemon_law.htm

They say that if the vehicle's defect impairs its use or will lower its market value substantially; and the manufacturer cannot repair within a reasonable time...... then you are entitled to a refund of all your money, taxes, finance charges, etc less a resonable deduction for your using it.

The resonable time they state is either 30 days (not ness consecutively) or bringing the car/truck back for the same problem 3 times in a row.

Now make sure you've read your repair orders from when taking it to the dealership. Make sure they documented it each time explicitly in writing, and that you have a copy of the initial repair order and then the repair order they give you once they've completed the repairs.

The "advice" the service manager gave you is a bunch of B.S. He's paid to tell you those things (i.e. sorry charlie... go pound sand).

The argument you'll use is that you cannot sell this vehicle for a reasonable price because everyone that drives it asks whats wrong with the front end? So therefore, you've taken a substantial hit on the vehicles value.

There's no need for doing anything in writing except for keeping track of all the service records. The "writing" will come in when you are farther down the road in arbitration. Just read the weblink I provided. It tells pretty much what you need to do.

As far as Mitslubitchies are concerned..... they are piles or crap. Especially the Monteros... sheesh!! When they made that abortion with the 2.8L Chevy motor in it.... I was very busy at the shop keeping them on the road. The 4 cylinders weren't too bad. But if I had my way... nothing beats a Toyota or a Nissan when it comes to Japanese trucks. The new Nissans have gotten some really good reviews. But if you're in the market for the ultimate in H.D. trucks, it's still with the good ol American manufacturers. GM is a good all around truck (driveline, fit and finish, chassis, electronics, comfort).... Ford has the strongest chassis, the driveline in gas is ok. The diesels are amazing in GM and Ford as well. The dodge is a crappy truck. The chassis are weak, the drivelines aren't all the great, although with the new Hemi's, they are alot better.... and needless to say, the Cummins Diesels have been America's workhorse for years.

Sorry to be so long winded. Hope this helps.

John

thanks for all the advice.

Sorry if this has already been suggested, but have you tried driving a couple of other brand new avalanches (same model) to see if the clunking is "standard equipment"?