# Everything That Has Gone Wrong with my 2011 LT So Far



## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Sort of confirms the Consumer Reports predictions but at least it looks like GM has fixed the stuff so far. You must have one of the highest mileage Cruzes on the forum.


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## The Wolf Wagon (Mar 5, 2012)

Yikes!!


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

58k miles? Yow! 

And all those issues in that mileage? Not good, not good...


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## jrichards (Feb 17, 2012)

If GM has this many issues with the Cruze after selling so many over the past few years, they are going to be screwed.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sciphi said:


> 58k miles? Yow!
> 
> And all those issues in that mileage? Not good, not good...





jrichards said:


> If GM has this many issues with the Cruze after selling so many over the past few years, they are going to be screwed.


Doesn't look that bad to me to be honest. It's certainly not worse than other offerings by Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, etc. Many of these appear to be issues specific to the 2011 model year and things that were assembly line related. 

Few if any have reported the hot air at driver's feet. I've been here since January and haven't seen a single report since then. I'd consider this a non-issue for current models. 

The black trim is a cosmetic thing. Not sure what was going on there. Would need more details. 

I'll give GM a black mark for the rear drum cylinder. I noticed this problem a few thousand miles ago but it hasn't come back since. May have been part of the break-in process? Not sure. 

Steering Recall - fixed under recall, no longer an issue on newer models
Crosswind Whistle noise - fixed under TSB, no longer an issue on newer models (assuming GM incorporate the fix on new models, as they have done in the past)
Rattle in dash - not bad for 52k miles, but I'd consider it very minor. 
Water pump failure - a bit premature at 58k miles, but I've replaced my fair share of them and they don't last forever



Filtering through these, I'm seeing the following potential issues on new Cruzes:
Drum piston squeak
Rattle in dash
Water pump failure

Not bad for 58k miles.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jrichards said:


> If GM has this many issues with the Cruze after selling so many over the past few years, they are going to be screwed.



Agree, I hate seeing posts like this. My last two GM cars were great, 260,000miles on my Lesabre with only regular maintenance(brakes, oil, gas,tires). only major part I had to replace was an alternator(at 150,000). my cavalier with 2.2ecotec had 110,000 also with nothing but regular maintenance.


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## cwerdna (Mar 10, 2011)

sciphi said:


> 58k miles? Yow!


FWIW, for me or my family members, that's a lot of miles in a relatively short span. But that's nothing compared to 2 fas 4u w/73K miles on his Prius v wagon (Prius v: 100,000 Mile Club | Page 3 | PriusChat). It was bought new on 1/23/12. 

He got to 465K miles on his 09 Prius before he traded it for the above Prius v wagon (299,999+ Mile Club | Page 27 | PriusChat, odometer picture posted by a helper at 299,999+ Mile Club | Page 30 | PriusChat).


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

MStevens said:


> Everything has been fixed through the warranty, so no money out of my pocket. Just inconvenient.
> 
> Purchased 11/20/2010
> 12/01/10 1,200 Miles - Hot air blowing in at drivers side feet - Dealer reset actuator arm on air conditioning unit
> ...




MStevens,
Have you been in contact with Chevrolet Customer Service regarding these issues? Can you please send me a PM with your VIN? I would like to look into this further for you. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## SteveDenn (Jul 31, 2012)

I'm having this same hot air blowing issue. Did this resetting actuator do the trick?


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I'll give GM a black mark for the rear drum cylinder. I noticed this problem a few thousand miles ago but it hasn't come back since. May have been part of the break-in process? Not sure.


Are you talking about a squeak, or a creak? Mine has creaked on apply and release almost since new. Not loud, but you can hear it with the window down, in the drive-thru, next to a building. I assume it's just the return springs moving around on the backing plates.

Mike


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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

Doesnt look all that bad to me. Thats a lot if mileage in a very short span. Its certainly harder mileage than 10k a year so id say the car is holding up alright.

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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

While you've had your fair share of problems, you have to keep in mind, you didn't buy a Ferrari, a BMW or even a Cadillac. 
You bought a Chevrolet Cruze. It's one step up from a *the bottom of the barrel* Sonic. About the only other car that carries a lower reputation for quality is Kia, and even they've been changing that lately.
Does the saying "Wine Taste on a Beer Budget" sound familiar?

Chevrolet has never been known for building the best quality products. They've always been the "good enough" brand. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't done their research.

If you want a perfect car, buy a better brand.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

amalmer71 said:


> While you've had your fair share of problems, you have to keep in mind, you didn't buy a Ferrari, a BMW or even a Cadillac.
> You bought a Chevrolet Cruze. It's one step up from a *the bottom of the barrel* Sonic. About the only other car that carries a lower reputation for quality is Kia, and even they've been changing that lately.
> Does the saying "Wine Taste on a Beer Budget" sound familiar?
> 
> ...


Normally I'd agree, but this time there are things I don't agree with. The Chevy Cruze is an economy car, no doubt, but that doesn't mean it can't be reliable. In fact, the indicators so far are pointing to the car being relatively reliable, with minor issues occasionally. Being Opel engineered indicates it's not your typical American car. If you want to refer to legacy, the Cobalt that it replaced was a pretty good car by the time it reached the end of its production cycle. It was fairly reliable, and inexpensive to own. The Cruze seems to build on that nicely. 

GM has made a massive separation from their typical vehicles with the Cruze. It is completely different from any economy car they have ever produced. I'd say this car is more than just "good enough." "Good enough" doesn't get you a very hot selling car that doesn't fail to impress. When I say impress, I don't mean you compare it to a BMW, I mean you spend $18k and the longer you own it, the more you realize how great of a value it is. 

To me, it's a perfect car. 40mpg average city/highway, 50-55mpg highway, quickest car in the ~40mpg class, very well put together interior, great handling, stability, and overall driving experience. Not your typical GM econobox.


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## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Normally I'd agree, but this time there are things I don't agree with. The Chevy Cruze is an economy car, no doubt, but that doesn't mean it can't be reliable. In fact, the indicators so far are pointing to the car being relatively reliable, with minor issues occasionally. Being Opel engineered indicates it's not your typical American car. If you want to refer to legacy, the Cobalt that it replaced was a pretty good car by the time it reached the end of its production cycle. It was fairly reliable, and inexpensive to own. The Cruze seems to build on that nicely.
> 
> GM has made a massive separation from their typical vehicles with the Cruze. It is completely different from any economy car they have ever produced. I'd say this car is more than just "good enough." "Good enough" doesn't get you a very hot selling car that doesn't fail to impress. When I say impress, I don't mean you compare it to a BMW, I mean you spend $18k and the longer you own it, the more you realize how great of a value it is.
> 
> To me, it's a perfect car. 40mpg average city/highway, 50-55mpg highway, quickest car in the ~40mpg class, very well put together interior, great handling, stability, and overall driving experience. Not your typical GM econobox.


^What he said^  lol.

I'm actually amazed at the 'rear brake squeak' problem. My eyes were squinting while reading that one, very weird even the engineer couldn't catch that.

I wouldn't say you had too many problems with the Cruze, I'd say you had more problems with the dealership 'guessing/throwing' parts at your car.

(Shakes head)


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

amalmer71 said:


> Chevrolet has never been known for building the best quality products. They've always been the "good enough" brand. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't done their research.
> 
> If you want a perfect car, buy a better brand.


Would love for you to let me know what other brands are so great? Pretty much all cars have some issues. 

Great thing about owning a chevy? If it does break there is a huge dealer network & usually parts are much less than other brands. Fact is for me I have never had major issues with any of my GM cars & most only ever require gas,oil,tires,brakes in 150-200,000miles.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

amalmer71 said:


> You bought a Chevrolet Cruze. It's one step up from a *the bottom of the barrel* Sonic.


Might want to look up the 2013 Chevy Spark. That puts the cruze another step up.


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## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Might want to look up the 2013 Chevy Spark. That puts the cruze another step up.


Oh god, lol. Those are nasty ugly, very goofy looking vehicles. Attempting the Smartcar and Scion IQ look.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Would love for you to let me know what other brands are so great? Pretty much all cars have some issues.
> 
> Great thing about owning a chevy? If it does break there is a huge dealer network & usually parts are much less than other brands. Fact is for me I have never had major issues with any of my GM cars & most only ever require gas,oil,tires,brakes in 150-200,000miles.


^ This is true. 

2nd gen w-bodies (Regal, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Century, Impala) were notorous for window regulator failures. Good thing is, they were cheap. Try that on a Nissan Maxima, which is also notorious for window regulator failures. You'll be singing a different tune, lol.


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

amalmer71 said:


> While you've had your fair share of problems, you have to keep in mind, you didn't buy a Ferrari, a BMW or even a Cadillac.
> You bought a Chevrolet Cruze. It's one step up from a *the bottom of the barrel* Sonic. About the only other car that carries a lower reputation for quality is Kia, and even they've been changing that lately.
> Does the saying "Wine Taste on a Beer Budget" sound familiar?
> 
> ...


Ferrari? FERRARI?? Ferraris are WELL KNOWN to be horribly unreliable, maintanence hogs! They are, quite litearlly, a "race car for the street" and wear out and fail parts at the same level. $1000 of maintanece after a weekend drive is not at all uncommon.

BMW aren't Ferrari, but aren't known to be completely reliable, and are horribly expensive to fix.

Caddy... OK...

Mike


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

^ ditto on Ferrari. However I attach most of their problems to the owners whom drive them.


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

LOL Some of you are really getting your panties in a wad.

Let's get this straight. I've been a continuous Chevy/GM owner since about 1991. Heck, look at the picture in my sig. I've had that car since 2003. Before that I had a 1992 Camaro 5 yrs until it got rear ended while parked. I've owned an '07 Cobalt SS/SC, an '04 Pontiac Vibe, a '06 Pontiac Montana, a 1983 1/2 ton, a 1981 1/2 ton, a 1995 1/2 ton, a '94 S10, .... the list goes on and on. Even right now, I own a '99 Olds Intrigue that I've had since 2005. Sure, I've owned other brands, but always at least owned one GM product. I could probably make a 20 page list of all the things that were "wrong" with those vehicles (some of which were bought new, by me), but why?

The reference to Ferrari or BMW had nothing to do with "reliability" or "cost to fix". If you can't figure that out, then I don't know what else to tell you.

With that being said, every Chevrolet I've owned (and pretty much all GM vehicles) had their quirks. I'm not going to sit here and list them all, but it's just something I've dealt with and learned to cope with. It's not a big deal. It's a Chevy, for crying out loud. They're cheap "good enough" cars. Don't flatter yourselves. The only reason the Cruze has sold so well is because the economy sucks and it's about the only type of car people can afford right now.

If it starts, gets you where you're going, does it safely, and repeats that process over and over again, then the car is doing its job. If it bumps or squeaks or grinds or what-not, have it checked out. If the dealership or shop says "everything checks out OK" and assures you the car is safe to drive, turn up the radio a little more and you'll never hear it again.

Speaking of safety, the thing that pisses me off about this car is the fire hazard and GM's pathetic excuse for a solution to the problem. We haven't reached the 0% mark on the oil life monitor yet (still at 40% last I looked), but once we do, after that point, every day, I have to worry about my wife driving that car and wondering if she's going to have to deal with her brand new car catching on fire!


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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

Lol yea the shop i worked at was an import shop. 99% of the clientell owned bmw, audi, mercedes, and jaguar with a few older feraris and lambos that would come in from time to time. One thing my boss would tell anyone who asked him about buying a euro car " If your gonna buy one, the buy two. Cause one will always be in the shop. And if by chance you do get a reliable car, still buy two. Cause when something breaks its probably gonna cost so much to fix that you will have to drive the second one for a couple weeks until you get the money together." Lol. Be advised he only drove euro cars as well.

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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

amalmer71 said:


> The reference to Ferrari or BMW had nothing to do with "reliability" or "cost to fix". If you can't figure that out, then I don't know what else to tell you.


Your entire post was about quality and reliability, with those manufacturers given as examples. If you don't know how to pick good examples that illustrate your point, I don't know what else to tell you.

Mike


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

OK. Since I guess I have to spell it out for you . . .

A Cruze is an economy car. Economy cars are made cheaply so they can be sold cheaply and appeal to those who don't want to spend a lot of money for a car, or who simply can't afford to spend a lot of money on a car. They're looking for a good "value", which the Cruze is.

A BMW and a Cadillac is a luxury car. It's made for people who want to ensure they don't have a car with a lot of squeaks and rattles, has plush leather interior, as silent as a their living room while rolling down the road, and rides like it's on a cloud of air. Those people are willing to pay more for those luxuries and if they don't get those then they have every reason to complain.

A Ferrari is a performance car. It's made for people who want performance. They're fast and ride like a brick. They go to outrageous speeds in very little time and have flare and style doing it. It's for the people who want to say "Look at me. I own a Ferrari." They're hand made cars to which ever piece is attended to with great detail.

Someone who buys an economy car needs to realize they didn't spend the money for a BMW or Cadillac, so they don't get that perk. They also don't get the status of someone who buys a Ferrari. They can't expect the same type of care that goes into a hand made car like a Ferrari.


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

amalmer71 said:


> OK. Since I guess I have to spell it out for you . . .
> 
> A Cruze is an economy car. Economy cars are made cheaply so they can be sold cheaply and appeal to those who don't want to spend a lot of money for a car, or who simply can't afford to spend a lot of money on a car. They're looking for a good "value", which the Cruze is.
> 
> ...


Oh, so you're saying that your examples were meant to have nothing to do with reliability, in this thread that's all about reliability, at the top of your post that was, otherwise, completely about reliability... Got it...

Mike :wink:


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

The OP wasn't complaining about "reliability".

The first line the the original post



> Everything has been fixed through the warranty, so no money out of my pocket. Just inconvenient.


People started accusing me of saying the Cruze wasn't reliable, which I didn't say. I said they're sub-par quality, aka "economy car".


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

amalmer71 said:


> The OP wasn't complaining about "reliability".The first line the the original postPeople started accusing me of saying the Cruze wasn't reliable, which I didn't say. I said they're sub-par quality, aka "economy car".


The winking smiley faces mean I've been messing with you, Chief... Your first post wasn't really well put together, and Ferarri didn't belong in there, even about the quality, but you seemed to have your panties in a wad, so I played it...Mike :wink:


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

That pathetic one by your name? I just figured that was part of your "sign off". LOL

I don't mind being messed with. Heck, it's all I've been doing all along. 

Read my sig. "People live by 80% perception and 20% reality!"

People take it as I'm offending them, when in reality I'm not. I'm criticizing the car they bought, which they perceive as me criticizing them for buying one. I'm just trying to bring them back to the 20% of reality. 

BTW, I'm sure you can tell, I'd make a horrible Service Writer or Service Manager. :cussing:


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

Yeah, the emoticons on here kind of suck...

I don't take it as a criticism, at all. I like this car, but I don't have the emotional investment in it that a lot of people have in their cars. If somebody ran into it while it was parked, or stole it, I'd definitely buy another one, but I wouldn't be very upset about it (as long as the person stayed around to have their insurance pay for it). I wouldn't say that it's an economy car by any means, as it's much nicer and quite a bit larger than that, but it's not a Caddy, either. (Though, I'd be open to a conversation about how nobody makes REAL econo-boxes like they used to, and everything has gotten a lot nicer) It does do what we bought it for very well, which is make the payment and insurance in gas savings over her driving the lifted Trailblazer all the time.

Mike


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

1959 Dodge Power Wagon 800series
- Engine rebuild (top end rebuild) every 40,000 miles
- Clutch replacement every 25,000 miles
- Points rebuilt every two weeks
- Carb adjustment every weekend
- Oil change every 2500 miles
- Grease all the grease serts on every suspension part, piece, u-joint, ball joint on the 1st of every month
- Tear down the front hubs and grease them before every winter
- Drain and run clean water through the cooling system every year

This is just an example of how far we have come since then... this was my first vehicle and it taught me a lot about what vehicle maintenance was all about.

I took my Cruze in for its first oil change at about 12,000 miles! Other than that I have done nothing but just drive the little car and put gas in it. Nothing much to complain about.


I have also owned the following:

1970 Datsun 240Z (built 9/69) - still own this car and it still runs like a top... but carburetors SUCK!
1983 Nissan Stanza SSS 2.0 turbo - ugh... dont get me started on this car
1985 Ford Tempo V6 AWD - complete junk - Died at 48,000 miles due to an electrical fire.
1991 Ford Tauros SHO - Great engine... car was crap. Everything in this car failed from the transmission to the wiring.
1999 Chevrolet S-10 4.3 V6 - Great truck wish I still had it - T boned by drunk driver totaled with 72,000 miles on it. Replaced front brakes once and replaced the tires.
2002 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 V8 - Impressive power, incredibly comfortable, 26 MPG. Replaced just about everything in the suspension (air ride). Other than that... extremely reliable car. Never left me on the side of the road. However at 100,000+ miles the car was starting to show its age. There were a lot of little creaks and rattles and little things starting to fail.

The Cruze (at least for me) has been dead reliable. I had to replace the windsheild at 400 miles due to a large rock off the back of a dump truck... but that isnt the cars fault.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

The Cruze is a different economy car. The materials used are cheap, but they are used in appropriate places where cheap materials can be used. Where those cheap materials are used, they are used well. It's a function of design. 

You can give a 15 year old kid a tub full of legos and ask him to build you a skyscraper, and you can do the same with an experienced architect, and I can bet you the experienced architect will build a better looking and more structurally sound lego skyscraper. 

What am I getting at here? They used the cheap parts wisely. I've driven cars twice the price of the Cruze and heard some part of the interior rattle over every bump with 50k miles. Mid 2000's GM cars are a classic example. Then, we have people with 30-45k miles on their Cruze who say the car is quiet without a single buzz, creak, or pop in the interior. 

It was built cheaply, but intelligently, and that's what makes it a great car. The car was very well thought out. Don't confuse materials quality with build quality and quality of design. The issues that have come up are absolutely nothing more than any of the issues you'd find in any other economy car made by another company. 

As for the fire shield recall, get it done or do your own oil changes. It's not exactly an area of great concern, nor is it specific only to the Cruze. It just so happens that Chevy released a recall first. 

To make a comparison, had you bought a Toyota Camry, Highlander, Rav4, or Yaris, you'd have an electrical fire hazard right in your door. 1.4 million cars affected and a problem not caused by a sloppy oil change tech sounds like a bigger issue to me than a Cruze problem that can be easily prevented, affecting ~450k cars, and being blocked off from you via the firewall. Don't get me started on the 5 million Jeep Grand Cherokees being investigated for gas tank fires because they put the gas tank inside the rear bumper unprotected. Did we not learn anything from the Pinto?


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## michaels (Jun 23, 2012)

*Economy Car*

For those who have been telling me that I should expect such problems because the Cruze is an economy car....

My last three cars have been Hyundais. They were a 2000 Sonata, a 2000 Santa Fe, and a 2006 Elantra. I still own the Santa Fe & the Elantra as my kids now drive them. The Santa Fe & Elantra each have over 160,000 miles on them. The Sonata, for the 5 years I owned, went in for repairs 3 times. The Santa Fe went in for it's first repair (a smog issue) after 10 years. The Elantra has yet to go in for a repair. Only servicing done on all three has been regular oil changes. Heck, the tread on the Santa Fe tires was within limits for 160,000 miles. (Crazy huh?) I finally replaced them because the side walls were cracking.

I was going to purchase another Hyundai until I test drove the Cruze and fell in love with it. So, I'm not used to having my 'economy cars' have to take so many trips into the shop.


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## MStevens (Jul 17, 2012)

Well, something new to add to my list:

1/10/2013 driving to work, at a stop light and the engine stutters. It does that sometimes since new when it's cold, when it first starts, or when I turn it off. This time Reduced Power message comes on in display along with the traction control message and the a stabilitrak message.

I limp the car at 3mph off of the road and turn the engine off. I restart the engine and everything seems OK, except check engine light is on. I was able to drive 50 miles to my office without an issue. I stop in the parking lot at work and all of the messages come back up. I leave it. Time to go home 8 hours later, starts fine, but check engine still on. I try to drive it home, but now the problem reoccurs. I turn it off, on and get it straight to a dealer. Not my normal dealer, but the closest one near wear I was.

The next day the dealer calls. Can't get it in for the message light, but they need to replace the water pump and thermostat for the _*2nd time *_This is a Friday, they tell me they will need it over the weekend. Monday they call and their service technician that handles the error messages is out sick. Tuesday the call and they _think _it's a sensor on the throttle body. But, they have to replace the whole throttle body. However, it will take a week to order the part. I'm out of warranty, but fortunately, he got authorization to cover it under the emission control warranty.

To add insult to injury. They offer me a rental. They have a enterprise at the dealership. I go to pick it up and the person who worked the counter went home early.... I looked on Amazon for the part and they don't have it in stock. I looked on EBay for the part and it's only $82.00 for a brand new throttle body and I could get it shipped overnight. I ask dealership why it would take so long through GM when I could get the part elsewhere overnight. They don't know.


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