# Mechanical nightmare



## nebojsa (Jan 3, 2011)

Man i feel sorry for you.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Sounds like a lemon. Also sounds like I'd call GM and get me out of my Cruze into a new one.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

We need to learn how to go about getting this resolved before the extended warranty ends. Going into the next 50k I dread the problems that may arise.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

rgenther said:


> We need to learn how to go about getting this resolved before the extended warranty ends. Going into the next 50k I dread the problems that may arise.


Do you live in a state with a lemon law? Everything you listed are fairly commonly reported problems with the 2011 Cruze, including the dealer service attitude.. Unfortunately, you've had many of them. Here's a link that will help you start on lemon law issues. 

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Problems, Defects & Complaints


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

iKermit said:


> Sounds like a lemon. Also sounds like I'd call GM and get me out of my Cruze into a new one.


GM is known for helping people into a new Car! You should see how the Salesmen prey on people in the Service waiting room at my Dealership. Of course you need to purchase a new Car, that is how GM can help!*

*OAC


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

rgenther said:


> *Perhaps I got a lemon,*
> Has any one here spent as much time at the dealer as I have?
> We own a 2011 Cruze Eco. 3 years, 2 months (mid-year purchase)
> After 57,000 miles I can report:
> ...


Hey there,

I am truly sorry for this. We would never want your vehicle ownership to be a negative one, and I would be happy to assist you with this if needed. Feel free to send me a private message along with your VIN and I certainly look into this further for you. 

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Hi Patsy,
We'll listen to what you have to say . . . I'll get the VIN tomorrow and send it . . .


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

rgenther said:


> *Perhaps I got a lemon,*
> Has any one here spent as much time at the dealer as I have?
> We own a 2011 Cruze Eco. 3 years, 2 months (mid-year purchase)
> After 57,000 miles I can report:
> ...


Sorry for your problems sounds like a lot. I haven't had near as many problems and I have 2011 1 LT. Keep us posted about the fixes. I have 35,000 miles and had the water pump replaced over a year ago because of coolant loss but after the fix the coolant level hasn't changed. The level just went down and I never had anything on the ground so I guess is was a slow or a small leak and would burn up before it made it to the ground. 

I noticed the other day after my car was sitting in the hot sun and I was riding with the windows down and no blower running it felt like hot air coming from the air vents. I didn't think anything of it because I never noticed it before and haven't noticed it since. 

I am still on my original battery (knock on wood) but I am hoping to get one more winter out of it and will be looking to replace it along with the tires next fall. 

I don't understand what manufacturers are doing with hvac system in cars these days. My wife's 2007 mazda 3s always go to recirculation mode when you turn the fan off and ride with the windows open and you can still feel warm air coming out of the vents. So I don't understand what they are doing and why they have that setup. So I would be interested if you find a solution. 

Haven't notice any problems with my transmission (knock of wood) other than they tried to get too fancy with the programming and saving gas. I think they have a good little engine and if they would just let it run instead of playing around with it and the programming of the transmission the car would probably get better gas mileage IMO. I think all manufacturers are doing it and I think they did it on my wife's mazda and it could run better than it does IMO.

I hope they fix your problems and make you satisfied. I think the cruze is good little car with features that other cars in its class don't have.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

What fuel grade and station are you guys/galls using? Have your checked the gap and replaced the plugs? If you are using the stock battery, get it tested before the winter season is in full force. The CCA ratings is what will bite you in the ... when it's cold and you need to get home.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

rgenther said:


> Hi Patsy,
> We'll listen to what you have to say . . . I'll get the VIN tomorrow and send it . . .


Hey there,


Sounds good. I'm always happy to help the best that I can. I'll be on the lookout for your PM soon! 


Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## nebojsa (Jan 3, 2011)

Is there a warning light if a turbo is gone.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

nebojsa said:


> Is there a warning light if a turbo is gone.


Underboost check engine light code with the accompanying service traction and stabilitrac messages.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

The dealership contacted us about our concerns, dropping the car there on Monday, We'll see . . . . .


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

We're happy to hear that your dealer contacted you, rgenther! If further assistance is needed you know where to reach us!

Kristen A. (Assisting Patsy)
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

*Different Dealer*

Actually we are not going to the original dealer.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Update, The last Battery lasted 13 months . . . the car is leaking oil . . . we have engine odor in the car . . . The Check engine light is on and my mechanic says it's a vacuum problem (which makes sense, since it idles like a 70s car with a bad tune). Oh don't forget the Intelitrac(or whatever) warning that comes and goes . . . . and let us not leave out the ever familiar odor of coolant(tell tel sign of leaks, we know so well). Oh yeah, and the brakes squeak like crazy .. .. .. 
The scary part of this drama is that we don't drive crazy, we are middle aged, we purchased this new car to take road trips(over 50 percent of our driving is highway). But we got the Monday or Friday Hangover Screw the Buyer Car. Now we rent when we take road trips! 
No Thank You Very Much GM . . . . . ( Perhaps I should say we got ONE year of no roadside assistance needed)


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

rgenther said:


> Update, The last Battery lasted 13 months . . . the car is leaking oil . . . we have engine odor in the car . . . The Check engine light is on and my mechanic says it's a vacuum problem (which makes sense, since it idles like a 70s car with a bad tune). Oh don't forget the Intelitrac(or whatever) warning that comes and goes . . . . and let us not leave out the ever familiar odor of coolant(tell tel sign of leaks, we know so well). Oh yeah, and the brakes squeak like crazy .. .. ..
> The scary part of this drama is that we don't drive crazy, we are middle aged, we purchased this new car to take road trips(over 50 percent of our driving is highway). But we got the Monday or Friday Hangover Screw the Buyer Car. Now we rent when we take road trips!
> No Thank You Very Much GM . . . . . ( Perhaps I should say we got ONE year of no roadside assistance needed)


You need a PCV valve (valve cover) and a negative battery cable. Both are covered under extended warranties. 

The coolant smell, which is I think what you're describing, is a tricky one, but you could try a new O ring or surge tank cap. If it disappears while on recirculate, it's not the heater box grease issue others have had.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Unfortunately our extended warranty ran out at 72,000, we're 5k past, So I guess we get to repair this faulty Vehicle until we can get into another car . . . Sure wish we got the 100,000 plus miles we hoped for in a new car . . But as I said before, we got the lemon off the line . . . GM does not admit to failures. When I told the service writer about my 3rd battery replacement, he responded with battery brand, I was able to tell him I installed AC Delco . . . and under 20k for each of 4 batteries points to an electrical fault/load in the vehicle electrical system. . . As usual falls on deaf ears . . .
As for the coolant odor, in the past it has been the two water pumps, replaced under warranty and the third time it was some connector at the return bottle.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

rgenther said:


> Unfortunately our extended warranty ran out at 72,000, we're 5k past, So I guess we get to repair this faulty Vehicle until we can get into another car . . . Sure wish we got the 100,000 plus miles we hoped for in a new car . . But as I said before, we got the lemon off the line . . . GM does not admit to failures. When I told the service writer about my 3rd battery replacement, he responded with battery brand, I was able to tell him I installed AC Delco . . . and under 20k for each of 4 batteries points to an electrical fault/load in the vehicle electrical system. . . As usual falls on deaf ears . . .
> As for the coolant odor, in the past it has been the two water pumps, replaced under warranty and the third time it was some connector at the return bottle.


Curious to know if you looked into buying supplemental GMPP coverage to take you beyond 72,000? It used to be possible to buy out to 148,000 - but I have no idea what the rules are this calendar year.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

rgenther said:


> Unfortunately our extended warranty ran out at 72,000, we're 5k past, So I guess we get to repair this faulty Vehicle until we can get into another car . . . Sure wish we got the 100,000 plus miles we hoped for in a new car . . But as I said before, we got the lemon off the line . . . GM does not admit to failures. When I told the service writer about my 3rd battery replacement, he responded with battery brand, I was able to tell him I installed AC Delco . . . and under 20k for each of 4 batteries points to an electrical fault/load in the vehicle electrical system. . . As usual falls on deaf ears . . .
> As for the coolant odor, in the past it has been the two water pumps, replaced under warranty and the third time it was some connector at the return bottle.


There are extended warranty coverages by the manufacturer on the items I mentioned until 120 or 150,000 miles.

I'd probably get rid of it too, but it might be some consolation that the repairs wouldn't be coming out of your pocket.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

I suppose I could be confusing the odor of coolant with the gases coming into the car from exhaust if it is a faulty EGR. Could that mean nastier emissions?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

rgenther said:


> I suppose I could be confusing the odor of coolant with the gases coming into the car from exhaust if it is a faulty EGR. Could that mean nastier emissions?


No EGR valve on these cars. Take a whiff around the coolant tank with the engine at full temp and see if it's the same smell you're getting. It's possible an oil leak around the exhaust manifold is causing the smell as well. That ones a terrible smell.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

We've had terrible smell in this car since it was new . . . The service writer brushed it off . .


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## JackAtPage (Jun 10, 2015)

Be careful with your dealer though. I bought mine in 2012, drove alot, wound up in Va, and 50K miles later my PCV valve was shot. I called my original dealer in SC and they said it was covered under the powertrain warranty. My wife then took it to a local dealer and she called me while I was at work saying that it was going to be 120 to just look at it! I had already ran the codes, looked them up, and even felt the vacuum being drawn by the PCV valve. This same story happened with two other chevy/gm dealerships.

Maybe it was just the local dealers, but don't be surprised if they do not cover it. If they don't do not fret. The new pcv valve (you have to buy the whole valve cover) was 58 bucks from said local dealer, and a new set of torx ratchets were 30. Material cost plus a new full syn oil change later (done at home, of course) and I did all it, knowing the work and oil change were done correctly for what they wanted to charge me just to look at it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDdLxOUcSdU is what a bad pcv valve sounds like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_gnM53dY1o is how to replace it.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

JackAtPage said:


> My wife then took it to a local dealer and she called me while I was at work saying that it was going to be 120 to just look at it!


If it's out of B2B, they probably will charge - and refund it if it's found to be covered by the warranty.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

We have been dealing with a GM Rep and it seems to be in a cycle of wait us out . . . the dealership Service Manager at Thorson of Pasadena was combative and defensive. I felt he did not want to be bothered.
below is a list of what our problems have been . . .

Does anyone here think we are in the wrong to demand our car be taken care of?

short list:
2 water pumps
1 coolant leak at some connector
1 turbo charger
3 batteries replaced (AC Delco Batteries)
Corrosion on the Negative Battery Cable (repaired by our mechanic)
Now we have a check engine light on and exhaust odors in the car (this is again, not new, but worse than ever)
1 fuse block replaced (replaced by Thorson GMC)
Reinstall or reprogramming of computer software (by Thorson GMC)
6 recalls . . .(should I say and counting)
We bought this car from the showroom . . .
Less than 4.5 years of ownership. . . .
Hours spent dealing with this stuff (Many). . . Hours that are priceless and unrecoverable to US!

The service Manager at Thorson dismisses me like this is normal/deal with it . . . I don't think this is or should be a normal new car experience . . .
What do you think?


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Thanks for comming back to your original thread to give us an update. A lot of people disappear only to turn up again later in other threads and makes them sound like cranks. What you've done here speaks to your level of integrity. 

But I don't believe you answered my original question that I posed last month and repeated below. 



Tomko said:


> Curious to know if you looked into buying supplemental GMPP coverage to take you beyond 72,000? It used to be possible to buy out to 148,000 - but I have no idea what the rules are this calendar year.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Hello Tomko,
I did look up GMPP and saw the coverage comparison chart but no prices for the plans. There is a link to "find a dealer" but that takes me to a gm.com page, (400 Error Page), which is a bad request error. (no such page)



Tomko said:


> Thanks for comming back to your original thread to give us an update. A lot of people disappear only to turn up again later in other threads and makes them sound like cranks. What you've done here speaks to your level of integrity.
> 
> But I don't believe you answered my original question that I posed last month and repeated below.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

The ALLY GMPP is no longer sold by G.M. as the new GMEPP is offered. Its now more costly and 100% owned and operated by G.M. The GMEPP is only obtainable during the initial 3 years or 36,000 miles although there are other providers of Service Contracts or Mechanical Breakdown Insurance. Whether you have a Warranty, Service Contract, or Gold Coins, most dealers will charge a nominal fee (+ - $100) to inspect your Car regardless. If a problem is found the charge would be waived. This has been the norm since the beginning of time. I'm not sure this is in any way was the definition of a Lemon which generally has to be within the first year or two of purchase, had previous identical repairs, been out of service for a certain period of time, and relate to a serious component which can leave the car inoperable. Your State or Country laws vary on coverage.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Thanks for the update . . .

So Basically we have been in and out of dealers with issues, that will probably continue, until we unload the car!
Perhaps used, in the future, will be better, at least then we expect problems.
What sucks is we had a plan for 100,000+ miles, lots of road trips, with a new car and then get another . . . . Now we are under water with the loan with no confidence, day to day, really sucks!!
The lemon law needs to be expanded to include chronic/multiple issues!!

Nikki and Ryan . . .




Eddy Cruze said:


> The ALLY GMPP is no longer sold by G.M. as the new GMEPP is offered. Its now more costly and 100% owned and operated by G.M. The GMEPP is only obtainable during the initial 3 years or 36,000 miles although there are other providers of Service Contracts or Mechanical Breakdown Insurance. Whether you have a Warranty, Service Contract, or Gold Coins, most dealers will charge a nominal fee (+ - $100) to inspect your Car regardless. If a problem is found the charge would be waived. This has been the norm since the beginning of time. I'm not sure this is in any way was the definition of a Lemon which generally has to be within the first year or two of purchase, had previous identical repairs, been out of service for a certain period of time, and relate to a serious component which can leave the car inoperable. Your State or Country laws vary on coverage.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

The Lemon Continued . . .
Add to the list:

Another Battery
Valve Cover
Ignition Coil
Air Flow Sensor
And don't forget another recall . . . .


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Has anyone actually done a complete electrical diagnosis on your car? Four batteries, corrosion on the negative battery cable, ignition coil, air flow sensor, fuse box, software reload - these are all electrical issues. Something's not right in the main power bus in the engine bay.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

I have been trying to get help for years, reps from this website have sent me to the same unresponsive dealers, that are part of the problem, these problems are, I too think, electrical related. After all Why do Batteries burn out in 9 to 13 months. And these problems existed while I still had a warranty, Now that is gone, they just get nasty and mention my miles. When I last spoke with the service manager at Thorson GMC, Pasadena, He became defensive and said that I raised a red flag? One he pulled out of his ass, no doubt.
Sure looks like deny and lie defense to me.
Oh well, I don't expect to get help from Gen. Motors, just want people to see how bad it can be. (Buyer Beware)


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## deadend9009 (Mar 12, 2016)

Maybe you've mentioned it before, but have you tried another dealership? GM was very helpful when I was having issues with my Volt.

Good luck and sorry for your misfortune


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Thank you for your input deadend,
We've been to both of the dealers near us. The first was where we purchased, to give an example of the service dept. there. I told him we had power issues on hot days, especially during errand running, we would park the car and 15 to 30 minutes later, after restarting the car it had almost zero power until 2 or 3 stop lights then it would improve somewhat. It evens stalls on occasion. HIS response "what gas do I buy", and they have a cleaning of some plate in the fuel injection because the plate gets dirty. We had 10k on the car, it was the first oil change, and he only tried to up-sell me. I also told them of the coolant smell and nothing was done until the coolant level dropped and it was discovered that the water pump was leaking, that was the first of two. Then the check engine light came on a day before a Vegas road trip, that was the Turbo Charger. Then another coolant leak that turned out to be a connector somewhere. After my second Battery Fried after about another year, that is when I was sent, by the rep from this website, to Thorson. They repaired some damage from the problem and 13 months later another Battery Fried. Currently we are at the 7th month on this battery and never do I start the car with confidence. They didn't fix the actually cause.
We'll suffer with one more summer of sub-par Air Conditioning and hopefully free ourselves of the this thing. Hopefully we won't dump any more, non normal, maintenance money or time into this car.

(Not the Car you want your Daughter Driving)


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

*Never Ending*

*Here we are again . . . *
After 5 months of no leaks or dead batteries . . .
The look on my mechanics face was priceless when I limped a very noisy car onto is station lot Friday morning.
Imagine my lack of surprise when he informed me that my Turbo had bit the dust (That would be turbo number 2).
In case you're wondering, that is a 1,300.00+ repair.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

@rgenther How many miles do you have now?


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

We are about to hit 88k . . . .


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

What kind of oil or you using and how often do you change it? Always changed mine by 6000 miles even with mobil 1 & did not need a turbo replaced over 95,000 miles. I'm guessing you always run regular gas as well, have heard that causes higher exhaust temperatures which could also add to the stress the oil is under causing premature failure.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

rgenther said:


> *Here we are again . . . *
> After 5 months of no leaks or dead batteries . . .
> The look on my mechanics face was priceless when I limped a very noisy car onto is station lot Friday morning.
> Imagine my lack of surprise when he informed me that my Turbo had bit the dust (That would be turbo number 2).
> In case you're wondering, that is a 1,300.00+ repair.


 I lost a Turbo in my Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler/Mitsubishi Colt within the first 800 miles. A Turbo can fry in the blink of an eye. How did you go through 4 AC Delco Batteries in 5 years. I'm sure they all came with prorated replacement coverage with a very limited out of pocket cost to you?



NickD said:


> Practically all dealers I know of try to push so-called extended warranties, and no doubt, they get to pocket half the cost of these. I was a bit nicer, said let me have a copy of the policies first and read them over. My son, taking after me, was a bit more rude, said if I have to buy all this crap going to look for a different vehicle.
> 
> To read these polices, besides a powerful magnifying glass also need a bottle of migraine headache pills. With the interior, in very small print, not tears or rips were covered, just if your dealer could not removed the stain, would replace whatever piece was needed.
> 
> ...


Nick you are incredibly opinionated and go off on tangents that are borderline insane. KIA & Hyundai offer a 5 year 60K New Car Limited warranty in the U.S. and a 10 year 100,000 mile (100 KM- Canada) Power train warranty. I've had great success with 'extended warranties' I've bought, because I've had terrible experiences with cars breaking down. In fact I can't recall one car that didn't break~


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

spacedout said:


> What kind of oil or you using and how often do you change it? Always changed mine by 6000 miles even with mobil 1 & did not need a turbo replaced over 95,000 miles. I'm guessing you always run regular gas as well, have heard that causes higher exhaust temperatures which could also add to the stress the oil is under causing premature failure.



HI Spacedout,
Not sure the oil used. The first 4 changes were at the dealer, came with the sale. Computer said get changed soon, so I did. Was shocked at the 10,000 interval, my first experience with synthetic blend, I had always stuck pretty close to the 3,000 mile 3 month rule, after my mechanic took over the changes, I shortened the time between to closer to 7,000. He did show me the little metal tube, that clogged, and caused the failure. My Mechanic won't even discuss cut-rate replacement parts, only oem, so I'm fairly sure he's not fudging on the oil brand/quality. As for fuel, I am all over the place, most often my local 76, but if I'm near arco with time and change I shouldn't need to worry or care. I do use higher octane fuel in hot weather, was recommended to me since in hot weather, gets over a 100 here very often, my off the line power is scary low. As for the battery mystery, I can report the radio popped back on about 7 months ago, after I opened, got out and shut the door, what a surprise that was. Since then I turn off everything, radio, AC, Fan even stopped using the day running lights unless the weather is bad, throw in turning off my phone bluetooth since the garage is so close to the house.
Does it make a difference? probably not, We'll see . . .
Mind you, like most drivers, I'm not a gearhead.
2 hours to game time . . . .


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Turbo line clogging is a direct result of a sub-standard oil being run too long in the motor. All the additive packages in the oil that keep it from doing that are long gone by that 10k interval.

There is an ECU update to run the fan after shut-down under certain conditions to try to help the oil from coking in the return line.

It is recommended to use an off-the-shelf synthetic oil (something like Pennzoil Platinum) for no more than 6 months/7500 miles in these cars no matter what the OLM says, or a Group-4/5 full synthetic oil for 10,000.


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Thanks, JBlackburn,

So, since I live in a virtual desert, maybe all this time I should have stuck with my 3 month 3,000 rule?
If I'd had a clue, I would have done just that!!!


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I would find out what oil the shop is using in your car. Many times it is just bought in bulk and used for everything, in which case it may not even be a semisynthetic. 

If you can get a good oil (such as Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol Edge, etc) in it, you should be fine for a 5-7k interval. Oil temps do run high in these engines due to them relying heavily on their tiny little turbos for power.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

rgenther said:


> *Here we are again . . . *
> After 5 months of no leaks or dead batteries . . .
> The look on my mechanics face was priceless when I limped a very noisy car onto is station lot Friday morning.
> Imagine my lack of surprise when he informed me that my Turbo had bit the dust (That would be turbo number 2).
> In case you're wondering, that is a 1,300.00+ repair.


No powertrain coverage (5yr/100k) remaining?

Rob


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## rgenther (Jul 28, 2012)

Robby said:


> No powertrain coverage (5yr/100k) remaining?
> 
> Rob


Ended at 75k


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

rgenther said:


> Ended at 75k


Ended at 5 years maybe, but 75k doesn't trigger it.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

rgenther said:


> Ended at 75k


Is this a U.S. car?

Your model year U.S. is 5/100 powertrain.

Rob


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