# 2011 LT - Tranny, Clunk, Rattle - "Could not replicate" 3 Failed attempts + more



## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

*2011 LT - Tranny, Clunk, Rattle - "Could not replicate" 3 Failed attempts + more*

My experience with my 2011 Cruze, insinuations my warranty would be invalid unless I pay $60, and “problem could not be replicated”, oh and it’s a long story... so get some popcorn...

I bought my Cruze back in March of 2011. Since then I have experienced some of the same problems as others on the www.cruisetalk.com site. The more annoying (and some unsafe) ones are: 1) Transmission issues; everything from a time lag of a few seconds when you depress the pedal from a stop, to hard up or downshifting (almost like two gears at once). Either upshifting or downshifting... Now in GM’s defense, this has probably happened less than 5 times in a year, but you are driving and this happens, it scares the heck out of you.

2) A “Clunk” from the front, again, happens randomly... best sound I can compare it too, it when I have had a sway bar link go on another vehicle, and turning or going over a bump makes a loud “clunk” it sounds like metal on metal.. Again, this happens infrequently, but when it does, it’s very loud.

3) The most common issue, and the reason for this post, is I have a significant rattle in the dash. The rattle occurs from 1800-2500RMP, and it happens about 98% of the time, its loud enough you can hear it over the fan when the fan is on high. 

When I first took this to the dealer it was when I went in for the safety recall. I told them about the 3 issues. They said 1) The transmission guy is out with a family emergency, so we can’t look at it now, plus that’s normal as the transmission “learns” 2) For the clunk, they said, that’s normal as the car is new and it will stop shortly (for the most part it did, till it got cold) and 3) The rattle is completely normal, it’s that “type” of engine… Because the only thing that was frequent was the dash rattle, I left it...

Fast forward to my first oil change, (Free from the dealer, although I had to mention that a few times to get it, it was never on my sales contract, so I had to bring the sales guys card for them to do it).. When I go in, I am told that I need a $60 “Piece of Mind Warranty Inspection, to maintain the warranty of my car”. I ask “So if I don’t get that, do I lose my warranty”. The service advisors reply was “I think its required let me check”. She asks the service advisor beside her “Is it recommended or mandatory?” At this point I also ask “If it invalidates my warranty, show me where in the contract or warranty it says that mandatory paid inspections are required to keep the warranty valid”. The second advisor says “I think it’s only recommended”... Now they were VERY careful in their wording insofar is to only IMPLY that warranty would be invalid... using words like “Needed to maintain your Warranty.” This isn’t a good start... So I again say that I have the three problems above... Let’s have a mechanic drive with you... Again, to be fair, issues 1) Transmission and 2) Clunk, are intermittent, on the test drive we couldn’t replicate them... But the rattle in the dash is so loud, that the mechanic riding says “Yea that’s no right, there is definitely something loose.” He listens do the dash, taps a few areas and says “we can take care of that”... So I go back to the dealer... Their response, we don’t have time to fix that, why don’t you come back later. The service advisor said, I will be here, and so will this mechanic, so we will get it fixed then. Sigh... Fine, next appointment is on Thursday Feb 23[SUP]rd[/SUP], so when I drop off the car Thursday I get my free rental, and they take my car...

Friday I get a call at around 2 PM. It’s the service advisor “Sir, we can’t replicate any of the problems”. My response, “The mechanic that came heard it clearly, drive it for a few minutes, then rev the engine to 1800 to 2500 RPM you will hear it”. “OK” was the response, we will do that.

Saturday I get a call just before noon “Sir we still can’t replicate the issue”. “Fine, that’s 3 times you have tried and failed, I will pick up the car and try somewhere else”.. So when I get there another customer in front of me is complaining that he has taken his vehicle in 3 times for the same problem.. Seems there is a pattern at this dealership.. She explains “we test drove it, and checked everything, no one could replicate the noise” I ask for my keys, and the service advisor says “We need a mechanic to test drive it with you”.. “Fine” is my reply.. We get in the car and start driving.. as I now have no gas, (I only had about 30K worth, and they did 28K of road testing from my trip computer.) I decide to get gas near by.. Within 2 minutes of driving, the rattle is there... the “NEW” mechanic (not the first guy). Hears it, does the same listen around, and says that’s not normal... I ask if the transmission was checked for the right firmware.. I SHOULD have asked what version it was and compared it myself.. We drive back to the dealer. The mechanic tells the service advisor that he did in fact hear the rattle and that it’s a problem. The service advisor says “What do you want to do, I feel bad”. I said “Just like I explained before, your dealership has had 3 attempts to fix this, at the beginning when it was first reported, when it dropped it off Thursday and your mechanic heard it, and then the third time was Friday night when I told you exactly how to replicate it, and you still didn’t find it, quite frankly 3 strikes and you are out. Hopefully, GM can refer me to someone that can fix it.

The kicker is when I ask “Can I have my paperwork for this please?” Their response is “it won’t be ready until Monday (Feb 27[SUP]th[/SUP])… Sigh... “Fine, I will be back on Monday”... I will update this post and tell you what happens... Oh and the oil change sticker says next appointment is in 3 months, and 5,000K... let’s hope they put in Dexos 1 semi synth oil [_EDIT Mar 1 2012, they did put in Dexos semi synth oil, its on the final workorder, the interm order, and the circle check sheet they use _]and not regular oil.. Otherwise that will be something else to redo… Guess I find out on the work order Monday... Once I get that work order, I will contact GM and the owner of the dealership.. Any tips or contacts to refer it to GM?

EDIT: Feb 29th - Note, I clarified with the dealer was the $60 dollars was, it was for the " Multi-Point Inspection” (formally called Semi Annual Inspection) which does cost $59.95. Multi Point Inspections are required to be performed approximately once a year or between 10,000 – 12,000 kms max"

UPDATES: The dealer is working hard to make this right, and has been more then forthcoming and upfront.. I was very clear to them that if they stepped up and handled things, then i would update my post (but not change) to reflect their efforts.. So for the moment, things are progressing well. 

EDIT: March 1, 2012 - The dealer has rectified the problem, and even exceeded my expectations. This is a perfect story of a Dealer addressing a wrong, and doing right by the customer. Full details of the actual fix are on page 5 of this thread. They took the lemons I got on day one and made lemonade, then put it in a fancy glass with one of those mini umbrellas. (How is that for an analogy)

EDIT: March 2, 2012 - After about 16KM into the drive.. the rattle was back.. It wasn't as pronounced, but its back. Notified the dealer this morning.. I won't be able to drive it more till later today after work..


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

I experienced your #1 enough times that I traded my Cruze about two months ago. It was the last in a list of several issues I had with mine. Hopefully the dealer can address it to your satisfaction, but along with the rattles and other little things, I decided it was time to get out while I still had plenty of equity in it. Good luck.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

*Stacey:* This is what is keeping me from a Cruze purchase. I see too many stories of Chevy dealership service departments that either can't, or won't, to make me comfortable with spending $24K of my pension checks on this car. The Cruze is a very complex vehicle, so I would anticipate that the dealer will be involved with it throughout the warranty period. It is a huge inconvenience for owners to take the time out of their busy schedules to make multiple trips to the service department to try to get something fixed. This thread is a classic example of what Chevy needs to correct. It appears that they didn't get rid of the right (or enough) dealerships when they eliminated so many a few years ago. If this person's dealership doesn't do right by him, people need to know about it, so they can avoid them. I see Chevy is going through a major upgrade to dealership building facilities. I would hope they are addressing the service departments skills also. I went through this with another manufacturer's poor dealership service, and it put me off enough to swear off of the brand forever. I purposely did not PM you on this as I want others to see it.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Contact GM about the dealer. I know, you don't want to spend any more time with it. Let them know so they can speak with the dealer, and refer you to a new one.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

sciphi said:


> Contact GM about the dealer. I know, you don't want to spend any more time with it. Let them know so they can speak with the dealer, and refer you to a new one.


I agree with you.. once I go to get my paperwork I will refer it to GM and let them address it.. Without the paperwork, I half expect the dealership to completely deny that it happened...


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

OMG! This service guy sounds like a REAL JERK and a CON ARTIST! $60.00 for a "piece of mind" warranty! I would have IMMEDIATELY told him that he was OUT OF HIS MIND! There is NO such thing in order to keep your factory warranty active. For this alone, I would have called Detroit CORPORATE headquarters to notify them about this sleezy character. It is dealers like this that turn people off. It's bad enough that you have a brand new car, but then to have to put up with this BS because THEY think THEY have all the answers and YOU know nothing about cars. BS!

I would NEVER go back to that dealer. I would call CORPORATE, NOT "customer service" and explain what happened and that you want to take you car to another dealer. Actually, you don't even have to call GM to take your car to another dealer. You can go to any Chevy dealer that you want. The warranty is from GM, NOT the dealer! However, I would let them know the stunts this guy is trying to pull on people.

WHO ever heard of the paperwork NOT being ready when you go to pick up your car. I would NEVER have left the dealership without it because you already know that guy is NOT on the up and up. I would have gone into the office and asked to see the dealership owner or the manager of the place and tell him about the piece of mind crap and the paperwork not being ready thus causing YOU to make ANOTHER trip to the dealer.

I have a feeling that you are young and not sure what to do. Take it from me- let them know right from the start that you are not going to be playing games and that when you bring it in for an issue, it's NOT something you made up on the way there! If they know that you might contact corporate or MAYBE even post on FaceBook, MAYBE he might think twice about playing games. Tell him that you will mention the dealership name and the games they play for all to see! When you are right and telling the TRUTH, there is NOTHING they can do to you!

Hang in there! Stay strong. I went throught this BS with a Chrysler dealer years ago with a brand new car too. I spent MORE time at the dealership than I did driving the 300M!

Keep us informed. I wish that people would mention what STATE they live in so that people can have a heads up when problems like this arise. You don't have to give your exact location.


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

I agree. Not sure what that dealer is trying to pull. So far my dealer has been very good. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> OMG! This service guy sounds like a REAL JERK and a CON ARTIST! $60.00 for a "piece of mind" warranty! I would have IMMEDIATELY told him that he was OUT OF HIS MIND! There is NO such thing in order to keep your factory warranty active. For this alone, I would have called Detroit CORPORATE headquarters to notify them about this sleezy character. It is dealers like this that turn people off. It's bad enough that you have a brand new car, but then to have to put up with this BS because THEY think THEY have all the answers and YOU know nothing about cars. BS!
> 
> I would NEVER go back to that dealer. I would call CORPORATE, NOT "customer service" and explain what happened and that you want to take you car to another dealer. Actually, you don't even have to call GM to take your car to another dealer. You can go to any Chevy dealer that you want. The warranty is from GM, NOT the dealer! However, I would let them know the stunts this guy is trying to pull on people.
> 
> ...


The service advisor was a she ... I am in my mid 30's and normally avoid dealers like the plague... Never had a positive experience with them... the only reason I went in was due to the fact that the first oil change was free, and to get the issues repaired... And trust me, when I go in on Monday, and get the paperwork, that’s when I email GM, the owner of the dealer, post the info here, hit Facebook etc...

My last experience with a dealership was about 4 years ago... warranty work on a Dodge Caravan... Rack and Pinion were gone (Common Failure on the 2003 Caravan.. and its failed for the 3rd time recently) ... they told me it was covered but wanted 80 bucks for an alignment... I told them, they replaced the rack and pinion, do the alignment for free... They said no... I told them "have your mechanic sight the tires, and I will do the alignment elsewhere... So they gave me the van back with the tires completely bowed out like this \ /... I took a picture of it. And explained they gave me a vehicle that was not road worthy... They said then pay the alignment or we call the cops. The first thing they did wrong was not tell me it would be "charged" until after the replacement was done. So i signed the "bill" as "Under Protest" on signature line of the service order and the credit card statement, and my name under that line.

They asked me what it was for... I politely explained that "under protest" means that I have basically been threatened with arrest if i don't pay something, but do not agree with the charges, and fully intend to recover the full costs, plus damages in court, as well as report it to the relevant safety authorities, and Dodge directly... Well at that point the owner overheard and when explained things to him, the situation changed completely... Alignment was free...That dealer ship is now closed.

In the end, much like GM, it was a complete waste of my time, energy and resources, for something that could have been solved in the first place... I spent over 5-6 hours on that issue alone mostly at the dealership waiting.. Customers have choices now. If GM, or Dodge, or any other brand continues to marginalize customer concerns then I will find other automakers that will do it better... As for Dealerships, due to the fact that they seem to have a business model that excludes customer service, my normal mechanical needs are served by a local mechanic, the owner of the shop, that has always been fair and honest...

The Cruze is still under warranty for a while... and I will be in need of another vehicle in the next year or so... Right now, GM is completely out of the picture, and I will continue tell others about my experience as voting with one’s wallet is often the only way for companies to hear.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

I HEAR you! I know EXACTLY what you are going through! I wish Geocities was still around because my 1999 Chrysler 300M SOAP OPERA story was also unbelievable! I was in regular contact with Chrysler Corporate in Auburn Hills because the dealers were jerks and the factory reps were bigger jerks to put it MILDLY! Like you, I would NEVER purchase another Chrysler product if they were the LAST car on earth! I'm sorry that I didn't save those webpages and sorrier still that FaceBook wasn't around then because I would have put those dealers on blast. As a matter of fact, someone I knew several years ago requested me as a friend in FaceBook. Come to find out, she now works at one of those dealers. My very first message to her let her know EXACTLY what I thought of her boss now! I never heard from her again! Too bad. Not my loss.

That's funny because MY service advisor is also a she! I have NO clue what happened to the two men who were there. Like I said, I don't go to the dealer often- oil/filter/tire rotations and that's it unless something is drastically wrong. With the few miles that I drive a year, that amounts to about ONE visit per year! LOL..

I still say that if you CALL GM Corporate, you will get faster action because I've said it before a million times and I'll say it AGAIN- those corporate people HAVE to come OUT of their ivory towers and get in the real world with real, everyday working people to see exactly what is happening and what we go through when we have a problem. Their CEO DEFINITELY needs to go on that TV show *UNDERCOVER BOSS* and SEE exactly WHAT many of these service advisors do/say to their customers. All this crap is one reason that SO MANY people turned to foreign carmakers in the first place. What's the sense of going on and on. You are right- the only way to change things is bring your business elsewhere and hit them in their pocketbook!

I wish you luck and hope that GM does the right thing by you. Keep us informed. If you vent on FaceBook tell us how to find it so we can add our 2 cents worth! This dealer sounds like ANOTHER one that is going to have their doors locked up soon!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

tvicars said:


> My experience with my 2011 Cruze, insinuations my warranty would be invalid unless I pay $60, and “problem could not be replicated”, oh and it’s a long story... so get some popcorn...
> 
> I bought my Cruze back in March of 2011. Since then I have experienced some of the same problems as others on the www.cruisetalk.com site. The more annoying (and some unsafe) ones are: 1) Transmission issues; everything from a time lag of a few seconds when you depress the pedal from a stop, to hard up or downshifting (almost like two gears at once). Either upshifting or downshifting... Now in GM’s defense, this has probably happened less than 5 times in a year, but you are driving and this happens, it scares the heck out of you.
> 2) A “Clunk” from the front, again, happens randomly... best sound I can compare it too, it when I have had a sway bar link go on another vehicle, and turning or going over a bump makes a loud “clunk” it sounds like metal on metal.. Again, this happens infrequently, but when it does, it’s very loud.
> ...





tvicars,
I would like to apologize for all the inconveniences that you have experienced with your vehicle as well as your dealership. I do completely understand your frustration. I would like to look into this for you. I am going to send you a PM to gather more information from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> tvicars,
> I would like to apologize for all the inconveniences that you have experienced with your vehicle as well as your dealership. I do completely understand your frustration. I would like to look into this for you. I am going to send you a PM to gather more information from you.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


Thank yoo Stacy.

The service manager also called me today to appoligize and ask for one more chance to make it right. I explained my situation to him and have agreed to allow them one final try to complete the work. I informed him that I had posted, and IF its resolved to my satisfaction, I will post the details stating that, however, I would also post the details with what happened good or bad. 


I understand that Dealerships and Companies have exception processes for issues like this where they have an escalation process. At the moment that escalation process seems to be working properly as I am still being assured that it will be addressed. I will keep everyone posted. 

Stevey, I will however, PM you the information that you requested as well so you can follow up on your side.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tvicars said:


> Thank yoo Stacy.
> 
> The service manager also called me today to appoligize and ask for one more chance to make it right. I explained my situation to him and have agreed to allow them one final try to complete the work. I informed him that I had posted, and IF its resolved to my satisfaction, I will post the details stating that, however, I would also post the details with what happened good or bad.
> 
> ...



WELL- YOU got SOMEONE'S attention! Maybe these social media sites DO have SOME positive effects? Not sure if this Stacey character is from GM Corporate or some zone office or some private dealer, so not sure if SHE pushed the issue because I don't know IF we know anything about her. Anyway, good luck. I would have done the same thing and given them a "10th" chance to address your issues and get rid of the jargon- "can't duplicate the problem or they all do that or this is the first we've heard/seen this" etc.! THAT drives ME crazy more than anything else!

At least the dealer is AWARE that good, bad or indifferent, HE will be in the spotlight now! It's time they stop treating customers as if they KNOW NOTHING and make us feel that our multi thousand dollar purchase is as important to THEM as it is to US! We work hard for our money!

Keep us informed. Thanks. Good luck. Let them KEEP the car until they find EVERYTHING on your list and CAN duplicate EVERY problem!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> *Stacey:* This is what is keeping me from a Cruze purchase. I see too many stories of Chevy dealership service departments that either can't, or won't, to make me comfortable with spending $24K of my pension checks on this car. The Cruze is a very complex vehicle, so I would anticipate that the dealer will be involved with it throughout the warranty period. It is a huge inconvenience for owners to take the time out of their busy schedules to make multiple trips to the service department to try to get something fixed. This thread is a classic example of what Chevy needs to correct. It appears that they didn't get rid of the right (or enough) dealerships when they eliminated so many a few years ago. If this person's dealership doesn't do right by him, people need to know about it, so they can avoid them. I see Chevy is going through a major upgrade to dealership building facilities. I would hope they are addressing the service departments skills also. I went through this with another manufacturer's poor dealership service, and it put me off enough to swear off of the brand forever. I purposely did not PM you on this as I want others to see it.



Jim Frye,
While I can understand the hesitation when it comes to such a large purchase, I would encourage you to visit several dealers in your area before purchase. This will help to be sure that the dealer you choose it right for you. You also have the option of getting the vehicle serviced at any GM dealer after purchase, not just the one where you purchased the vehicle. I would be happy to locate dealers in your area with your zip code. Feel free to contact me privately if you have any other questions.Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> Jim Frye,
> While I can understand the hesitation when it comes to such a large purchase, I would encourage you to visit several dealers in your area before purchase. This will help to be sure that the dealer you choose it right for you. You also have the option of getting the vehicle serviced at any GM dealer after purchase, not just the one where you purchased the vehicle. I would be happy to locate dealers in your area with your zip code. Feel free to contact me privately if you have any other questions.Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service



Jim, visiting a dealer BEFORE a purchase is NOT going to tell you ANYTHING about what they will be like if you have a problem with your car! The better thing to do would be to go into the dealer waiting room and talk to the CUSTOMERS who are having their cars serviced! THAT would be MORE telling and helpful as far as I'm concerned!


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

So the dealer just called, the car is due to go in within the next two hours. They will again provide a free rental (impala again). however, it will be gassed up, and they will cover the fuel cost for the first tank (which should be fine).

Stacy also contacted me again and I replied to her.. to maintain transperancy, this is what I wrote to her.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The car is due to go into the dealer in under 2 hours. I would ask that you reach out to the dealership to confirm that all relevant TSB's are followed and taken care of, as if, what the dealer is saying is true (that all of the TSB's have been exausted and there is still an issue), perhaps this service apointment will give GM more insight into some issues that still aparently appear to plague not just myself, but other Cruze customers. 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I will keep the post updated with any developments


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks for the update. Did you ever find out what this Stacey's position is? Is she with GM corporate? I would guess YES since SUDDENLY things are happening. I would rule out service advisor at some other Chevy dealer because she would have NO say with YOUR dealer's actions. If she is with the hierarchy of GM then KUDOS for coming to this site whether it be on her own OR per GM's direction. This is EXACTLY what a company like GM needs to keep customers satisfied when they are blown off by their dealer. I am NOT saying that there are not jerks out there who complain about ridiculous things that a dealer cannot fix. Those people DO need to be blown off by the dealer. HOWEVER, too many dealers blow off LEGITIMATE problems with their crazy lingo- "can't duplicate the problem, never saw this before, you're the first one to complain" etc. etc. etc. There MUST be ONE course program that they teach in "service advisor" school that has all these crazy sayings to tell customers!

So far, so good. Let's see what happens next.


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## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

Let me know if they find anything. I have 3500 miles on my Cruze and have recently discovered your infamous clunk as well. I notice it when it shifts into second gear and when it downshifts into second gear. Frickin weird...


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

So as promised, the update.

Not sure if Stacy is part of the social media team that many companies now have, or part of an executive response team.. GM has both from what I understand. Perhaps she can introduce herself formally (or link to a post where that was already done). 

When I got to the dealership everyone was very friendly. A bit of a wait before the "Fixed Operations Manager" (according to the card) was able to see me. Fine, I spoke to the service advisor, in her defense, I think she genuinely felt bad that they couldn't replicate the issue, and did properly report it to her boss for follow up.. (GM didn't have my info before he called, so there was no way GM corporate intervened that fast... they do now have my info). The Operations Manager was the same individual that I spoke with on the phone earlier. As promised there was a rental ready for me, and it was fully fueled, and the instructions were that they were to be billed for any fuel use and not me. I then brought up the "Loss Damage Insurance" that the rental car company hocks and that I was not going to allow a credit card hold on my credit card for this round. Funny thing was, the Operations Manager said "I don't normally recomend that insurance, its not needed". (I didn't take the insurance the first time, I rarely do, as I am not in the habit of trashing cars, rental or not. I did however have to do the standard rental car credit card hold the first time, which I wasn't going to be doing this time). Begrudgingly the Operations Manager told the rental agent they would cover that cost... (At $20 a day, it’s within their interest to get my car fixed faster). 

I then took him to the car, duplicated the rattle exactly as I said it would happen (Car in park, revved the engine to 1500-2000 rpm, hit it immediately)...I explained that it happens exactly the same way driving (and that’s where the Cruze sits are cruising speed)... He asked about the other issues, I explained thesame thing as above, I explained that my symptoms appear to be similar to some TSB's. He claimed to have found no TSB's that covered the issues that I had that pertained to my car... I said would email him what I had...

I left the car, took the rental and went home. I emailed him the particular TSB's; for the Trans: SB-11008A (does not apply to my car specifically as I am past the VIN breakpoint) and PI-0321. For the struts SB-10381, and for the cabin noise.. the two tsbs on file didn't likely have anything to do with it as my car didn't throw codes, was: PI0336 and PI0400.

If anyone has the full text of those TSB's can someone toss me a link (or the pdf) as a PM? I was told I would hear tomorrow about the solution.. So here is hoping that the 4th time is a charm 

VIN on the car is 1G1PF5S91B7171XXX for anyone trying to check cut offs on manuf date.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> Jim Frye,
> While I can understand the hesitation when it comes to such a large purchase, I would encourage you to visit several dealers in your area before purchase. This will help to be sure that the dealer you choose it right for you. You also have the option of getting the vehicle serviced at any GM dealer after purchase, not just the one where you purchased the vehicle. I would be happy to locate dealers in your area with your zip code. Feel free to contact me privately if you have any other questions.Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


Thanks for the reply. I would like to investigate the various dealer service departments in my area, and I know who they are. I'm not key on purchasing the car from any particular dealership, although I do have one nearby that used to be an I/T client of mine. I will most likely have a Family and Friends discount, so the sales folks are out of the picture. My quandry is how does a customer evaluate the Dealership Service Department. Can I find out what education they have relative to the Cruze? Is there a rating system for them? I'll likely visit the two or three dealerships closest to me to see what the service environment is like, but without any criteria to assess, I'm likely to be spitting into the wind.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

iCruze2 said:


> Let me know if they find anything. I have 3500 miles on my Cruze and have recently discovered your infamous clunk as well. I notice it when it shifts into second gear and when it downshifts into second gear. Frickin weird...


My "clunk" is more related to cornering at low speeds, or in instances where the pavement is uneven and causing the struts in the front to load (or unload) as the car banks. It sort of pops.
It also ONLY happens when its cold, and really infrequently.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> Thanks for the reply. I would like to investigate the various dealer service departments in my area, and I know who they are. I'm not key on purchasing the car from any particular dealership, although I do have one nearby that used to be an I/T client of mine. I will most likely have a Family and Friends discount, so the sales folks are out of the picture. My quandry is how does a customer evaluate the Dealership Service Department. Can I find out what education they have relative to the Cruze? Is there a rating system for them? I'll likely visit the two or three dealerships closest to me to see what the service environment is like, but without any criteria to assess, I'm likely to be spitting into the wind.


It can be tough, this particular dealer has been around for years.. My father bought his current car there.. in 1978.. he still drives it.. an Impala, and its got almost zero body rust and runs perfectly on the same engine from the day it rolled off the factory floor.. However, he hasn't ever taken it to a dealership or a mechanic, unless its something he doesn't have tools for.. which is not very often, oh and for those that wonder, yes it is possible to roll over an odometer on those cars.. multiple times.. when a car is that old.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

*tvicars-

Sounds like things are moving in the right direction. Hope it keeps going that way for you. As for Stacey, I would say it is more likely that she is part of an EXECUTIVE response team more than just some social media team. She messaged me too that she was happy my tranny shifting issue seems to be resolved. I asked her what her position was at GM in the interest of transparency, but NO response yet.*


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

tvicars said:


> Perhaps she can introduce herself formally (or link to a post where that was already done).




The introduction was the first thing she did a while back. It is a good program.

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...media-customer-assistance-representative.html


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

MikeW said:


> The introduction was the first thing she did a while back. It is a good program.
> 
> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...media-customer-assistance-representative.html



Thanks for the link. I had NO clue. I have not been in these topics for a while, so I was not aware of her position. It MIGHT be a good idea for Stacey to put this link in her signature so that people like me who had no idea where she came from could enlighten ourselves! Makes sense to me.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

tvicars said:


> It can be tough, this particular dealer has been around for years.. My father bought his current car there.. in 1978.


Yeah, I am likely to start my investigation at Dave White Chevrolet here in town. They are the next closest dealership to me, and one of the oldest in the area. My father bought his first Chevy (a '54 Business Coupe) from a White Family dealership in Southern Ohio. He traded that in on a '55 two door with a 283 and a power pack with dual Cherry Bombs. Guess how I became a motor head? I hope I can figure out how to evaluate the service departments through experience. My last three cars ('92 Saturn SC, '97 Civic EX, and '03 Protege5) have never been to the dealerships for warranty work and the only service they did go for was oil changes until they had 10K on the clock. Then I did my own with full synthetic. The Cruze is far more complicated than anything that has ever been in my garage. Having to utilize dealer service for warranty work for so long (5 years) is what has me off kilter.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> Thanks for the reply. I would like to investigate the various dealer service departments in my area, and I know who they are. I'm not key on purchasing the car from any particular dealership, although I do have one nearby that used to be an I/T client of mine. I will most likely have a Family and Friends discount, so the sales folks are out of the picture. My quandry is how does a customer evaluate the Dealership Service Department. Can I find out what education they have relative to the Cruze? Is there a rating system for them? I'll likely visit the two or three dealerships closest to me to see what the service environment is like, but without any criteria to assess, I'm likely to be spitting into the wind.



Jim Frye,
I would suggest that you speak to the service department and ask them how familiar they are with the Cruze. They are trained on the vehicle but there is nothing that is released by GM that rates them. It is important that you feel comfortable with your service center. If you have any further questions or need any further assistance I am always here so please feel free to message me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> Jim Frye,
> I would suggest that you speak to the service department and ask them how familiar they are with the Cruze. They are trained on the vehicle but there is nothing that is released by GM that rates them. It is important that you feel comfortable with your service center. If you have any further questions or need any further assistance I am always here so please feel free to message me.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


Thanks. I think one of my leading questions will be how much training the department has with GM's Global A Electrical Architecture. There are a bunch of courses on this from AC Delco. Of course I will ask about any Cruze training or experience. I guess I will see how open the Service Manager is and how much he/she tap dances to the questions.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

iCruze2 said:


> Let me know if they find anything. I have 3500 miles on my Cruze and have recently discovered your infamous clunk as well. I notice it when it shifts into second gear and when it downshifts into second gear. Frickin weird...



iCruze2,
Have you taken your vehicle into your dealership to have them look into this for you? Please keep me posted on this issue and if you have any questions please feel free to message me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## tbill (Dec 4, 2011)

jim, not really any cruze specific training. training consists of several courses [and i mean several] in a given area, roughly broken down like this,

fundamentals
emerging issues [a monthly video presentation that discusses 'new' issues in the field, and corrections for said issues]
engine performance
diesel engine performance
engine repair
electrical/electronics
manual drivetrain and axle
automatic transmission/transaxle
brakes
steering and suspension
hvac
mech/elec/body repair
advanced technology vehicles


now, there are many courses in each of these divisions, and some of them 'cross' between divisions.

unless a person has been with GM for quite awhile, it's tough to be 100% in each area, and to reach 100% in most of those area's, you have to be ASE certified in that area as well.

most dealers usually have a 'wall' where each tech's training history/classes taken 'diploma/s' are hung up for service customers to see.

lot of training needed to keep up on things, i would think a manager would be happy to show you his/her departments skill level.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

tbill said:


> jim, not really any cruze specific training. training consists of several courses [and i mean several] in a given area, roughly broken down like this,
> 
> fundamentals
> emerging issues [a monthly video presentation that discusses 'new' issues in the field, and corrections for said issues]
> ...


Thanks for the insight! That helps a bunch.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

The most recent update is that the Dealer called me to tell me that they had been talking to GM. They were able to replicate the dash noise ( a good thing) and were trying to locate the issue..

As for the "Clunk" they asked if it happened from both sides, I said yes. They were again unable to replicate, HOWEVER, they are going to replace the two strut assemblies on both sides at the front regardless, that should be completed on Wednesday. My car did NOT meet the vin breakpoint for the TSB, however, the dealer and GM felt to try it anyway and see if it makes a difference..

So there is progress on two of the issues so far!


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

*Much better news!*

So, I just checked my email now and waiting for me was a detailed report from the Field Operations Manager.. +1 in my books... Basically:



> The struts are available from the USA only, there are none in Canada, so we will order them CS03, which is the highest level of expedite available to us. Therefore they should be put on a plane and shipped to us at some point tomorrow. I will let you know when they arrive. We will need 3-4 hours to perform the repairs and then we will need to perform a 4 wheel alignment afterwards. Unfortunately if they don’t arrive by mid-day then it might be best to just plan on us keeping your Cruze another day, so we would be into Thursday at that point. If you need more fuel just go ahead and bring me the receipt, we can reimburse you in cash when you pick up your car.
> 
> We believe we have fixed the noise, the heater core lines, hoses and or clamps were rattling and grounding out in the area of the fire wall. We have repositioned and insulated them. After checking it several more times, we so far have not been able to reproduce the sound since we made that repair. I tried it myself around 3:30 this afternoon and didn’t hear it either. Just to double check, we will try replicating the sound again tomorrow while we are waiting for the struts to arrive.
> 
> ...


Now that, is what I expected them to do the first time.. I give the dealer credit in this case, they properly identified that there was a concern (the service advisor told her boss, that I wasn't pleased and that the repair wasn't successful). The Operations Manager called me the next day, within a reasonable time from opening the dealership. They got it in that day, and he is keeping me updated on a regular basis. I confirmed from Stacy that she did NOT contact the dealer yet, so although they know I "reported it" GM hasn't gotten involved.. Thats a very good thing in my opinion, as the dealer is willing to take ownership. Stacy stated she would get involved if I ran into any issues. As for the transmission, although I am disappointed that the dealer could not replicate the problem, the issue does not occur enough that would warrant a full replacement of the transmission.. If they can't replicate it, and I was in their shoes, I wouldn't replace it either unless a) it gets worse or b) gets to a stage where it can be replicated.. So that is reasonable resolution to me..


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tvicars said:


> The most recent update is that the Dealer called me to tell me that they had been talking to GM. They were able to replicate the dash noise ( a good thing) and were trying to locate the issue..
> 
> As for the "Clunk" they asked if it happened from both sides, I said yes. They were again unable to replicate, HOWEVER, they are going to replace the two strut assemblies on both sides at the front regardless, that should be completed on Wednesday. My car did NOT meet the vin breakpoint for the TSB, however, the dealer and GM felt to try it anyway and see if it makes a difference..
> 
> So there is progress on two of the issues so far!


Hang in there. Sounds like you are FINALLY moving FORWARD! It takes PERSISTENCE, which is what many dealers HOPE you DON'T have! Good going. Sometimes the threats of Facebook and Twitter and any other worldwide sites to complain can get things moving.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tvicars said:


> So, I just checked my email now and waiting for me was a detailed report from the Field Operations Manager.. +1 in my books... Basically:
> 
> 
> 
> Now that, is what I expected them to do the first time.. I give the dealer credit in this case, they properly identified that there was a concern (the service advisor told her boss, that I wasn't pleased and that the repair wasn't successful). The Operations Manager called me the next day, within a reasonable time from opening the dealership. They got it in that day, and he is keeping me updated on a regular basis. I confirmed from Stacy that she did NOT contact the dealer yet, so although they know I "reported it" GM hasn't gotten involved.. Thats a very good thing in my opinion, as the dealer is willing to take ownership. Stacy stated she would get involved if I ran into any issues. As for the transmission, although I am disappointed that the dealer could not replicate the problem, the issue does not occur enough that would warrant a full replacement of the transmission.. If they can't replicate it, and I was in their shoes, I wouldn't replace it either unless a) it gets worse or b) gets to a stage where it can be replicated.. So that is reasonable resolution to me..



BRAVO!!! ONE step at a time. Last week I brought my Cruze LTZ in for the steering wheel recall and the shift position. While there, I told them about the crappy shifting and at times the LACK of acceleration when stepping on the gas pulling into traffic. I said that since the car was one year old with 6,800 miles, it SHOULD have learned my driving style by now. Well, they performed this on the car: N4199 Instrument Cluster Reprogramming with SPS 1317 WC 0.40 CC:0521 FC: 9096 I have NO clue what all those numbers mean, but that is what is on my customer copy. All I know is that my transmission is MUCH better as far as shifting and so far, when I step on the gas, there is NO delay. I do NOT have to floor it to get it to go. PLUS, I don't know if this is because I just put in Premium gas, but my gas mileage has jumped to 26 MPGs- the HIGHEST since I got the car. This is mostly local driving with a little highway! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these "fixes" hold. I know I posted this info before, but I don't know if it was in this topic. Maybe this will help your car?


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

tvicars said:


> So, I just checked my email now and waiting for me was a detailed report from the Field Operations Manager.. +1 in my books... Basically:
> 
> 
> 
> Now that, is what I expected them to do the first time.. I give the dealer credit in this case, they properly identified that there was a concern (the service advisor told her boss, that I wasn't pleased and that the repair wasn't successful). The Operations Manager called me the next day, within a reasonable time from opening the dealership. They got it in that day, and he is keeping me updated on a regular basis. I confirmed from Stacy that she did NOT contact the dealer yet, so although they know I "reported it" GM hasn't gotten involved.. Thats a very good thing in my opinion, as the dealer is willing to take ownership. Stacy stated she would get involved if I ran into any issues. As for the transmission, although I am disappointed that the dealer could not replicate the problem, the issue does not occur enough that would warrant a full replacement of the transmission.. If they can't replicate it, and I was in their shoes, I wouldn't replace it either unless a) it gets worse or b) gets to a stage where it can be replicated.. So that is reasonable resolution to me..




tvicars,
I am very happy to hear that they are taking care of the issues for you. I am happy that they have kept in contact with you as well as gave you detailed information on the process. Please continue to keep me updated on this. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> BRAVO!!! ONE step at a time. Last week I brought my Cruze LTZ in for the steering wheel recall and the shift position. While there, I told them about the crappy shifting and at times the LACK of acceleration when stepping on the gas pulling into traffic. I said that since the car was one year old with 6,800 miles, it SHOULD have learned my driving style by now. Well, they performed this on the car: N4199 Instrument Cluster Reprogramming with SPS 1317 WC 0.40 CC:0521 FC: 9096 I have NO clue what all those numbers mean, but that is what is on my customer copy. All I know is that my transmission is MUCH better as far as shifting and so far, when I step on the gas, there is NO delay. I do NOT have to floor it to get it to go. PLUS, I don't know if this is because I just put in Premium gas, but my gas mileage has jumped to 26 MPGs- the HIGHEST since I got the car. This is mostly local driving with a little highway! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these "fixes" hold. I know I posted this info before, but I don't know if it was in this topic. Maybe this will help your car?



I actually sent in the details from your post. They seemed to know what it meant and are checking all of those systems as well.

We are in the middle of a nice snow storm here now, so the parts are delayed, that at least gives them more time to look into the issue above..

I am getting regular updates from the dealership, so I continue to be pleased with how its going.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

Latest updates:

The struts have arrived, they could install them today, but I was fine with them installing them today and testing them tomorrow to make sure all the kinks are worked out..

As for the info i was provided about my issues, here is what I got from the dealership



> *Neutral Idle Description and Operation *
> 
> Neutral Idle can only be commanded ON when the transmission is operating in Drive Range, First Gear Engine Braking . When the service brakes are applied and the vehicle speed, throttle position, and transmission temperature are within the calibration defined limits, the TCM commands Neutral Idle ON. The low and reverse clutch remains applied. The TCM reduces the pressure command to the 1234 PC Solenoid 5, which reduces the fluid pressure to the 1-2-3-4 clutch, allowing the clutch to slip. The resulting slip on the 1-2-3-4 clutch reduces the difference between the torque converter input speed and torque converter turbine speed, or torque converter clutch (TCC) slip speed. The reduced TCC slip speed reduces the engine load. This results in lower fuel consumption while Neutral Idle is commanded ON.
> 
> ...


The dealership clarified with me what the $60 was for.. It was for a MultiPoint Inspection.. this was their explanation.



> The list of items performed can be found in your Owner’s Manual under the *Scheduled Maintenance* section below *Additional Required Services *
> 
> • ​
> Rotate tires. Tires should be rotated every 12 000 km/7,500 mi.
> ...


Having said that, I can do most of those checks myself, and I rotate my tires myself as well.. (more so the proper torque is applied to the lugs.. bad experiences with auto shops that use the wrong torque bars and stretch out the threads, so I do it myself, with a proper torque wrench).. "Could" it be positioned better, sure.. but the dealership is also a business, and they need to make money to survive, so I understand the sales pitch, and I can't fault them for at least trying.. some people have no interest in doing rotations themselves, or oil changes, or maintenence checks..


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

It is very reassuring that your issues are being handled in a professional manner now. Thanks for keeping us all informed. A $60 Multipoint Inspection Charge is a ton easier to understand than a $60 Warranty Maintenance Fee. Is it required to maintain the warranty? I didn't see anywhere in the Owner's Manual that is was. Let us know the final outcome of this experience, please.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> It is very reassuring that your issues are being handled in a professional manner now. Thanks for keeping us all informed. A $60 Multipoint Inspection Charge is a ton easier to understand than a $60 Warranty Maintenance Fee. Is it required to maintain the warranty? I didn't see anywhere in the Owner's Manual that is was. Let us know the final outcome of this experience, please.


There's NO charge anywhere to maintain warranty. Well, outside of normal maintenance one pays for. If the local dealer had told me it was $60 to maintain my warranty, I would have documented who told me that, and called GM corporate to complain. Also likely the state attorney general's office, since that might be fraud.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

sciphi said:


> There's NO charge anywhere to maintain warranty. Well, outside of normal maintenance one pays for.


I was asking if you had to have the Scheduled Maintenance Inspections documented to maintain the warranty? I.E. do you have to have them done by a dealer, or is your own maintenance log sufficient, to keep the warranty in force? Is it even required? I have never seen that required with other cars, but it has been so long since I bought a car, things might be different now.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

Apologize for anyone that pulls a TLDNR on this one. 

=-=-=-=-
So first off, I am not a lawyer, but I did stay a holiday inn express last night (kidding)... Some States, or Provinces, or federal regulations apply to vehicles and warranties, so what’s here may not reflect your particular state or province... Warranties at the core are contracts. Contracts are covered by laws, most (if not all) contracts CANNOT, supersede a law. Meaning if your state or province has a law that prohibits a warranty condition or exclusion, regardless if what GM may tell you, that clause of the warranty isn’t valid... pretty much ALL of the conditions, restrictions, and exclusions are in your manual, or your warranty... It’s called fine print. If YOU are in doubt, check with a lawyer in your state or province, ONLY they are trained and or licensed to provide you with legal advice.
=-=-=-=-

Does not doing a multipoint inspection invalidate your warranty, technically no... Can it? Yes, sort of, if YOU have missed something listed in your manual under scheduled maintenance that leads to a failure that your manual said YOU should check, that failure MAY invalidate warranty (either full or partial) of that part or subsystem that your failure caused. (So read your manual)

Does not following the regular scheduled maintenance invalidate your warranty, it can…

So the multipart inspection covers a number of mechanical checks that “aught” to be done. No different from a rig, or commercial vehicle circle check that many commercial operators MUST do and properly log, they check a number of safety and mechanical issues, that are common wear items that ALL vehicles suffer from. 

Regarding the tire rotation, let’s say you have a camber or caster issue that can cause uneven wear. The uneven wear, if left uncorrected, invalidates your tire warranty. It does NOT invalidate the warranty for your entire car. If you properly rotate your tires, and check the tread depths, check for signs of uneven wear etc yourself... it’s the same thing. 

Parking breaks are designed to be used; lots of people don’t use them... When you don’t use a system like that, over time, and especially with corrosion from road or sea salt, the mechanism can seize up. If it seizes due to misuse, generally, it’s not covered by warranty... 

They check both of these in the inspection (and more), if you do the inspection every 6 months, then you are “Likely” to catch a problem before it becomes too costly...

Multipoint inspections are a way for you as an individual to not have to do any safety inspections or mechanical inspections... Now what they find, are normally results of things that aren’t covered by warranty. (BUT they can, Dealers also run your vehicle against known service issues and TSB’s). So if you have uneven tire wear, there is an instant alignment right there ($$). IF you have perfect alignment and IF your suspension system is working, in theory, you have perfectly even tire wear... You only need to rotate front to back to compensate for the extra wear on the tires that are powered by drive train. (Some require cross rotation, some don’t) If the alignment isn’t fine, then they find out what causes it, struts, sway bars, lots of things can affect it... MOST of those are not mechanical failures covered under warranty, but impact damage from curbs, pot holes, etc... Again ($$)

The biggest debate is normally around consumable items, oil changes, brakes, air filters etc... In general, you do NOT need the dealer to do these... HOWEVER, IF you, or someone else mucks it up, and it causes a failure of a component, directly related to your actions (or inactions), your warranty for that part is usually invalid. (Again some states and provinces have limits to this as it’s normally called an exclusion clause of your warranty). The required documentation if you did it yourself can vary depending on what the eventual failire is.. Generally, its better to overdocument the work you do on your car (with recipts for oil, log books etc) then underdocument. 

Dealers sell peace of mind, that’s what they are in the business for... what they don’t tell you is that if THEY muck up the oil change, the DEALER must pay for the repairs, GM generally won’t.. Unless the procedure that the mechanic exactly followed was set by GM, and the procedure from GM was wrong... They can rightfully tell the customer, if WE (Dealer) do the work and there are any problems it’s completely covered (Either by GM or the Dealer). Now Dealers also have a huge advantage, they get info straight from GM. They have access to engineers that private mechanics don’t have... If a private mechanic (or owner) does work on their own, and doesn’t do it properly, AND it directly causes a failure, GM isn’t responsible. (This is another area where exclusion clauses can be invalid state to state, or province to province)

Long and short of it is... there is a reason that some lawyers specialize in Warranty and Contract litigation... It’s VERY technical, and VERY specific... What a dealer, or a mechanic can get away with in one state, can get another sued, or in jail in the next state over. If you want peace of mind that it’s covered, then pay a dealer for it, but prepared to pay $$ for the peace of mind


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> I was asking if you had to have the Scheduled Maintenance Inspections documented to maintain the warranty? I.E. do you have to have them done by a dealer, or is your own maintenance log sufficient, to keep the warranty in force? Is it even required? I have never seen that required with other cars, but it has been so long since I bought a car, things might be different now.


Jim Frye,
It is not required that you keep all your maintenance documentation but it is strongly recommended. GM recommends that you keep receipts and all paperwork that you receive for all maintenance as well as other services that you have performed on your vehicle. This will allow you to provide proper documentation if ever necessary. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

*tvicars* -

Are you in the USA or Canada? Just wondering because you mention provinces.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> *tvicars* -
> 
> Are you in the USA or Canada? Just wondering because you mention provinces.


Canada, Ontario in fact


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tvicars said:


> Canada, Ontario in fact


That's what I thought. Not that it matters, but at least it makes one feel better that dealers will be dealers no matter what side of the border they are on!


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

*A resolution, to the problems and a happy customer*

The saga comes to an end... and it is good… Not only did the dealer meet my expectations, they more than made up for the inconvenience, and here is how.

So I got the car back today as promised. What I was expecting was that the car would be fixed, the issues resolved, and to be walking away without paying a cent... What I got was all of that, PLUS they gave me a full tank of gas (I only left then 1/8 of a tank to play with). They also FULLY detailed the car, that’s a full wash and wax (yes I checked it’s waxed, and it appears by hand, and they did the inside doors, sills etc. They also did an interior detailing, and steam cleaned the mats, and made it smell new car fresh). The Operations Manager was there to greet me, and make sure that I was completely satisfied with the situation and I was. We shook hands and I drove home a now happy customer. 

So on to the work order and what they did.
Transmission: “Reprogram all the Modules 99A68, S1978, 60BE1 HVAC, BCM, IPC, ECM/TCM
Thunk noise from struts: “Replace both struts and follow 10381 guidelines for lubrication”
The rattle... this one they did a wee bit of work on: P “Use Chaise ear and road test. Found rattle from fuel lines repair and replace part of fuel lines, reposition, re-road test with chaise ear, found noise from AC lines, reposition AC lines and re-road test with Chaise Ear, found noise from under body heat shield. Tighten and re-secure under body heat shield and all sub frame mount bolts re-road test with Chaise Ear, found noise from Heater Hoses, Re-Install and Re-Route heater hose and re-road test with Chaise Ear. No noise present”
So I haven’t really thrown the car through its paces yet... I will know in the next day or so if everything is fixed. In the short 10K I have driven since taking the car it seems to be more responsive, and the rattle is gone, however I will really know more soon enough.

So in the end the only thing that I fault them for is not doing the heavy diagnostics in the first place. Now having said that, they did rectify the situation. Not only did they solve the problems, I got a full tank of gas out of the deal and they detailed my car. So in the end, I am very satisfied with the service that I received, and WILL continue to go to this dealer for warranty service. (Now I am still going to do my own oil changes with Mobil 1, and rotate my own tires.. but hey, they can’t win them all). Businesses can drop the ball, it happens. It’s what they do with it once they drop it, in this case the dealer did right by me.

I have even invited the dealer to register on the forum, and identify themselves and comment any way they feel fit. So for those of you that wanted to know where the dealer is from, you should know soon enough if they post.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

I recently read my daughter a story.. "The Cat came back".. Well.. today the cat, is the rattle.

The drive home from the dealership was one of the quietest drives I have had, not a single rattle, pop or clunk.. I was pretty happy.. Until around 16KM into the drive.. The rattle came back..

Not in this case, i could NOT replicate it when the car was in park and I reved the engine to 1800 to 2400 rpm.. I could however hear it when it was driving..

So I have informed the dealer again... sigh.. This time however, the dealer DID make a difference, as aparently they fixed noises that i didn't even realize were not normal (The overall ride is now much more quiet, except for this elusive gremlin)


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

*tvicars-**

I'm glad that everything-almost-was resolved! The thing is, they should have acted like this the FIRST time you went to them with your concerns/problems. There was ABSOLUTELY NO reason for them to blow you off in the first place. Just seems that how businesses treat their customers these days. NO ONE seems to care UNTIL **you raise the roof!** Now at least the customer has Facebook AND Twitter on their side to let EVRYONE know when the customer is getting the runaround! I have to say that my Cruze has no gremlin noises. I always have the radio on so maybe they are there but I don't hear them? My transmission is definitely shifting better- NOT perfect, but much better. So far, the car DOES go as soon as I step on the gas. NO delay anymore.

I apologize for the weird fonts/sizes above, but I can't change them to all match.*


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

Just emailed the dealer this.

So the drive home is a good news bad news deal... good news, no "thunks" from the front end.. found a parking lot with speed bumps.. vehicle was fine..

From a dead stop, the car still takes a few seconds to respond. however, that's more a Cruze wide problem as far as I am aware.


As for the rattle, the good news is its better.. the bad news is, it still occurs, and its MUCH harder to replicate.. I drove home, not a single 
rattle, until I got home, the rattle is much fainter, tends to occur at a much tighter rpm band about 1900-2100 rpm, and is far less pronounced, the dash no longer vibrates to the touch like it did before. Also, it appears to be now more drivers side near the vin plate or perhaps in the instrument cluster. I will continue to drive it this weekend to see if i can narrow down what causes it, to at least get it to a point where your guys can identify it.. 

The bad news is, this one is going to be much harder to find if it can't be replicated as easily as the last one (I could make the last one happen almost daily). This one seems completely quiet one minute, acts up, then goes away.. only to come back a few mins later..

I will update you Monday or Tuesday with my findings..


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I wonder what the "chaise ear" is. 

Rattles get me kind of OCD. It gets to the point that 100% of my attention is spent listening for the sound and I can't even enjoy the vehicle anymore. It sounds like your dealer is really trying but now you're in the "difficult to recreate zone". I always tell the service writer that I'll give the tech a big tip if they can get the thing fixed and I've spent $50 getting a seat rattle fixed (under warranty) in my GMC pickup. It was worth every penny to me but I don't know if it really gets the tech any more motivated.


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## tbill (Dec 4, 2011)

it is a tool with several small clamps wired to a 'control box', you put the clamps on several places on the suspension, and road test. the 'control box' has a dial on it so you can 'listen' at each clamp, each clamp is 'registered' to a different spot on the 'dial'. this way you can narrow down or find the source of the noise.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

tbill said:


> it is a tool with several small clamps wired to a 'control box', you put the clamps on several places on the suspension, and road test. the 'control box' has a dial on it so you can 'listen' at each clamp, each clamp is 'registered' to a different spot on the 'dial'. this way you can narrow down or find the source of the noise.


So, it becomes a "Chassis Ear" in that case!


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## tbill (Dec 4, 2011)

lol, yes, i had to edit my last post as no matter how i spelled chassis, it didn't look right, haha...


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tbill said:


> lol, yes, i had to edit my last post as no matter how i spelled chassis, it didn't look right, haha...


LOL...I THOUGHT maybe it was the Canadian version!


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> LOL...I THOUGHT maybe it was the Canadian version!


Like maybe, French Canadian.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> Like maybe, French Canadian.


Yes. That's it!


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> LOL...I THOUGHT maybe it was the Canadian version!


Haha! I copied it directly from the workorder


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

tvicars said:


> Haha! I copied it directly from the workorder


LOL...I don't know much about the mechanical aspects of a car so I had NO clue anyway. I just figured chaise ear sounded like something real like a chaise lounge! LOL...LOL....At least we could laugh a little.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

fastdriver said:


> LOL...I don't know much about the mechanical aspects of a car so I had NO clue anyway. I just figured chaise ear sounded like something real like a chaise lounge! LOL...LOL....At least we could laugh a little.


Looks like this is similar to what they used

06606 - Steelman Tools

As for the rattle.. I have driven it about 6 times, heard it twice.. and its still WAY less pronounced. So I think I will just leave it and see how it goes.. I would say the first "Rattle" is was about a 9/10 in the annoying scale.. this one is about a 3/10.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

So today I discovered a new problem... No Cruise Control... This is what I wrote to the dealer



> It seems another problem has developed
> 
> The cruise control is now non functionall. You can turn "on" the system with the rocker switch, however, when trying to "set" the speed, the light no longer turns green and it does not engage. It does not appear to be a stuck "disengage" switch. I tried turning the cruise control on and off, depressing the break, toggling the on/of rocker, the disengage rocker, and shutting down the car and restarting it to no avail.
> 
> The rattle is still there, however, its still much harder to reproduce, I hear it about 50% of the time, and it sounds like its coming from the driver side either to the left of the instrument cluster, or at the frame between the door and the windshield.


We shall see what happens.


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## tvicars (Mar 30, 2011)

So the cruise control was borked due to a missstep when they reprogrammed all of the control modules.. They had it fixed in under an hour. They also gave me a free wash, and my next oil change and Tire Rotation are on the house.

Now what was really interesting is that the big rattle came back right after it was washed, so perhaps its a moisture issue? (when it was happening it was snowing and raining out.. now the weather is great outside.. The noise stopped after I drove home.. The dealer is still willing to have me bring it any time to try again.. (Once i can make it happen reliably I will bring it in)


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

tvicars said:


> So the cruise control was borked due to a missstep when they reprogrammed all of the control modules.. They had it fixed in under an hour. They also gave me a free wash, and my next oil change and Tire Rotation are on the house.
> 
> Now what was really interesting is that the big rattle came back right after it was washed, so perhaps its a moisture issue? (when it was happening it was snowing and raining out.. now the weather is great outside.. The noise stopped after I drove home.. The dealer is still willing to have me bring it any time to try again.. (Once i can make it happen reliably I will bring it in)


Just a WAG, but could it be a loose fender liner? The water or snow hitting it makes it rattle?


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## hawkeye (Mar 31, 2012)

I wasn't finding another thread that was similar to my question, so I put it in this one. I have an occasional rough 1-2 shift, and a little delayed throttle response. My car was built in May of '11 and is an '11 Eco automatic. I saw that the TSB's say there was an update to a TCM flash on 6/15/11, but I'm wondering if my car already had it? Does anyone know the VIN or build date that wouldn't have the most up to date program without having to go to the dealer to check?


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## jward43 (Jul 25, 2012)

I can feel for many of you dealing with a Cruze issue!! I myself am the owner of 2012 Cruze and the last few months have been horrid. I guess I will start at the beginning, I bought the car in September of 2011 and loved it. Everything worked great, mpg was awesome and then I started feeling a hard jerking when the car would downshift. February 2012 I took it in for an oil change and I mentioned to the service guy about the transmission. I get told they couldn't duplicate it that that hard shifting was "normal". Well months went by and it just got worse. Beginning of July 2012 it was so horrid it felt like someone was rearending you when the problem occured. It was no longer intermitted. The first guy who drove it said it was nothing someone else drove it and finally I wasn't crazy anymore. They said they changed the computer. So I pick up my car and think ok it is fixed. WRONG!!!!! I pick it up on a Tuesday and Thursday it was back in the shop and it would of been back Wednesday but I had to work a 12 hour shift. This time I called GM because I was furious. When I got the call it was done they said they did a factory reset. I pick my car up and ended up having to turn right back around because it started acting up but once again I get told it was in the "learning" process again. JUST FOR THE RECORD when I bought the car it NEVER shifted like this when it was "learning" when I bought it. So they couldn't duplicate it again. So that night I was on the freeway with my kids heading home and it kicked down and slowed me down to under 50 mph which almost got me hit. I call for help right away and my brother comes to my rescue. He drives the car and drives normal for a short and I mean short while and then the transmission starts slipping and kicking down real hard for him. I call my dealership and he pretty much tells me to have it towed to another dealership for another opinion. 

Let me tell you how great of a dealership they really are. When I picked up my car I got in turned on the key to see LOW FUEL! Who puts miles on my car and uses the gas to make me pay for it? He wanted me to leave my car there for him to personally drive back and forth to work for a week or so on MY gas mileage. He wasn't going to log it into the system as they even had the car I was going to get the dealership shuttle car so it could lay under radar. I am fed up with the whole situation entirely. 

Today we called another dealership and tell them what is going on and the car needs looked at and in nice terms we get told they don't like to get involved in other dealership screw ups. So now I sit here waiting to hear from GM to find out what we are going to do because I don't want to put my kids in a car that I can't trust (even though it is a 2012) to even take them to the store. The one question I keep asking and no one can answer for me is "if something happens while I am driving who is being held responsible?" I think something needs done I am not paying 20k for this!!!!!!

Very upset Cruze owner


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jward, call the GM customer care number in your owner's manual and see if there are any other dealerships besides these two. Sounds like the first one is staffed by trained monkeys and the second one knows it. I could understand the second dealership saying they want to do their own diagnostics, but to not want to fix another dealership's screw ups doesn't sound right to me.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

jward43 said:


> I can feel for many of you dealing with a Cruze issue!! I myself am the owner of 2012 Cruze and the last few months have been horrid. I guess I will start at the beginning, I bought the car in September of 2011 and loved it. Everything worked great, mpg was awesome and then I started feeling a hard jerking when the car would downshift. February 2012 I took it in for an oil change and I mentioned to the service guy about the transmission. I get told they couldn't duplicate it that that hard shifting was "normal". Well months went by and it just got worse. Beginning of July 2012 it was so horrid it felt like someone was rearending you when the problem occured. It was no longer intermitted. The first guy who drove it said it was nothing someone else drove it and finally I wasn't crazy anymore. They said they changed the computer. So I pick up my car and think ok it is fixed. WRONG!!!!! I pick it up on a Tuesday and Thursday it was back in the shop and it would of been back Wednesday but I had to work a 12 hour shift. This time I called GM because I was furious. When I got the call it was done they said they did a factory reset. I pick my car up and ended up having to turn right back around because it started acting up but once again I get told it was in the "learning" process again. JUST FOR THE RECORD when I bought the car it NEVER shifted like this when it was "learning" when I bought it. So they couldn't duplicate it again. So that night I was on the freeway with my kids heading home and it kicked down and slowed me down to under 50 mph which almost got me hit. I call for help right away and my brother comes to my rescue. He drives the car and drives normal for a short and I mean short while and then the transmission starts slipping and kicking down real hard for him. I call my dealership and he pretty much tells me to have it towed to another dealership for another opinion.
> 
> Let me tell you how great of a dealership they really are. When I picked up my car I got in turned on the key to see LOW FUEL! Who puts miles on my car and uses the gas to make me pay for it? He wanted me to leave my car there for him to personally drive back and forth to work for a week or so on MY gas mileage. He wasn't going to log it into the system as they even had the car I was going to get the dealership shuttle car so it could lay under radar. I am fed up with the whole situation entirely.
> 
> ...



jward43,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you have experienced with your vehicle as well as your dealer. I would be happy to look into this further for you. Can you please send me either you VIN or your service request number (which should have been provided by customer service when you called)? I look forward to hearing back from you as well as assisting you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> Jim Frye,
> I would suggest that you speak to the service department and ask them how familiar they are with the Cruze. They are trained on the vehicle but there is nothing that is released by GM that rates them. It is important that you feel comfortable with your service center. If you have any further questions or need any further assistance I am always here so please feel free to message me.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service



It's too bad that GM doesn't RELEASE dealer ratings. Maybe if they did, more dealerships would get on the ball and stop the BS! Until GM got involved with my transmission issue, I don't think the dealer EVER connected my car to the computer to look for error codes! If they did, my problem would have been "resolved" sooner than 18 months! Maybe as the economy gets worse and GMs stock goes lower, they will OPEN THEIR EYES and realize that people are not going to be buying cars that spend more time in the shop than on the road and that there are PLENTY of other choices out there!!


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