New owner blues

[Pablo77]

I thought I would share my new Sky purchase story and get your opinion. I bought a 2008 redline in late nov. I put around 700 miles before having an overheating, heater not working problem on my 2 mile work commute. Temp as high as 237 at idle, heater blew hot for a minute while moving then blew cold. Had the car towed to dealer. They diagnose a small leak in a coolant hose with a corroded aftermarket clamp in place? Coolant level normal, just letting air in. Car has 44,000 miles. I purchased an extended 4 year "bumper to bumper" service contract but they claim it's not covered. They offer to fix anyway after checking with sales manager since I just bought the car. All stock. No mods. I ask about the check valves and they say that would be $300 to install.

Should I have them install the check valves and absorb the cost? Is air in the system a chronic problem with this hose...seems like it has been a problem twice if there is an aftermarket clamp in place. Could chronic bubbles in the system compromise the hoses? I just bought a slightly used car that I want to drive confidently without fear of overheating. Not really one to wrench much on my cars. And I live in Seattle so the heater is a must. I would think these items would be covered under a warranty extension purchased. And is $300 fair for the install? I saw on the service bulletin it lists 0.8 hr labor?

The car is still in the shop after 4 days following 2 failed attempts to order the right hose.

I have the trifecta budget tune and a custom windrestrictor sitting on my lap ready to install. Arrrgh!

Sorry for the long note. Any advice is welcome.

Paul

[wspohn]

$300 to pull off two heater hoses, stuff a valve up them and plug them back on again?

Hmmmm.....

The valves are effective (I got mine on warranty) but that bill sounds excessive. Buy the valves (used to be $800 in Canada, now available for less than $20, thank you GM) and get your local garage to stick them in or do it yourself.

[Sky_Pilot]

Originally Posted by Pablo77

I ask about the check valves and they say that would be $300 to install.

Is that parts AND labor?

Don't drop your soap, homey

[TomatoSoup]

DON'T have them do the check valves if $300 is the cost. The valves (as Bill said) are ~$13 each (list) - I recently bought two for $17+shipping. It takes minutes to take the hoses of and stick them in - 1/2 hour shop time at most, then they should be bleeding the air out of the coolant for the other issue anyway.

Thus, no more than $100 max for this, if you really want it done (and it's not THAT common an issue if you don't want to spend the cash). If you feel safer with it, try to work with the service manager. But again, not worth a lot of money to do it.

(NOTE: The TSB for the check valves shows a charge of 0.8 hours shop time TOTAL (and that includes the bleeding)! TSB 10-06-02-001)

[GS Stage 1]

If you are not mechanically inclined and purchased the Sky as a low maintenance dependable commuter vehicle: Those concepts are almost at odds with each other.

I would suggest that you leave the car completely stock. Use the extended warranty as much as possible. And just pay the difference to let the professionals do the work. That doesn't mean you can't shop around to other service departments. But I'm thinking you want to let someone else install the check valves and purge the air back out of the system.

[MidniteBlues]

Originally Posted by GS Stage 1

If you are not mechanically inclined and purchased the Sky as a low maintenance dependable commuter vehicle: Those concepts are almost at odds with each other.

I would suggest that you leave the car completely stock. Use the extended warranty as much as possible. And just pay the difference to let the professionals do the work. That doesn't mean you can't shop around to other service departments. But I'm thinking you want to let someone else install the check valves and purge the air back out of the system.

+2 But I would haggle with those robbers on the price... .8 labor $300 outrageous..

[Pablo77]

Price is now $230.00 which includes check valves ($30), overnight shipping ($30), and labor.

Curious what others have paid. I could do it myself but they have the car on the rack and I want it done. I still feel like a working cooling system should be warranty work and check valve install should be a recall job.

At the end of the day it's not a huge deal, as long as the problem is fixed I'll be happy.

[TomatoSoup]

Originally Posted by Pablo77

Price is now $230.00 which includes check valves ($30), overnight shipping ($30), and labor.

Curious what others have paid. I could do it myself but they have the car on the rack and I want it done. I still feel like a working cooling system should be warranty work and check valve install should be a recall job.

At the end of the day it's not a huge deal, as long as the problem is fixed I'll be happy.

Did you give them the TSB #? And referred them to the 0.8 hours of labor (much of which they are already doing for your other issue)?

Yet still they are charging you $170 for labor? I'd report them to GM corporate and the BBB if I were you.

[SkyAddict]

Originally Posted by Pablo77

Price is now $230.00 which includes check valves ($30), overnight shipping ($30), and labor.

Curious what others have paid. I could do it myself but they have the car on the rack and I want it done. I still feel like a working cooling system should be warranty work and check valve install should be a recall job.

At the end of the day it's not a huge deal, as long as the problem is fixed I'll be happy.

I would check with who your extended warranty is with. The radiator hose issue should be covered if you have bumper to bumper.

Also, there is a Technical Service Bulletin which specifically addresses air in the cooling system and the installation of the check valves.

Since there is an official Tech Bulletin issued by GM and you have an extended warranty, this should also be covered under your warranty.

Even if it is not, you should order the parts and do it yourself. If you can operate a pair of pliers (for undoing the hose clamp), you can do this job yourself in 15 minutes. You will save $300 dollars, keep your self respect, and prevent the possibility of the service department from screwing up your car.

I would check with whoever your extended warranty is with and see what is covered before the service department does any work. I would also call GM Customer Service and check with them also.

There are a huge number of service departments that get people to pay for work that is covered under warranty. The reason for this is that most service departments do not get paid for warranty work.

Last but not least, (and I am speaking from experience) be nice but do not assume anything with service departments and do not give them any slack. Most service departments do not look at you as a customer. They look at most people needing warranty work as an incovenience and at worst a dupe who they can extort money from. In short, DO NOT TRUST THEM.

If you do have them install the valves, thoroughly check all the work that was done. Check your car for scratches or dents or anything else that you think the service department may have screwed up.

[wspohn]

I'd tell them they can charge you $100 plus parts or drop it on the ground and they'll never see you again and see what they say. I'd also call up another dealer and ask them what they would charge so you can (hopefully) tell Dealer #1 "Dealer #2 says they'l only charge me $X to do this job".

[TomatoSoup]

Originally Posted by SkyAddict

Check your car for scratches or dents or anything else that you think the service department may have screwed up.

^^ THIS ^^

It's a common occurrence for dealerships to crack the fenders (the side panels between the front wheels and doors) due to improper lifting. Hopefully they won't lift the car for these fixes, but always check those panels in future - preferably with your service advisor before releasing it to them - and after work has been done.

[Pablo77]

Wow! All good advice. Glad it was not just me that smelled fish here.

[TomatoSoup]

Originally Posted by Pablo77

I purchased an extended 4 year "bumper to bumper" service contract but they claim it's not covered. They offer to fix anyway after checking with sales manager since I just bought the car.

They are charging you more than enough to cover the original "free" fix. I think I'd be in a closed room with the General Manager and Service Manager at this point.

Originally Posted by Pablo77

And is $300 fair for the install? I saw on the service bulletin it lists 0.8 hr labor?

I hadn't noticed that you'd already seen that 0.8 hr figure from them (when I made my responses above). So what is their response for how they came up with the $170 labor amount in the last go-around? Do they really charge $200 an hour for labor? Really?

[GM Customer Service]

Originally Posted by Pablo77

Price is now $230.00 which includes check valves ($30), overnight shipping ($30), and labor.

Curious what others have paid. I could do it myself but they have the car on the rack and I want it done. I still feel like a working cooling system should be warranty work and check valve install should be a recall job.

At the end of the day it's not a huge deal, as long as the problem is fixed I'll be happy.

Please keep us posted on any concerns you're having. Feel free to contact us if you feel this isn't resolved properly. If you contact us, please include your situation, name of dealership, VIN#, contact information, name, and current mileage. I hope this is resolved quickly for you.

Matt,

GM Customer Assistance

[Pablo77]

Just heard from the dealership that the car won't be done today because they ordered 1 check valve instead of 2! This after charging me $30 to have it shipped overnight and ordering the wrong radiator hose twice. Towed it there a week ago Friday. They say they will now honor the 0.8 hr labor fee because "the service manager doesn't want anymore run-around on this one".

Huh? I never gave anyone any run-around. I alerted them to the tsb after reading about it here. The hose they claim needed replacement didn't fix the problem.

I am strongly considering asking for a refund for my extended service contract which covers nothing to do with the cooling system or any damage caused by overheating (fine print). And all repairs have to be done by this dealership who I have little faith in.