gunman41mag
Full Access Member
I'm sure you can understand the adversarial nature of my letter. I didn't want to start out on a bad note while trying to solve this problem, but I have been given the run-a-round for several months. Customer service has refused to let me speak to anyone who can do something about my problem. I ask for the zone manager and customer service tells me I need to speak with the dealer. I call the dealer and they say I have to get the zone manger info from customer service. The entire ordeal has been very frustrating. Make no mistake, I would much rather be Chevy's best friend than their enemy. We live in our RV full time and need a reliable truck to tow it with. Our truck is our lifeline to making a living.
In May 2001 I bought a new Silverado Duramax to tow my 5th wheel. I had heard and read that the truck was the best on the market. For the first year and eight months it ran great. I'm sure I sold plenty of Duramax's for you during that time. People would come up to me at my shows and ask me how I liked my truck. I would tell them it ran great, had plenty of towing power, and never overheated. I was your best spokesperson.
The first problem I really had was at 50,000 miles. There was a short in the solenoid and the starter had to be replaced for $800.00. At 58,000 miles we began having "service engine soon" light problems and would lose power on the highway. That and other problems were taken care of. We expect some minor repairs as we travel.
At 98,000 miles the truck started running rough with black smoke visible when towing up hill. I took it in to a dealer in California. They found out that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. At that point they found diesel fuel in the engine oil. All eight injectors were replaced under warranty. The repairs cost us nothing but we were forced to park our RV and do our show tour by rental car. That also meant staying in motels and dining out every meal. That was what we bought the RV to avoid. The cost of motels, car rental, and meals for three weeks was several thousand dollars.
At 135,842 miles the "service engine soon/water in fuel" light began coming on again. They found a short to ground in the circuit between PCM and sensor and repaired it for $535.00. In March of this year, at about 144,000 miles, the U-joint went bad and had to be replaced for about $400.00. That repair is not surprising considering the driving and towing we do.
Later that month the "low coolant" light began to come on. Since we were having problems with the electrical system I assumed this was just another short. I checked and it was low. I replaced about a gallon of coolant as we drove from California to Michigan. I was also noticing that the truck was not starting as quickly as it once had. It was a delayed or hard start. At one point I noticed white smoke coming from the tailpipe. I took the truck to a dealer in the area and a few days later I was called with bad news.
The service man actually apologized before he told me that the coolant had leaked into the injectors and then into the engine and the heads may be cracked. He explained it would cost between $5,000.00 and $8,000.00 dollars to repair, depending on if the fuel injectors would have to be replaced (again). They ran some tests on the heads and found they were cracked and needed to be replaced. Once more we had to rent a car for 16 days and continue with our show tour staying in motels and eating in restaurants. The dealer paid for nine days of the rental car but the breakdown cost us several thousands dollars (again).
I did some homework and found a Chevy bulletin. In its headline it contained everything we had just experienced, the service engine soon light, low power, hard start, fuel in Crankcase, (suggested replace all injectors). Other trucks must have been having the same problem for a bulletin like that to be out there. I also went to several chat lines on the internet and found people were talking about injector and leaking sleeve problems. Including the return seal or valve giving out and letting fuel into the crankcase.
While the truck was still in the shop I called Chevy Customer Service. They called the dealer and got back to me with the information that there was no leak and the engine heads cracked because I was "towing something". I would imagine that after someone buys a $36,000.00 truck they would tow something with it. I had kept a close eye on the heat gauge at all times and it never ran hot. My trailer is well under the 15,000lb tow rating. Their last remark was most telling. They said, "Chevy trucks are our responsibility only up to 100,000 miles". I don't think Chevy would sell many trucks if they had that on a sticker in the window. I know I would have never bought one. I asked to speak to the supervisor and they said they were the supervisor. I asked to speak to someone who could help me and they said there was nothing that could be done.
When I went to pick up the truck the next Monday the first thing I did was speak to the mechanic who worked on it. He informed me that the fuel injectors "were" leaking, as well as the sleeves, and that could have caused the heads to crack. Someone was NOT telling the truth. The total cost to replace the cracked heads was $5,379.00. We could not afford to get the injectors replaced. They hoped the cracked head repairs had solved the start problem. We left Michigan and drove 200 miles to St. Mary's Ohio. Once there we realized that the hard start problem was still present. We took the truck to a near by dealer. They found that the number eight-fuel injector was bad. We had to rent a car for two days. The dealer then gave us a loaner and we continued our show tour for the next week while the truck was fixed, again spending money on motels and dining out. We picked up our truck and had a $1,355.00 repair bill after spending $5,500.00 just the week before. The entire cost to us for all the repairs and travel was over $12,000.00. We don't have this kind of disposable income. The repairs have emptied our bank account.
At this point I hope you can understand my disappointment in my Chevy truck. No one spends $36,000.00 on a heavy-duty diesel and expects it to start falling apart after less than 150,000 miles. You pay extra money for a diesel to last over 300,000 miles. I owned a Ford Aerostar van and put over 270,000 miles on that gas engine before I sold it. I know how to take care of my vehicles; they are my lifelines to my job. No one expects to have to put that kind of money into his truck after less than three years, regardless of the miles.
I hope we can settle this issue in a professional manner. I don't expect to have to pay thousands of dollars to repair a poorly designed engine. I expect Chevy to stand behind their products, just like I do in my business.
The best solution to this problem, for both parties, would be to return our present truck for a new improved reliable truck to feature in our future productions and to work with you, not against you. If that is not possible then a reimbursement for our $7,000.00 repair bill is in order and a guarantee to keep the truck running in case the fuel injectors fail again in the near future.
The worst case would be for Chevy not to stand behind their product. If that happens I will not be able to promote Chevy to your prospective customers at my shows or in my DVD's. In fact I would have to put a disclaimer in my shows and on my DVD's saying that by using Chevy in my videos I am not promoting Chevy. At that point I would also have to tell the truth about my experiences with your truck. I'm in contact with hundreds of thousands of RV and truck buyers each year, and I plan to be in that position for a long time. I can influence their decisions to buy Chevy or not. Again I hope we can resolve this in a professional manner. I can guarantee you that Chevy will have no better friend in me or no worse enemy.
Business fact: One negative customer is much more influential than three positive ones.
My business is as influential as thousands of customers.
Thank you for your time.
John Holod
HOW CHEVY SOLVED THE PROBLEM
The month of July ended with a very disappointing phone call from Chevy. We had paid out over $8,000.00 in repair bills in the last few months. We also paid over $4,000.00 in out-of-RV expenses like rental cars, motel rooms, meals out, etc.. In addition to that we are weeks behind schedule on our shoot. As they held our truck hostage waiting for parts shipped via Cuba the dealer in Key West kept assuring us we would get "trip interruption" payments to take care of our rental car and RV park fees. The Customer Service (oxymoron) rep mentioned the same thing and spoke of "goodwill" reimbursement for all of our problems.
Chevy was having so many repair problems with the fuel injectors on the model I bought they had just extended the warranty to 200,000 miles instead of the usual 100,000 miles, so at least our new repairs would be covered. After months of working with Chevy Customer Service (oxymoron), spending hours on the phone and sending in several very tall trees worth of paperwork they called and told us that out of the $12,000.00 plus that we had spent on repairing their very poorly designed engine they would reimburse us $1,200.00. That was the exact cost for us having ONE (out of eight) fuel injectors replaced in Ohio. We would receive no "trip interruption" payments or "goodwill" (oxymoron) money back. We would have to pay the $5,500.00 to replace the engine heads after they had sent out a bulletin to their repairmen describing exactly what had happened to us when the coolant leaked into the engine due to the bad injectors and fried the heads.
Chevy paid us the least they could possibly get away with. A $36,000.00 truck should last more than three years no matter how many miles are put on it. You buy a diesel engine because it supposed to last 300,000 to 400,000 miles, not 100,000 miles. A Chevy rep told me that they are not responsible for their vehicles after 100,000 miles. Maybe Chevy should put a sticker on the window in the showroom that says that. The rep also reminded me that I was "towing" something with their truck. No kidding! If I didn't have to tow an RV I could have bought a very nice car. Is Chevy making trucks that they don't want you to tow something with? Are all those TV commercials showing a Chevy truck towing a large skyscraper lying? Maybe they should also put that on a sticker on the window in the showroom. It would say,"Caution: Towing Something With Your Chevy 3/4 Ton Pickup Truck Can Be Hazardous to Your Trucks Engine!"
I had explained to them that I speak to over 100,000 potential Chevy buyers each year, but that didn't help. Many see the Chevy in the video and ask me how I like it, so now I'll just have to tell them the truth. Let's see, if I can talk only 50 truck buyers a year out of buying a Chevy, with each truck costing about $40,000.00 that would cost them .............. Well, you do the math, but it's a lot of money! I know it would cost them more than the $12,000.00 they owe us! The worst part is that the truck is our lifeline for making movies, getting to shows, etc... Each day as we drive down the highway we hear every little noise our truck makes and hope it is not another problem that will take the rest of our savings, destroy our business, and our lives. LIKE A ROCK CHEVROLET. Oh yeah, sure!
John Holod
In May 2001 I bought a new Silverado Duramax to tow my 5th wheel. I had heard and read that the truck was the best on the market. For the first year and eight months it ran great. I'm sure I sold plenty of Duramax's for you during that time. People would come up to me at my shows and ask me how I liked my truck. I would tell them it ran great, had plenty of towing power, and never overheated. I was your best spokesperson.
The first problem I really had was at 50,000 miles. There was a short in the solenoid and the starter had to be replaced for $800.00. At 58,000 miles we began having "service engine soon" light problems and would lose power on the highway. That and other problems were taken care of. We expect some minor repairs as we travel.
At 98,000 miles the truck started running rough with black smoke visible when towing up hill. I took it in to a dealer in California. They found out that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. At that point they found diesel fuel in the engine oil. All eight injectors were replaced under warranty. The repairs cost us nothing but we were forced to park our RV and do our show tour by rental car. That also meant staying in motels and dining out every meal. That was what we bought the RV to avoid. The cost of motels, car rental, and meals for three weeks was several thousand dollars.
At 135,842 miles the "service engine soon/water in fuel" light began coming on again. They found a short to ground in the circuit between PCM and sensor and repaired it for $535.00. In March of this year, at about 144,000 miles, the U-joint went bad and had to be replaced for about $400.00. That repair is not surprising considering the driving and towing we do.
Later that month the "low coolant" light began to come on. Since we were having problems with the electrical system I assumed this was just another short. I checked and it was low. I replaced about a gallon of coolant as we drove from California to Michigan. I was also noticing that the truck was not starting as quickly as it once had. It was a delayed or hard start. At one point I noticed white smoke coming from the tailpipe. I took the truck to a dealer in the area and a few days later I was called with bad news.
The service man actually apologized before he told me that the coolant had leaked into the injectors and then into the engine and the heads may be cracked. He explained it would cost between $5,000.00 and $8,000.00 dollars to repair, depending on if the fuel injectors would have to be replaced (again). They ran some tests on the heads and found they were cracked and needed to be replaced. Once more we had to rent a car for 16 days and continue with our show tour staying in motels and eating in restaurants. The dealer paid for nine days of the rental car but the breakdown cost us several thousands dollars (again).
I did some homework and found a Chevy bulletin. In its headline it contained everything we had just experienced, the service engine soon light, low power, hard start, fuel in Crankcase, (suggested replace all injectors). Other trucks must have been having the same problem for a bulletin like that to be out there. I also went to several chat lines on the internet and found people were talking about injector and leaking sleeve problems. Including the return seal or valve giving out and letting fuel into the crankcase.
While the truck was still in the shop I called Chevy Customer Service. They called the dealer and got back to me with the information that there was no leak and the engine heads cracked because I was "towing something". I would imagine that after someone buys a $36,000.00 truck they would tow something with it. I had kept a close eye on the heat gauge at all times and it never ran hot. My trailer is well under the 15,000lb tow rating. Their last remark was most telling. They said, "Chevy trucks are our responsibility only up to 100,000 miles". I don't think Chevy would sell many trucks if they had that on a sticker in the window. I know I would have never bought one. I asked to speak to the supervisor and they said they were the supervisor. I asked to speak to someone who could help me and they said there was nothing that could be done.
When I went to pick up the truck the next Monday the first thing I did was speak to the mechanic who worked on it. He informed me that the fuel injectors "were" leaking, as well as the sleeves, and that could have caused the heads to crack. Someone was NOT telling the truth. The total cost to replace the cracked heads was $5,379.00. We could not afford to get the injectors replaced. They hoped the cracked head repairs had solved the start problem. We left Michigan and drove 200 miles to St. Mary's Ohio. Once there we realized that the hard start problem was still present. We took the truck to a near by dealer. They found that the number eight-fuel injector was bad. We had to rent a car for two days. The dealer then gave us a loaner and we continued our show tour for the next week while the truck was fixed, again spending money on motels and dining out. We picked up our truck and had a $1,355.00 repair bill after spending $5,500.00 just the week before. The entire cost to us for all the repairs and travel was over $12,000.00. We don't have this kind of disposable income. The repairs have emptied our bank account.
At this point I hope you can understand my disappointment in my Chevy truck. No one spends $36,000.00 on a heavy-duty diesel and expects it to start falling apart after less than 150,000 miles. You pay extra money for a diesel to last over 300,000 miles. I owned a Ford Aerostar van and put over 270,000 miles on that gas engine before I sold it. I know how to take care of my vehicles; they are my lifelines to my job. No one expects to have to put that kind of money into his truck after less than three years, regardless of the miles.
I hope we can settle this issue in a professional manner. I don't expect to have to pay thousands of dollars to repair a poorly designed engine. I expect Chevy to stand behind their products, just like I do in my business.
The best solution to this problem, for both parties, would be to return our present truck for a new improved reliable truck to feature in our future productions and to work with you, not against you. If that is not possible then a reimbursement for our $7,000.00 repair bill is in order and a guarantee to keep the truck running in case the fuel injectors fail again in the near future.
The worst case would be for Chevy not to stand behind their product. If that happens I will not be able to promote Chevy to your prospective customers at my shows or in my DVD's. In fact I would have to put a disclaimer in my shows and on my DVD's saying that by using Chevy in my videos I am not promoting Chevy. At that point I would also have to tell the truth about my experiences with your truck. I'm in contact with hundreds of thousands of RV and truck buyers each year, and I plan to be in that position for a long time. I can influence their decisions to buy Chevy or not. Again I hope we can resolve this in a professional manner. I can guarantee you that Chevy will have no better friend in me or no worse enemy.
Business fact: One negative customer is much more influential than three positive ones.
My business is as influential as thousands of customers.
Thank you for your time.
John Holod
HOW CHEVY SOLVED THE PROBLEM
The month of July ended with a very disappointing phone call from Chevy. We had paid out over $8,000.00 in repair bills in the last few months. We also paid over $4,000.00 in out-of-RV expenses like rental cars, motel rooms, meals out, etc.. In addition to that we are weeks behind schedule on our shoot. As they held our truck hostage waiting for parts shipped via Cuba the dealer in Key West kept assuring us we would get "trip interruption" payments to take care of our rental car and RV park fees. The Customer Service (oxymoron) rep mentioned the same thing and spoke of "goodwill" reimbursement for all of our problems.
Chevy was having so many repair problems with the fuel injectors on the model I bought they had just extended the warranty to 200,000 miles instead of the usual 100,000 miles, so at least our new repairs would be covered. After months of working with Chevy Customer Service (oxymoron), spending hours on the phone and sending in several very tall trees worth of paperwork they called and told us that out of the $12,000.00 plus that we had spent on repairing their very poorly designed engine they would reimburse us $1,200.00. That was the exact cost for us having ONE (out of eight) fuel injectors replaced in Ohio. We would receive no "trip interruption" payments or "goodwill" (oxymoron) money back. We would have to pay the $5,500.00 to replace the engine heads after they had sent out a bulletin to their repairmen describing exactly what had happened to us when the coolant leaked into the engine due to the bad injectors and fried the heads.
Chevy paid us the least they could possibly get away with. A $36,000.00 truck should last more than three years no matter how many miles are put on it. You buy a diesel engine because it supposed to last 300,000 to 400,000 miles, not 100,000 miles. A Chevy rep told me that they are not responsible for their vehicles after 100,000 miles. Maybe Chevy should put a sticker on the window in the showroom that says that. The rep also reminded me that I was "towing" something with their truck. No kidding! If I didn't have to tow an RV I could have bought a very nice car. Is Chevy making trucks that they don't want you to tow something with? Are all those TV commercials showing a Chevy truck towing a large skyscraper lying? Maybe they should also put that on a sticker on the window in the showroom. It would say,"Caution: Towing Something With Your Chevy 3/4 Ton Pickup Truck Can Be Hazardous to Your Trucks Engine!"
I had explained to them that I speak to over 100,000 potential Chevy buyers each year, but that didn't help. Many see the Chevy in the video and ask me how I like it, so now I'll just have to tell them the truth. Let's see, if I can talk only 50 truck buyers a year out of buying a Chevy, with each truck costing about $40,000.00 that would cost them .............. Well, you do the math, but it's a lot of money! I know it would cost them more than the $12,000.00 they owe us! The worst part is that the truck is our lifeline for making movies, getting to shows, etc... Each day as we drive down the highway we hear every little noise our truck makes and hope it is not another problem that will take the rest of our savings, destroy our business, and our lives. LIKE A ROCK CHEVROLET. Oh yeah, sure!
John Holod
