I'd like to dump my Chevy in the Levee.

General Motors ticked me off. They finally made the grade after oh, so many models and years.

And it all started with a stupid little engine trouble light. About 5 weeks ago, my wife and I were shopping in a town not far from home when I first noticed the bloody thing come on. My 2005 Epica LS, a peppy number in black with a 6 cyl. engine, had just been serviced the day before and boasted a measly 28,000 kilometers on the odometer. It had hardly been broken in yet.

Of course, the first thing most people would do is check the gas cap, which I did right away. The light stayed on, though, so I called the dealership where I bought the car and, of course, they said it's nothing...it'll go away eventually.

And it did...until 3 weeks later.

I hadn't filled the car up for a while, so I called them back and told them that stupid light was back on again. They asked me to bring it in to hook up their computer and they found that there was a problem with the 'Oxygen Sensor' and that it needed replacing. I said "alright, replace it then" and they replied, "well, we'll have to order the part, can you bring it in on Monday?"

I brought it in Monday and they said it would take a hour. Fine...I went for a walk. When I got back, the car hadn't been fixed because the part hadn't shown up yet. OK...I held my cool and they told me they'd have it first thing next morning.

All well and good...they replaced the part Tuesday morning and said I was 'good to go'

On Wednesday morning my wife and I left for what was supposed to be a 2 week trip into Quebec.

Well, that light lit up again 5 days into it and, because of it, we went home early.

I was pretty upset about it, and since GM regularly sends me advertising through the mail as well as email, I decided to click on their 'comments' button and tell them how I felt about my ruined vacation and their 'engine warning light'.

That got a response...a phone call, very condescending, telling me all the things I already knew because I paid for them. I knew I had an extended warranty, Roadside Assistance, a handy number to call, etc. Lovely. Big help.

Then yesterday, coming home from a park where we went canoeing and swimming for the day, the damn light came on again. Into the shop it went, where it was worked on for a full 9 hours.

It's back in my driveway now, sitting there looking sleek and happy...but I don't trust that car anymore. No more the reliable product it should be, it's a damned downer waiting for that blasted warning light to come on again.

Now, I'm thinking of dealing it, buying a Toyota and saying goodbye to GM, Chevrolet and the Big Three altogether.




[edit on 17-8-2006 by masqua]

You know, a lot of auto parts stores rent out diagnosis machines for when that light comes on and most of the time will let you use them for free as long as you do it in their parking lot. That way you wouldn't have to rely on the car dealership to do it and give you the run around.

I personally don't think one dealership or manufacterer is better than another. They all seem to want to either avoid and deny the issue or make an extra buck by fixing what doesn't need fixing.

They won't clear them, but they will read them, and let you know what they indicate. I have my own code reader for my truck, and it can clear codes.

This thing here is the bomb:

www.autoenginuity.com...

Ford Monkeys, not just for being First On Race Days anymore...

Whatever you do dont buy a "KIA" they were "Killed In Action" as soon as they were made. More people have trouble out of KIA then not.