Faults:
Engine started burning oil at 30,000 k's
Brakes went at 32,000 k's
Rear brake caliper fell off at 50,000 k's
Allison transmission was noisy and didn't like to shift when taking off. Also leaked oil when it was cold.
Truck box cracked on both sides behind the wheels.
Constant rattles and dust in the cab.
C.D. player quite at 40,000 k's.
Rims grooved so bad from rocks that they could no longer be balanced.
General Comments:
This truck was a lemon! It was was the first new Chevy that I have bought, and I was not impressed with it. I especially was not impressed with GM Canada's service. They refused to replace the motor that was burning oil, but did offer to fix the old one. After 4 trips back to the dealership, with each time having them fix something minor, the motor was still burning oil, and GM would not replace it. GM would also not warranty my brakes because I drive in gravel and did not have the dealership install the rubber mud flaps in the rear wheel wells. I did however have the caliper guards in place, a $600 upgrade that I have been told is only needed in Canada, which only works if you install the $600 mud flaps. Good thing I bought a 4x4 truck that I can't even drive off of the pavement, without spending another $1200 to do so. To me the truck was a lemon, and being unbiased I I'm currently trying one more GM truck. Not as many problems with the new truck, but still the same problems with GM Canada. I know that trucks are machines, that are built by machines, and I can live with a few mechanical problems, but when a company won't stand behind its products, why should I buy from them?
30th Nov 2003, 12:09
Sorry to hear about your long struggle. I own a 94 C1500 and couldn't be happier. I bought the truck in Florida, which was built in Canada (coincidence?) Sounds like you got a bad truck. The jury is still out on the 8100, but the Allison is getting rave reviews where I live. You did a good thing giving GM another shot.
I don't know how the Canadian lemon laws work, so I'll have to give you some advice based on my experience in the states.
First: I had similar problems with a 94 Jeep wrangler. It broke a motor mount, ate a tranny, broke the exhaust and ate more starters than I can remember. This is the similarity to your plight. The motor mount broke on the trail. The closest dealer to me (one that my family had many bad dealings with in the past) told me I would have to pay for the repairs, which were still under warranty, because I TOOK THE JEEP OFF ROAD!!! This is considered abuse by Chrysler's definition! Sound familiar? The dealer wouldn't warranty a 4x4 because it was used off road. Gee, I guess I should have used a Buick on the trail (it would have held up better.) Trail Rated my... Happy ending: the vehicle was taken to a trusted dealer in another town and all repairs were covered.
Second: My 94 has had it's share of problems. The trans was the big one. Although the truck was well out of basic warranty, the factory issued a recall and was subsequently replaced with a GM re-manufactured unit. I have put over 100,000 on this trans with no problems. The truck now has almost 170,000.
Sounds like your dealer might be the ones who are denying the warranty work, not GM. Believe me, letter campaigns and bad press go a long way to customer satisfaction. If you have the same experience again don't take no for an answer. Get the regional managers name and number. They are invaluable to getting complaints resolved (had to use them a couple of times with outstanding results.) Good luck.