$346.68 gas cap

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Pat

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Posts
1,234
Location
Payson AZ
I should be in government procurement.

I thought municipalities were beginning to prosecute tradesmen who prey on the elderly with scams like this. 

My ?Service Engine Soon? light went on in the car ? a ?99 Chevy Tracker.?

I took it to Chevrolet where I was in Oregon.  During the day they had it they said it was a bad solenoid.  Replaced for $227.84..  They got the SES light out, and I drove the car the mile back to the campground.

Towed the car to Arizona the following weekend.

Drove 4 miles into town for food.  The SES light went back on.

Took the car to Chevy in Mesa.  $118.84 to replace the gas cap.

Drove over to Mike the Lube Shop guy on Main St. to get my propane tank filled.  Told him about the SES light.  He said, ?Oh, I get people in here all the time with that light on.  I tell them to go over to AutoZone and buy a gas cap.  Put it on and drive around.  Within a day the light will go out 90% of the time.  It?s just the cap leaking.  Common knowledge.? 

I phoned AutoZone to price a gas cap for a ?99 Tracker.  $7.99.

Mike the Lube Shop guy?s advice:  free.

I?ve written a letter to the survey place the Mesa Chevy dealer uses.  Hope it gets some response.  And, by the way, the office partner of the service advisor in Mesa who was honest enough to give me an indication of what had happened shut him up and told him not to get involved. 

--pat
 
Pat,

Had a similar situation recently with the Grand Vitara. SES lignt on but no problem with car. Took it to a local repair shop in a small town in CT. Cap not on properly. Cost: free. Can't beat small town honest folks!!!
 
I had a similar situation after having the dealer inspect my truck for two warranty repairs.  I called him up, he was nice enough to tell me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.  Unfortunately, Chrysler denied my warranty claims (apparently brakes normally pulse and differentials normally sing--whooda thunk it?), have cost me $350 so far to repair. 
 
Three answers First two to edubb

Brakes. The Anti-lock kiind, DO pulse if you stand on them, This is the antilock system "Working as designed" I hate to say RTFM but it's all explained in The very Fine owners Manual (Note capitol letters, the "R" is of course "read")

As for the differential singing.. .I'm not sure that's normal, I'm also not sure it is not normal  I've heard some sing loud and clear

NOTE in normal operation on dry pavement I'd not expect anti-lock operation (That  brake pusing) unless I really stood on them (Panic stop type stop)

To Jim.... Not only should you write the survey place but the attorney general in the state where those dealerships are located and write a letter to GM.  You can say, more or less, just what you said in your post.

There also may be other options which you can explore
 
Chrysler brake rotors are notorious for warping (my Grand Cherokee did it too, and so did a friends)--Chrysler considers this non-warranty after 12K miles (you know, under the 36K "bumper-to-bumper" warranty).  So I've turned them twice and replaced them with aftermarket rotors once.

The Cherokee also had a singing differential (was also limited slip type)--they fixed that one, but refused to fix my Dakota axle.  Dealer says (and I quote) "Some Dakotas are much worse than yours."  At that point I realized I was wasting my time, so I wrote a letter to Chrysler.  Back and forth, local Chrysler reps came to the dealership and drove my truck. 

Finally got a letter back from Chrysler--refused my claims.  They said these were normal wear items.  I told them it was also normal for people to switch from Dodge to Nissan.  But overall the Dakota has been a good truck (but ask me after the next 60K miles).

Now when I get stopped for 85mph on the interstate, I just tell the cop I can't drive 75 because the differential sings at that speed!  :D
 
Chrysler brake rotors are notorious for warping (my Grand Cherokee did it too, and so did a friends)--Chrysler considers this non-warranty after 12K miles (you know, under the 36K "bumper-to-bumper" warranty).  So I've turned them twice and replaced them with aftermarket rotors once.

Ford had that tendency with its 'soft' rotors.  Upon the recommendation of others back when I got my 95 Bronco, I have insisted that any mechanic changing tires use a hand torque wrench,  not an impact wrench, even one with torque settings.    I caught one clown doing just that and squawed to his manager.  The manager poo-pooed my concern claiming that his impact wrenches had torque limiiters.  So we went to my truck.  I got out a socket, an 18" breaker bar, and a 36" piece of 3/4" GI pipe as a cheat.  I slipped the pipe over the bar and tried to move one of the wheel nuts.  No luck.  The manager tried to, less luck.  I finally stood on the cheat and finally the nuts moved.  It came off too hot to handle.  This with a nut that was supposed to be torqued to 95 lb-feet.    I stood there while all four wheels x 6 nuts were retorqued.

No rotor deformation problems after 88,000 miles on the Bronc.
 
Chrysler rotors are not notorious for warpage, but some Jeep's did have a problem with the calipers which caused the rotors to wear unevenly. Here's a link to a pretty good explanation of the problem, the solution, and the warranty provisions. Chrysler Rotors As you can see, replacing the rotors will not solve the problem; replacing the calipers will.
 
Excellent point, Carl. No air-operated torque wrench I've ever seen can be set to a specific torque setting. They all crank up the air pressure to get the job done as quickly as possible. It's no wonder they have a supply of studs on hand.
 
I read the same thing on my last go-round, so I replaced the rotors myself, and used a torque wrench in a star pattern on the lugs.  If this solves the problem for good, I'll be thrilled. 
-Eric
 
Don't know if I'm glad or sad to know that I'm not the only one who has had this type of experience.  I will copy the Oregon and Arizona attorneys general with this info. 

--pat
 
I should add the rip-off was not as bad, and it was a Mercury Tracer Wagon (Ford Escort look-a-like) not a motor home or tow vehicle but the price sure sounded about what I recall

Took my wife's tracer into the local ford dealer, it was running rough.  What they quoted me to fix it was.. Well, more than it was worth, They said, among other things the tranny was bad, and I don't recall what all else.  The one thing I could not escape there was they said the fuel pump was leaking (Absolutly ZERO evidence it had been leaking for any length of time, read that "When I brought it in"  NO aroma of gas, no puddles, and the dust that always builds up on top of a gas tank showed signs of having just gotten soked with gas, no evidence it had been so for more than a few hours.

So of course I had to have them replace the fuel pump at 300 and change (Even though I'm  convinced it did not need it)

By the way... This was my second and last trip to that dealer.  The first trip was a "Routine tune up" now, as I understand it on modern engines that's check the computer for faults and advise, change spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and roter and that is about it.

The problem that was causing the rough running.... Bad spark plug wires, they had not changed them.

I sent letters to the Michigan Secretary of State (DMV in Michigan) and to Ford Motor Company.

Alas, they are still ripping people off

If I ever go back there.... They won't like me much as I'll scare off more than 300 in business

Crause's Stark Hickey Ford, 7 Mile and Grand River in Detroit.

Now, Tom Holzer Ford in Farmington Hills.

I was very impressed and pleased with the service they rendered and would have no qualms about going there again
 
I'm not sure about other states, but in CA this stuff gets reported to the Bureau of Automotive Repair. They rig vehicles with different problems and place them anonymously in repair shops. They're the folks who caught Sears ripping off automotive customers some years ago, which cost Sears $millions.
 
Hmmm? ?they've progressed that far? HUH?? Next thing you know they'll be putting batteries in them and have electric start.? LOL
 
I just had to pay $388 to replace three belts and a couple light bulbs.  After 120 miles the belts are still squealing.  RVers with problems on the road are an easy mark.  Thats the price of RV ownership.
 
I just had to pay $388 to replace three belts and a couple light bulbs.
That is expensive, but we don't really know all the details. On many motor vehicles, the belts are buried under so much other stuff that it takes a couple hours just to get at them. Same with bulbs/lamps. If one of those happened to be a timing belt, you probably got off cheaply. The squealing may be something else entirely - like bad alternator, a/c compressor, or water pump bearings or a bad belt tensioner or idler. If you can get at the engine, take a long screwdriver and press the handle to your ear as you CAREFULLY touch the alternator, etc and various other places on the engine with the tip. That should give you a pretty good indication of where the noise is coming from.
 
edubb said:
I had a similar situation after having the dealer inspect my truck for two warranty repairs.  I called him up, he was nice enough to tell me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.  Unfortunately, Chrysler denied my warranty claims (apparently brakes normally pulse and differentials normally sing--whooda thunk it?), have cost me $350 so far to repair. 

Kinda off subject, but send me an e-mail about your rear axle "sing".  Does it only do it in cold weather??????  TSB out on this. 

Grumpy
 
Back
Top Bottom