Renzatic on 25/3/2011 at 16:46

---

Well, not me exactly, but my family. Back in '02, mom and dad bought a semi-sorta brand new GMC Sierra. It's semi-sorta, because apparently the thing was used as a demo unit, and had racked up between 6000-8000 miles before they bought it. I guess they thought it was a good deal, saving that extra $2000 on what was otherwise a perfect condition barely used...piece of absolute crap. Now they have a truck that has to have a $3000 transmission repair every two years.

Here are the problems mom and dad experience since owning this thing:

The transmission will always begin clunking and jerking 6 months after a repair. Always. From that point, it's only a matter of time before it fails completely. Usually anywhere between another 6 months to a year. This has happened three times beforehand, and has now happened again. This time it's failed completely within a year of repair.

Each time this has happened, mom and dad have had to pay full cost, despite being under warranty, and going to the dealership for repairs. After said warranty ran out, and the car was paid for in full, it was practically like pulling teeth to get them to look at the thing. Usually, conversations between them and mom went something like:

"The dymo don't show no problems, ma'am. Maybe you're imagining things"
"It doesn't go in reverse. You had to tow it to get it in the garage Tell me that's not a problem"
"Yeah. I guess that is a problem, but we can fix it. For $3000. Cover parts and labor"

The last time we went there, I had to drive mom 20 miles down south in a tornado spawning torrential downpour of a storm because the dealership was closing. Apparently the owner thought it'd be a good idea to steal a couple of million from his in-laws. Probably thought that up to the point he got convicted. They gave us a 12 hour warning, "come get your truck, or you'll never see it again", and away we went.

It wasn't exactly like the place was some little seedy out of the way no-name joint. It's a huge showroom that's been open for 30 odd years. No one expected it to close up due to owner committing grand theft. Oh well. Life's always full of neat little experiences such as.

So now, not even one year later, mom's transmission has died yet again. Dad took it by a little shop in town, who have quoted them for, yet again, $3000. This will mean they've spent roughly $12,000 dollars beyond the initial cost just to keep this evil clunker of truck running.

The vehicle itself is in near showroom condition. Mom only used it to drive to work, pick up groceries, or do the occasional drive about town. It only has 98,000 miles on it after 8 years of use. No one can say it's been ragged out. My question is, what can they do here? I thought they folded too easy when they paid for it the first three times, and now I'm suggesting they look up some lemon laws and do something about it instead of paying a 4th. Problem is, this isn't my area of expertise. So I'm asking you all for some advice.

So...what are their options?

Renzatic on 25/3/2011 at 17:30

---

Not by any fault of mine. I tried warning them. "Boah, parts are too expensive on foreign cars, and GM is a good brand".

Were maybe. And I'm sure spending an extra $200 on a part every ten years beats the hell out of $3000 every two.

rachel on 25/3/2011 at 19:46

---

The fact they bought a demo unit in itself muddies the water a bit as the car has been used and its history is not clear (anybody could have used the transmission to death during a trial), but isn't there anything in the purchase contract about manufacturing defects? Also, if the transmission box is replaced with a new unit each time, one would assume there's a warranty for that too, regardless of the age of the car itself, no? The dealer, or the manufacturer, should be expected to certain standards under penalty of refund or replacement... Although since it's a pretty basic expectation, I wouldn't be surprised if they screw your parents over on "small print" technicalities.

Renzatic on 25/3/2011 at 21:15

---

Okay. Quick responses since I don't have a huge amount of time at the moment.

Yes, they did use "reconditioned" parts, which obviously never fixed the problem. Mom told me that she and dad have contacted GMC directly about this, but have yet to receive a reply (no surprise). From scouring the internet, I've discovered that this a fairly common problem with all 2002 Sierras.

Yeah, the fact it was used as a demo does make things a little murky, but Prebul should've fixed the problem the first time it was brought in. I mean who's heard of a transmission that's failed 4 times on a vehicle under 100,000 miles. It's ridiculous. The fact that my parents have paid to have it repaired three times now, and the problem still persists, should mean that it's no longer their problems, but GMCs.

Problem is, we've got to convince them of that.

And yeah, this 4th time, dad is taking it to a mechanic he knows personally. The only reason they didn't send it to him beforehand was because the truck was under warranty the first two times, and the dealership should've handled it to begin with. Of course we couldn't send it to the dealership now even if we wanted to, considering they filed bankruptcy because owner dude guy thought it'd be a great idea to steal millions via wire fraud and get arrested for it. That just makes the situation even more pointlessly complicated.

What I'd want to do here, if it's at all possible, is find a way to get some compensation from GMC for all the problems my parents have experienced with the truck. I'm not expecting an entirely new vehicle here, but at least enough to cover the current cost of repairs. Afterwards, I've suggested they take that money, trade in the Sierra, and use that for a downpayment on a nice car that won't crap out on them at the drop of a hat.

You think this is possible, all things considered?

Nicker on 26/3/2011 at 01:05

---

Well there's always the old park it on the street outside the dealership, with big signs on it saying "This Dealer Sells Lemons!" and other inflammatory stuff. Include a dollar value for total repairs since purchase, just to make the point.

Or my favourite, write to the President or Chairman of the company - I got fast results from Bell doing that. Crap from on high or buzz on the street can work wonders.