Hey krishaynes, nice to see another user in Ottawa!

What GM dealer are you dealing with here?

 

I really think it's been more of a problem since GM dropped the factory training program, dealerships have cut benefits and pay, and GM isn't paying nearly as much for warranty repairs anymore.

When I was at Carmax, our techs were amazed at the benes and pay and just how much better they were treated. They worked in a heated and air conditioned shop with their own work areas and lifts, their own tools, and they made a commission based on how many defects they found and repaired.

Next time you buy a car, ask the salesperson to take you back to the shop. The real shop--not the service counter. If it looks like it'd be hell to work back there, either go to another dealership or never take your car there for service.

 

I think "...crafty" is giving good information and what I had pointed out several times. The GM "Certified" Technicians are NOT the same as the ones several years ago.

Also, remember the dealer hourly charge, which is posted in most service areas.......$65-$100/hour. The technician, depending on their "level" and rating, get very little of this.

Oh, and forgot to say.....when warranty work is performed the dealer does NOT get THEIR posted rate. It is predetermined by GM across the board, on an annual basis......as indicated in the franchise agreement.

 

Do you guys in the US get follow-up questionaires from GM (not the dealer) about the service visit? If so complete it and attach a letter with more details if needed.

I have had my HHR in twice now just for maintenance check, tire swap and new armrests. After both visits I got a survey and like all such surveys (used to get them from Chrysler as well) I take the time to fill it out so both the manufacturer and the dealer get my feedback.

For the last visit I had a couple of issues I was not satisfied with. One was being told the TSB for armrests did not apply in Canada (which was not the case after an email to GM customer service). The second was the wait time (which the dealer compensated me for on the spot by waving the maintenance check fee of $59.95). The third was the over use of a greasy lube on all my rubber door seals which got on my hands and clothes). When I got the survery I filled it out honestly and attached a two page letter outlining all the details of the visit and why I was not happy. But in that I also acknowledged that the dealer had satisfactorily compensated me for the long wait time.

I am not sure what impact this may have, but when I did this for Chrysler dealer visits, if I had any issue I got a call from customer service to discuss and for one issue that I had been particularly unhappy about, I was given a free oil change (I know that is relatively small but it was something).

One thing I really liked about the Chrylser dealer I used to use, was that whenver I picked up my car it had been washed and on a few ocassions, vaccuumed out as well. I never had an issue with the condition in which they returned my cars.

 

The only issue I've ever had with the dealership I go to is the techs not being able to reproduce a problem. The next time I take it in, I show the service advisor how to reproduce it, and it gets fixed.

I always fill out the surveys I get from GM Canada for repair work, to let them know how I feel about the repair work, the dealership, and the vehicle.

However, I guess GM Canada got tired of me griping about our Malibu that they actually stopped sending surveys until I got rid of it

 

Agreed. The tech that looked at my HHR two weeks ago and couldn't find the leak was GM master tech rated.

 

well they got the stains out which didnt take no time they sprayed some stuff on the stains and it came out in like 5 minutes, i would actually like to know what they used.

 

So would the rest of us who have cloth seats. They are extremely hard to keep clean and spot even when you get water on them. I've used Prestone Upholstery cleaner in the past which seems to work well...but had to do the whole seat or you could see where you didn't do. Finally got really agitated and bought some Shout and sprayed that on the seats...got a bucket of hot soapy dish soap water and a utility scrubbing brush and scrubbed the crap out of it. Everything came clean quite nicely and it looks like the day I bought the HHR. Maybe you can ask them what they used...or maybe they have a steam cleaner in their detail shop.

 

Chad
If they don't fix everything right call the Region office and get a Complaint #??? after you give them your Dealership's name and Service Manager Name, That will work.

 

That's sucks, they're supposed to be professional Tech