That deslership is LYING!(about the recall campaign)

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I think some details are missing here. Your previous thread was about the HHR not starting - was that resolved, or is that what the diagnostic fee is about?

The recall started about a year ago - if you are so worried about it, why was it left so long?

 

okay, i can give you details.

my apartment complex decided to refinish the parking lot, said i had to move the car. i was at work, so i called my car insurance and had the car taken to the dealership.

i told them " changed the air filter, car was running rough, now it wont start at all. not sure what it is. "

they said " okay, we will check it out, there is a $255 diagnostic, :

i said " oh, let me call you back "

i called them back " yeah, okay , $255 diagnostic, i guess it is what it is. "

" yeah we will find out what is wrong with it, not starting, seems like no compression "

i said " i dunno. i changed the air filter, it was running rough before. i touched some relays and unplugged the battery, maybe its wiring. oh, or maybe i will get lucky and its the ignition. i did not get that done and the ignition is under recall on these chevvy Hhrs "

the dealership said : oh, the recalls are all over now, that was a while ago "

 

im not " so worried about it " - what has me bothered is that they lied about the recall. what else are they going to possibly be " creative " about? the reason i did nto have the repair done before is that i work an obscene amount of hours, and i am usually ppretty tired, it is not often i have a day off.

 

Thanks for the additional details, it might seem silly or superfluous at times, but the more details you can provide...the more accurate our input will be.

 

HHeaRse, thanks for the clarification - I'll merge this thread with your original one, for continuity's sake.

 

ladies and gentlemen, here is a status update. :-) for contuniuties sake i will update here, i was going to edit my original post but then i thought that would make things more confusing.
SO HERE WE GO:

i went to the dealership this morning, first real face to face interaction. here is what is going down. the engine was apart when i got there, the timing chain had slipped, and knocked apart the inside. they didnt really know why it happened. the engine was not all crudded up, i change the oil. it was an enterprise auto rental car before i got it, however i have had it for like 7 years now and it was mostly great.

so, yes, the recall on the ignition was done. ie. they did it. when they said it was DONE thats what they meant. i dunno if there was a communication error on that, or if they did it later. im giving that one up to whisper down the lane. ie. things got mixed up. so they did not screw me on the ignition recall, they did that.

i did however pay what came to almost $300 after taxes for the diagnostic. that really sucks.

the estimates were a couple different options which were around $4,500 - $5,00 for either getting a junkyard engine put in or getting ar ebuild on my engine.

i paid $95 to have the car towed home. i am going to check into prices on parts, and may rebuild the engine top myself. it depends on how much it costs. the body on my car is kinda dinged and banged up and stuff, and i dunno if i wanna put money into this car. even though i love it. might buy a new car. or new used car, whatever. i really dont particullarly want a car payment again, but i guess whatever.

i will update more on repairs if i do repairs. i hate dead threads because that seems to be what always shows up in google searches. :-(

oh, the guy said if i would have taken it direct to the dealership once it made that noise in the video that they would have been able to save the engine and just change the timing chain.

blah. coulda- woulda - shoulda ? :-)

 

Looks like LUCKY nailed it in his first response (timing chain issue)!!! Good call man.

Yeah, the dealer is right about at the first sound of trouble - getting it attended to ASAP likely would have saved it.

However, check around with other shops - a junk yard engine can be acquired and installed for a lot less than the above quotes. A few members have gone that route with good success. However, it's important to make sure you get the right engine (simplifying: the same year/size) - and ensure the supplier offers a warranty with it.

 

ZZP has a long block for approximately $1,900.00 new not a rebuild.

 

The ecotech engines are what they call interference engines Which means when the timing chain breaks or slips the pistons will hit the valves and bend them.

With that said under some circumstances the pistons do not hit the valves and no engine damage is done.

If the timing chain was loose making noise when it's running and jumps or slips time when the engine is turned off the next time you try to start the car it will not start.

When the timing chain jumps time on shut down the pistons may not have hit the valves so no damage would be done.


I just pick up a 04 sunfire for my daughter that jumped time when the engine was shut off. ( I buy the first car from my children. They are alway broken and the deal is they must work on it will me to get up and running.) the engine did not have compression just like yours and all I did is replace the main chain,guides and tensioner. The engine runs great with no bent valves.

There are a few test you can do to find out if the valves are bent before engine disassembly. It requires an air compressor and a compression tester with a removable whip hose.

If you have these I can help you determine if major engine work is needed or just a timing chain can be installed.

FYI. In most cases the timing chain tensioner fails then the loses timing chain will beat up the chain guides until the chain is loose enough to jump time.