2015 Tahoe/Sketchy service at Chevy dealer - your thoughts!

[tsturgis514]

I'm wondering if any members have had sketchy service at a Chevy dealer and how you handled it. I took my 2015 Tahoe LTZ in for inspection and general service in January. I dropped off the vehicle the day before the scheduled service and to my surprise they completed it that day. Among the services they completed were a check of the electrical system and tire rotation. I gave them a good review on my survey from GM. Less than a month later my battery died while I was at a store. It appeared it may have been an original battery. The Tahoe ran noticeably better as soon as the battery was changed. OK, maybe it was a fluke and was not able to be found on the system check. Later in February I took the Tahoe to the Chevy dealer where I purchased it (a two hour drive from home) for warranty work. As I'm standing at the counter one of the techs there said "Hey, do you know you're missing a lug nut?" Holy s..t. In my decades of driving I NEVER have lost a lug nut - even on tires I changed on the side of the road. I looked over and sure enough, there was a lug nut missing on the front right. The tech then found a lug nut on the OTHER front wheel that was loose! I called the local Chevy dealer on my return home and left a message for the guy listed on their website for complaints on service. I heard NOTHING for a week. I then left another message and said "Well, if you don't have the time to talk to me I guess I'll just have to contact the owner." I received a callback 15 minutes later. He said he never got my message (sure...) and then apologized. There was no offer to give me a break on what I paid for the service or even a discount on my next visit. A few weeks later I returned to the distant Chevy dealer to get the warranty work completed and I was charged for the lug nut and service to check and tighten all of the rest of the lugs. The bill wasn't much, but I would like to get the local dealer to pay up and maybe do more than a weak apology. Any thoughts? THANKS!!!

 

[Geotrash]

I'm wondering if any members have had sketchy service at a Chevy dealer and how you handled it. I took my 2015 Tahoe LTZ in for inspection and general service in January. I dropped off the vehicle the day before the scheduled service and to my surprise they completed it that day. Among the services they completed were a check of the electrical system and tire rotation. I gave them a good review on my survey from GM. Less than a month later my battery died while I was at a store. It appeared it may have been an original battery. The Tahoe ran noticeably better as soon as the battery was changed. OK, maybe it was a fluke and was not able to be found on the system check. Later in February I took the Tahoe to the Chevy dealer where I purchased it (a two hour drive from home) for warranty work. As I'm standing at the counter one of the techs there said "Hey, do you know you're missing a lug nut?" Holy s..t. In my decades of driving I NEVER have lost a lug nut - even on tires I changed on the side of the road. I looked over and sure enough, there was a lug nut missing on the front right. The tech then found a lug nut on the OTHER front wheel that was loose! I called the local Chevy dealer on my return home and left a message for the guy listed on their website for complaints on service. I heard NOTHING for a week. I then left another message and said "Well, if you don't have the time to talk to me I guess I'll just have to contact the owner." I received a callback 15 minutes later. He said he never got my message (sure...) and then apologized. There was no offer to give me a break on what I paid for the service or even a discount on my next visit. A few weeks later I returned to the distant Chevy dealer to get the warranty work completed and I was charged for the lug nut and service to check and tighten all of the rest of the lugs. The bill wasn't much, but I would like to get the local dealer to pay up and maybe do more than a weak apology. Any thoughts? THANKS!!!

Well that sucks. Sorry you had that happen. I think we all have personal stories of sketchy dealer service. In your case, if they won't refund the cost of fixing their mistakes, then your realistic options as I see them are:

1/ Walk away with a lesson learned about that dealer, vow to never use them again and either choose a good indy shop or acquire the tools and knowledge to do the work yourself so you know it's done right, every time.

2/ Write a polite letter to the dealership owner detailing your experience, and stating your reasonable requests such as a refund of the money you spent having them correct their error.

3/ If no joy from #2, update your online review.

 

[OR VietVet]

In all fairness, the battery could have tested good at the time of the test but failed at a later date. People would complain if they said it tested good but still tried to sell a battery at that point. It is also, on the vehicle's owner to know the age of the battery in their vehicle. I know I do.

The loose/missing lug nuts are another story. They have shop helpers do things like the tire rotation and they are not highly skilled. Still no excuse for the lug nuts problems.

I would approach the service manager at this point and not the owner. State your complaints and be reasonable about the battery. Post the results here of your meeting with the service manager.

 

[Geotrash]

In all fairness, the battery could have tested good at the time of the test but failed at a later date. People would complain if they said it tested good but still tried to sell a battery at that point. It is also, on the vehicle's owner to know the age of the battery in their vehicle. I know I do.

The loose/missing lug nuts are another story. They have shop helpers do things like the tire rotation and they are not highly skilled. Still no excuse for the lug nuts problems.

I would approach the service manager at this point and not the owner. State your complaints and be reasonable about the battery. Post the results here of your meeting with the service manager.

Good advice.

 

[salisburyv]

In my experience, if approached honestly and reasonably i would offer to compensate the customer with a couple free oil changes at least. Lug nuts are no joke, if they did that wrong....

 

[Miami-Dade]

Dealer sounds extremely sketchy to me.

If the lug nut was missing before you went to that dealer I am 99.9% sure you would have seen it walking around your vehicle when you were putting stuff in it or wiping it down or getting fuel. I generally walk around my Hoe before getting in it every time looking for any possible damage.

All that just IMHO.

Moved you here from the 2007-2014 section.

I'm wondering if any members have had sketchy service at a Chevy dealer and how you handled it. I took my 2015 Tahoe LTZ in for inspection and general service in January. I dropped off the vehicle the day before the scheduled service and to my surprise they completed it that day. Among the services they completed were a check of the electrical system and tire rotation. I gave them a good review on my survey from GM. Less than a month later my battery died while I was at a store. It appeared it may have been an original battery. The Tahoe ran noticeably better as soon as the battery was changed. OK, maybe it was a fluke and was not able to be found on the system check. Later in February I took the Tahoe to the Chevy dealer where I purchased it (a two hour drive from home) for warranty work. As I'm standing at the counter one of the techs there said "Hey, do you know you're missing a lug nut?" Holy s..t. In my decades of driving I NEVER have lost a lug nut - even on tires I changed on the side of the road. I looked over and sure enough, there was a lug nut missing on the front right. The tech then found a lug nut on the OTHER front wheel that was loose! I called the local Chevy dealer on my return home and left a message for the guy listed on their website for complaints on service. I heard NOTHING for a week. I then left another message and said "Well, if you don't have the time to talk to me I guess I'll just have to contact the owner." I received a callback 15 minutes later. He said he never got my message (sure...) and then apologized. There was no offer to give me a break on what I paid for the service or even a discount on my next visit. A few weeks later I returned to the distant Chevy dealer to get the warranty work completed and I was charged for the lug nut and service to check and tighten all of the rest of the lugs. The bill wasn't much, but I would like to get the local dealer to pay up and maybe do more than a weak apology. Any thoughts? THANKS!!!

 

[bill1013]

Give your vehicle a good looking over before you drive it off the lot. And don’t be in a hurry to get going as you might miss something. Even if it’s a valve cap…say something and make them make it good. Also, good dealers are hard to find. When you find one stick with them. It took me 7 years, 2 vehicles and 3 dealerships to find one I could trust. Good Luck!

 

[steiny93]

A battery failing a month after an 'electrical inspection' doesn't mean they didn't do an inspection. Which likely is a volts check and maybe (doubtful) a load test of the battery.

The lug nuts is a bad deal (totally not surprised however). That work is done by the least skilled folks and finding people is a real challenge right now.
Good deal you only lost 2.

Every dealer has had this type of stuff happen, it's common.

 

[tsturgis514]

Well that sucks. Sorry you had that happen. I think we all have personal stories of sketchy dealer service. In your case, if they won't refund the cost of fixing their mistakes, then your realistic options as I see them are:

1/ Walk away with a lesson learned about that dealer, vow to never use them again and either choose a good indy shop or acquire the tools and knowledge to do the work yourself so you know it's done right, every time.

2/ Write a polite letter to the dealership owner detailing your experience, and stating your reasonable requests such as a refund of the money you spent having them correct their error.

3/ If no joy from #2, update your online review.

Thanks all - I appreciate everyone's excellent thoughts on this! I agree that the electrical inspection may not have picked up the failing battery - it's just that the lug nuts issue made me question every other service they did on the Tahoe I may. And it was the service manager I spoke to about the problem, and he said "That's strange - it was one our most experienced technicians that worked on the car." So this dealer is definitely on my "do not use" list! I'm very happy with the dealer where I bought the Tahoe - the only issue is that they're a two hour drive from home (I bought it there after an extensive search of what I wanted in my Hoe). And being a "seasoned citizen" with mobility issues I need to rely on others for maintenance. Fortunately, there's several other nearby Chevy dealers I can use, and after the extended warranty runs out I'll be going back to a local mechanic I've used for years that's less than a mile from home! I think writing a letter to the owner is a great idea - I'll let you know if I get any joy from that. Thanks again all!!!

 

[Miami-Dade]

I'm wondering if any members have had sketchy service at a Chevy dealer and how you handled it. I took my 2015 Tahoe LTZ in for inspection and general service in January. I dropped off the vehicle the day before the scheduled service and to my surprise they completed it that day. Among the services they completed were a check of the electrical system and tire rotation. I gave them a good review on my survey from GM. Less than a month later my battery died while I was at a store. It appeared it may have been an original battery. The Tahoe ran noticeably better as soon as the battery was changed. OK, maybe it was a fluke and was not able to be found on the system check. Later in February I took the Tahoe to the Chevy dealer where I purchased it (a two hour drive from home) for warranty work. As I'm standing at the counter one of the techs there said "Hey, do you know you're missing a lug nut?" Holy s..t. In my decades of driving I NEVER have lost a lug nut - even on tires I changed on the side of the road. I looked over and sure enough, there was a lug nut missing on the front right. The tech then found a lug nut on the OTHER front wheel that was loose! I called the local Chevy dealer on my return home and left a message for the guy listed on their website for complaints on service. I heard NOTHING for a week. I then left another message and said "Well, if you don't have the time to talk to me I guess I'll just have to contact the owner." I received a callback 15 minutes later. He said he never got my message (sure...) and then apologized. There was no offer to give me a break on what I paid for the service or even a discount on my next visit. A few weeks later I returned to the distant Chevy dealer to get the warranty work completed and I was charged for the lug nut and service to check and tighten all of the rest of the lugs. The bill wasn't much, but I would like to get the local dealer to pay up and maybe do more than a weak apology. Any thoughts? THANKS!!!

Unless I missed it somewhere I do not recall seeing your location where you live. Maybe if you put that on this thread maybe another forum member [who lives in your neck of the woods] can direct you to a 5 star dealer closer to you.

I deal with GMC dealer as I do not like the Chevrolet dealers in my neck of the woods. Maybe a Cadillac dealer might work for you. They always seem to have overall better service then most places.