Frederic Wiggins (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mrmartini) wrote,@ 2008-12-31 14:47:00 |
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Latest rant against the UAW
Below is my latest rant to the UAW. I've sent this as an email to Saturn and will soon forward it to GM and perhaps the UAW.
Without further ado:
I'm writing this email to Saturn/GM/UAW representatives at both Saturn and the GM headquarters. I'm a dissatisfied owner. Not just dissatisfied -- extremely dissatisfied.
Five years ago I did my research and decided that yes, I wanted a Saturn. My research was based on quality reports, insurance prices and the cost to own. I wanted a Saturn SL1. A local dealership had one, it must have been a loaner car or a lease or something because it was clean, and had less than 10,000 miles on it and was about 3 or 4 years old. It was also less than $10,000. I talked to friends, relatives, and others and they were adamant that instead of getting a Saturn, I should get a Honda or a Toyota. But I told them, "no, I've done my research, the Saturn SL1 has impressive quality for an American car, and it won't jack up my insurance rates."
I was determined to get that car. I wanted it.
So I went to the dealership with my mother and traded in my beloved Jeep Grand Cherokee (that had just suffered yet another broken part that was too costly to replace for a 10-year-old vehicle.) I surrendered my keys for my Jeep and started the paper work. Here's where the trouble began. I was told that the banks wouldn't finance me into the 2000 Saturn SL1, but that I should look at a 2003 L100. It was a nicer car, slightly larger, a little pricier, but I was ASSURED that this was the car for me.
It was after closing when we left and I was in my like new L100. I liked it, I really did. It was a little larger and more luxurious than I had hoped. Almost like it was too good to be true. That's because... it was.
Dec. 30, 2003 I received a call from the dealership, I was told that I couldn't keep the L100... the paperwork had come back from the bank. I wasn't able to finance the car unless I could come up with another $2,000. I was crushed. Twice I had been told that I couldn't have the car I wanted, this time... the car was quite literally mine for a week before it was also literally taken away from me.
So I returned to the dealership, upset that I wouldn't be keeping my L100, because it really wasn't mine to begin with.
But that's fine, if that's what the banks said, that's what the banks said. Never mind the fact that to this day I am so very upset at this that I regret taking the car back. The dealership is liable for having let me take the car off the lot without VERIFYING the financing first. They should have paid the difference in my opinion.
But alas, this is where the real problems begin ladies and gentlemen. I was told that my options were buy an Ion, or leave empty handed. My trade-in was already gone. What choice did I have? I had nothing to put down on a new car, and I would have to go through the entire financing thing again if I went to another dealership.
I was told I could have my choice of a brand new 2004 Saturn Ion. They had already picked it out for me. The most I could manage, terrified at the prospect of having to go through financing hell again with another dealership was asking that instead of being given the white one they had pulled up for me, I wanted black. They asked what was wrong with white. I flat out told them I didn't want it because they had picked it out, and I wanted what I could pick out and since I could only pick out the color, I wanted black.
I asked if I could have an automatic transmission. They said no, I couldn't finance it unless I wanted to give up A/C and a radio. I asked if I could have power windows and door locks. Not if I wanted that A/C and radio. I asked if I could have the alloy wheels like I liked... want to guess the answer? Not unless I wanted A/C and a radio.
So I was stuck with my black Saturn Ion, 2004 model year.
I hadn't owned the car a full two years when the first major problem happened. The transmission died. Luckily for me, the car was still in warranty. The dealership, when I asked, what could have caused this situation to happen, told me "it was a mechanical defect that couldn't have been predicted." That somehow or another, in the course of my driving a piece of metal in the transmission had fallen out and wedged itself between the magnet at the bottom of the transmission and gears 1 through 4. That left me with just gears five and reverse.
Not even a full year after that, and while my car was still in warranty. Inexplicably the ignition died. Literally died. I was sitting at the gas pump and in trying to start the car, the car did not start. Nothing. No click of the starter. Nothing.
Again, I asked for an explanation... I was told by the service department "These things just happen sometimes."
Gentlemen, allow me to say here, I don't expect a car to last forever or be absolutely free of defect. But my only consolation is, that this happened while the car was still under warranty.
Most recently, it's the engine. After 77,000 miles, the engine has died. What happened? Well, I'll tell you... I did as I was instructed when I bought my car and had the oil changed every time the car told me to get the oil changed. That's what the owners manual says to do. In fact, at the dealership, when I bought my car and took it in for its first oil change at 3,000 miles (perhaps and some change, certainly less than 4,000) the car hadn't even told me to get the oil changed. The service manager told me it doesn't have to be done every 3,000 miles and that these new 2.2 Ecotec engines were known to go up to 6,000 miles or more without an oil change depending on how I drove. He told me that I should only get it changed when the computer tells me to.
That's what I did. I figured, hey, this is the guy from the dealership service department telling me this, he should know what he's talking about.
So that's what I did... until one day... one day earlier this month, I heard a sound under the hood. A very bad sound. One that the mechanic I took it to described as a 'knocking.'
What did this 'knocking' turn out to be? Why it turned out that my main bearing had blown! How could this happen? I get regular oil changes? I asked the man at the Chevrolet Service counter (I'll get back to this in a moment...)
He said that I had an inch and a half of sludge in the oil pan.
An inch and a half. I didn't even know that was possible. Now I'll admit that I haven't gotten every oil change at a dealership. But now I wish I had, the computer records would back me up. But no one, not once, not anywhere told me that I had any problems with my oil, a lack of oil, low oil, that they didn't need to put as much oil in the car, or anything like that. No one, not once, not anywhere told me I needed to get my oil changed more often. No one, not once, not anywhere said that I should keep ALL my oil change receipts.
Perhaps, that's my own fault, (lesson learned my friends.) But, my problem is that this is the latest mechanical failure on my car. It's an American car... I expected at least 125,000 or 175,000 miles out of it before the engine died.
Now, to my complaint directed at GM in General, Chevrolet and the UAW... make a quality product! Please!
This car has been nothing short of a disappointing failure. I love the car because I've grown attached to it. I've had a lot of sentimental memories in the car. Meeting my soon to be wife, road trips with her, starting a new job, going to a cousin's wedding (two of them actually!)
There's just a lot of good about this car, but so much of it is obscured by the bad! Getting back to Chevy and General Motors... and their relationship to Saturn. Saturn is not Saab. Saturn is... Saturn. It's a General Motors Company. (The VINs all start with 1G.) But every time I bring my Saturn to my nearest GM dealership which happens to be Chevrolet (due to the nearest Saturn dealership being more than an hour away) they look at me and my car as though I've brought in a leper or a Ford or a Mitsubishi. They told me my car might as well be a Toyota as far as their service department is concerned.
And speaking of the Japanese...
Once my Saturn is finally paid off, oh yes ladies and gentlemen, it's not even paid for completely yet and it has had all these problems... then I will probably be trading it in at my nearest Nissan, Toyota, Honda, or even Hyundai dealership.
Their cars are known for something your UAW pieces of crap aren't really known for... quality.
I have been and will be encouraging everyone I know to not buy Saturn, to not buy GM and to not buy any car that a member of the UAW has built. Thankfully, the UAW has a web site that tells, just which cars they've been proud to help assemble.
Unless you can convince me otherwise, I will continue to be a dissatisfied customer who will continue to hurt your business. I will continue to boycott all UAW made vehicles and GM's in particular.
Good day
Below is my latest rant to the UAW. I've sent this as an email to Saturn and will soon forward it to GM and perhaps the UAW.
Without further ado:
I'm writing this email to Saturn/GM/UAW representatives at both Saturn and the GM headquarters. I'm a dissatisfied owner. Not just dissatisfied -- extremely dissatisfied.
Five years ago I did my research and decided that yes, I wanted a Saturn. My research was based on quality reports, insurance prices and the cost to own. I wanted a Saturn SL1. A local dealership had one, it must have been a loaner car or a lease or something because it was clean, and had less than 10,000 miles on it and was about 3 or 4 years old. It was also less than $10,000. I talked to friends, relatives, and others and they were adamant that instead of getting a Saturn, I should get a Honda or a Toyota. But I told them, "no, I've done my research, the Saturn SL1 has impressive quality for an American car, and it won't jack up my insurance rates."
I was determined to get that car. I wanted it.
So I went to the dealership with my mother and traded in my beloved Jeep Grand Cherokee (that had just suffered yet another broken part that was too costly to replace for a 10-year-old vehicle.) I surrendered my keys for my Jeep and started the paper work. Here's where the trouble began. I was told that the banks wouldn't finance me into the 2000 Saturn SL1, but that I should look at a 2003 L100. It was a nicer car, slightly larger, a little pricier, but I was ASSURED that this was the car for me.
It was after closing when we left and I was in my like new L100. I liked it, I really did. It was a little larger and more luxurious than I had hoped. Almost like it was too good to be true. That's because... it was.
Dec. 30, 2003 I received a call from the dealership, I was told that I couldn't keep the L100... the paperwork had come back from the bank. I wasn't able to finance the car unless I could come up with another $2,000. I was crushed. Twice I had been told that I couldn't have the car I wanted, this time... the car was quite literally mine for a week before it was also literally taken away from me.
So I returned to the dealership, upset that I wouldn't be keeping my L100, because it really wasn't mine to begin with.
But that's fine, if that's what the banks said, that's what the banks said. Never mind the fact that to this day I am so very upset at this that I regret taking the car back. The dealership is liable for having let me take the car off the lot without VERIFYING the financing first. They should have paid the difference in my opinion.
But alas, this is where the real problems begin ladies and gentlemen. I was told that my options were buy an Ion, or leave empty handed. My trade-in was already gone. What choice did I have? I had nothing to put down on a new car, and I would have to go through the entire financing thing again if I went to another dealership.
I was told I could have my choice of a brand new 2004 Saturn Ion. They had already picked it out for me. The most I could manage, terrified at the prospect of having to go through financing hell again with another dealership was asking that instead of being given the white one they had pulled up for me, I wanted black. They asked what was wrong with white. I flat out told them I didn't want it because they had picked it out, and I wanted what I could pick out and since I could only pick out the color, I wanted black.
I asked if I could have an automatic transmission. They said no, I couldn't finance it unless I wanted to give up A/C and a radio. I asked if I could have power windows and door locks. Not if I wanted that A/C and radio. I asked if I could have the alloy wheels like I liked... want to guess the answer? Not unless I wanted A/C and a radio.
So I was stuck with my black Saturn Ion, 2004 model year.
I hadn't owned the car a full two years when the first major problem happened. The transmission died. Luckily for me, the car was still in warranty. The dealership, when I asked, what could have caused this situation to happen, told me "it was a mechanical defect that couldn't have been predicted." That somehow or another, in the course of my driving a piece of metal in the transmission had fallen out and wedged itself between the magnet at the bottom of the transmission and gears 1 through 4. That left me with just gears five and reverse.
Not even a full year after that, and while my car was still in warranty. Inexplicably the ignition died. Literally died. I was sitting at the gas pump and in trying to start the car, the car did not start. Nothing. No click of the starter. Nothing.
Again, I asked for an explanation... I was told by the service department "These things just happen sometimes."
Gentlemen, allow me to say here, I don't expect a car to last forever or be absolutely free of defect. But my only consolation is, that this happened while the car was still under warranty.
Most recently, it's the engine. After 77,000 miles, the engine has died. What happened? Well, I'll tell you... I did as I was instructed when I bought my car and had the oil changed every time the car told me to get the oil changed. That's what the owners manual says to do. In fact, at the dealership, when I bought my car and took it in for its first oil change at 3,000 miles (perhaps and some change, certainly less than 4,000) the car hadn't even told me to get the oil changed. The service manager told me it doesn't have to be done every 3,000 miles and that these new 2.2 Ecotec engines were known to go up to 6,000 miles or more without an oil change depending on how I drove. He told me that I should only get it changed when the computer tells me to.
That's what I did. I figured, hey, this is the guy from the dealership service department telling me this, he should know what he's talking about.
So that's what I did... until one day... one day earlier this month, I heard a sound under the hood. A very bad sound. One that the mechanic I took it to described as a 'knocking.'
What did this 'knocking' turn out to be? Why it turned out that my main bearing had blown! How could this happen? I get regular oil changes? I asked the man at the Chevrolet Service counter (I'll get back to this in a moment...)
He said that I had an inch and a half of sludge in the oil pan.
An inch and a half. I didn't even know that was possible. Now I'll admit that I haven't gotten every oil change at a dealership. But now I wish I had, the computer records would back me up. But no one, not once, not anywhere told me that I had any problems with my oil, a lack of oil, low oil, that they didn't need to put as much oil in the car, or anything like that. No one, not once, not anywhere told me I needed to get my oil changed more often. No one, not once, not anywhere said that I should keep ALL my oil change receipts.
Perhaps, that's my own fault, (lesson learned my friends.) But, my problem is that this is the latest mechanical failure on my car. It's an American car... I expected at least 125,000 or 175,000 miles out of it before the engine died.
Now, to my complaint directed at GM in General, Chevrolet and the UAW... make a quality product! Please!
This car has been nothing short of a disappointing failure. I love the car because I've grown attached to it. I've had a lot of sentimental memories in the car. Meeting my soon to be wife, road trips with her, starting a new job, going to a cousin's wedding (two of them actually!)
There's just a lot of good about this car, but so much of it is obscured by the bad! Getting back to Chevy and General Motors... and their relationship to Saturn. Saturn is not Saab. Saturn is... Saturn. It's a General Motors Company. (The VINs all start with 1G.) But every time I bring my Saturn to my nearest GM dealership which happens to be Chevrolet (due to the nearest Saturn dealership being more than an hour away) they look at me and my car as though I've brought in a leper or a Ford or a Mitsubishi. They told me my car might as well be a Toyota as far as their service department is concerned.
And speaking of the Japanese...
Once my Saturn is finally paid off, oh yes ladies and gentlemen, it's not even paid for completely yet and it has had all these problems... then I will probably be trading it in at my nearest Nissan, Toyota, Honda, or even Hyundai dealership.
Their cars are known for something your UAW pieces of crap aren't really known for... quality.
I have been and will be encouraging everyone I know to not buy Saturn, to not buy GM and to not buy any car that a member of the UAW has built. Thankfully, the UAW has a web site that tells, just which cars they've been proud to help assemble.
Unless you can convince me otherwise, I will continue to be a dissatisfied customer who will continue to hurt your business. I will continue to boycott all UAW made vehicles and GM's in particular.
Good day
