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I LOVE the Av But!!

FIXSTER1

Full Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
13
1st Off I hate being negative, But I have some concerns!

I had a few questions about my AV it was stated to read the post here and I would find out that most of my problems have been discussed already!

So I took the time and I read and read and read,
The More I read the more disturbed I got!
There are problems and there are a lot of Possible answers, But that won't work for me.
I hated everytime I read where someone told them GM said it was Normal. BS
It isn't normal for an AC to not be cold on a truck that is 1 and 1/2 years old. Wrong!
Its isn't normal to have to replace the heater system in the same truck, or to have had to replace the window system in that same truck.
Come on.
How many people that were Really looking at buying an AV, that read all the problems listed, would say Hell yes!!! Sell me a $40,000 plus truck.!! With all this problems/Questions
This is just so wrong
Why in the Hell do Americans get mad when people don't buy our products, Heck where is the Consumer Confidence, the After the Sell Customer Service!
Hey before anyone says I am Bashing America, No I am Not , This is my Country and I love her to death proven by my faithful 23 years plus service in the Marine Corps.
but that service has me demanding Great service in return.
This is what I got from reading a lot of the threads.
"I am getting fed up with all the BS, where GM is saying that's normal, When they sold me a $40,000 plus dollar truck you can Damn well Bet that wasn't part of the Selling Statement.
" Hey Tim Buy this Av it's a Great Truck!!
And for that $40,000 dollars you are getting Quality GM Parts, Yeah they ding and burn and the AC gets kind of warm, and the fuel light comes on But Don't worry that's natural!!! BS.
GM needs to back off the Profit margin, and give the Consumer back his confidence in American Products!!!
Come on give me a break!"
Again I love my AV,
Think it is the sharpest looking Vehicle out there I have plans for a lift kit, nicer rims, But I need her Running right before I invest more into her! Someone Please explain this to me!
 
How is that Normal!
I had Nothing but Problems with my Chevy Truck in the Mid 90's swore to stay away from Chevy, But like I said Love the AV, Hell I even love the looks of the New Chevy Trucks...
But Liek all of you I work hard for my money and want Quality Products.
Like I said I'll bet you'll never here GM saying that stuff is normal to a prospective buyer!

lance6902 said:
It's just normal
 
lance6902 said:
It's just normal


Yep, it is.

If you read around, EVERY forum on EVERy car/truck/whatever, you will find that there are dozens of problems, dozens of possible solutions, etc etc.

Its not something soley in the realm of the Avalanche.

THIS FORUM is the realm of the Avalanche, therefore you get he POSITIVES and NEGATIVES of this awesome vehicle.

GO log on and read thru the DOGDE Whatever forums, or the FORD whatever forums, and you will see the SAME or SIMILAR list of problems.
 
Exactly what Yak said!

It's like a wife...when they are good they are real good but sometimes they dont act exactly right...

They run hot and cold like a truck....

and if you have a good wife they will suck you dry like modding one of these things will.

>:D
 
lance6902 said:
Exactly what Yak said!

It's like a wife...when they are good they are real good but sometimes they dont act exactly right...

They run hot and cold like a truck....

and if you have a good wife they will suck you dry like modding one of these things will.

>:D

You make me laugh like that one more time, and I am going to get FIRED!!! ;D ;D ;D

(but its worth it!) (y)
 
Problem is I didn't buy a Dodge or Ford, Yes your right there are problems But really couldn't some of them be avoided?
Any other Truck and I would have been even more upset, but it is the AV!!!!

Yakmar said:
Yep, it is.

If you read around, EVERY forum on EVERy car/truck/whatever, you will find that there are dozens of problems, dozens of possible solutions, etc etc.

Its not something soley in the realm of the Avalanche.

THIS FORUM is the realm of the Avalanche, therefore you get he POSITIVES and NEGATIVES of this awesome vehicle.

GO log on and read thru the DOGDE Whatever forums, or the FORD whatever forums, and you will see the SAME or SIMILAR list of problems.
 
FIXSTER1 said:
Problem is I didn't buy a Dodge or Ford, Yes your right there are problems But really couldn't some of them be avoided?
Any other Truck and I would have been even more upset, but it is the AV!!!!

Yakmar said:
Yep, it is.

If you read around, EVERY forum on EVERy car/truck/whatever, you will find that there are dozens of problems, dozens of possible solutions, etc etc.

Its not something soley in the realm of the Avalanche.

THIS FORUM is the realm of the Avalanche, therefore you get he POSITIVES and NEGATIVES of this awesome vehicle.

GO log on and read thru the DOGDE Whatever forums, or the FORD whatever forums, and you will see the SAME or SIMILAR list of problems.


ANd on THAT note, I'll consider myself TOLD!! :E: :E: :E:
 
lance6902 said:
Yak dont bash your head like that....

Your AV isnt the one messed up

:D: :-X

I'm glad to see your the say way in all threads!!

I can see how this guy would be upset. I would be too. You may want to look into "The Lemon Laws" in your area. If this truck truely is a lemon, I'm sorry. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch! If it was not for this site and all the members I would be stuck with a cracked rear window trim that's leaks like Niagra Falls!! Thanks to others that also had this problem and confirmed that GM replaced it, even after the warranty expired, I was able to show that to my dealer and they got me one, free of charge, and yes, my warranty has expired prior to the new window.
I know you didn't buy one of the "other" trucks, but lets be real, nothing in this world is perfect, (No not you either lance!) nor free. I know I said I got my window free of charge, but that's all part of the MSRP! It's not all profit! They need to eat too. It's a business in to make money. It's not all going into "their" pocket. Everyone gets their piece of the pie. Again, they and their family's need to eat too!

Whew.......
I'm glad I got that out!! ;D
 
bought a house lately? problems
bought an appliance lately? problems
bought an RV lately? problems
bought a vehicle lately? problems
eaten in a restaurant lately? problems
bought tools lately? problems
had a child lately? problems

Things in this world don't work perfectly.... parts break, humans fail, metal stresses, bearings seize, rubber breaks (that explains the children >:D)

It's not what we get... it's how we deal with it that counts.....

These are by far the best vehicles we've ever had.... we didn't trade because of problems... we traded for better options and less miles....

If the Av fits... wear it, enjoy it, love it. If it's not for you that's ok... find the truck you can enjoy and drive the heck out of it... :love:


 
FIXTER1,

Your right, you didn't buy a F_ _ D or a Do _ _ e, but, and I say this with complete confidence, it could happen with any vehicle that you bought, either Jap, Euro or another American. The VAST majority of vehicles are going to be solid, good running machines. BUT, - and it is this way with anything that is mass produced and sold en mass - there will be a few that just don't seem to want to conform to the standard. The Law of Averages will see to that every time. It is one of the immutable laws of the cosmos that we just can't seem to get around. We all know this. Most have been there. And we all know that you know this. We also know that we are talking about your BABY. Your $40k baby.

Considering the scope of this website and the size of it's membership, there is very little that you can experience that someone here hasn't seen before. It still happens, just not so much anymore. So, use the site and all of the members to find the threads that address your issue, and then go to your dealer well armed. And if it isn't here, by the time your problem is fixed you will be the expert on it.

In the meantime, go ahead and vent, cuss, rant and fume. Those here will understand and try to help, while at the same time poking a little fun - oookaaaay, sometimes a lot of fun - at you while doing so. But always remember, it is good natured and you will never be without the CAFCNA support group.

BTW - I believe that someone suggested trying another dealer if yours won't cooperate. They are definitely NOT all the same. And if that doesn't work, start with the BBB and go from there. Your right, it sure doesn't sound NORMAL.

If a different dealership, then the BBB don't get you satisfaction, you will need to kick things up a notch. I know in my state the Attorney Generals office has it's Consumer Protection Division. See if your state has something similar and try there. Most all businesses start singing a very different tune when they receive a letter from an Attorney Generals office. The size of the headache that can be generated from there can make a migraine seem like relief. >:D


Good luck and stick around, we are glad you are here.
 
FIXSTER1 said:
I had a few questions about my AV it was stated to read the post here and I would find out that most of my problems have been discussed already!

So I took the time and I read and read and read,
The More I read the more disturbed I got!
There are problems and there are a lot of Possible answers, But that won't work for me.


Again I love my AV,
Think it is the sharpest looking Vehicle out there I have plans for a lift kit, nicer rims, But I need her Running right before I invest more into her! Someone Please explain this to me!
Like others have said, there are problems with any vehicle, foreign or domestic.

Part of the issue is that we have over 11,000 members here, so even if a tenth of a percent of the owners have a problem, there will be almost a dozen people who will say "that happened to me, too!" Even if a a problem happens in 1/100th of a percent, odds are it will have happened to someone here.

Also, keep in mind that most posts are made by people who have a problem or a question. For the most part, those people who are not having problems are not posting. So of course, things sometimes sound negative. I'm sure that if everybody posted, for each problem post there would be thousands of "my truck is doing fine" posts. It's a good thing that people don't post when they have no problems, because we would be inundated with millions of posts!

As with any high volume production item, there are bound to be a few items that have problems. There are also bound to be many that don't. The final thing to keep in mind is that our trucks are very complex, and there are a lot of things in them that can go wrong. Sometimes it happens that a problem is chronic and can't be fixed easily. Sometimes it happens that a truck has multiple chronic problems. But thankfully, that is not the case.

I for one, will go on record saying that my warranty has expired last month, and in two and a half years of ownership my truck has never been back to the dealer (or any other shop) for any kind of issue or warranty repair. It has all been just the normal routine maintenance items for me. (With the exception of one flat tire, but given the size of the nail, there isn't a tire anywhere that would've been able to handle it.)

Now that I've said it, I'll bet that there are plenty of people who are saying to themselves that they also have had zero problems. In fact, I'll bet a few of them post here.

So is the truck perfect? Of course not. There are indeed plenty of trucks out there that have issues. I truly feel sorry for those that are having problems with their trucks, and I feel their pain. But I know of no brand of vehicle that is immune from having issues.

Just as no brand of vehicle is perfect, no brand or nationality of dealer is perfect, either. There are those dealers who will go out of their way to help a customer, and those that won't. To say that all dealers of brand X treat their customers like dirt, while all dealers of brand Z treat them like kings is ridiculous. There are good Chevy dealers and bad. If someone is not getting treated properly by their dealer, and not getting the service they want, look for another dealer. Just as there are people out there who complain about their dealers, there are people who love their dealers. There are good dealers out there. The trick is to find them.

If nothing else, finding a good dealer is the most important thing, and is the thing that is most under a person's control. Find a good dealer, and even a problem truck is less of a problem. But end up with a bad dealer, and even a good truck can be a hassle.

Don't be discouraged, and don't condemn all trucks. Find a dealer (and more importantly a service writer) who cares, and wants to make things right, and a lot of problems will go away. Find one who only wants to maximize money by getting customers in and out, and who shys away from a difficult issue because they don't want to waste the time, and your troubles will never end.

-- SS
 
Hmmm... Looks like FutureLanche beat me to the punch on many items. I have got to learn to type faster. :6:

Of course, I agree with everything FutureLanche says. >:D

FIXSTER1: stick with it, and don't let anyone push you around. You're right, it isn't normal. (y)

-- SS
 
I LOVE the Av But!!

I kinda like the look of the Av from the front, but I guess it's to each his or her own :2:

seriously, I wish you the best in you quest to find a dealer that's worth a crap and will take care of your issues.
 
Best of luck....dont get mad about it. I can imagine it's fustrating...look at the stupid Red Sox fans..how much worse can it be?

 
All things mechanical will have a problem sooner or later. The important thing, that matters most to me, is how those problems are taken care of. The customer service training I received in the past taught me that I should not really consider a mechanical failure a problem, but an oportunity to show what great customer service we could provide. You always tell someone about the problems you had (here and other places), and you also tell them how it was resolved... good or bad..., image where people are going to go to buy something... personally, I would go to the place that took care of the problem. If you know a problem will be taken care of, then the fact that it happens is less of a worry. I sure wish all the folks at GM would take that training I had. They have shown it cost a little to keep a customer, and a bunch to get a customer. ;D
 
lance6902 said:
Best of luck....dont get mad about it. I can imagine it's fustrating...look at the stupid Red Sox fans..how much worse can it be?

HEY, I resemble that remark! :p
 
FIXSTER1 said:
...
It isn't normal for an AC to not be cold on a truck that is 1 and 1/2 years old.
...
Its isn't normal to have to replace the heater system in the same truck,
...
or to have had to replace the window system in that same truck.
Questions?

Have these items been fixed to your satisfaction or not?

I have had mine Avy for about 3 years...with only 1 problem...cracked plastic trim around midgate window....and replaced under warranty....

Now as to your problems....

The AC should blow cold....when the truck is moving.....now at stand still on very hot day it may blow cool when engine is idling....

Some have had problems while the majority have not....I suggest finding a better service department to fix this under warranty.....

I cannot understand what they would replace in the heater system....this is just a heat echanger inside truck connected to the engine coolant system...it uses the same air ducting as the AC system and fan....so what parts did they have to change?

What parts of window system did they change? regulator motor, window, switch....?


These seem to be minor problems that a competant service department should rectify......

good luck



 
ShapeShifter said:
Hmmm... Looks like FutureLanche beat me to the punch on many items. I have got to learn to type faster. :6:

Of course, I agree with everything FutureLanche says. >:D

FIXSTER1: stick with it, and don't let anyone push you around. You're right, it isn't normal. (y)

-- SS
great post SS
 
Thanks SS. And you are right on the posting frequency of the members who experience no probs. 11,000 members and how many of us actually post with any frequency?

FIXTER1, like ShapeShifter sd., there are service depts out there that want you business and will work to keep it. It is simply a matter of finding them. I have one about 15 - 20 mins. away from me that I use, even though there is another just around the corner so to speak. He is open till midnight during the week and this makes it very convenient.

I had a couple problems with the rearend on my Camaro, and they stayed with it until it was gone. My warranty expired between my first and second visits and they never griped. Just kept at it through 2 or 3 visits, I can't remember which.

BTW - Where are you located?? I didn't see a location beneath your avatar. There may be other members here that can help you find a good dealership and service writer in your area. And do a search for dealerships, you will get quite a few threads, but you may find what you are looking for. It might be a bit of a coin toss, but you never know.

Good luck again,

FL
 
It is sad to say but Society has lowered the Standards across the Board. When that happens it permeates into all aspect of life.

How many of us grew up saying "Yes Sir/Ma'am!"? Now how many provide that respect today, even from your own offspring?

Not making light of your plight, just making a statement on Society and how we got here.

Everyone here has a few issues, some larger than others. Just keep after the Service Manager, GM Rep, and another Dealership. Do what it takes to make the AV the Truck "YOU" wanted. If "YOU" don't do it no one else will.

Unfortunately "Bill Gates" could be the founder of "Good Enough" syndrome we are experiencing in the USA today. His philosophy to S/W Development is to make it "Good Enough", Sell it, and the Customer will tell us where all the BUGS are. We will fix them for "Free" and save a ton o'cash by not "Testing it to completion". How similar is that to what we have all been talking about on this thread?

My 2 cents!

The AV is a great vehicle; I'm on #2 and loving it!


Dan
 
:E: Darn!!! I thought this thread was called "I LOVE the AV Butt".
My mistake, I'll leave now.
 
I feel that the brakes on the AV are below standards of current automobiles, they feel v spongy and require depressing pedal fully to stop vehicle!!! :8: :8: :8: :8: apart from that I am happy with my AV
 
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