Net Promoter® NPS®, NPS Prism®, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score™ and Net Promoter System™ are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
On December 5th
I pulled over briefly and with no warning or indicators, the vehicle died and would not start again. First thing I thought it was was the battery but everything seemed to be in proper working condition. Then the engine light appeared on the dash. The next thing that was checked is the oil. After checking we determined that there was no oil in the vehicle. Not even a drop on the dipstick... but the indicator on the dash displayed 67% oil life. There was no visible leaks under the vehicle... I am not a mechanic nor do I have any mechanical skills. I had to trust I was buying a good car. Next I called AMA to see if they could help diagnose the problem, which they could not besides the possibility the engine was seized due to having no oil... and recommended that we put some oil in... so we did. But it still would not start..
The following Monday, December 7th, I contacted the dealership to discuss the concerns listed above. As I was under the impression the oil would have been changed and filled during the dealerships inspection prior to release of the vehicle. They agreed to take a look at it so I had it towed back to the dealership...
On December 8th. I received a call stating that there was oil in the vehicle and it seemed to be a timing chain issue but any further diagnosis would be at my additional expense as I did not have any warranty (no warranty for used vehicles) and that I have had the vehicle for more than 30 days – but I had driven it only a little more than 3000 km while it was in my possession. At the time of the vehicle deposit (two days before I picked up the vehicle), an AMVIC report was pulled that stated the vehicle had 178422 km; however, my bill of sale stated the vehicle at 175478 km. There was a 3000 km discrepancy between the AMVIC and the Bill of Sale – I drove an additional 3000 km while in ownership of the vehicle; however, Western GMC also refused to consider the possibility of accountability regarding issues with the oil level because they are claiming I drove approx. 7000 km which is over the “recommended” oil change time period – which an incorrect statement on the part of the dealership. The anomalous approx. 3000 km kilometers were not accumulated while the vehicle was in my possession.
I again stated that I had put oil into it prior to bringing it to the dealership after the vehicle has ceased to operate. I had video proof that there was no oil in it when I check and video proof of me putting new oil into it. I asked if they had even looked into whether the engine had seized or not….again ,they said they would not look into that issue as I didn’t have warranty and there was oil in the tank.
Lastly, they said that they would not discuss the situation any further unless I would give them permission to diagnosis and that would be an additional out of pocket expense for me. They would not provide me any explanation on how the vehicle could have lost a full tank of oil with no visible leakage or puddles or how the timing chain could have went on it.
My heart hurts. I’m tired and my kids are devastated as we had so many plans for travels. Their dad promised to take them camping this summer but he passed away and never got to. I promised my boys when we got our SUV that during next summer I was going to keep their dads promise about camping and fishing. We had so many plans. I don’t have the money to buy another vehicle, I can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars fixing the SUV I was sold under the impression it was in reasonable sound condition. I no longer have a way to drive my kids to school and daycare and I, like so many, have been laid off due to COVID.
I feel for a reputable dealership they should be responsible for the vehicles they sell and be willing to have a responsible conversation when their products fail so miserably within such an unreasonably short period time. Their unwillingness to entertain the possibility that they sold me a vehicle that clearly had some serious problems, investigate the problem, and cover the some costs within this is type of circumstance prompted me to share this to prevent a similar situation for others.