Quality/Satisfaction call from NUMMI

[esjones]

I got a phone call this afternoon from a guy who said that he was doing an owner satisfaction survey on behalf of the Fremont NUMMI plant. He asked about overall satisfaction with the Vibe, if there were any items that I didn't like or considered annoying, and if there was anything that was broken or not working right. I told him:ANNOYANCES--------------Rear window washer that dribbles, not sprays.12V outlet in the console that is unpowered when the ignition switch is off.Automatic headlights WAAAYY too sensitive.My DVD map disc is 2 years old in a brand new car.I mentioned, too, that I was considering aftermarket speakers for the audio system.Other Defects---------------My steering wheel is not exactly centered when the car is driving straight and level. I told him I didn't think it was worth taking it back to the dealer, since removing the wheel and replacing it one tooth to the left on the shaft just might make it off-center in the other direction!I probably should have told him that I would have considered On-Star or XM Radio had they been available as options, but I didn't.Has anyone else received such a call? - Earl

[Vibe]

Taking the wheel off and moving 1 spline to center the wheel is unacceptable.Your off center wheel calls for a front end alignment check. And settle for nothing else. James

[DopeVibeGT]

I havent gotten any phone calls yet, or mail from them. But, I dont understand why the rear window washer bugs so many people! It gets the job done, and maybe if it 'sprayed', the draft that is create on the back of the car would blow it right off the window. Maybe this is why the have it dribble?

[drb22]

I took my car in two weeks after buying it to have the alignment checked. It was corrected and I am happier with a straight driving car. Service guys told me not to bother with it until you have 500 miles on the car to give a chance for everything to settle, I had 650 or so. I've heard that many times the alignment of new cars becomes a bit off just from loading and unloading them on the trucks for delivery. Definetely take it back to the dealer and have them fix it.

[Vibe Rater]

quote:ANNOYANCESRear window washer that dribbles, not sprays.This was talked about in an earlier thread. A rear washer that 'dribbles down' is far better than a rear washer that sprays up.12V outlet in the console that is unpowered when the ignition switch is off.If your 12 V outlet worked while the car was not running, there would be VIBES all over the world with dead batteries. Not workable. NUMMI will eliminate the outlet first. Please people, be careful what you ask for.

[millster]

I received this call several months ago. Sadly, about 2 days after I had purchased my Vibe so at that time I didn't know of many of the problems. Of course not two weeks later the guage cluster began to rattle. Curse my luck! I did have the problem with the driver's side speaker rattling the door panel so I was able to mention that at the time of the call.

[NovaResource]

quote:If your 12 V outlet worked while the car was not running, there would be VIBES all over the world with dead batteries. Not workable. NUMMI will eliminate the outlet first. Please people, be careful what you ask for.EVERY car I've ever owned except the Vibe had 12V outlets that were powered when the engine was off and the key out of the ignition. I have NEVER had a dead battery due to something left in the outlet.

[KSNeptune]

quote:EVERY car I've ever owned except the Vibe had 12V outlets that were powered when the engine was off and the key out of the ignition. I have NEVER had a dead battery due to something left in the outlet.So what? Every car I've owned had to have the key in the ignition and in the "Accessories" or "Start" position for the 12v outlet to work. It was kind of annoying, but efficently kept anyone from lighting a cigarette with my car when I wasn't there with the key. I'm sure you haven't killed a battery with something left in the outlet, but I know you could. My sister has a TV/VCR in her van for her kids to watch. It plugs into the 12v outlet. She found once they'd taken her key, gone to the garage, gotten into the van, turned the key to "accessories", and sat in the back watching a video for about an hour. How did she find out? Because the movie was a 2 hour movie, and they apparently had run down the car's battery enough that the TV/VCR stopped playing after an hour. So they came in to complain.How do I know? She called me to come over and give her van a jump start. She now removes the TV/VCR power cord from the van and hides it in the house until it's needed on a trip.

[ragingfish]

It would be nice if at least the hidden outlet worked. The big seller of that is "you can charge your phone in a concealed location." But I can't charge it unless I'm driving, and if that's the case, I don't need to conceal it. So that outlet, if nothing else, should work full time, so I can leave the phone in the car to charge it.

[Vibe]

I know we are straying from topic but I must say this:That mother should also lock her van and hide her keys! And tell her kids the van is off limits. Suppose they started the van and filled the garage with carbon monoxide?Suppose they started the van and accidently found the drive or reverse gear.Thank goodness they didn't start the engine otherwise there could of been more than a dead battery. James

[NovaResource]

quote:My sister has a TV/VCR in her van for her kids to watch. It plugs into the 12v outlet. She found once they'd taken her key, gone to the garage, gotten into the van, turned the key to "accessories", and sat in the back watching a video for about an hour. How did she find out? Because the movie was a 2 hour movie, and they apparently had run down the car's battery enough that the TV/VCR stopped playing after an hour. So they came in to complain.And your point is.....? You've just proven that needing the key doesn't prevent the battery from being drained. Your sisters kids had the key and turned the car on so how did the outlet not being powered when off solve the problem? It didn't.

[esjones]

quote:If your 12 V outlet worked while the car was not running, there would be VIBES all over the world with dead batteries. Not workable. NUMMI will eliminate the outlet first. Please people, be careful what you ask for.Not true. Most cars' 12V outlet, i.e., the cigarette lighter, is powered whether the car is on or not. I have charged my cellular phone many times overnight in my Intrigue, with never any adverse effect on the battery.

[esjones]

quote:It would be nice if at least the hidden outlet worked. The big seller of that is "you can charge your phone in a concealed location." But I can't charge it unless I'm driving, and if that's the case, I don't need to conceal it. So that outlet, if nothing else, should work full time, so I can leave the phone in the car to charge it.That is exactly the Catch-22 situation I described to the survey-caller. - Earl

[ragingfish]

LOL. Glad I'm not the only one who sees that dilemma. Besides, a cell phone doesn't pull THAT much power. I can't imagine it would possibly drain a car batter overnight. But, I'm no expert, so all feel free to prove me wrong.I do wish I got a satsifaction survey/call. I didn't get invited to the thing in tarrytown, i don't get a survey call...when i got my sunfire two years ago, i got a car in the mail at least asking my opinion on different features and whatnot...almost seems like pontiac doesn't want my feedback on this one. my opinion: take advantage of the massive reach of the web...put a web poll on, and if necessary, require users to login with their vin. makes a lot of sense, and it gives almost everyone a chance to give you their input...plus, it would be wicked easy to compile the results, since it's all already in the pooters.

[KSNeptune]

quote:And your point is.....?My point is that it is possible to run down a battery with something plugged into an active 12v socket. Pay better attention.And if you don't have kids that will take your car keys (like my sister does), removing the keys keeps the battery from running down if there IS a 12v device such as a TV/VCR (that the kids in the back might have) left on. Just try and think a little, Nova. It will all make sense eventually.KSNeptune

[esjones]

quote:And your point is.....?My point is that it is possible to run down a battery with something plugged into an active 12v socketWell, Duuhhh!I have the sense to know not to plug something in to the 12V outlet that will run the battery down in the time I leave the car unattended. And I'm able to live with my own stupidity if I forget. I do not care to have NUMMI, GM, Toyota or anyone else make these decisions to protect me from myself. - ESJ

[HIGHREV]

The only thing I found annoying is the windshield pillar rattle. It gets noticable when it's cold (below 32f). I've noticed that if I hold it with my hand it goes away. I work for a Hitachi Equipment Dealer, in the service department. There is nothing more annoiying than the guy who complains about something this small, for this reason I will not bring it in. If something important goes wrong I will mention this to the dealer at that time.

[baltimore17]

Got the call. Usually hate phone surveys. Really was glad to tell her that the NUMMI folks had produced my car with absolutely no defects whatsoever. And after ten weeks, still nothing has gone wrong.Regarding the other thread weaving its way into this one, the dribble on the back window does the job. The only problem is that I keep getting the dribble when I want a quick swipe. The switch is the reverse of the one on my dear departed Saturn. I'll learn. Power windows at full service gas stations? What's a full service gas station? Oh, yeah, I've seen those in New Jersey. They became pretty much extinct in Maryland 25 years ago.

[NovaResource]

quote:My point is that it is possible to run down a battery with something plugged into an active 12v socket. Pay better attention.No kidding! Gee, it's a good thing you're here to tell me this. You know what, leaving your headlights on or your dome light on will cause the battery to run down as well. Maybe GM should make all cars so that you have to have the key in to turn your headlights and dome light too.quote:And if you don't have kids that will take your car keys (like my sister does), removing the keys keeps the battery from running down if there IS a 12v device such as a TV/VCR (that the kids in the back might have) left on.And if you are that forgetful to leave something plugged in then you deserve to have your battery drained. Maybe replacing the battery will make you remember next time.quote:Just try and think a little, Nova. It will all make sense eventually.I am thinking, you are the one with isn't. Your story above proved that a keyed power outlet DOESN'T prevent your battery from being drained.

[baltimore17]

Scott: Take a pill and chill. Nobody in the world likes getting called stupid or clueless. Your response is deliberately offensive. The fact that you still have a 100% rating after 1113 posts just means that the moderators don't care to limit your pervasive flames. I, for one, am sick and tired of it. Your inability to remain civil adds nothing to genvibe.com. Nothing!

[esjones]

quote:Scott: Take a pill and chill. I, too, have been flamed by the aforementioned Scott. Stung for a while, but since I don't know where he lives, I managed to get over it. - ESJ

[DopeVibeGT]

Holy Flaming cow, Batman! Calm down guys! Wow. I, myself, am glad the 12V outlet in the center console turns off. I leave my cell phone pluged into it when it's dead. And about the power windows.....do they make cars where the key doesnt have to be in the ON possition for them to work?? All mine had to be ON.

[NovaResource]

quote:Scott: Take a pill and chill. Nobody in the world likes getting called stupid or clueless. Your response is deliberately offensive. The fact that you still have a 100% rating after 1113 posts just means that the moderators don't care to limit your pervasive flames. I, for one, am sick and tired of it. Your inability to remain civil adds nothing to genvibe.com. Nothing!Pervasive flames? Get real. Every now and then you have to get a little nasty here because some people just don't "get it" when you explain it nicely. I proved him incorrect and he still wanted to argue with me. I don't care if you are "sick and tired of it".I add more to Genvibe.com than you do (nearly 10 times as much) but if you don't like it I won't anymore. I'm sick if people arguing with me when I prove them wrong. I'm trying to help with FREE advice but some people here just want to argue.Bye!

[Rico Rose]

---------------My steering wheel is not exactly centered when the car is driving straight and level. I told him I didn't think it was worth taking it back to the dealer, since removing the wheel and replacing it one tooth to the left on the shaft just might make it off-center in the other direction!---------------I have 22000 miles on my Vibe and have had the front end alligned 4 times, my steering wheel is still turned slightly to the right. On the second alignment the dealer aligned it to the specs of an Aztek (found out when my front tires wore out in 2000 miles), I didn't go back there. I am still waiting for my reimbursement check from Pontiac. Now at least my car is tracking straight, but I would still like to have the steering wheel straight...

[Vibe Rater]

quote:On the second alignment the dealer aligned it to the specs of an AztekOuch! That's hilarious! Did the maechanic actually think it was an Aztec?

[NSimkins]

quote: I didn't go back there.R.Rose, what dealer was this??

[Cubanpete]

How about a SC/Turbo gadget for the GT Engine, better yet why not use the Toyota SUPRA engine in the GT series.The Supra motor was awesome........any of the 2JZGE , 2JZGTE would suit the GT perfect

[Rico Rose]

It was Youngstown Buick Pontiac. I quit going there. That wasn't the only thing they did wrong. When they changed my oil, the first time it all drained out when the tech drove it out of the garage, then he pulled it back in and they replaced the filter (said it was a bad seal). Well the next time I brought it back in was for the alignment and the next oil change, you seen what the alignment turned out to be, well the oil change was even worse... They told me that someone had cross-threaded the oil filter the last time it was changed (when they did it) and they had the ba**s to ask me where I had the last oil change done, I told them that they did it (that was the bad seal remember) then they said it was probably a factory defect ( I knew better). The car sat there while I had to wait for a part from CA. They did give me a loaner. I have been doing my own oil changes since. Any other work I go to Pace Pontiac in Niles...

[Lorin]

My S-10 had multiple power outlets (I think 3) One was keyed to the ignition, and the other two were live all the time. Same with my Chevy G1500. One outlet is keyed, the other is hot all the time. I don't think having one of the outlets remain hot is an unreasonable request.-------------------------------Oil change comment - I started chaning my own oil again after watching a (removed) at one of those fast change places use both hands and all his weight (which was considerable) to tighten the oil plug. Next time I removed it, it was stripped!

[Vibe Rater]

quote:If your 12 V outlet worked while the car was not running, there would be VIBES all over the world with dead batteries. Not workable. NUMMI will eliminate the outlet first. Please people, be careful what you ask for.EVERY car I've ever owned except the Vibe had 12V outlets that were powered when the engine was off and the key out of the ignition. I have NEVER had a dead battery due to something left in the outlet.DAMN! I was thinking about the 110 volt receptacle. My bad.