pontiac customer service

defcon1 · Post by **defcon1** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:29 pm

firom your first call to the time your problem was solved how satisfiedwhere you with pontiac cusomer service.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:14 pm

Since my first call (chipping paint) they never solved my problem.

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:14 pm

I have called twice about the '03 cladding issue, left messages TWICE and still have not had a call back.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:32 am

i've called about the battery issue and my clutch. they told me they've never heard of the problem before. of course, when i bought the vibe, i ordered the college grad pack and they kept sending me the wrong thing! never did get the $400 off coupon! but the dealership still gave it to me.

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:33 am

I emailed the service department, let's see if I get a response this time.

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:02 am

I got a very good response to my CEL problem. They aggressively worked toward a resolution.

nismo · Post by **nismo** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:14 am

My weatherstripping fell off 3 times, they were like, we never seen anyone with this problem before. So, unfortunately, I had to wait till my car got hit to have fix it. Got hit back in January. Poor thing hasn't been the same since.Inder Singh

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:17 am

If I don't get a response to this message, I will contact GM and let them know that the service dept. is not doing their job.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:19 am

I wasn't satisfied at all with Pontiac's "customer service" - I have only called them once, but don't think I'll even bother in the future.I called them to see about getting the constant on/off cycling of the headlights during bright daylight resolved. Gee, as it turns out I'm the only person on the planet who owns a Vibe that has complained about that issue. How'd I get so lucky? And wow, they tell me there's no fix! All I wanted was for them to replace the DRL module that they changed for '04 to prevent the issue. Which makes me wonder, if I'm the only one with the problem, why'd they bother redesigning the DRL module? hmmm... Didn't have any better luck with Chevrolet's customer service either. They told me it was a "normal design characteristic of the Malibu" to have a stream of water running out from under the dash when I used the A/C.So, I give GM customer service in general

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:23 am

I had the same conversation with the shop manager at the dealership about the DRL module and he said exactly the same thing. So I just fixed it myself. Works perfectly now, looks a little weird but it works.Don't let it get you down they would be out a lot of money if they fixed everybody's DRL who asked them too. And to be honest it isn't really a huge problem, just a minor annoyance. Be thankful you have headlights that turn off and on by themselves anyway. That is some luxury there boy.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 8:00 pm

Well I pride myself on giving the best customer service I can but if any of you fellow Vibers showed up and asked me to change your DRL module from your 03 to that of the 04 under warranty I'd not be able to do it. Technicly there is nothing wrong with the 03 module other then the fact that in certain ppl's opinions its to sensitive. I would change it to an 04 but you would have to pay for it since there isn't anything wrong with the other. Warranty doesn't cover personal preferences, it covers defects.You can all shoot me for saying that but thats the truth. I have serviced quite a few Vibes and no one there has complained about their 03 DRL being to sensitive. And only one customer complained about the paint which will NEVER be a warranty item or recall because its not a safety problem or GM's fault stones are taking the paint off our Vibes. Is the paint weak? yes you don't need to convince me, I own a Vibe after all.And after you read all these racing stories, specially some of the more popular ones on here is it any doubt left why GM classifies a clutch as a wearable item?

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:54 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»Well I pride myself on giving the best customer service I can but if any of you fellow Vibers showed up and asked me to change your DRL module from your 03 to that of the 04 under warranty I'd not be able to do it. Technicly there is nothing wrong with the 03 module other then the fact that in certain ppl's opinions its to sensitive. I would change it to an 04 but you would have to pay for it since there isn't anything wrong with the other. Warranty doesn't cover personal preferences, it covers defects.You can all shoot me for saying that but thats the truth. I have serviced quite a few Vibes and no one there has complained about their 03 DRL being to sensitive. And only one customer complained about the paint which will NEVER be a warranty item or recall because its not a safety problem or GM's fault stones are taking the paint off our Vibes. Is the paint weak? yes you don't need to convince me, I own a Vibe after all.And after you read all these racing stories, specially some of the more popular ones on here is it any doubt left why GM classifies a clutch as a wearable item?Real good point on the clutch Mavrik, but I have to disagree with the DRL. I have an '04 that exhibited the same problem (lights frequently cycling on-off-as many as 6 times on the drive home some days). Lucky for me the problem went away after about 2K miles. Whew, it was really p-ing me off. I understand your opinion that this is not technically a warranty defect; but it does GM a huge disservice to it's customers when it refuses to fix such a glaringly annoying problem. They should bite the bullet and cover the 'defective' DRLs if they want return customers. I've owned about eight cars in my lifetime. Before the Vibe, the last American car I purchased was a 1973 Camaro (in 1975). I thought I'd give GM a chance again (yes, I know it's a Matrix in disguise). The jurys still out for me if I ever purchase another GM (distributed) car in the future.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:42 pm

I haven't experienced a problem yet with my DRL on my 04 but I guess if some of the 04 Vibes have the same problem as the 03 then no point in giving the 03 Vibe the 04 module lol. Now I wonder how the 05 is.It was explained to me best the other day about why GM doesn't recall every little thing and this didn't come from any GM guy. It sums up every automotive industry pretty well. Recalls cost them money obviously and when they are told "hey this car has this prob... blah blah what will you do to fix it." they consider if its safety or customer preferance (IE your DRL concerns) if its a valid safety problem, recall here we come. otherwise the big car company can just threaten that "Oh well that would cost a lot of money and we'd have to close down some factories in your area and fire a whole lot of people... so when would you like the recall?" At that point the ministry backs off because that would really suck cause the companies can do that. I was told this by a guy who used to work for the ministry of transportation... now if any of it is true, hah who knows. Could be the biggest load of BS to hit the farm yet but it makes sense.

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 2:00 am

That is certainly an argument that the industry could (and does) use. Still, people getting fed up with a product is the quickest way to lose a future customer. It is the main reason the American car companies continue to lose ground to imports-Quality and customer service (as well as a few other things).It is ironic (at least to me) that one of the worst cars I've had in several years was my wife's '96 RAV4. There were many major "annoyances" that drove me nuts when I drove it. And, it was a piece of crap; the list of problems was endless and of course most of them started showing up after warrantee.....Re my DRL problem. For some reason, the DRL problem went away in my '04. Whew...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 2:54 am

well the DRL was a pain in the (removed) to me. but i'm not one to complain to the svc dept over every little annoyance. every car has it's quirks. instead, the good folks here on genvibe pointed me to a way to just get rid of the auto headlights all together. when i drive on base, i have to turn the headlights off and you can't do that w/ the auto headlights and DRL. i'd have to stop the car, turn off the engine, pull up the emergency brake, and then restart the car! now that's dumb! so i just disconnected them... voila! problem and annoyance resolved! my headlights come on when i want them to and not when the little over sensitive module thinks it should. now... if raging and jahntassa could just get that independant fog light working right, then i'm all set! and i would venture to say that mavrik gives the best customer service of any service advisor that i've experienced. LOL of course, but i'm a little biased.

esjones · Post by **esjones** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:13 am

Took about 3 months to finally get my updated DVD Navigation disc. Nice people, but no one has any authority to do anything except apologize and move it up the line!

defcon1 · Post by **defcon1** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 3:48 pm

You can all shoot me for saying that but thats the truth. I have serviced quite a few Vibes and no one there has complained about their 03 DRL being to sensitive. And only one customer complained about the paint which will NEVER be a warranty item or recall because its not a safety problem or GM's fault stones are taking the paint off our Vibes. Is the paint weak? yes you don't need to convince me, I own a Vibe after all.they haven't complained because the word has probably got around they your dealership won't fix it , glad your not my dealer

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 7:57 pm

Quote, originally posted by defcon1 Â»You can all shoot me for saying that but thats the truth. I have serviced quite a few Vibes and no one there has complained about their 03 DRL being to sensitive. And only one customer complained about the paint which will NEVER be a warranty item or recall because its not a safety problem or GM's fault stones are taking the paint off our Vibes. Is the paint weak? yes you don't need to convince me, I own a Vibe after all.they haven't complained because the word has probably got around they your dealership won't fix it , glad your not my dealerHow could we refuse to repair what has not come in for as a concern and be told "we won't repair" ??? The DRL would be replaced with another 03 or if GM updated the part, the updated one which at the moment isn't in existance.glad your not my customer because your labeling me as all the other dealers you have had poor luck with.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:26 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»How could we refuse to repair what has not come in for as a concern and be told "we won't repair" ??? The DRL would be replaced with another 03 or if GM updated the part, the updated one which at the moment isn't in existance.glad your not my customer because your labeling me as all the other dealers you have had poor luck with. ZING! (removed)!anyone in customer service knows "those customers" that are better to not have then to lose money everytime they walk in the door w/ something "else" wrong so you can argue with them for hours... when in fact, there's nothing wrong at all, it's just that they don't LIKE whatever it is that's upsetting them. i can tell you that if mav can find a reason to get it under warranty, he will. however, he can't rewrite the warranty if there's nothing wrong. that'd be something you'd have to take up with GM.

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:25 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»i can tell you that if mav can find a reason to get it under warranty, he will. however, he can't rewrite the warranty if there's nothing wrong. that'd be something you'd have to take up with GM.The logic of this is sound to me. A overly sensitive DRL problem (which is extremely annoying) needs to be elevated to Pontiac if the dealer/service garage is unable to take care of under warranty.

Ponyota · Post by **Ponyota** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:38 am

Ahhhh.. warranty! I must say, I have had nothing but praise for our service department here. Although I haven't had a huge problem with the paint it does seem to chip easily. My first problem was that the rear hatch was leaking. The tech found that the rear weather stripping was pinched and they replaced, he also took off the rear glass struts and aligned the rear glass struts, problem solved. Second time it was in was for a FREE tire rotation with a coupon, very cool! Also had 4 free oil changes, complements of the dealership! Third time it went in for a problem was the spo oxygen sensor, they had one on hand and installed it, problem solved. Fourth time, Rear window spray nozzle, said it was characteristic of this car, no big one but I was told that the 05 has a new design and if I complained about it again they would install a 05 one for me. Fifth time was for a missing screw on the front inner fender liner, ordered new liner and replaced. Sixth time was for the front side passenger window letting water in, they found pinched weather strip and ordered parts, installed and working great. Seventh time was for a rear splash shield it was cracked, ordered and installed. Eighth time was for the right side window run, ordered and installed. ninth time was for the sunroof out of alignment, fixed and I was outta there. Tenth time was for a rear bumper missing a clip, they ordered a new inner fender liner and installed. Just a couple days ago I took it in for the cloth on the seats, have to take it back to have the interior guy look at it. Overall satisfaction with the service department here is A+. All the service department love my vibe, says its the nicest one around and sooooooo clean! They even look forward to seeing my new mods! Sometimes I just make them look for them! I've made a few friends there not including getting great service and a great car.

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:46 am

All I can say is: wow. Both on the great service and the many problems.....

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:32 am

OK, it's done. I tried going through my dealership 3 times to get the cladding issue resolved. I have had no response, so I contacted Pontiac directly. Something had better be done about this, this is getting VERY frustrating.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 10:05 am

Quote, originally posted by Mr. Poopypants Â»OK, it's done. I tried going through my dealership 3 times to get the cladding issue resolved. I have had no response, so I contacted Pontiac directly. Something had better be done about this, this is getting VERY frustrating. That sucks! Hope you get somewhere with that... I'm with ya, my cladding looks like dump too. Knowing my luck, if I try to do anything about it, they'll give me the "wear and tear" bit. I had brought this up to the dealer when the car was just a few months old and was already showing some major damage on the rear doors. That was before the "discoloration" TSB was out, maybe I could have some better luck with it now. The dealer said they could replace it back then, but since (at the time) no other design changes were implemented, the cladding would just get ripped up again.Maybe we could get a few new bits of cladding and the '04 rockers. Wishful thinking, I'm sure (has anyone around here had luck with this?) I've only got 1200 miles of warranty left, and I'm not sure if the GM extended warranty would cover it, so if I can't get anything done within the next month, I'm stuck with 'em.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:53 am

Okay... This has been a very good day, even though the day itself kinda stunk. I called the dealer about my broken armrest and luckily got the service manager on the phone... I mentioned "remember when you looked at how the cladding was getting eaten up on the rear doors and the fender flares on the rear?" He remembered me showing him the damage, probably was more than one year ago. I told him there now was a TSB out on the issue, and he pulled it up.He read bits and pieces of the TSB to me... Heard things like "discoloration," "sandblasted" and the magic word "replace." He asked what damage I had - discoloration or a sandblasted appearance... "Both, since things have been hitting the cladding, causing a sandblasted appearance, which makes the plastic appear discolored. " Told him about the pieces that are damaged, and then he said "We'll just go ahead and order it all." So, I'm getting new rocker panels, rear door cladding, and the rear fender flares. He didn't know about the redesigned rocker panels for 2-tones, so I brought that up to him - hopefully he orders the right stuff. I can't believe it. Completely blew my mind to hear that they were going to take care of it. Really made my day... Keep on them, Poopy. It may be possible after all to get this fixed...

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 9:35 am

Cool! you'll like the look better too!keep pestering them poopypants remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:34 am

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 Â»Cool! you'll like the look better too!keep pestering them poopypants remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or gets replaced with a different wheel that doesn't make any noise. Remember that.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:41 am

ponyota, you sure have had to take it back a lot. Glad they take care of you, too bad they have to.Quote, originally posted by scherry2 Â»Cool! you'll like the look better too!keep pestering them poopypants remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease. yes, but the nail that sticks up gets hammered back down i only had to take mine back once, they replaced the door weatherstrip for free, which I believed was my fault, so I was pretty happy about that.

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:01 pm

FINALLY. Something got done. I had to contact Pontiac to get it done, but they are going to replace my cladding per the TSB. WOOHOO

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 11:57 pm

Quote, originally posted by Ponyota Â»Fourth time, Rear window spray nozzle, said it was characteristic of this car, no big one but I was told that the 05 has a new design and if I complained about it again they would install a 05 one for me. Can you tell me more about this one? New design? What is different? Thanks,

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 6:35 am

Mr. Poopypants, that rocks man! Sounds like you're as happy as I was when they said they would replace mine. Now I gotta order some new splash guards though. One thing I'm concerned about is that I'm getting darn close to the magic 36K mark... I had to take yet another trip to Columbus again today (this is #3, counting the Ohio meet.) Hit 35K when I was halfway there. My Vibe was under the original warranty when I called and they ordered the parts, but may not be by the time the parts come in. I have the top o' the line GM extended warranty, but it states it doesn't cover things like body panels, trim, etc. Uh oh! So, I'm hoping, if I get over 36K by the time the parts will come in, they'll still replace them... If I get too close, I'll give them a call and see what they say. Just would HATE for GM to tell those guys "Nope, can't do it. Not under warranty anymore." Somebody ease my mind here, they'll still change the cladding out, right?MiVibe-ToolGuy: The 2005 Vibes have a different rear washer setup - instead of one nozzle pointing straight down, there are two pointing down diagonally. I'm thinking about getting one if I ever run across the part number for it...

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:45 am

The guy told me as long as I am under the 36 month 36000 mile warranty that they could replace them. If you go and have them check it out before 36k and they need replaced, they should do it even if, when the parts come in, you are over 36k. I would make sure though.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 7:16 pm

That sounds good... I'll give them a buzz today and see. Did they give you an estimate on when the parts would be in?

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:01 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»MiVibe-ToolGuy: The 2005 Vibes have a different rear washer setup - instead of one nozzle pointing straight down, there are two pointing down diagonally. I'm thinking about getting one if I ever run across the part number for it...OK thanks I had a feeling since my 03 appears to just dump the fluid down the middle of the window like a little kid peeing. I work in the auto industry and can have a friend check the P/N for us. If I get it I will share it with everyone...

kep427 · Post by **kep427** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:16 pm

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy Â»OK thanks I had a feeling since my 03 appears to just dump the fluid down the middle of the window like a little kid peeing. I work in the auto industry and can have a friend check the P/N for us. If I get it I will share it with everyone... That would be great Tool.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 12:08 am

Quote, originally posted by kep427 Â»That would be great Tool.All right I got it. GM Part Number 88969939, covers 03-05 Vibes with RPO C25 (rear window wiper) Now here is the interesting part... My friend who works in GM Serv. Parts said this is the only number listed and there is no documentation of a change being made. He said this is not uncommon and Toyota may have documentation listed in their system but he does not. Using GMpartsdirect.com the dlr list is $14+ and their cost is $8.26 plus S&H if ordered through them.I am very interested in this part but before I buy I may visit the dlr and look at an 05 to make sure it is different. Possibly too if someone here could consult Toyota, we could be 100% sure.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 2:28 am

I believe you can find a pic of it somewhere buried in one of the '05 threads. I've been searching, but can't seem to find it.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:41 am

Quote, originally posted by Mr. Poopypants Â»The guy told me as long as I am under the 36 month 36000 mile warranty that they could replace them. If you go and have them check it out before 36k and they need replaced, they should do it even if, when the parts come in, you are over 36k. I would make sure though.WHEW! I just called 'em. Since everything was documented when the car was still under warranty, even if I'm over the 36K mark, I'm good. They'll still replace 'em. Just ordered a set of the revised '04 style splash guards for the front as well.

Ponyota · Post by **Ponyota** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 10:06 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»ponyota, you sure have had to take it back a lot. Glad they take care of you, too bad they have to.yes, but the nail that sticks up gets hammered back down i only had to take mine back once, they replaced the door weatherstrip for free, which I believed was my fault, so I was pretty happy about that.Yes it is to bad, but i'm in and out of there in no time and they even let me stand there and watch while I talk with them. I've learnt alot on what to do and what not to do when taking things off so that I wont break a clip or something. The other day they took care of my seat problem right away. Still #1 im my book.

Ponyota · Post by **Ponyota** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 10:15 am

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy Â»Can you tell me more about this one? New design? What is different? Thanks, The difference is " it works "..haha... But seriously that other guy is right, it has two sprays and the service man told me its a real pain in the rear to change. he said to be careful cause its held in with a clip and they like to break when you push them in or somthing like that. I think if you tell them at your service garage they will cover it under warranty and install for you.