General Motors horrible response to warranty concerns

[Boar-Ral]

I am so upset after dealing with General Motors on the telephone that I am still shaking. The problem stems from the rear body seals on my vehicle. These seals bridge the gap between the rear bumper and the body. Unfortunately, they are in so tight that they actually rub against the body, right through the paint and primer, down to bare steel. They repaired it last year as part of a "good will" deal but left the seals intact. Now, they have worn through the paint again and General Motors refuses to repair it, citing that the seals are not defective.

I am at wit's end. I own a vehicle that is not even three years old and now, the paint is beginning to peel back, slowly working up the side of the vehicle. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? There are not many Hummer dealerships in Canada, so I do not have the option of driving to another one in order to get a second opinion. (I have been dealing with my local dealership, and when they scoffed at my claim, that is when I spoke to General Motors directly.)

Please, any advice would be appreciated.

[Adam in CO]

Got pics? I have a KICKASS rep at Hummer in Detroit. She got me reimbursed thousands for some crappy dealer work.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by Adam in CO

Got pics? I have a KICKASS rep at Hummer in Detroit. She got me reimbursed thousands for some crappy dealer work.

I will take some photographs tonight and add them to this thread. Times like this, I wish I lived in the U.S. You guys have (on average) so many more Hummer dealers than here.

Thanks for offering to help -- I'll get the pictures here ASAP.

[Boar-Ral]

Sorry about the delay taking photographs and posting them. I forgot that I had a dental cleaning this afternoon!

I took a photograph from each side and a close-up of where the paint is flaking. It is too cold to bend the seals down to show where they have worn through the paint and primer, but when it warms up later this week, I will take a photograph of that, too. I am sorry about the road salt in the photographs. I need to wash it but am worried that the paint issue will become worse if I am not careful with the pressure washer.

You can click on the links to view them.

Thanks to everyone for your willingness to look into this and offer suggestions. If you have any questions, please post here and I will respond as soon as possible.

http://www.boarral.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=385&g 2_serialNumber=2
passenger side
http://www.boarral.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=391&g 2_serialNumber=2
driver side
http://www.boarral.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=396&g 2_serialNumber=2
driver side, close-up of paint peeling

[obzidian]

dp you have an option to go to another dealer? If not, make a claim to the main GM/hummer headquarters. That might provoke another service manager to see your truck at your dealer and determine what is next to do. This is pretty much un acceptable... this is obviously a warranty issue and it should be covered. Seems as if your dealer is just trying to get you off their bac and hope you forget it. Very common.. just stay on them and move up the ladder, that is a very legitament claim and it must be dealt with by hummer/gm

good luck!!

been there brotha, i had a cts-v prior and that car is a nightmare.. probably one of the worst build cars with parts that dont complement each other.

[Hummer Guy]

I can barely see the paint peeling in that last link...maybe I'm just getting old -- but I couldn't really see what was going on in the first two pics...is that snow or road salt all over?

[DRTYFN]

Didn't we cover this subject already? Take the rubber seals off, trim them and replace. Problem solved. Use touch-up on wear marks. Open beer, consume and relax.

[MDimitri]

Stop blaming the seals...you know whats to blame... It's that nasty stereo you put in there, all that thumping and boom box pounding caused your rear end to swell and it's now rubbing on the seals!! Opps! almost got a bit X-Rated on that last sentance...won't be long before DRTY puts his two cents in. On a more serious note: check your adjustment on your rear bumber, if you can bring the bumber down a bit, that will give you a bit more clearence between the rear 1/4 panel and seal. If you are able to adjust the height, got get some of that clear plastic rock chip protection plastic and attach it to the rear quarter panels, this will prevent any further damage from the seals rubbing should it occur. Looks like you'll need to paint those panels and soon in order to avoid any corrosion issues, and no don't go to MACCO.

Once you get it fixed, sell the yellow beast and go get yourself The General Lee!!

[lennyrebel]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

Didn't we cover this subject already? Take the rubber seals off, trim them and replace. Problem solved. Use touch-up on wear marks. Open beer, consume and relax.

Kinda gotta think you got the right idea. That's exactly what I would do and save your ulcers. When my deflector for sunroof started making noise at 1 month old I pulled it off covered seal with rtv silicone and reinstalled. Instant satisfaction. Regards The REbel

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by obzidian

dp you have an option to go to another dealer? If not, make a claim to the main GM/hummer headquarters. That might provoke another service manager to see your truck at your dealer and determine what is next to do. This is pretty much un acceptable... this is obviously a warranty issue and it should be covered. Seems as if your dealer is just trying to get you off their bac and hope you forget it. Very common.. just stay on them and move up the ladder, that is a very legitament claim and it must be dealt with by hummer/gm

good luck!!

been there brotha, i had a cts-v prior and that car is a nightmare.. probably one of the worst build cars with parts that dont complement each other.

The nearest dealer is several hours away but it might be worth the drive. I will keep my fingers crossed that I receive better service there than what I get locally.

Thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it! Was the CTS-V at least fun to drive?

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by Hummer Guy

I can barely see the paint peeling in that last link...maybe I'm just getting old -- but I couldn't really see what was going on in the first two pics...is that snow or road salt all over?

There is snow near the seals, salt higher on the panel. It was dark when I took the photographs and I tried to brush away as much snow as possible, but couldn't see it all until the camera flash went off. Once washed, it's easier to see. And the seals pushing up against the body and outward are still clear, I thought.

I just realized that the links were going to the thumbnails, not the actual pictures. If you click here you can view the fullsized pictures.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

Didn't we cover this subject already? Take the rubber seals off, trim them and replace. Problem solved. Use touch-up on wear marks. Open beer, consume and relax.

Do the seals lift directly off of the bumper cover, or they attached somehow?

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by MDimitri

Stop blaming the seals...you know whats to blame... It's that nasty stereo you put in there, all that thumping and boom box pounding caused your rear end to swell and it's now rubbing on the seals!! Opps! almost got a bit X-Rated on that last sentance...won't be long before DRTY puts his two cents in. On a more serious note: check your adjustment on your rear bumber, if you can bring the bumber down a bit, that will give you a bit more clearence between the rear 1/4 panel and seal. If you are able to adjust the height, got get some of that clear plastic rock chip protection plastic and attach it to the rear quarter panels, this will prevent any further damage from the seals rubbing should it occur. Looks like you'll need to paint those panels and soon in order to avoid any corrosion issues, and no don't go to MACCO.

Once you get it fixed, sell the yellow beast and go get yourself The General Lee!!

I have not installed a stereo system in my vehicle yet. With the introduction of two new daughters, that was pushed far off. That is also the problem with any paintwork; my family is a priority right now so I will not be painting it.

I'm not sure what buying the General Lee would accomplish, either.

BTW, did you get in contact with CBC? I noticed they included you in the e-mail.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by lennyrebel

Kinda gotta think you got the right idea. That's exactly what I would do and save your ulcers. When my deflector for sunroof started making noise at 1 month old I pulled it off covered seal with rtv silicone and reinstalled. Instant satisfaction. Regards The REbel

The sunroof deflector drove me nuts too, especially when it screwed up the seals around the sunroof. At least the dealership admitted that -- they add the deflector themselves, apparently. I don't know if it is like that at all dealerships or not.

[MDimitri]

Originally Posted by Boar-Ral

I have not installed a stereo system in my vehicle yet. With the introduction of two new daughters, that was pushed far off. That is also the problem with any paintwork; my family is a priority right now so I will not be painting it.

I'm not sure what buying the General Lee would accomplish, either.

BTW, did you get in contact with CBC? I noticed they included you in the e-mail.

Hmmmm...sounds like you need to go out and get a drink and unwind a bit! We'll need to get together in order to accomplish that. I did get a couple of calls from the CBC and they did talk to me on three occassions. I forwarded them on to a couple of members here to get what they needed. I am just wayyyy tooo busy at work right now to be able to help them any further.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by MDimitri

Hmmmm...sounds like you need to go out and get a drink and unwind a bit! We'll need to get together in order to accomplish that. I did get a couple of calls from the CBC and they did talk to me on three occassions. I forwarded them on to a couple of members here to get what they needed. I am just wayyyy tooo busy at work right now to be able to help them any further.

I could really go for a beer and some wings. Any word when you will be in Edmonton next?

CBC is supposed to be arriving at my home tomorrow, but they did not indicate when. I might be taking the entire day off at this rate.

I'm not sure what to expect. They said that it will not be an anti-Hummer documentary, but there will still be tough questions asked, and I do not want to slip up on national television. I've been playing over conversations in my head while driving to and from work, to try to prepare myself.

Ugh. I'll really need a drink soon.

[MDimitri]

I hope to be up in Edmonton by mid March, I need to visit some clients up there. I will let you know well in advance as to when I am coming, that way we can have a few beers and wings. I think your interview with the CBC will go over well, they are doing a story on quirky Hummer owners and what drives a person to buy such a monster...especially yellow one's!! LOL!! Either way, stay in touch and I look forward to seeing you soon.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by MDimitri

I hope to be up in Edmonton by mid March, I need to visit some clients up there. I will let you know well in advance as to when I am coming, that way we can have a few beers and wings. I think your interview with the CBC will go over well, they are doing a story on quirky Hummer owners and what drives a person to buy such a monster...especially yellow one's!! LOL!! Either way, stay in touch and I look forward to seeing you soon.

I know what you mean about yellow! I think that is why General Motors is giving me issues. They ran the VIN and saw it was yellow and then just called it quits at that point. What kind of idiot buys yellow?

I mean what?

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by Boar-Ral

Do the seals lift directly off of the bumper cover, or they attached somehow?

Yep, they lift right off.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

Yep, they lift right off.

Thank you. I washed the vehicle last night and after taking better pictures, am taking it into the bodyshop for them to look at. I'll trim the pieces after they look at it. Heck, I might just take them off completely.

Thanks for the help.