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Pickups Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra Chevy Silverado: Problems & Solutions 
1497 messages, Last post on Oct 17, 2006 at 8:34 PM
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Replying to: towcray (Sep 03, 2005 12:46 pm) The service writer suggested replacing the ignition key because of the security system. Got a new key. Two weeks later it shut down and back up driving down the highway. Back to the dealer it goes. |
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| I have read some other messages in regard to raising the front end 2 inches for free on a 2005 model. Does it work the same on the 2003 or do you have to buy the new torsion keys? | |
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We just bought a used 2003 Silverado 2500HD LS with a plow. It has a June 03 in-service date and approximately 19,000 miles on the odometer so there are about 9 months and almost 17,000 miles left on the original 3 yr / 36K Warranty. The "Pre-Owned" dealership wouldn't allow us to have a mechanic look at it before buying because it was still under warranty. In hindsight I should have insisted or walked away. The day we picked it up (Sat 9/24) it we saw smoke coming from under the hood about two minutes after we left the dealership. We took it right back and they sent us home saying we needed to angle the plow and that the temp was "in the range" at 190 degrees. We angled the plow but needless to say by the time we got home about ten minutes later the display was flashing three warning messages including "engine overheated" and you could smell coolant coming from under the hood. The temperature was approximately 210 degrees at that point. I took some digital pictures of the warning messages. Also, when we first took the vehicle it looked like there was a quarter tank of gas but it turns out it was almost empty. So it seems like the gas gauge is off. Having read a couple of posts here it sounds like the "fuel sender" may be broken. After calling the Pre-Owned lot shortly after arriving home we were sent to the Chevy dealership they are affiliated with. I should also note that when we dropped it off I saw some bubbled / flaking paint alongside the bottom of some door trim. Regarding the engine overheating, they gave a preliminary diagnosis yesterday (Monday 9/26) of a broken clutch fan which my husband says may be a recall item. My husband is now wondering if he should insist on a "Compression Test". Obviously I have a couple of questions. I would appreciate feed back from anyone with knowledge of similar issues on the Silverado 2500, especially if they understand the Massachusetts Lemon Law. If the repairs are done pursuant to the original warranty would that interfere with my ability to enforce the Lemon Law if it would otherwise apply? (I haven't actually looked up all the provisions of the Lemon Law yet). Would the flaking paint be covered under warranty? The Chevy dealer seems to be trying to refer us back to the Pre-Owned dealer on the paint issue (!?!). Should I take it to another Chevy dealership for a thorough going over, including the flaking paint and fuel gauge? This is something I had intended to do, instead of the pre-purchase inspection, to try and catch any existing warranty or recall issues on this vehicle. I guess I am wondering how long I should hang in there with this Chevy dealership. I am a little surprised at how indifferent the Chevy dealership seems to be at this point, only because I have had incredible service from Subaru on an original and extended warranty. In fact my local dealer fixed a recall item during the pre-inspection for a used vehicle before I even bought it!! I had always assumed that there was a profit incentive to identify and fix these problems. I know the labor rate is usually lower but I would think they would have to be pretty busy for it not to be worth their time to fix any problems. Do I need to be more patient until their non-warranty work slows down or --as a practical matter-- do I need to be concerned about their relationship with the selling / Pre-Owned dealership. Could the Chevy dealership be trying to protect them from any Lemon Law issues? If so, I should probably get it to another Chevy dealership for a thorough inspection as soon as possible. Finally, we had intended to keep this truck for 10 to 15 years. We will be purchasing the GM "Major Guard" extended warranty for newer vehicles with less than 24K miles. The $0.00 deductible / 4 year / 60K mile plan is only $1,560.00. The $0.00 deductible / 5 year / 75K mile plan is $2,800.00. Years 6 and 7 do not have a 15K average mile option; basically you have to decide between 6 years at 12K a year on average (72K miles) for $4,305.00 or 7 years at 10K a year (70K miles) for $4,425.00. The difference in price between years 6 and 7 is minimal. But notice if you go for the extra year you are getting 2000 miles less; so it's not like you can cover all your bases as long as you are willing to spend the extra money. Obviously that depends upon driving habits, but in our family it is a close call. The other factor is the likelihood of frequent or expensive repairs after the fifth or sixth year. Consumer Reports reliability rating suggests this is a pretty reliable vehicle through the sixth year from the in-service date, which would be year four of a GM extended warranty; but Consumer Reports doesn't have any data that would predict reliability for the fifth year and beyond on a warranty. I would appreciate feedback from anyone out there with a 1998 or 1999 Silverado, preferably the 2500 on what I might expect in years 5, 6, and 7 from the in-service date of this truck as far as the type, frequency, and expense of repairs. Thanks, ~CathMac |
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I have a follow up to my previous posting, # 688, as noted at the end of that posting, but not in the Title, I am looking for advice on what to do for an extended Warranty. One option I didn't outline, but am considering, is to get a shorter term such as 3 years / 36K miles just to get me through the first couple of years but with the option of doing a private party sale and transferring the balance of the warranty at that time. It's important to note that GM "Major Guard" warranties do not run from the In-Service date but rather the date of purchase of the extended warranty and from the miles on the vehicle at the time the extended warranty is purchased. I also wonder if it is a mistake to put too much emphasis on the Consumer Reports reliability data since it is for the Chevy C/K 1500, Silverado (1999 model change through 2004). How much would the 1500 and 2500 really have in common? It occurs to me that anyone who knows about GMC Sierras C/K 2500 might also have some useful insight. Finally, regarding the Lemon Law, we have not had an opportunity to have it inspected yet (we didn't have the selling dealer inspect it for us). If we don't see action from the selling Pre-Owned dealership or the servicing Chevy dealership soon would anyone recommend having it towed to another dealership for an inspection before the 7 day period for an inspection lapses? If I am looking at the calendar correctly, that only gives us until Friday, 9/30. I would appreciate any advice or feedback. Thanks again, ~CathMac |
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I have a 2001 Silverado 1500 with under 50K miles. When the truck idles, the low fuel light goes on when I am not low on fuel. It doesn't matter how much gas I have. It turns off when I step on the gas pedal. Any suggestions or solutions ? I don't want to take it to a dealer so they could charge me an outrageous price to fix it. Thanks. |
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The Chevy dealer should have a TSB on the clutch fan replacement......... I also snowplow commercial...........My 04 2500 hd will also overheat with the plow on in the summer. You just have to fiddle with the position of the plow to get max. airflow thru the radiator........................... Also driving slower would help keep the temp down.................. They even run 210 degrees in the winter when plowing or cruising with the blade in the winter. Does that truck have the factory VYU plow prep. pkg? (look at the code sticker in the glove box for code VYU). As far as "shoulda, woulda, coulda" I would of RAN from any dealer that wouldn't let me take any vehicle elsewhere for inspection before the sale. Esp. a pre owned plow truck.................... A GM extended warranty is a good idea. Remember you have till near the end of the mfrs.3/36 to purchase. I know there is a price diff. between buying it now before 24k miles. Check these guys for the lowest prices I have found for GMPP warranty. http://www.gmoutlet.com aka Black POC There is also a $250 upcharge for plow trucks also............... Good luck and keep us posted
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Replying to: obyone (Nov 16, 2004 11:43 am) Thanks! |
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Replying to: geo9 (Sep 27, 2005 6:17 pm) Of course we still plan on taking it to another Chevy dealership for a thorough inspection to catch any Warranty or recall issues and have them taken care of before the original manufacturer's warranty runs (approximately 9 months or 16,000 miles from now). I will pass the info about the summertime overheating (with the plow) on to my husband. Should we be concerned about 210 degrees with the plow in the winter? Is that "normal"? Oddly enough he has no specific plans to plow commercially but we are aware of the $250.00 surcharge on the warranty for damage resulting from plow use and the $250.00 surcharge for commercial use. We obviously will pay the plow upcharge and probably the commercial vehicle upcharge, just in case. (Although you can add the commercial upcharge later) The prices I quoted are from the Black POC dealership you referred me to. They were extremely helpful and informative over the phone. I would like to make the decision on the warranty by the end of the week/month since I was advised the warranty prices could go up as much as 7.7% at the beginning of next month. Otherwise I would wait until just before 24K miles when the price schedule changes. We are leaning towards the $0.00 deductible / 5 year / 75,000 miles since the price jumps $1,500.00 for the 6 year / 72,000 mile option (notice you get 3,000 miles less). Assuming the Consumer Report data for the Silverado 1500 has some relevance then the five year option would get us through the worst two years they have reliabity data for (looking at the 1999 and 2000). Unfortunately due to the major design change in 1999 there is no reliability data for 1998, which would give me a better idea of what we might be facing in the 6th and 7th year of a warranty. If you think of anything that might make me reconsider the year 6 or 7 option in the next couple of days (i.e.: frequence, cost of repairs) please post again. In any case, I would like to know a little more about the engine reaching 210 degrees with the plow on in the Winter. I'll be checking back. Thanks, ~CathMac
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Replying to: cathmac (Sep 28, 2005 3:28 am) warranty. I have been commercial plowing for a good 15 years and all with a full size GM. I have had my share of broken driveline parts- trans., trans. case, drive shaft. Never a motor or rear end problem. The transmissions I smoked were the 700-R never a L-480e. The only transfer case I broke was the auto-trac unit. The clutches burned up. I popped out a drive shaft or 5 because of u-joint wear........... But most repairs were on the 3 rd year before the warranty expired ! Also note I heavy tow my boat or camper also.................. I only kept 1 truck after warranty expired and had to BUY a new trans. Never again ! Now i trade them every 3 seasons before the warranty expires. Because of my GM employee/family connection, Gm card etc. I just swap them in and change over the plow and drive a new truck for a LOW payment. I usually buy a 2500 hd x-cab and in my area of NY a low mileage unit has a high resale value and sells quick. No I don't lease. I BUY the truck then lease it to my business. Then its a complete write off on both ends............... What kind of plow do you have? Good luck and keep us posted..................... 
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