VTI transmission replaced--how many times?

mblake · 09-28-2003, 09:23 AM

I will report this like Joe Friday on Dragnet would: Just the facts...

I have a 2003 VUE vti FWD

It had a constant grinding noise in slow speeds which I reported regularly.
Dealership was "unable to duplicate".
The transmission died on the road at 12,000. Tranny was filled with metal shavings and melted. Computer gave a Heat Code. Tranny was 1 qt. low in fluid, and had never been checked by dealership, indicating VUE came from factory 1 qt. low in transmission fluid. This in spite of each timely maintenance paper stating "All Fluids checked and topped off". VUE has no transmission dip stick to check fluid levels.

Saturn replaced the transmission. It only took the mechanics 5 hours to replace the tranny, but it took Saturn Coporate (Tech) 5 days to decide to allow them to replace it. Their official statement "We regret any inconvenience." Their regret did not replace my lost wages for the entire day they deliberated over providing a rental car for me during the week of their decision making. A courteousy car was denied, by the way. Go figure.

1,000 miles later on this replaced tranny, spongy and unreliable acceleration is now frequent between 35 and 55 mph.

Now, at 2,000 miles, a grinding roar upon acceleration from stand-still
with Tachometer (sp?) needle hanging out at 4 x rpm.

The CAC Supervisor I've been told I HAVE to always speak with, has miraculously made this about "ME with a problem", rather than about a Saturn product with a problem. I am treated like an enemy combatant. FYI, we are a 2 Saturn car customer, currently owning a sedan also. She knows this, and it doesn't seem to impress upon her that our family has been loyal Saturn customers for over 5 years. ( The sedan has not had any major problems, thankfully.) This is childish but true, the CAC supervisor is mean to me, and that is just exhausting to deal with. And I promise I have not been rude to her even once. I can swear to that. Her exact comment to me when she denied an extended warranty coverage was, "This vehicle has only had one repair, that does not qualify for extended warranty."

Hum, let's review...the one repair? A transmission consisting of metal shavings and melted metal at 12,000. If I were Saturn, having the small amount of market share they currently have, I would OFFER the best extended warranty possible to my customer, not make them ASK, and then be denied.

Most Important Fact of All - sheer and total dread of dealing with this again.

I have to have the VUE towed over to the dealer.

Any Advice? Do I need an attorney now? Do I run not walk to a Toyota?

ke6960 · 09-28-2003, 12:13 PM

i would call an attorny and ask them they would know for sure if u kanor should take any legal action....

DILLIGAF · 09-28-2003, 01:40 PM

sorry to hear about that man...........just a bit of advice, if I were you, I would start recording ALL phone conversations with whomever you talk to, ( you must let them know it is being recorded or it will be inadmissable ) and start keeping very accurate records of EVERYTHING. Everything that goes wrong, and everytime you report it, then seek legal advice. Trust me, w/out records or proof of how they treat you, theres not much that can be done.

Joeybagodonuts · 09-28-2003, 04:48 PM

dude thats plain wrong! first the tranny, even if you were ragging on it, no new tranny should fail that soon, i mean, im not abusive on my truck, but my thaoes at the 100k mark and i tow saturns across alligator alley ( a 100 mile long desolate stretch of swamp in 110 degree heat, i do bilstien flushs every 6 months or so, but thats it, a new tranny should NOT fail, unless of course you were doing really really dumb **** like nutral drops at 4k rpm. but i get the feeling your not and this is another case of saturn not stepping up to the plate, they designed it, they took your money for it, a rental/loaner car should have been made immditiatley available to you with an im sorry, lets get you off to work and well handle it on our end" type of statement.
id call saturns cac number and start documenting your treatment, that manager should never be condescending to you but should be apoligetic your new vue is broke down!
id be pissed, if the second tranny is doing it again, when it goes i YOU WRITE ON THE WORK ORDER, second time in for same repairs, see theyll reword it slightly diffrent cause if the same thing fails 3 times, or is about to, it qualifys under lemon law, so saturn has a way of rewording each service record so it SOUNDS like its a different problem. make sure you are on the defensive, you need to be, you may have a lemon and you need to have paperwork to back it up.

Revolver · 09-28-2003, 06:10 PM

I can not stand the service departments at car dealerships. Saturn is supposed to be about the customer service

. My GF's new Ion had what looked like either wax or paint speckles all over the non painted plastic parts. When we took it in they tried to blame it on her letting someone paint near the thing. It wasn't until she had them call me and let me rip into the guy did he take a second look and admit to their mistake, and it being wax.

They also are too dumb to listen to you when you explain how a problem is happening. We told them the cruise control motor will not stop and will begin clicking when you go up a steep grade. What does the moron do...takes it down a flat road and turns on the cruise control, and tells me that little noise it makes is normal. No **** Sherlock....it only happens on steep hills when the sensor doesn't tell the motor that the gas pedal is fully compressed.