[MeanGoat]

Little help here guys, specifically those of you who work in a service department.

As I know I've posted before, my steering wheel is making a 'vinyl on vinyl' rubbing sound and I'm pulling my hair out here. (not that I had much left to begin with)

I've taken it in to the dealership for the problem twice. Each time, they grease the shet out of my steering column and tell me they "can't recreate the issue" and that it's fixed.

It is a very consistent issue lately. Firstly, the cold weather brought it out about three months ago. Basically, two things continue to bring it out and make it annoying noticeable:

1. I've driven the car for more than 30 minutes. This meaning it is fully warmed up. It does not make this noise just started up.
2. The temperature outside is below 60 degrees.
3. When you tirn the steering wheel at a slow to medium speed, it sounds as if you've got two records next to each other and are sliding them against each other so that the grooves grind. Highly technical, I know, but this is the EXACT sound.

When the dealership works on it, I know they haven't driven it enough to have the issue occur. I have explained and even offered that if the Service manager wishes to drive the car for a week, he is more than welcome to in order to find and correct the problem.

How many times do I take it back before I just blow the place up? They look at me like I'm crazy. It is seriously taking away the enjoyment of owning the car.

help :willy:

 

[DK2F]

tell them to come along on a ride with you, and that you will drive until its recreated, MAKE SURE they hear it and raise hell if they try to bull****...haha...i just think at the service dept, your not there to make friends when it comes down to business, unless they are completely satisfactory, i say complain complain complain like a 5 year old in toys r us. do not stop until your problem is solved, talk to higher authority etc etc...i dont know what else to say because im sure you know to do this, but thats all the help i can give lol.

 

[MeanGoat]

Appreciate it.

I have always believed that you you 'attract more flies with honey' and it is my standard approach when dealing with people whom I need something from. I have been in enough crappy jobs in my previous life to know that I would rather help out a friendly person than someone who is being a jerk.

But I am appraching defcon 'jerk' with this issue. I'm trying to guage the severity of the issue and determine whether I might be expecting something un-reasonable. However, when it literally takes the enjoyment out of driving the car I feel that it has gone too far.

 

[SilverGoat]

It is easier to help out someone being nice than the jerk. Being persistent and forceful don't necessarily need to mean being a jerk. Keep after them. I had a Dakota that had engine problems that the dealership couldn't "reproduce." Even took the owner out for a drive who, of course, couldn't hear anything. Called for arbritration and had the car bought back. I was later told by one of the service techs that there was a recall to fix the problem I was having a couple months after they bought the car back.

PS I'm having a hard time understanding how the car could be cold when its 60 out. I won't see that until mid May at least. Should be about -5 tonight and tomorrow.

 

[MeanGoat]

...

PS I'm having a hard time understanding how the car could be cold when its 60 out. I won't see that until mid May at least. Should be about -5 tonight and tomorrow.

:lol:

I grew up in OH and can remember that kind of weather. Gotta love the temps down here. It was in the upper 40's this afternoon and brrrrrr it was cold.

Alright, maybe it's when the temp is 45 to 55 degrees that it occurs and I should ammend the original post.

Either way, I don't want to burn a bridge here as their sales department is kick-a$$ and I plan on buying my next car from them. I need an alignment soon, so I think I'll take the day off of work and go down and drive a tech around for the better part of the morning. My sheer willingness to waste this much of my as well as their time should show I mean business.

 

[rwilson831]

I finally got the service dept. at my dealership here in vegas to replace my rear differential. I have had the car for a year and a half. Every time I took the car in for an oil change I would tell them I hear a grinding sound coming from the rear end when I start in first gear. They could never seem to hear it. I finally got to the right guy and they replaced my rear diff in 4 hours. No grinding sound! It almost seemed as if they didn' t want to do the work. I thought the dealership made money off of warranty work.

 

[b_a_betterperson]

Take the car in when it's already warmed up and creating the problem. Any service department worth their salt would be willing to have either an advisor or tech to take a minute or two to look at it.

Otherwise, just start documenting stuff in writing. Date and mileage of first visit, second visit, etc. The dealer will recognize that you're building a lemon law case against them -- and finally wake up.

As for being nice vs. being a jerk -- yeah, being nice is always the first way to go. But sometimes you need to make a point if people aren't responding. If I was a nice guy with all my employees and vendors -- nothing would ever get done.

 

[Dragon 32]

What is a Record?????? lol j/k...