I own a 2002 GMC Envoy and two days before my three-year warranty expired on January 28th I was left stranded with a dead battery. I tried to jump start my vehicle a couple of times without success.
Because it was a Friday night I called the 1 (800) roadside assistance number for GMC. I gave the operator my information and she confirmed that my vehicle was indeed under warranty. She even offered to have a tow truck tow me to the nearest dealer. I said I would try to jump it again in the morning before I make the decision to have it towed. The next morning when I went to jump it I realized the positive cable had corrosion all over it. I cleaned it off thoroughly and it still did not start when I tried to jump it. I noticed the positive post was totally ruined so I went to the nearest auto parts place and bought a new bolt/post and replaced the corroded one and my Envoy started right up.
On Tuesday February 1st I brought my vehicle in for an oil change and to have the battery checked at the dealership Crown Buick where I purchased my Envoy. I informed the technician of the trouble I had over the weekend and told him exactly what I did to get it started. When I went to pick my car up that evening I looked at my invoice and my bill was over $70. I asked the cashier about the extra charge for cleaning of the battery tray and she said that she would call my service advisor Ed. Ed came over and explained that I was over the 36,000 miles the warranty covers.
I actually had 37,191 miles on my vehicle. I explained to Ed that I understood about being over the 36,000 miles but I have a seven-year battery. Ed continued giving me a drawn out explanation about the warranty and what was covered and not. I next explained to Ed that he never called me to get my approval to perform any work besides checking my battery and changing my oil.
Later that night I decided to do some research on the Internet to look into buying my own AC Delco battery. To my amazement I found a website (http://usacomplaints.com/Auto-Parts/AC-Delco-GM/ac-delco-gm-battery-leaking-384AB.htm)
That had postings of other GM owners' who have experienced the same problem I am having with a corroded positive battery post.
The next day I called Crown Buick GMC and asked to speak to the service manager Jerry Gretch to inform him of my problem and what I discovered about the defective battery. He said that he would see what he could do and call me back. I gave him 24 hours and he did not call me back. And when I called Mr. Gretch he said that he spoke to his manager and there was nothing they could do for me. I suggested that they should at least refund me the $40 fee for cleaning my battery that I never approved and had already had cleaned.
I cannot believe that GM and AC Delco can get away with such a scam. I have even come to find out that GM owns AC Delco, which makes GM look even worse. I will definitely continue informing every GM owner I come in contact with of this problem. A handful said that they have already experienced the same problem with their battery. If I would have been aware of this before I purchased my vehicle I would have purchased another make and model.
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