General Motors Corporation
Gm's intake manifold gaskets, inherent imperfection within this engine ripoff

Please note that all the repairs described herein were performed by AUTHORIZED GM SERVICE CENTERS, except for those repairs performed after the expiration of all warranties, which I performed.By the way, all the repairs I performed are still holding strong, functioning properly, and not leaking.

I purchased the Pontiac March and shortly thereafter began looking over the paperwork that my neighbor had accumulated pertaining to the car: Aug. 1999 (inv.#PNCS93574) trunk trim loose and horn inoperative, Apr. 2000 (inv.#PNCS104108) front (suspension) sway bar bushings replaced, repeating brake squeak (nothing found). These incidents were not alarming, but the invoice for Dec. (inv. #PNCS115974) with 24,672 miles on the odometer, was of concern fluid leaking replace intake manifold seals. I asked my neighbor what he was told by the service department when this was discovered, and he understood this to be one of those things that slipped through the cracks of GM's quality control, and a new set of gaskets would fix it right up. Well, nothing else to do but acknowledge his words and hope for the best. I got the worst. Within one month of ownership and barely 1,000 miles later, my wife and I noticed fluid leaking from the engine. On the way to the dealership to investigate this matter the alternator failed. They replaced the alternator and inserted an engine dye to isolate the origin of the leak. They requested that the dye remain in the engine for the life of the oil change to insure complete testing. Upon returning to the dealer with only 27,931 total vehicle miles, their service department discovered and confirmed some irregularities that my wife and I had observed (invoice #PNCS128189/Oct. 2001): 1) leak found in heater core remove and replace, 2) rack and pinion steering unit leaking remove and replace, and 3) ANOTHER INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAK REMOVE AND REPLACE GASKETS! There is something screwy going on around here! Okay, take a deep breath, I thought to myself. I must balance courtesy with concern. There were no words that Muller-Hood Pontiac could say to me that could either console or convince me that the future of this car held a brighter outcome. Their explanations and responses to my questions were generic and bogus, and I knew that there was AN INHERENT IMPERFECTION WITHIN THIS ENGINE, and very possibly other components either attached to or in the vicinity of the engine. I can't afford a new car, I shouldn't have to think about a new purchase. I was amazed and almost in disbelief at the quickness with which the dealer became comfortable with the discovered failures and repeated failures that were plaguing my vehicle. Tell GM about these problems that are far too premature, I exclaimed. This happens once in while, my guys are good. It won't happen again, he replied. Yada Yada Yada, Blah Blah - Blah! My God, my car is just starting to become broken in, right? It's not starting to break down, right? There was SILENCE! He paused and looked down at the ground momentarily, and while raising his head with a smile he reminds me you at least have the extended warranty. Thank God for the extended warranty! I was recalling my experiences with GM vehicles dating back to my late teens/early twenties. Certainly GM doesn't stand for Gigantic Maintenance like it did back in the day, or did it? They used to at least wait until the 30-40 thousand mile mark before their first major expense, didn't they? I knew what the future would probably bring, so I purchased assurance by acquiring TWO NEW HONDA automobiles, for my son and my wife. How distressing to have the justified feeling that my GM vehicle with only 28,000 miles was NOT RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION! It had never been reliable. My wife can't drive this car at night. The Hondas have performed flawlessly, with 16,000 miles on one car and 55,000 miles on the other to date. The Honda dealer even took care of a minor issue when my son's car was 3,000 over warranty. Now that's customer service and support! The combination of my pleasant after purchase experiences with the dependability factor of a Honda ensures my return for future purchase considerations. WOW, what a concept. Treat them well after the sale of a car and they will tell their friends, relatives, etc., and probably buy our product again. Your damn right they will. I will be constructing a letter of praise for Honda Motors in the future. Muller Hood Pontiac had since serviced the car only two additional times, for routine oil changes. During this period my wife stated to the service department that we still could smell anti-freeze through the vents, long after the second intake manifold and heater core leaks were resolved. Of course we suggested that perhaps we have yet another leak, but the service manager stated that the continued smell was coming from the evaporator case assembly, which enclosed the heater core. You see, it was explained to us that cleaning the evaporator case from the spillage and spraying caused by the leaking heater core was an additional charge and not included in the job description of heater core replacement. If we wanted that assembly cleaned we should have expressed that desire prior to the beginning of service. I couldn't believe my ears! You don't need to know the words that were exchanged with the dealer upon understanding their policy and procedure. Shortly thereafter, Muller Hood was gone. (Nah, really?) I was neither relieved nor excited because just as soon as soon as you are free from one VIRUS, there's another one right on its tail to take over. Enter Dutton Motors.

As the weeks and months passed, I anticipated the development of other maladies, as well as a repeat performance from the intake manifold gaskets. Without missing a beat: the water pump failed, the serpentine belt frayed, the weather stripping began lifting, the coolant reservoir was cracking (plastic), the power window motor ceased to function, various push-pins and retainers cracked, split, or were to brittle to remain in use, there was a manufacturer's recall (not the recall that is long overdue), and no repair list would be complete without - another (the third) intake manifold gasket leaking and requiring replacement. There are now barely 40,000 miles on this well maintained car. This confirms why for many months I could smell increasing concentrations of anti-freeze vapors through the air vents whenever I used the AC or heater. The leak is now at a slightly faster rate than the hot engine can vaporize the visual evidence. I can now see what I have smelled. A long overdue phone call from my home to GM was in order. There is clearly an indisputable manufacturing oversight or repeating materials malfunction that the designers and engineers of GM should be anxious to explore and resolve. I felt certain that, given all these facts, GM would see that the failures on my vehicle have been with such frequency and magnitude, that it now falls well outside the realm of what ANY consumer MIGHT expect or anticipate to fail or rupture on ANY automobile within a 40,000-mile period. This is NOT the defect free vehicle that was bargained for under the terms of the original, or any, warranty, therefore the warranty does NOT pertain to THIS VEHICLE. Wouldn't GM NOW see that a defective product had been released to the public? I could not have been more nave.

My wife and I spoke to Rayma Knight at GM's customer service at their corporate headquarters. We explained that the characteristics that this vehicle has exhibited have greatly exceeded even the most extreme anticipations that accompany the purchase of any automobile. We informed her that by placing the phrase GM intake manifold leaks in an internet search engine will yield thousands of websites with testimonials, forums, documentation, and even GM's inter-company bulletin acknowledges the anticipated complaint from customers concerning the intake manifold leaking problem. (See GM Service Bulletin # 03-06-01-010 March). Furthermore, if an engine leaks coolant to the point where it is observed externally, especially for the third time, then there is a very strong probability that at some point the coolant also leaked internally, thereby mixing with the lubricant (oil), to an unknown degree, compromising the efficiency of the oil and the longevity of all internal parts. We expressed our dissatisfaction with engine's performance and insisted that we not be held responsible for a sub-standard product. I explained, though, that it had not yet been diagnosed by an AUTHORIZED GM SERVICE CENTER, but I explained that I am a very thorough weekend mechanic for 30 years and qualified to identify this particular substance and its origin, but she stated that an AUTHORIZED GM SERVICE CENTER must perform the diagnoses before the issue would be considered by GM. We agreed, and she conference called Steve Philips at Dutton Motors of Riverside to set up the appointment. I told my wife that perhaps, just perhaps this is just a formality to confirm the problem of which I understood GM to be aware. WHAT WORLD DO I LIVE ON! The diagnosis the next day, which we paid for, confirmed the intake manifold as the culprit, and the service manager Steve sounded sincerely understanding of our situation, according to my wife. She said he stated supportive remarks, in his own words that this failure is not right, something should be done, and this shouldn't have occurred with such low mileage since the last repair. We took our results back to the ears of Rayma Knight at GM, who had been in contact with Steve at Dutton to hear the diagnosis and opinion directly. We learned that Dutton and GM would not assist us any further on this issue. Rayma Knight latched on to the time and mileage limit of the warranty like a life preserver, groping for anything in her handbook of appeasing responses that might convince us that GM has ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSIBILITY on this issue. She found nothing. Its out of warranty, its out of warranty, like a broken record. She was adamant that this was a routine maintenance issue. I replied, OH MY GOD!!! You have to be kidding. There is nothing routine about 3 consecutive leaks on the same part within a 40,000 mile period. I further expressed that a product that has never met the requirements for a new vehicle, as understood by both buyer and seller, to be FREE OF MATERIAL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP DEFECTS, must be exempt from the conditions of the contract or warranty if the product was inaccurately, fraudulently, or otherwise misrepresented at the time of the sale, WHETHER THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE DEFECTS OR NOT! Rayma Knight, an admittedly entry level GM customer service assistant with no technical or mechanical knowledge, concluded that not only is the work out of warranty, but we (GM) can't even substantiate the frequency of the oil changes and tire rotation from the time the car was no longer being taken to the dealer for routine service, therefore there's nothing else we can do. What a stupid statement for her to make. She never even asked me for receipts for oil changes or tire rotations or any proof of the work that I have performed. We never even discussed those issues! What does that have to do with 3 intake manifold leaks within a 40,000-mile period anyways, I asked. I could see what I was up against. It was also stated to me that the quality of the workmanship concerning the previous repairs could not be verified! But the work was performed by AN AUTHORIZED GM DEALER, I exclaimed! Isn't that who GM recommends, and in some cases insists, perform service on your vehicles, I added. It's out of warranty, she replied. I have never heard such a pitiful and inane series of attempts to shut the customer down. After asking her 3 times for the name of her supervisor, she reluctantly told me, Harold Perez. I asked to speak with him, but he was not available. She assured me that by Monday or Tuesday, December 26th or 27th, I would be contacted by either Mr. Perez or an interim supervisor. One week later, I still haven't received even a courtesy call from GM or Mr. Perez. I'm not surprised.

We called Steve Philips to find out what happened to the support that we sensed we would receive in the event that GM called him, which they did. His wavering support had turned to indifferent neutrality. He was indirect and vague, being careful not to suggest liability towards GM. He is on GM's payroll, so to speak. He did state that I might have contributed to my problem by NOT putting enough miles on the car. I realized quickly that I was contributing to an empty and pre-decided conversation. I had and heard enough. I ended the conversation in a friendly manner. To add insult to injury, Steve did provide my wife with a $1,224 estimate to repair the intake manifold leak. I have since obtained an $800 quote from a different authorized GM service center. This is NOT a misprint. Dutton Motors is 50% more expensive than the other local GM dealers, and if I find myself taking my car to the other dealer, I will discuss those experiences in future journals, whether those experiences are positive or negative.

Paul & Linda
Riverside, California
U.S.A.

Company: General Motors Corporation
Country: USA
State: Michigan
City: Detroit
Phone: 8669524368
Site: gm.com

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