The "could not replicate issue" verdict of doom

[pounamu]

I wonder how many of you have run into this at the dealer's: you have an issue with the car, but they claim they're unable to replicate it. Does this mean you're basically SOL? Do you take it to another mechanic or dealer? What if an issue happens more often when the car is under certain conditions (let's say, first thing in the morning, during the first 30 minutes of driving)? I'm sure this all depends on the dealer, but it seems to me that "could not replicate" is akin to them saying "we have no interest in helping you", and doesn't make me, as a consumer, particularly happy, mainly because it doesn't solve my underlying problem.

I'll add that in my particular case, I'll likely go to another mechanic and / or request for someone from Chevy to be there. Just wonder how you handled this issue when it came up for you.

 

[ahtoxa]

Well, you describe a general situation that really doesn't say much.

If your door won't ever stay shut, you bring it to the dealer and even though the door won't stay shut they tell you that they can't replicate the problem, then the dealer is trying to mistreat you.

If you bring the car into the dealer and say that you hear a noise that usually happens under 'this' condition, but can also happen under 'that' condition if this and that... Well, there are a lot of variables here.

While it's frustrating (been there done that many times), you have to consider this from the dealer standpoint. They don't know your car like you do, they don't drive it like you do or at all. So for them it's highly inefficient to try to have a tech chase down some noise and try to replicate it if they don't see any ECU fault codes or don't see any glaring problems. If they did that for everyone who came in for some weird noise that only happens during a summer solstice, then they'd have no techs around to do actual work.

Since you're the one that drives the car, you need to make sure that the issue can be replicated. If it can be, then your best bet is to replicate it for them and show. A tech cannot fix what he can't see and hear; vehicles are very complex and chasing down a random potentially trivial non-safety issue is VERY time consuming.


Techs aren't magicians. They are there just like everyone else - to get paid. To get paid, they need to do actual work. So, yes, they do need to spend time to help diagnose problems such as you describe, but if nothing was immediately found, they cannot afford to sit there and mess with it for a day. Such is life. Help them help you.

I didn't mean this in any degrading way, OP. It just sounds like you're frustrated over a fact of life. You have to work with people to get something back.

 

[Natesriv]

if it's audible, or visual, record it on your phone as it happens...that may help some.

 

[pounamu]

It's the shaking and vibration issue that I've seen other people here complain about. I went to the dealer, brought information from this forum with several alternative solutions, but they said they can't do anything since they can't replicate the issue. They checked the spark plugs but found them to be ok. I suppose I was hoping for them to have other suggestions for me, or possible solutions, apart from the ones I had to hunt down myself. I just don't think they know the vehicles as well as they should. This is similar to what I ran into while test driving my car. I knew more about the car's features and specs than the sales person.

I completely understand that they're there to make money and don't have a whole day to spend on my car; I don't expect them to. But since I went through the trouble of spending half of my day at the dealership, I think I'm entitled to the modest hope that they have enough savvy and experience to offer at least one solution or suggestion about my problem.

 

[whitnith]

I took my car in with a smell of coolant burning and a very low coolant tank. They told me it's fine and I'm smelling my air freshener. And then sent me on my way. I'm finding a new dealer.

 

[illsonic]

It's the transmission going into neutral when you come to a stop with your foot on the brakes you can feel the engine it feels like a very rough idle I was told there is a service repair for this the transmission must be pulled out of the car to replace the clutches .

 

[pounamu]

It's the transmission going into neutral when you come to a stop with your foot on the brakes you can feel the engine it feels like a very rough idle I was told there is a service repair for this the transmission must be pulled out of the car to replace the clutches .

Ah, thank you! I didn't know about pulling the transmission out. I told them about it being a neutral issue and that there is a service bulletin about it but apparently they were unable to find it. I guess the next person I'll take the car to will need to try a bit harder. The problem is that this doesn't occur every single time I put my foot on the brake, which makes me sound like a crazy person when I'm trying to explain it to the dealer. I almost wish the car would just throw a code so I can take it in with "proof".

And yes, it's like this very rough rhythmic shaking from the engine. So bizarre.

I'm also trying to understand how much vibration is normal in this car. Sometimes I can feel it in the steering wheel and in my headrests. Some people here say that's not normal.

 

[respdoc]

The best ones are when you go for a test drive with a mechanic....you both hear the sounds...but somehow they mysteriously disappear when it's in for service. Magic, I say.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Hello all,

I know it can be frustrating when your concern is difficult to replicate while at the dealership. Please make note of the conditions your vehicle are under when the concern arises to help the dealership recreate the concern. If you need assistance still, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as well.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[ss2000slp]

When a tech gets the repair order for your car to be fixed under warranty, unless he or she is very good at creative writing, they will get paid for 18 minutes of time to diagnose your car. That takes into consideration finding your car in the lot, road testing to verify the concern, and bringing it into the shop to take a look at what might be the problem.

The best way to get the problem solved is to be able to reproduce the issue. Sometimes this is impossible, but the majority of the time, intermittant problems have certain conditions that will trigger them. You know your car better than anyone working on it. If you notice it happens more when its cold out, or when the engine is warm, tell the service writer. The more information you can provide the better.

If it seems to happen more first thing in the morning after the car sits all night, make arrangements to leave it at the dealer. And after all this, if you still get the run-around, go to another dealer.

 

[TheFallenAngel12]

I know exactly what your getting at with the "Can Not Duplicate Problem" issue. With my Sonic. When i was having hell with my car making this godforsaken noise but could not figure out what or where it was coming from. every time i took it in, it wouldnt do it for them as it was only doing it when the car was first moved in the early mornings.

I had to resort to taking my camera with me when i started the car up and moved it first thing in the morning a few days and record what was being heard, then sent the files to the techs at the dealership, they analized the videos i sent them, i then dropped off my car and they kept it for a week to later determine i had some bad parts in the rear suspension. replaced them and now the car has been great ever since.

So yeah, been there done that. sucks, but you gotta be determined and proactive by doing whatever it takes to figure out and capture the culprit on video if applicable, and work with the tech at the dealership. Sometimes it takes a team effort to figure out an issue. For several months i had the "Can not duplicate" story given to me. thats when i recorded the issue and got it resolved. best of luck to you!!

 

[pounamu]

I know exactly what your getting at with the "Can Not Duplicate Problem" issue. With my Sonic. When i was having hell with my car making this godforsaken noise but could not figure out what or where it was coming from. every time i took it in, it wouldnt do it for them as it was only doing it when the car was first moved in the early mornings.

I had to resort to taking my camera with me when i started the car up and moved it first thing in the morning a few days and record what was being heard, then sent the files to the techs at the dealership, they analized the videos i sent them, i then dropped off my car and they kept it for a week to later determine i had some bad parts in the rear suspension. replaced them and now the car has been great ever since.

So yeah, been there done that. sucks, but you gotta be determined and proactive by doing whatever it takes to figure out and capture the culprit on video if applicable, and work with the tech at the dealership. Sometimes it takes a team effort to figure out an issue. For several months i had the "Can not duplicate" story given to me. thats when i recorded the issue and got it resolved. best of luck to you!!

Thanks so much! Yes, I think recording is a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, my particular issue isn't sound but feel, so can't be adequately captured on video. However, I will keep this in mind in case any other, recordable issues come up, and will definitely do what you did!

 

[Maddmatts]

I was having turbo issues all week. So naturally the day before I can get it into a dealership, it starts working again. They took it in anyways but I'm now waiting for that call with some variation of "No fault found".

 

[mihaipas]

I wonder how many of you have run into this at the dealer's: you have an issue with the car, but they claim they're unable to replicate it. Does this mean you're basically SOL? Do you take it to another mechanic or dealer? What if an issue happens more often when the car is under certain conditions (let's say, first thing in the morning, during the first 30 minutes of driving)? I'm sure this all depends on the dealer, but it seems to me that "could not replicate" is akin to them saying "we have no interest in helping you", and doesn't make me, as a consumer, particularly happy, mainly because it doesn't solve my underlying problem.

I'll add that in my particular case, I'll likely go to another mechanic and / or request for someone from Chevy to be there. Just wonder how you handled this issue when it came up for you.

Yes, that happened to me too. I took my Sonic to the dealership twice for the car shaking while idle at a stop light. They said they could not reproduce the problem both times. There's even a TSB out for this issue.
I took the car to have them look at grinding noise from rear left corner of the car when braking at low speeds. They said they could not hear anything so they did nothing to fix it. There's a TSB out for this as well. They still won't do anything about it.
Cabin air blower occasionally emits a high chirping sound on speeds 1 and 2. This is a known problem (check out the forum). They said they could not hear it and they did nothing about it.
I think they play this game because my car is under warranty. I'm sure once it is out of warranty and they can charge me for repairs, they will be more than glad to do the TSBs and replace the blower. Yeah... sucks to be a GM customer, doesn't it?

 

[laborsmith]

Keep your work order. Although I have not had a chance to test it, I have long been told one can get warranty coverage for a problem if there is documentation that indicates the problem arose during the warranty time frame. What better documentation than a work order describing it even if it could not be replicated at the time of the work order?


Laborsmith

 

[mitdr774]

If they can not duplicate the issue, have the service adviser come out to the car and duplicate it for them. Explain the exact conditions for the issue to happen. Having worked in the dealer I know how vague customers can be when bringing a car in for repair. Also, just because there is a TSB out for an issue that your car has it does not mean that the TSB applies to your vehicle. If a TSB lists specific options or VIN ranges and your vehicle does not fall under those areas the dealer will not be reimbursed for performing that TSB.

There were times where I had to have the customer come up to the dealer and show me exactly how to duplicate the issue.