Warranty Help... Sonic in the shop again day 5!

[lezleena]

My 2012 Sonic Sedan ( 31,500 miles ) is BACK in the shop! After returning from our trip to Kentucky I had a list of things that needed fixed or I was going to lose my mind! I am fast approaching the 35,000 mile mark thus the end of my bumper to bumper warranty and I have yet to go more than 6 months with out a problem with my car I have a " District specialtist" involved though I am not sure who he is or what his job really is... he seems to be making the shop guys a little on edge which I guess is good? What upsets me is before I left on my trip I was told they thought I had a bad head gasket... then all the sudden, nope! just a bad thermostat... fixed it and sent me off on a 3,000 mile road trip with my family... during that time.... we smelled antifreeze often, the overflow container went completly empty again, the AC stopped working again & stuff would drip on my foot while I was driving...it was nerve wracking to wonder every day if this car was going to make it to our destination! But it did. We get home and get it back to the shop and today the call comes that..... my Sonic has a " Bad Head" and it's going to be at least 2 weeks before I get her back!! I am so stressed out.... this is my 1st Chevy, and my 1st brand NEW car.... it makes me want to cry thinking of all this stuff having to be replaced... has anyone else had these kind of problems? Am I just at the mercy of Chevy here?


My 2012 Sonic Sedan ( 28,335 miles ) was in the shop on 6/6 because it would not stay running... they found a bad spark plug and coil wire, replaced both and had it back to me on 6/7. I was thrilled and forgot how much power this little car was supposed to have! Gas mileage was back up to 33 MPG ( I had been down to 26 ) and I was Happy! Happy! Happy! ... wednesday my AC stopped working.... but only for a day.... then went back to normal.... and then Friday my ears told me something again was not right... I got out and listened to the hood as my son got in and we headed off to a baseball game... it was just too loud.... we hopped onthe interstate and about 3 minutes later the AC again stopped working... another 2-3 minutes the temperature gauge began to flash... 2-3 minutes later dinging started.... I pulled over and called the shop... and before you know it I am in another dealership!
I call them today to check on things because we are scheduled to go out of town for my son's National Baseball Tournament from Tuesday June 18th to June 28th. So I kinda NEED my car! They returned my call and said it has failed 1/2 of a broken block test!!! OMG I am freaking OUT! So I need to know IF the block is broken does the warranty allow me to keep the loaner car? What are my rights? I have no credit card, I have no plan B to get my son to this tournament other than MY SONIC?!
And I drive like a ...... MOM ..... so how does one get a cracked head gasket or block or whatever? I am so confused?

 

[severous01]

as a mechanic from dodge, toyota, gmc, BMW, i can honestly say that every manufacturer has at least some issues with every aspect of every model. that being said, you can expect some problems from just about every car. i'm sorry that you've had issues with your car but you must understand that cars are machines. and machines have wear parts and fail parts. every part on this car is either electronic or mechanical and both fail.

on the good side though, even though you have a unlimited 36k warranty...the drivetrian (engine and transmission) are dovered for a full 100k. even the turbo (if equipped). and the exhaust is covered for 130k (catalytic converter). so....all the issues you have should be covered regardless.

spark plugs and coils are wear items so they arent covered...but should be found readily enough and cheap enough not to worry. plus they're easy to identify as problems by switching to other cylinders. but, it's a new engine and a new car, plus you got the first model year so there will be issues.

having a DM/district manager or an engineer/specialist on your tickets should be a great thing. all you gotta do next time you have a problem is mention his/her name and ppl should jump to resolve your issues. that's the way BMW was any way, and when she was in town i seriously had bad days if i had a car that i couldnt fix right then, right now...in front of her. she got everyone involved from cali to NYC and miami. either way, dont get discouraged because you have issues. just take a few smart steps to get it corrected quickly