We purchased our new 2021 Chevrolet Blazer at Bill Fox Chevrolet in Rochester Michigan. Once home, my wife spotted what she called a dark spot. Sure enough there was a small dent in the quarter panel. Worse yet, even after the dealer attempted to clean it off, I noticed yellow crayon markings from the plant acknowledging it was damaged at the factory. Upon pointing this out, the dealer attempted to fix it. The first attempt was not acceptable as the color was not matching and there was foreign material in their repair. They agreed to paint it again. I learned they do not use GM original paint, PPG I'd guess, but instead use the VW, or Toyota recommended brand as they also sell both. I was informed they had all the secret formulas to duplicate the original GM colors.
After the second attempt at pick-up the paint manager we dealt with was conveniently missing, paint was not blended into adjacent panel as promised and still not correct. Being a lease we agreed to accept it. The common thread is you don't buy GM products; you leased them so your problem goes away in 2 years.
Later after purchasing the vehicle, a big mistake just like the previous Traverse we purchased, we attempted to have all the rattles repaired before the so called warranty expired. There was a crack inside on the console which was repaired, other attempts made, yet after approximately 6, maybe more trips to the dealer it still was not repaired. I say approximately as we were not always supplied with warranty paper work. There's also a strange scratching sound from the driver's door glass which appeared when it was raining, yes, indeed odd. There is a TSB which involves a lot of , inspection, repairs, etc. to the left side of the car with the result...still an issue.
I then attempted to use Chevrolet Customer Assistance. As the service advisor warned, they were also useless. After finding someone I could understand, I quickly learned all they could do is give me the address of another Chevrolet dealer with the hopes of finding someone capable of repairing our vehicle.
We gave up on the Washington, Michigan dealership years ago due to service incompetence, denial of warranty issues (foreign material in the paint of my Silverado), etc. As years had passed and they may have more experience with rattles due to a more rural location we gave them a try. They did take a more serious approach and the dash rattles are much better. Unfortunately, they damaged the dash in two locations. Hey, it's better than it was. I didn't even mention the window noise to them assuming it would be a waste of time. I'm not sure but we question if our one and only door ding occurred there due to the tiny parking spaces and having our vehicle for approx. 10 days.
Why are GM products so poorly built and the dealer network so unreliable? My wife and I are both GM retirees. The only reason we've bought GM in more recent years is our discount. After the Traverse we swore we'd never buy GM again. I dumped that one on the Used Car lot where we purchased it in Washington, MI as they appeared unqualified to fix it. We tried Fox Chevrolet with our most recent purchase and come to the conclusion they're just as bad and doubt if others are any different as this is systemic. Do you really have a warranty when the dealer is incapable of repairs or, as in the Washington case, deny your complaint?
Most folks are not aware, but many years ago GM Engineering Staff proposed a special garage be established at the Warren Tech Center to address vehicles that cannot be fixed at the dealers. Management unfortunately disagreed. GM also looted and closed the vast majority of their training centers used to train and keep dealer mechanics up to date. Lowest bidder parts procurement doesn't help. The thief on the assembly line sabotaging vehicles and a poor design all contribute to the poor quality. Even the flat rate pay structure is a source of shoddy work.
Toyota still seems the way to go. read more