I had my 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Duramax towed to Wheelers in Abbotsford on March 30, 2019 because I believed there was water in the fuel line (based on the message I was getting on the Driver Information Center). I had changed my fuel filter that day and after driving 1-1/2 miles, it died and the "Water in Fuel" message was permanently on. I spoke with the service center in Marshfield before having it towed because in the past the Abbotsford location did not have diesel mechanics. I was assured that they had diesel mechanics there and that they could fix my truck for me at that location.
I received a call from the mechanic (I am purposefully withholding his name as a courtesy) that when the old fuel filter was taken off, one of the seals was stuck in there, so there were two seals and that was causing air to get in the fuel lines and that was why my truck was dying. That sounded reasonable, so I asked him about the "Water in Fuel" message. He stated that the message is still on, so they just disconnected the sensor and I won't get the message any more. He stated that there was no water in the fuel, so it's OK. I asked him how he could be sure there was no water in the fuel when the brand new sensor that I just bought at NAPA and installed with the fuel filter two days previous still indicated water in the fuel. He said that they looked at the fuel in the filter and there was no water in it, because you would be able to see it. So, for $225 they replaced the fuel filter with a "genuine GM part" and were going to have me drive my truck with the sensor disconnected. Keep in mind that if there IS water in the fuel, it can cause catastrophic engine failure! I spoke with some other mechanic friends to confirm this.
I then called the mechanic back and advised that I was not comfortable driving my truck with the sensor disconnected, and that they should not be sending it home with me with the sensor disconnected as their fix. This issue could potentially destroy the engine. He stated that because I had just bought the sensor and put it on myself, that he assumed I would want to replace it. Because this is such a bad situation, I did not even want to drive the truck 8 miles to my home. I cannot afford to have my engine destroyed because they decided to simply unplug the sensor so the warning light is not on any more! I do not understand why they thought I would want to replace it myself and not fix my truck properly. It was a lousy $40 part that I could return after it was replaced if it was the sensor that was bad. I advised the mechanic of my discussion with the service person in Marshfield and further advised that if they are not capable of handling my truck because it's a diesel, then they need to have a diesel mechanic from Marshfield come to Abbotsford to look at it.
He then asked me if I wanted him to order the GM sensor and put it on. I stated that yes, I wanted that done so we know for sure if it was a bad sensor or there is some other problem.
When I went to pick up my truck today, on April 2, 2019, I immediately looked it over to see if they had actually replaced and plugged in the sensor and they did. It was agreed that they would not charge me labor for installing it. However, apparently, they don't even have the most basic of parts, because they did not even have any of the little "clips" or whatever they are called to put the fender wall back on. I told him I would bring them, because I just bought a bunch of them and they could put it back on for me.
I handed the mechanic the little clip things for the fender wall. He looked at them like he had no idea what they were. I said, "so you can put the fender wall back on." His response was "Oh, uhm, we don't have time to do that now." Seriously? I just gave a very disgruntled sigh and said fine, I'll do it myself. They simply left it in the bed of my truck for me to put back on. THEY COULDN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO PUT MY TRUCK BACK TOGETHER PROPERLY!! WHO DOES THAT?????
I am absolutely horrified that the Wheeler's dealership in Abbotsford felt it was acceptable to return my truck to me with the sensor simply unplugged so that the warning message is no longer visible. That warning is to prevent potentially catastrophic engine failure! I'm also completely disgusted that they could not even be bothered to put my truck back together properly. This is the second time in less than two weeks that my family has been completely and utterly disgusted by the way we were treated at a Wheeler's dealership. This is not just a coincidence. Obviously, this is standard operating procedure for Wheeler's dealerships. read more