Got the Leak (UPDATE 2-25-04)

mine is exactly like that too acually they said the same to me that they pressure tested it and its not leaking, well that was a month ago and today i was checking my oil and looked over and my coolant tank was empty so i was not to happy it goes in tommorow morning issed: issed:

Anyone from Canada know how much the dealer charges to replace the intake manifold gaskets???

Originally posted by 99blackalero@Mar 2 2004, 01:12 AM
im almost afraid to open my hood now...if i do have a leak how serious of a problem is it to get ifxed, basically i mean does it have to be fixed ASAP or is it still safe to drive for a bit

As long as you still have coolant and oil, and your oil isn't full of coolant, you're ok for a little while. Don't drive it cross country, but you'll be fine 'till you get the money to fix it, or whatever. Just keep your eye on the levels.

Anyone do this job themselves? I am assuming by the price the dealer is asking to do it that it is a little complicated. Any one have a procedure?

Thanks,
Ben

The Haynes manual has a how-to for it. I was gonna do it myself, but since it seems that we will probably get this on a recall (eventually), I'll let GM gift part of it and pay the rest. It'll get reimbursed once the recall hits.

My dealer did confirm that it is leaking. Quoted me $675.00 plus tax. So now I'm waiting for a call-back from Siras at Olds.

My dealer also quoted me high, but it got a lot lower ($600 down to $400) with goodwill money. When they use goodwill money they have to charge it as if it's warranty, using GM's guidlines for labor time.

Anyone know if the "goodwill money" extends to Canada? I looked in my engine bay ylast night and I'm sure I have the problem as well..... :wah:

[King Asoka]

Originally posted by Maverick@Mar 4 2004, 06:47 PM
Anyone know if the "goodwill money" extends to Canada? I looked in my engine bay ylast night and I'm sure I have the problem as well..... :wah:

i got them to goodwill the whole thing. The reason was because it had low Km's and i had all the previous work done at the dealer. Good luck everyone! GM really should do a recall on this and the rotors!! its a little ridiculus!

any one had any problems affter its been fixed? mine was fixed like a year ago with the new gasket part number. The low colant light will come on in the morrning if you don't let the car warm up and you get on it a lil, i just let it warm up.....

I haven't had the leak reappear, but it's only been a few months for me. If it's leaking again this soon, the dealer may fix it for free. Take it in for an oil change and talk a mech into taking a quick look at it.

[King Asoka]

i havent had a ny problems yet. Whenever im under the hood i always check on the intake to see if there are any noticable leaks. Ive had it done since last summer.

Originally posted by alerosport.com@Mar 4 2004, 10:16 PM
any one had any problems affter its been fixed? mine was fixed like a year ago with the new gasket part number. The low colant light will come on in the morrning if you don't let the car warm up and you get on it a lil, i just let it warm up.....

Uhhhh.... if your low coolant light is coming on, then your probably....now stay with me.... low on coolant. Instead of just letting it warm up in the morning, why don't you check the coolant level in the tank, then add some????

Sorry. The original post was responding to a real old post that's already been dealth with. Please ignore.

Originally posted by Kicker@Mar 3 2004, 03:13 PM
Anyone from Canada know how much the dealer charges to replace the intake manifold gaskets???

Kicker, I talked to one of the local dealers here in Winnipeg just the other day to inquire about this issue.

He said that in the cases that have come through where the vehicle has been off warranty, they've covered it, but only after authorization from higher up. You might need to make a racket. (See the thread under the Canada / Winnipeg section).

Well, after getting a good feeling about my initial conversation with Siras at Olds, I have not heard from him since. I've now left him 2 messages with no response. There better be a damn good excuse. If I don't hear from him tomorrow, I'll just call the Olds customer service number and talk to the first person who comes on. After this kind of treatment, I'm not going to be satisfied unless they cover the whole bill.

[smokinAMD]

Well, I've had this fixed once in the past. And guess what? I have to fix it once AGAIN.

Well, here's an update. I called the 442-OLDS number and talked to the first representative I could. Told him everything that has happened, and that I was pretty pissed at the service I've gotten. He was cool, and said he would call the dealership right now to get it resolved. At this point I got a little leary.

Before he called the dealership, he asked me a few questions: 1) do you get your regular maintenance done there? (No) 2) Have you had any large out-of-pocket expenses on the car? (sort of... brakes, which they screwed up anyway.... and they wonder why I don't get my regular service done there!!) 3) Is this your first GM? (No my third, and the last two were bought new, from the same dealership)

So I was then on hold for about ten minutes while he called the service manager at my dealership. He came back on and said that Mark (the service manager) wants to "review your history" before he makes the decision whether or not to give assistance, and he would know tomorrow (which is today).

I then told him that I was under the impression that GM made that decision, not the dealership. He said that it is really up to the dealer, then customer service must back the dealer. At this point I knew what was going to happen.

So just as I was walking out of work today, my phone rings in my office. I saw the 866 number on my caller ID and knew who it was. So Matt from GM customer service says he has some bad news. The service manager will not recommend assistance, and GM has to go with what the dealership recommends. I told him it was bullpoop. He said he could offer me a customer loyalty coupon for my next GM vehicle purchase equal to the amount I pay for the repair. I told him that if they didn't give me any support here, that I would NEVER buy a GM product again, so the coupon would do no good. He said OK and told me he was closing the file as "dissatisfied." What a rooster.

Sooooo.... As I was driving out of the parking lot, my car just mysteriously turned toward the dealership. I went there and stood at the service counter until the manager came out, and in front of a bunch of customers, said very loudly, "I just wanted to thank you for your support of a loyal customer, you screwed me." He asked what I was talking about and I told him I had just talked to Matt at GM, who said that you had denied my claim. He told me that he has no power to do that, and that Matt had only called him to get the service history of the car!! He then basically said all of the customer service people are roosterheads, and asked for Matt's phone number and extension. He left a message for Matt to call him ASAP, and told me he will call me as soon as he talks to him.

Mark asked me what I wanted out of it in the first place, and I told him, "well, originally I was looking for 50/50, but with all of the trouble I've been through, tell him you want the whole thing covered." He said he would give it a try. So, now I'm waiting again. Hopefully I'll hear back from him tomorrow. Oh, yea, he also kind of reamed me out for my little outburst in front of his other customers, and I apologized. He said he understood.

Wow...thats enought to drive anyone nutz! Dont give up, thats all I gotta say.

My Alero is goin in on friday morning first thing.

[smokinAMD]

Well I got some good news, I had my second gasket replaced for free.

http://smokinamd.no-ip.com/invoice3.jpg

That's the type of bill I like to see.

I am suprised actually. I have 44k on my 02 and so far (knocking on wood) I have had no problems like this.