GrandpaDan
Junior Member
2009 Cobalt LT, 94K miles
I bought this car new, and gave it to my daughter. Three years ago she slide around an icy curve and hit the curb. Local dealership replace the spindle, axle, control arm, tie rod end, strut on one side. That was 45K ago. My name was on the repair bill, as I paid for it.
45K later it started leaking fuel near the drivers side rear tire. Daughter took it back to the dealer to see about the fuel pump recall, and was told it was leaky fuel lines. They charged her $80, and included a laundry list of things it needed.
Included was a new balljoint on the passenger side, and new front struts. That strut and balljoint/control arm was replaced after her brush with the curb 3 years ago. The OE strut looks different, and the axle they replaced says NAPA on it. Shouldn't the dealership be using OE parts? The replacement strut's boot is crumbling and tearing...the original is not. Balljoint was complete trash.
The estimate they gave her to fix the fuel lines, 2 struts, one control arm, alignment and a few other overpriced things was over $2500. All the while, the service manager talked trash about her car, and tried to sell her a new one because her's was "so old". He was condescending and pushy.
I replaced the control arm ($80) and have a $100 kit from Inline Tube to repair the fuel line. I didn't find anything wrong with the struts. They aren't leaking and do a good job of damping rebound.
The fuel line issue is angering...this problem is common and well documented. The NHTSA opened an inquiry into the problem in July of 2020. There have been no deaths associated with it...so far.
My daughter and I are documenting everything, and intend to take them to task for this. Because my name was on the repair bill from the accident, and her's was on the estimate, we can compare the two and apparently the dealership didn't make the connection.
I think it's unreasonable for a ball joint and strut to fail after 45K miles.
What do you folks think?
I bought this car new, and gave it to my daughter. Three years ago she slide around an icy curve and hit the curb. Local dealership replace the spindle, axle, control arm, tie rod end, strut on one side. That was 45K ago. My name was on the repair bill, as I paid for it.
45K later it started leaking fuel near the drivers side rear tire. Daughter took it back to the dealer to see about the fuel pump recall, and was told it was leaky fuel lines. They charged her $80, and included a laundry list of things it needed.
Included was a new balljoint on the passenger side, and new front struts. That strut and balljoint/control arm was replaced after her brush with the curb 3 years ago. The OE strut looks different, and the axle they replaced says NAPA on it. Shouldn't the dealership be using OE parts? The replacement strut's boot is crumbling and tearing...the original is not. Balljoint was complete trash.
The estimate they gave her to fix the fuel lines, 2 struts, one control arm, alignment and a few other overpriced things was over $2500. All the while, the service manager talked trash about her car, and tried to sell her a new one because her's was "so old". He was condescending and pushy.
I replaced the control arm ($80) and have a $100 kit from Inline Tube to repair the fuel line. I didn't find anything wrong with the struts. They aren't leaking and do a good job of damping rebound.
The fuel line issue is angering...this problem is common and well documented. The NHTSA opened an inquiry into the problem in July of 2020. There have been no deaths associated with it...so far.
My daughter and I are documenting everything, and intend to take them to task for this. Because my name was on the repair bill from the accident, and her's was on the estimate, we can compare the two and apparently the dealership didn't make the connection.
I think it's unreasonable for a ball joint and strut to fail after 45K miles.
What do you folks think?
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