Went In For Dash Rattle and Dealer Damaged Interior

Burnout Czar · 05-22-2019, 09:49 PM

A few weeks ago I took my 2018 Camaro 2SS into the dealer for a rattle/buzz coming from the instrument cluster. This was the second visit for this issue (the first visit occurred just before I stored the car for the winter so I thought issue was fixed at the time). The dealership had the car for a total of three days. When I picked the car up I noticed the several deep scratches in the top of the instrument cluster, the driver side knee pad was abraded, the front dash trim panel had several scuffs on it, both sill had scratches and one of the illuminated Camaro signs was scratched, and the chrome bezel around the instrument no longer fit properly. To top all this off the car was parked outside next to a work truck that was so close I could barely get inside and there was dust all over the interior from when they dropped the headliner.(dealer stated rattle was coming from headliner). I promptly brough this to the attention of the service advisor who documented it and proceed to further scratch the top of the instrument cluster when he tried to wipe away the scratches with a towel. The next day I got a got a call from the dealership asking me to bring the car in so they could see it so I did. The service manager then stated interior parts can't be removed without some damage, he didn't know if the damage was done at the dealership, he was going to have to start documenting the condition of vehicles when they came in for service, and ended it all by saying he knows his technicians and they didn't cause the damage. In effect he called me a liar. He said he would get back to me the next day with a resolution and never did. I called Chevrolet customer assistance and sent them pictures. They said the district manager would take a look at. The DM said they couldn't do anything since the damage wasn't a manufacturing defect. To top it all off the dealer didn't fix the rattle! Now I'm stuck with a damaged car that still rattles.

SnakeEyeSS · 05-22-2019, 10:02 PM

That sucks, now you know why so many fear the dealer, they have quite the knack of damaging Camaro's, but at least I can tell you the rattle is probably the nav screen. Next time you hear it, slightly push on the top frame of nav screen to just hold it still. Stop rattling? Then...

Take it out, put some adhesive foam where the plastic parts touch, and put it back together. Will not cause any damage, and will fix the rattle. It was just a dumb design, a penny of foam would have fixed it, as simple as putting on a sticker.

Beamz27 · 05-22-2019, 11:33 PM

That’s terrible. I would raise hell. Thats beyond damage. Especially the chrome trim piece

VinnAY · 05-23-2019, 06:05 AM

I learned a long time ago and I'm very sensitive to rattles and buzzes that you don't F with it especially letting a dealership monkey tear apart the dash.

Burnout Czar · 05-23-2019, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeEyeSS

That sucks, now you know why so many fear the dealer, they have quite the knack of damaging Camaro's, but at least I can tell you the rattle is probably the nav screen. Next time you hear it, slightly push on the top frame of nav screen to just hold it still. Stop rattling? Then...

Take it out, put some adhesive foam where the plastic parts touch, and put it back together. Will not cause any damage, and will fix the rattle. It was just a dumb design, a penny of foam would have fixed it, as simple as putting on a sticker.

More than likely it is the headliner. When the rattle is present I can hold my hand near the sun visor and it will go away.

If this was a little rattle I wouldn't have bothered to take it in because of the risk of the dealer messing up, but this was a major rattle/vibration.

I raised hell with the dealership and they have denied causing the damage. The service manager said their guys don't damage cars and this damage wasn't done there. That's funny because the damage wasn't there before the car went in for the rattle. I have called GM and sent pictures and the GM District Manager is doing nothing. Not sure where to go next with this.

ctrlz · 05-23-2019, 08:58 AM

Sorry to hear about this.
Agree with rattle sources suggested above.
I stuffed some black foam behind the video screen, working it in so only maybe 1/8" is visible when you look from the back side, which you will never do. But the foam is pinched in place.
agree that headliners tend to rattle around sunroof openings. All my other cars with sunroofs do that. Part of why I skipped that option on the Camaro.

Burnout Czar · 05-23-2019, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Sorry to hear about this.
Agree with rattle sources suggested above.
I stuffed some black foam behind the video screen, working it in so only maybe 1/8" is visible when you look from the back side, which you will never do. But the foam is pinched in place.
agree that headliners tend to rattle around sunroof openings. All my other cars with sunroofs do that. Part of why I skipped that option on the Camaro.

Thanks for the sympathy. I actually don't have a sun roof so the rattle isn't coming from there, more likely something loose for or above the sun visor.

DevilsReject97 · 05-23-2019, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burnout Czar

More than likely it is the headliner. When the rattle is present I can hold my hand near the sun visor and it will go away.

If this was a little rattle I wouldn't have bothered to take it in because of the risk of the dealer messing up, but this was a major rattle/vibration.

I raised hell with the dealership and they have denied causing the damage. The service manager said their guys don't damage cars and this damage wasn't done there. That's funny because the damage wasn't there before the car went in for the rattle. I have called GM and sent pictures and the GM District Manager is doing nothing. Not sure where to go next with this.

Rule of thumb for me when dealing with the dealer is to take pictures before you drop it off. I get mileage of the vehicle, interior, etc... and yes it is a PITA..

TheWiseWolf · 05-23-2019, 09:17 AM

I wounder if we could give mechanics the rental car treatment.

Where you take pics of the car and have them sign off on it to have a copy that those sratches didnt just appear out of no where if they come up.

Burnout Czar · 05-23-2019, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWiseWolf

I wounder if we could give mechanics the rental car treatment.

Where you take pics of the car and have them sign off on it to have a copy that those sratches didnt just appear out of no where if they come up.

Many dealerships do this. The service manager actually made this comment to me when I was showing him the damage - he was in effect calling me a liar acting like I was trying to pull one over on them.

Any ideas on next steps? I haven't had any luck with GM, the service manager, or customer experience manager.

I have to say I'm just as disappointed with GM as I am with the dealer. The dealer represents GM and it's brand's and to treat a customer like this is absolutely insane. Why would I go back to this dealership or buy from GM again?

SteveV · 05-23-2019, 09:38 AM

Call out the dealership in social media... That usually gets the General Manager's attention.

Like facebook and yelp, etc...

SteveV · 05-23-2019, 09:39 AM

By the way, did they actually fix the rattle? Or no?

cellsafemode · 05-23-2019, 09:57 AM

the one rule about camaro vibrations and rattles is that it's never 1 thing.

It's everything.

Your button caps may rattle. Your wires may rattle. Your headliner may rattle. Your rear deck may rattle. Your door panels may rattle. The trunk subframe may rattle underneath the rear deck. The BCM's may rattle.

One glaringly obvious problem is that Chevy decided to cut weight, not by removing metal from the Alpha body but by removing sound deadening from it. Probably going to have to add back a good 40 lbs easy of sound deadening material to get the car correct. It's needed all in the trunk and door panels and rear deck for sure.

ssmike · 05-23-2019, 10:14 AM

Sorry for your troubles! I’ve had several annoying buzzing rattling noises from the rear speaker panel and rear side panels. I’ve put up with theses annoyances rather than bring it in to the dealer because I’m afraid of further damage like the OP described. I don’t trust dealerships as far as I can spit! I’d rather put up with the rattles! Good luck in your efforts to resolve this!

05-22-2019, 09:49 PM	#1
Burnout Czar Drives: Hyper Blue Metallic Camaro 2SS Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Oconomowoc, WI Posts: 18	Went In For Dash Rattle and Dealer Damaged Interior A few weeks ago I took my 2018 Camaro 2SS into the dealer for a rattle/buzz coming from the instrument cluster. This was the second visit for this issue (the first visit occurred just before I stored the car for the winter so I thought issue was fixed at the time). The dealership had the car for a total of three days. When I picked the car up I noticed the several deep scratches in the top of the instrument cluster, the driver side knee pad was abraded, the front dash trim panel had several scuffs on it, both sill had scratches and one of the illuminated Camaro signs was scratched, and the chrome bezel around the instrument no longer fit properly. To top all this off the car was parked outside next to a work truck that was so close I could barely get inside and there was dust all over the interior from when they dropped the headliner.(dealer stated rattle was coming from headliner). I promptly brough this to the attention of the service advisor who documented it and proceed to further scratch the top of the instrument cluster when he tried to wipe away the scratches with a towel. The next day I got a got a call from the dealership asking me to bring the car in so they could see it so I did. The service manager then stated interior parts can't be removed without some damage, he didn't know if the damage was done at the dealership, he was going to have to start documenting the condition of vehicles when they came in for service, and ended it all by saying he knows his technicians and they didn't cause the damage. In effect he called me a liar. He said he would get back to me the next day with a resolution and never did. I called Chevrolet customer assistance and sent them pictures. They said the district manager would take a look at. The DM said they couldn't do anything since the damage wasn't a manufacturing defect. To top it all off the dealer didn't fix the rattle! Now I'm stuck with a damaged car that still rattles. Attached Images Last edited by Burnout Czar; 07-30-2019 at 05:33 PM.

05-22-2019, 10:02 PM	#2
SnakeEyeSS Drives: Camaro 2SS & ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 856	That sucks, now you know why so many fear the dealer, they have quite the knack of damaging Camaro's, but at least I can tell you the rattle is probably the nav screen. Next time you hear it, slightly push on the top frame of nav screen to just hold it still. Stop rattling? Then... Take it out, put some adhesive foam where the plastic parts touch, and put it back together. Will not cause any damage, and will fix the rattle. It was just a dumb design, a penny of foam would have fixed it, as simple as putting on a sticker. __________________ 2017 Camaro 2SS A8 Bright Yellow NPP MRC 2023 Camaro ZL1 A10 Radiant Red

05-23-2019, 09:38 AM	#11
SteveV Drives: 2018 ZL1 Camaro 6M Red Hot Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 1,137 View My Garage	Call out the dealership in social media... That usually gets the General Manager's attention. Like facebook and yelp, etc... __________________ People are a lot like slinky's: not very helpful most of the time, but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs...

05-23-2019, 09:39 AM	#12
SteveV Drives: 2018 ZL1 Camaro 6M Red Hot Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 1,137 View My Garage	By the way, did they actually fix the rattle? Or no? __________________ People are a lot like slinky's: not very helpful most of the time, but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs...

05-22-2019, 11:33 PM	#3
Beamz27 Drives: 19 Satin Steel 2SS A10 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Chicago Posts: 71	That’s terrible. I would raise hell. Thats beyond damage. Especially the chrome trim piece

05-23-2019, 06:05 AM	#4
VinnAY Account Suspended Drives: 18 1SS/1LE Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Missouri Posts: 939	I learned a long time ago and I'm very sensitive to rattles and buzzes that you don't F with it especially letting a dealership monkey tear apart the dash.

05-23-2019, 08:58 AM	#6
ctrlz Drives: 2017 2SS, 50th pkg, M6, MRC, NPP Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ocean City, NJ Posts: 3,175	Sorry to hear about this. Agree with rattle sources suggested above. I stuffed some black foam behind the video screen, working it in so only maybe 1/8" is visible when you look from the back side, which you will never do. But the foam is pinched in place. agree that headliners tend to rattle around sunroof openings. All my other cars with sunroofs do that. Part of why I skipped that option on the Camaro.

05-23-2019, 09:17 AM	#9
TheWiseWolf Drives: Camaro Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 138	I wounder if we could give mechanics the rental car treatment. Where you take pics of the car and have them sign off on it to have a copy that those sratches didnt just appear out of no where if they come up.

05-23-2019, 09:57 AM	#13
cellsafemode Drives: 2016 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: California Posts: 3,491	the one rule about camaro vibrations and rattles is that it's never 1 thing. It's everything. Your button caps may rattle. Your wires may rattle. Your headliner may rattle. Your rear deck may rattle. Your door panels may rattle. The trunk subframe may rattle underneath the rear deck. The BCM's may rattle. One glaringly obvious problem is that Chevy decided to cut weight, not by removing metal from the Alpha body but by removing sound deadening from it. Probably going to have to add back a good 40 lbs easy of sound deadening material to get the car correct. It's needed all in the trunk and door panels and rear deck for sure.

05-23-2019, 10:14 AM	#14
ssmike BL1ZZRD Drives: '16 Camaro 2SS, '20 Equinox Redline Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 7,840	Sorry for your troubles! I’ve had several annoying buzzing rattling noises from the rear speaker panel and rear side panels. I’ve put up with theses annoyances rather than bring it in to the dealer because I’m afraid of further damage like the OP described. I don’t trust dealerships as far as I can spit! I’d rather put up with the rattles! Good luck in your efforts to resolve this!

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