Dealership May Have Messed Up My 50K Maintenance, Normal Temps for Fluids? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

RenegadeXR · 06-20-2017, 03:24 PM

I just got my car back from the dealership for 50K maintenance on my 2011 SS auto. Work done:

- Oil change
- Auto trans fluid change
- Brake fluid change
- Coolant flush
- Fuel rail, injector, and throttle bottle chemical cleaning

When I got my car back, it was spiking to 235+ for the coolant temp at idle very sporadically for a few seconds before dropping sharply. Called the shop once I got off the highway, they said "oh, this new coolant we use extracts the heat from the engine more efficiently and so it will read hotter." I said that makes no sense -- a little law called "thermodynamics" says so. Brought it back and they found an air bubble in the radiator, bled it a 2nd time, now it reads 185-215 as it had before.

Now I am paranoid at what else they messed up due to the extent of the service. I'm not sure if there are digital readouts for the other fluids, but based on my 4 pack gauge cluster:

- Trans fluid is 10% above the "mid" point
- Oil temp is 10% above the "mid" point
- Engine temp is 10% below the "mid" point

I have no idea what these temps were looking like before the service, but I was looking at the coolant carefully as I do every summer incase it needs to be topped off so the AC works well.

The advisor was extremely friendly and polite, people at the service center seemed genuinely concerned and were quick to look at it when I got there, but I gotta give them a low score on this. Ignoring their soft skills, the service and the amount of waiting and even rescheduling (due to a misestimate on the original required time for service) was pretty bad. I won't name the dealership here.

wrtowman · 06-20-2017, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenegadeXR

The advisor was extremely friendly and polite, people at the service center seemed genuinely concerned and were quick to look at it when I got there, but I gotta give them a low score on this. Ignoring their soft skills, the service and the amount of waiting and even rescheduling (due to a misestimate on the original required time for service) was pretty bad. I won't name the dealership here.

Gives review, doesn't name dealership. I can dig it.

RenegadeXR · 06-20-2017, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrtowman

Gives review, doesn't name dealership. I can dig it.

It was Hendrick Chevrolet at South Point mall, NC. Maybe I am being a little too harsh on them, but I'm going to definitely check the oil and the coolant overflow reservoir later.

Avenging Orange · 06-21-2017, 08:44 AM

Give em some credit. Most of these techs do their job well.....by the book.
Street smarts sometimes just isn't there. They work on a lot of cars and sometimes dont remember all the little querks of each car. You had a few air bubbles and they took care of it, no biggie. Now, I would check my oil level...many have seen 6.5 when it should be 8.5 qts.

sunshine1531 · 06-21-2017, 09:49 AM

Thats why i do my own maintenance, 100k and i just did brakes and brake fluid flush, power steering flush, spark plugs, coolant flush, trans flush, diff fluid change, engine air filter, cabin air filter, and battery. Even though the battery probably could have gone farther, the car had a couple of hard starts this past winter so I said **** it, and changed it...6 years is more than enough for me to just put a new battery, plus it's the girls car, and I don't need her stuck on the side of the road. I don't trust anyone go touch my cars.

RenegadeXR · 06-21-2017, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avenging Orange

Give em some credit. Most of these techs do their job well.....by the book.

The advisor said that the person over at the service bay may have let some coolant drip out as he was trying to affix the radiator cap back on. They did sound apologetic.

It just bothers me that the advisor initially made a comment about a "new" type of coolant running up to 40 degrees hotter at idle. The ambient temp outside was 80 degrees yesterday, and 235 is of course still a safe operating temp for coolant, but had it been 100 degrees as it is in NC during some parts of summer, it'd be another story and it'd struggle to dissipate the heat even with radiator fan at full blast. Glad it got fixed very quickly. It's now running in the 200's / 210's at idle and 180's / 190's while driving, which is exactly what it had been operating at before the flush.

Russell James · 06-21-2017, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenegadeXR

The advisor said that the person over at the service bay may have let some coolant drip out as he was trying to affix the radiator cap back on. They did sound apologetic.

It just bothers me that the advisor initially made a comment about a "new" type of coolant running up to 40 degrees hotter at idle. The ambient temp outside was 80 degrees yesterday, and 235 is of course still a safe operating temp for coolant, but had it been 100 degrees as it is in NC during some parts of summer, it'd be another story and it'd struggle to dissipate the heat even with radiator fan at full blast. Glad it got fixed very quickly. It's now running in the 200's / 210's at idle and 180's / 190's while driving, which is exactly what it had been operating at before the flush.

Bottom line is ... the technician was incompetent, and the advisor a lying sack.

Rookie mistake to leave a giant air bubble in a cooling system. Not too mention lazy as fck not to do a QC road test after the work is complete. A road test Quality Control check is entry level shit for any service garage. To not do it...is piss poor.

And for a service advisor to just make up some half ass mythical story about new coolant extracting more heat? That's just a lying sack.

So... when you drive a car with a giant air bubble... and it is overheating.... you have areas at the top of the cylinder liners getting scorching hot and zero coolant next to it. That's how cylinder liners crack. Been there, cleaned up the mess after others fck'd up someone's car. Which is why nobody ever touches my car. The vast majority of the techs out there are hacks that could care less about your car......

Case in point.....returning it in a condition that it overheats, after the simplest of maintenance.

Demand an extended warranty on that engine. Their fck - up, they can now stand behind it.

06-20-2017, 03:24 PM	#1
RenegadeXR Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,849	Dealership May Have Messed Up My 50K Maintenance, Normal Temps for Fluids? I just got my car back from the dealership for 50K maintenance on my 2011 SS auto. Work done: - Oil change - Auto trans fluid change - Brake fluid change - Coolant flush - Fuel rail, injector, and throttle bottle chemical cleaning When I got my car back, it was spiking to 235+ for the coolant temp at idle very sporadically for a few seconds before dropping sharply. Called the shop once I got off the highway, they said "oh, this new coolant we use extracts the heat from the engine more efficiently and so it will read hotter." I said that makes no sense -- a little law called "thermodynamics" says so. Brought it back and they found an air bubble in the radiator, bled it a 2nd time, now it reads 185-215 as it had before. Now I am paranoid at what else they messed up due to the extent of the service. I'm not sure if there are digital readouts for the other fluids, but based on my 4 pack gauge cluster: - Trans fluid is 10% above the "mid" point - Oil temp is 10% above the "mid" point - Engine temp is 10% below the "mid" point I have no idea what these temps were looking like before the service, but I was looking at the coolant carefully as I do every summer incase it needs to be topped off so the AC works well. The advisor was extremely friendly and polite, people at the service center seemed genuinely concerned and were quick to look at it when I got there, but I gotta give them a low score on this. Ignoring their soft skills, the service and the amount of waiting and even rescheduling (due to a misestimate on the original required time for service) was pretty bad. I won't name the dealership here. __________________ Disclaimer: Unless specific sources are cited, all of the above is my subjective opinion. No warranties, expressed or implied, are granted. This is a car forum, after all.

06-21-2017, 08:44 AM	#4
Avenging Orange Drives: 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Clermont, IN Posts: 3,297	Give em some credit. Most of these techs do their job well.....by the book. Street smarts sometimes just isn't there. They work on a lot of cars and sometimes dont remember all the little querks of each car. You had a few air bubbles and they took care of it, no biggie. Now, I would check my oil level...many have seen 6.5 when it should be 8.5 qts. __________________ 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS M6 Black Leather, Sun Roof, OBX Headers, Borla touring axle back, Cold Air Inductions CAI , non synthetic fluids, BMR total bushing upgrade/1" lowering springs, DSE 32mm rear sway bar. GM fe4 shocks/struts/LCA's, AAM 3.91 diff, Vertini RFS1.8 20x9 +30. Conti ExtremeContact Sport 275/35/20. sjm autoprod ABL dash kit. Mike Norris tuned 413/419. Avenging Orange: 43 years of not buying into the Hype........and damn proud of it!! https://youtu.be/9JD9it6SmB8 https://youtu.be/xmelTlEzI34 KICKING CANCERS ASS SINCE 2015!!

06-21-2017, 09:49 AM	#5
sunshine1531 Drives: Cyber Gray 2LT RS Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 58	Thats why i do my own maintenance, 100k and i just did brakes and brake fluid flush, power steering flush, spark plugs, coolant flush, trans flush, diff fluid change, engine air filter, cabin air filter, and battery. Even though the battery probably could have gone farther, the car had a couple of hard starts this past winter so I said **** it, and changed it...6 years is more than enough for me to just put a new battery, plus it's the girls car, and I don't need her stuck on the side of the road. I don't trust anyone go touch my cars.