Fourteen (14) days ago I dropped our 2008 Pontiac G8 GT at Martin Cadillac in Los Angeles to fix a malfunctioning traction control with the promise of a quick, easy fix and same day return. Wednesday night we picked up our Pontiac, fixed, from Hooman Pontiac in Culver City.
What follows is a tale of deceit, frustration, anger, a damn-fine commitment to service from Pontiac and international espionage, though that last bit can't be discussed...
The Fallout:
As I blogged last Wednesday, getting anything out of our service advisor was an altogether unpleasant experience. While I understand nobody likes being pestered, customers calling for information or updates every two days isn't unreasonable. I don't need to hear that he's very busy, or that he has a lot of cars to deal with. I only need to know about my car, and I generally like that information without being yelled at.
I took Wednesday to think things over and called back Thursday, he said the same thing he had before, that there's a lot going on, he can't check his email every few minutes, there's still no word on the parts.
I spend a lot of time at dealerships and I have personal relationships with some service advisors, I was getting a bad feeling from this guy and I had to get a second opinion. I called Hooman Pontiac, the dealership where we bought the vehicle. They were surprised at the problem, and at my treatment, then offered me the number to Pontiac's customer service line. So I made the call.
The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease:
The complaint procedure was surprisingly easy. I was expecting a Byzantine array of menus never leading to a human employee. I was wrong, only one, maybe two, electronic filters before I was connected to a real-live GM employee. I spent about 8 minutes complaining and then she did the darndest thing, she asked if I could hold while she called Martin to get an answer. Wow! I wasn't getting a call back, she was having me hold while she made a priority call. When she got back on the line it was reported that the dealer had found the part, ordered it, and it would be in the following day. Knowing that they were still on the other line, I asked her to go back and get me the part number. She came back with a five-digit number that I knew from experience was not a GM part number.
I was mad at this point. Not only was he lying to me, but directly to Pontiac. I gave him one more chance, at Noon that day I called to check on the status of the part, when he said there was still no line on it -- despite what he had said on the phone earlier-- I lost my cool and said I'd be there in 10-minutes to get my car.
In retrospect I should have been calmer. I should have called the service manager (more on him later). But I didn't. Sorry.
The Mystery of the Phantom Part:
The car was dropped off at Hooman directly after being removed from the previous dealership. Our new service advisor said they were having a busy day but they'd put a rush on it and see what they could come up with. A few hours later they hit the same roadblock; The part isn't available yet but there is a SPAC case already opened for it. While I never had the acronym explained to me, a SPAC is a special parts order that will, if necessary, bypass traditional channels and arrive directly at the dealership as soon as possible. Often directly from the supplier.
Shortly after that call, my phone went off again. This time it was the regional service manager for Pontiac. He wanted a rundown of the situation that instigated the complaint which I gave in spectacular detail (I keep notes on all of my dealership visits). He ended the conversation saying that they would get in touch with Hooman to smooth out this issue. No more than five minutes passed before my phone started shaking again, this time it was the service manager of Martin Pontiac. He got the same rundown as the regional manager but his reactions were different. They were much more personal. There was an honest disappointment in his voice. He then said the darndest thing, "If they can't fix your G8 soon, I'll rip the unit out of one of my stock G8s and replace yours." I appreciated the offer, and would have gone for it five hours earlier, but declined. His call was appreciated, and given a different service advisor I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Martin. They've treated me well in the past.
By the following Tuesday there was still no part available. The car, still fairly new, has a limited repair stock. It's a problem we've experienced before and will surely experience again. Hooman called me Tuesday and said they were contacted by the regional bosses with a plan; rip a functioning part out of a brand-new car on the lot and send me on my way. Deal. We picked it up the following evening.
I don't have an exact count, but I don't think I received any less than 15 phone calls from GM after my complaint. While I wish it didn't have to happen in the first place, the response could not have been better.
The part? Turns out it was the brake pedal assembly (Part #: 92203688) causing all of the problems. We were also made aware at Hooman of two service updates to our G8. One to fix the chime and warning light for the passenger seatbelt, the other to reprogram the transmission. We'll let you know if the transmission feels any different. At this point though, we're just glad to have it back.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 6,630 miles.
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It is me or is the front license plate crooked?
^ Is it*
Not having an edit function stinks!!!
WOW! Just WOW! Sad really.
wow that service advisor should be advised that he's fired! People like that are intolerable.
Glad you have it worked out and the GM complaint process actually works. This reminds me to keep careful records when dealing with problems..
aside, the G8 looks great and menacing in the photo!
Yah I was going to comment on the crooked plate too.
I'm glad you could get right through to GM. I hope they do something with the offending service personnel.
amazed that gm had a good system, AFTER the bad dealer.
saddly though, it seems current service at all dealers is going down hill. If I lived in CA though, i'd buy a car from the dealer that helped you out.
"If I lived in CA though, i'd buy a car from the dealer that helped you out."
I live in CA. From my experience and observation, all dealer's sales department and service department have nothing to do with each other, they are separate entity, they don't care what each one does. Doesn't matter where you buy your car, the service you get completely depends on how much your service advisor/service manager likes you.
Having worked in two service departments (one BMW, one Acura) in SoCal, I won't say that they are completely separate entities. Service departments will often try to do their best to help the sales departments of the same dealership, especially when it comes to dealer-installed accessories.
Being an "insider," I will say most of the experience a customer receives when getting his or her vehicle serviced really depends on the service advisor and the technician who works on one's automobile. It pains me to say that you really have to know who the "good" ones are.
the service advisor and the technician who work*
If I could edit the comment above, I could fix my grammatical error.
:sigh:
FTL (for the loss)
Mike, I'm wondering, do you identify yourself as a writer, blogger, or employee of edmunds when you call into the dealerships or are on the phone with representatives of the car companies?
He probably identifies himself as Mike Magrath, private citizen. To keep from biasing the service experience. Do you identify your occupation when you get your car serviced? "Hi, this is Billy, part-time student and pizza delivery guy" or "My name is Donald, electrical engineer"...
I'd really like to know what westsiderrider was asking too. Because that will have a major impact on the complaint response.
I have a few thoughts.
1) On any given day, any dealer can give bad service.
2) It's fantastic that once notified, GM appears to have stepped up dramatically to take care of the problem.
3) How the hell do service advisors like that stay employed?
I'm guessing the Mikes go in as private citizens, but hopefully one of them chime in here.
cjasis, here's what I think regarding your points.
1) Yep.
2) Usually once corporate gets involved (e.g., BMWNA), the ball starts rolling quite a bit.
3) Service advisors who may not be the most personable people still may be able to bring in a lot of revenue to a dealership's service department by "moving" a lot of cars through the service dept everyday.
The fix involved here (swapping a part in the dealership's inventory into a customer's vehicle) is often the last resort to fixing the problems of (relatively) new vehicles where solutions have yet to be developed. Technicians love to ask for extra time on these jobs because in a way, it's more work than simply uninstalling the defective part from the old car and replacing it with a good part because he or she has to also extract the part from the second vehicle.
I want to be a service advisor, because I can be rude to everyone, just sit around and don't have to do anything, get pay the same, and never get fired. Sounds like a decent job!!
^^^^perfect job for a lazy hater, don't you guys think?!!
Oy! I just reread what I wrote. I meant "swapping a part from a vehicle in the dealership's inventory into a customer's vehicle."
Please bring back the "Edit" function.
subytrojan - the grammatical fixes are annoying. It's OK, dude...take it easy.
The last time I owned a GM car and contacted corporate for help with a dealer, they took the dealer's side. That was the 90s. Perhaps they have improved? I DO wonder if Mike identified his role, as well. If so, it's hard to imagine the first service advisor would have performed so poorly.
I also assume this is going to be a chronic problem with the G8 GT. Sure, it's a newer car, but the V8 is going to be rare as most dealerships get a small number of them. I've noticed they are way outnumbered by the V6 on most lots. If this continues you can bet that parts for the V8 engine will be scarce.
To those who asked:
No, Pontiac never knew who I was apart from name. This was their reaction to a serious complaint from an average customer. It was very impressive, kudos.
-mike
very SAD!!
its good that the appropriate action was taken. There are many service advisors who refuse to go the extra mile and provide decent customer service. I contacted GM about my old car with regards to warped rotors that I had to pay to get resurfaced. They followed up by talking to the dealer and investigating exactly what was wrong with my rotors and in the end explained to me why it was deemed a wear and tear issue and not a defect. They then offered my free oil changes and tire rotations for a year.
I finally saw a G8 GT over the weekend, very nice looking on the road.
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I saw a red G8 GT yesterday and it looked absolutely anonymous. Not exciting looking at all. I remember not being able to look away from the new CTS and the Sky/Solstice, but the G8 is just.....blah.
"Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I saw a red G8 GT yesterday and it looked absolutely anonymous. Not exciting looking at all. I remember not being able to look away from the new CTS and the Sky/Solstice, but the G8 is just.....blah."
If you dont like BMWs you probably wont like the G8. If you like the stance and proportions of BMWs the opposite is true. The car is very much like a BMW in terms of its overhangs, roofline and tire to fender relationship which is a good thing.
If you dont like BMWs you probably wont like the G8. If you like the stance and proportions of BMWs the opposite is true. The car is very much like a BMW in terms of its overhangs, roofline and tire to fender relationship which is a good thing."
I disagree. I find all Pontiacs look cheap, especially next to a BMW. What's with that gawd awful hood scoop?
"I disagree. I find all Pontiacs look cheap, especially next to a BMW. What's with that gawd awful hood scoop?"
So you dont like the car's styling because it's a Pontiac? Hood scoop aside the G8 looks very much like a BMW in the profile view. That's a fact even if those who hate Pontiac chose to say otherwise.
The G8's styling has grown on me. I wouldn't put it anywhere near the most beautiful cars in the world, but at least it's moved up from near the bottom of my list.
BMW's are in a completely different style category. I think the 1-series is the worst looking, but that's because its siblings are all supermodels (ok, ok, excluding the X6). They all beat the homely G8.
And honestly, I still like the '04-06 GTO better. That car has REALLY grown on me.
"BMW's are in a completely different style category. I think the 1-series is the worst looking, but that's because its siblings are all supermodels (ok, ok, excluding the X6). They all beat the homely G8."
Automobile mag compared the G8 to the 550i and noted in detail the similarities in styling. They had the cars parked one front to back and from the side view they were remarkably similar. Not sure how the G8 is "homely" compared to the cars that inspired its look.
Mike - I think its good that you don't identify yourself in relation to Edmund's, because then your experience would probably be different. It sucks that you received such terrible service at the onset.
Mike - Thank you for answering my question. I just wanted to know if you were getting the service that any car owner would get in this situation. Enjoy the G8!
I absolutely agree that the profile of the G8 is quite similar to BMW...especially the forward placement of the tires. I asked my wife to take a look at the G8 and she said the same thing: looks like a BMW. LOOKS does not mean it compares. How could you expect a car to perform at half the price of a comparable size BMW? Still, I like the G8 and might test drive one soon...if I can put the spectre of GM service in the back of my mind!
"LOOKS does not mean it compares. How could you expect a car to perform at half the price of a comparable size BMW? "
I guess you havent read much on the car. Check out that Automobile mag comparison. They said the G8 stacked up very well against a $70k BMW. The difference between the cars is minimal when it comes to performance. The BMW has more features and a nicer interior but it should for $38k more. If you are interested in performance and handling the G8 absolutely compares to the 5 series. Pontiac service may not be as good as BMW service but I'm sure the $200 you are saving every month may help you deal with that reality.
"Automobile mag compared the G8 to the 550i and noted in detail the similarities in styling. They had the cars parked one front to back and from the side view they were remarkably similar. Not sure how the G8 is "homely" compared to the cars that inspired its look."
There is a lot more to a car's styling than the silhouette. Just because two cars are similar in proportion does not mean they are equally as attractive.
I think the car looks beautiful..it still never fails to turn my head whenever I see one...compared to the earlier cheap plastic kit cars Pontiac was once known for (Grand Am) comes to mind..it looks almost Euro inside...a friend of mine has a 2k6 GTO and you can see the evolution of this interior from that car...with that being said V6/V8 that barely gets 20mpg in the city...I wonder if its a case of too little too late with the prices of gas nowadays..I hope Pontiac keeps up the Euro Look..oh wait..wasn't that supposed to have been Oldmobile's job? :)
1487...gee you can be a bit of a jerk, you know? Take your stident approach to postings down a notch or two.
"I guess you haven't ready much on the car."
I have ready plenty, maybe even more than you. My comment about the difference in price was in advocacy of the G8 since it costs way less than the BMW and yet it might still offer similar performance. I don't know everything (seems like you do from the posts we've all read from you here) since I have not driven BOTH of the cars. Point is, I don't know how it really compares. I do know that my experience with GM has been quite different from yours. That experience is the one thing holding me back from going out and test driving a G8 tomorrow. It's a fact that GM was insensitive to loyal customers when it was earning a profit and doing well, making crap cars every other decade and not seeing to customer service adequately during good times. How else do you explain its massive loss of US market share over the past several years? Are foreign cars that much better? Perhaps, but maybe not...maybe their lousy customer service has put them on the precipice of bankrupty.
oops.."read"...and I do think I've read plenty on the car. It just doesn't change my past experiences with GM, unfortunately.