2012 Buick Verano - What a lemon

Owner since 2019 of a 2012 Verano. Heating or air conditioning that runs intermittently. Electric handbrake that stays on. Stabilitack light that lights up for nothing, Intelink screen that flashes on or off, Camshaft sensor that grazes the engine. In short, everything electrical is in trouble and my dealer is unable to repair it because he can’t find the source of the defect. My car is dangerous because I never know when the engine is going to shut down while driving. A big lemon, I am extremely disappointed with Buick.

You bought a 7 year old used vehicle that sounds like it was a Flood vehicle . That is not Buick at fault.

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Yes, it does sound like it was in a flood, but the bottom line is that the OP bought a 7 year old vehicle. By definition, a “lemon” is a new or new-ish vehicle with a lot of bugs. The OP simply has a 10 year old car with an unknown history.

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I have the history of this car, it belonged to my father. He also had problems but less important than the ones I’ve had for the last 2 years and since he used his car very little, he put up with it without talking to the dealer. I did some research and it seems that the problem of corrosion of the electrical system is common. My dealer refuses to contact the manufacturer to find the solution.

Because the vehicle is out of warranty and since it was not taken care of when it was under the warranty they have no obligation to do anything . Your choice is to have an independent shop look at it or trade it for something else. And no , not all Buicks are bad vehicles.

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That’s a shame because it is possible that he could have been successful with a Lemon Law buy-back when the car was nearly-new.

Used car with problems that were known, and now more problems. Who’d have thunk it. But thanks for letting us know. Just another to cross off my list as desired cars.

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So… they don’t get better as they age?
:wink:

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The car is not a Lemon and may not have been from the time it was new as the problems it suffered from since new have not been spelled out as to what those problems are and when they came about. On average it takes failure to repair the same problem 3 times in the first year to be considered a Lemon; and documentation must exist to prove it.

That being said I think it’s misguided to say the dealer is unable to repair it. That leads to questions…
Are you expecting a free repair or are you willing to pay out of pocket for those repairs?
What and how much, if any, of those repairs cost you up to this point?

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The latest Consumer Reports 2022 Auto Issue rates used cars only back to 2014 models. The 2015 Verano rated average Overall Reliability. The 2014 rated above average.

In 2016, CR rated the 2012 Verano “Much Better Than Average” in almost all areas (suspension and brakes were just “average”, noises/leaks were “worse than average”), and they gave it an overall reliability rating of “Much Better Than Average”. The 2013 & 2014 Veranos were just “average” overall in that 2016 issue.

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That’s probably a result of one of the other problems, not a problem in itself. In many modern cars, if the drivetrain computer believes there’s an engine or transmission problem that could affect drivability, it will turn that function off automatically as a safety feature. And light the dashboard light alerting the driver that function is turned off.

I doubt there’s any systematic design problem involved. It’s just the complexity of modern cars.
Sometimes a dealership needs quite a bit of time to diagnose this sort of problem. They may need to assign one of their staff to use it as their daily driver, waiting for the failure mode to occur so they can see it happen for themselves. Ask the dealership if they’ll keep the car with them until it is properly fixed, and meanwhile lend you another of their customer-service cars.

Another idea, ask the dealership to provide you a list of the diagnostic codes and post them here. Might get some ideas at least.

Ok, another of George’s many stories: Last year a neighbor friend asked me which used cars I recommended, as she is looking to buy. She wanted a 4 door sedan so I offered up my opinion as either the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda 3. Of course when she priced these out she discovered they are really expensive now as used cars b/c of Covid causing a big demand. So of course she buys a different make/model. Ok for a few weeks, but seeing the hood popped open and a bevy of folks looking at the engine compartment with puzzled looks on their faces … lol …

Now why would they lend someone a vehicle who is the second owner of 11 year old vehicle that is way out of warranty . :thinking:

The dealership might want to keep this poster as a future customer. Of course if they don’t want that potential revenue, they know what to do.

Get serious . This person did not buy this vehicle His father did 11 years ago . And as often as dealerships change hands these days they are not going to call this person a future customer.

if the dealership cant help fix this problem, then find a different repair shop to take a look. Check yelp, google reviews, ask friends, etc.
Check around for a high rated auto shop in your area and ask if they have someone well versed in auto electrics. My dad was excellent in auto electronics (he’s retired now,) but it has always been a struggle for me. Not all techs are as competent in all areas.

You are not obligated to go to the dealership, and quite frankly, will often get better and cheaper service from a non-dealership repair facility.