My dad’s 2001 Lesabre tranny blew out at what I feel is a ridiculously low mileage.
Bought used for 8,000 14 months ago with 56k miles. Car is a grocery getter only - lightly driven. Was supposedly only owned by one prior owner - a dealer service tech.
Factory warranty is up. I’ve found several TSBs on the tranny, and it seems to be a known issue.
What does a TSB obligate the dealer to do?
Any suggestions on strategies for convincing the dealer to do something here?
Tranny blew out on dealer’s test drive after brought in to review a slipping behavior the trans was exhibiting. Car purchased from same dealer. I also purchased a used car from them a few years back for 18k.
Link to some of the TSBs for this tranny:
http://aut…Sabre#Tran
Help Please!
I will admit I’m not a tranny guy,but TSB’s are issued to save time.One of the first things a Tech will do to diagnois a concern is check for TSB’s,you dont want to spend time looking for the cause of a problem when the cause and repair have already been figured out by another source (could be the factory or another tech)It’s embarassing to spend time on a problem that has already been figured out.TSB’s are not like campaings or recalls.TSB’s typically not safety related,campaigns and recalls very often are safety related.
A TSB does not obligate a dealer to do anything. A TSB is only info provided to the dealer in regards to problems, service procedures, and all kinds of service dept. trivia.
If it was a mandated recall then you would not have a problem.
That TSB means very little when looking at the big picture. That link you provided states “occassional” problems, not chronic.
Truth be known, you won’t find a car made that does not have TSBs out on the transmission, among other things.
About all you can do is ask if the dealer will cover it (not likely) or if GM will perform a good-will warranty (also not likely but it won’t hurt to ask).
At 60k miles the transmission fluid should have been changed twice already and I would not advise putting a lot of faith into stories about who the previous owner was. Maybe the previous owner thrashed it a bit and believe it or not; a dealer service tech can thrash a car as well as anybody. Being owned by a tech does not automatically mean a prime vehicle even if the story is true.
A friend of my son bought a low miles Mustang GT some years ago from a dealer who claimed that the car “was owned by a little old lady who only drove it to church and Bingo games”. He fell for this line and discovered (after accidentally running into the guy who actually drove it) that granny did own the car but grandson Jr. was beating it to death at the drag strip.
That kind of explained the side exit exhaust, Flowmasters, Edlebrock intake, removed supercharger, etc, etc, etc,.
I appreciate your feedback, oldschool and ok4450. I understand that a TSB is not a recall and doesn’t obligate the dealer to do anything, but I still feel like the transmission blew out prematurely, due to known problems with this particular trans unit. The link I referenced was not my only source for this conjecture. I found other sources where numerous units on varying GM vehicles blew out their trannys after slippage under 60,000 in mileage.
I get that the dealer isn’t obligated to do anything here, but I’m looking for strategy on getting goodwill compensation from the dealer…as mentioned my family has spent about $26,000 at this dealership in the last 4 years. Any thoughts in this regard woud be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
When the intake gasket on my 2000 Blazer started leaking 12 - 13 months after I purchased it, the dealer offered to do a 50/50 Goodwill repair. All I did was ask nicely if a Goodwill repair was possible and they agreed to it. However, the truck was only 4 years old with 45k miles at the time of the repair. Unfortunately, I think the age of your Buick is going to work against you.
Good luck,
Ed B.
A goodwill warranty is kind of a long shot on this. You are well out of warranty. A faulty PCS would definately cause a slipping condition. Like what was previously said, a TSB is just reference material for techs to use to help them repair vehicles. They are just common problems found, causes and cures. Kind of funny it failed on a test run.
transman