Complaint Review: CarMax - Ontario California

CarMax purchase of 2005 Chevrolet Corvette

Purchase date: December 22 2011

Delivery date: December 22 2011



December 29, 2011             Called sales person Jason Lee during the 7 day no questions asked return period. I explained to Jason about the engine noise and other issues, he assured me everything would be fixed. I attempted to make an appointment with the Service Dept, but was told I would have to wait another 1 weeks before the appointment could be made. After various conversations with service department employees and my sales person, I was told I could drop the car off in the morning of January 5th.



January 5, 2012                   Frank the service writer

typed-up 15 lines of concerns, from not having a key (for a car with a keyless entry/start) to a loud knocking noise from the engine when cold. Each day Frank would call me in the evening with an update. Frank is the worst service representative I have ever dealt with in my 40 years of driving and 27 years in the automotive repair business.



 January 12, 2012                 A few parts were ordered and Frank stated the engine noise could be heard by him and his technician; the car needed to be sent to a Chevrolet dealership. Carmax had the car transported to Mark Christopher Rancho Cucamonga, CA Chevrolet Dealer to diagnose the engine

noise.



January 13, 2012                 Frank advised me the dealership heard the engine knock and further diagnosis was needed.



January 16, 2012                  Frank stated the dealership diagnosed the engine noise as normal piston rattle. Although Frank states the engine noise is excessive, there is nothing he can do about it. The dealership has indicated there isnt anything to repair. I proceeded to call the Mark Christopher dealership and spoke with Dave Miller, service writer. Dave reiterated what Frank had stated and further said all new Chevrolet engines, except for 4 cylinders, make a certain amount of noise when cold and minimize when warm. However, for my particular vehicle, the noise is so loud, it sounds like a diesel truck engine when cold, it is very embarrassing to drive, and is also noisy when warm. 



Summary: I love my Corvette and would like to keep it. I am not seeking a new engine on a used vehicle purchase; however, I do expect my vehicle to sound like the luxury performance car that it is.



 I was told by Jason Lee during the Return period, Trust Me we will take care of all your cars problems. Since my purchase on December 23, I have driven the car for 12 days and the car has been in the repair shop for 12 days. Few of the 15 concerns have been fixed; to date, my car has yet to be repaired causing a longer stay with Carmax and I am expected to drive the car sounding like a diesel truck, clearly not the luxury performance vehicle I purchased.



I am prepared to go to any and all lengths to get the problem rectified. With todays technology, I can make my dissatisfaction with CarMax known to millions of consumers. Additionally, I plan on voicing my concerns to the Bureau of Automotive Repair, the Better Business Bureau and the Automobile Club of Southern California. I am prepared to have my oil analyzed and will be obtaining a second / third professional opinions. Once I have completed the above and CarMax continues to ignore the obvious, I will be taking legal action.



Please see the following address: http://www.pistonslap.com/photos.htm and listen to my engine noise.



After being in the automotive repair industry for 27 years, as a certified Chevrolet technician, an ASE cerified technician, an emission specialist, along with extensive small block engine rebuilding for muscle cars, I like to think I know what a piston slap is. Below is an excerpt from a concerned website (www.pistonslap.com) which precisely outlines the definition of Piston Slap and GM dealer responses to such:



Around 1998, GM switched from a "Select Build" method of manufacturing and/or assembling engines to a "Net Build" method, in order to save money on manufacturing and/or assembly. In the Select Build process, pistons and cylinders are matched for size and fit. GM's new "Net Build" method of manufacturing and/or assembly, in contrast, assumes all pistons will fit equally well in all cylinders and does not allow for variations in the size of engine cylinders or pistons. The pistons of slightly varying size (all within spec) are not individually matched with the cylinders of slightly varying size (all within spec).



Excessive piston slap occurs because an automobile manufacturer (GM) designs and/or manufactures a defective engine in which the clearance between the piston and cylinder bore is too great. Essentially, the piston moves sideways and slaps or knocks hard against the cylinder bore and causes damage to the engine pistons and cylinders, excessive smoke emissions, excessive oil consumption, carbon buildup

on piston heads, decreased mileage, and a loud and obnoxious slapping or knocking noise, all of which diminishes vehicle resale value in the trade.



"...a knocking engine could lower the value of a vehicle by $4,000 to $6,000 at trade-in"



Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor for Kelley Blue Book - Detroit Free Press



"The very evidence provided by the manufacturer (GM) to indicate this condition is not a problem ultimately demonstrates that it is a problem."



California BBB Arbitrator





2007's and 2008's with piston slap?



GM Consumers, do you have a  3.1, 3.4, 4.3, 4.6 (Northstar), 4.8, 5.3,

5.7(LS1), 6.0 or 8.1 liter engine that displays any of the following problems?

A loud embarrassing and annoying internal engine knock. Many are defective due to design and manufacturing quality consistency problems. Listen to piston slap here: http://www.pistonslap.com/photos.htm 

  

Higher than normal levels of wear related materials in oil analysis samples performed by independent

laboratories.

Vertical piston and cylinder wall scuffing/scratching or scoring on the hammering (noisy) cylinders upon visual inspection, reduced combustion chamber compression on the hammering (noisy) cylinders, increased oil consumption, increased exhaust emissions.  

  

Did GM or there agents tell you they would fix your defective vehicle in writing/and/or verbally when the

phantom "New Piston" fix WAS TO arrive in the spring or summer of 2002? GM did in fact admit it had a problem and that its engineering department was working on the fix. The fix was promised to be made to consumers engines in the spring or summer of 2002. As the number of slapping engines grew and the cost to repair them grew as well, GM changed its policy.