Subpar customer service
 

Hi everyone,
I figure I'd post my ongoing experience with GM's customer service or lack of. I currently own a 2005 C6 and I'm a "victim" of DBS. To make my long story short. I dropped off my vehicle at the dealership last Wednesday. Service manager tells me I need a new battery and they can install one for $250! I said NO! as I have a 36 month warranty on my optima red top and I'm expecting a new one to arrive tomorrow. He tells me there's nothing he can/will do or check until I get a new battery in the car. Maybe is just me, but is this the norm? I informed him how this is the third battery on a car with less than 24,000 miles and I suspect the problem to be more than just the battery. I also had to replace the nav system last November. I've been going back and forth with GM's customer service and I'm still waiting on a phone call from their District Rep. Keep in mind this is my first time I'm dealing with this dealership as the one I used to bring my vehicle to went out of business( I wonder why). I'm also "fortunate " enough to own another GM product, an escalade EXT. I told customer service what if the corvette was my only vehicle, how would I get around? I even informed the service manager how I had read on this forum that an update to the PCM AND ECM should fix the DBS issue. He still told me nothing will be done until a new battery is put in the car.
I'm hoping to get some advice from everyone in the forum on how to proceed next and try to get these issues resolved. One thing for sure. GM has lost another customer. Not only I'm a dealing with a defective product, but also terrible customer service. Thanks

I understand why the Service Manager wants the new battery in the car first before he works on it.....BUT having said that, it is a 7 year old car that has a notorious history or DBS. Even if they find the problem they won't fix it under warranty. Good Luck

THis is the dealers first BS answer they give everyone.. I took my car in for the door handle to get replace and they tried to tell me it was a low battery. GM dealers and their mechanics need to take their head out of there Axx.... :)

Is your 05 a manual transmission? A few 05 manual transmission Corvettes had DBS. (dead battery syndrome) GM has a flash for the condition that you will pay for. It's usually cheap $100 or so. There is nothing to test just tell them you want the DBS flash. They could loan you a battery if necessary. Good luck and keep us posted. :thumbs:

How come they could just hook up your car to a trickle charger? That should at least get the battery going enough to turn over or test whatever they need to test. I have one at home for when the first time my 2005 C6 killed the battery. Charged it and I was good for a while...until it killed it again. Now I have a red top with an Optima specific battery tender. Never had a problem with DBS since.

Yes it's a manual transmission and I always follow proper shutdown procedures. All the previous dealership(now out of business) said is "you have to start the care more often" I found this to be an unacceptable answer and they never mentioned the flash option. As someone suggested I did ask the service manager to loan me a battery just to be able to test everything and ensure the problem was resolved. However, he was not willing to do that. I also think the reason my nav unit had to be replaced last november was due to some electrical issue with the car. Luckily I have an extended warranty that covered it. I realize the car is 7 years old but I'd expect much better customer service and a true commitment to address my problems and concerns. In my opinion not a way to ensure repeat business and foster brand loyalty.

Sorry but its been 7 years, should have been resolved when the first battery went bad...and then you paid a billion bucks for a devil battery from Johnson Controls... to replace the delco...;)


Good luck getting that fixed under warranty though....

This is your chance to dodge a bullet.

Don't go back.

To trouble shoot I think the mech needs a good battery just my 2 cents and unless the dealer has a battery laying around thats good where would he get one to loan a new one maybe but then it becomes a used one that he can't sell.
Did you know battery was dead or did you order battery after they told you it was dead.
You are the one delaying the repair.
Sorry but dealer has not done anything wrong they are working with you allowing you to get your own battery and installing it. You have 7 year old car and you are now experinceing a dbs how long before you drive car does the battery die if its a month thats good life because of all the electronics on board.
My 09 z06 had problems carried in they said batt okay it died again. I bought new battery Delco and never had another problem my car set from Aug 08 to March 09 at dealer that killed mine.
z51vett

You said a new battery will be here tomorrow. Install it yourself or pay them to do it and then have them do the flash. If they have never heard of it have them check it out with the powers to be. It is available and it does work. Many 05 manual transmission owners have had it done and are very happy with the results.:cheers:

I'm sure they got a good laugh with the PCM AND ECM comment since the vehicvle has a PCM only, in this regard.

Since your vehicle is out of warranty why should GM CS get involved? At this point you are dealing with a private garage. Just because it's a GM product, it is out of warranty and is 7 years old as others have mentioned. My question would be that if you have the DBS, why did it take so long to show it's self. Generally this problem is from the git-go.

If you feel it is the DBS problem, although GM states that the battery is good for 2 weeks only, the TSB is 07-06-03-001B March 21, 2007
Built prior to VIN 75112132

GM customer service
 

I had issues with Courtesy Chev in Toronto Canada when I bouht my 08 vert. My 6th vette
Even though GM customer service agreed with my issues at three different levels they could NOT make the dealer do the right thing.
They said I should have the equipment that comes with this car.
The issues were:
1 A 150 point inspection that overlooked the fact that the key fob was not programmed but it still passed? The memory systems did not work.They refused to give me a copy of the inspection.What else was bogus?
2 Only 1 emergency key, even though we have 2 drivers
3 1 key fob that was broken, so it could not even hold a key if I had one.
4 The inner fender that was broken when they adjusted the front air dam
5 They will not give me a copy of the oil and diff change I asked to have done so I can confirm it was done with the correct fluids.
What I wanted was a new fob, key,and the inner fender I bought and installed along with the work orders ($275.00)
GM customer service is a lame duck.
By the way I have $100,000 dollars of their product sitting in my driveway at this moment.
In retrospect I should have returned it the next day. I am sorry I did not.
They say buy from a GM dealer and get a Optima used car.
BULL !

Having a battery that is in good shape with no issues is imperative for proper operation of the vehicle and troubleshooting. Checking for DBS with a 'good' battery is not hard or difficult. If the vehicle has a too high electrical draw everything shut down finding the culprit is the hard part. What DBS is a electrical component drawing too much voltage after shut down. My 2006 had 60amp draw after car turned off and system shut down. Battery would be dead in 5 to 7 days. Turned out first issue it was the BCM. After BCM replaced draw dropped to 30 or so. Specs called for just under 20. After a lot of more work unplugging items it was found to be the deck lid switch. Lots of disassembly to replace. After new switch it took draw to I think 18 which is normal. Car could then stay parked for two weeks or more with no issues turning over and starting. You can't go working on these new cars (since mid 1980s) without a good working battery FIRST. I had a GMPP policy on mine. Dealer had three very knowledgeable techs and it took all three discussing and helping the tech it was assigned to figure out the deck lid switch. BCM part was easy. They had my car 10 days between working on it and waiting parts(the switch).

Good news that they found and fixed your problem. It was not DBS as that is a term used only for the 05 with manual transmission. It only happens once and awhile and I don't think there is a known test for it. The dealer does the 5 minuet flash and it's fixed. Not all 05's had it. Mine is almost eight years old and have never had it. :cheers:

2006 had a five minute flash also. Had to do with correcting issues in the BCM. Didn't fix mine either. It might not be exactly the same thing as some 2005 but there was a HUGE multi page TSB addressing the subject on 2005 AND 2006s. As soon as GM tech assistance was called they said before doing anything else replace the BCM. They were very aware of what is called DBS. There is a way on every vehicle to check for voltage draws. Finding and fixing it is the hard part.

Just something to think about because you have an Optima battery...

AGM (Optima) batteries require a specific recharging method if they get run down. You will be highly frustrated if you try to restore a discharged Optima using a 2 amp battery maintainer.

A significant percentage of "bad" Optima batteries are actually OK...they just need to be properly charged with the correct AGM charger. HERE is a link to a Hot Rod article about this topic.

Unless your off shore racing or the Baja you can get good quality batterys for far less then a Optima. No need to start a battery discussion or war over my comment.

I'm sorry for your problems but I'm surprised the so-called DBS is only now happening and/or being addressed after all these years. Did your 2005 suddenly develop the problem or was there a history of starting, battery, or electrical issues? It's no consolation but it's worth mentioning a dealership is not General Motors. I wish GM would exert more standard's control over dealership service but dealerships are truly independent businesses. I also wouldn't pay their outrageous price to replace the battery but I understand why the dealership needs a working battery in the car in order to attempt to replicate the problem. If you don't have a working battery in the car it's impossible to diagnose the problem.

I never quite understood why the DBS issue only afflicts some cars and not others. I've never used a battery tender and my 2005, even after sitting idle for weeks on end, always fires right up. I hope the dealership can perform the re-flash on your car and it corrects the problem. Good luck! :thumbs:

Al1969,

I'm sorry to hear this. Could you PM me with your information so I can look into this?

Evan, Chevrolet Customer Service

Apparently number one issue is faulty BCMs. Thats why there is a re flash concerning substandard battery life,dead batterys. Then that Tech Assistance told tech to replace BCM if high draw in sleep mode.