How to tell if tuned
Senior Member
Joined: 08-26-2008
Posts: 1,488
From: Sequim Washington
I think I'm gonna learn how to tune. I always wanted to.
I service my own cars. Don't trust the dealer. My equinox was the only car I took to the dealer because of warranty issues (which it had quite a few). I change the oil myself on it and they b'beep'ed about it heavily. It had an oil burning issue at 35K where it used over a quart of oil every 2000 miles which they said was normal (on a 2011 car!) and didn't want to deal with it because I had no records of oil change. The oil burning issue was a known problem that GM released a service bulletin for. So I called GM and went back to the dealer with a print-out of the bulletin. As I was arguing with the manager a big red window popped up on his computer. It was a message from GM. He asked me if I called them. I said yes and his tone changed immediately. They rebuilt my engine.
I service my own cars. Don't trust the dealer. My equinox was the only car I took to the dealer because of warranty issues (which it had quite a few). I change the oil myself on it and they b'beep'ed about it heavily. It had an oil burning issue at 35K where it used over a quart of oil every 2000 miles which they said was normal (on a 2011 car!) and didn't want to deal with it because I had no records of oil change. The oil burning issue was a known problem that GM released a service bulletin for. So I called GM and went back to the dealer with a print-out of the bulletin. As I was arguing with the manager a big red window popped up on his computer. It was a message from GM. He asked me if I called them. I said yes and his tone changed immediately. They rebuilt my engine.
I have had several 2011 HHR's with the 2.4L and never had an oil usage issue in any of them.
Could you furnish me with the Bulletin info so I can read it and also have it in case I develop a problem. My current HHR only has 28,000 miles on it but of course it is over the time limit on the Original Factory Warrantee.
Silverfox
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: 06-26-2017
Posts: 83
From: Los Angeles
I have had several 2011 HHR's with the 2.4L and never had an oil usage issue in any of them.
Could you furnish me with the Bulletin info so I can read it and also have it in case I develop a problem. My current HHR only has 28,000 miles on it but of course it is over the time limit on the Original Factory Warrantee.
Silverfox
Could you furnish me with the Bulletin info so I can read it and also have it in case I develop a problem. My current HHR only has 28,000 miles on it but of course it is over the time limit on the Original Factory Warrantee.
Silverfox
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: 06-26-2017
Posts: 83
From: Los Angeles
donbrew beat me to it!
2011 Equinox and GMC Terrain only. You can see the original SB here:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/c...58791-5041.pdf
2011 Equinox and GMC Terrain only. You can see the original SB here:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/c...58791-5041.pdf
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,532
From: Fredericksburg,VA
BTW, both LEA & LAF are Direct Injection.
The problem your dealer was having is they have to do the oil consumption test, which means they have to do the oil changes in the shop not the oil change rack. There might be an argument about who is responsible for paying for it or there may have been other mis understandings.
1 quart/2000 miles is acceptable! Reminds me of the F1 rules that limit the fuel capacity, so they have variable oil consumption (and a huge oil tank) to add fuel. Of course it is not exactly 10W30.
The problem your dealer was having is they have to do the oil consumption test, which means they have to do the oil changes in the shop not the oil change rack. There might be an argument about who is responsible for paying for it or there may have been other mis understandings.
1 quart/2000 miles is acceptable! Reminds me of the F1 rules that limit the fuel capacity, so they have variable oil consumption (and a huge oil tank) to add fuel. Of course it is not exactly 10W30.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: 06-26-2017
Posts: 83
From: Los Angeles
We did do 4 oil consumption tests. That car isn't driven a whole lot (40k in 6 and a half years) so it took about a year to do them all.
This is what made me blow the gasket:
First test: 1000 miles - a quart of oil burnt
They changed the oil in the car (so I was told) and did a second test
Second test: 2000 miles - 0.85 quart of oil burnt
Here I started to be suspicious. How is it possible that an engine suddenly starts to burn less than half the amount of oil than before?
When we started the third test I checked the oil level as soon as I got home. The dip stick was completely flooded with oil. The engine was overfilled so much that the level was somewhere on the wire. Yes, I did wipe the dip stick before checking. This was the first time my blood pressure rose to dangerous highs but instead of shaking someone's desk I decided to take pictures periodically of the oil level and odometer so I could prove their tinkering. I remember it was around a 1000 miles into the test when the level was at full.
Unfortunately I managed to loose most of the pics so that plan went out the window.
Third test: 2000 miles - 0.9 quart burnt
This was the time I argued with them for the first time. Also the OBC was warning me that an oil change was due but obviously I couldn't do that because of the test. I wasn't really worried about it as the rep told me every time we started a test that they changed the oil. So at the end of the 3rd test I asked him specifically if the oil was changed because the OBC was not reset. Then he said they only topped it off. That triggered a second blood pressure rise.
I realized that this was not going to get me anywhere so came up with a plan. Luckily I took a picture of the dip stick right before I left for the dealer at the end of the third test. The car sat overnight before that so all the oil was in the pan. I had the paperwork that said it was 0.9 quart low. I drained all the oil from the engine and filled it up with 0.9 quart less oil than what the engine can take per GM and took a picture of that. It was a whole notch higher than where it was in the morning. So I called GM and asked them what my options were. I told them about my findings and they said they were going to get back to me. Then I drove back to the dealer and started to argue again. The rep kept telling me that a notch on the dip stick does not equal to 1 quart of oil which was true but had little to nothing to do with what I was arguing about which was the fact that there was more oil missing from the engine than what the paperwork said. I don't know if he was playing dumb or he was actually that stupid. I asked for the manager and started arguing with him. He told me that even if the car used 2 quarts of oil in 2000 miles it would have been still normal (!!!! I started to loose my patience there). Then I put a copy of the service bulletin on his desk with the exact year, model and engine of my car highlighted on it along with the fact that it needs to be repaired if it burnt more than a quart per 2000 miles. And as soon as he looked at it came the big red window on his monitor (message from GM). He changed his tone, offered to start clean, change the oil so they know exactly how much oil goes in and do one more test. I accepted his offer and monitored the oil level from start to finish. At the end of the fourth test they just told me that it used more than it should have so they were going to repair it. Since then it uses much less oil, runs smoother, stronger, quieter and has better MPG.
The car was about 1 year old when my father sat in it for the first time. His first question was: "Is it diesel?". This was before the repair.
I never went back to the dealer again. And BTW I switched to this dealer because the one I bought the car from was no better. They kept my car for 3 weeks because of a broken seat belt buckle switch. Then I called them to see what was taking so long and was told that they were still waiting for the part. I scheduled the repair and was called in without them having the part. I bought the car so it was easier for my wife to transport our baby. She had to deal with a small dirty loaner for 3 weeks for no reason.
Another time someone hit the right rear door so I took it to the dealer for repair. They replaced the entire outer panel of the door which I was happy about. When I went to pick it up it looked like new ... on the outside. I opened the door and the inside was bare metal. It made me think what kind of QC they had so I switched. Today that door squeaks and feels like nothing is lubricated inside. All other doors work perfectly fine. That's the next thing on my TODO list. A bit worried what is waiting for me in there...
Sorry for the long rant! All the bitter memories came back and I was puking words like there's no tomorrow.
This is what made me blow the gasket:
First test: 1000 miles - a quart of oil burnt
They changed the oil in the car (so I was told) and did a second test
Second test: 2000 miles - 0.85 quart of oil burnt
Here I started to be suspicious. How is it possible that an engine suddenly starts to burn less than half the amount of oil than before?
When we started the third test I checked the oil level as soon as I got home. The dip stick was completely flooded with oil. The engine was overfilled so much that the level was somewhere on the wire. Yes, I did wipe the dip stick before checking. This was the first time my blood pressure rose to dangerous highs but instead of shaking someone's desk I decided to take pictures periodically of the oil level and odometer so I could prove their tinkering. I remember it was around a 1000 miles into the test when the level was at full.
Unfortunately I managed to loose most of the pics so that plan went out the window.
Third test: 2000 miles - 0.9 quart burnt
This was the time I argued with them for the first time. Also the OBC was warning me that an oil change was due but obviously I couldn't do that because of the test. I wasn't really worried about it as the rep told me every time we started a test that they changed the oil. So at the end of the 3rd test I asked him specifically if the oil was changed because the OBC was not reset. Then he said they only topped it off. That triggered a second blood pressure rise.
I realized that this was not going to get me anywhere so came up with a plan. Luckily I took a picture of the dip stick right before I left for the dealer at the end of the third test. The car sat overnight before that so all the oil was in the pan. I had the paperwork that said it was 0.9 quart low. I drained all the oil from the engine and filled it up with 0.9 quart less oil than what the engine can take per GM and took a picture of that. It was a whole notch higher than where it was in the morning. So I called GM and asked them what my options were. I told them about my findings and they said they were going to get back to me. Then I drove back to the dealer and started to argue again. The rep kept telling me that a notch on the dip stick does not equal to 1 quart of oil which was true but had little to nothing to do with what I was arguing about which was the fact that there was more oil missing from the engine than what the paperwork said. I don't know if he was playing dumb or he was actually that stupid. I asked for the manager and started arguing with him. He told me that even if the car used 2 quarts of oil in 2000 miles it would have been still normal (!!!! I started to loose my patience there). Then I put a copy of the service bulletin on his desk with the exact year, model and engine of my car highlighted on it along with the fact that it needs to be repaired if it burnt more than a quart per 2000 miles. And as soon as he looked at it came the big red window on his monitor (message from GM). He changed his tone, offered to start clean, change the oil so they know exactly how much oil goes in and do one more test. I accepted his offer and monitored the oil level from start to finish. At the end of the fourth test they just told me that it used more than it should have so they were going to repair it. Since then it uses much less oil, runs smoother, stronger, quieter and has better MPG.
The car was about 1 year old when my father sat in it for the first time. His first question was: "Is it diesel?". This was before the repair.
I never went back to the dealer again. And BTW I switched to this dealer because the one I bought the car from was no better. They kept my car for 3 weeks because of a broken seat belt buckle switch. Then I called them to see what was taking so long and was told that they were still waiting for the part. I scheduled the repair and was called in without them having the part. I bought the car so it was easier for my wife to transport our baby. She had to deal with a small dirty loaner for 3 weeks for no reason.
Another time someone hit the right rear door so I took it to the dealer for repair. They replaced the entire outer panel of the door which I was happy about. When I went to pick it up it looked like new ... on the outside. I opened the door and the inside was bare metal. It made me think what kind of QC they had so I switched. Today that door squeaks and feels like nothing is lubricated inside. All other doors work perfectly fine. That's the next thing on my TODO list. A bit worried what is waiting for me in there...
Sorry for the long rant! All the bitter memories came back and I was puking words like there's no tomorrow.
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,532
From: Fredericksburg,VA
They did not bother to follow the directions in TSB #01-06-01-011. It even tells how much each line means.
I have a long list myself, some are from Toyota dealers that left my P/U sitting on the lot for 10 days waiting for them to do a OBD 1 test that I had already done, so the insurance company would replace the MAF that was damaged in an accident. OBD 1 tests are the old fashioned short 2 pins on the DLC and count the flashes of the CEL.
At that time the MAF cost about $600.
I have a long list myself, some are from Toyota dealers that left my P/U sitting on the lot for 10 days waiting for them to do a OBD 1 test that I had already done, so the insurance company would replace the MAF that was damaged in an accident. OBD 1 tests are the old fashioned short 2 pins on the DLC and count the flashes of the CEL.
At that time the MAF cost about $600.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: 06-26-2017
Posts: 83
From: Los Angeles
Hi guys! Bringing this thread back for a bit.
I saw that there is a new tune available for our cars so again I'm trying to figure out if my car has a tune or not.
There is one thing left that makes me scratch my head. My car has a nice back fire pretty much every time I lift my foot off the accelerator.. Is that normal for a stock tune? I have a Flowmaster catback and the backfire sets off alarms in parking garages.
Thanks!
I saw that there is a new tune available for our cars so again I'm trying to figure out if my car has a tune or not.
There is one thing left that makes me scratch my head. My car has a nice back fire pretty much every time I lift my foot off the accelerator.. Is that normal for a stock tune? I have a Flowmaster catback and the backfire sets off alarms in parking garages.
Thanks!