It hurts to do this, but I'm desperate.

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Kyle23

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Hi guys, as much as I wish I could do this myself and not ask for help, I simply can't. About a year ago I decided it was time I got my first car. A 2011 Chevy Cruze. I even buy the extended warranty and pay extra every month in case something happens! Everything was perfect until a couple of weeks ago. It was driving perfectly until my dashboard lit up with warning lights of ABS and Traction Control. Immediately after, it fails to accelerate and starts to make this very loud hissing noise. I get it home and it sits in my driveway for 2 weeks until the dealership can see me. The 19th rolls along and they can finally see me. I get it towed to the dealership and leave it to them, pretty excited I will finally have my car again.

The only thing in my mind is PLEASE fix my car by tomorrow so I can go to my girlfriends graduation award show. That's all. She lives an hour away and I won't have her come all the way here just to drive me to her award show.

Today I get the worst news. The man at the dealership tries to put it lightly to me, but I can tell he doesn't want to come out and say it. He tells me the warranty company won't cover me because I have no service records for oil changes because I did them myself with my handy neighbor. He tells me my eco turbo is shot and I have leaks all over the place. I really don't know a ton about cars, so I'm giving him the whole "mmhmmm, right, okay" just waiting for him to give me a total on how much it will cost. He is sighing before every sentence. He tells me he gave the warranty company a $2000 quote, but for me to get it fixed on my own it would be "WORLDS more".

I don't know how much it will be, I'm still paying off my original car payment and owe about $10,000 on that. I work at a grocery store and can't imagine paying off $10,000 for a car that is completely broken. I'm so desperate. I would never ask anyone for money or help and over the past two weeks I hated even asking my coworkers for rides home.

I just can't do it on my own. I know my mom would help me if she could and I know she wishes she could more than anything, but she can't. I have no other parents to ask for help. I feel like I'm begging, but it's all I can do right now. I'm not sure what the minimum amount you can donate on this site, but please, everything counts. If I reach my goal and the repairs are cheaper, I would glady donate the rest to charity or another good cause on this website in a heartbeat.

I know a lot of people could use money right now and I'm cringing thinking of people's reactions to this, I just don't know what else to do. I'm going to sell my KoAloha very soon to try and cover some of it. Between my KoAloha and my savings, I might be able to squeeze out $1000. If anyone on here decided to donate and would like something done in return, I would glady help out with whatever you need done. I'm already looking for a second job to see if I can put a dent in this. Also, if you're low on money yourself, please do not donate. I can't ask someone who is having financial trouble to help me. Thank you so much if you took the time to read this.
 
You really should get a second opinion on that repair. And there is no reason you have to go to a Chevy dealer to get that opinion. Dealers are generally a much higher-cost option in car repair. And get more details when you get that estimate. Leaks? What kind of leaks? Good luck. If it really is a repair as costly as you say I would be tempted to trade the car in for another.
 
You really should get a second opinion on that repair. And there is no reason you have to go to a Chevy dealer to get that opinion. Dealers are generally a much higher-cost option in car repair. And get more details when you get that estimate. Leaks? What kind of leaks? Good luck. If it really is a repair as costly as you say I would be tempted to trade the car in for another.

I'm going to get more details. The guy I was talking to said the warranty company needs my records, but I told him I don't have any so he's going to talk to the warranty people and get back to me, so I'll have to wait. He said there was a valve cover leak, oil leak somewhere, but I never seen any oil puddles, a coolant leak and he said my turbo is completely shot. I can't see how any of this happened. I took such good care of this car.
 
In general, manufacturer's warranties cannot be voided because you did your own maintenance. However, it does make things a little more complicated, because the warranty holder may argue that your poor maintenance caused the problem, and you will have a difficult time proving otherwise.

Presumably, you have an aftermarket warranty and not a manufacturer's warranty. It's hard to say what they will and won't cover, since there are so many types of aftermarket warranties. Normally, I wouldn't think that doing your own oil changes would invalidate your warranty, unless it specifically says so in the warranty. Again, they may request proof that they were done, via receipts for purchasing oil, etc.

Some less scrupulous warranty companies might just deny the request out of hand, in the hopes that you will go away. Don't go away. Talk to someone high up at your warranty company and politely ask for your claim to be reconsidered. If you run into trouble, ask for a written statement explaining why your claim is denied, and the specific clause of your warranty agreement that was violated. Don't lose your cool, but keep pressing.

If you purchased the warranty through Chevy, you can also appeal to their corporate headquarters.

Good luck-- this should be a solveable problem.
 
In general, manufacturer's warranties cannot be voided because you did your own maintenance. However, it does make things a little more complicated, because the warranty holder may argue that your poor maintenance caused the problem, and you will have a difficult time proving otherwise.

Presumably, you have an aftermarket warranty and not a manufacturer's warranty. It's hard to say what they will and won't cover, since there are so many types of aftermarket warranties. Normally, I wouldn't think that doing your own oil changes would invalidate your warranty, unless it specifically says so in the warranty. Again, they may request proof that they were done, via receipts for purchasing oil, etc.

Some less scrupulous warranty companies might just deny the request out of hand, in the hopes that you will go away. Don't go away. Talk to someone high up at your warranty company and politely ask for your claim to be reconsidered. If you run into trouble, ask for a written statement explaining why your claim is denied, and the specific clause of your warranty agreement that was violated. Don't lose your cool, but keep pressing.

If you purchased the warranty through Chevy, you can also appeal to their corporate headquarters.

Good luck-- this should be a solveable problem.

The only thing I may have in terms of a receipt for the oil is a bank statement, but all it says is Walmart and the total. I'm sure that won't be good enough though. I'm trying not to give up, but with something this big and a giant company that doesn't want to help, I don't know if I can overcome it.
 
Don't lose hope Kyle. Keep going at that warranty option until its no longer viable. Otherwise, a valve cover gasket and/or coolant leaks are likely no big things. The turbo will be expensive if it is gone. But again, since you don't know much about cars and you don't have friends or family with the knowledge to help you out, seek a second opinion. The turbo may still be ok...
 
Thanks for the kind words, I'm trying, but I don't do well with stress. I'll keep looking for options.
 
Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket, not a simple minor leaking valve cover gasket right. Caused by hi revs and Racing. This would explain the coolant leak even if you don't see one. I hope you don't have a cracked block
Good luck, if so warranty would never cover that, its what the mechanic told the warranty company too.
This would explain the high costs too. Never over push any car what it was not designed to do.
This type of engine failure in the warranty eyes is owner abuse and I hope I'm wrong. Wish you the best
 
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First of all, two weeks seems like an awfully long time to wait for a diagnostic on something like this, so I'd have been skeptical and would have been calling around immediately for other options. At this point, it's still worth calling around and trying to get a second opinion and an independent is a very good idea. When you're looking at thousands of dollars for a repair, $100-200 for a diagnostic is a worthwhile investment, for peace of mind if nothing else.

I hate dealing with this kind of stuff too, but you have to be the squeaky wheel. Trust me, "they" are not looking out for you. You have to be your own advocate. Best of luck!
 
Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket, not a simple minor leaking valve cover gasket right. Caused by hi revs and Racing. This would explain the coolant leak even if you don't see one. I hope you don't have a cracked block
Good luck, if so warranty would never cover that, its what the mechanic told the warranty company too.
This would explain the high costs too. Never over push any car what it was not designed to do.
This type of engine failure in the warranty eyes is owner abuse and I hope I'm wrong. Wish you the best

Only way I can see that happening is if the person before me drove the car to crap then I took it over. I drive like a grandma and I rarely drive as it is. Not even daily. They called me while I was at work and told me they heard back from the warranty people so I'll have to call in the morning.
 
First of all, two weeks seems like an awfully long time to wait for a diagnostic on something like this, so I'd have been skeptical and would have been calling around immediately for other options. At this point, it's still worth calling around and trying to get a second opinion and an independent is a very good idea. When you're looking at thousands of dollars for a repair, $100-200 for a diagnostic is a worthwhile investment, for peace of mind if nothing else.

I hate dealing with this kind of stuff too, but you have to be the squeaky wheel. Trust me, "they" are not looking out for you. You have to be your own advocate. Best of luck!

It took them a day to tell me what was wrong with it, but it took them 2 weeks to get me an appointment. I've been talking to a few people I know about fixing it so hopefully someone can help me out.
 
Check your oil dip stick for milky residue, and radiator for oil or bubbles, also exhaust manifold leak, white
Tail pipe smoke or sweet smelling. Also if you have coolant in your radiator, check you plugs for a greenish tint
If so you have a blown head gasket or worse
 
Yeah get another opinion, the dealer sounds shady. I dunno, valve cover "leak" (they can ooze, is it blown? "coolant leaks", "leaks everywhere"... you could have blown a hose and overheated the engine to the point of seizing, or just stopping, but you should have seen your temp gauge climb and smelled coolant. Get a better diagnosis, that one is non-specific and flaky.
 
I got some great news. They sent pics to the warranty company and they said I kept up with my oil changes and I would be covered for the replacement turbo and valve cover. The only thing that they won't cover is the coolant leak, but I have a friend who works at a dealership who is willing to help me out. Such a huge relief. I was hours away from selling my KoAloha which would have killed me. Thanks all for the advice.
 
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