NHTSA Complaint #10054357 — 1999 BUICK CENTURY

VEHICLE STARTED TO RUN A LITTLE LOT IN OCTOBER 2002. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO MECHANIC SHOP SINCE WE WHERE OUT OF THE THREE YEAR WARRANTY BY ABOUT 6 MONTHS. UPON CHECKING THE CONTENTS OF THE RADIATOR, A BROWN SLUDGE WAS NOTED INSIDE. PER SERVICE BULLETIN # 00-06-02-004 THE MECHANIC FLUSHED THE SYSTEM AND REPLACED THE RADIATOR CAP. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME SLUDGE WAS STARTING TO APPEAR IN THE RADIATOR. MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT WE BRING IT TO THE DEALER SINCE IT WAS PROBABLY A GASKET LEAK. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO CROWN BUICK. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A LEAKING LOWER GASKET AND THE AIR WAS GETTING INTO THE SYSTEM CAUSING THE SLUDGE. THEY CHANGED THE LOWER GASKET AND DUE TO THE SERVICE PERSON QUOTING US A WRONG PRICE ON THE COST F THE REPAIR THIS WAS COMPLETED FOR $ TWO WEEKS LATER, THE OIL PAN GASKET WAS DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING. THIS REPAIR COST $ IT AMAZED US THAT TWO WEEKS AFTER CROWN WORKED ON OUR VEHICLE THE OIL PAN GASKET STARTS TO LEAK. BOTH GASKETS LEAK AND CAUSE PROBLEM WITHIN 6 MONTH'S OF OUR YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRING EVEN THOUGH WE WERE UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. IT IS OBVIOUS INFERIOR WORKMANSHIP ON BUICK' S APART TO HAVE TWO GASKETS LEAK AND CAUSE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS TO THE OWNER OF THEIR PRODUCT. SINCE THIS WAS ALREADY EVIDENT DUE TO THE SERVICE BULLETIN BEING PUBLISHED, BUICK GEMS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED THESE REPAIRS AS WARRANTY. COMPLAINTS FILED WITH BUICK GEMS AND NO COMPENSATION WAS OFFERED. *CB