NHTSA Complaint #761004 — 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

MY CAR HAD STARTED OVERHEATING REALLY BAD, AND WAS GOING THROUGH COOLANT LIKE CRAZY. SO I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY CHARGED WAY TO MUCH. SO I TOOK IT TO A RADIATOR SHOP AND HAD IT LOOKED AT. THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP AND SOME HOSES, AND IT STILL ACTED UP. SO I FINALLY BOUGHT A WHOLE NEW COOLANT TANK, AND YET STILL IT CONTINUED TO DO THE SAME THING. SO I TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE TO HAVE A COOLANT PRESSURE TEST DONE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD A LEAK IN THE FRONT CORNER. THEY ESTIMATED IT AT COSTING ABOUT $800 TO FIX THE HEAD GASKET. BUT THEN I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO GO BUY A NEW CAP FOR THE COOLANT TANK AND I HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT OVERHEATING ON ME. THAT CAP ONLY COST ME LIKE $10. WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT THE PRESSURE CAP THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON THE CAR WAS A 15 PSI CAP AND THE NEW ONE I BOUGHT FROM THE DEALER WAS AN 18 PSI. THEY TOLD ME THEY CHANGED THE PART FOR MY CAR. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY I WASN'T NOTIFIED OF THIS. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE WHOLE PROBLEM BEHIND MY CAR OVERHEATING.*LT