I was down in Cincinnati last week on vacation visiting friends. I had planned on leaving to drive home on Sunday so I could make it back to Boston in time to work on Monday. I get onto the highway to head home and my car starts to hesitate. I downshift and notice that the boost is climbing too fast...and going beyond 15 psi (I have stage 2) Like up to 20 and holding there. So I take it easy and turn back at the next exit to the Chevy dealership. It was Sunday so they couldnt work on it until the next day. The check engine light went on too. They called me Monday, and said the code was for internal cat failure. And that it wouldnt be shipped in till tuesday. I went to pick it up tuesday afternoon. They said that the cat and gaskets were replaced and covered under warrentee. It was all in writing on my reciept. So I start to drive home and notice that it runs fine but had an exhaust leak. But I work at a Chevy dealership in Boston so I figure Ill just drive home and have my work fix it, cause I already missed 2 days of work. Yesterday my dealership tried to fix the leak but I was told that a stud was stripped and the flange was bent beyond repair. So we got a new cat in today and my mechanic replaced it. Along with the stud and both gaskets. Then they showed me the cat they took out...It was the origonal from when I bought the car in August. Not a week old cat like was supposed to be on the car. So the dealership in Ohio left the damn clogged cat on the car...and backed the bolts off until there was about an inch gap between the pipes according to my mechanic. plus the bolts on the back end of the pipe were rusted in place aka never touched. I called Chevy HQ and they said they would send me a free oil change in the mail 4-6 weeks. Not only was the repair never done...but I couldnt burned up a valve in the 900 miles I drove home, plus missed 2 days of pay!!! I tried calling the dealership in Ohio but nobody answered the service line. This is total BS and GM says basically that they arent gonna do much besides "have somebody look into it"

 

**** man.. that sucks

 

Did you figure out what caused your other cat to go bad?
I only ask this because if they were saying your 'new' cat was 'old' based on the inside, your car could be going through cats because you have a much bigger problem... which is usually the case anyhow since a cat is supposed to last well beyond the life of the car.
Your new cat could even look physically old on the outside if it was getting superheated and exposed to all the salt, wet and assorted bullshit on the road.

I'm certainly not trying to protect the dealer, but what do they really have to gain.. and obviously they at least fucked with your exhaust to make it drivable/cause a leak.

 

...Ya the "cat they put on in Ohio" is exactly a week old. And I didnt drive in any rain, snow or wash the car. Plus the bolts on the output pipe were rusted on like they were never taken off. I know what ure sayin but they definatly just loosened the bolts to make a gap between the manifold. The gap was about an inch all the way around.

 

Actually I would say it blows.

 

That's pretty ridiculous. Mind mentioning what Dealer? That way we can all avoid it if we're ever in the position?

 

Ya no problem...Terry Lee Chevrolet, "Everybody needs a little TLC" Ohh the irony

 

Seems to me that the same problem exists in most dealers....mindlesness. Went through a similar situation with one of my customers cars....Not gonna get into it here in your thread lol

 

Would I be able to tell right away if any damage was done to the exhaust valves. Because I did drive about 1k with an open manifold

 

I took my car there too when I had an issue with the car I bought my car in Kokomo, Indiana and drove to Cincinnati to my apartment, So, I racked up 200 miles on my car and they were just jerks about it, I had the air box full of water. They go so ya hot rod this thing I was like no I have 200 miles on the car. I was like I care about it I don't want to blow the thing up. I had to wait 2 days for them to get a new MAF then the guy goes you might want to look at doing something about this airbox your going to have a problem again down the road and he said there was no bulletins about it and the dealership where I bought the car told me there was a bulletin and to have them check to see if there was a drain plug in the airbox and the guy wouldn't look at the bulletin or check for me. He just sent me on my way after Installing a new MAF and draining the water out of the air box.