[bowtiebabe72]

As some of you know...I bought an 01 Catera about a week ago. Extremely low mileage, all around awesome car...or so I thought.

:Enter Flashback:

I am driving along a major freeway, no real exits in site around 12 today...singing along to the radio and minding my own...I hear a loud noise and a major cut in power...It sounds as if the first pipe came off the manifold...like a small cadillac with an airplane engine. LOUD.
I pull over like..wth..check the first pipe...still attached, or as far as I can see...pop the hood...the spark plug came out of the 3rd cylinder and was beating against the hood...I now have a slightly inverted ding on the hood So I go around to the trunk thinking that I might just POSSIBLY have the right tools..not a chance. Plan B, call my buddy that lives 4 or 5 miles away and hope he is home and has the right tools. He is! Wonderful, so he comes, brings me what I need. I check the plug out, just to make sure it was ok to put back in for the time being until I could get to a parts store. Good condition.
I go to put it back in...starts to tighten, breaks free, starts to tighten...breaks free. RAWR! Stripped interior threads...

So there she sits...until I can find someone who has a set of Heli coils or until tomorrow when a parts store is open...my cute NEW little catera.

Should I take it back to the dealership and say "handle this" or just fix it on my own and forget about it...?

 

[RCastle]

Bummer.Do you think it was stripped all along or just not tight?Most dealerships will do basic tune up on trade ins or cars bought at auctions before they put them on a lot.Also was it a buy-here pay-here lot?I would not expect that type of lot to stand behind squat.Now if you got it from a dealer boasting that they are a Certified Used Car type dealer you may be able to get them to eat it.Plus if they will stand behind it,they should give you a loaner car.Also tell them that whatever happens,,Word of Mouth is good or bad to potential customers.When I was younger,Montgomery Chevrolet here messed up on my 91 Beretta.They would not fix it.I called GM in Dearborn,they can flag a dealers file,but they can not do anything as dealers are independent.Good luck.-Ron-

 

[helrazr3]

sorry to here about your car, thats a bummer. how long have you owned it? i would think that the dealer would help you out its not one of those questionable things that happened. it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[4 Jaw Chuck]

I once helped out a car load of girls on the highway on the way home from the beach, seems the drivers brother did a tune up on the car (late model Honda) the day before. When she popped the hood there was three spark plugs hanging by the wires, no wonder it stopped.

I managed to get them back in but the first 2 threads of every plug hole in the AL head were stripped making it not so easy to get them started. I sure felt sorry for her, lucky I was there to help out those poor bikini wearing girls in their time of need.

I'm such a good samaritan. :thumbup:

 

[willowbilly3]

If you just got it you may want to try and get the dealership to fix it. They probably won't but it's worth a try.

 

[Kevin45]

Did it have a 30 day warranty or did you buy as is? Beings it is an '01 I would guess a 30 day warranty and if so they will fix it. If it was bought as is I would still give it a try before doing any repairs yourself.

 

[bowtiebabe72]

I once helped out a car load of girls on the highway on the way home from the beach, seems the drivers brother did a tune up on the car (late model Honda) the day before. When she popped the hood there was three spark plugs hanging by the wires, no wonder it stopped.

I managed to get them back in but the first 2 threads of every plug hole in the AL head were stripped making it not so easy to get them started. I sure felt sorry for her, lucky I was there to help out those poor bikini wearing girls in their time of need.

I'm such a good samaritan. :thumbup:

How did you manage to get them started?

 

[bud-23]

Jump start?

 

[bowtiebabe72]

um...yeah...it wasn't the battery that died there dude.

 

[willowbilly3]

Not all that hard if you know where the starter button is.

 

[bowtiebabe72]

Ok, as in started I meant...Chuck...How did you manage to get the threads started???

 

[StrokeofGenius]

Sorry bowtie..... That Sucks!

Go ***** and moan to the dealership. See if they will take care of it and maybe give you some free stuff for your troubles (maybe not but worth a try).


Kick some *** and take names later,
Stroke

 

[bowtiebabe72]

Update I suppose...

The dealership basically said I was SOL...It was an upstanding dealer here...small town, but a large name.

They said there was no way to verify that I hadn't done any work on it myself, which...why should I...? It had just come fresh from the dealership with a tune up, oil change, blah blah...

So...what are my options now guys and gals?

 

[helrazr3]

how long ago did you buy it?

ok i didn't see your first line. you have opotions


check this out

http://www.autopedia.com/html/LemonLaw/MN_lemonlaw3.html



that should help, dont let them screw you they have to pay to fix it this we dont know bull crap is a smoke screen push the issue and they have to fix it.

 

[StrokeofGenius]

Threaten to call the BBB... Hmmm...

I'm starting to feel very sorry for you.

This sound like a crappy situation that is probably not going get any better.


Stroke

 

[Gr8 '48 bow tie]

I once helped out a car load of girls on the highway on the way home from the beach, seems the drivers brother did a tune up on the car (late model Honda) the day before. When she popped the hood there was three spark plugs hanging by the wires, no wonder it stopped.

I managed to get them back in but the first 2 threads of every plug hole in the AL head were stripped making it not so easy to get them started. I sure felt sorry for her, lucky I was there to help out those poor bikini wearing girls in their time of need.

I'm such a good samaritan. :thumbup:

Does The Chickie know about that????

Al

 

[killerformula]

Does The Chickie know about that????

Al

Yeah, she was one of the girls lol

K