A gripping dramedy(drama/comedy) to share about a boy and his new used truck..

DuckBrat · #1 08-25-2009, 12:05 AM

Okay,

So I went shopping for a used truck about three weeks ago. I ended up in Whitecourt looking at this private sale. I was looking for a '98 Chev with a 6.5 L Turbo Diesel. That was probably my first mistake but anyway I arrive and the gent starts the truck and it lights up fine. The engine though is making a cacaphony of different noises some which I recognize and some that I don't. The power steering pump is rattling and there is a chatter coming from the passenger side of the engine. Also when I shut the engine down there is a rattle coming from the front and bottom of the engine. The rest of the truck seems tight and I figure I'd ask the guy if he had known what was causing the racket coming from the different parts of the motor. He tells me one is the vacuum pump and the other is the fan clutch. I accept his diagnosis and ask if I could take it for an inspection to verify the issues. He hesitates but eventually gives in as I tell him I had pre-booked at the Chev dealership in town. As I told him this he seemed to be quite relieved that I had chose the Chev dealership as this is where he had supposedly taken this vehicle for all it's services. Good I said as that way they will have all the history and diagnosis for the noises I had been hearing in the engine compartment. As I went to pull out with the truck though dude freaks as he says he's got to be the one to drive it there. I was a little shocked but hey alright it's your truck. So he pulls out and rips to the dealership and probably gets there a good 5-10 minutes before we do as I can't say I'm that familiar with the in's and outs of the service road on the main drag in Whitecourt. Anyways I arrive to find the guy having a heart to heart with the service tech and maybe I should have trusted the bad vibes I was getting from seeing this but I let it go. So I go over and talk to the tech and ask him to check the 3-4 different sounds and to give me thorough diagnosis of the issues along with safety inspection. 2 hours later I am told that yes the gent who is selling the truck was correct on the noises and they had previously been determined before the gent wanted to sell the truck. I asked the tech and the front end guy one more time if the sounds might be something more serious but was told with a little money these small issues (vacuum pump, fan clutch) can be fixed. I then asked if it was safe to drive the truck back to Edmonton and was told yes. Anyway's I just returned from holidays in my other vehicle and spent a few hours replacing the parts that were determined to be the culprit for the sounds in this truck I purchased in Whitecourt. Started the truck after putting in the new parts and guess what still have all the sounds if not a little louder now. Took the truck to 2 different mechanics and guess what in 30 seconds they diagnosed the problem as something a little more serious than what I had been told. Turns out the harmonic balancer and pulley attached to it are shot. With this, these mechanics both said that there was no way I should have ever drove that truck back to Edmonton in that condition as if their was not damage to the engine already I probably killed it on the way home hence the knocking sound coming form the passenger side valve cover. Further internet searches on the subject confirm their thoughts. So what's a motor cost for one of these things, around $6500, and the installation $2000-$4000 depending on who does it. I don't make a whack of money and as you know things are a little tight these days so I'm kinda sunk now. BUS DRIVER HOLD THAT BUS PLEASE!!!!! So in desperation I contacted the seller and asked maybe if he could help me out for his mistake and cut the cost by a $1000 but that was a no go and I got laughed at, but I had to try (I kinda expected that and now I feel slightly dirty for groveling). Next I called SMYL in Whitecourt the dealership that performed the inspection and I asked what was the protocol for blown diagnosis on vehicles during inspection. There wasn't one as far as the service Manager knew and he offered nothing until I pressed him on the mistake they made. It took a week of me phoning to get a response but he called me back today with (and finally the funny part of the story) their peace offering to me. He graciously offered to sell me an engine for $9000 and install it for another $9000. I find this incredibly nuts even for a dealership price. I talked to another Chev dealer here in Edmonton that was going to sell me an engine for $6000 based out of pity for my situation which I do appreciate.
Anyways $18,000 to fix a truck worth maybe $5000 at most. Do people think before they act or maybe we could just blame drugs, alcohol, anything to explain such ludicrousness (is that a word)? Nice peace offering though, thanks for wasting my time SMYL. As for me I should have went with the vibes and not trusted the seller or the service people even though it would be nice if just for once I could have faith in a so called professional. I am very lucky though I have a very nice and functional paper weight/boat anchor now. I at least hope you got a small snicker or smile from my drama because that was a lot of freakin' reading.

TreeGuy · #2 08-25-2009, 12:31 AM

Duckbrat, with all due respect, the only person who screwed you on this deal was YOU. It's one thing to ignore your 'gut feeling', it's quite another to do so when there are so many red flags.

I just picked up an '05 GMC 2500HD 6.0l for less than $13k. It needs tires and a bit of front end work and only has 125K on it. Shop around, there's deals on quality vehicals out there.

Drive it until it drops and then send it to auction and get back what you can. As P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute.". Good luck.

Tree

2fast4uRuss · #3 08-25-2009, 12:40 AM

I would seriously consider parting the truck out before spending that kind of money on a 98. If it still runs try and trade it off or take it to a Michener Allen sale. 6.5L diesel's are a money pit.

Whiskey Wish · #4 08-25-2009, 01:02 AM

The valuable lesson that you should take away from this is to listen to your gut instinct. We all develop our gut instinct over time and while we cannot always put our finger on the "Why's" the instinct is real and functional. The reason so many of us chose to ignore it is because of social conditioning. Other people are "supposed" to be honest...... The dealerships are "nice guys" that want to be your friend...... banks are trustworthy and friendly....
The advertising goes on day after day and society tells us over and over that people are honest and nice blah blah blah until...in the moment we need to listen to it the most...we DOUBT our own gut instinct.
Your eyes likely read his face and saw the classic symptoms of lying, your brain did some math and noticed the errors, another part of your brain ran some logic and found the sellers story full of holes all while you were chatting with him and examining the truck. Your subconscious brain was hitting the Alert button and your conscious brain was carrying on a conversation. Finally, in a last ditch attempt to get your attention your subconscious brain starts to mess with your physical responses...thus the "gut feeling".
So that's the only good in this situation. You have learned a lesson about trusting your gut instinct and it will save you lots over the rest of your life IF you choose to listen to it.
Smyl in Whitecourt burned me back in 1980 so nothing has changed there in almost 30 years. I will thank them though because they turned me to Toyota out of sheer frustration and I have never owned another Gm product since then.
So the next time you are out in the bush and the hair rises on the back of your neck for no apparent reason...LISTEN UP...your gut is trying to talk to you.

Keep Your Powder Dry
Dave.

Hunter Trav · #5 08-25-2009, 07:51 AM

" I was looking for a '98 Chev with a 6.5 L Turbo Diesel. That was probably my first mistake... "

Yup, that definately was #1, sorry to hear about your luck...

Matt L. · #6 08-25-2009, 08:48 AM

What's wrong with 6.5's? I know of one that's been going for years with little or no money put into it.

Hunter Trav · #7 08-25-2009, 08:59 AM

Well, 1 out of how many made ain't too bad I guess...LOL

DuckBrat · #8 08-25-2009, 09:56 AM

Well one things for sure no one's going to be hiring me anytime soon to find them a good deal on a vehicle. Thanks for your input.

Justagirl · #9 08-25-2009, 10:00 AM

Ok so i know absolutely nothing about this stuff.. but.. isn't there something he can do as far as the dealership giving a false inspection? That just doesn't sound right. They shouldn't be able to get away with doing that. They should be liable, since it was there "mistake" that let it go?

I dunno maybe that's not how it works. But it certainly should be. Or any joe blow can go and bribe the mechanics to say whatever they want with an inspection. That ain't right. Sorry to hear you got burned DuckBrat

Hunter Trav · #10 08-25-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckBrat

Well one things for sure no one's going to be hiring me anytime soon to find them a good deal on a vehicle. Thanks for your input.

Don't feel too bad, I've been having similar luck with the diff on my pickup, so I can definately feel your pain. Hope it turns around for you.

beerhunter · #11 08-25-2009, 11:49 AM

You can contact Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council and file a complaint about the dealership that did the inspection. They might be able to help.

AMVIC http://www.amvic.org/

redneck posse · #12 08-25-2009, 02:02 PM

about a year ago a buddy had kind of the same thing happen with a dodge dealer. after getting know where trying to talk to them he said fine he would phone dodge head office and let a lawyer and the BBB look into it. and to look into having the mechanic license pulled the next day his truck was in getting a ton of work done free.

2fast4uRuss · #13 08-25-2009, 02:38 PM

6.5L problems..short list.. Injector pumps, cracked heads, head gaskets, oil leaks, poorly designed bottom end weak castings, glow plugs, poor starting walk by with an ice cube and you better plug it in. Mileage was good in some of these trucks but poor in just as many too.
If you are looking for a diesel get a 5.9l cummings or a 7.3l Powerstoke do not ever and I repeat ever get a 6.0L powerstroke they are a ticking time bomb and if you ask your local Ford dealer service department not the salesman they will tell you they are there gravy train there is always a few sitting there waiting to be worked on.

Redfrog · #14 08-25-2009, 05:41 PM

HOw about the older 6.9 diesel?

2fast4uRuss · #15 08-25-2009, 06:50 PM

The 6.9L ford is a pretty good engine not huge on power but pretty reliable from what I have heard. Had some neighbors with them before and the body quit long before the engine ever did.

moosemad · #16 08-25-2009, 07:18 PM

If you decide to change the motor I'll do it for you and save you a bunch of money but I'm in Calgary. As said above you would be better off wrecking it, wouldn't go auction though you won't make any money that way. Better off stripping and selling the parts, although it is a slow process.

SCO · #17 08-26-2009, 01:17 AM

I use to sell new vehicles but if I remember correctly that on the private sale of a used vehicle the previous owner is on the hook for any repairs needed for the first month that is not a regular wear & tear item (i.e. tires, belts, batteries) or they have to refund your money even if "sold as is where is" is written on the bill of sale. Check with AMVIC or a lawyer , maybe even a reputable dealer. I will see what I can find out. Good luck.