[ClarkW]

Took my 2007 Saturn Outlook with 104,700 miles out to the local dealership 1.5 weeks ago because the Stabilitrack check engine light was on and it was running horribly. $2,756.51 to fix and 30 miles or so driving it the same thing is happening again.
This is my first "major" issue with a vehicle and I'm as unmechanically inclined as you can imagine so I don't know how this work. They said without a doubt they fixed the issue, now what??????? The possibility of $2,756.51 not fixing the issue wasn't even mention

This is what is on my receipt: "Diagnosed engine misfire, found low compression on cyclinder #5 burnt valve, removed cyclinder head and replaced all exhause vales and chains. 17.5 hours of labor.

What else could it be?
Any recommendations?

 

[salguod]

If it reoccurred in 30 miles I'd have a serious talk with the service manager if they want any more money to check it out. They may have found and corrected a problem (which I'm sure they'll argue), but they obviously didn't find the problem. I'd expect a re-check for free and once I got a diagnosis, I may expect a repair for free.

What your repair indicates is that they found bad valve that wasn't sealing properly (low compression) which was making the engine run on 5 cylinders. They took the top half of the engine off (intake manifold, both cylinder heads, timing chains, and more) and replaced the timing chains and all exhaust valves.

That's a lot of work, I believe it involves dropping the engine, and the price you paid isn't out of line for the work they did. The real question is what did they miss?

A common mistake is finding and fixing the end result but missing the cause. I wonder what caused the burnt valve in the first place?

 

[ClarkW]

They didn't know. He said it could have been a piece of carbon that got stuck in there. I just dropped it off, they are diagnosing it for free but what after that is unknown. Of course this morning the car ran fine and the Stabiltrack signal didn't come on.
If I can leave with it not having the issue I'm very tempted to trade it in for a new SUV. All the issues I'm hearing with the transmission and engine on the Outlook is worrying me big time.

Thanks for your post Salguod. Much appreciated.

 

[mswerb]

Hopefully your dealership has a "Fix it Right The First Time" policy and if any repairs are needed for the same occurance, it will be at no charge to you. $2700 is a lot to drop on a repair on a vehicle with that many miles. I would have thought of trading it in the first time.
Hope it works out in your favor.