[fmota]

Not sure whats going on but I was on a weekend trip to DC. Everything was fine, except that the last stop we made for dinner before heading home last night. I put the car in reverse and noticed some obvious jerks when car moved backwards. So I stopped, shut off the car. Restarted nd did reverse again. No problems. Back on the highway. Did not notice anything unusual while driving about 100 some miles on 83N ( lots of hills/upclimb). Stopped for gas and decided to do reverse to check it out. Same problem...felt the jerks/hesitation. Decided to just get on the highway and pray that I get home. Got home fine. Same thing again this morning. No msgs on the DIC or any lights whatsoever. Anyone have any ideas what could be going on here ? (103000 miles )

 

[fmota]

OK, found some others posts with reference to same symptoms and 3-5-R waveplate malfunction. So, I'll be calling the local Saturn dealership....I do have extended powertrain warranty so hopefully, this should be covered .

 

[medicrxdoc]

Yes....that that does sound like the wave plate.

 

[fmota]

<sigh>

Just got a call back from Saturn dealership. It is indeed wave plate issue, it broke, etc. etc. They already called my extended warranty but these guys seem a bit fussy. they want the dealership to tear apart the transmission and they'll send an inspector to take pictures before they approve this transmission replacement. And they said if they think its not a transmission issue, obviously they wont approve it but I'll be the one paying the dealership for the time it'll take them to tear it apart .......WTF !!
the guy at the dealership says they are confident it is indeed transmission........Does anyone here has any experience with extended warranties when it comes to tranny repairs/replace ?

 

[salguod]

I had an engine installed by a local shop in my old Caravan. It was a remanufactured engine and came with a 3 year 36K warranty. I had the timing belt jump due to faulty workmanship, but the engine company said in order to determine if the repairs were covered, the shop had to remove the engine and ship it from Columbus OH to Wyoming where the rebuilder was for diagnosis. I asked who's on the hook for the labor & shipping if it's not covered and they said I was. I told them that there was no way I was going to accept that responsibility, if the rebuilder wanted it done that way they would have to pay for it. They ended up covering the repairs in the local shop without the shipping.

If I were in your shoes, I'd tell them the same thing. If that's the procedure the warranty company wants followed, and your mechanic says it's not needed, that's on the warranty company not you. That would be my stance anyway.

 

[medicrxdoc]

You need to find the fine print of that warranty and read it thoroughly.

I don't typically purchase aftermarket warranties for reasons such as this. The now defunct Circuit City wanted me to format my hard drive to get a modem since mine didn't work in my other computer or the shops spare. Sometimes they make it a hassle and hope you give up.

Fmota: just to clarify your over 100K or 5 years in service?

 

[rbarrios]

if all else fails and the dealer wants TONS of cash-- there is a new member on the Acadia forum..
who is a Master tech- has his own shop- and fixes these transmissions...
hes in PERRY, MI.. about 500 miles from you...

We have a thread with pics- and stuff...

he is actually repairing an 08 as we speak.... (he also listed some prices) -- see here...
I wonder if its to your advantage to have it towed to his shop--
if warranty covers fine-- if not- you pay less than dealer (throw in tow to see).

see here...

http://www.acadiaforum.net/index.php?topic=11543.20

 

[GM Customer Service]

@fmota, are they updates about your situation with the extended warranty company? I'm curious how things have turned out for you.

Michelle, GM Customer Service

 

[fmota]

So here's the latest. The shop did tear apart the transmission so extended warranty guy can come and inspect. It did confirm their original diagnosis about wave plate problem. The warranty folks have approved a certain $ amount which will cover rebuilding the transmission. If I want a new transmission from GM, I will have to pay $400 out of my pocket. The rebuilt will have 1yr/12k mile warranty while the new will be 3yrs/100,000k mile warranty. I called and spoke with the warranty company supervisor who is handling this and told him that my concern is that if I have issues again with rebuilt tranny, are they gonna pay again to fix it ? why not just pay extra $400 and let GM worry about it for next 3 years? We went over warranty contract and the rebuilt tranny will be covered beyond 12k mile GM warranty and they will fix it if it breaks again before extended warranty expires @ 167k miles ( currently 103k miles). So I guess I'm going with the rebuilt tranny as I can't really afford the xtra $400 at the moment. Another thing that factored into this was that we were planning to trade in the Outlook within 2-4 months anyway so the 12k dealer warranty should suffice.
They said I should get it back by Friday this week......so lets see.

 

[fmota]

OK, got the Outlook back this morning, with a rebuilt tranny. My out of pocket was $100 plus tax so not too bad. Don't feel much difference in driving as the only issue previously was when reversing. Anyway, thank you all that posted replies to my thread. Appreciate your feedback.

 

[OutlookDriver]

While speaking with the Attorney Generals Office, I was told that perhaps the transmission issue faced or facing many Outlook, Acadia, Enclave, and Traverse owners may be of interest to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is the agency that decides if a safety issue warrants a recall from the manufacturer.
Help us all by looking up the following site and filing a safety complaint and tell your story. If enough of us register our tansmission problems, it may eventually lead to a recall of the transmission from GM:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/