[Melmo]

I just bought a new 2010 Traverse LT 10 days ago. Three days ago while driving, my daughter pointed out that there was a bad smell in the car. It smelled almost like a natural gas leak. There was a diesel car in front of us, so I chalked it up to the exhaust from that. However, the smell has been coming and going no matter what kind of vehicle I am behind, or even when there are no cars in front of me. This morning, the smell was so strong that I actually had to roll down the window to get some fresh air. Any ideas of what could be causing this and how I can fix it?

The second problem occurred for the first time last night. The whole family was in the car, when we noticed a whirring noise. At first my husband thought it was the engine, but he soon pinpointed the noise to the radio. When we turned the radio off, the noise went away. When we turned it back on, it came back. It sort of sounded like the noise that a CD player makes when it has a CD stuck in it, but we have never even USED our CD player yet. I thought maybe it was our cell phones causing interference or something, so we turned them off, but the noise was still there. When we turned the car off, went into a store for a while, and came back and started the car, the noise was gone. Any ideas? I've contacted the dealership, and they said to bring the car in if it happens again.

Lastly, does anyone know anything about the 60-day Satisfaction Guarantee opt-out? When we bought the car, we ended up working with 4 different sales people (it was the most disorganized dealership I've ever seen). The first one told us about the guarantee, but said most people were opting out of it and taking a $500 credit instead, and he suggested we do that. I told him that I would prefer to keep the Guarantee, since I've had some bad experiences with Chevys in the past, and I wanted to make sure I really loved this car. After that, there were so many different rebates/incentives/deals discussed by all the other sales people, that I sort of lost track, since what I was most concerned about was the bottom line. Our financing sheet does not mention what any of the rebates/incentives/credits are for, it just lists the various dollar amounts. I assumed that if we were going to opt-out of the satisfaction guarantee, we would have to sign something, which we DID NOT do. However, when I spoke with one of the salespeople this morning, and asked about how I would go about returning the car if the problems don't go away and I'm not happy, she said she we had opted out. I told her no, we did not, and she said she would check on it, but she was "sure" we had. Ack!

 

[Tiestosteele]

Melmo - you are not alone on the smell check this thread http://www.traverseforum.com/index.php?topic=371.0

I too was told about the guarantee and that taking the $500 was a better option, which I agreed as I was sure I wanted this car. I had to sign something stating that I was taking the $500 rebate instead of the 60 day guarantee. I am not sure If I got a copy of that paper or not I would have to look, but as I was signing all the paper work the salesmen was explaning each signature and like I said I had to sign for the $500. Do you remember having to sign for that? If not I would assume you got the 60 days. Call your sales guy if you dont have the paper work, I am sure he can pull the file.

Hope everything gets worked out. Having owned our traverse now for a couple of months we love it, as most of us here do. Best of luck!

 

[Melmo]

Thanks for posting that link. However, does that mean no one has figured out a way to completely eliminate the smell?

I definitely did not sign anything saying I was opting out of the satisfaction guarantee. The woman I spoke with this morning (who was one of the 4 salespeople I worked with) seemed to think that it was one of the rebates/incentives/credits I received (which, as I noted, are listed only as dollar amounts, with nothing explaining what they are for), which is why I was wondering if anyone else had to SIGN something (either to specifically get the guarantee, or to specifically opt-out of it). I tried to contact the initial salesperson we worked with, who is the one who showed us the car and who I specifically told that I did NOT want to opt out, but he was not in today.

 

[danthechevyman]

The contact number is 1 800-508-3060 they should be able to aqnswer your questions. We have not had anyone take the guarantee over the money so I can't help you except for the number. There is a paper that needed to be signed.

 

[Tiestosteele]

We have not had anyone take the guarantee over the money so I can't help you except for the number.

That is what bothers me about the way GM is advertising. If I had to put a percentage on the number of people who actually have this 60 day guarantee I would say maybe %15. However GM is spending how many millions advertising that if you buy a chevy you have 60 days to return it... They fail to mention that you have to lose $500 bucks to get this, which is BS if you ask me. $500 can knock off what $5-10 off your monthly payment, most everyone would take that.

Great idea to instill confidence in buying a GM car, however that is not really the case. You should either have both the $500 and the guarantee or simply have no rebate and this guarantee that you market.

"may the best car win!"

 

[bobg1951chevy]

Thanks for posting that link. However, does that mean no one has figured out a way to completely eliminate the smell?

I definitely did not sign anything saying I was opting out of the satisfaction guarantee. The woman I spoke with this morning (who was one of the 4 salespeople I worked with) seemed to think that it was one of the rebates/incentives/credits I received (which, as I noted, are listed only as dollar amounts, with nothing explaining what they are for), which is why I was wondering if anyone else had to SIGN something (either to specifically get the guarantee, or to specifically opt-out of it). I tried to contact the initial salesperson we worked with, who is the one who showed us the car and who I specifically told that I did NOT want to opt out, but he was not in today.

The "satisfaction guarantee" is just that ...but, if you want to not be bothered with the guarantee, Chevrolet will credit you $500.00. So, in my opinion, you win either way. Either you get the guarantee, as stated, or you'll get $500.00 if you don't want the guarantee.

The "F & I" individual ( finance and insurance ) you dealt with will have all the papers you signed, if you did opt out of the guarantee, he or she will know.

I cannot assist with the smell, but know there have been posts on this subject in the past.

Bob

 

[rbarrios]

as for your radio. it may be as simple as replacing the radio.
Its possible theres a CD in there (the manual comes with a CD for ONSTAR) so maybe someone popped that in. try clicking on the CD/AUX input button to see if it stops the noise or begins to play something.
I have a 2010. Now with about 4600 miles...Built the 2nd day that production started back up in Springfield for the 2010's
Absolutely no smell of any kind. (except new car smell).
Hopefully it goes away soon.

 

[Melmo]

I brought my Traverse in to the dealership to have them check on the gas smell and the radio, but of course, neither problem manifested itself while they had it. They have now told me that the next time I have either problem, I should drive straight to the dealership so they can smell/hear the problem for themself. As if I have nothing better to do! I can understand their point, but it is a bit unrealistic to expect me to forgo taking the kids and groceries home so I can drive 20 miles to the dealership so they can fix the problems in my brand new car.

I am also having a third problem now, sometimes it seems like the engine is not running quite right. For example, I was driving on a back road going about 50, but my RPMs were only at 1 and the engine didn't seem to be responding very well. I am not sure how to explain this problem. Has anyone else encountered it?

Finally, I am VERY upset because apparently to get the Money Back Guarantee you have to OPT-IN (rather than OPT-OUT to get the money instead, which is what I had assumed it was), and this was not done despite me telling the initial salesman I worked with that I would prefer the Guarantee over the money. He is saying that he thought I wanted the money, and he doesn't remember me telling him that I wanted the Guarantee, and of course, I never signed anything saying I wanted it. Apparently they have some form you have to sign to GET the Guarantee that the dealership also has to sign, and it tells you all your rights, how to get your money back, and how much money you will get back.

I am upset with myself, I should have made sure I was getting the Guarantee, but I just assumed that since they were advertising it, and then saying that if you DIDN'T want it, you could get $500 instead, that it was an opt-out thing, and since I wasn't signing anything opting out, that I would get it. But apparently that is NOT the case. Now I just really hope they can fix all the problems I am having! This really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'd already had a bad experience with a Chevrolet in the past. Now I don't think I will EVER trust GM again, even if the Traverse turns out to be the best car I've ever had!

 

[rbarrios]

Please explain the RPM issue a little better.... accelerating, braking, manually shifting, etc....
it sounds like you may have been going about 50 mph- and were in 5th/6th gear......... where response wouldnt feel like if you were in 2nd or 3rd....
if you feel this again--- shift to manual- then with the +/- select the highest gear you want to be in........

for example- select 4 on the DIC display...
while in manual-- thats as high as the tranny will shift into-- meaning it will go 1,2,3,4... and never go into 5 or 6.
what you will feel- is a more responsive engine- better acceleration- ---but your RPM's will be higher-----(which lowers gas mileage)...
but if youre in a driving situation where you need responsive acceleration etc--- then this is what you do....

Also- im tempted to say that maybe in the salesmans game of lets make a sale-- he did all he could to sell you the car--- including giving you the rebate to make the price lower.........


Hopefully the smell goes away....

 

[Melmo]

The best way I can explain the RPM thing is it felt like if you have a manual transmission, and you shift too soon into the next gear, like trying to go 30 mph in 5th gear or something. So I guess your advice to put it manually into 4th would make sense.

Yes, I think the problem was working with four salespeople instead of just one, and that I had a specific monthly payment that I wanted, so since most people choose the money instead of the guarantee, they just gave me the money to knock down the price more. I should have been more pro-active, but at the same time, they should have made it more clear. I still think it would make more sense to get people to opt-out of the guarantee by signing something that says "I want the money. I am giving up my right to a guarantee" than having people opt-in to it.

 

[Tiestosteele]

The best way I can explain the RPM thing is it felt like if you have a manual transmission, and you shift too soon into the next gear, like trying to go 30 mph in 5th gear or something. So I guess your advice to put it manually into 4th would make sense.

Yes, I think the problem was working with four salespeople instead of just one, and that I had a specific monthly payment that I wanted, so since most people choose the money instead of the guarantee, they just gave me the money to knock down the price more. I should have been more pro-active, but at the same time, they should have made it more clear. I still think it would make more sense to get people to opt-out of the guarantee by signing something that says "I want the money. I am giving up my right to a guarantee" than having people opt-in to it.

For what it's worth, I am 100% positive I had to sign something that stated I was either not taking the guarantee or that I was taking the money, cant remember which, but I signed something about the guarantee for sure. If you didnt sign something about taking the money or taking the guarantee something doesn't seem right about that.

 

[Melmo]

Hmm, that is interesting. That would make much more sense. It would be counterintuitive to make someone sign up for something you are advertising so heavily, and not give it to them if they didn't sign up. But that is what the dealership is telling me.

 

[rbarrios]

Melmo- question about your experience with the salesmen....
were you there for hours--- going back and forth-- and they would send in different salesmen- to 'wear' you down?
--- like the examples they always give on tactics used by dealers....
taking you Drivers license, multiple salesmen, leaving the phone on while they step out, let me go talk to my manager, if you leave now- youll lose the offer, etc etc?

 

[Melmo]

Yes, we were there for about 5 hours, with two small children. And yes, they kept sending in different salesmen. The initial guy, who showed us the car, then one of his managers who could "give us a better price", but then she had to go help other customers, and we got some other salesman who showed us some other options (they had several Traverses, so it just boiled down to what options we wanted for the price we were looking at), and then another woman who did all the financial stuff and wrote it up for us to sign. We didn't have lunch because we were there so long, and I was exhausted and the kids were both ready to leave, but they kept insisting what a great deal they were giving us, and how they were giving us so much more than our trade in was worth, and how much safer the Traverse was than our trade in vehicle. I asked them if we could leave, go home and think about it over night, and of course they said no, they were giving us a one time only deal. In retrospect, I definitely should have just walked away, but I also thought I was getting the money back guarantee, so I figured if I didn't like the car after driving it for a month, I could always return it. That was part of what appealed to me, since it is hard to tell what a car is really like when you are only driving it for 20 minutes.

 

[rbarrios]

Melmo- sorry to hear it was such an ordeal...

If you ever find a good salesman- stick with him....

I found one back in 2002. Weve purchased from him
2003 Trailblazer
2003 Impala
2007 Impala
2008 Lucerne
2010 Traverse---
also sent my friends who bought a
2007 Tahoe, and a
2006 Silverado
I actually have him stored on my cell phone- and have his email.
To show you how hassle free he has been--- for my 2010 this is how it went down....

I called him and asked him if I could order a 2010. He said- orders for 2010's started that day.
I told him, ill be in tommorrow. Online I researched the order guide and knew what I wanted. (was iffy about bluetooth)
I arrive- and he 1st says--- here are the keys to an 09. Take it for a spin-----
I do... (thats when I realized I did not like the road feel of the 20's).
I go inside- sit down- and in about 10 minutes- we ordered the vehicle. While thinking about the bluetooth-- he said- your an idiot if you dont take bluetooth--- it will make your life simpler.... (he was very correct).
we caught up on a few things- and I was on my way.
He never tried to sell me anything extra.
several months later when the vehicle arrived- I showed up- test drove my 2010.
we walked up to his office- I handed him the check (paid cash)- and within 30 minutes of walking in- I was walking out with keys.
simple.

Similar to buying the Lucerne- we knew my sisters FICO score- found the car- when we went to see him- we asked if there was any lower interest rates than what we already had.. we told him what her FICO score was (800 I think). and he said- with that score- easily- X%... he ran her and got her the lower rate.

Similar to buying with my gf.... We had her FICO score also (795)- and when we went- we got 0%. no hassle.

None of the times- where we there for more than 30 min..... never tried to sell us anything- or get us loans from someone else...
Like he said- we know what we want, we know our FICO scores, and were easy to deal with.

He says some people come in wanting certain cars- and they have no idea what their FICO score is....no idea what they can afford etc etc...

My suggestion is to deal with the internet/fleet salesmen...
and really really research the vehicle youre about to buy.

I see too many people buy cars off the lot--- with fancy extras- they will never use- which means they will pay more...

Ive had friends buy cars-- I ask them how they like a feature-- and they stare at me... Whats that?
And Ive responded--- you paid $1000 for that- and you dont know what it is?

 

[red426]

The 60 day satisfaction guarantee is just that here in Canada. No rebates offered in lieu. If a Traverse is purchased, and customer not satisfied, the car can be returned after a minimum of 30 days of usage and at least 1000 kms used but no more than 60 days or 4000 kms used. However, there is a usage fee that will be calculated. if I'm not mistaken, the formula is MSRP x mileage use / 120,000, which is about $580 on a $30,000 car driven for 2000 kms.

 

[derekra11]

I am also having the radio whirring noise. I think it is associated with the DVD or CD player. Any resolution on this problem?

 

[rbarrios]

whirring noise- you have anything plugged into your AUX port?