[vdiv]

QQ: If a dealership service department is unable to properly replace the windshield wiper blades on a Volt after two tries should I give them a third one?

LQ: Should I trust such a service for anything on a Volt?

The Volt has symmetrical opposing left (part no. 22742323) and right (part no. 22742324) wiper blades. The wiper arms are keyed so that the left wiper blade fits in the left arm and the right wiper blade fits in the right arm.

The said dealership initially installed universal blades (part no.19252699) that fit rather poorly on both arms. These blades were loose with large gaps around the arms. When I complained they ordered "the proper" parts and charged me the difference. I went to have them installed today. Four people were fussing with the wipers with the service manager arguing with me that there is nothing wrong with the universal blades they installed and that the new ones were not the right ones. I asked them go to a new Volt on the lot, take a good look, and install the right blades instead of arguing with me. They managed to install them and I left relieved only to find out later in the day that after the whole kerfuffle my Volt ended up with two left blades.

So once again, should I trust a service department, considering the complexity of the Volt, if they can't even get the wiper blades right?

 

[Norm51]

RUN AWAY!!!

 

[CoryB]

RUN AWAY!!!

+1 to that, if they can not put wiper blades on your car in 2 attempts then they can not be trusted with anything. What is next fill your crank case with gasoline instead of oil?

 

[telveer]

I would order replacement wiper blades online and replace them myself.

 

[vdiv]

The blades are on their way:

http://www.gmpartsnow.com/parts-cat...gas/body-hardware/wiper-and-washer-components

The real issue is when my Volt needs service that cannot be ordered online.

 

[BAZINGA]

RUN AWAY!!!

But before doing so have a chat with the Service Manager. How can they improve if we just slink away and never say anything. And who know's maybe your conversation will generate the change they need and maybe you can give them another chance.

But kids at AutoZone can change wiper blades. That's sad and I'm sure the Service Manager will appreciate the info.

 

[Upper5Percent]

I assume they did NOT have their Volt tech involved in this exercise...

 

[Steve-o]

Maybe this is a case where you should call your Volt advisor, although that sounds ludicrous. GM needs to know about the incompetent dealership service department. Maybe they can give them a course in changing wiper blades.

 

[srmarti]

I'd try bringing it to the manager's attention but wouldn't be too surprised if it didn't help. I once brought back the tools that the service mechanic at the dealership (not GM) left in on my car. The manager's reaction was just to show me the rest of his tool collection from similar events.

Once upon a time you could just purchase a new rubber insert and not replace the whole blade assembly. This makes even more sense if the right and left attachments are unique.

 

[Steverino]

Ha, I just went out and looked at mine. These blades are one of the simplest designs I've seen. Press the square button, pull out. Why you'd even want a dealer to replace these at their hourly rate instead of doing it yourself is a separate question, but you'd need to be drunk AND blind to mess up Volt wiper blade replacement.

I just asked my wife to replace ours. She never works on cars.

She looked at it a bit, fiddled around with this and that for a few seconds, and then pressed the square release button and slipped it out. Inserting it again took a little more fiddling but she got it back in correctly. All in under a minute for someone who does not work on cars.

 

[vdiv]

My previous three or four experiences with this place were largely positive. They were courteous and did a good job. This time I was there for my first oil change, tire rotation/balance, and to take a look at a couple of rattles again (which they didn't, again). I asked them to replace the wiper blades while at it. They only charged me for the blades, not for the labor to install them. The extra $10 or so it cost me was worth saving my time or not risking to crack the windshield by accidentally dropping an arm onto it without a blade on it.

It was a service manager that was arguing with me, so having any further discussion about this would have been futile. It is just very disappointing.

 

[n8lwx]

quit bitchin and do it yourself

 

[vdiv]

quit bitchin and do it yourself

I did do them myself at the end, but will not quit bitching about BS related to the Volt Crappy service is not only detrimental for you reading my complaints, it is detrimental to the Volt ownership and proliferation as a whole.