Rooti

I have a 2007 NBS loaded silverado I've had since it was new. I only have 76,000 miles and have had it serviced exclusivly at the same dealer. I have a great relationship with the service manager (he use to be my service writer) and have had nothing but great service for the last 7 years.

Yesterday I bring it in for an oil change and front end alignment and they call me after the service is done and tell me that on the test drive the brakes locked up. They said that they looked into the reason and found what looks to be power steering fluid in the brake reservoir. If any protoleum based liquid gets in there then it is required to R and R eveything having to do with the brake system including the master cylinder, calipers, ect ect which will cost between 3-4k.

I don't think I should have to pay because:
1. I have never had to add any fluids under the hood because it was in the dealership every 3-6 months.
2. From what I read on the subject, that kind of contamination would ruin the braking system almost instantly and I just got back from a 800 mile trip with the trailer with no brake issues whatsoever.
3. No brake work has ever been done on the truck.
4. The truck is always locked in my driveway or in my total view the entire time I am at work.
5. The truck has not been loaned out or touched by anybody other then myself or the dealer.
6. Everything failed after they serviced it while it was still in their possession.

The service manager is saying that he knows they didn't do it because it wouldn't have failed in the few miles they drove it. I say that the chances are it was caused by them because of the above.

I have submitted a claim with my insurance company because it is either vandalism or dealer. The dealer is suppose to call their insurance so now my truck will be sitting until it is all sorted out.

What do you all say. Could the brakes fail that fast?

Rednucleus

An interesting case as the dealer has had sole responsibility for your care, vs DYI or independent shops. Good luck - I will be interested to hear input on speed of failure after wrong fluid is added.

tech2

you need to find out how long it would take for the seals to swell up after the wrong fluid was added. If it is almost instantly as you have stated, contact the dealer and let them know that you have this information. If they do not respond appropriately; tell them the options are:

1/to repair this at their expense
2/legal action in which you will sue for the cost of someone else to repair it and legal fees.


here is a link http://www.crashforensics.com/accidentexperts.cfm


I do not know how long this would take and I have been in the trade for over a decade. Brake fluid top ups should never be done even with the proper fluid. The system is designed this way...the fluid drops and turns on the service brake warning light when all the linings are worn out. Install new parts and the fluid is displaced back into the m/c. Topping the system up means when the pistons are pushed back the added fluid will now overfill the reservoir and spill out everywhere.

Rooti

The problem is I'm not an expert and they are. Here is the article I have printed. http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/251 According to the article the fluid makes the seals start to swell instantly. The big question is how far and how fast for the brakes to lock up.

tech2

My guess for a failure would have been 3 days depending of the amount and type of fluid added. The only one who really knows is an engineer who has tested this.


you will need an expert who can challenge the timeline. The oil change was probably done by a newbie, then the truck sat in the lot until the alignment tech did his part.


I suspect that, having never service the brakes before, the linings are near the end of the service life....meaning the fluid would be down in the reservoir. Probably half the volume of the reservoir would have been topped up.

GunnyV

I am sad to say but the Dealership will do everything to not pay for their mistake. They got lawyers and time on their side. They don't need your truck running but you do. When they said they were going to call somebody they were calling their lawyers, I would do the same. They will drag it over months and you will be the one doing all the calling. Good luck getting anything out of them. Sorry it's all negative talk but it from my experience with the dealerships.

Rooti

Tech if it would really take 3 days then it's a total mystery on how it got in there as nobody else was under the hood.

And Gunny, I sadly agree with you. That's why I did an insurance claim. My insurance has a history of just paying and the dealer will get away with it all but I don't want my truck tied up for a month or longer.

tech2

i'm just saying i don't know the time it takes. I will ask a field engineer i work with.

Rooti

Thanks Tech, that will be some useful information.

I just got back from talking to the owner of the dealership. I brought the article that shows that it would cause "almost immediate" brake failure. They are going to send off a sample of the fluid to a local lab and should have the results back in 24 hours. He basically promised that if it was anything they stock in the service dept. that they would cover the repairs and the rental. I had a rental car reserved at hertz but he told me to keep the 2015 silverado at least until a decision is made for no charge.

I'm pretty certain I won't be paying for anything except the service I originally went in for. He promised an answer within 2 days. He agrees with me that it looks like they did it. He agreed to order all the parts today so they will be ready. I'm still keeping my claim from my insurance open for back up. I'll report back more when I know it.

I just want my truck back without paying for someone elses mistake. I like my 2007 better then the 2015.

tech2

I asked my field engineer how long it would take....his reply was...."how long is a piece of string". To which I replied "what's a henway" (about 2 pounds).




So it would be speculation on his part also. Good Luck!