texcoonazz

I wanted to toss this out there to see if I am off base.

Let me start by saying I drive a lot of highway miles. 95% of my driving is open highway interstate at 70 mph. I rarely pull a trailer or carry loads in the cargo area. I bought my 2008 Chevy Z71 4X4 Crewcab on 9-12-08 and I currently have right at 113,000 miles on odometer.

At just over 90,000 miles I experienced a seal leak at the rear wheel which in turn allowed rear end fluid to leak all over my rear drum, brake shoes tire and wheel. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the seal under warranty. I asked why the seal leaked and if they were sure it was not the result of the bearings going out. They said Nope just happens sometimes. OK then. At just over 110,000 miles I started feeling a binding on acceleration from a stop. Esp first thing in the morning. It felt like the brakes were depressed at first but after giving a good bit of gas it would release with no restriction. When I stop for stop signs, etc the truck would again feel restricted and I would have to give it a bit of gas to release. So I take it down to the dealer and ask them to diagnose for me which they did. They call me the next morning telling me the rear brake is the problem. The shoes are swollen on the side where I encountered the rear seal leak and this is causing it to bind up and stick when you stop. They then tell me the brakes need replaced. Cost for shoes is $300 and labor was under $150. I told the service guy that being this is collateral damage from the rear seal leaking rear end fluid shouldn't this have been addressed when they repaired the seal. NOPE! I told him I understand the brakes are a wear item and I also understand I am past the 100K warranty and that it has over 112K miles but it is my opinion that I would not be in this position for MANY MANY miles if the seal had never gone bad in the first place. Could you at least work with me on the price. NOPE! it is a wear item and you have past warranty period anyway. I told him I do not agree and then the guy says I will see what I can do and call you back. He never called back. At 4 PM I stopped by to see where things were and he says your ticket is at the cashier. No explanation no follow up no nothing. I go to the window and pay $54 for the diagnostic and left after talking briefly with the service rep.

I called Chevy customer service and found them to be USELESS. After 3 attempts and dropped calls, from them, I finally submitted my complaint and ask them to review the events also. They call the dealer and call me back to say the dealer will give me a 15% discount on the repair. No input.. Just Called the Dealer to see how they wanted to handle it.

I can see that an argument could be made for both sides. But it is my opinion they should have replaced the contaminated shoes when they replaced the rear seal. OR replace them now free of charge. Again I would not be in this position had the seal not gone out.

I have since replaced the shoes myself and after removal I measured the thickness of the shoes removed from the good side. They measured 3 mm thick. The new replacements measured 4 mm. So in 100+K miles of highway driving I had only lost 25% of my shoe to wear.

As a side note. I called 3 other dealerships to verify the price of the OEM rear shoes for my truck was $300. All 3 dealerships quoted me $220 to $225 for the same OEM shoes. So the 15% discount they offered was more than covered by the crazy mark up they were trying to put on me.

So how do you see this?

One thing is for sure..... My current Chevy Dealer will not be my future Chevy dealer.

OLD WRENCH

When a seal leaks and soaks the brake shoes I know of no way to permanently clean them. Standard practice is to replace them. You might threaten them with small claims court. No business wants that kind of publicity.