‘That’s like 5, 6 months without a vehicle’: Dealership promises woman loaner after Chevy breaks down. Then they tell her something shocking about the price
A woman called out General Motors after an alleged defect in her husband's Chevy truck—and a months-long wait for parts—impacted his ability to work.
In a video with over 55,000 views, TikToker Sabrina Salem (@sabrinasalem1031) asks viewers to help her get Chevy's "attention" after she says her husband's dream truck broke down.
"We had it for not the longest amount of time, and it just stalled and died," she claims. "It was a GM Chevy defect and needs a brand-new engine."
She says the dealership told her it would loan them a car once the motor came in. There's only one problem. She says there is a "three- to four-month wait" for the motor. Salem also says the dealership told her it would only cover part of the cost of the loaner vehicle.
"That's like five to six months without a vehicle," she exclaims. "He's not worked a full week in six weeks. He drives for work."
The caption reads, "This is so messed up."
Do dealerships cover the cost of a loaner car?
While it's not a legal requirement that dealerships offer a loaner car while performing extensive and time-consuming repairs on a customer's car, many offer one for free as a courtesy.
Other dealerships may charge a fee to use their loaner.
On Reddit, many loaner car drivers compare their experiences with dealership loaner car practices. According to the subreddit, these dealership practices on lending vehicles vary from only verifying a driver's license to limiting the number of miles per day, requiring gas to be replaced, or charging a fee.
In the comments of Salem's video, viewers share their experiences with Chevy dealerships. Some suggest it could be a dealership-specific issue, not General Motors.
"It's your dealer, not GM itself. If your service advisor is worth a flip, they would go above and get GM to pay for your rental. Need to call GM hotline," one suggested.
"I work at a GM dealership. GM will pay for your rental car right now. Not when the motor comes in, right now. Yes, they will only pay a percentage, but your dealership should be able to get the rest covered. I literally just dealt with this," another wrote.
"Call GM Care. Seriously. They can overrule whatever the dealership told you (engine is back-ordered, though) and should at least get you in a vehicle. And the replacement should be free, it's warranty," a third added.
What do drivers think of General Motors' quality?
The Daily Dot previously reported on car experts criticizing the quality of newer car models, citing EPA restrictions and structural changes to engines. In the comments, viewers say they've noticed a declining quality of General Motors vehicles specifically.
"Chevy and GMC are junk," one claimed.
"Go older they are a lot better. The newer vehicles are junk," another suggested.
"Every GM full-size SUV and truck that my family and I have owned has surpassed 300k miles easily. These newer ones I will never touch," a third said.
"Everything made after 2020 is junk… I’d love a new truck but this is why I won’t buy one," a fourth wrote.
@sabrinasalem1031 This is so messed up #chevy #chevrolet #truck #gm #genrealmotors #badengine @Chevrolet @General Motors ♬ original sound - Sabrina
The Daily Dot reached out to Salem and General Motors for further comment.
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