[keyur]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

The car is still with me and pump failure is suspected by talking on phone with the service advisor. I think I will have to give the car to the service centre first and only after job card and official diagnosis I should move things higher. And that means towing charges will be payable.

But I am the second owner. Bought this car 2 years ago. Do you think I should raise this issue with GM? Will insurance not cover this?

Insurance will not cover malfunctioning parts.

Also, please have your pump checked - if it is from the same batch in which the pumps were found to be faulty, GM will have to replace the same for you. Parts that are recalled are normally not bound by warranty claims as they have been found defective at the manufacturer end.

There is no point in making a lot of noise in this, but it would be best if you talk to the works manager directly - the usual service advisor may not be very helpful in this.

[benzinblut]

@keyur. Thanks for your response. I am now talking to the A$$ to send their technician over to my place. I want to ensure that it is indeed a fuel pump failure and put things on record before I can escalate the issue.

[benzinblut]

GM technicians came over to my place yesterday. I was in office. In 5 minutes they concluded that its the fuel pump failure. Estimated cost of pump 22K and around 1K for labor.

I spoke with the service advisor and asked him to replace the part at their cost as it was a faulty part supplied by GM. He was quite adamant but then gave me the contact email of the GM service engineer. I would be writing him today and try to see if he can do something. The contact given is srikant.s@gm.com.

My questions are:
1) The pump is the one under the rear seat. Where on the pump is the yellow/blue sticker by which one can identify if the pump is of the new or older batches.
2) Can the pump be bought in sub-assemblies instead of the fuel pump assembly? Eg.: only the motor or only the pump.
3) If someone konws of other contacts to escalate the issue, can you please provide me the details?

[benzinblut]

Update:

After a few emails exchanged. GM rejects claim.

I was expecting a goodwill gesture, but their main point was that the car is more than 4 years old.

Now, I have to bear the cost.

EDIT: How I wish the pump had failed when the car was in warranty!

[spookey]

This was expected, sheer bad luck mate. Do try to find out the cost of new pump outside before getting it done at the dealer / A.S.S. These days you get most of the OEM parts at opera house at a considerable price difference.

[ByDesign]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

3) If someone konws of other contacts to escalate the issue, can you please provide me the details?

I'm not sure if you have already written to this contact, but you can try gmi.cac@GM.COM

This is the GM office which wrote to me for my problem. Good luck. But from what I read, your problem is already down to payment of the fuel pump.

[Ford5]

GM must have emptied their stock of "free goodwill gesture pumps" for the faulty BS3 optra. Wish GM could have covered all the owners of the BS3 optra.

On the thought of which, did GM India ever keep a faulty pump thing recall program, wherein affected and would be potentially affected owners down the line have been saved of this problem?

[surbhit]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

2) Can the pump be bought in sub-assemblies instead of the fuel pump assembly? Eg.: only the motor or only the pump.

The pump is available as a unit only(23K), I also tried to find source the pump motor but was not able do so.

[benzinblut]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

I'm not sure if you have already written to this contact, but you can try gmi.cac@GM.COM

This is the GM office which wrote to me for my problem. Good luck. But from what I read, your problem is already down to payment of the fuel pump.

Its too late now. Will get the pump replaced today. Thanks anyway.

Originally Posted by Ford5

GM must have emptied their stock of "free goodwill gesture pumps" for the faulty BS3 optra. Wish GM could have covered all the owners of the BS3 optra.

On the thought of which, did GM India ever keep a faulty pump thing recall program, wherein affected and would be potentially affected owners down the line have been saved of this problem?

The high failure rate of the pumps is a know issue. The customer has paid for the part during the purchase of the car. He doesnt deserve a faulty part. GM should have ideally done a recall which they did not. Atleast they should not charge customers for such parts when they fail, irrespective of warranty and car mileage. This was my main point I put across. The whole experience has left a bad taste in the mouth.

Originally Posted by spookey

....... Do try to find out the cost of new pump outside before getting it done at the dealer / A.S.S. These days you get most of the OEM parts at opera house at a considerable price difference.

I checked at opera house. I got this same answer :

Originally Posted by surbhit

The pump is available as a unit only(23K), I also tried to find source the pump motor but was not able do so.

[benzinblut]

Pump was replaced at my place today. It took about half an hour. They had to drain the tank a bit before replacing the pump and made a total mess inside the car with diesel being dropped many a times inside the car.

The whole team seemed to be in a hurry to finsih and leave. They used a screw driver and a hammer to unscrew the pump assembly. I thought there would be a special tool for it. They also spoiled the seat in a few places with their dirty hands. When I asked them to clean the stains, they asked me for a waste cloth. I called the service advisor and asked for a free leather conditioning in my next service, to which he agreed.

I can confirm that the old pump had a blue sticker and the new one a yellow sticker.

I will rate the overall work experience at 5/10.

Total Cost including pump and labor: Rs 24,000.00

The only good news is: the car is back on the roads.

[benzinblut]

The fuel pump failure and a subsequent service has set me back by 30K in 3 days. I was just wondering, if there is a method to drain the fuel tank to remove all the rust and other impurities. Does anyone know of this or has anyone tried it as DIY?

[AutoIndian]

That is quite a big amount. Wish you could have got the replacement under warranty. Can you please share the break-up (part & labour charges) over here if you don't mind? Knowing that the pump failure is a common problem in the Optra didn't you get any discount/reduction on the listed price of the pump?

[benzinblut]

Fuel Pump (incl Taxes) = 22900
Total Labor (incl. Taxes) = 900
Total = 23800

They came in a breakdown van and replaced it at my home but quality of work was shoddy.

No discounts offered. Their main point was that the car is 4 years old. I wrote to them that this should have actually been rectified in a pro-active recall. But despite the strong mail, they dont seem to be bothered.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

I can confirm that the old pump had a blue sticker and the new one a yellow sticker.

I will rate the overall work experience at 5/10.

If you can confirm that this was the part that was recalled, you should stake a definite claim on it.
Also, did you get the faulty part back (you should have)?

Click a few pics and post them here. A known faulty component has to be replaced free of cost, however old the vehicle may be.

Write a mail with this specific statement and post a few links regarding the KNOWN pump issue. Even if you have paid for it, you should get a refund or compensation.

Also, if you don't have the pump, ask for it.
Also, if you don't mind, please send it to me. I will see if I can manage a repair of that - would be beneficial to all.

[kanhaiyo]

post deleted..
MODS: how do I delete this complete post in such a situation? Sorry for my ignorance.