FIRST MAJOR REPAIR

Unfortunately, there is no record of my first visit to the dealership, or my first check engine light. It took some digging to give a definite window, but I can only estimate the date of the appointment or the mileage when I took the Yukon in.

My first visit for repairs was slightly after February 21, 2025. I know this because I had to drive a client out to the mountains while it was subzero out. On our travels, the passenger front window cracked from the heater vent blowing on it. The 21st was a Friday, so it’s likely that I set my appointment for that following Monday the 24th, because I don’t go any longer than I have to with obvious flaws in my vehicle, and the window was a topic at this first repair visit. The check engine light was either on that Friday, or came on over the weekend.

First visit: Date / Between February 21st and March 12th 2025 Miles / unknown

When I dropped off my Yukon, at Shortline GMC, for them to diagnose and fix the check engine light and noxious fumes in the cabin, I asked if the widow would be covered under any warranty. The service lady, Cindy Peterson, said that it was definitely from and impact and wouldn’t be covered. I brought up objections due to location and circumstance, but she was immovable. In my opinion, shared by the company that changed the passenger side window, this was an obvious lie. The location of where the crack started was behind the rear-view mirror. There was no possible way for anything to jump off the road and crack it. Also, the glass was pushed out, rather than in. This would indicate a pressure crack, not impact, according to the technician that changed the window. At the time, I decided to just take this one on the chin. My main concern was the check engine light, and noxious fumes. (Had Cindy just said that windows aren’t covered under warranty, I would have accepted it. But being openly lied to rubs me the wrong way.)

I dropped off the Yukon and made my way home. Minutes after arriving, I got a call from Cindy Peterson. She told me that she didn’t know it was a diesel when I dropped off the SUV. She didn’t have any diesel mechanics at the dealership, and there wouldn’t be any for the next two weeks. I could either pick up the Yukon or leave it there. I drive for a living, so leaving it for two weeks was not an option. (They have not been without a diesel mechanic any of the other times I’ve needed service, and I’ve been there a lot.)

Second visit: March 12, 2025 Miles 47,588

I came in to correct whatever set off my check engine light weeks earlier. Cindy was not there this time around. The other service tech at the counter went to receive my vehicle only to notify me that the engine codes had all been deleted and they had no record of my first repair visit. There was nothing to be done. I had to wait till the light came on again. And I was still dealing with regular noxious fumes.

Third visit: April 15, 2025 Miles 54,186

Turns out, there was corrosion on some wires controlling the exhaust. The cost of the repair was to be approx. $1400 (from memory). A cost I was completely unprepared for. I did not know that warranties were tiered or so limited. I figured a check engine light would be covered. My mistake. I told her that I didn’t have those funds at the moment, and to just make note of where the problem was, and I’ll get it done when I have it. The service tech said okay and hung up. A few minutes later I got called back and she asked me what I could pay. Evidently, they had to dismantle a good portion of the Yukon and, I’m assuming, the labor on that exceeded the diagnostic fee. She offered $700 to get it fixed and I agreed. They repaired the wire, not replaced it. I don’t know if that was due to price or if that was all that was originally needed.

Conclusion of the first repair:

Had this repair happened under 36,000 miles, it would have been covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty. I don’t know what the mileage was on my first repair visit. Seeing as this was a very snowy and cold stretch, it is possible that I burned though 11,500 miles between my first and second visit, but there is no way to say for sure. I go through stints where I drive around the clock and others where I drive hardly at all for months. Just depends on how busy it is. Since Cindy Peterson erased any trace of my visit from my client file with Shortline, there’s no way to know. I tried to obtain records through the GMC app, since that’s how I scheduled my first appointment, but they don’t keep those kinds of records. The conversation is included in the correspondence section.

The noxious fumes persisted…