On the customer issue, if a customer basically liked the product and the PEOPLE they were dealing with, then no harm for the indiscretions of the OEM. If the PEOPLE at the dealership were not trying to address the problem, even if they were not completely successful, then "the customer has choices" and sought to use them. First with the same brand, then another brand in that order.
There were clear, consistent "fails" in some areas (as in the aftermarket radios we sold as an option to the factory OEM radios), but we swapped out the radios for another one, under the radio maker's warranty, as we had them in stock, and all was well, for example. Later, many of these radio issues were discovered to be because of our installer's wiring methods.
In general, it seemed that our customers gave GM a "wide berth" on warranty issues and they came back for their next vehicle when the time came. But if Chrysler had one little burp, it was front page news, by comparison. The Aspen/Volare cars seemed to keep Chrysler's name in front of people. Things which might be "there" because too many financial corners were seeking to be cut pre-bankruptcy and federal loan guarantees (which were "chickenfeed" compared to what came later!!).
Every OEM has issues from time to time, whether it be "delaminating" paint, automatic transmissions, poor engine performance, or whatever. Most last for a year or so and then vanish, to be replaced by something else later on.
In the case of loci-up torque converters, Chrysler set theirs to lock-up at about 27mph, out of the normal driving speeds. That early of a speed meant decreased acceleration performance until you got close to WOT or used enough throttle to trigger a part-throttle kickdown. Later, by 1980, they had raised it to about 53mph, which worked better.
GM used a vacuum level orientation, which meant it could happen anytime after the transmission was in "high gear". Later, some could lock-up in 2nd gear. Many customers complained of "a skip", but nobody seemingly linked that "feel" to converter lock-up, initially. So as it was diagnosed to be "a miss", it went for an early tune-up, which did not fix the issue, no matter how many new spark plugs the customer paid for. We also sold lots of GM "rock" fuel filters in an effort to get rid of an off-idle hesitation, which was usually caused by an emissions calibration we could not address. Did not do anything except give the customer "a try to fix it" feeling which did little to really address the issue.
On my side of the deal in parts, I had always been interested in and paid attention to vehicle operations. I had put lots of miles on our pickup trucks and knew how they operated. Later, when I moved to the parts counter, when a customer called asking about things their vehicle was doing, I could ask a few questions and then tell them what was happening and why. That explanation was done in language THEY could understand. Understand these things put them more at ease, from the sound of their voices. Then, I'd tell them what it would take to diminish or eliminate that problem (which in a year or two's time period, they would have needed a deeper rear axle ratio to fix, which I also knew how much those things would cost). In those cases, I'd also offer to check the VIN of any vehicle they were considering to tell them what was in it, which I did not mind doing, being a segment of customer service that few, if any other, parts people would offer to do. Although it also gave the customer some new questions to ask their later salesperson.
In those times, all the service advisors were trained to do was to write down the customer's ocmcplaint and send the repair order to the shop for diagnosis. NO instructions on how the vehicle was designed to operate, just write the repair order and no more. NOR did they know the side issues which could cause the concerns. By comparison, at a larger and older Dodge dealer in the metro area (where I had a good friend that was in parts there), the service advisors were former technicians who COULD explain to the customers why their vehicles were acting as they were AND give them an idea of what it would take to fix it (time and money) . . . which seemed like a better, customer-oriented way of doing things. Customers want to receive credible information, not speculations, from my observations, AND appreciate getting such credible information they can understand and process.
Over 40+ years in GM parts, at the same dealership, there are many other examples I could mention, but this has already been too lengthy. Thanks for your time and consideration.
CBODY67
