In the paper there is a article on how GM is buying back 1500's and large SUV's due to a knock (piston slap?) that they say they "cannot" fix.The model years are 99-02.They are going the same route Mazda is taking for the RX8.The catch is they are only buying back from those who are complaining the most about the problem.
It looks like alot of the bashing that went on in the RX8 thread could be copied and pasted here.IMHO.

 

Too bad GM wouldn't buy back my piston slapping 98 Z28 :-).....then I could go buy a new GTO.


Colin
98 Z28

 

Except that the result is not engine failure.

 

Why don't they just give those people a free engine swap?

 

GM should just give them a coupon to buy another vehicle.

I know first hand of GM's piston slap issue. My '96 Sonoma with the 2.2 had it. I took it to the dealer shortly after I took delivery of it. They said it was normal. But if the slap ever resulted in engine failure, GM would take care of the repairs (ie, new engine) up to 10 years or 100,000 miles from new.

I never had a problem with the engine.

As a matter of fact, I've read many articles written by engineers and ASE Master Mechanics. Both groups conclude that the piston slap issue is just an annoyance issue and that no damage would occur to the engine as a result of the piston slap.

These people getting their vehicles bought back are just chronic complainers. GM's tired of dealing with them and so just bought their vehicle back.

I could see if there was an actual engine failure related to the piston slap. GM would definately be responsible.

But for consumers to get GM to buy back the vehicle for a .00000000000565% chance that the piston slap will result in an engine failure is just wrong.

Who pays for these buy backs? Every person who buys a GM vehicle after these programs. I, for one, don't want to pay for a whiner's non-existant problem.

 

How loud can it get?
Does it imitate a diesel?
Does it only happen during start up?
Should Vegetarians eat animal crackers?

 

I don't like the way the cheese is sloping down the side of my burger. I think I'm going to have Burger King buy it back from me since its not going to taste quite the same...

 

Let's face it, it IS an embarrassing situation for GM. The small block is the bread and butter...and the problem should not be there, period. The thing that gets me is that this will be just one more excuse for people to say "look at GM's quality, blah blah blah." One of those interviewed for the article said he "couldn't in good conscience sell his truck to anyone" and that he was afraid to drive it 30 miles to work. The fact that these views really don't have any basis doesn't matter. It's all about customer perception.

You'd at least think the journalist would be responsible enough to point out that there hasn't been one documented case of failure due to piston slap.

 

my 02 tahoe has it. Never really thought much of it. Sounds almost like an engine a little low on oil. Nothing like deiseling. My wife drives it roundtrip to Florida from wisconsin twice a year, every year with out incident. Much further than 30 miles I think its got about 50K on it already. NEVER had a problem......yet (knocking on wood ).

 

What exactly is piston slap? My wifes 02 silverado 5.3 liter doesn't make any wierd noises. She complains about a funny noise when she first starts it up. But i never hear it when i drive it.

 

It usually is heard after startup (cold engine?), and so the thing your wife must be hearing probably is it.

Personally, i'd be a little worried that the engine is making sounds it isn't supposed to. Certain things irk me out. Having the heatshield rattle on my accord was driving me nuts even though i knew it was really nothing. Its like interior rattle. Nothing horrible and you can get by with it, but it ISN'T supposed to be there on a newer car and so it bothers you somewhat. Maybe i'm just ****.

 

yeah, that is a good point. Not too ****

And it is only at start up. Thats what your wife is hearing.

 

If you spend any time on the truck forums, you would find alot of people with the problem.

The problem is not one of reliability, it is one of resaleability. It is a little hard to explain to a perspective buyer that your near new gas engine sounds like a diesel when you start it. Yes, some of them are that bad. Also, some of them do it longer than just at start-up. Some even do it all the time. Some of these owners have had people ask them if they have the new Duramax diesel when they are at a filling station.

I can understand their problem. I also hate interior rattles......... thus, that would drive me NUTS.

All of the manufacturers have suffered from this problem to some degree. Ford replaced engines, no questions asked. Dodge did the same. I do not know how Toyota handled it. GM is the only one who has tried to pass it off as normal till now. It is only with extreme persistance that they have started to do anything to help these owners.

All I can say is.......... its about time.

 

Long story short: You spend $20-30K on a truck and you expect $20-30K's worth of truck. They need to take just a little of that money out of profits and stick it into either manufacturing, or engineering, and get this problem fixed. I'd certainly be upset too.

 

What amazes me is how these engines got to the production line in the first place. The proper clearance for a piston in the cylinder has been known since Christ was a corporal. Did someone at GM just forget? It's not like it's a teething problem with a brand-new technology or anything.