Amazing gross incompetence - Zupps Mt Gravatt

My mate has had on-going issues with his current Grange with transmission problems. Every time he goes on a trip, or has to spend a long time crawling in traffic, the transmission goes into limp-mode and stays locked in, I think it's 5th gear. Just jams in 5th and won't change up or down until you let it sit for 15 mins to cool down, and reset by turning ignition on and off several times.
He's had it back to Zupps at Mt Gravatt here in Brisbane probably 10 times complaining about this specific issue. They have fitted an external oil-cooler, several re-flashes of software, oil-level checks, and last time, a new torque converter, all to no avail, and in fact it has been getting worse.
This morning we took it to Fulcrum suspension to discuss some shock-absorber issues, and having a look underneath on the hoist, the transmission problem immediately became obvious, even to my non-mechanically-minded mate.
Some genius first-day apprentice has fitted the oil-coooler and connected it to the original in-tank cooler in the bottom of the radiator........but has disconnected the pipes from the transmission to the radiator and just connected one to the other with a "U"-shaped loop of hose !!
So, now the transmission oil travels from the transmission, down the pipe to the U-hose and back to the transmission, completely by-passing both the original radiator-cooler and the new external cooler which does absolutely nothing since it's not even in the oil-circuit .
If it wasn't so bloody frustrating and stupid it would be funny.
So, guess who will not be back to Zupps for his next (4th) Grange.

See if this piccie works...
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/...oneNov2012.jpg

I'd be wanting a new tranny after that..... Surely the box must have sustained damage through so many overheating events......

All I can say is wow. I'm no mechanic, but that is truly impressive. It will be interesting to see how the transmission has coped with not getting supplied cooled oil for so long. I'm guessing he has been taking it easy since the problem started though? Lets hope limp mode has saved it, or if not Zupps come to the party and replace anything damaged.

Its disappointing when this sort of thing happens. You hand your pride and joy over expecting a professional to work on it, or at least look over the work being done to double check it. I hope your mate gets a good outcome from it all.

Fortunately he's an old sheila and doesn't drive it hard, so I'd be surprised if there's trannie damage, although could be hardened seals which may eventually fail.
I agree that he should ask for a new trans, but problem is, with the level competence that they've displayed so far, would you take your car back to them for yet another go...?

Wow! Just wow! That's gibbering incompetence! And how many times has that been missed when it's been returned? Got to wonder if he's pissed somebody off and they've done it deliberately, as there's so many multiples of stupid there.

Hard to believe the box won't have a significantly shortened service life. Take it up with the dealer principal and escalate to Holden if not satisfied.

get them to fix it and give you an extended warranty

and just a quick question was it shuddering in stop start traffic ?

I won't comment with regard to Zupps MtGravatt, let me just say I'll never set foot in the place ever again either, did I say never...

I'd be contacting Holden directly, including photos and records of the times it was in being fixed/serviced, and request that they arrange a different dealer to resolve the issue, given that you have no confidence in Zupps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VYBerlinaV8

I'd be contacting Holden directly, including photos and records of the times it was in being fixed/serviced, and request that they arrange a different dealer to resolve the issue, given that you have no confidence in Zupps.

---

This 100%

I'd be holding out for a replacement Trans that's a joke.

Waits for planetdavo to say that's standard procedure :popcorn:

Was the trans having problems before the cooling circuit was tampered with? Seems strange that if it was having problems before they tried putting the external cooler in then wouldnt that mean, as bad as it is, this isnt causing the problem?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aratic

Was the trans having problems before the cooling circuit was tampered with? Seems strange that if it was having problems before they tried putting the external cooler in then wouldnt that mean, as bad as it is, this isnt causing the problem?

---

It would indicate an underlying issue to begin with, but by adding the cooler and essentially disconnecting the cooling for the transmission altogether they would have made the problem worse. Presumably the new cooler will now be plumbed so hopefully the issue will be resolved.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zorro

Waits for planetdavo to say that's standard procedure :popcorn:

---

Or it's the whinging customers fault.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aratic

Was the trans having problems before the cooling circuit was tampered with? Seems strange that if it was having problems before they tried putting the external cooler in then wouldnt that mean, as bad as it is, this isnt causing the problem?

---

Funnily enough, the problems worsened after they "fixed" it with the addition of the trans cooler....
What really astounds me is that if they have had it up in the air 10 times to try to "fix" it, how have they not seen the glaringly obvious stuff-up? It used to only play up after a 300km highway trip, or working it hard up a windy, hilly climb with lots of changes up and down through the gears, and accelerating out of slow corners. As soon as they tried to fix it, it began to play up after 30 mins in peak-hour traffic.
After 10 attempts to fix it, how could they possibly not see this? FFS! Did they ever really do anything, or just park it in the corner for the day and say it's now fixed...

they were probably waiting for the computer to diagnose the fault .........

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by seldo

Funnily enough, the problems worsened after they "fixed" it with the addition of the trans cooler....
What really astounds me is that if they have had it up in the air 10 times to try to "fix" it, how have they not seen the glaringly obvious stuff-up? It used to only play up after a 300km highway trip, or working it hard up a windy, hilly climb with lots of changes up and down through the gears, and accelerating out of slow corners. As soon as they tried to fix it, it began to play up after 30 mins in peak-hour traffic.
After 10 attempts to fix it, how could they possibly not see this? FFS! Did they ever really do anything, or just park it in the corner for the day and say it's now fixed...

---

It makes sense that it got worse, considering it went from the standard Transmission Cooling to No cooling whatsoever.....

Was the vehicle bought from them new and exclusively serviced by them or had it been in a front end acco?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by seldo

Funnily enough, the problems worsened after they "fixed" it with the addition of the trans cooler....
What really astounds me is that if they have had it up in the air 10 times to try to "fix" it, how have they not seen the glaringly obvious stuff-up? It used to only play up after a 300km highway trip, or working it hard up a windy, hilly climb with lots of changes up and down through the gears, and accelerating out of slow corners. As soon as they tried to fix it, it began to play up after 30 mins in peak-hour traffic.
After 10 attempts to fix it, how could they possibly not see this? FFS! Did they ever really do anything, or just park it in the corner for the day and say it's now fixed...

---

It was probably parked in the customer car park all day, ie. the transmission had time to cool down. Then someone would take it for a "road test", and come back after 2mins saying "it feels fine to me". Im sure that has happened to me at my local dealer in the past.

Im sorry to hear this about your mates car but things like this just further my attitude of learn to do it yourself that way if it screws up its your fault...... on a side note if it was me there should be record of who worked on the car kept by holden get the list and finger point lay the blame where it should be laid on the worker

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LSavvy

Was the vehicle bought from them new and exclusively serviced by them or had it been in a front end acco?

---

Sold and serviced by them exclusively from new

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SSer

It was probably parked in the customer car park all day, ie. the transmission had time to cool down. Then someone would take it for a "road test", and come back after 2mins saying "it feels fine to me". Im sure that has happened to me at my local dealer in the past.

---

Probably spot-on!

wow, if what you say is absolutely correct, than that is shocking.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by seldo

Funnily enough, the problems worsened after they "fixed" it with the addition of the trans cooler....
What really astounds me is that if they have had it up in the air 10 times to try to "fix" it, how have they not seen the glaringly obvious stuff-up? It used to only play up after a 300km highway trip, or working it hard up a windy, hilly climb with lots of changes up and down through the gears, and accelerating out of slow corners. As soon as they tried to fix it, it began to play up after 30 mins in peak-hour traffic.
After 10 attempts to fix it, how could they possibly not see this? FFS! Did they ever really do anything, or just park it in the corner for the day and say it's now fixed...

---

It's pretty obvious mate, most stealerships have "one" guru tech & rest are little more than labourers or ordinary apprentices! I went to pick up my Vy approx six years ago for simple warranty work from McGrath Sutherland & found some pimply faced fat headed apprentice or the like revving the shit outta it riding the clutch!! I never went back there again!
I don't have it in for apprentices either cause I was once one ffs!

Dead set shocking Seldo!

Even with the "Apprentice" factor you would assume that upon the car's 3rd return for the same issue that a more experienced mechanic / tech would investigate the issue, look up and go WTF?...

As other's have said, New Gearbox time, the constant heating and cooling past the "normal" limits WILL have created heat stress on the internal components! I would be settling for nothing less!~!

and..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zorro

Waits for planetdavo to say that's standard procedure :popcorn:

---

This the deadset funniest bloody thing I have read on here in a long time...
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I read the OP, maybe its the customers fault for not putting it on a hoist himself to "double" check the dealerships work..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VRIIClubby

Dead set shocking Seldo!

Even with the "Apprentice" factor you would assume that upon the car's 3rd return for the same issue that a more experienced mechanic / tech would investigate the issue, look up and go WTF?...

---

That's my question, why hasn't the shop foreman picked up on it over the multiple times it has been there?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zorro

That's my question, why hasn't the shop foreman picked up on it over the multiple times it has been there?

---

The workshop leading hand would get dirty if he left his office....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zorro

That's my question, why hasn't the shop foreman picked up on it over the multiple times it has been there?

---

The workshop leading hand would get dirty if he left his office....

Fail ZUPPS.

That is truely staggering & a very poor reflection on the mechanical competence of the workshop staff.

I would be pretty unhappy by this point - you would think that after multiple trips back with the same issue they would put someone with a little more experience on the job??

It seems even Davo can't a think of a way to talk the blame away from the dealership on this one!

Unbelievable ... :hmmm:

Just to go against the theme here. I have mine serviced at Motorama Springwood here in Brisbane and can't speak highly enough of them, maybe a little pricey, but that's dealers for you, but I know, the same HSV tech works on my car each time it's there. That said, this particular instance is a pretty poor case of workmanship and service..

My mates dad worked as a dealer principal at one of the Zupps new car sales dealerships and only lasted 12 months. He reckoned they were the most incompetant company he had ever worked for.

Plenty of other Holden dealerships in Brisbane to go to

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aratic

My mates dad worked as a dealer principal at one of the Zupps new car sales dealerships and only lasted 12 months. He reckoned they were the most incompetant company he had ever worked for.

Plenty of other Holden dealerships in Brisbane to go to

---

Worked "as a dealer principal"??

Apparently so

I bought a couple of new cars from Zupps in the late 90's (mainly because I personally knew one of the sales reps there at the time so didn't get subjected to any hard sell).

I went to the Aspley dealership earlier in the year when a friend was looking for a new car. The sales guy had such poor knowledge of their products we left after 5 minutes (she ended up purchasing a Mazda 3 SP25 literally from over the road).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aratic

Apparently so

---

I believe the term "dealer principal" applies to the guy that owns and runs the business. If your simply employed to run a dealership you're not usually called the "dealer principal".

I could be wrong, but that's always been my understanding.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NickS

I believe the term "dealer principal" applies to the guy that owns and runs the business. If your simply employed to run a dealership you're not usually called the "dealer principal".

I could be wrong, but that's always been my understanding.

---

True..I believe that's correct

I stand well and truely corrected :lol:

Either way he worked in sales in some form and needless to say didnt stay long