Chevrolet Cruze - Change Engine Oil Soon/Service Vehicle Soon

Had both these messages come up on my car recently so booked it in for a full service yesterday. First mistake was probably going for Kwik-Fit but they gave me 30% off so I used them...

When I went to pick it up the Change Engine Oil Soon message was still coming up in the Information Panel so went back in and they said their reader was showing no error codes so they had no facility to reset or remove the message. Sounded odd but i drove out regardless. Today I'm getting both messages again so i've been back down there and he's showed me plugging in their machine and the no errors etc and said it's possibly a software error and there's nothing they can do.

Said take it to a main dealer, who i've rung, and they want £69 just to plug it in to their diagnostics reader. Would rather avoid that if possible. I've since googled and see it's a common happening.

Have tried the "press accelerator 3 times while message on" advice but that hasn't cleared it. There is no Oil-Life reading on the Driver Information Centre so can't reset it that way either.

Any experts on here have any knowledge of the problem and can offer a fix? Or do i just run it into Chevrolet and take the £69 hit as a lesson for being a tight cunt in the first place and using KwikFit?

It's a 62 plate, Chevrolet Cruze estate, 1.7 VcDi

Try and look up their head office and branch email addresses.

Send a complaint to head office (copy in the branch office) stating that you have had your vehicle serviced, and the technicians appear to be incompetent as they are refusing to reset your service indicator claiming they cannot do this because there are no fault codes saved in your car.

Mention you have been in once for service and again for this issue. Let them know you are happy for them to come to you and remedy this, or for your expenses to be paid for you to go back for the third visit. If this cannot happen in 28 days, then you would like to be credited £69 + expenses to let the dealer finish off the job they started but couldn't complete.

Look up T&C's. If there is no exclusion for these type of circumstances, let them know if this is not satisfactorily resolved within 28 days you will then proceed with small claims court.

What I suspect has actually happened here:

The service indicator can be reset via diagnostic tools or often via button or pedal presses. However if the car has gone so many days or miles with service overdue, often you cannot reset using buttons/pedals anymore and must use a diagnostic computer. (The general idea is that reset via button/pedal presses is intended for use by home/low end mechanics, and the vehicle isn't being serviced on schedule so it needs to go into a more professional workshop with diagnostic tools to be reset so at least it gets a proper once over).

Problem is many garages have general diagnostic computers that cover a wide range of makes but are often useless on American makes (e.g. Chevrolet). Normal routine is the workshop will service the car, then reset the service indicator at the end, then they realise they can't actually do this car.

I can understand why it happens, but it is shabby. My personal take is that as a massive nationwide chain, they should be aware of their own limitations and mention this prior to taking on the job. Just for example I've helped out numerous local workshops who have serviced a car, failed to reset service light themselves, then they have held the car and got me out to clear the service indicator prior to giving car back to customer.

They will probably think you are an arsehole as they (should) have done all the actual servicing and your car should (in theory) be fit to drive until next service. However what's the point in having service indicators if they don't work, and what's the point in paying for a service if every time you are in the car with passengers your display is making you look like a tight cunt that doesn't want to service their car when you actually have serviced it?

Me, I often fight anything that takes the piss. Only thing is at the end sometimes I wonder if all the effort was worthwhile. Still, can't put a price on satisfaction I suppose.

If you can find anyone that claims to specialise in Chevrolet or has the correct kit local to you, you can probably get away with paying £20-40 for the reset, but then you need to find someone, and trust that they aren't going to waste even more of your time.

Yeah I've fired that off already but not called the technicians incompetent as they seemed decent enough. Just called their equipment there unworthy and obviously not up to the job.

Wished i'd have added your last paragraph but i was overkeen and it's already sent. I've had the stock "we are looking into this" response so will see where it heads. When they contact me i'll hit them with the remedial charges demand.

Cheers.

To go with your edit:-

Yes i think you're right about their diagnostic setup. I also had the service done there last March and they said they couldn't reset the service light as it wasn't on and there was nothing to reset (I've only seen this by looking over last years service sheet today) which smacks of low-end software as surely they should be able to access the onboard computer and tell it the car's been serviced...The "Service Vehicle Soon" has only been on a couple of weeks and I booked it in as quick as I could. The car's only done 5,000 since the service last March too so if they didn't reset it then it must have last been reset in 2015 when it was serviced by previous owner in a Chevrolet garage.

As you probably know Chevrolet have left the UK market now so dealers/garages are few and far between. My mates works for the RAC and he's said he'll plug his diagnostic reader in and see what it shows up. Can't do it till the weekend though.

I'll fight them to do a proper job or give me the funds to get it sorted. Principles and all that and I won't bother using them again.

Not necessarily low end. A mate recently got a top end Snap On diagnostic tool with integrated oscilloscope for £6500. He was gutted when he had to call me out 3 days after purchasing it as he could not connect to ABS on an Chevrolet, while the previous lower end Snap On he had traded in could communicate with that car.

Funny thing is the tool I used to find his problem cost me approx. £40 http://digital-forums.com/showthread...for-most-makes

I'm not sure if that tool will reset your service light, if you are anywhere near West London you are welcome to come round and try.

Thanks for the offer matey but I'm right round the other side, near Dartford. Will update thread though when i get a response and/or get it sorted.

Does seem a pretty common problem with the car. Think i'm getting worried now that it might be a genuine problem with another part of the car. There's no actual light on the dash (manual says a yellow car with spanner in) or the engine light on. Just these two written messages in the DIC.

Think it's the same as for gm cars, it's in the menu, look for "oil life" set to 100% and press set/clear.

Kwik fit lol

No oil life setting on my car unfortunately.

Had a call from Kwikfit today and they're sending me a kite for £84 as a "gesture of goodwill" so i can take it to Chevrolet to sort.

anygood

Quote:

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Originally Posted by russell

anygood

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Cheers but no. Tried it and it didn't work. Car doesn't have a reset button either. It's all as the picture on the indicator arm as shown but there's just no oil life setting on my car.

That printout is the same as Kwikfit were using though as he showed me it.

Gonna try my mates RAC diagnostic machine tomorrow and if still no good run it to Chevrolet Monday.

Plugged it into mates RAC Diagnostic reader and he cleared it straight away!

Took all of two minutes.

Happy endings although I still haven't had the cheque from KwikFit yet..