Hi. I found your Saturn site while searching for Saturn owners having problems with Saturn. I have a friend who I am trrying to help. She bought a 2006 Saturn VUE.

According to her: "My engine light came on, I called the dealership, they could get it in that following monday and told me it should be ok to drive. She also said that sometimes if the gas cap does not get put on properly that it can make that light come on. So we took the gas cap off and put it on again, and about a day and a half later it went off. I called her and told her it had gone off so she was fine with that, then I called a couple of days later because of the tch tch tch tch that started.".. she got it in to the Saturn dealership ...now they are saying the car needs a new engine, as I type this they say they are willing to pay for only half of it, and are claiming because she didn't keep precise enough service records they aren't liable via the warranty.

May I ask if you had any success in dealing with Saturn and do you have any advice as to how to deal wtih them? Or might you have any useful links? I gave been doing much searching for about three days but haven't found anything significant yet.

Thank you for any advice/response.

James.

I, unfortunately, had absolutely no luck dealing with Saturn. It seemed like no matter how hard I fought with them, they were determined not to give an inch. That's what drove me to create this web site. It wasn't the fact that I had a problem with a car. That happens. They're machines with moving parts - things are going to break. What killed me was the fact that they were willing to sacrifice a potential lifetime customer for a few dollars. Until our issue, my wife was very happy with her Saturn and loved that car. After that, she will never buy another Saturn, and, in fact, if she finds out someone is looking at them, she will tell them our story and tell them not to buy one.

I feel for your friend's situation. The only advice I can offer is to call the main Saturn customer service line and hope that something has changed since we dealt with our issue. Every manufacturer has that same clause in their warranty (about the owner keeping service records, etc). I've never had it used against me. I've never had another car company ask to see service records, though, if they didn't think oil changes had been kept up with, I'm sure they would.

A great source of information can be credit card statements, or check copies. For example, if your friend has credit card statements that show regular charges from a Valvoline Instant Oil Change, etc., it can help to back up her case that she did keep up with proper maintenance on the vehicle. That's probably about the only way to try to fight it. 

Good luck! 

Thank you very much for your response and advice. I had not thought about CC and/or check records. I passed the info along to my friend. Maybe it will make a difference.

I would not bother calling them.  I have a 2004 L400 Saturn with 56,000 miles.  Recently my service engine light came on.  I took my car in and now I have been told the following.

Axle Seal Leak, power steering rack & pinion leak, coolant leak and a thermostat problem.  The cost, $3,000.00.  Now, I have never seen anything on my garage floor to indicate a leak.  The car was driving fine and I took it in based solely on the light coming on.  After going through everyone that I could with Saturn I was told that because I had my car serviced by someone other than Saturn they could not be accountable for my issues.  According to them, Had they serviced my car they would have caught the issues and had helped me with the problem.

As I told them, I find this rather amusing as my sister who also own a Saturn has been riddled with one issue after another since she bought her L300.  From day one she has gone to the dealership at the cost of over $4,000. They have yet done anything to make it right by her either.

Long and short of it all.  NEVER and I mean NEVER buy from General Motors.  They responded the exact same way when I bought a Lumina from them that had numerous issues also from day one.  Unfortunately they want to use the buy "American" ploy and when you try to give your business to them, they throw you out the door.  You will never have customer service from them and it will always be your fault.  When I attempted to get some help with my Lumina I was told they could not be accountable for how I drove my car as it was not the quality of the car but rather how I was driving it.   

 If I did not have all of the problems before taking my car to the dealership, I can assue you I will now.  I am in a bind and have no choice but to now find someone honest who can take a look at this car.  Even at the cost of $3,000 I would rather pay someone else than to give Saturn one ounce of business.  Upon repair I am going to start looking to buy a foreign car as I have had much better luck with the quality and than service. 

Until Americans can make a car that will stay on the road long enough for you to pay the car off, they do not deserve to ask us to be loyal to them.  By the way, did I say I still owe $8,700 on this car??  Where is the loyalty to us???