I called Hummer on Friday and told them the problem. They told me the same thing. I have to have it diagnosed and pay for the diagnosis. They also told me the nearest certified Hummer technicians are 2 hours away from us. She said that if they say it is a design flaw then GM will pay for it.

 

OK guys, I'm new to the forum. 2007 H3 with 60,000 miles. Found like in radiator this week. Shop wants almost $1,000 to replace with new. A couple of questions.

1) does the AC condensor have to come out to replace the radiator?
2) anyone having any luck with aftermarket radiators?

Jeff

 

Has this been happening on Alphas also?

 

well it went in this morning, after about six hours they called saying yeah it's cracked (no kidding) but there were no technical bulletins out for it, but he talked to his manager and the dealership is going to take care of it for $200 and not charge me the diagnostic fee. so in other words they're fixing it and I have to pay the $100 for diagnosis and the $100 deductible and GM is taking care of the rest, but the dealer just twisted it around to make it look lie they're the ones who really care. lol. either way as long as is getting fixed, now it's just a matter of how long it'll take them to get te new part in. I'm hoping to have it back Thursday but we'll see.

 

I'm going to find out this morning what they are going to do. I have been told since it is a manufacturers flaw not to accept anything but G.M. paying for the whole thing, even the diagnostics. When I called the G.M. garage that we are taking it to the service manager said he will know what the problem is within a couple seconds so there should not be a diagnostic charge anyway. $100 for diagnosing the problem is terrible. It shouldn''t have been anything, or at least G.M. should have paid for yours staggs.

 

Just got home from the dealership. I just want to make everyone aware of what to do if your radiator does crack. If you have the original radiator I do believe it will eventually crack because of the lack of clearance between the radiator and the frame. I was told by another member to stand my ground. Not to accept anything less than GM paying for everything including the diagnostics. When you drop your H3 off tell them to keep the work order open because you have a case with GM. and this is a known problem. I told them that and they had no problem keeping the work order open and not charging me today for the diagnostics.

The dealership sent the diagnosis to GM, and I called GM as soon as I left the dealership. They told me they have to review the diagnosis and will call me this afternoon and let me know what they are willing to do. I have been told that they may offer 10 or 20 % at first, but not to accept that. Let them know that you are aware that this is a design flaw and the only reason the crack happened is because of that fact. The other proof is that the radiator has been redesigned because of the design flaw. The new radiator has clearance so that it does not rub or hit against the frame. So that is more ammunition that you have on your side. I will let everyone know what is said when they call back today. I will not accept anything less than them paying for the diagnostics and the new radiator and install. Thank you everyone who has helped us in this. I hope that others with H3's find this thread before they pay $700 to $1000 to replace their radiator.

 

The Hummer rep just called and said I had been approved for assistance with replacing the radiator but that my case has been referred to upper management for final approval and the amount they will pay, and that I will receive a call within 24 hours. She then asked if I had anything for her to notate in the account for the management to review. I told her that I am well aware that this is an issue for thousands of H3's and that it is a design flaw. That the new radiator has been redesigned to have clearance to not hit against the framework. and that I am well aware that GM has paid 100% of the diagnostics and the replacement of the radiator in other H3's for the same issue. and that I will not accept anything less than full replacement without any cost to me.

 

No, I left the AC condensor and grill in place when I replaced my radiator.
Yes, my aftermarket radiator is doing fine 1 year later.

 

Just got off the phone with the upper management representative. She said they have to research more into this and get more information and will call me back tomorrow with their decision. They are trying to get out of paying this. The problem for them though is that I am aware of why this issue has occurred. She tried to throw something in there about normal wear and tear. I immediately refuted that by talking about the new radiator design, has been done because of the problem. Going to keep standing my ground.

 

Send her a link to this thread. Tell her we all know about the issue so save the BS song and dance for the next sucker. Tell her I shouldn't have to grind away the lip of my radiator support to keep it from wearing a notch into the plastic tank.