Advice please

[cjay33dagnabbit]

I have a 2001 Malibu LS that I just spent close to $2grand on at dealership to replace intake manifold gasket, replace wires/spark plugs,drivebelt, coolant temp sensor, starter, oil, filter & coolant change. Drove car 1 time noticed theft deterrent red light no longer blinking & every week since something has gone wrong with car & before I took it to the dealership tdl was fine. Now the headlights won't go off automatically, the airbag light & service engine lights go on & off. I'm pretty much broke now & don't know what to do. Yes, I'm a woman...not a mechanic obviously...lol...the dealership says bring it back to check the computer???? They don't think it's anything they did yet no warning dash lights came on before I took it to them....any ideas???? I really don't trust them anymore....car has 77,000 miles.

[Tech II]

This was a GM dealership?

Having a hard time coming up with that amount of money for your repair.....coolant and oil change are part of the intake job.....

with the engine apart, the tuneup is basically time to remove the plugs and install......

New starter, still shouldn't bring it that high....

Was there a lot of diagnostic time added to this?

Theft deterrent light shouldn't blink......

Air bag light should flash 7 times on startup and then go out......CE light should be on until car starts......

As for codes, after $2K, they should read the codes for free, or you can go to your local auto parts store, and they will read them for free.....

[cjay33dagnabbit]

Tech II, thank you so much for your reply & yes, this was at a GM Goodwrench Dealer. I don't see any diagnostic time on the bill. They billed each job with its own parts/labor fee. After I start it the warning lights come on & go out as they should then a bell goes off & the service engine soon light comes on solid, not flashing. If I turn the car off for 30 seconds then start it again, everything appears to be normal. Is this a possible sensor or computer or short or possibly something they forgot to do when they put it all back together again?

Thank you again!

[Tech II]

As soon as that SES light came on, you should have gone right into the Service Manager, and they should have checked it out immediately, if not sooner.....

Was it the "service engine soon", or the "service vehicle soon" light that came on? Big difference....If it was the SES, even if it goes out after a restart, the fact it came on means there is a code in the history of the computer.....

After spending $2K or any amount, this vehicle should have had a test drive done, and any lights that came on should have been taken care of, or made known to the customer....for example, if they worked on the engine, and they test drove the vehicle, and the air bag light came on, this should have been written on the repair order and mentioned to you when you picked up the vehicle.....

[cjay33dagnabbit]

My sincere thanks to you again! Not only are you a gentleman but a scholar as well. I will be contacting their service manager, once again, to address my concerns & will be firm but polite & insist they run the codes without charging me any more than I have already been taken for! lol, gotta keep my sense of humor here. Thanks so much for all your input.

[cjay33dagnabbit]

Hi TechII, well, today I had to take my car back to the shop, not the dealer this time...because while driving the chime went off, warning lights were flashing, no A/C, no power windows, no radio, no clock, check engine light came on, service vehicle light, air bag, etc....the tow truck driver thought it was the alternator.... Shop ran codes (free!!) Error leg 3 of ignition switch to relay block down to 4 volts. Replaced ignition switch & adjusted console shift. (his notes)

So far, so good. But I just got it back today so we'll see. I just wanted to thank you, again, for your insightful knowledge that you so generously share on this site.

[cjay33dagnabbit]

I'm baaack! Simple question - the ignition (key) cylinder is not firing like it should. I have to gently play with it to get the engine to engage. My question is - does one have to remove the entire dash to get to it or can it be replaced from underneath. (hope this makes sense) Thank you in advance!