Cluster Replaced...now truck's got gremlins!

[Toejam]

Mike, I didnt take your comments the wrong way or felt insulted at all. You can only go by your personal experience, and I appreciate your honesty.
One of the points here is that no matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake.
And it's possible that it isnt a mistake at all, possible a bad new part, or an unfortunate coincidence . The proof will be in whatever it takes to fix your truck's ills.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Not really an update, since the vehicle didn't go to the dealer yet, but during a quick run for milk this morning the passenger a/c vents are blowing ice cold. This is after the truck sat all day yesterday. Now I am really starting to believe this is either all related to the cluster, or resetting the computer worked and I just didn't wait long enough for the actuator to recalibrate before testing the vents. In either event, I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

And Toejam, I agree 100% with your statement "No matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake." In fact, I agree with that not only when it comes to vehicles, but life in general.

 

[M3PO]

I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

GREAT MOVE!
I wonder if they dealer can test the cluster or if it has to be sent out? Toejam?

 

[Toejam]

Not really an update, since the vehicle didn't go to the dealer yet, but during a quick run for milk this morning the passenger a/c vents are blowing ice cold. This is after the truck sat all day yesterday. Now I am really starting to believe this is either all related to the cluster, or resetting the computer worked and I just didn't wait long enough for the actuator to recalibrate before testing the vents. In either event, I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

And Toejam, I agree 100% with your statement "No matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake." In fact, I agree with that not only when it comes to vehicles, but life in general.

"Resetting the computer" is a term that doesnt really apply to today's vehicles with CAN systems. In "The Old Days", you could disconnect the battery, step on the brake pedal for 30 seconds, and codes were erased, and the engine control unit reverted back to as-built status.
With CAN systems, all the control units communicate with eachother , and it usually takes a scanner or special service tool to make that happen. In some cases the control units have a built-in timer, or a certain procedure needs to be followed for all the systems to operate correctly.
Using a log to document problems is an excellent idea. Many customers keep a notepad with them and jot down every cough, burp, sneeze the the vehicle does. Communication is the key to service. If the technician knows what the actual complaint is, when it occurs, frequency of the problem, temperature, miles, time the problem appears, etc he will have a far easier time correcting it. The 1st step in auto repair is "Duplicate the problem". If you can't duplicate it, what are you fixing and how can you verify the repair?
It's entirely possible that all your control units had to "learn each other and get along" for your a/c to work correctly. No matter--have the dealer check all your complaints. Be sure to keep all documentation.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Well, picked up the truck tonight. Dealer drove for 12 miles on the highway, couldn't replicate anything. They scanned everything from soup to nuts and found no codes, and I did tell them that I had disco'd the battery, and that might have caused codes to clear. The dealership did acknowledge the fact that the cluster could have caused the issues, so at the very least, this is documented in their system in the event something goes nuts again. While I don't feel 100% comfortable that the problem is solved, I feel like it's at least been a fair resolution, and I appreciated the fact that they kept the file open in the event it starts acting up again.

For the record, this was Oasis Chevy in Sayreville, NJ. While I'm not the type to take my vehicles to the dealer for every little thing, if I did need something done by a dealership, I'd have no problem going back to them. They did right in my book.

 

[M3PO]

Just keep your paperwork and keep your log book. It is good to hear they looked at the vehicle and acknowledged there could be a problem.

 

[Toejam]

Mike--good for you, and good ON you for both how the dealership AND you handled the situation.