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What kind of shop can find rain leaks?

18 years ago

I have recently developed a rain/water leak in my 96 Tahoe...argh...what a pain! The rain is coming in and soaking my driver's side floor. I took it to my regular mechanic and they poked around with it for a WEEK and couldn't find anything leaking...WHATEVER!!!!...the whole floor gets soak with the slightest of rain and they couldn't find anything with a hose? I just don't get that...anyway...since a regular mechanic just doesn't cut it when it comes to rain leaks...where does a person take a vehicle to fix such a problem? Would I be better of taking it to the Chevy dealership?

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Comments (5)

john_g
18 years ago
The dealer would be a beter choice for a water leak, than "some" independents would. Typically a water leak can require removal of a good portion of the interior trim as the discovery process is performed, and that means a guaranteed expense for you. The first shop is likely so accustommed to trying too be low priced, that they are failing to invest sufficient time towards the diagnostic side of this repair equation.

BTW, I do believe there is a TSB relating to water leaks in the Tahoe. A TSB is not a silver bullet, just because there may be a single known situation, it has no bearing on every possible senario.

A second choice would be to call a body shop. One thing you cannot do is get a price up front. The shops and techs with the skills and experience to do this also know they cannot accurately guess a price in advance. So in effect, that's a clue. You can almost be assured that anyone that guesses a price up front, does NOT know how to fix your car!
arkansas girl
Original Author
18 years ago
Sorry so stupid but what's a TSB?
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john_g
18 years ago
TSB = Technical Service Bulletin
arkansas girl
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the information. Well if they have to take stuff apart at the dealership, at least I feel more confident they will put it back together right *rolls eyes* unlike the shop I took it to!!!!!!!!

What exactly does a Technical Service Bulletin do? Does it tell them of known problems or what?
gary__
18 years ago
'What exactly does a Technical Service Bulletin do? Does it tell them of known problems or what?'

Yep, tells of something they've seen enough of to bother to post a bulletin of the possible problem and the corrective measure.

A dealership is probably a better bet to get this problem found. A lot of searching for water, air, and dust leaks is done under warranty. It could be costly because they'll have to charge you whatever time it takes to find it. It's not always easy. If the leak is big enough to have water standing in an area, you can drill a hole in the floorboard at the lowest spot in that area. That's not a fix, but it will allow excess water to drain out of the car rather than fill it up like a fish bowl in the mean time.

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