I have had my Regal since October of 2010. I loved the car until about 1 year later.
In September of 2011 I had this exact condition. It was sporadic enough that I couldn't get upset with the dealership when they couldn't produce the problem. It could happen first thing in the morning, after 10 minutes of driving, or after an hour of driving.
At that time they replaced the valve per the computer code.
The drive was smoother shortly thereafter, but the problem came back off and on again after that to the point where they again replaced the valves.
Most recently the problem worsened and the check engine light came on. This was the first time the check engine light had ever come on in my vehicle. Even in the times that the valve replacement was necessary, it was up to me to notice the condition and bring it in for repair, not a check engine light.
This time AFTER changing the valves per the code, they were able to reproduce the issue at their shop. During their investigation they noticed that a guide for the timing chain was severely damaged. They dropped the oil pan to discover plastic and metallic bits from this guide in the pan.
They replaced my engine and my high pressure fuel pump. They extended the powertrain warranty and gave me some regular maintenance incentives at the dealership.
But after looking into this more, and more specifically the 2.4L Ecotec engine, I've found that this "performance," while not wide-spread, is common enough that Buick should investigate this matter.
It gets dicier. I have a co-worker that has a
GMC Terrain that had to have his timing chain replaced under warranty. While discussing the repair with the dealership and finding that they have performed this engine replacement in one Buick Regal (my car) and two
GMC Terrains, I was informed that the "new" engine I received had addressed this design flaw and they ensured me that the "new" engine was safer than my older engine. I asked him if this was a known issue, why hasn't more been done to proactively evaluate the condition and issue a recall if necessary?
The dicey part of this is that I don't know how long this condition existed, if it finally deteriorated to this point, or if it just suddenly failed. And if they know the design is vulnerable to this failure, why not actively pursue addressing the design flaw? And how do I KNOW that this new engine addresses the flaw?
The other question I've asked but have not gotten an answer on is whether or not the oil change frequency recall has any direct impact on the failure of the timing chain. I usually go between 6000 and 7500 miles per oil change and they are now recommending to not exceed 5000 miles.
I actually still like the car when she acts right, but I can't get over this failure and lack of action over this failure when it has danger written all over it. What if someone stalls while in highway traffic? What if your car sputters when merging into highway traffic? What if the car sputters while you are trying to decelerate to avoid hitting another car? Or a person?
I'm not fully satisfied with the situation and am still in contact with a Buick District Specialist who says they are further examining the matter.
I'm posting this for those who might periodically experience this phenomena to push to have the dealership inspect your high pressure fuel pump and your timing chain as a function of evaluation. I hope that my case and the 3 others I know of are isolated incidents, but I only know what I know right now.
Good luck.
