1000 miles, needs ball joints and position sensor!?

2009 Gem with 1000 miles,

… in Limp Home with wrench on display. (Did not get code - dumb.)

I’m told it needs:

a motor position sensor which is not an expensive part but takes 3 hours,
a boot of some type
ball joints are loose and need replacement :eek:

I guess one issue is luck of the draw, but this pile of issues is upsetting for such a new, low mileage vehicle. I live in the city of Rochester NY, so not like the things been driven on washboard roads. Is this the level of durability I’m to expect? Will this car cost $1500 in repairs every 16 month/1000 miles?

They say a boat is a hole in the water you attempt to fill with MONEY. Is this thing going to cost more than owning a BOAT!?

[QUOTE=tedkidd;9051]2009 Gem with 1000 miles,

… in Limp Home with wrench on display. (Did not get code - dumb.)

I’m told it needs:

a motor position sensor which is not an expensive part but takes 3 hours,
a boot of some type
ball joints are loose and need replacement :eek:

I guess one issue is luck of the draw, but this pile of issues is upsetting for such a new, low mileage vehicle. I live in the city of Rochester NY, so not like the things been driven on washboard roads. Is this the level of durability I’m to expect? Will this car cost $1500 in repairs every 16 month/1000 miles?

They say a boat is a hole in the water you attempt to fill with MONEY. Is this thing going to cost more than owning a BOAT!?[/QUOTE]

I’m new to GEM cars, owned one for all of three days now.
But that sounds way out of line, without doing too much research, the boot is probably a CV boot, black rubber, cone shape and there are two one each axle. $25 each. about the same price for each ball joint, and I don’t know how much the motor sensor is but those usually are not much.
So I’d be suprised if all the parts added up to much over $100.
$500 labor IMO is generous.
I’d shop for better option than that $1500 quote, sounds way too high,
keep us posted, good luck

I suspect the dealership has a business model they follow. I can’t imagine they indiscriminately gouge, as that could come back to bite them. Also, if they overprice to the market they’ll get a reputation there as well. I understand they have overhead to cover.

On the other hand, with a unique car they do have the advantage of a less than transparent marketplace. I’m gonna go straight to GEM. It’s their product, and if goodwill doesn’t matter to them I’ll be a vocal advocate against the product and Chrysler in general.

My first brand new vehicle was a Dodge Cummins pickup. So I am clearly someone who purchases their products.