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Pontiac Bonneville
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Comments
Does anyone know what the recall is that was mentioned by fantascp?
smfran- as mentioned by iceman- the only recall for the 2000 bonneville was for a internal fluid leak in the brake hydraulic control unit- for cars manufactured in JAN 2000. if you want to see or bring up any vehicle for recalls go to the web page for EDMUNDS.COM- click on SAFETY at the top of the page- this will bring you to the next screen-the 3rd entry down is for links to the NHTSA- click on that link and it will take you to the NHTSA main page- from there just click on RECALLS and follow the prompts. I hope this will help.
ICEMAN- great rotating post- !!!!
TPKen- the only problem i had since i have the car was to have new pads and rotors put on (grinding noise when coming to a stop)
at about 5000 miles- somehow they (the factory) managed to mis-match the correct brake pad #'s for the front and rear of the car- at least that's what the dealership told me- anyway- it was fixed- (NO CHARGE) they replaced the front and rear pads and rotors- no other problems with the car since then(Aug2000) everything is working great.
I have the bench seat- my wife(who uses the car for work- Monday to Friday)- guess who can't wait for the weekends to get here so HE can use the car--insisted on the bench seat- she complained that the bucket seats were too uncomfortable. What i still don't understand is i had to pay extra for the bench seat- years ago- bucket seats were extra- go figure!
i took the 1 sb group plus the bench seat as mentioned and the rear spoiler.
chuck
go with the label in the trunk?- anyone else have a different color listed-?
What's not making sense is that BRIGHT WHITE is not a color for 2000- ARTIC WHITE is the color listed for 2000.
thanks for any info.
Chuck
Ken
Catchya later
When I first start up on very cold mornings, my DIC shows "Check Security System" until I push the select button. My dealer said this is a known issue. Anyone have any comments or subscribe to alldata and could check this out? Iceman?
Regarding the cupholders - absolutely everybody agrees with you on this one. My sister has a Grand Prix GT & has the same complaint. Even my Pontiac dealer admits they're crappy. I personally think that GM should quieten us down by designing twin travel mugs that would fit in this cupholder - at the same time!. Hey, it would sweeten it somewhat if they just gave us as a pair of them as a token of their acknowledgement of our loyalty to GM.
Today got mild (hah! it reached 5 degrees celsius) enough for me to try a hand wash this afternoon. First one! Now that's a good feeling.
Saw a convertible late 90's SSEi this morning. The guy's daughter is in my daughter's dance class so I'll have a chance to catch up with him sometime in the next couple of weeks and find out what the story is. It's a black top on that ubiquitous dark Bonneville green & it looks pretty sharp. Betcha looks a ton sharper with the top down....
Weighing that car against a 1996 Caprice outfitted like an Impala, sort of a "Capala", I guess you'd say. Only drawback, high mileage.
I'm new to the room, so thanks in advance if anyone can help out.
Anyway, one correction to my 522 fuel range story. A typical reading after filling up is high 300's, close to 400 (I sometimes do quite a bit of highway driving). The 489 was a bit unusal (I realized this after the next fill up). I attribute it to filling up just after an hour + drive on the highway. I remember reading somewhere that the range shown is base on the remaining fuel in the tank and the average MPG over the last 25 miles. Most of what I've seen says the tank holds 18.5 gallons. 522 would be based on an expected average of about 28.2 MPG. I don't rememer just how low I was that night before filling up. However, I have pulled a "Kosmo Kramer" (Seinfeld fans should understand), but not to where I ran out before making to the gas station. I ran it down to were it took somewhere between 17 & 17.5 gallons to fill up. Maybe I'll have to put a gallon or two in the trunk (in an gas can would probably be helpful) and go all the way. Oops!, hope I don't get censored.
Iceman - It was only about 5 miles to home after filling up. That's partly why I was so amazed about getting to 522 when I hoping just to see 500. The terrain here (Northeast Ohio) is pretty flat.
Later
Re. convertible: Might have been one of those cheesy cosmetic job. Who would do such a thing to an SSEi? The back end looked pretty realistic but we were both moving in opposite directions and my glance was not too probing.
I'll send you a quick note Stephen.
Ken
While I truly enjoy our SSEi, my all time favorite car (and a better performer) was the 93 Taurus SHO 5-speed that I conned as a company car. It was absolutely horrible in snow but an awful lot of fun any other time. I still haven't forgiven my wife for not letting me buy it when the lease was up. Something about almost hitting the same tree several times when it was snowing and she was trying to make the car turn a corner.
I know the placement of the trunk release switch is a small thing but my daughter's 92 Bonneville and my prior 96 Bonneville both had the release switch in the driver's door panel. I don't even bother to use the one on the 2000. What were they thinking?
Likes
styling
performance
size
driver/passenger comfort
fuel economy
cavernous trunk
safety features (and rating)
Nice Features
DIC
17 in. wheels with 55 series tires
headlights (excellent road illumination)
lockable gas cap feature (no release required)
centre vents for rear
map lights for rear
fold-down rear console with cubby
trunk net system
remote keyless entry, incl. trunk
side air bags
all speed traction control
What was Pontiac thinking?
more headroom please!
headrests
cupholders are just short of being criminal
cruise controls not on steering wheel
chintzy cap for power outlet in back
no light under hood *
heated rear seats would be a nice touch!
tilt steering - not enough increments in adjustment range
trunk release should be on driver's door
no heated seats available for the leather on my SLE! *
* I think these were corrected for 2001
Have I missed anything? The -ve list is pretty short and I remain impressed both with the car and with GM's R&D and ability to build exciting, quality vehicles. If this car continues to serve me as it has been doing, I'll put my deposit down for an SSEi at the next redesign.
Check out this ancient link for "performance vehicles" from 1999: 1999 Performance vehicles.
Add visor extendors to properly cover the side window
Fix curvature in rear window that distorts appearance of cars behind.
SE bucket seat padding - presently inadequate
Add steering wheel telescoping feature or else move wheel slightly closer to seat
Include driver/passenger individual climate adjustment in basic 1SB package or else make standard across the board
Ken
BTW- i was on the MSN- Carpoint site- which is where i have my personal auto page- i brought up the consumer reviews for the 2000 bonneville- a person from rupert idaho has the same problem i had on my vehicle with regards to brakes-
at 5 to 15 mph- his brakes are grinding as he is slowing down- he stated that his dealership told him that was normal for the ABS system- WRONG!!!- my vehicle was doing the same identical thing last year- i got the car in March-2000-by July/Aug- about 5000 miles on the car the brakes started to grind- my dealership changed the back brakes and pads-car ran fine for about 1000 more miles- then started to grind again- changed front pads- only- started to grind again around 7000 miles- finally they changed the front pads and rotors- so they ended up changeing all the brakes and rotors- the car now has around 13,200 miles on her and NO brake problems at all-.
No problems" period" car is running great!!!!
The dealer stated to me that the problem was the pads that were shipped to them from the GM Factory and placed into the correct shipping box was NOT the correct pad # that was supposed to be in the box- different brake pads were placed inside the CORRECTLY labelled box.
I called them today to inquire if anyone else had this problem with brakes since my vehicle last august- no other bonnevilles had this problem- (LUCKY ME RIGHT!)
They also said the grinding sound IS NOT NORMAL FOR THE ABS SYSTEM - which is what i told "RuPERT IDAHO" is a new message for him-
Let me throw this out to the forum- other possible cause- the car was built in OCT99- and sat on the dealers lot till i purchased the car in MARCH 2000- 5 months of non-use- is that enough to exceed normal rust setting in on the rotors causing them to pit? and then causing the brake pads to glaze- or not?
Is there any other 2000 SE owners with vehicles built in OCT99 that had the same brake problem- (trying to find any common threads!)
Thanks again for your help iceman.
Chuck
For others who haven't visited the Carpoint site and rated your Bonny, check it out at Carpoint - 2001 Bonneville or at Carpoint - 2000 Bonneville. Click on "Consumer Ratings and Reviews" (I'd post a more direct link but it is too many characters). There's a recent review there (on the 2000 model) from somebody who apparently owns the car, who's 5'11", has a sunroof and gripes about the headroom. Any of you guys? Anyway, I absolutely concur. I've had power sliders in past cars and do miss them but it is now a prerequisite of any car I drive (even rent!) that they cannot have a sunroof. The Bonneville's headroom is no worse than most other cars and is in fact better than some. Too bad the sunroof takes up so much headroom
Ken: (re. the visor issue) does yours not have the two part visor? My SLE has a smaller plastic inner visor that folds down and can be used in the front while the main visor is swivelled off to the side. Does yours have this as well? If so, do you find this inadequate? On the distortion out the rear window - odd but this is apparently nothing compared with '70s Camaros - the price we pay for "swoopy" lines.
Trunk release in glove box: An anachronism to be sure (hey, I had a '92 Mazda that had the trunk release on the door) but I suspect that Pontiac decided that Bonneville owners would be apt to use valet parking and they opted for the extra (albeit traditional form of) security. Since most of us have the remote keyless access, it's somewhat moot. With keyless remote as a $CDN 300+ option on an SE, it's obviously the way to go.
Regarding the "list", I've been thinking of compiling it and sending it off to GM (yeah, I actually do that sort of thing). I personally think they've designed one helluva car and I'd like them to improve it for the next redesign. If you've got suggestions, by all means post them (but try to say something +ve for every -ve, otherwise you risk bumming out the rest of us). I confess to omitting the cursory glove box. I've also heard some gripes about the narrow door arm rests (important for some, irrelevant for me). Consider these and the telescoping steering wheel added to the list (maybe as an option on lower models with mounted cruise control). Hey, how about indicator lights in the rear view mirrors for the SSEi?
Kev
i called the dealer again today-re the correct color- here we go again- they claim that the correct paint color is what is on the label- i told them the # on the label is for BRIGHT WHITE- not ARTIC WHITE- I think i might have a collectors item already (LOL) since the only color of white
for 2000 was ARTIC WHITE- -2001 they used IVORY WHITE.
I bought both touch-up varities to test and the BRIGHT WHITE is the better match-
oh well- no big deal- just as long as she runs great and she does!!!!!!
KEN:how did you make out with your front seats- any luck on trying to make them more comfortable? what about the possibility of a back support that they sell for cars?
just trying to help.
Have a Happy
Chuck
Chuck - I have continued to experiment with my bucket seat and have found that a small rectangle of foam egg crate style packing material is just the right padding to make the seat tolerable. I will either end up at the upholstery shop to see if they can fit the appropriate size pad under the existing upholstery for optimal visual effect or else I will find a seat cover that works with the side airbag.
My Bonnie goes in for rear window replacement tomorrow - hope it is a good fit and proper installation because I will be driving to PA on Sunday for a week of work there and don't want to have any issues to deal with. Looking forward to my first major road trip with this car and wondering what the gas mileage will be.
Have a great day everyone. It's my B-Day today (46) and that 50 milestone is starting to stare me down! I'll probably be forced to blink first.
Ken
Regards
Rod
The '97 Bonneville is a good car, just check with the dealer 'cause there is a malfunction of the ABS module covered by the warranty in some cars (read the vin numbers and serial number), and in case the warranty does not proceed, DO NOT buy the car. It's a very expensive repairing cost.
You got 35 mpg in a Park Ave? That is amazing! No reason this car could not equal that experience. My overall average in 2 months and 2K miles mixed driving so far is around 21. Of course we end up idling quite a bit during winter months here for warm up and waiting for someone with engine running to stay comfortable.
Ken
New problem no one else has mentioned is with the electrical system. Very occassionally (more noticable at night with the headlights on) the voltage will drop from its normal operating range of 14.5 to 15.0 volts down to about 12 volts (which is battery level), and then a few seconds later slowly climb back up again. It's almost as if the alternator is cutting out briefly. I have not had the dealer look at it yet since it happens so rarely (they'll just say, "we can't find anything wrong"), but I may bring it in soon. Also the other day I bought a CD and stuck it in the single CD player, but it made scratching sounds and would not play. I put in in the trunk changer and it played fine. Other discs don't do this, but this one is a little thicker than most (I've noticed that there is a large variance among compact disc thickness) and the single CD player might not like it so much.
Again, many happy returns,
Dan
What this means is that you would have your own space to have multiple discussions related to your Bonnies. This discussion would be part of it (yet remain here on the Sedans Board), and you will also eventually have the opportunity to have scheduled owners' chats.
Take a look at this link to see what is there already: Owner's Clubs. This will give you an idea of the possibilities.
Let me know what you think. If you are interested, I'll ask KarenS, the Owner's Clubs host, to set up your own Club for you.
(By the way - happy birthday Ken!)
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Enjoy your Birthday,
CHUCK
recommended dealers
supercharger issues
modifications and accessories
problems, recalls and TSB's
photos of our cars
Bonneville/Pontiac heritage & reminiscences about GM cars that went like stank
meet the members - they all seem to have this
others? (perhaps we should have one on cupholders...)
Of course, this forum would stay - and it would be accessible through both the Owner's Club link and the sedan category. Is that right Pat?
My sole concern is that these individual threads within existing clubs don't seem to be all that active. So, unless we think there's a need to organize our discussions (might be useful for future access - particularly for newbies) and to have separate threads, perhaps we should let it go for now. But, if you guys think you'll participate in some of these other discussions, then hey I'll be there too.
I have been thinking about getting the carbon fiber dash trim to add a little excitement to the monotone dark grey leather interior. Anyone seen or purchased it?
I agree on the headrests & cup holders-worthless.
The Bonneville has been perfect so far (7000 mi.) and gets 28+mpg. on the highway. The best mileage was going to Florida 30+ mpg. all interstate. This is my sixth Pontiac and 2nd Bonne. People ask me about it all the time and it seems to be a well kept secret as I seldom see one on the street.
On owners' forum: I see this idea being promoted in several of the other forums I subscribe to . My opinion is that for those very active ones like Impala, Maxima, Lincoln LS, this is a good idea. Our forum here is active most days but not super active like those I've just mentioned.
I doubt there would be much posting here if the owners forum is set up and becomes the main posting spot. Personally, I like it better this way because those who have not yet bought a Bonneville ( that was me till January this year ) - or are fans of the car - or are just surfing through cars of interest are more likely to read here in Sedans than an owners forum.
Just my thoughts.
Have a great day all - looking forward to my 400 mile drive to PA Sunday . Going to be a Bonnie Cruise!
Ken
Yes, you could have - if you want - as few or as many side discussions as any of you might be interested in. If you've looked at other Clubs, one popular topic is pictures - and Karen has lots of advice on how to post your own.
As far as I know, the way to get an "owners' chat" is to get in the Owners Club.
I'm not trying to shove this down your throats or anything, I just can't see any negative side to it. Those of you who want to continue in this discussion as always would see no difference. If others wanted to branch out a bit, the opportunity would be there.
One thing to be aware of - on the Owner's Club Board, you can't create your own separate discussion. All you have to do is ask Karen, and she creates it for you. This actually is an advantage, because the discussion subjects are more orderly and logical than they sometimes can be on our other boards.
I won't push it anymore - if anyone has any questions, just ask, If I don't know the answer I'll find out. Otherwise we'll let it drop.
Later,
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Hey guys - I brought the Bonnie in for its first service today & had to leave it there over night (nothing wrong with the car, just couldn't get bac
k to the dealership before closing) so they gave me a loaner Aztek for overnight. This is going to stick in your craw Ken - the base Aztek has extendable visors!. Not only that, its 190w Pioneer sound system rocks and puts my SLE's (and even the SSEi's BOSE to shame). What the heck is going on here?
P.S. The dealership had a '00 SSEi demo (6700 miles) for $36,000 CDN ($1 CDN = $0.65 US)
:-)
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards