Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Again, do a "search" and find out what others have done to correct this problem.
Good Luck.
The quote I got to fix it was $709! This is an independent shop, not a dealership, but since no aftermarket condensers are available, they have to buy it from the dealership.
The dealership was charging them $406 for a new condenser. Usually the labor is more than parts!
I called around and found a new condenser (part# 10335492) for $299 at a different dealership.
There is also a good web site http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/ that has it for $280. But also 7-10 days to ship, so I went with the local place.
So I was able to reduce the total from $709 to $593 with a few calls.
I bought the circuit board from the local Pontiac dealership. Hope this helps
Basically, it's an oil leak...a big one. I could drive around but would have to check the oil daily. This was a stopgap measure before the dealer could fix it under warranty.
I had visible puddles underneath the car every day, sounds like yours is pretty small and is being burned off of the engine block.
I don't think you'd have any problems leaving town. Just don't let the oil get too low or you'll need whole new engine!
-Mike
OK, I have plugged bulbs into that, I had the idea it was something under the dash.
Water will probably come gushing out after you do it!
SINCE I bought mine, * YES used, the only minor issues i have had to deal with has been the Drivers side window*, and the mirrors cannot be controlled, and.. the Passenger side window cannot be controlled from the drivers Side.. *OCCASIONALLY....... but other than that, As far as working condition, The van is AWESOMe, as far as ROOM, ITS GREAT.. I have Twin 3 year old boys, and myself and my husband that goes EVERYWHERE In it.. I am currently expecting another baby * or 2 lol * .. we find out how many on Thursday .. BUT THIS van will be used to get us all home from the hospital without worries, it rides so smoothly, i wouldnt trade it for the world.. I LOVE MY PONTIAC!!!!!!!
AND.. LOL My 2 sister in laws LOVED My van, and bought themselves one each.. they have families of their own as well.. Mine is white, my sis in law that got the next one.. got a red one.. lol and the other one got Blue.. So we are now the red, white and blues LOL Showing our american pride..
Ed Anderson
I have a '98 and replaced my main compressor unit myself, and you dont have to be ASE certified or even a "wrench" to do this remove and replace. Advance auto parts carries a line of reconditioned A/C parts and a compressor for the Transport. It was right at $300.00. You will also need the in-line filter ($10.00), and the dryer (about $50.00). This should take about 1.5 hours to replace and lastly you will need to take it to an A/C mechanic for a coolant charge. ($50-$70) Purchasing a Haynes manual is all you will need for a little guidance.
So for a little more than $400 and a little ingenuity, you could possibly save yourself $600-$1000!!!
Cris
I'd scrap the 98 Pontiac Transport :lemon: I bought used but I'm still paying on it and trying to get a mortgage to buy a house so can't take out anymore credit. I liked it alot when I bought it, babied it but apparently not enough. Nowadays cars aren't built to be used I reckon.
1. The power doors seem to unlock themselves, randomly, while driving. Sometimes, I can be driving for quite a while, when the fun starts. And sometimes, after only a couple of minutes the fun starts. I can't seem to figure out where the problem is originating from. At first, I thought it was the power sliding door's fault, but then I start to suspect the rear hatch. I can't figure it out. Any ideas out there?
2. This 'problem' has only shown itself once. While driving, I noticed the car shifing 'hard' when changing gears. It was very noticable. I could feel the van 'jerk' when accelerating into higher gears. I stopped, parked & went into the store for a few minutes. Once I returned, the van seemed to shift normally again. Smooth as butter. Just as I've been used to since I purchased the vehicle. Any ideas on this one as well?
Thanks for your time!
Love the Montana though the new vans do have a nicer interior.
Wondering if anyone can give me some input on purchasing an used 1997 Trans Port with Montana package. It has 97K miles on it, but the body and interior is immaculate. I am going to test drive it tonight and the dealership is making a list of what needs done to it, since it's basically an "as is" purchase on a trade in they do not want...as a result I am going to be able to buy it for roughly $ 3000.00.
I am a single mom with three kids and two dogs and need something besides my reasonable used 2001 Saturn to take little trips and carry things from home store etc. I am apprehensive about buying a "trade in" and am afraid that I will buy this and get stuck with repairs and failures that no one will cover....
Any information or input would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!
Thanks!
Tickle
:P
I just very recently got a 2001 montana with 110000km on it. Used to have a FOrd Focus but wife and I have a 16 month old baby and another on the way so we thought we should upsize a bit on vehicle size. Anyhow both wife and I like the Montana but I have noticed the temp. gauge on the dash seems to float a bit. While driving it usually sits around the 70 range but when we come to a stop ie. red light etc the gage goes to maybe 1 tick above 1/2 way. Icalled the dealer and the sales guy said he has aa 2002 and his does the same thing...is this normal. The last car I had where the gauge moved like that ended up with a major head gasket issue. Should I be concerned?
In Long:
Good luck with this one. You are like me and didn't do research on the Montana before purchasing! My mechanic (a very small business) replaces at least 2 head gaskets in Montanas a WEEK! He said that this is a major design flaw in these vehicles and nearly everyone who owns one will have this problem. The longer you let it go, the worse it gets until you have to replace the entire engine. We noticed it when we went in for a routine oil change and the guy freaked out because we were leaking coolant into the oil! We took the van right in to our mechanic and it was already too late, it had gone a little further and ended up costing us $1500. This just happened about two months ago. Our van had 61,000 miles when this all happened. I would DEFINITELY bet with the mileage your van has, that it has been an issue for a long time. Get it checked!
We love the look and everything about the Montana, except the engine!! We'll never own another GM vehicle. They know about these issues, but because they aren't "safety" issues, won't do a recall. It doesn't help to fight them on it. People have been trying for years. Even if you replace the engine, you still have the issues eventually because you'd be replacing with the same engine, with the same problems. I'd see about getting your money back for it if possible. This van is nothing but trouble! Dealerships know about it also and pretend they don't because they don't like dealing with it!
Also, the engine starts ruff. We paid $1,200 to have this fixed, but it still does this? What problem could this be? We have also had 3 recalls on our passenger sliding door.
I would like to buy a new Montana, but I can only find new SV6's here in Canada. (I DO NOT like the new styling, but are they any good? Everyone is telling me to buy a Sienna, but it looks like they have major sludge problems.
The following day, I took it to my mechanic just around the corner from me thinking the thermostat might just be sticking. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to hear that my radiator was bone dry and they could not find a leak when they filled it. They suspected that the head gaskets were going and the estimate was $1400. I called the dealership in total dismay and they suggested I take it to a mechanic they use and they would try to help me on the cost. When that mechanic called me back stating that they would remove the water pump and timing cover and replace a gasket in front that would only costs $667, I said ok, do it. I would have my van back just in time for my vacation over the 4th weekend. Well the next day I received another call and after they got in to the repairs, found that the original diagnosis was correct and now it was up to $1600 (estimated). My van would not be ready until mid to late week AFTER the 4th weekend.
To try and make this shorter, I received a call that my van was finished and it would be $1712.50 and I need to get the control arms replaced ASAP because the bushings are pushing out (estimated $498). This is visible to the naked eye. After speaking to the sales manager and the owner of the Dealership, they want to offer me their profit from the vehicle of $500 as good measure since I did buy it "as is" and sign papers stating that this would be the last of it. When asked to see paperwork from the inspection before putting it on the market, I was told they didn't do an inspection, but just listed "as is".
So, just how upset to I get with the dealership given what I have read about the problems with the Montanas. Should they at least be liable for not having inspected the vehicle then selling it with it being a driving hazard or do I accept the $500 and be done with it all? I haven't even made the first payment on the loan and it has incurred $2200 in repairs.
ANY comments would be appreciated as I now have this vehicle for the next 4 years. This whole ordeal has made me physically sick. :sick:
Good luck!
I just purchased a new 2005 Vibe, and it has the same almost exact radio/stereo unit display. I was just over looking at the forum for Vibes, and a new post there from a 2003 Vibe owner said his display burned out completely and the cost of replacement of the unit was to be $580.
So, I thought I would at least check over here (since I haven't visited here since 2000 when I bought our Montana) and see if anyone had discussed this problem before or had a solution other than a complete radio unit replacement. Thanks!
You may also notice some moisture under the passenger side carpet if this is the case.
Good luck!
My 2000 Montana did the same thing (right side of radio/stereo/clock went out). I thought maybe spilled some water on the floor, and it drained through.
I think my gas gauge is going wonky. It was at almost empty and I turned a corner and it went all the way up to full, and took about 2 minutes of driving to get it kind of right.
Lease question: I was offered a lease of $336 monthly (36 months), based on Capital Cost of $27,756, rebate of $1,000 and trade-in of my 2000 Montana at $5,500. Residual is $13,117 (All Canadian Dollars). Is this a good deal?
Thanks.
Sorry to hear you also both have had radio display trouble. I'm no where near talented enough to be replacing a radio in a van myself, but will be very interested to hear what you (mygrayvan) find when you get in there to check and see if it is a replaceable bulb or what.
On another note I think I saw a post from you earlier in the spring as I looked through past posts, on lower intake manifold gaskets leaking. Just two months ago I got a low coolant message in our 2000 Montana, but had never seen any sort of leak on the garage floor or anywhere else. Filled up the coolant - it was low again within a couple of weeks. Took it to our local dealer and was told the manifold (I think) gasket was leaking, it was falling onto the transmission and being burned off- thus I was never seeing an actual puddle on the floor anywhere. Cost was $681 to get it fixed. No problems since.
We drive the 2000 very little - my wife uses it to shuttle kids around town, and we use it for infrequent family vacation trips. It only has 33,000 miles on it and we bought it new (actually special ordered it for exact options we wanted back in fall of 1999). This is the only major problem we have had with it so far, other than the radio display, and the driver side power window controls not being able to lower the passenger side window (will raise it, but not lower it). So we have been lucky most likely - or just haven't driven it enough to have many problems yet.
for castlerock - I'm afraid I have never leased and don't know if it is the way to go, or what a good lease deal would be. Thanks for the responses.
James
Just wondering if anyone has had the experience of the bubbling and peeling of paint from their Montana's?? Mine is a 2002 Montana that I just took to the dealership, as it has extended warranty, to see if they could do anything for me. The dealership said they have to send it to their bodyshop and it would cost me money. I believe this is probably a GM problem, but haven't come across anything yet. If anyone knows anything, or has any comments I would certainly welcome them. Thanks.
:confuse: