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Good luck with you Bonnie's
Front tires with different tire pressures.
Different rolling diameters - within specs but 1 at each end of allowable limits.
- Ray
See both cause such . . .
Although I have considered moving on, you gotta love the ride and the realized 29+ highway mpg at 80 on my recent 800 mile trip. Sure I have had a few issues, but with just about 40K, none have been out of pocket yet. If you come back, how about sharing some of the history.
Alternator (twice)
Two transmisions( 1st one lost 4th,2ndonelast 3rd a month later).
Power steering rack and lines (That needs to be replaced again.)
Both rear window motors
Front passenger caliper seized
Driver lumbar support
Driver heated seat
Radio
Can't remeber what else. I love the car, but ... I realize my experience is not typical.
Oh and the Magnum RThas 340 hp and 390 torque :-)
Did you see your dealer yet? I know that your car was not as bad as mine.
Are you other GXP owners seeing this type of fuel consumption? While I understand that I may not get exactly the mileage advertised on the window sticker, I have always gotten within 1-2 MPG of that figure with other cars I've had (like my '98 Regal GS and 2002 SSEi). I think that 5 MPG less than the advertised figure is excessive. What do you guys think?
Thanks for your input!
That is very disappointing.
How many miles do you have on your GXP?
- Ray
Expecting it to equal EPA - if highway driving (in your case) = less than 80 mph and light traffic . . .
Another variation sometimes would be using a trip computer vs. actual calculations.
While I was at the dealership (a Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac dealership), I checked out several cars on the lot. I found the same thing on all Pontiacs and Cadillacs, but, interestingly, not on any of the Buicks. They also had a GTO in the showroom that showed no rust on the rotors, but the area coated silver on the GXP was black on the GTO. That might be another solution if the rust comes back--the black also made the GTO silver wheel stand out pretty well. We'll see what happens over time.
Looking at some numbers . . .
GXP final drive: 3.71
4th gear O/D ratio in MX0 / 4L65-E? (also used in new ‘Vette): 0.70
Optional (performance) final drive ratio ’06 ‘Vette: 3.15
(I wonder why a 3.5 to 3.7 is not even available on the GM performance flagship?)
Hmmm . . . 17% deeper overall ratio, assuming similar sized (rolling diameter) 18” tires = significantly higher rpm at cruise.
Corvette EPA highway: 25
(And anecdotal evidence suggests that number is attainable.)
The ‘Vette weighs less and is more aerodynamic.
17% less fuel mileage than the ‘Vette would equal approx. 23.25 mpg.
Still not as bad as you are reporting.
But does make a case for a 5-speed automatic – with a wider ration spread.
Curious.
- Ray
Wondering if no 5-speed automatic for high torque FWD applications means GM has decided that all performance cars will be RWD / AWD – and what that might mean for future of the G6 and GP / GTP???
PS: FWDs use the 4T65-E, not the 4L65-E.
Exactly.
- Ray
Still hoping 24+ mpg is possible on the highway . . .
I'm tempted, but I'm really about 6 months early (just finished paying off my '98 Aurora). I don't know what interest rates are going to do over the next six months, but, after seeing a co-worker's new 300C at lunch, I'll come right out and say that the GXP is overpriced for what you get. I'm not a huge fan of the front end of the 300C (though it's Bentley-esque look is growing on me), but the interior is very nice and it's got loads of power. Loaded, the sticker on his was $34k. I'm not buying one, though :-)
I probably will hold off until later this year, saving up my $$$, and hope the incentives stay high like they are now.
--Robert
who also thinks the new STS is in a little trouble compared to the 300C
Of course, it'll be easy for others to better the 300C in style: it's hard to be uglier than that... thing.
1) My car had over 1500 miles on it at the time I took the trip. And like another poster noted, I haven't really noticed any change in the overall gas mileage since I got it new with just 9 miles on it.
2) It was indeed warmed up when I hit the Reset button on the gas mileage display in the Driver Info Center. After 150 miles driving on the highway at 70-75 MPH, it was only getting 19 MPG. My 2002 SSEi posted 26-27 MPG during similar trips.
3) I understand that the EPA estimate is not really "advertised" mileage, and I guess I shouldn't have referred to it that way. However, as I noted in my first posting, other cars I've owned have always come pretty close to getting the EPA estimated rates - this is the first time the EPA estimates have differed so much from my actual mileage.
If anyone with a GXP manages better than 22 MPG on the highway, I'd love to hear from you!
It's odd the mileage is that much lower. My last several GM cars all do much better than highway on interstate or openroad driving. 29 becomes 33; around town 20 becomes 22 even with my wife driving and short trips of 1-2 miles. This is a 3800 engine.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Not a bad deal to get new tires after over 30000mls., expensive tires by the way. Yet, this TSB states that a new lower control arm may be needed for my car's VIN. Let's hope for the better...
What's the RPM for the GXP cruising at 70MPH?
- Ray
Wondering if there is something mechanically wrong with your particular vehicle . . .
Based on 15000 miles per year.
at 20 miles per gallon a car will use 750 gallons.
at 29 miles per gallon a car will use 517 gallons.
so in this case the 20 mile per gallon car will use 233 more gallons per year than the 29 gallon car.
at the current price around me of $2.15 per gallon this would result in an additional $500 spent on gas. Which is about $1.37 per day.
If you truly enjoy your ride $1.37 per day is not all that much. Gas prices have certainly gone way up as of late but are still not as high as they were in the 80's when adjusted for inflation. Congrats to all of those enjoying their new GXP's.
Don't know why, but after 3-hour trip on Sunday afternoon from DE shore, I really believe it was meant for me to have this particular car. So far, 170 miles, and I am enjoying it more each time I get behind the wheel. It's simply beautiful. Gave a co-worker a ride home today, and he was extremely generous with his compliments. He drives a Mercedes and was really taken with the GXP's looks, and was really won over when I started it up--he kept talking about the "throaty exhaust".
Glad my ordering "problem" worked out the way it did--I saved $8K off sticker and used coupon from GM for first two payments on GM. Another $1K off! I appreciate this site and am glad I now own a GXP. I'll be checking back time-to-time, especially interested in mileage as most (3/4) of mine will be highway (back and forth from VA to DE).
Since Pontiac has shut down the line on the '04's, I wonder how many GXP's were produced. A long time ago I read somewhere that Pontiac wanted to crank out about 4,000 of them. I imagine production numnbers are available somewhere. Anybody know?
Anybody have an opinion on that 3M film that I've seen some guys put on the front of their cars to protect against rock chips? I was fussing to a friend about a bad experience I had with a bra on a previous car, so he brought his '02 Corvette by to show me the film. I told him it looked good, but I was really not impressed. Maybe the installer wasn't very good, but it didn't fit very well around the parking lights--I saw several air bubbles there, it was loose in spots--mostly where it had to make tight turns/curves, and on the lower parts of the car it was installed in pieces--I saw too many lines where the pieces butted up against each other to suit me. And he said that the installer trimmed around the grill and parking lights using a razor blade. I imagine if he pulls the film off someday he will see razor lines where the cuts were made. I figure I'll just keep the car heavily Zaino'd and work on the rock chips with my Langka kit.
I have heard people express the opinion that (for them) $30 a month or so is significant when referring to a monthly car payment. To each their own.
It seems to me, though, that the more difficult issue here is inability to achieve (let alone exceed) the EPA highway rating in extended 70 +/- mph cruising. In such driving, with my current vehicle, I can typically exceed the EPA rating by 2 or more mpg. A tank that included a recent day trip from Atlanta to Greenville, SC and back (approx. 250 miles) showed almost 3.5 over EPA. (My trip computer has proven to be quite accurate and consistent when compared to Excel calculation of actuals.) Of course, that was before I ran another 60 miles or so in Atlanta Metro area traffic conditions . . .
If I could not even achieve EPA on such a trip (one cold start, 250 miles at steady speeds with light traffic) I would be taking the car to my dealer.
Just my opinion. YMMV. (A lot, apparently!)
Cheers,
- Ray
Glad y’all are enjoying other aspects of the GXP . . .
I imagine I could get 24 highway if I just ran at 50 mph, too. That said, I also agree with what others have said -- that I have always been able to get close to the posted EPA highway mileage for whatever car I was driving (maybe +/- 2 mpg or so), so it's still a mystery to me why I can't get closer to 24 on the GXP. I know they test using pre-production prototypes, and maybe the GXP they tested was somehow configured differently that the production GXP, but probably not.
In any event, I'm off to Nebraska in a few minutes, so I'll report back on Tuesday.
All in all, I'm still happy I got my GXP. My brother drove it for the first time yesterday and he seemed to get quite a kick out of the sound that V8 made as it roared up to 6500 RPM. Makes it all worth it. :-)
M.S.R.P. was $37,420. With a $2,920 discount, $5,000 rebate and $1,609 GM card credit, my out the door price was only $27,891.
GREAT car too!
Now, we've gotta find a way to add some horsepower. Here's a thread I just started over at www.bonnevilleclub.com:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19415
Anyone else have some good ideas?
Scott
2000 SSEi - 11.459 @ 117.48 MPH (1.652 60')
2004 GXP - all stock (for now)
Just got back from my trip to Nebraska. Picked a bad weekend to be traveling in this area --tornadoes and hail everywhere. All the tornadoes missed me but I managed to get hit with some light hail. Luckily, it was pretty light so no damage. Mileage was 23.8 going up and 20.8 coming back at 70-75 both ways. Had a tail wind going up and a head wind coming back. So that was a 22.3 average up and back. Better than the 20.0 I got going to Kansas City and back a week ago. The GXP has 2800 miles on it now. Maybe the increased total miles was a factor in the better mileage? Whatever. I'm happy. Maybe I can squeeze another 1 or 2 mpg out with a K&N filter and Mobil One. We'll see. I have another trip in August to Colorado across the Rockies and back.
I also rode in the back seat for awhile. It's very comfortable back there, but the best part of that ride was that I could hear the exhaust note even better. What a great sound!
I think I'll pass on the 3M film for the front. It is very pricey, doesn't reflect light very well for one thing, and my plan to keep the front end heavily Zaino'd worked well. The bugs all just easily washed off -- no bug/tar remover necessary, and no chips.
Thanks
1) Does anyone have a thought about why there is no clip for hanging the gas cap tether to keep it from hitting against the body? None of the other GXPs or regular Bonnevilles that I checked had a clip or hook or whatever despite the indication in the owner's manual that one is there.
2) Has anyone figured out how to reconfigure the power door lock/unlock programming so that the doors do not unlock until the key is turned off? I'm not always ready for the doors to unlock when I put the vehicle in park. I've tried the procedure listed in the owner's manual many times without success.
Mine is presently set that all doors remain LOCKED after the key is turned off. You must open each door manually or hit the power lock button to open the car doors after the ignition is turned off.
Two questions for you-
1.- If you do not have the DRIVER INFO CENTER
are you holding down the driver side power door lock as you go thru the different modes? I made this mistake on my car and was getting mad as hell as everytime i turned the key off all the doors opened automatically until I re-read the instructions and realized I had to keep the door lock depressed and go through the modes on the key fob at the same time.(Pg2-7)
2. If you do have the DRIVER INFO CENTER- you must program the auto locks etc through the DIC
-refer to pg 3-64 of your new owners manual for the proper programing.
I hope this helps- Good luck.
congrats and all the best - ALL YOU NEW GXP OWNERS!!!!