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I was applying a preservative to the leather boot at the base of my shifter and felt a piece of hard thin material under the boot. It is the thickness of a piece of cardboard, and is about an inch or so wide and a few inches long.
Has anybody else noticed this on under their shifter? I can't figure out why I haven't noticed it until now. I wonder if it migrated from somewhere else. I was going to take the boot apart yesterday but I didn't have time.
I really like the radio controls on the steering wheel, too, and the power driver's seat is nice. Did you get the regular GT1 or the 75th Annniversary Package? Go here if you want to see what this looks like:
I think you got a good price! As I said before, now is a really good time to buy. I paid a bit more six weeks ago, but paid cash. I also was surprised that the insurance was only $30 a year more than for my previous car. Just for comparison I asked my insurance guy how much it would be to insure a Civic or Corolla and they were about the same (I think one was actually a little higher).
There are lots of reasons why somebody wouldn't want to wash their car themselves. When I was young I took my used cars to a car wash but since leaving college and buying new cars I've always washed them myself. I'm 37 now and one reason is that this is pretty good exercise for me. Plus I don't want swirl marks or a bent antenna or the hasty drying job they do at a car wash.
I use Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel and then this absolutely fabulous thing called the Absorber to dry the car. I used to use a good-quality chamois but the Absorber is not only cheaper but works much better and is easier to work with.
This weekend it was overcast all day so after washing and drying I did a three-step (clean, polish, wax) procedure. I'm not that much of a car nut. I didn't mail-order Zaino stuff, but just used the Meguiar's stuff you can get at the local Pep Boys. I had a bad experience with wax before, but this stuff dried quickly and took only very light buffing to shine. This took another couple of hours but it was worth it. The car is really shiny now, neighbors were telling me how great the car looks, etc.
Regardless of how the car gets washed, I highly recommend the California Car Duster. It's like a broom of soft red yard and you lightly pass it over the paint and it picks up dust, pollen, bits of grass, etc. Do this every day and the car will look great much longer. There's also a California Mini (or Dash?) Duster that works great on the interior.
Anyway, not everybody wants to spend a couple of hours washing their car and getting all dirty, so if you'd rather take it to a car wash and be done with it in twenty minutes then you shouldn't feel like you're a bad new car owner.
When I got the new car I was very careful when entering and exiting driveways but one day it happenend: I heard scraping. It's happend a couple of more times since. This used to happen all the time with my previous car. It happens a lot less with the Grand Am.
I just wanted to let everyone know another wax that I think is good. I use Nu Finish on my 00 Grand Am and it works great. You can apply it in the shade or in direct sunlight and it is easy to buff away when you go over it a second time.
I usually wax about every 2-3 months at the most. The bottle suggests that you "reapply in 30 days for maximum protection." I just waxed it last week and then a few days ago I found some bird droppings on the hood. It had sat out under the sun all day at work, but that evening, with a few drops of water it came off easily.
I think it's about $6 or $7 per bottle and should last a long time, it's in an orange bottle so it's pretty easy to spot at the store.
It's great stuff, I highly recommend using Nu Finish.
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, the mirrors were extremely faded and chalky on the Sonoma. Using the Meguiar's made it almost perfect--not like new, but about 90% better.
I've seen some Grand Am owners drive with their fog lights on all the time. It looks really cool and really compliments their daytime running lights. Do any of you do this? Is it ok to run them all the time?
On my '99 GA SE2 the fog lights will only come on when the night lamps activate, either manually or auto.
On my car I leave the Headlights on "auto" control and fog light switch always on. Has worked flawlessly for the past 2 1/2 years. I never have to remember when to turn my headlights on or off
Again, I've missed keeping up with the discussions in the forum but decided to take a break from the tube and share my opinion re: waxing our machines. I have recently been using a product called "Liquid Glass" and I give it a thumbs up for sure. It's not as easy to find as, say, Meguiar's but you can order direct from the manufacturer which is located in NJ. (Pep Boys has only the large can of polish. The manufacturer recommends using their precleaner and car wash which is typical advertising jargon. However, I bought them anyway and find it seems to work quite well.(www.liguidglass.com) It's very easy to apply and after several applications gives my GA a "glassy" look. Repels dirt nicely. Along with using a California duster, as has been suggested, to get the dust off from everyday use, the GT is looking very cool.
Just a closing comment.... It was a very eerie sight this past Tuesday to see, from my office window, the smoke rising from the Trade Tower in lower Manhattan. Even though I'm approx 35 miles away as the crow flies in NJ, I still could see the large plume of gray smoke billowing over the horizon. It was quite a shock to go from seeing the images on TV of the fire to seeing the smoke from my office window. What an unbelieveable week.
For those of you with leather-wrapped gear shifters, parking brakes and steering wheels: What products have you been using to treat the leather?
I have been treating the leather consistently over the past 2+ years, but still have noticed that the material on the gear shifter has become very worn and rough to the touch.
One problem is that I find myself constantly gripping the shifter like a stick shift, even though it is an automatic transmission. It's just a habit from my days of driving manual transmissions.
midlifecrisis - I've been using Meguiar's Gold Class leather conditioner (black container) since getting the car in Decemeber of last year. It's decent stuff I would say. I apply it as I feel the wheel and shifter becoming dry and slippery. This is especially the case in summer when the interior really bakes. Sometimes I would put on 2 light coats a week! I've heard that Lexol is pretty decent as well.
I've just had what I consider the first major repair on our 95 GA. My daughter came home from college last week and said that the AC was not working well (she uses the car there). The car sat for the week and I didn't look at it until last Sunday, and then determined that the compressor wasn't turning on at all (clutch not engaging). Took it to a local shop that specializes in AC (very trustworthy family business for 46 years), and they found that the main compressor seal had failed and all the freon was gone. Of course, with no pressure in the system the compressor won't operate so that explains why it wasn't engaging. We opted to have it repaired, even though it was expensive. Labor @ $60hr for 4 hours plus $55 standard labor charge for evac & refill plus parts (compressor, pressure hose, rcvr/dryer and misc, all AC Delco) came to a total of $1,114. If the car wasn't in such good condition with low miles (65,500) I may not have repaired it, since it is pushing 7 years old. It will be nice if we get 2-3 more years use out of it. Other repairs to date: Fuel pump at about 55,000 miles Combination switch at about 60,000 miles.
Holy cow - over $1000 to replace the AC system?? Time to move to Alaska!
I dread having to make major repairs to my Grand Am, especially starting next month when it is out of warranty. I've heard tranny jobs can cost $3K-$4K. I just hope I pay off the vehicle before it starts to wear out parts. I would assume if your car is 7 years old, that it is paid off. That makes a big difference. Making both payments and repair bills is tough for the pocketbook to swallow. Sometimes it makes sense to put the money into car repairs, sometimes you just bag it and get a new car. It can be a tough decision which way to go.
Luckily, the slick salesperson taked me into it back in '99, what the heck, the GM bucks I had paid for it. Had the power door actuator on one door repaired in warranty today. My GA is approaching 36k miles fast (I do 144 miles every round-trip into the office).
Now I just got to find that damn paperwork and hope the warranty company is still in business...
Go with someone like warrantybynet.com, and you will get a good warranty (should get it up to 100K) for a low price. I bought my mother a used 1993 Bonneville SSE with 67K last year, with extended warranty. Paid $1032 for the warranty. Within 6 months, the water pump, master cylinder, and 2 power window motors went. Paid for. Glad I did. Even "sold" the rest of the warranty back to the company when I sold the car 10K miles later due to her passing, and got a $400 refund.
I just purchased a new car. Should I get the extended warranty now? Or wait a year, or...?
I talked to my credit union and they are selling one (100K miles/5 years) for around $650. It has a $50 deductible.
The credit union said the cost for the warranty would go up a little after I hit 10K miles and it would keep going up as I got more and more miles.
I'm going back and forth between getting it now and waiting a little bit because I don't want to shell out the cash for it right now. The credit union said they would add it onto the car loan but then I'm paying interest on it and I don't want to do that either!
It would help to hear at what point some of you purchased it...Thanks!
There are tow schools of thought on Extended Warranties:
A) Peace of mind: some folks like knowing that if anything goes wrong beyond the standard warranty period that they are covered financially. It's just like homeowners or car insurance-- you really don't want to have to use it, but it's nice knowing it's there in case you need it. Also, cars with only 3/36k warranties leave a lot to be desired (hello GM?). If GM is confident enough to offer 5/50k on Olds, then why can't they do it across the line? The cars haven't changed mechanically, just the fact they are killing one of their best divisions (in terms of design/styling)
Most extended warranties (6 year) average around $1000. One could take that $1000 and put it into a safe investment like a money market account or long term CD. If a repair arises outside of the standard warranty, simply use that money for it. If nothing major ever happens before you sell/retire the car, then that's extra money in your pocket. This strategy makes sense when you have a vehicle with a decent warranty to begin with. My Lexus has 4 year bumper-to-bumper coverage and the powertrain is covered beyond that to like 6 years. Plus their reputation for reliabilty is good and documented. For this vehicle I'm using this strategy.
GM vehicles are hit-and-miss in terms of reliabilty and nagging repairs. If you plan on holding onto the car for longer than 4 years, then I'd recommend an ext warranty.
Try to get a GM Major Guard ext warranty, they are available as long as your car isn't beyond the standard warranty. And remember, the price is negotiable with your dealer, don't accept the first offer.
My car has under 1K miles on it so I'm trying to drive it gently. I did, however, jump on it a little today (just HAD to pass a somewhat comatose driver) and I heard this wonderful sound! What IS that? It sounded like something opened up it's mouth and just GROWLED. Very cool...
Heh.... yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh Almost sounds like a small-block V-8 of the 60s. I have no idea what it sounds like far away from the car, but inside, it is sweet. Wait until you discover the location of the acceleration "sweet spots" when you need to "point and shoot".
My GrandAm is knocking on 60,000 miles and I still love the sound.
Yeah, the Grand Am's "sporty exhaust note" is great. Some people want really quiet cars, but Pontiac correctly figured that people who are attracted to a car that looks like this want to hear the engine when they step on it.
Now I wonder what it sounds like outside the car. Gotta get somebody to drive my car down the street so I can hear it for myself.
And, of course, old goats like me want that sound to be able to be heard a block away, and still sweet. grinnnn
In reality, this is just a dinky push-rod V-6, and as such, is going to sound like a V-6. grinnnn Let us know if it REALLY does sound outside like it does inside. Unless you have heard the sweet music of a late 60s muscle car, you'll never the magic of that note.
The kid who still lives inside of me wants it to sound like a bad squalling 384 Mopar Chrysler V-8 of 1969. grinnnnnnnnn
The sound of the engine and the exhaust of my GT is sweet indeed. It is not the sound of an engine struggling to produce power, but of an engine flexing its muscle. Unlike a Cavalier I had to rent recently. When punching that engine, the RPM's immediately revved high and the engine whined under stress, sounding like it was being tortured.
I like when I'm cruising my local neighborhood streets in my GT at 25 mph and just punch the gas pedal down real quick. The neck-snapping reaction is so much fun!
Heh... if you only knew. Old Red now has 60k on her and is ready for a make-over.
A Borla is on order, toys from PartsForYourCar are on order, including better brakes...
Replacing the SE struts with GT struts...
Removed the side ribbing for a smoother look, ala Olds Alero. Recall several months ago how WHACO on this board scolded SEers for their side ribbing. My only concern is ding protection, so have got to find a solution for that. If I had a GT, I wouldn't remove the ribbing. But, the car does look better in my eyes.
Next week, Old Red won't know what hit her. Should be an interesting ride.
This 3.4 definitely is the perfect match with this Grand Am body. I totally agree that the motor does not struggle for power. I mean, it isn't a g-force muscle boss of the late 60s, but it ain't shy, either.
Old archive Hot Rod magazines of that era would refer to quarter mile times of STOCK factory V-8s running about 15.5. The 3.4 comes very close to that. The 16s are probably more like it, but some of the guys elsewhere on the net are reporting 15s. That ain't bad for no modification and these engines are not meant to be power boxes, but, heh, they could be. grinnnnn
Now, where is that 5-speed box from Honda that should be able to drop in place of the automatic? That is the only thing I miss, a mean 5 speed for the 3.4.
My GT auto shifter knob is all worn away because I grip it like a 5-speed! But all I can do is pretend that I'm rowing my own gears. However, for an automatic, this tranny knows exactly what to do and when to do it!
Just wondering if anyone has this problem. My friend bought a silver grand am this past summer and it seems like the paint on the bumper is beginning to spiderweb?? I don't know what to call it it looks like if you crack a hard boiled egg shell and roll it around. She took it to the dealer and they said they were going to fix it but all they did was buff her car, put 2 new scratches in it. This paint problem has now also been recognized on the trunk. If anyone has had this problem please let me know.
"...Just wondering if anyone has this problem. My friend bought a silver grand am this past summer and it seems like the paint on the bumper is beginning to spiderweb?"
Definitely not normal. No sense in speculating what caused this, but assuming this is a late model Grand Am, the bumper covering caps on both front and back should retain a smooth shiny appearance waaay past the life of the car.
Uh, speculation...: I think both the front and back had small "touch-up" scratches and an unknowing paint shop used standard metal type auto paint to fix it. This paint is not flexible enough for the bumper material and does not adhere well to plastics/vinyl. Maybe this is causing the cracking.
I had a battery checked on my 2001 GT1 today because the "eye" was not green, it was not the batteries fault as I had contributed to its early demise..8-) Any way I took it into my dealer and they checked it. They just went ahead and did a warrenty replacement. When I got home I popped the hood and it was a brand new AC Delco 6 year battery. I thought it would only be another 3 year factory battery. hmmm I might have another "faulty battery" before my 3yr/36 is up
Can I borrow $3600? Supercharger is now available for the 2000 and up GA SE. 75+ HP increase...Check it out on partsforyourcar.com Lots of nice toys to spend your money on (-:
I have a 2000 Silvermist Metallic GA. About 4 months ago I noticed that the paint on my front bumper looked like it was peeling. Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was the clear coat that was peeling off, along the edges of the bumper under the headlights and along the grill openings. My car was still under warranty so I took it into the body shop and they re painted the whole front bumper, clear coat and all.
I had a rental car for the four days it was in the shop, it was a Suzuki Grand Vitara V6. I have to say that I enjoyed the height of the mini-SUV but the V6 was a joke compared to the V6 in my Grand Am. For a V6, the Suzuki had no passing power and not very much torque either. Needless to say, I was so happy to get my Grand Am back (with it's shiny new bumper) and great V6 engine!
I'm thinking about buying a 2001 or 2002 Grand Am and was wondering if you folks could tell me how reliable they are? I've checked some of these boards and there don't seem to be too many complaints, unless I'm missing something.
I'd also be curious to hear why the 6 cyl is so much better than the 4. I really don't care how the engine sounds... I just want a good ride, good MPG and good acceleration. Can I get all that with the 4 cyl.?
I tool my 99 GT to the dealer to have a front end rubbing-type noise checked out. I had checked the tires to make sure that there wasn't anything in the treads making any noises and found nothing. Turns out that the tire bead was rubbing against the wheel in some way. The solution is to remove the tire, place talcum powder on the wheel and mount the tires back on the rims. And they told me they've had to do this to many Grand Ams. Has anybody else heard of such a thing? Will this solution last very long?
Also, since my car is only a few hundred miles before it is out of warranty, the service manager asked me if I wanted to get the warranty extended with the GM Major Guard program. There was no salesman around to quote me a price, but I got the brochure. I have about 2 weeks to decide. Anybody else get this extended warranty on their vehicle and how has it worked out?
Have a 1999 GA SE purchased new in May 1998. One of the first units. 99, 00, and 01 are very similar. Wife's car with 26,000 miles. V6 power is great, sounds good too. It's old push rod technology, but it does an excellent job. Gets similar gas mileage to the quad 4 based engine, but the quad 4 is really underpowered for this car, needs to V6. Had the car into the dealer many times, but mostly little things (can still drive car), except the front brake discs. Replaced twice in 26,000 miles because they have warpped. No cost replacement at dealer. Pontiac gives 3 year 36,000 mile warranty and then you can decide about extending it additional years. If you have the cash, the GT sedan has the Ram Air system for additional HP, nicer looking body cladding too.
hey everyone thanks for the info on the paint. the car is a 01 and I think that the one comment about it being touched up is right on. She took it back to the dealer and they didn't even fix it, all they did was buff her whole car. so now she has to bring it back again.
Well, a week after having my car serviced, the car is again making the rubbing and light grinding noise in the front end. I guess the "talcum powder" fix was as bogus as I figured it would be. There has to be something wrong with the rotors/pads in the front. Now I only have 400 miles until out of warranty. I think the dealer tried to pull a fast one on me until the warranty is out. This way they don't have to pay for any brake work. Up until now, the service has been excellent. Now I know why they want to sell me an extended warranty.
Now that the weather is getting colder, I won't be able to wash my Grand Am every two weeks like I normally do. I used a do-it-yourself car wash a few times last winter, you know the ones where you drive under a covered roof, put your quarters in and select the "mode" you want and then wash like mad until your money runs out.
I used the brush that they have there and I was wondering if anyone has had an problems with these scratching the clear coat on the car. It's a soft bristled brush so I don't think that it will do any major damage.
As I might start washing my car again this way during the cold months, what are your opinions on this?
And just as an update, my 2000 Grand Am has almost 43,000 miles on it and I haven't had one problem since the warranty ran out...I love my car!
I'm glad to hear your GA has 43,000 miles with no problems. Mine has 35,850 miles and is in the shop today to have some front end noise looked at (for a second time). I'm hoping they make this last fix under warranty and I have clear sailing after that for quite some time!
When I go to the self-serve car wash place, I first fill up a bucket at home with car wash soap and hot water and bring it with me. I also bring my wash glove (made of some very soft non-scratch material) to wash the car and then rinse. This way I save time (and quarters) by using their machine less, and I don't have to worry about scratching anything. Hope this helps!
I'd stay away from the brush. It most likely is a synthetic material, which will put fine scratches in the paint. You might not notice much at first, but over time the paint will really dull. It's best to use only natural fibers like cotton or skin chamois on paint. The newer synthetic chamois are pretty good too. Check your drying towels to see if they're 100% cotton or a polyester blend. Don't use dishwashing liquid. The chemicals put in it to make it easy on the skin will leave your finish dull compared to good car soap. If your into fine paint maintenance like me, check out Griotsgarage.com.
My '99 SE has 61k on it, still acts like a new car. Uh, wait. It is better than new. No warranty problems! Its first 5k had a few warranty fixes.
Replaced the serpentine myself, and this weekend, got rid of the GM rotors and replaced them with PowerSlots and Performance Friction Pads.
Also, I replaced the fuel filter with a Deutsch FF508 filter.
Decided to start quietening the interior a bit using B-Quiet sound matting. So, have pulled the carpet and installed the B-Quiet. and reinstalled the carpet. Made quite a difference with road noise.
I removed the ugly side cladding and badges, and replaced the cladding with Grand Prix door ding guards. Has a nice smooth look now.
And finally, a couple of years back, I had my mirrors painted to match the car color.
Haven't had a real failure, such as the resistor board for the fan.
For those with sunroofs: I notice occassionally a noise coming from the sunroof, more often when it is cold. It seems to be a rubbing/squeaking noise that is caused by the sunroof shifting within its frame due to torque on the car body. I think it may be the rubber gasket of the sunroof sliding with friction against the rubber around the perimeter of the opening.
Can anyone recommend a product that I can use to treat the rubber surfaces that would eliminate the friction squeaking?
No, it was a '97 or '98 Rally Sport. I couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. We were going up a fairly steep hill on an on-ramp to the interstate. The ramp was two narrow lanes that merged into one. The Cavalier was initially behind me, but decided that he needed to pass me as the lanes were merging. I was by no means driving slowly. When I saw what the Cavalier was trying to do I thought 'not a chance, buddy!' and of course he had to fall back.
Sure, he had no chances - except if you want to let him pass for sake of generosity :-( . I am doing this all the time with my Buick, after my wife pointed to me, how ridiculous is demonstrating the engine power.
However, he may think that your GA have a 4-cylinder engine. I believe, there are many of them on the roads, probably more than with V-6.
I had the same problem on my Jetta, and found that applying Prestone Silicone Spray to the weatherstrip around the sunroof made it quiet again. It's hard to put onto a cloth and then apply it without it evaporating, so I just covered the headliner, sprayed the weatherstrip, and planned to wash the car later to get the excess off the paint. That may sound elaborate, but I did this 10,000 miles ago and haven't had to do it again. Hope this helps!
Comments
Has anybody else noticed this on under their shifter? I can't figure out why I haven't noticed it until now. I wonder if it migrated from somewhere else. I was going to take the boot apart yesterday but I didn't have time.
http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2319
I think you got a good price! As I said before, now is a really good time to buy. I paid a bit more six weeks ago, but paid cash. I also was surprised that the insurance was only $30 a year more than for my previous car. Just for comparison I asked my insurance guy how much it would be to insure a Civic or Corolla and they were about the same (I think one was actually a little higher).
There are lots of reasons why somebody wouldn't want to wash their car themselves. When I was young I took my used cars to a car wash but since leaving college and buying new cars I've always washed them myself. I'm 37 now and one reason is that this is pretty good exercise for me. Plus I don't want swirl marks or a bent antenna or the hasty drying job they do at a car wash.
I use Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel and then this absolutely fabulous thing called the Absorber to dry the car. I used to use a good-quality chamois but the Absorber is not only cheaper but works much better and is easier to work with.
This weekend it was overcast all day so after washing and drying I did a three-step (clean, polish, wax) procedure. I'm not that much of a car nut. I didn't mail-order Zaino stuff, but just used the Meguiar's stuff you can get at the local Pep Boys. I had a bad experience with wax before, but this stuff dried quickly and took only very light buffing to shine. This took another couple of hours but it was worth it. The car is really shiny now, neighbors were telling me how great the car looks, etc.
Regardless of how the car gets washed, I highly recommend the California Car Duster. It's like a broom of soft red yard and you lightly pass it over the paint and it picks up dust, pollen, bits of grass, etc. Do this every day and the car will look great much longer. There's also a California Mini (or Dash?) Duster that works great on the interior.
Anyway, not everybody wants to spend a couple of hours washing their car and getting all dirty, so if you'd rather take it to a car wash and be done with it in twenty minutes then you shouldn't feel like you're a bad new car owner.
When I got the new car I was very careful when entering and exiting driveways but one day it happenend: I heard scraping. It's happend a couple of more times since. This used to happen all the time with my previous car. It happens a lot less with the Grand Am.
I usually wax about every 2-3 months at the most. The bottle suggests that you "reapply in 30 days for maximum protection." I just waxed it last week and then a few days ago I found some bird droppings on the hood. It had sat out under the sun all day at work, but that evening, with a few drops of water it came off easily.
I think it's about $6 or $7 per bottle and should last a long time, it's in an orange bottle so it's pretty easy to spot at the store.
It's great stuff, I highly recommend using Nu Finish.
On my car I leave the Headlights on "auto" control and fog light switch always on. Has worked flawlessly for the past 2 1/2 years. I never have to remember when to turn my headlights on or off
The fog lights will only come on when the night lamps are activated.
Along with using a California duster, as has been suggested, to get the dust off from everyday use, the GT is looking very cool.
Just a closing comment.... It was a very eerie sight this past Tuesday to see, from my office window, the smoke rising from the Trade Tower in lower Manhattan. Even though I'm approx 35 miles away as the crow flies in NJ, I still could see the large plume of gray smoke billowing over the horizon. It was quite a shock to go from seeing the images on TV of the fire to seeing the smoke from my office window. What an unbelieveable week.
I have been treating the leather consistently over the past 2+ years, but still have noticed that the material on the gear shifter has become very worn and rough to the touch.
One problem is that I find myself constantly gripping the shifter like a stick shift, even though it is an automatic transmission. It's just a habit from my days of driving manual transmissions.
We opted to have it repaired, even though it was expensive. Labor @ $60hr for 4 hours plus $55 standard labor charge for evac & refill plus parts (compressor, pressure hose, rcvr/dryer and misc, all AC Delco) came to a total of $1,114.
If the car wasn't in such good condition with low miles (65,500) I may not have repaired it, since it is pushing 7 years old. It will be nice if we get 2-3 more years use out of it.
Other repairs to date:
Fuel pump at about 55,000 miles
Combination switch at about 60,000 miles.
I dread having to make major repairs to my Grand Am, especially starting next month when it is out of warranty. I've heard tranny jobs can cost $3K-$4K. I just hope I pay off the vehicle before it starts to wear out parts. I would assume if your car is 7 years old, that it is paid off. That makes a big difference. Making both payments and repair bills is tough for the pocketbook to swallow. Sometimes it makes sense to put the money into car repairs, sometimes you just bag it and get a new car. It can be a tough decision which way to go.
Luckily, the slick salesperson taked me into it back in '99, what the heck, the GM bucks I had paid for it. Had the power door actuator on one door repaired in warranty today. My GA is approaching 36k miles fast (I do 144 miles every round-trip into the office).
Now I just got to find that damn paperwork and hope the warranty company is still in business...
I talked to my credit union and they are selling one (100K miles/5 years) for around $650. It has a $50 deductible.
The credit union said the cost for the warranty would go up a little after I hit 10K miles and it would keep going up as I got more and more miles.
I'm going back and forth between getting it now and waiting a little bit because I don't want to shell out the cash for it right now. The credit union said they would add it onto the car loan but then I'm paying interest on it and I don't want to do that either!
It would help to hear at what point some of you purchased it...Thanks!
A) Peace of mind: some folks like knowing that if anything goes wrong beyond the standard warranty period that they are covered financially. It's just like homeowners or car insurance-- you really don't want to have to use it, but it's nice knowing it's there in case you need it. Also, cars with only 3/36k warranties leave a lot to be desired (hello GM?). If GM is confident enough to offer 5/50k on Olds, then why can't they do it across the line? The cars haven't changed mechanically, just the fact they are killing one of their best divisions (in terms of design/styling)
GM vehicles are hit-and-miss in terms of reliabilty and nagging repairs. If you plan on holding onto the car for longer than 4 years, then I'd recommend an ext warranty.
Try to get a GM Major Guard ext warranty, they are available as long as your car isn't beyond the standard warranty. And remember, the price is negotiable with your dealer, don't accept the first offer.
My car has under 1K miles on it so I'm trying to drive it gently. I did, however, jump on it a little today (just HAD to pass a somewhat comatose driver) and I heard this wonderful sound! What IS that? It sounded like something opened up it's mouth and just GROWLED. Very cool...
Almost sounds like a small-block V-8 of the 60s. I have no idea what it sounds like far away from the car, but inside, it is sweet. Wait until you discover the location of the acceleration "sweet spots" when you need to "point and shoot".
My GrandAm is knocking on 60,000 miles and I still love the sound.
Now I wonder what it sounds like outside the car. Gotta get somebody to drive my car down the street so I can hear it for myself.
In reality, this is just a dinky push-rod V-6, and as such, is going to sound like a V-6. grinnnn Let us know if it REALLY does sound outside like it does inside. Unless you have heard the sweet music of a late 60s muscle car, you'll never the magic of that note.
The kid who still lives inside of me wants it to sound like a bad squalling 384 Mopar Chrysler V-8 of 1969. grinnnnnnnnn
I like when I'm cruising my local neighborhood streets in my GT at 25 mph and just punch the gas pedal down real quick. The neck-snapping reaction is so much fun!
A Borla is on order, toys from PartsForYourCar are on order, including better brakes...
Replacing the SE struts with GT struts...
Removed the side ribbing for a smoother look, ala Olds Alero. Recall several months ago how WHACO on this board scolded SEers for their side ribbing. My only concern is ding protection, so have got to find a solution for that. If I had a GT, I wouldn't remove the ribbing. But, the car does look better in my eyes.
Next week, Old Red won't know what hit her. Should be an interesting ride.
Old archive Hot Rod magazines of that era would refer to quarter mile times of STOCK factory V-8s running about 15.5. The 3.4 comes very close to that. The 16s are probably more like it, but some of the guys elsewhere on the net are reporting 15s. That ain't bad for no modification and these engines are not meant to be power boxes, but, heh, they could be. grinnnnn
Now, where is that 5-speed box from Honda that should be able to drop in place of the automatic? That is the only thing I miss, a mean 5 speed for the 3.4.
Definitely not normal. No sense in speculating what caused this, but assuming this is a late model Grand Am, the bumper covering caps on both front and back should retain a smooth shiny appearance waaay past the life of the car.
Uh, speculation...: I think both the front and back had small "touch-up" scratches and an unknowing paint shop used standard metal type auto paint to fix it. This paint is not flexible enough for the bumper material and does not adhere well to plastics/vinyl. Maybe this is causing the cracking.
I had a rental car for the four days it was in the shop, it was a Suzuki Grand Vitara V6. I have to say that I enjoyed the height of the mini-SUV but the V6 was a joke compared to the V6 in my Grand Am. For a V6, the Suzuki had no passing power and not very much torque either. Needless to say, I was so happy to get my Grand Am back (with it's shiny new bumper) and great V6 engine!
I'd also be curious to hear why the 6 cyl is so much better than the 4. I really don't care how the engine sounds... I just want a good ride, good MPG and good acceleration. Can I get all that with the 4 cyl.?
Also, since my car is only a few hundred miles before it is out of warranty, the service manager asked me if I wanted to get the warranty extended with the GM Major Guard program. There was no salesman around to quote me a price, but I got the brochure. I have about 2 weeks to decide. Anybody else get this extended warranty on their vehicle and how has it worked out?
I used the brush that they have there and I was wondering if anyone has had an problems with these scratching the clear coat on the car. It's a soft bristled brush so I don't think that it will do any major damage.
As I might start washing my car again this way during the cold months, what are your opinions on this?
And just as an update, my 2000 Grand Am has almost 43,000 miles on it and I haven't had one problem since the warranty ran out...I love my car!
Thanks and happy driving
When I go to the self-serve car wash place, I first fill up a bucket at home with car wash soap and hot water and bring it with me. I also bring my wash glove (made of some very soft non-scratch material) to wash the car and then rinse. This way I save time (and quarters) by using their machine less, and I don't have to worry about scratching anything. Hope this helps!
If your into fine paint maintenance like me, check out Griotsgarage.com.
Blower motor resistor board.
Just put fourth set of pads on the front, aftermarket Raybestos rotors fine. Rear brakes still very good.
I'll need to replace serpentine belt soon, showing signs of wear.
Replaced the serpentine myself, and this weekend, got rid of the GM rotors and replaced them with PowerSlots and Performance Friction Pads.
Also, I replaced the fuel filter with a Deutsch FF508 filter.
Decided to start quietening the interior a bit using B-Quiet sound matting. So, have pulled the carpet and installed the B-Quiet. and reinstalled the carpet. Made quite a difference with road noise.
I removed the ugly side cladding and badges, and replaced the cladding with Grand Prix door ding guards. Has a nice smooth look now.
And finally, a couple of years back, I had my mirrors painted to match the car color.
Haven't had a real failure, such as the resistor board for the fan.
Can anyone recommend a product that I can use to treat the rubber surfaces that would eliminate the friction squeaking?
However, he may think that your GA have a 4-cylinder engine. I believe, there are many of them on the roads, probably more than with V-6.