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The profile manager here and me don't get along too well. It makes corrections much later than when you change them. I formerly lived in Accra, Ghana in West Africa, but the Manager never would let the correction stick.
I tried again and maybe it will finally fix.
The profile manager is cool, but what you enter is not what it dishes out.
The question holiday asked really would appeal to anyone with "legacy" cars, not just the Grandam. I tend to put over 200k on vehicles and still have an '85 Old Calais that tools around just fine.
I don't think anything beyond the usual should fail, assuming the vehicles had decent maintenance, Take my '99 Grandam for example. It has 53000 miles on it and is getting of the mileage that I should expect failure anytime from any (or hopefully NONE) of the listed items below. Perhaps none of these will go out and the car will get 200k on it without incident. grin
* Starter
* Water pump
* Alternator/battery
* -- maybe the power steering pump
Typical "hard" maintenance items that need to be checked and maybe replaced would be the hoses and belts, including the serpentine belt. Brakes are a no-brainer and need to be replaced about every 40k.
Struts should hang in there until about 80k.
Anyway, that has been my experience through the years.
--Larry
I know that the SE comes stock with black mirrors and the GT comes with body color mirrors.
Did you order them from Pontiac, if so, how much were they? If not, did you paint them yourself and how hard was it?
--Larry
A better idea would be to just make a post relevant to the discussion. ;-)
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
To do this, you click on "Subscribe" at the bottom of the page (above the post box). Then on the next page, check the box that says "track new messages" and click OK.
Then when there are new messages here, you can get here easily as I described above.
However, you can't get here from there :-) if there are no new messages. There really is no way (that I can find) to keep a specific discussion at the top of your own view of the discussion list. You could change your preferences to display discussions alphabetically, which might make it easier for you to find it when there are no new messages. See the link to "preferences" at the top of this page (beside the Welcome nerss message) if you want to do that.
Hope this helps a bit. You might want to read through the Town Hall Help which is linked on the left sidebar for more information.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
ID
However, if it works for you, great! :-)
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
JD
And what about the rear view mirror with a compass? Does it have a thermometer and how well does it work and cost?
Thanks,
L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board
Up until last year, the 1999 Grand Am got a less than average reliability (while curiously the Alero got a better than average rating). I was in CVS at the magazine rack the other day and decided to see what reliability rating the GA got in this year's magazine. Suprisingly, the GA has been upgraded to "average" for its reliability. For a GM car, that's like getting a perfect 10.0 score in an Olympic event from the CR judge.
Yes, you can tell me that the reliability ratings are developed through reader survey. But who knows what CR does with these numbers? I believe their automobile ratings are flawed and skewed to get the results they desire. They should stick to washing machines and stereos.
Call me crazy, but the bottom line is that I'd rather be driving my $20K Grand Am GT then my coworker's $37,000 BMW 323.
My one complaint is that my car still has the oil smell coming through the vents when i come to a complete stop. (there are previous posts regarding this) Others have mentioned that they have this problem too. I was wondering how many owners experience this and why hasn't GM addressed this. Ford has had one recall on the escape for having a fuel smell in their vehicle, why can't GM do the same for oil smells...
I have disassembled the cowl plastic covering on my GrandAm, so to remove pine straw and leaves from the squirrel cage fan (grrrr!) and it is rather uncomplicated. Fresh air is drawn in from the same area as the wiper motor area, albeit the width of the windshield.
Uh, why remove pine straw and leaves? Well, the fan intake on my '99 grand am does not have a screen covering the intake hole. There is a wide mesh on the plastic cowl, but the mesh's "netting" is too wide to screen out leaves and straw, hence, it is sucked into the fan's intake and you get a noise and vibration.
You can also remove the glove box to access the air intake hole for the fan, thus getting to the fan, but it is easier via the cowl access.
Anyway, all that is said to make me think the smell is emanating from the engine area and the fresh air intake is drawing it in.
So...., what could it be? Well, just a drop of oil coming from a valve cover dripping on the exhaust could cause it. And it could be very minor and unseen. It could be from the back. Just a small drop every five minutes could cause a smell. The oil may not start dripping until the motor is running meaning that nothing would appear on the driveway.
I don't think this is typical of GrandAms in general although in the old days, one was always told to have the valve covers and cylinder heads retorqued every 30,000 miles or so. I don't see that in the manuals today.
I agree about the magazines and the GrandAm... I have the SE and would have preferred the GT, although the GT wasn't available at the time. The cladding is ugly on the SE and looks nice on the GT.
But, my SE's cladding, as I have mentioned in earlier messages during Whacko's tantrum's, bears the mark of protecting the door panels from Wal-Mart gorilla parkers. Otherwise, the doors would like like the dimples of a golf ball due to the door dings.
I too enjoy the appearance of the Alero, but I don't care for its interior. I really like the GrandAm's interior and would be happy with an Alero that is sported up---with the GrandAm interior. grinnnnn. I don't care for the tail lights, either. But, it is a good looking car.
In summary:
Anyway, for me, the GrandAm GT is a beautiful car and just-looks-better than my SE. It certainly looks better than the nice looking Alero. This is one of those nit-picking things.
The oil smell has got to be from an obscure oil drip from the motor. I'd bet retightning to torque specs the valve covers would end it. Of course, this assumes the gaskets are aligned and ok.
BTW, I'm almost at 54 thousand miles on my GrandAm.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the SE's cladding is ugly, just not as asteticaly pleasing as the GT's cladding:) If you look at all the old GAs, they had a similar cladding to the current SEs. Not sure why this cladding is branded as ruining the looks of the car when they have always been there is some form. (here is the cue for whacko to appear:) )
Overall, I am happy with my car. Sure, I am finding I like the looks of the GT more and more, but beggers can't be choosers.
Mine happens to be the same color as Edmund's test car....I love my Grand Am, cladding and all!!!
Hey guys...need some help.
My new Nissan Crew Cab is going to be delivered sometime this week. I have been preparing my spouse for its arrival. We have a 2 car garage (or carhole as I like to call it), meaning one of the vehicles is going to have to stay outside. She thinks it should be the Grand Am. I think it should be the Prelude. Neither of us think it should be the Crew Cab.
Any advice you can give me to win this argument? I seem to be losing this battle...
jkidd2-
Scientifically: the car with the lightest colored paint can be kept outside. The lighter the pigment, the more light is reflected and less heat build up on the paint.
Un-scientifically: the wife is always right.
It also depends if you use your "carhole" for things other than just parking your cars. if you use it as a workshop as well, keep the smaller of the two (the prelude i would think) in the garage so there is more space to move around. Although, TC makes a very good arguement in his second point:)
I do have a very small oil leak on the right side of the intake manifold in the lifter galley as I posted before. I can see tiny oil bubbles coming out when the engine is warmed up and running. It is very small, and really only just makes the area dirty. I don't see how it could be dripping on the exhaust, since it runs down the front of the head and seems to collect on the block. I said before that I was going to try to seal it externally, but again I've not found the time. Also, I noticed that it's hard to get to with the pump in the way.
I just bought my car (used) this winter, so I haven't had a chance to run the AC until recently. when i did, the AC didn't feel much colder that the fresh air vent. Do all the GA's have a weak AC system, or do i have a problem.
thanks
> Do all the GA's have a weak AC system, or do i have a problem.
You may have a problem. My '99 GrandAm kept the interior very comfortable (in the 70s) last August in Texas' 118 degree heat. Admittedly, I kept it running in recirculate mode rather than fresh air.
I've never experienced the oil smell either....
I don't know what it is about our Prelude...my better half just adores it....I can't seem to get excited about it. Its looking like the Grand Am will be spending its night's outside....not real happy about it...but...the things we do to keep peace in the house.
My wife has trained me well 8-P
Just a suggestion to claim back some territory!
rpm9...okay....you sound just like her....it has nothing to do with the investment...its how I FEEL about the car that matters to me. No car is an investment...unless your gonna keep it 30 years.
I'm picking up the Crew Cab tomorrow, just in time for Friday Night Fights!
Actually, not just GM but the entire American big three. I think in 1985, that began turning around and you see some near-equal quality of the big three with the Japanese cars of the era.
But this even FURTHER faults Consumers Reports as being non-biased. If, as Whacko implies that historical reputation causes Consumers Report to not be objective, then Consumers Report is not a credible reviewing and evaluation journal.
Personally, I think that Consumer Reports is an incredible joke because I hardly see any non-bias in their reports, whether it be from their evaluation of computers, stereos, or with General Motors.
I never thought, that as Whacko implies, that an alleged historical reputation would color Consumer Reports and dilute their evaluation, but he really nailed it on the head. I trust them even less now that he brought that to my attention.
;>)
HOWEVER.... some problems have already developed and I haven't had the car 12 hrs yet:
#1) the brakes make this scraping sound. I test drove a couple of Grand Am GT and they all had this problem, and both sales people said that it's because it's been sitting for a while and the rotors developed some surface rust on them and it will take some time to wear that off. Is this true?
#2) after the sales person delivered my car to my apt., and I got in it, I flipped on the overhead light and the whole light assembly fell out. I immediately went back to the dealer and talked to the manager and they fixed it right away. They said that a lot of those cars have weak clamps and that I'll have to bring it back to have an updated stronger clamp put in. Anyone else had this problem?
I hope these initial quality problems aren't signs of things to come.
This is one of those "be a pain with the dealer's service shop guy" situations. I'd like to line out my experience at my dealer. I have no idea if this is typical or other dealers. The purpose is to determine if a car's problems are with the car or the dealer.
The make-ready guy is supposed to make a cursory exam of the car and the sales droid makes another.
I walked with my sales droid to my car PRIOR to the shop going through it. I noticed that the very first thing my sales droid did as he went through the interior was to go through the plastic items, making sure they were snug. He checked the sun visors and the glove box door (opening/closing, checking the way it closes) and then the console door.
He then checked the dome light housing. He then checked the plastic pieces on the roof posts. I saw several plastic items not attached, in protective wrapping, taped to parts of the interior for assembly later. Some items certainly had to be "snapped" in.
His entire exam on the interior took about two minutes. Then the make-ready guy would do the same thing, supposedly.
He and I then did a walk-through on the exterior and we did the door fit, hinge operations and then sheet metal/facade alignment. He then eyeballed the car for dings and nicks.
This entire operation took about five minutes. In the meantime, he was doing small-talk to me.
We didn't really see anything but the car went into the shop for alignment check, fluid stuff, and other items that took about an hour. Then the body shop did the waxing thing and interior clean out and preparation (mats, tape protection removal, etc.)
The car was really spiffy and appeared tight. At nearly 54 thousand miles, it STILL appears to be a well-built car. But, I'm sure that ritual prior to being released to me, made sure it was tight. Those plastic items, such as pillar plastic and the dome light do indeed just snap in and some of those items are installed by the dealer.
Now then, those brakes. Those cursed brakes. I have read on many of the boards of noisy and vibrating, chattering brakes. At about 25k, I started to get the chattering brakes. The dealer did the usual thing, such as replacing the rotors and the pads. And, at about 40k, the chattering returned.
I don't know the ultimate CORRECT solution for this because I'm not sure what the problem is. But, I do understand that grease spots from contamination on the roads can create difference of adhesion on the rotors.
But, here is the REALLY WEIRD THING. At the 40k mark on my car, I decided to just get some very cheap pads until I could figure out what to do with my chattering brakes. The existing pads were paper thin. The cheapo pads were under $20.00 and were just bought by me to buy some time until I could figure out what to do.
Surprisingly, the chattering STOPPED, even though I didn't take the rotors in to be turned. In fact, 14k later, I still have yet to have any chattering, in spite of those cheapo pads.
Now, they spray black dust all over the place, but stopping is better and the chattering is gone.
But, they are NOISY. Sounds like they are rubbing.
So, without really being able to draw any conclusions, I'm certain that replacement pads can solve the noise, chattering, dust problems. The question is, just WHICH pad is the best?
Anyway, these are my observations with this remarkable car. Also, I really think that your dealer's responses to you can turn your GrandAm into a GrandAm or a YUGO.
The style guys who never drive in parking lots are going to love this. This first photo is of my GrandAm circa Fall '98. The side mirrors are still black. Local body shop charged $50 to paint them red a few months back. Anyway, this is the new Grand Am SE complete with stock side cladding:
Nothing remarkable here. It does have some good old Texas rood junk on it from our unpaved roads.
Now, below this is what PhotoShop did to the same photo. Heh!
After doing that, I was tempted to put about 100 door dings in the photo, but didn't have the heart to mess up the Whacko-smooooth doors.
--Larry
I had to have my front brake pads replaced on my GA @ 30k miles. I love my GA...side cladding and all!
Irymal...hey buddy! I wish I could see these pictures...I keep getting the box and a little red X in the left top of the box, but no picture! I've tried refreshing the page...but it hasn't helped.
I have a 2001 Nissan King Cab and I know all about the oversized fender flares and fake rivets and such. Good luck on your Crew Cab...so far my king cab is doing nicely after 8000 miles, although I have the 2.4L 4 not the 3.3L 6.
Let me know if you want me to e-mail those to you.
And, I agree with Whaco about the styling of the SE's cladding design. I also tried a door guard molding, but really couldn't find one to play with that I like via Photoshop. I would think that a door guard molding would be integrated within the door's design rather than just a stick-on piece.
The cladding design is really something in the car's personality. I much prefer the GT's style. I played with Photoshop and the GT cladding, but the match up just doesn't do well with the existing SE front and rear nose cap. Amazingly, a SE with the side cladding removed is actually feasible since there is paint underneathe the cladding. Before anyone asks, the reason I purchased a SE as opposed to the GT, is that the GT was not in product in early '98.
Getting back to the cladding, if you remove it, the smooth style guys might like the design, but, you lose the ding protection---terribly.
I was sorta tempted to spend some bucks and replace the SE's cladding with the GT's as this car of mine continues to "mature" (grow old). It honestly is the best car I have ever owned, dependability and tightness-wise.
In reality, the GT's styling is just "boss" so us SE'ers need to come up with some other ways of trying to personalize the SE to a "better" design. The only thing I have done on mine is to have the mirrors painted.