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Comments
The car has all the options except leather (was that an option in '89?) and no digital dash (fine with me). I'm glad I got the car; it has "only" 118,000 miles, it runs and drives perfectly, and all the nifty accessories still work.
The only thing I can find to complain about is a couple of drops of oil left wherever I park. I've always thought that the 3.8 V6 was one of the best engines GM ever made; I look forward to many more comfortable, couchy miles in my 'new' Buick.
Any ideas?????
I bought a 2003 LeSabre when I compared the two, I found the LeSabre had all the options I wanted and more, drove the same, rode almost the same, but came in a CRIMSON red and chrome wheels and Michelin Tires. When I learned they are assembled in one plant on the same assembly line, along with Aurora and Seville, and I'm not sure which other Cadillac models, I made my decision. If Buick offered a few more strong colors in PA and LeSabre, they could attract a "younger" set that aren't going to buy Regals or Rendevous's but will go Camry, Volvo, etc.. The color was what my wife wanted.
I actually had been hoping to find a red one or two-year-old PA, but that didn't happen. PA owners seem to keep them in this area for several years. The red (dark) PAs rarely showed up on any Buick dealers lot around here. That says something about the car -- a lot of owners here are GM retirees and workers.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You're right on the interior colors. They were bland, except for the two-tone in the Celebration LeSabre; graphite and a grey, I think. I found the two cars very similar in interior sizes according to Edmunds and when sitting in them. I feel they are very similar in nature; a salesman even mused that PA may eventually be a top model of LeSabre, if sales keep dropping.
I find my ride in the standard is stiff enough without touring! I would like to drive an Ultra just to see how it rides. The Ultra wheels are eye-catching; aren't they 17" and chrome!
There are buyers being lost to some other brands that might stay with Buick's reputation for quality build and components if there were more choices in exterior color and interiors.
Had a black Olds with burgundy interior. Beautiful, but hard to keep black clean.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
sunroof does not close soundly. Instead, when I close the sunroof it immediately raises the rear part of the sunroof in the vent position. Recently, it looked closed, but there must have been a small opening & with all of the rain we've experienced on the east coast, it flooded the interior! Is this just a fluke, or has anyone else experienced this problem before? As it is now, when I use the sunroof, I have to get out of the car and inspect it upon closing it to be sure it has made a tight seal. Oh, I blew out the drain holes so they are not the problem. With the help of a wet vac, a steam cleaner, a dehumidifier, and an ozone machine, the interior is dry and odor free. And I want to keep it that way! All suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
In some of the Bonneville, LeSabre, or Cadillac discussions here, it sounds like there may be a problem with the bolts on the hubs not being centered, i.e., they have runout in the bolts. I note that's in the LeSabre service manual to check when there is a vibration problem to troubleshoot. It was not in the 1998 LeSabre manual.
Have a dealer check the runout on the bolt pattern. A little runout there, with a little runout in the wheel, and a little in the tire can give a ghostlike problem with a wheel/tire on front that seems okay when that wheel is on the rears, etc. I had an 80 Cutlass with a bad hub that I finallly found at 40K. GM replaced it at _no charge_ after they checked the runout at the dealer.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If no worse than now I can live with until I decide to trade.
Read the vibration posts before buying. I noticed the vib problems in the sedan PA's - three new ones and at least 4 used going back to 2000 - all between 55-75!! I drove three ultras and none of them did the vibration thing.?.
So you've heard from this new PA owner. Glad to be joining the club after years of Chrysler New Yorkers, Concordes, an LHS, and my recently departed Dodge Intrepid.
Slight wheel balance still noticed on trip to Pigeon Forge. Trip to Nashville gave more symptoms of wheel imbalance at 3500 miles. Went back to dealer after talking to highly knowledgeable service manager. HE with their balance expert went over the wheels again. Found some balance problem. Changed from the standard 1/4 ounce adjustment on force balancer to "zero" he said. The 1/4 ounce increments in weights and balancer tolerance left some error in wheel balance. Most balance shops think 1/4 ounce is "close enough." But I've read in another topic (Bonneville or Bonneville Problems) about needing closer balancing work. (Service manager explained that off a quarter ounce in one plane and off a quarter in another plane can leave up to 1/2 ounce effective imbalance in the wheel. So they rebalanced down to "zero.")
He drove the car with electronic vibration sensor attached to seat frame and got a minimal reading that didn't seem to be from something on the car causing vibration. It was from the paving job on the new road.
I couldn't feel a thing on the way home in that car that felt like wheels vibrating.
Service manager explained that the stiffer platform on these cars and lighter components are more sensitive to wheels. That probably has been most of the problems people have had that "can't be fixed." It's the equipment used for balancing with a high tolerance that used to work with older cars, tires that are poorly made (I've always bought Michelin since '67 with one exception) after Firestone sold me Wide Ovals that were good for 10000 miles in '67, AND
service folks that don't care to do the best job of troubleshooting. GM's service manual has pages of vibration troubleshooting diagnostics in the new manual for 2003 vs 1998.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thanks
There had been a paper stuck to the cover for the spare tire under the trunk
mat that had the list of codes for everything on that car. I recall having to check
that in 89 to see which brakes were on the front or rear of 89 century. There were
two different sizes for hydraulic parts.
I haven't had time to look on 89 LeSabre (too much stuff to take out of trunk
and too little time), but I'll bet there's a sticker there.
Ask a salesman showing you the used PA with touring and ask him how to verify
for sure -- if there's a trunk label or not... Especially at a Buick dealer they'll know
how to be sure it's got touring rather than just having had the rims switched for the
touring rims.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
get the higher priced Raybestos, not the $25 ones, I believe they were about $50 each.
Get the quality, not cheapest, rebuilt calipers and replace the bolts on which they slide.
Put on Raybestos no dust, no squeak pads.
Your current calipers are probably dragging on the bolts and not releasing completely at times which heats up the rotors and shazaam, bad rotors like a new Accord!!!
I've a 98 LeSabre (same parts) and had a rotor that tended to drag. Replaced everything myself at 50K. Only wish I'd put on dustfree pads by Raybestos. I used OEM (not long life pads) and have great brakes, but don't like the dust. The long life pads are hard giving a harder pedal and perhaps affecting the temperature of the rotors during braking...
Make sure whoever does the brakes does not force the caliper pistons in with a c-clamp; the bleeders should be opened to allow old fluid out when compressing pistons. Do not force the old fluid back through the ABS unit.
Michelins always have given a quality, round tire. Which ones did you buy. I put X-Ones on the 98. My 03 came with Symmetrys. Half the reason I bought the 03 was the Michelins from the factory.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I don't remember for sure, don't have the car with me at the moment, but I believe the Michelins were X-radials. I do remember being astonished at the treadwear rating of 800 on the side. I never saw one that high before. Their manufacturing method
that uses the 8-part radial mold is one that US manufacturers should adopt. I never had a bad Michelin and have used them off/on since 1972.
when I drive over a manhole cover or other bumps, after several minutes it drys and the noise is gone until what ever gets wet again. Service manager rode with me after the last rain but we could not get it wet enough for real loud noises. Any one else have this problem??
Does anyone have a similar problem or suggestions as to what might be the cause?
Also at about 100k I took it to the dealer and was they told me that 3 motor mounts needed to be replaced which I reluctantly agreed to ($1,100) and I replaced the Supercharger with a rebuilt one because of grinding noises coming from it ($500 internet) I ready to get rid of this money pit.
Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get any of these vibration problems that I've heard people talk about on this board.
Andrea
The theory is that the valve body passages are partially blocked and until the fluid warms up it is too viscous to make its way through the passages. Even if a simple flush doesn't do it, you should be able to drop and clean the valve body without pulling and rebuilding the entire transmission (though this may be more difficult on a FWD car due to access issues).
Was the service at 90k the first one the car ever had? If so, it was LONG overdue. By that time the trans would be so full of dirt that the servicing might only have dislodged large particles, causing them to build up in the valve body passages.
As for the Supercharger, did anyone ever check the oil level on that thing prior to failure?
$1100 for motor mounts? WOW! I'm not surprised that the mounts were gone at 100,000, but the cost is pretty darn high. you might try a different mechanic.
Are the rears a problem? What can be done about it. I don't want to keep changing out rotors. I love the car except for this problem.
#1. Replace the calipers, slide bolts with quality rebuilts. Dragging caliper causes misery.
#2. Buy Raybestos higher cost rotors -- I think mine were about $40 ea
#3. Put on Original equipment pads or the no dust no squeal from Raybestos
All came from Pep boys on my 98 LeSabre. Solve all problems. Do not
turn the rotors. If they went out of round, they will do it again after turning because
you removed some of the metal serving as a heat sink and the rotor already has a
tendency to twist. Originals on 98 were called sintered metal. Replacements from
Pep Boys were about twice as heavy.
You might check the rear bands. Mine on 93 LeSabre were still good at 150 K when my wife made me trade the car for 03. Service manager said the rears on some do very little work in normal braking; hence all the problems with front rotors.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
One day I could not start my car because a battery went down.
While trying to start the engine I noticed a fuel gauge needle moving all the way clockwise. It passed a full tank position and kept
moving until it stopped at empty tank position UNDER the rest. Normally, when ignition is off the pointer is above the rest.
I changed the battery, and everything is O.K. now, but the fuel gauge pointer is still UNDER its rest and is not moving anywhere.
Does anybody know how to fix(reset) this?
Thanks.
Gene.
1. if it is supercharged, it almost undoubtedly will have the gt suspension because it was necessary to handle the extra performance.
2. in the unlikely event that you find one with the original rubber, the gt car will have "S" rated tires
3. the only other thing i can think of is to compare rear sway bar diameters, as the gt's will be larger.
I'll check a 93 and 98 manual to see if it's designated in the LeSabre and it'll be the same in the Park A, because they're essentially the same car.
If it's different, I'll post again.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
magnasteer is software adjustable by the dealer. there are three effort levels--high/mid/low--with high being the "sport" setting. the default setting is mid.
my guess is that the system is overtaxed at low speeds when the system must provide the most assist, and this results in a "stutter" whereby the assist rapidly kicks in and out. Changing to the sport setting reduces the level of assist and the system isn't overtaxed.
I've had the Aquatreds for about 1000 miles now. They are clearly superior to the Eagles in terms of grip, in the wet of course, but even in the dry. Surprising dry grip for a T-rated radial. Noise is maybe a little quieter (but the Ultra's is so quiet anyway I can't really tell). I'd seriously consider a set of these for my BMW 750, despite the low speed rating, so that should tell you something about the performance.
The Aquatreds are about $80/ea. If you REALLY want "the best," go with the Michelin Pilot A/S at about $150/ea from tire rack. "W" speed rating, so you can expect to buy a set about every 20-25k miles.
fire. My dealer set an appointment out about two weeks (They are waiting on a delivery of more regulators) and I want one ASAP. I dont know if they will replace mine or just check it for leaks it's not very clear in the recall letter. Has anyone had theirs inspected or replaced yet?
when accelerating; however, not as bad. The vehicle has 36K on the odometer and has always had
this noise. The dealer I purchased the vehicle
from indicated to me that ALL PA's have this noise-NOT TRUE. (The knock, which sounds like a
bearing knock, is on the left side of the engine).
BTW, did he tell you WHY they "all" knock? Just saying they all do doesn't tell you whether it is acceptable or whether GM has an problem it should be dealing with. (If they all exploded in a ball of flame after 30k miles, would that be okay too, since "they all do it"?)
Since the knock decreases under engine load, this suggests it is NOT a bearing knock, as that sound should get worse as the engine is stressed.
I suggest using a stethoscope or similiar device to better isolate the source of the sound. If it is coming from a noncritical component or an external component such as an injector, then it is only a minor annoyance. If the sound definitely is internal to the engine, there are not too many noncritical parts in there!
I also wonder, (as advertised) if there wouldn't be any measurable ware and how many miles these engines will last? I would like some opinion's on this and also, what about synthetic ATF? any opinions out there. Thanks.