Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005

stnel · June 2001

It was the spell checker. (I initially typed GP GTP.)

picvegita - I hope you enjoy your car!

theiceman · June 2001

I don't use the spell check so it came out right (BTW, congrats picgivita - you're going to love it - even with the stock pulley).

We took delivery today - brand new navy blue metallic 2001 GT. My dealership looked high and low (I trust these guys - there's a family connection) for one with leather and no sunroof but there are none to be had in my colour choices without a prolonged wait. So, we went with cloth. To assuage my disappointment (my wife didn't care and this is her car), they threw in the fabric and paint treatment for no add. cost. Anyway, all shined up (we've got some Zaino-friendly weather going on up here), the blue is a real looker & I noticed a few heads turning - not bad for a body style that's been around for a few years.

Will be posting soon.

theiceman

sincero · June 2001

Just picked up today my brand new 2001 GP GTP and it ran great! The only question I have is that I noticed upon exiting the car a slight smell of gaseous odor...The car has less than 40miles on it...is this just a consequence of it being broken in or should I be concerned? I did have the air-conditioner on at the time...did anyone else have a similar experience?

theiceman · June 2001

Congratulations - I'll bet you can't wait to pass the break-in period to really put it through its paces.

As far as the gas odour - Let's just hope it was sloshed fuel or a badly closed cap. Try opening the gas filler cap slowly (to allow release of pressure) and then close again - tightly. If that didn't do it and it was my car, then back to the dealer it would go.

stnel · June 2001

Speaking of gas caps, the salesman was showing me something about a particular way to put on/take off gas cap. He was showing me a number of things and that didn't quite stick in my mind. I'll ask when I go to the dealership to pick up my license tag and registration. They are both in but due to all the rain we've been getting (in Louisiana), I don't want to drive my car over there as there is street flooding. Hopefully, I'll get over there in a few days. I'll let you know what he says. It may have just been to keep the cap on tight.

Over the years, I've had a gasoline odor with just about every car I've owned. I've always assumed that it's caused by gasoline at particular gas stations. You may want to try another gas station next time.

Hope you enjoy your new car!

kdstan · June 2001

Has anyone had any problems with putting regular unleaded gas with the GTP. I have heard from several people recently saying that they use regular unleaded in their GTPs all of the time with no problems.

kdstan

jc58 · June 2001

I have found a 1995 Grand Prix GTP at the same dealership I recently bought my new car. It was a trade by someone the sales person knows and he knows of nothing wrong with it, he only knows of a bad lock on the drivers side. It has almost 69,000 miles on it, has a moon roof, full power. They had their "asking price" of $6995, but I knew they had at least $2,900 built into that off profit, based on what I saw them advertise my trade in for, plus another friend who traded in their car there recently.

The body has some minor scratches and the paint is worn on the bumpers, but it actually is in pretty good shape. I expect some wear and tear on a used car. They had planned on having them repainted, but agreed to let me have the car for about $4,980 ( plus taxes) if they do not repaint the car. I have seen prices range from $6,800 to $8,500 on the various interned sites for used cars of this year.

The car will be for my son, I was wondering if anyone knows of any serious things to look for in GP's in general, and this year and model specifically.

sincero · June 2001

Thanks to theiceman and stnel I was able to solve the mystery of the gaseous odor...thanks guys. Anyway, I want to say that I am absolutely in love with my 2001 metallic blue GP GTP. I can't wait until its completely broken in to really take her out. The car is is not only fast, great-looking but also an incredible value (especially after the application of my GM points). What I can't understand is the absence of articles in car magazines about the car...you would think it would be highlighted by the press. Well, I'm enjoying it!

stnel · June 2001

I'm glad you're enjoying your Grand Prix. Is the blue metallic a new color? I don't think I've seen a blue GP as of yet. I imagine GP came out with some new colors for 2000.

greywolf · June 2001

I would hesitate on considering a previous generation Grand Prix, especially if you don't have a detailed history of it.

The reason mainly is reliability. From my observations, the previous gen GRand Prix was not a good benchmark of reliability. Oil leaks and alternators seems to be the big problem.

If anything, have it inspected by a mechanic.

theiceman · June 2001

Yeah, navy blue metallic is new this year. You're seeing similar dark blues on the Impala and Regal and a few others. We chose it over silver and the new red (Redfire metallic - a real looker IMO) partly because of its uniqueness (you don't see many on the road) but also because it looks really sharp. We've already received a ton of compliments on the car - and the colour - and we've only had this car in our driveway for a few days.

Our other car (a 2000 Bonneville SLE) is dark bronzemist - so, as much as the GP in that colour is also a winner, it was out of the question for us. I read a while back that dark bronzemist will be discontinued for the Bonneville in '02 - we'll see if that holds true and if the same will apply to the GP.

theiceman

stnel · June 2001

I haven't seen any navy blue metallic Grand Prix's but will keep my eyes open for one. I'm sure it's a good looking car. I've seen just about all the different colors listed in my 2001 brochure but the navy and possibly the green. I don't know how long the dark forest green has been out.

I have to go to the Pontiac place today and will ask them if they're discontinuing the dark bronzemist (if I remember). If they've only carried the color for 2 years then there won't be as many on the road. I've only seen one other car in the dark bronzemist.

theiceman · June 2001

The blue is gorgeous. My dealer had a 2-door GT and GTP and a 4-door GTP all in blue and they're responsible for making me wait a week to take delivery. It'll be a challenge to keep clean and I'll try to keep the swirl marks to a minimum but clean this thing has eye appeal.

stnel · June 2001

I'll certainly be on the lookout for a navy blue GP. Eventually, I'll spot one. I'm sure it's worth the effort of keeping clean!

I haven't washed my car yet. We've got this rust colored "sediment" in the water and I'm afraid it will ruin the paint job on a new car. I plan on getting over to my parents house soon to wash it.

sincero · June 2001

You're right about the challenge in keeping the blue metallic GP clean...I have been wiping fingerprints off the car since purchased. Once the car is shined...there's no better looking car on the road.

theiceman · June 2001

Better get Zaino.

Rust sediment in water: I would agree that washing your car with that could be risky - you don't want to be firing "rust catalysts" into crevices where you're unsure of the paint finish. If you're not renting (or even if you are), you might want to consider installing a whole house sediment filter (they're about $25 up here and the filters - good for a month or two - are about $2@). If you're the least bit handy, it'll take an hour to install (if you've never done plumbing work before, let a pro do it). We're in the country so have a drilled well and had an iron precipitate problem. This little unit cleaned that up immediately. Well worth it.

stnel · June 2001

on the filter. The filter would be well worth the money. I drink bottled water but the animal's water bowl turned orange even though the water appears to come out clear. The water company says the water is safe to drink but I wonder. I'm sure if the water turned my animal's bowl orange it wouldn't be good for a car. (I'm getting water from my parent's house for my animals now - thank goodness for Mom and Dad.)

Anyway, I'll stop by Home Depot today and talk to them about that filter.

theiceman · June 2001

the brand name (in Canada) is Rainfresh - get the one with the built-in bypass (a simple twist of the unit and you can change the filter without cutting off the water supply to the house). Once you've installed it, the water should be good enough to give to Poochie and wash the car.

stnel · June 2001

I went to Home Depot and they have a filter system that costs $16. (I guess that's the same as $25 Canadian.) The filters that need replacing every so often cost about $10. He told me how to go about it so I'm going to talk to my dad and see if he could do it for me. They have another system for $50 and the filters wouldn't need to be changed as often.

Thanks for letting me know about this!

stnel · June 2001

I saw a blue Grand Am today (either a 2000 or 2001) but still no navy blue Grand Prix. The Grand Am that I saw was more of a medium blue and I would assume the navy blue GP is a little darker - more along the lines of the navy blue metallic Impala.

One thing about a new car - it never really seems like work to wash it!

xavier627 · June 2001

Does anyone know how to make the Fog Lamps stay on when you have the high beams on? In the T/A i know you have to take out he relay and solder or attach the two wires together. This would really help especially when i'll be installing the the blazertech 3200 driving lights. I have a 2000 beamer and the lights on that thing is bright, even without the xenon.

theiceman · June 2001

I imagine that rewiring would be in order with the GP as well as they are set-up for the fogs to NOT work with the highbeams (since highbeams are the worst things to use in fog). Let us know if you find the answer.

stnel · June 2001

It turns out that I don't have a cut off valve on this house. The valve is where the meter box is and that belongs to the city. I doubt they'd let me alter that. If you have a well, I imagine you went about installing your filter system differently. Back to square one.

I'm going to see if it's possible to put a filter on the hose or outside faucet for car washing.

I saw a Dark Bronzemist Bonneville today. That's the first one that I've seen in a Bonneville. It was nice looking. Naturally, I'm partial to that color!

theiceman · June 2001

Pity about the whole-house filter (hard to believe that they make houses without a shut-off valve inside - nothing that a real plumber couldn't easily deal with I'm sure). Rusty water is definitely NOT recommended for washing.

I take it from your observation that your GP is dark bronzemist - you discerning car guy you. Yep, another point for GM in the colour development department.

tpken · June 2001

Dan - I think our friend Stnel (Stacy) is probably not a car "guy"! She certainly is one fine lady with very very good taste in automobiles!

Ken

stnel · June 2001

No problem! A lot of people don't read profiles and even if they do, they've been acting up. I've noticed the recent posts under my name date back to April with the Impala. I think that's been a problem with a lot of profiles.

I'm sure the tech people are aware of it and will get it fixed.

theiceman · June 2001

My apologies. Actually, I had read your profile and I still didn't clue in. Of course names are getting soooo generic that guys like me (with a guy name like Dan) get easily confused. My wife's name is Daryl (as in Hannah) and with actors like Stacy Keach (definitely a man), it's just too much for me I suppose. I throw myself on the mercy of the forum's membership...

stnel · June 2001

I didn't take offense. Names can be confusing.

GM is on the mark with some nice looking colors. I saw a Redfire in a parking lot the other day and that really was a pretty color of red. The sales manager offered me a good price on the Redfire that I looked at but in test driving the car, it had a funny feel to it in comparison to the other GP's that I test drove. But that was my top color choice. I am real happy, though, with the Dark Bronzemist.

stnel · June 2001

I FINALLY got my car washed - went over to the parents house. I didn't know I needed to dry the car off though and now water spots have replaced the dirt. At least the water spots won't hurt the paint until I can get it washed again.

I've never dried a car before after washing it and have never gotten water spots. Is this because the paint is metallic or if the new cars are coated with something when they're new? My other cars were white (non-metallic).

sincero · June 2001

Stnel,

I also washed my car this past weekend and found a number of waterspots afterwards. I thought I had done a good job drying it but obviously I was wrong. Let me know how your next wash goes!

theiceman · June 2001

It's hard to know just how badly spotted your car is but cars can get spotted because: you've got "hard" water; you washed it in direct sunshine; you didn't dry it thoroughly; etc. If you religiously wax your car, excess water should run off more easily - leaving the drying experience quite painless.

And yeah, what you see can be related to the paint finish - many white finishes are not clear-coated (your GP is definitely clear coated) and so behave differently. Still, embrace it because clear-coating is definitely the way to go.

If you plan to obsess about your car's appearance (hey, why not? you do have a beauty after all...), you should check out:

Town Hall: Zaino Car Care Experiences - Part 2 Misc articles on car washing Car washing primer Meguiars Zaino (for those who insist on the best and aren't afraid to pay for it)

tpken · June 2001

Lesson learned - Never use chamois again!

My 00 Bonneville now has a number of tiny scratches caused by a tiny piece of gravel that got onto the chamois. I suspect one of the kids used it and dropped it on the driveway when we were washing vehicles at some time previously.

From now on - nothing but freshly laundered cotton towels. I'm going to have to find a lightly abrasive wax to try and get the light scratches out now - any suggestions? I'll certainly check the above printed links.

Ken

jeffbog · June 2001

Ken, I started lurking in here because the wife decided on a GP GT 4-door. We took delivery a few weeks ago. Sold an Escort. Big change for her. Plus it drives a lot different then our Impala.

I have had great luck with a product from Meguiars called Body Scrub. It is safe for clear coat paint and is non-abrasive. I have used it for years every spring to clean my 89 black Buick.. which is mostly original paint. Plus it makes the waxing much easier... no swirls, etc.

tpken · June 2001

And Congrats on the Pontiac purchase! Sure is a major ride improvement over that Escort.

A guy about to join my carpool has a GTP - looking forward to lots of comparisons.

Thanks for the suggestion

Ken

stnel · June 2001

Once I saw the water marks on my car, I thought of wetting it down again and drying it but was worried that a cotton towel would get lint on the car. I was going to buy a chamois for the next car wash. Maybe not now.

I know when I use rags (old towels) to clean mirrors/glass in the house with Windex, it leaves lint on them. I imagine people have used towels before on their cars to know if the same would apply to cars.

stnel · June 2001

I'm sure your wife will enjoy her new car. I went from a small car to the Grand Prix myself. I had a problems centering myself evenly in parking spaces but am getting better at it. Naturally, I don't want to get too close to one line to avoid that first ding.

Note re: my post "On chamois" - I just read the article on Misc. car washing that theiceman mentioned and it says that cotton towels are okay for cars.

stnel · June 2001

I went back over my car and got most of those waterspots out unless they appear again overnight. I had bottled up some water from my parents house because my water has the iron sediment and used that. I did a section at a time and dried each section.

I'm sure my car looked a lot worse than yours because I hadn't dried it at all when I washed it last night. Quite frankly, the car looked so bad that it was embarrassing. Some would say it ought to be more embarrassing for the neighbors to see me washing my car with bottled water!

theiceman · June 2001

Not at all embarrasing. If it was a BMW and you were using Evian water.....

zzoom1 · June 2001

When searching for our Bonny, one of the dealers in the Tampa Bay area had a navy blue GTP, I think they still have it. neat color, kind of has a purplish tint to it and changes color depending on the light conditions. Regarding washing and drying cars, it might sound a bit weird, but when I'm done washing, I'll often take my power blower and get rid of a lot of the water before I use a towel on it. It's really good for getting water out of a lot of place where it might sit for awhile and you can't get at with a towel or chammy.

stnel · June 2001

using a power blower for drying your car. I went through more than one towel on mine.

I'm going to Wal-marts in a few minutes. I'm going to see what they have in Meguiars and Zaino.

teo · June 2001

Zaino, unfortunately, is not available in stores. According to the Zaino website, the only recommend PREMIUM top quality 100% cotton towels such as Cannon brand, etc..

Here is the link with more info should you be interested in learning more about Zaino:

www.zainobros.com

I will be shortly placing an order for some of their products for my new 01 Impala LS.

stnel · June 2001

Thanks for the info. I may just stick to cotton towels. I bet you're enjoying that new car of yours!

zzoom1 · June 2001

When I feel really ambitious, I wash car, dry, let it cool, put on a coat of Kit Scratch Out, buff, and then wax with good old Kit Carnauba Wax.I've been burned a couple of times using synthetic waxes as they have not been able to buff out easily, but I think a straight Carnauba wax is the best way to go.

stnel · June 2001

I've always used Zip Wax for washing cars. And I'm ashamed to say that I've never waxed a car. Too much muscle work!! I guess right now, as long as the water keeps beading up, I don't need to do anything but wash it.

I looked up Meguiars and Zaino on the internet and according to their web pages, they say you have to buy every product they sell to maintain your car. Even if I wanted to spend the money, that's too much work.

I'll have to find a middle of the road plan for maintaining the car's exterior!

ruski · June 2001

Zaino is one of the easiest products to apply and it buffs off without any effort (after you let it dry completely). It creates the best shine I have ever seen. And you don't have to buy every item in the product line.

stnel · June 2001

The question becomes - what to buy and what not to buy. Which product are you using? Is it the Z2?

ruski · June 2001

Z1, Z2, and Z6 are all that's needed

I also get the leather and rubber products, but that's because I want to.

stnel · June 2001

Do you strictly use Zaino or do you use store bought products as well? I'd rather find something in a store to use. I wondered what would be comparible to the Zaino products you mentioned in Maguires.

dhanley · June 2001

I tried zaino; bought the whole package. I wasn't THAT imperssed by it ( i had clayed & polished & waxed my cars before ) so i did a test. I did 1/2 the hood with their whole process, dawn, clay, dawn, z2, z5, z6 ,z5 ,z6 , z5 ,z6. Looked pretty darn good. The other side i washed, clayed, washed, and used a normal polish and wax. Looked just as good, and lasted as long, too! I don't think zaino is worth the extra money, by a long shot. I think any benefit you may see from Z is by adding steps you never did before. How many people clayed before they tried Z?

Waxing really follows the law of diminishing returns. $4 wax and 1/2 an hour will get you 90%. $8 wax and 1 hour will get you 95%. $16 wax and 2 hours will gt you 97%. Etc.

All IMHO.

dave

tpken · June 2001

What is that all about?

Ken

Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005

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