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Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005

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Comments

  • teoteo Member Posts: 2,508
    The Clay Bar is the most effective and safest way to remove paint contaminants such as rail dust (Very common in brand spanking new cars), industrial fallout and other junk that gets embedded in the paint and would otherwise be extremely difficult to take out unless they rub compound the entire car. Rail dust tends to oxidize in the paint with time and it is noticeable when you look really closely in the paint finish, like small rust spots all over the car. The Clay bar helps remove these, thus protecting the paint from premature oxidation and other damages.

    Zaino's Clay Bar is identified as Z18 in the product range.

    I agree with Ruski, Z1, Z2 and Z6 its all needed to keep the car looking great. Z18 is good to keep handy. For a new car these items are enough IMO.
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    I have used Zymol (blue bottle for $15 or so), Meguiar's Gold Class, Turtle Wax in the past, and while producing nice shine, they did not last very long. I think Zymol contributed to swirl marks.

    Zaino LASTS. Plus you can add coats, easily. Additional coats make it shine even more.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    When i did it side by ide with meguiar's wax, i saw not durability difference.

    The smooth feeling and rain beading from waxes and polishes do last longer if you clay first, and if you do multiple coats.

    dave
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    Was at our town hall on Friday talking with our town clerk who has a 1999 Grand Prix and she mentioned a water leak that I thought I would share. Some of the 1999 and 2000 Grand Prixs can have a water leak onto the passenger floor from the Air Conditioning module. It appears that the evaporator case drain can clog, allowing it to fill with water and spill over into the car. She said the dealer cleaned it out by putting something flexible into the tube from the engine compartment side and a lot of water drained out. I guess it is a small black elbow about 5" long near the center of the firewall about half way down. Not sure how hard it is to get to, the delaer put her car up of the lift.
  • fkoehlerfkoehler Member Posts: 15
    OK, just a had a nit wit rear end me on the freeway. Only low speed (5-8 mph), but it was rather funny. Traffic had slowed on 101 S ( San Fran), and I had to stop about 8 inches from a large industrial truck, you know the ones with those big metal step ladder/bars that hang from the rear bumper. So, this girl in a Corolla whacks me in the rear, just as I've completed my stop.
    Impact rocked me a bit, and actualy pushd me further onto the brake. Was sure I was going to noce into the truck ahead. However, I didn't move more than an inch maybe. Glanced up, and saw her acutally bounce back about 1-2 feet though.

    Q1: surprisingly I've only got some decent scuffs and scrapes on my rear bumper. However, when I drive it, seems like there maybe some broken plastic inside the bumper. Anyone know if the insurance company will allowme to replace it, or will they say that it just needs o be bondoed? My Ins. adjuster wants to look at it Monday/Tuesday, so if so, I may have to 'tweak' it a bit more.

    Q2: The car I bought came with a Blaupunkt 10 disc changer in the trunk, with the FM radio xmtr, and the head unit attached to the stereo. Anyone know if this was the stock option, or an aftermarket? That is also noow dead. Godd thing is, I'm going to take the ins. $$ and just replace the stock radio with oneof those new single CD/RW/MP3 players.

    Q3: Want to do some of the grandprixstore.com mods. Anyone tried the Next Level Sway bars?

    Q4: Also interested in the Next Level Strut Tower Braces. Any suggestions on whether I should do these before or after the sway bars? What would be the noticible performance difference between te two?

    Q5: Also want to replace my headlights. Sylvania has the Cool Blue and the Xtreme's. Anyone have comments?

    thanks,
    Fred
  • dhaines4dhaines4 Member Posts: 1
    Just went shopping for a car for my 17-year old daughter. Came across a '97 Grand Prix GTP which looks to be in good shape. Has 80k miles, which seems a bit high, but is fully loaded and dealer is asking $10,6. Price seems in line based on blue book.

    Just looking for someone who may give my some advice on what particular problems I should look for when having the car looked at by my mechanic. Also wondering if this is just too much car for a 17-year old. I understand it has a good safety rating, which is important also.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    I believe that GTP is too powerful for unexperienced driver. Too easy to accelerate before realizing it. No time to say "oops".

    Would you buy your daughter a Mustang or Camaro? However, GTP is accelerating substantially faster than these sport cars in the base (6-cylinder) trim.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hi everyone! I haven't been here in a while, so I thought I might as well stop by and say hi.


    I see some of my old buddies are still posting.


    I am enjoying my Jeep Wrangler Sport immensely, and she has been performing well. She's even more fun than I had imagined she would be.


    I have to get my two cents worth in again while I am here: my 2000 Grand Prix GT was the BEST car that I ever had by a BIG margin!


    That car never once went back to the dealer for even any little problem. The car was nothing less than perfect!


    If I were going to get back into a car instead of a Jeep, I don't think I would even bother looking at anything other than a GP!


    What more could you possibly want in a car? GP's are way better looking than any other cars, they have great acceleration with the 3.8, the transmission shifts flawlessly, they have plenty of room and a huge trunk for a mid size car, and they get great gas mileage. I actually got as high as 31.6 when I was purposely driving slower to "go for a record" on gas mileage. But even with my normal driving on trips when I was going about 73 MPH, I could always count on between 29 and 30 mpg.


    I wish I could have kept that car and still bought a Jeep, but there was no way.


    I really, really love my Jeep, and I would like for you guys to see her. Her name is Thelma Jane, and her web page is:


    http://www.members.aol.com/tjoh298765/thelma.html


    Toony Woony, how you doin'? Ain't heard from you in ages!


    You guys come visit and say hi over in Wrangler IV, where I hang out now. It's under owners clubs/jeep owners clubs/jeep wrangler owners/ wrangler IV.


    c ya


    tsjay


    Have you hugged your Grand Prix today?

  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    As far as the '97 goes, they are pretty good reliability wise but you should have a professional examine the electrical system and just make sure that all power accessories work well. While you're at it, get a thorough check of the HVAC system - you won't be sorry. I wouldn't exactly ignore the powertrain but that 3.8 is pretty bulletproof.

    However, I do agree with yurakm - even though this is not the sort of information you requested. If safety was my concern (and when it comes to my kids, it's a big one), I wouldn't buy a GTP for my kids. The GTP is a lovely car (for an experienced driver - like me) but its 240 horses is just way too much power available way too easily. In fact, at 200 hp even the GT has more power than most kids would ever need - with the added bonus of better fuel economy on regular fuel (the GTP takes premium).

    I'd check out the insurance rates too.
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    also the '97 GTP did not have Traction Control. Your daugher might have pretty hard time taming those 240 horses.
  • kdstankdstan Member Posts: 17
    Has anyone here put flowmasters on there GTP? If so, any suggestions or problems with putting them on.I am thinking about adding some to my GTP.

    kdstan
  • jewel47jewel47 Member Posts: 1
    Hello all,

    I have a problem which has really scared me. I have a new 2001 GP GT, with less than 9000k miles. I bought the car new last fall. Recently I was accelerating after I stopped for a toll and the car took OFF! I began to accelerate faster than I had ever before! I pressed on the brake to slow down and the car did not slow down! I moved and put both feet on the brake and pressed as hard as I could and the car only dropped 5 mph from its previous speed of 70. I thought the accelerator was stuck so I lifted my foot to tap the accelerator and the car began to speed up again! I could hear the engine revving and felt the car speed up as soon as I started to lift my feet from the brakes. Finally the engine began to idle down and the car started to slow down. But in the meantime, I had kids in the back who were crying and screaming because I spending up to the back of the car in front of me. I am taking my car to the service dept today, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem??????

    Any help will be appreciated!
    Vanessa
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    That sounds horribly frightening! Be sure to come back here and let us know what happens with the service department.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    yes - please report back. I'm glad that nobody was hurt.
  • sk8ctsk8ct Member Posts: 3
    That sounds so scary! What would have been the thing to do if the car didn't start to slow down? Turn off the ignition? Throw it into "Park"? I'm going to have nightmares thinking about this one.

    Let us know what the mechanic found.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    before the sway bars. That's my suggestion.

    This will improve the responsiveness of the tires and then the car in general. You should feel it right away. Then you can decide what you want to do with the sway bars. My guess is that the improvement in handling might be enough to convince you not to bother with the sway bars.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    For the last few gas tanks, soon after my low fuel light comes on the service engine light comes on. I fill the tank but the service engine light stays on but goes off the next day.

    The last time the low fuel light came on, I tried to get to the gas station before the engine light came on. I didn't make it, but during the trip to the gas station the engine stalled twice when slowing/stopped for intersections. The next day the light went off and the engine runs fine.

    By the way, when the low fuel light comes on, it takes only 13 gals to fill it. Considering it has an 18 gal tank, that is a 5 gal reserve. I don't recall if this is a change since my wife mostly drives it.

    I made a service appointment but cancelled when the light went off. If a trouble code isn't registered I would be wasting my time taking it in.

    The '98 SE just turned 36,000 miles. Any ideas?
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    This question is asked at driving exams in Connecticut.

    Switch to neutral. With modern cars, very probably, computer will cut off gas at 4k rpm, and engine will be OK. In the worst case, the engine will be ruined, but your kids and you will be alive.

    Never turn ignition off: the car will lose power steering, and everything power, as well as everything electrical.

    I believe, it is will be simply impossible to switch to park in such situation: passing through rear, at 70 mph, will destroy transmission... Any case, this is a very bad idea.
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    Exactly - toss the car into neutral. The first instinct is to brake (because you usually don't know what's going on) but tossing the shift lever into neutral is the way to go - it's an easy push forward on a floor mounted shift lever. You then use the car's momentum to pull over to a safe spot on the side of the road. You can shut off the ignition once it's in neutral and then shift into park.

    BTW, I've heard tell of magnetic fields that can interfere with PCM's in some new cars causing all sorts of problems - interfering with operations from ABS brakes to acceleration. Many cases of unintended acceleration have been caused by feet slipping off the brake pedal or floor mats which get bunched in the driver's foot well in the (obviously) wrong way.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    I also would like to hear if anything is decided what caused this.

    Do you have floormats? Floormat moving on top of the accelerator pedel causes a lot of this problem. It happened to me years ago. Especially a floormat that has wrinkles/does not lay perfectly flat on the floor/moves around at all under your feet.

    I'm surprised the brakes didn't slow the car down more. Engineers say on most cars the brakes are powerful enough to stop a car at full throttle.
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    I remember reading a story of a floormat that got curled up under the brake pedal in such a way that it acted like a lever - when you hit the brake, the floor mat was being pressed harder into the accelerator. The harder you braked, the worse it became. That driver hit a wall - glad that didn't happen to our Vanessa.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    In my experience with Buick Regal and Chevy Malibu, the low fuel light (and chime) is coming when about 4 gallons of fuel is left in the tank. A bit more or less depending on the road incline. Most probably, the same is with your GP.

    I have read that modern GM cars need to have about 2 gallons for fuel pump to work right. Any case, with computer-controlled engine, fuel-injectors, etc., it is better not to drive till the last drop of gas. So the 4 gallons translates into 2 gallon margin: barely enough if you are stick in the traffic jam, or if the next highway exit is in 30-50 miles...
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    In my 2000 Bonneville seems to have 1-2 gallons left when it is at the bottom of the gradations. I have put in 16 gallons once and 17 gallons once and the tank supposedly holds 18 gallons. A bit too close for comfort to do this again. Once the warning chime sounds - another 30 -40 miles or so is probably about the most that should reasonably be driven before gassing up.

    Ken
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    theiceman - I finally saw a Grand Prix in Navy Blue. It was a nice looking car.

    Stuck acceleration - I read about this happening from a few people on the Impala forum a while back. I don't know what the outcome was though. Maybe there will be a recall down the road.
  • teoteo Member Posts: 2,508
    Never heard or read of that problem in the Impala. Could you point me to the source of that info?
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I'm pretty sure it was in the Impala forum that I read this. I would have read this in April (most likely) but I'm not going through all those posts to find it. You could put forth the acceleration problem in the Impala forum and see if anyone responds.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    There was several reports on the Impala board of engine shut-off. Three to five reports in 2 years. Bad ignition switch, crankcase sensor(?) and something else. Mostly in not dangerous situations, like on a rural road.

    Additionally, there was such report on the Gran Prix board. A frightening case, when engine died merging on highway on front of a heavy vehicle. Bad ERG(?) valve - a part of pollution control.

    However, before yesterday I do not remember a single report of uncontrolled acceleration.
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I went on and read a number of Impala posts from April and didn't find anything on stuck acceleration. It could be I read it on another forum. I definitely remember the problem though.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    My buddy just told me today his 1 yr old GP broke a rear spring while at the shore. No rough roads there he said.

    Anyway the road side assistance got his vehicle to a dealer and they overnighted the part and had him back on the road the next afternoon.

    A flat bed that came to collect his GP couldn't get the car loaded because of the body lean due to the broken spring. My friend ended up driving behind the truck to a dealer.
  • sk8ctsk8ct Member Posts: 3
    Yes, of course - neutral is much better idea than Park, and I thought of that after I hit the send button. Hopefully that would work.

    Me
  • dziegieldziegiel Member Posts: 1
    Hello,

    I am having a problem with my factory alarm on my 2000 Grand Prix GT and the dealership service department has been unable to fix it after 5 trips
    (days) up there. The problem is the alarm goes off at totally random times for no reason at all. I have been unable to find the pattern. They have replaced one shock sensor and tweaked the settings several times, but no luck yet. The alarm sometimes will go off within a few minutes, other times its been a day or two. Climate or location do not matter either. It has gone off in a parking lot, in a parking structure, in my home garage. The weather has been cool and damp, hot, etc... makes no difference as far as I can tell.

    Any ideas???

    Thanks,

    Jason
  • kdstankdstan Member Posts: 17
    Is Pontiac redesigning the body styles for the 2002 Grand Prix. If so, does anyone know where I can view some pictures of it.
  • greywolfgreywolf Member Posts: 51
    I had the same thing happen to me a few times, when the car was about 3 months old. It has never reoccured. See if they can disable the shock sensor all together.

    kdstan - the Grand Prix redesign is not coming until 2003. No pics have been released or leaked thus far. GM is keeping it under wraps for now.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    This years One Lap of America has a 99 GTP placing 39th. Anyone know if the drivers posted their experiences on the web?
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Grand Prix has no major changes until 2003.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Wasn't this in this topic?

    What ever happen?

    Wasn't the lady taking the car to the dealer?
  • tom18tom18 Member Posts: 89
    In buying a new 2001 GT (grand prix) end of year deal should you use edmunds pricing to figure the true end of year market value (is edmunds updated for the end of year true price or true market value) or do you expect a lower than posted invoice price (edmunds) as your target price at this time of year and then subtract the $2000 incentive Pontiac is offering as your final price of purchase? What is the recommended procedure and how can you find the best dealers in the Wisconsin/ Illinois area for best price ?
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    I'd say start with invoice less the $2k incentive. You should be able to find a dealer who will nibble - as long as you'll take something on their lot (remember, it costs them - and you - if they have to bring it in from elsewhere). That means that you'd better not be fussy about trim levels and colours. If you're holding out for leather with no sunroof (as I was - I gave up and went with cloth seats), good luck - these things are scarcer than hen's teeth.

    When you've narrowed it down to one or two dealers, I find that the best strategy is to go in on the afternoon last Saturday of the month and be prepared to make your deal on the spot. Don't go in without a bottom line and whatever you do, stick to it.

    Good luck - let us know how it works out.
  • tom18tom18 Member Posts: 89
    Can anyone tell me beside the extra power in engine - what comes extra on the GTP model when compared with the GT - are things like wheels(UP3) - Boese stereo - leather and the appearance packages (option 4?) options and all cost added extras - what do you actually get for stepping up approximately $2000 dollars between models other than engine
  • tom18tom18 Member Posts: 89
  • tom18tom18 Member Posts: 89
    Thank you iceman for previous info on price strategy at this time of year - I just started looking and find salespeople are confused - my last visit has a salesperson that didn't know how to correctly open the sunroof - online information here is valuable to me
  • accountstudentaccountstudent Member Posts: 11
    Hello all.

    Looking for a good used car and came across a white 99 GP SE 4-door with 25000 miles. It has the 3800, BOSE speakers, steering wheel radio controls, power seat, and keyless entry. The dealer is currently asking 13,900 + tax. If anyone could give an opinion of this deal I woild appreciate it very much. Thanks.
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    Once you equip a Grand Prix GT Sedan ($22,720) with group 1SC ($1,602 with Power Driver's Seat, Cargo Net, Overhead Console, Steering WHeel Radio Controls, Remote Keyless Entry, Trip Computer, and Premium Lighting w/OnStar) Power Driver's Lumbar ($130), Head-Up Display ($325) and CD ($150) you get to $24,927. At $26,240 for a GTP, all I can find listed for the $1,313 difference is the Supercharger, the Speed Rated Tires, and the Full Function Traction Control.
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    Are there not differences in the thickness of the stabilizer bars or in the diameter of the brake rotors as well?
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    I was only thinking sales features as an answer. Went around the web and find that the Stabilizer bars and rotors are the same between the GT and GTP. (Kelley, Edmunds, Pontiac and GM Buypower do not get into specifics. Found the info at Driversseat.com, run by the NADA using ChromeData as the info source, who I thought supplied the programing for GM BuyPower.)
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    I would have assumed that, with greater ponies, that the GTP would be better endowed in those departments as well. Surprising....
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    Of course on the other side of the street they are saying, "Wow my GT is over-endowed".
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    I have (er...actually my wife has) a GT - and I was already impressed about how much car this represents for the money. Now I'm even more so.
  • redbetaredbeta Member Posts: 2
    Hi Folks,

    I'd like to ask if anyone has a suggestion about how to change the pitch of the 2001 Grand Prix passenger seat. Pontiac offers power, lumbar support, heat, etc. for the driver's seat but nothing for the passenger's seat. People that have riden with me complain the pitch of the seat is too low. Are there comfort cushions or something available in the market I could offer to passengers?

    Thanks,
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I didn't get the lumbar support in my Grand Prix and if I drive 20 minutes or so it gives my back fits! I have a lumbar roll that I bought that works so-so. You may be able to find one at a medical supplies shop. I bought mine from the Physical Therapy Dept. at the local hospital. I don't know if you could walk into a hospital and buy one like that or not without being a patient.

    If you find something better than what I suggested, could you post back here to let me know.

    Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.