I hate to say it, but I'm starting to hate this car...

[lone_wolf025]

Its the little things that are really starting to grate on me. I'm sick of the torque steer all the time, sick of that stupid strut mount creak, sick of the stupid sash clips for the power window, and sick of how the thing handles.

I know some will say to just get a different car, but unfortunately I'm stuck with this until I pay it off ;crap Its not the worst model car out there I know...I guess the feeling of having a "new" car has finally worn off and now its gotten to the grit your teeth and try to ignore that blasted creak that happens ALL THE TIME :scream: Even the universal sound fix (aka the radio) can only cover it up so well at bearable levels.

*takes a deep breath*

While I'm on the topic of those f***ing mounts how much do they go for?

[timberwoof]

I know how you feel in this area. I've had the car for 2 years now, and I've been tired of it for the past year and 11 months. Is that a bad thing? My wife wanted it and I had to trade in my truck to get it

I too have the mount creak, and now I have to re check my damn brakes cause it sounds like there is a rattle. I also have an HVAC knob broke, and the switch panel for the drivers door is loose.

I want a new car, but until my wife finally graduates and gets a job, I won't be even close to getting one so I have to deal with what I got. I've finally figured out I'm going to do the suspension first then the engine. Not the cheapest route but I like taking corners as fast as I can. That's my specialty.

[onesexyga]

Um, boo hoo. I know what you mean, but come on, its a car. They are engineered to fall apart 12 minutes after you buy them. If you can't afford anything new, fix what you have. Strut mounts are relatively cheap, and cheaper if you do the job yourself. Do what i did for the sash clips and replaced them with your own homemade creation. Its not pretty, but its behind the door, and its not plastic so it doesnt break. At the very least console yourself in the fact that while your car may have a few problems, its still a decent looking car.

[AznGA]

Well, your car is still pretty new. This is coming from an owner of a 02 GA GT with 114,000 miles. I hear lots of minor squeaks and rattles everywhere, but mechanically it still runs fine because as the only owner of this car, I maintained it pretty well. I hate to see 6 digits on my odometer but when I see my car out of the car wash, with shiny stock chrome rims, and without any doordings on the body, I still feel like I am driving a car with only 50k miles.

[2003SCT]

I am still amazed that people have the complaints/issues that they do.....my 03' has had almost zero issues( I am the original owner) and I have about 60K miles on her now. Plus, and I have said it before, that includes lots of 110 degree+ city driving, 6 autocrosses, full out hot laps at Laguna Seca and the general abuse of someone like me driving on a daily basis.
My car, considering what type of driving I do, is still tight as a drum. I have had the LIM thing but thats it.


CHRIS

[oldassz]

heck, thats it?? Try owning an import car. twice the problems and twice the cost to fix( I swear to god man).. Domestic cars rock for there cheap pricing to fix and their reliability. I owned a mitsu ( bought it B/N in 04) and just under warrenty, the following list got repaired:
1) new clutch at 30,000 kms ( throw bearing noise...LOUD)
2) new tranny at 52,000 kms ( syncro's in 1st were toast)
3) strut mounts and suspension bushings needed replacing at 52,000 kms
4) heater control knobs needed replacing at 52,000 kms
5) Tires at 37,000 kms( NOT warranty)......terrible suspension geometry....terrible.

6) partial head gasket blow at 80,000 kms ( found oil in my antifreeze)
7) was going to need brakes, timing belt, suspension work ( again NOT warranty)
8) THERE WAS ALREADY RUST FORMING ON THE CAR LOL ( under the door)
I ended up selling the car without doing alot of the required repairs back to the dealership. I will never own another import again. I was in the dealership almost every 2 months.... I only owned the car for 2 yrs and it was just BS. Grand Ams are ok in my books so far :)

[Exodus]

Yeah, I guess I'll stick to leasing for a while. Im tired of spending money on repairs. I feel that paying to fix an old car is a waste, I just use that money to pay for the lease, by the time the lease is up, I would have paid $0 for fixes b/c they are under the warrenty. Then Ill get a new car right after I trade this car in.

[Mike3800]

Its the little things that are really starting to grate on me. I'm sick of the torque steer all the time, sick of that stupid strut mount creak, sick of the stupid sash clips for the power window, and sick of how the thing handles.

I know some will say to just get a different car, but unfortunately I'm stuck with this until I pay it off ;crap Its not the worst model car out there I know...I guess the feeling of having a "new" car has finally worn off and now its gotten to the grit your teeth and try to ignore that blasted creak that happens ALL THE TIME :scream: Even the universal sound fix (aka the radio) can only cover it up so well at bearable levels.

*takes a deep breath*

While I'm on the topic of those f***ing mounts how much do they go for?

How many miles are on her?

[nascarnate326]

Yeah, I guess I'll stick to leasing for a while. Im tired of spending money on repairs. I feel that paying to fix an old car is a waste, I just use that money to pay for the lease, by the time the lease is up, I would have paid $0 for fixes b/c they are under the warrenty. Then Ill get a new car right after I trade this car in.

Thats the way I look at it, and how I will do my next car.



Sorry about your GA, I know all abotu squeek dude. Jbody owns.

[DrFabulous]

You bought a $19,000 car that is 4 years old.... and you're complaining about things that are either non-model specific or easy to fix.

Window clips are pretty cheap and easy to do
Strut mounts are a little harder to get at, but not too spendy
It doesn't handle that bad for how big it is- and doesn't take much to make the handling better
It's FWD-it's going to have torque steer. Imagine if the engine actually had power lol


I really don't understand how people complain so much on the quality of these cars. Yeah, they aren't the best, but for the money, they aren't bad at all, especially if you're willing to throw a little elbow grease at it.

[lone_wolf025]

I guess I'm expecting a little much out of the thing. At the very least I'm very glad that the thing isn't breaking something every month. My previous P.O.S. blazer was in the shop for one thing or another almost every month and each time it'd cost $500.

Edit-

Oh yea and at 35k miles its starting to burn oil. I don't think its past the "normal" 1 quart per 3,000 miles but its getting there...

[notsoaveragej0e]

I know some people in Detroit who can make your problem disappear...

[Mike Jung]

...Edit-

Oh yea and at 35k miles its starting to burn oil. I don't think its past the "normal" 1 quart per 3,000 miles but its getting there...
Burning oil, in a 3400-series V6 :confused:

Maybe leaking oil; as in the LIM gasket ?

What motor oil are you using ?

[lone_wolf025]

Burning oil, in a 3400-series V6 :confused:

Maybe leaking oil; as in the LIM gasket ?

What motor oil are you using ?

Doubt its the gasket, thing was replaced less than a year ago. I'm using valvoline 5w-20.

Oh and if I hadn't topped it off when I went racing at the track a few weeks back I'd be on the 2nd hole down on the dipstick by now. As it is now its down one.

[Mike Jung]

Doubt its the gasket, thing was replaced less than a year ago. I'm using valvoline 5w-20.

Oh and if I hadn't topped it off when I went racing at the track a few weeks back I'd be on the 2nd hole down on the dipstick by now. As it is now its down one.
:wtf are you using Valvoline semi-synthetic 5W-20 !!!
http://www.valvoline.com/products/All-Climate.pdf

Viscosity @ 100°C (cSt) = 8.36 :nono:

Nice lower HTHS rating at 150°C too !!! :nono:

& you wonder why you are losing oil :rolleyes:

STOP USING 5W-20 !!!

Use 5W-30 &/or 10W-30.


& here I am using a synthetic motor oil that is the other end of the scale, German Castrol Syntec 0W-30:
Viscosity @ 100°C (cSt) = 12.1
HTHS @ 150°C = 3.6

[lone_wolf025]

Its not semi-syn and I think its 5w-20 I'll double check the bottles tomorrow.

[frmtheash]

eh, your always going to have problems with cars, Import, domestic, etc. I had my hub bearing replaced, and I still need to get my ignition cyclinder replaced, and the multifunction thingy either cleaned or replaced......A car is an investment, just like a home.......sooner or later, some repairs need to be made ><

[Mike Jung]

Its not semi-syn and I think its 5w-20 I'll double check the bottles tomorrow.
By being 5W-20:

It is semi-synthetic.
Even if it is not labeled as such.

[lone_wolf025]

By being 5W-20:

It is semi-synthetic.
Even if it is not labeled as such.

Ah. Well I double checked anyways since you got me wondering and I was wrong its 5w-30.

[Mike Jung]

Have you tried a different brand/type of oil ?

Some are better than others (if it is not caused by the engine).

[lone_wolf025]

Well this oil consumption is rather new. But I used the last of that oil (minus a half-empty quart) in my last oil change. Next one (in another 2000 miles or so) is gonna be with the Quaker 5w-30 synthetic we bought a few cases of when it was on sale last.

[99blackSE]

Its a car, what can ya do. Yeah its a GM I guess, supposed to be crap but my '99 has held up quite well imo, and it is nearing 10 years old. Although my mileage is pretty low, maybe 85000 miles/140,000 km, I would have thought that being a first year model, 2nd owner status would have shown some problems but meh, nothing. I agree with Matt, for a dated design they aren't that bad.

[lone_wolf025]

Oh and here's a good one: I replaced the crappy ebay regulator (which failed btw) with an OEM replacement. Problem was I didn't have a motor to close the window up to make the car "parkable" in public. I temporarily swapped the passenger side motor in but when I put it back (to the passenger side) it won't work now. Everything is plugged in (baby bluish plug into white socket black into black) but now it just won't work. My job for tomorrow is hunting down the cause. What was really bad though was that in the process of taking my time and doing this job I had the doors open and radio going...with an end result of draining the battery so bad I couldn't start the car. I was forced to throw a charger on the thing. Fun fun

[WeibSunder]

Ga's have horrible stock charging systems.

[lone_wolf025]

Unfortunately the newest failure I can't blame on the car. My cutout has apparently finally died. It worked just fine 9 hrs ago but now its stuck closed... What else will go wrong?

[timberwoof]

Unfortunately the newest failure I can't blame on the car. My cutout has apparently finally died. It worked just fine 9 hrs ago but now its stuck closed... What else will go wrong?

pull it and try to clean it out. the electrics are known to gum up.

[lone_wolf025]

pull it and try to clean it out. the electrics are known to gum up.

Its on my list which so far includes:

1. Pop driver's side panel off (6 or 7th time now) and plug in lock switch and mirror adjustment knob
2. Pop passenger side panel off (4th time now) and diagnose motor issue
3. Check cut-out
4. Possibly remove new regulator asmbly to match a new motor to (two different motors match my vin) while attempting to reinstall old broke ass asmbly to keep window up.

[ihatemygrandamg]

My grand am had 133k miles on it, every little problem you could think of, and looked like ass, but I still loved it and dumped money into it in aftermarket parts.

I realy do miss it :( , and my new car didnt feel like a new car for long. Seeing as it got about $600 of performance mods done in the first month.

[GlisteningWhite]

sell it and buy a subaru:thumbs:

[howlinwolf]

i Bought my car, i guess third owner, and had to park it at my dads house because i couldnt afford to get things switched. It set for about a month, i got it legal, and thirty minutes later the head or lim or whatever gasket went. I broke down at oreillys. first thing i did was buy the gasket set. it still cost me 825 dollars for the job, and i soon realized they did a ****ty job. anyway i have replaced
Driver side window: $60 Dollars for window and clips
Full engine gasket: $825 including labor
Plugs and wires: $40 went cheap. im broke. Not to mention, this was done 5k miles ago also. stupid mechanics. I think i was cheated
Front Brakes and rotors$ I dont even remember.
but i dont have to do it everytime i turn around, like my cavalier. but the cavalier, i could change the head gasket in 20 minutes (guess that signals a problem? duh)

[GlisteningWhite]

both upper and lower manifolds in my car went at 23,000 mi, both windows and sunroof motors at 31,000 mi that why they dont make the car anymore, sorry to hear about it

[timberwoof]

sell it and buy a subaru:thumbs:

I agree. A Subaru STi would be my first car to go for. Man I love the sound of a turbo boxter engine. GGGRRR

[lone_wolf025]

I'll pass on the subie... I have another car in mind...Unfortunately I'm stuck with this one until its paid off.