23rd Aug 2009, 17:02

To 23:09: Congrats on a GREAT DEAL!! The Accent is a very good little car and great on fuel mileage. The little engine is more than capable of freeway driving at speed. Here are a few tips to keep it going great for a very long time:

1) Switch to full synthetic oil. It costs more but is well worth it. It reduces friction and heat and will not form sludge in your engine.

2) Run a can of good quality fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank every 5,000-7000 miles. This will keep your fuel system clean and prevent expensive injector repairs.

3) Switch to a K&N high-flow air filter. They cost $50 or so, but NEVER require replacing, just cleaning every 10,000 miles (5,000 in very dusty areas) Cleaning kits are inexpensive and good for many cleanings.

4) Keep all your tires properly inflated. This will return great fuel mileage and give you longer tire life.

5) GO BY YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL. Check your manual to see when required servicing is due and FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS. The manual is far more reliable than what your dealer tells you, as it was written by the people who built your car, NOT the people wanting to sell you things you don't need. If the book says you need it, get it done, if not, you probably don't need it.

6) NEVER allow your engine to run hot. This can destroy your engine very quickly. Be sure the radiator is full and all your hoses are in good shape with the clamps tight and leak-free.

7) Don't ride your brakes. Imports wear out brake pads 3 times as fast domestics. You should get NO LESS than 30,000 miles out of your pads. If you don't, check your driving style. I routinely get 100,000 miles of wear out of my Ford and GM cars.

I recommended an Accent to a friend of mine who was short on money 5 years ago. He has taken great care of it (and followed the above recommendations) and it now has 80,000 miles with not one single problem. I hope your luck with yours is as good!!

25th Oct 2009, 13:31

A friend has an Accent and complains of very low 30s for MPG at 70 MPH. His has a manual tranny and driving in cool Minnesota temps. At 70 he turns 3,700 RPMs and is searching for a way to improve Mpg.

I drive a 2007 Pontiac GP 3800 auto, and it gets 29 MPG at 85 MPH with the AC on turning 2,200 RPM.

I'll bet the 3800 will last a lot longer than the Accent.

26th Oct 2009, 16:27

OK my friend, a lesson in simple math.

A smaller engine, i.e. an Accent 1.6L is SMALLER than a G.M. 3.8l or 3800 as you put it. That said, the larger engine will have lower r.p.m.'s at 70 M.P.H. than the smaller one. Why don't you find out how much fuel economy you get at the Accent's rpm level, then you can compare. If your friends Accent is getting 30-ish at 3700 rpms, and your Pontiac is getting 29 at 2200 rpms, then when you Pontiac is doing 3700 rpms it is only getting around 25mpg max. Simple math. And good luck getting any warranty coverage or dealer service with your Pontiac pretty soon... it is what it is.

28th Oct 2009, 18:44

First off, the Pontiac has a 100,000 mile warranty. Secondly, the 3.8 is one of the most reliable engines made. GM doesn't even recommend a TUNE-UP until 100,000 miles.

My current Pontiac has 85,000 miles and has had absolutely nothing except for 1 set of tires, 1 battery and front brake pads at 70,000 miles (the rear are still the originals). I don't ever worry about needing repairs or service. Pontiacs need virtually none.

29th Oct 2009, 09:21

"I don't even worry about service or repairs, Pontiac needs none"

Yeeeaaaah, good luck with that. Especially if you are constantly driving around at 85 mph+.

You see the problem with your argument is that you are trying to convince a Master Technician and Shop Foreman for one of the largest car dealers in Louisiana.

Yes, the G.M. 3800 series engines are a very reliable and well designed powerplant, but if you are always on them hard (like it sounds like you are) then they will not last much past 100k miles. If you have done no preventive maintenance, such as coolant changes every year or 30k miles, a new thermostat, injection services, or basic oil changes at least every 5000 miles, then I don't care what you drive, from Hyundai to Bentley, It WILL NOT LAST!!!

And unless you are living under a rock or in a cave, then you've heard that Pontiac is literally a "dying breed". Do you really think that you will get any decent warranty coverage out of a Chevy dealership after they are gone? Not that it matters anyway, your car has 85k mile, your warranty is almost up.

Oh one more thing F.Y.I, you did not mention if your 100k warranty was bumper to bumper or just a powertrain warranty, that tells me you don't know either. Another simple lesson, this time in warranty... a POWERTRAIN warranty covers ONLY THE ITEMS THAT MAKES THE CAR GO. That's it, no sensors, no injectors, no radiator, just block, heads, transmission (which for this car is garbage) and maybe axles (some cover them, some don't) Like I said in my last comment, have fun with that...

29th Oct 2009, 17:22

I think what the person was trying to say was that Pontiac has gone down the tubes, so getting GM to honor the Pontiac warranty is going to be difficult.

29th Oct 2009, 21:59

This is a common myth (usually perpetrated by import dealers). Pontiac was GM. GM HAS to honor the warranty. Even if GM itself went out of business tomorrow (highly unlikely) it is FEDERALLY MANDATED that all warranty claims on all past or present GM cars MUST be honored. Remember Oldsmobile? Thousands of Olds owners still get warranty work done on their extended warranties. Our local Olds dealer simply switched to GMC and went right on honoring the Olds warranties all along. Please get the facts before spreading unfounded stories that hurt American businesses.