11th Jan 2002, 15:08
I agree with the last guy. You people must be beating those poor cars! I have 2000 Grand Am and a 1998 Grand Prix. They have both been fabulous cars! Maybe if you don't beat on your cars so badly, they won't be all busted up. Learn to be responsible with your car. It is not a toy, but a machine. Keep that in mind... they are not made to be driven into the ground!
17th Jun 2002, 13:57
In response to the last two:
I don't drive the car into the ground. It failed under normal driving conditions. This was my daily work car, and it failed to handle the most basic tasks of any car. GM has since taken the car back as a lemon, but not without six months of phone calls, e-mails, and letter writing.
As far as the weather affecting the car: Are you nuts? GM supposedly tests their cars for all weather conditions. If the weather was to be a factor, then there would be different models offered for different regions. I belive todays technology has long overcome the extreme weather changes we encounter in the Midwest. Besides, all of the faults happened in spring, with the air temperature being between 70 degrees and 75 degrees Farenheit. Hardly extreme conditions. This car was a piece of crap from day one.
Mind you, I do like the Grand Prix, and have not heard of any problems. My beef is in the way I was treated while having a legitimate set of complaints.
15th Aug 2002, 08:47
In terms of the comments that we must be driving our cars into the ground, or beating them... hardly the case. Somehow I thought that I was spending $30,000 on a car that would actually run. The problems that I have encountered with my '99 Grand Am (brakes, engine drivability, alignment, electrical problems, and build quality right up there to 1974 standards) have nothing to do with how I drive, they do, however speak volumes to the fact that GM does not build quality vehicles, that they seems to have no quality assurance whatsoever, and from my abysmal repair experience... do not stand behind the vehicles they build. My wife recently traded in her 1993 Mazda Protege, and that car was tighter with less squeaks, rattles and problems on trade-in than my Grand Am has had in it's first three months. And GM wonders why they are losing market share?
4th Dec 2002, 12:42
I have had my share of problems with my 99 GA SE2. The alternator, belt, tensioner, battery, and now the brakes. I don't blame GM for them though. I do believe there to be lemons out there like any other car dealership. GM is not perfect, but they try. As far as how they treated all of you. Well they where making it hard on you because they don't want someone saying their car is a lemon just because that person messed up in buying the car. There are a bunch of factors they have to figure in in order to cover their own butts.
Now I do believe that the replacement of parts is due to the Engine being so powerfull. With such a powerful engine the more you brake at high speeds to slow down the worse your breaks get. Basicaly other than those few lemons out there do upkeep maintenance and you'll be fine. (exp. Oil Change every other month, or every month depending on how much you drive it. Tune up every 6 months, tires changed when you have 5/32's or less of tread remaining, change fuel filter, use fuel nozzle cleaner to stop carbon buildup) Those are just some examples. I do all this myself. My car used to be owned by Hertz rent a car so it was well used (carfax) it has had no serious problems and has 68,000 miles on it right now. So like I said other than those few lemons take good care of your vehicle and you'll be just fine.
Sra Fletcher, USAF
Aircraft Mechanic.
17th Dec 2002, 16:19
Powerful engine? It's only rated at 175HP!! I never did any hard braking. The roads I drove on were rural, and rarely had a speed limit in excess of 45 MPH. It seems too many people are blaming the owner for the problems these cars have. In my case, I have owned and maintained many new vehicles. They have all been reliable up until the point I sold or traded them. Most of them had more than 80,000 miles on them. The particular Grand Am I had was most definitely a lemon, and it stemmed from poor design, testing, and quality control. GM even agreed. Hence the reason they took it back. The car was eventually destroyed, not resold. I believe that action would attest to my claim.
9th Feb 2003, 20:10
I have a 99 grand am gt. The car is pretty good. Maybe that last guy had a lemon, but that many repairs is ridiculous. I have 70,000 miles on my car and I have replaced the brakes twice (front), once rear brakes, and all rotors once. Now I have a problem with leaking coolant. Overall it has been a pretty good car. Drives good, starts everyday, and is dependable.
20th Apr 2003, 14:03
Could someone please tell me how to replace the serpentine belt on my 99 Grand Am SE with V6 engine?
25th Apr 2003, 09:17
Go to this website for directions on changing the serpentine belt.
Click on MODS and then scroll down until you see
"Gatorback Belt Installation".
It gives you step by step instructions with pictures to make it easier.
Total time to change is no more than an hour.
Good luck!!
30th May 2003, 17:57
Two weeks ago I spent $800 fixing the coolant on my '99 Pontiac Grand Am (46,000 miles) Now the coolant has leaked out entirely once again. I've seen other web sites with folks referring to this same problem. I'm worried I'm going to be spending a fortune getting this fixed. Has anyone else had this experience with coolant.
2nd Oct 2003, 09:23
I have a 2000 Grand Am SE2. I got it from Hertz with 28,000 miles on it. I agree with some that the white paint could be better, but the I have had only 3 problems with my car. 1-The window trim had begun to discolor and rust, GM replaced under warranty.2- The passenger window seal leaks a little in hard rain as does the trunk seal. I could have had GM fix it, but I just added another layer of rubberized seal to both doors and the trunk, problem solved and the car has a little less wind noise.3-At 64,000 miles I got a check engine light, which ended up being a bad #4injector. When it when in, again under extended warranty, Gm also pointed out that the lower intake gasket was leaking coolant and oil. All fixed under warranty. But I was told that this is a common problem with the GM 3.4 and all the cars that its used in. Other than that over the past 2.5 years the car has driven all around the country with out any problems, even pulling my motorcycle up and back from Fl to NC several times a year...
Sean Rubin
Ft.Myers, FL.
1st Nov 2001, 01:40
I don't know how you people get major problems! My 1999 Grand Am has had very few minor problems. All were corrected without a headache (I didn't go to a dealer either, they always want a fortune to fix anything!) You guys must be driving the hell out of them or living in the harsh heat and/or cold. If that's the case, you should be driving a vehicle that can handle extremes. Evidently this car can't. I live in Southern California, and my car doesn't have any problems. A constant temperature I think really helps. I know there's some of you out there who live in So CA who have had major problems, you're just not lucky I guess.