2003 Saturn L300 l300 V6 from North America
Summary:
Maintance free car!!
Faults:
Nothing.
General Comments:
Great Car hassle free great job GM!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 6th November, 2006
2003 Saturn L300 from North America
Summary:
Overall a pretty good car, but seems to me that bad quality of parts is creeping back in
Faults:
OnStar unit went bad, replaced under warranty.
Power Steering pump went bad with 80mi left on warranty (that was close!).
Seat Belt switch went bad under warranty, went bad again out of warranty (didn't fix it).
Radio (6-CD changer) replaced under warranty due to "ticking" noise in speaker...3 months later the ticking is back...I'm living with it.
Right front wheel bearing went bad, fixed at my expense.
Battery had a short life in my opinion...3 years.
General Comments:
I do like the car, but wish it got better gas mileage (22-27mpg), I think this is probably because the torque-converter "unlocks" under very little engine load (slight up-hill grade on interstate for instance).
Handles reasonable well, peppy V6 has great pick-up.
Maintance parts seem expensive, the oil filter without a "can" costs more than those with a can. Air filter was $20, I'm afraid to see what the cabin filter costs.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 7th August, 2006
21st Aug 2007, 15:50
You can buy the cabin filters for $10 online.
Installation takes about 4-5 minutes. If you can pop your hood and hold a screwdriver (you don't even have to turn it!) you can save yourself $40.
Most of the parts for this vehicle are now becoming available after-market, so if you can turn a wrench, you should be able to save yourself some cash on maintenance.
My L300 has been starting to give me all sorts of trouble, the latest being the rear control arms needing the alignment shims installed. The shims are ~$12 a piece. The dealership wants ~$250 to do the job. I'm willing to bet I might be able to do it cheaper...
Power Steering pump started leaking at ~50k, replaced at 70k. I was unable to break the compression nut loose, and had to fork over the $750 for the dealer to do it. Otherwise, I'd have been able to do the job myself for ~$230.
Tire wear issues and slight 'shimmy' have been present since day 1. I've been faithful with my rotations and alignments, and have many times taken the car back to have the wheels re-balanced. Smooth pavement is the worst, as the slight vibration is more pronounced.
Security & Environmental controls replaced. Security system failed, (key fob wouldn't unlock) and kicked in the ignition & shifter interlock. ~18k miles.
Ceiling panel rear of sunroof was disconnected when I got the car (new). Dealer replaced bracket for free - covered under a warranty. They told me there's a TSB for this, and that the mounting clip was replaced with a re-engineered replacement.
Fuel pump failed outright, no warning at ~50k.
Occasionally the wrench pops up when it's humid outside, no codes get produced. Stopping / starting the engine makes the light go away.
Replaced front brakes at ~46k. Rotors appeared rather aggressively worn. 65% or more of my driving is highway miles.
I'm not so enamored with this car as I once was. Repair costs for the last three months are approaching $1300. I still plan to run the wheels of this thing though, so as I'm coming up on 71k, I'm hoping to get another 200k out of it.
2003 Saturn L300 from North America
Summary:
Lousy service
Faults:
There is an intermittant short in the AC/Heater system.
General Comments:
I was very happy with this car until I had this problem with the Air Conditioner/Heater system. The dealer is unable to repair this item because every time it is taken there the first thing they do is jiggle wires until it starts working again. The problem is known by some of the service technicians, but the service manager refuses to do any repairs until he sees the problem himself.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th July, 2005
25th Feb 2007, 18:32
Cabin air filter was $50.00 for me. Yikes.