2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi
<1000 miles - Numerous small problems taken care of at time of delivery, including loose glue on astroroof sunshade headliner, ill-fitted right rear door sill, and pitted chrome wheels. Headliner and sill repaired and four brand-new 17" chrome wheels ordered and mounted at no charge.
~20,000 miles - Left license plate bulb burned out. Replaced at no charge.
~40,000 miles - Inboard left taillamp burned out. Replaced for cost of bulb.
~62,000 miles - Car would not crank over. Jumped and driven home, then towed to dealership where new batter and leads were replaced. Offered to charge only 60% of new battery cost, we decided to pay the full cost of a better battery. No labor charge.
~80,000 miles - Oil pressure sensor malfunction, reads high pressure and pegs the gauge on the high side. Fixed for ~$75 IIRC (father did this).
I'm not including the at the time endless alignment issues and an air conditioning compressor that blew out as these things and other were a result of a major accident with the car and are related to the dealership's work and my father's and my own high expectations of perfection in these repairs.
This vehicle is now nearly six years old with about 105,000 miles on it. Since about the 50,000 miles mark, its been averaging between 200-400 miles a week as my father's commuter/mobile office. It drives mixed highway/city mileage and has a/c running all the time. Only one problem persists and that is the adhesive on the aforementioned headliner and window molding that seemed to degrade faster than it should. Truly minor, inconsequential issues for a car its age and complexity.
1996 Oldsmobile Aurora
<62,000 miles - I have no knowledge beside the typical NO HISTORY courtesy of CarFax.
~68,000 miles - Wiring harness fried out. Replaced under warranty for $50 deductible.
~75,000 miles - Misfire in cylinder #1. Repaired under warranty (after heavy bitching by me at the dealership) for $50 deductible.
~86,000 miles - Transmission turbine speed sensor and alternator failure. I posted about this a little while ago. Fixed under warranty for $50.
This also does not include numerous issues related to my two accidents to the front end of the vehicle. The right rear air shock also gave out around 80k, but this and other things were maintenance issues as I suspect this car was cared for somewhat as evidenced by the lower mileage, but not looked after alot otherwise. Lots of equipment on this car I suspect is standard equipment and I'm half willing to write the misfire incident as a maintenance issue as the dealership attempted to argue with me. After bitching about the high estimate ($450), I got them to cover it under warranty and I no longer use my dealership for service. Sad, I know.
Other problems with the Olds are limited to condensation in the right rear backup lamp and two interior lights burning out, the driver's side DOOR LOCK button and the small red gearshift indicator lamp. I care about these things about as much as I cared about the Corolla I had for a rental.
Overall, very satisfied GM owner/driver. Given the age, wear, and complexity of these cars, they've proven to be consistantly reliable and show little evidence of their age. To Orion Township: You guys kick ass.
