New Car!!!! [dialup beware]

sickofsoyo · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:33 pm Post subject: New Car!!!! [dialup beware]

Well, I wound up getting a really good deal on a car, and was able to convince my dad to advance me some money...

I bought a 2003 Monte Carlo SS with 34000 miles, for 12,600. The car was in great condition, very clean. Drove very smooth. here is the link to it. I will have pictures up most likely saturday when I pick it up

http://autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=automobiles-208948952&dst=16.24&rsr=dnR5cGU9YXV0b3MmZ3VyPTUwJm1rPUNoZXZyb2xldCZtYWtlPUNIRVYmbW15PTEmcmVmc3JjPWF1dG9zJTJGaG9tZSZjb2RlPUNIRVYuQ2hldnJvbGV0JmNzej0wNzg3NiZ4PTI5Jnk9OQ--
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Get an extended warranty.

They are known to have head gasket and tranny problems.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject:

yeah, I got one. It should be okay. My dad is gonna drive it on the highway and put it through the paces to check it out. It has the same engine as the impala I was supposed to get (except its a series II 3800, as opposed to a regular 3800)
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

sickofsoyo · Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject:

Im picking the car up tomorrow, and one of my friends who is a mechanic is going to look at it for me. The highway driving I think is my dad's way of checking for gaps in the seals of doors, vibrations, and other things like that.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

sickofsoyo · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:55 pm Post subject:

they produced the service records for the car. Nothing major, just normal services. No transmission work or such. drives excelent, and my friend is gonna bring it to his shop and do a full inspection.
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sandness · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 2:06 am Post subject:

I must disagree with Nathan. GM's 3800 Series II do not have head gasket problems (although Ford's 3800 did.) As far as trannys go, they are pretty average. Most failures I've heard of were due to abuse (neutral drops, killin differentials with one wheel burnouts, etc). If you get an extended warranty, be sure to read and re-read the fine print. Some of the exemptions that some companies list make the warranty nearly pointless. Also, search online for people's experiences with said company to make sure they are easy to deal with, pay for the repairs, and work with most dealers.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

oops, my mistake, thay are known for intake manifold gasket problems.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-US&q=3800+intake+gasket+leak
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:19 pm Post subject:

yeah, I dont think I will be abusing my transmission like that, and good point Nate. Apparently, after reading the fist link on the search, it is a common problem. If a class-action suite does happen, I will most likely go in on it so I have money to pay for the reapair if necessary. My sister has a 99 monte carlo, but she hasnt had this problem, and neither did my dad's 03 impala, which had 130,000 miles. The company I bought the car from (McGuire Chevy Cadillac) actually put on new tires and breaks at no cost, which is a pretty big expense, and the company has won awards for customer service and such.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

A lot of the time you won't even know it is happening.

An oil analysis is the only way to tell.
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sandness · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:25 am Post subject:

I replaced my upper intake manifold, UIM gasket, and my lower intake manifold gasket in my '04 Bonneville as preventative maintenance because of the possible problems I had read about online. Here are a few pics of what I found:

In these pics, you can see the two main problems. One is the orange crud building up in some of the coolant passages. This is typical of Dex-Cool. Therefore, Dex should be flushed out and replaced with Prestone Universal coolant. The other problem is the gasket failure. Although mine wasn't too bad, you can see dark areas on the light gray seal that are beginning to deteriorate. The fix is a new aluminum framed gasket set from GM:

Its not too tough a job if you have a free afternoon and are not afraid to turn some wrenches. All in all, parts ran about $230 for everything needed.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:48 pm Post subject:

ok, thanks sandness, can you tell me where you got the new UIM gaskets and parts?
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:48 pm Post subject:

well, from what I've read, even after dexcool is flushed, it all isnt out, and regular green antifreeze shouldnt be mixed with dexcool. and the gasket resists the damage done by dexcool... The plates came in for my car, so I will be going to the dealer soon. I will ask them about it when I get the chance to.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

As long as you keep the coolant changed every 2-3 years and replace the rap cap every year, you shouldn't have any real problems.
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sandness · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject:

This is the upper intake manifold you would want to replace with. It has a sleeved stovepipe from the EGR to prevent failure that the OEM manifold was subject to.
http://www.automotivepartsnetwork.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=229679

For the lower intake manifold gasket, go to www.gmpartsdirect.com and search for part number 89017816.

These also need to be replace durning the job.
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=600&catid=103
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=370&catid=103

I flushed my system a couple times: initially after the job, then a few weeks later. I replace the coolant with Prestone Universal, which mixes with Dex or the green stuff without any problems.

Although this is a fairly common problem for GM's Series II 3800, you car is still pretty new with low miles. You could follow Nate's advice and be alright for a few years. It all depends on how long you intend to keep your car. I plan to keep mine for many years, so I did the work as preventative maintenance. If you want to trade in a couple years, you could get by with flushing it and replacing it with the Prestone Universal coolant.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:04 pm Post subject:

ok thanks sandness, I am going to have to try nates approach for a while until I can get the money together and fix the problem correctly. Thanks for the help, and sorry for the lack of pictures and such, I have been so busy the past couple weeks. I will post them up soon.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject:

ok, here you guys go... finally

Nate if you could edit the title and put a dial up warning, it may be helpful to those with slower access...
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Xal · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:26 am Post subject:

Looking good dude, have fun with her.

Not too much though Razz

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Get rid of that McGuire sticker on the trunk and don't use their license plate frame. It takes away from the whole look of the car.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:33 am Post subject:

dont worry nate, Im pickin up the plates today. I just didnt take off the mcGuire sticker from when we picked up the car.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Xal · Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:53 pm Post subject:

sickofsoyo · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:10 pm Post subject:

hey, I was thinking of swapping the spoiler for the nascar inspired spoiler. I was wondering if this can be done without redrilling holes. If I get this, I will post pictures, as race stripes are soon to come as well =-).
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Zero_Fresh · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:50 am Post subject:

Once you get stripes on it and I am going to drive around Parsippany in the 6 just to find you so I can race ya. I just gave the old girl a tune up and she's running smooth so I've been having a lot of fun whipping her around. Trying to kill the tires since they're on their way out and I have to get new all seasons for the upcoming winter.
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