[fergyflyer]

I am wondering about the quality of GTO's. Mine was perfect except for the B&M shifter that I added. Not one problem. Some have had theirs lemon lawed and such though. I'd like to poll this and see how the quality is.

Was trying to do a poll but I wasn't quick enough. OOPS

 

[Wing_Nut]

4 Problems with mine so far.....

• DIC died within a month.....replaced under warranty.....no problems since
• Oil consumption was high for first 5,000 miles....since then maybe 1/2 quart in 5,000 miles....must have been factory fill or ring seating.
• Tires "cupped" @ 12,000 miles according to dealer.....not happy about irregular tire wear or dealer response.
• Passenger side rear tire blew out a sidewall. Could have been mechanical damage or the regular trips to 140+.

No other quality problems in 19,000 miles.
Guess I can't really complain.

The interior is holding up well and the car is rattle free.
Powertrain is solid.
Paint is very good.

 

[SilverGoat]

1. DIC DOA, replaced and has been perfect since.
2. Shifter rattle, replaced, no more rattle.
3. Two tires out of round, replaced. Other two original tires out of round, out of warranty. Plan on "rounding" them this summer so all that rubber doesn't go to waste in some landfill somewhere.
4. Occasional electrical gremlin that lasts a second or two and then resolves on own.

Rattle free otherwise, which is amazing as the road I live on feels like a motocross track right now. I hope it smooths out after the frost is out of the ground. Love this car, all-around best car I've owned.

 

[C5ORGTO]

Perfect so far. I bought my 04 in Sept 05 with only 3200 miles. No issues except it sucks gas like most wouldn't believe.

 

[PEARL JAM]

21,000 miles, no problems, only maintance.
Working at a dealer, I see twice as many problems with 05's than 04's. No offence to 05 owners, the 05's just have a whold diffrent engine mangement system that can be a little quarky.:cool

 

[Starrbuck]

Working at a dealer, I see twice as many problems with 05's than 04's. No offence to 05 owners, the 05's just have a whold diffrent engine mangement system that can be a little quarky.:cool

<gulp!>

 

[ModBoss2]

I am wondering about the quality of GTO's. Mine was perfect except for the B&M shifter that I added. Not one problem. Some have had theirs lemon lawed and such though. I'd like to poll this and see how the quality is.

Was trying to do a poll but I wasn't quick enough. OOPS

I think it sort of depends on how the car is treated. If you do your best to tear it up and treat it like a '64 dragstrip car then it's going to start being a disappointment to own. I don't drive mine like it's stolen or like my dad bought it for me.

 

[Good 2 go]

11,700 miles so far:

1. Within a couple of weeks of ownership, had driver's side door lock knob replaced

2. Not too happy with the fragile paint.

Otherwise, it's all good! :cool

 

[rt66er]

Here's the list on my 6,200 mile 2004 A4 GTO, purchased new in Sept. 04:
1. Drove off the lot and noticed only defog working; no dash vents. Found problem myself; split vacuum line under fuel rail cover. Trimmed out split part and reconnected. Problem fixed.
2. Passenger side front freeze plug leaking. Dealer fixed on second try. Still good to date.
3. Harmonic vibration at idle in "D" in warm/hot weather. Not cam shake but a constant harmonic vibration throughout whole car; gets worse with warmer ambient temps. Under 40 degrees ambient virtually no vibration at all; 100 degree ambient and the dash literally hums from the vibration; car feels like a big old magic fingers bed. After so many trips to dealer I lost count, no resolution. They have washed their hands of it; Pontiac says "normal operation." It's winter now, so there is no problem. As soon as temps warm, though, I expect this to return. I suspect there is a problem with the fuel management or something where it's not leaning out with warmer, less dense air at higher ambient temps. I may try a custom tune to see if it helps.
4. Both front strut rod bushings blown/collapsed. These fluid-filled bushings are amazingly fragile. One hard stop and they are blown, after which alignment continually changes with road conditions. Installed Noltec strut rod bushings (at my own expense) and this problem is now fixed. Had four-wheel alignment done (at my own expense) and fixed the strut rub problem on passenger side front tire.
I'm not counting the numerous designed-in problems (no rear wing delete option, cheap, rubbery HVAC controls, no dead pedal, barely adequate brakes, ridiculous rear seat access mechanism, easily scratched silver painted interior trim).
I have a real love/hate relationship with this car. All the problems (especially the unresolved one) really temper my attitude. If the car wasn't such a blast to drive, it would be gone by now.

 

[dealernut]

Here's the list on my 6,200 mile 2004 A4 GTO, purchased new in Sept. 04:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have a real love/hate relationship with this car. All the problems (especially the unresolved one) really temper my attitude. If the car wasn't such a blast to drive, it would be gone by now.

WOW!!!! I believe that is the worst review I have ever read on the car from an owner. Problem 1 and 2 are build issues. There is a fella local that has a similar problem you have with 3. Its not the fuel management system. We have torn that apart for him and to no avail.4. The strut rub should have been GM covered.

 

[b_a_betterperson]

Broken gas cap early on. Basically 14,000 trouble free miles. Interior is holding up well. Exterior paint is getting chipped up -- but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[rt66er]

WOW!!!! I believe that is the worst review I have ever read on the car from an owner. Problem 1 and 2 are build issues. There is a fella local that has a similar problem you have with 3. Its not the fuel management system. We have torn that apart for him and to no avail.4. The strut rub should have been GM covered.

I understand the strut rub should be a covered item. Unfortunately, I'm not confident enough in my dealer to adequately align the front end. Plus, I replaced the strut rod bushings with aftermarket pieces, which I am fairly certain would allow my dealer service advisor to blame the strut rub on this "modification." These particular folks are pretty quick with the blame game. I spent $200 on bushings and alignment, but it was done right the first time and I'm sure I spent less time than all the run-around and return visits (not to mention endless "technical conversations") would have taken. I'm sure there are good service departments out there; I just have no confidence in mine (from experience). As far as the vibration goes, I had a motor mount replaced by a friend that owns a diagostic/repair shop. They detected some possible metallic contact in the passenger side, as compared to the drivers' side. No joy. It is almost humorous how anyone can call this "normal operation" if they have experienced it first-hand. Even my service advisor admitted (to my face, but not on paper) my car idled significantly different from their demo A4.
I really believe the fact that it idles fine at ambient temps below about 40 degrees is a significant clue.........

 

[Holden]

Mine has vibration / rattle in shifter until it warms up worse if it sits for a wk or so but goes away. Wonder if its piston slap. Also don’t like Silver Trim paint, afraid to touch it. Don’t like stereo either. BUT Love the car and think its well built. I guess you all know about the similarities with Cadillac Catera. And most of the ones I work on are junk so that worries me. Similarities are amazing when one is German & other is Au. Want to know what your trunk should look like just look in a Catera the tank is still under car Huge Trunk.

 

[dealernut]

I understand the strut rub should be a covered item. Unfortunately, I'm not confident enough in my dealer to adequately align the front end. Plus, I replaced the strut rod bushings with aftermarket pieces, which I am fairly certain would allow my dealer service advisor to blame the strut rub on this "modification." These particular folks are pretty quick with the blame game. I spent $200 on bushings and alignment, but it was done right the first time and I'm sure I spent less time than all the run-around and return visits (not to mention endless "technical conversations") would have taken. I'm sure there are good service departments out there; I just have no confidence in mine (from experience). As far as the vibration goes, I had a motor mount replaced by a friend that owns a diagostic/repair shop. They detected some possible metallic contact in the passenger side, as compared to the drivers' side. No joy. It is almost humorous how anyone can call this "normal operation" if they have experienced it first-hand. Even my service advisor admitted (to my face, but not on paper) my car idled significantly different from their demo A4.
I really believe the fact that it idles fine at ambient temps below about 40 degrees is a significant clue.........

I really despise inferior service departments. They are to blame for the negative opinion of GM quality. IMO!!!!

 

[Holden]

:agree :agree :agree :agree :agree :agree

 

[jacobyb]

I only have a whopping 1400 miles on mine since December 31st. ONly problem to date is the driver side door lock knob needs to be replaced. That's it. The only problem I have with it is that there are some factory paint runs in the rear 1/4 panel, and I wisj I had the Australian HVAC controls instead of the tacky plastic dials.

Great car.

 

[Holden]

I only have a whopping 1400 miles on mine since December 31st. ONly problem to date is the driver side door lock knob needs to be replaced. That's it. The only problem I have with it is that there are some factory paint runs in the rear 1/4 panel, and I wisj I had the Australian HVAC controls instead of the tacky plastic dials.

Great car.

Ouch my first GTO had “factory paint runs “. I took to body shop they showed me 1/3rd of car was repainted. 30mi when I bought it, no disclosure so Dealer bought it back.

 

[yipching]

The problems I mentioned in my buyback thread aside, the GTO's powertrain has been solid. The engine is amazing - never burns any oil no matter how hard/often it's pushed. The body is stiff and held well over the crappy, pothole-ridden roads around my home. It's the electricals that'll git u tho...

 

[dealernut]

It's the electricals that'll git u tho...

thats something I agree with. Electrical gremlins can be so many variables in a vehicle that they are almost impossible to recognize and isolate. We have a Solstice here that we simply cannot figure out why the right head light intermittenly goes off. We cannot duplicate with any regularity and the problem is NOT in the wiring as we have tracked it through the entire car and to no avail!!!!

 

[jortegasr]

I love my goat. I am only 27 and this is only my 3rd new car. The only thing that pisses me off is the floormat anchors. They seem to only last me a week or 2. There is a few things that I wish was offered on our cars, like Onstar and memory seating. But I have not had any problems with my goat (knock on wood). arty: