[Wing_Nut]

The Pontiackk is going in for new designer dino juice tomorrow. The oil life monitor finally tripped after abut 7,000 miles.

While it's in the dealer's shop, I've asked them to take a look at a front end shimmy I've been experiencing lately.

• It happens intermittently
• Generally happens when the car is cold, say first 15 - 20 miles
• Happens on a wide range of road surfaces, (highway, secondary, city streets)
• Does not seem to be speed dependent, happens from 25 - 80
• Will correct itself in a few mintues
• Does seem to happen after hitting the brakes but not every time
• There is no brake shudder when the brakes are engaged

It's flippin annoying to get random arm massages from a new car.

I'm guessing a front caliper or both are not releasing and dragging a bit.
Can't be warped rotors as the brakes are smooth when applied.
Doubtful it's tires as they show no abnormal wear and it's intermittent.
Likewise for alignment, no wierd wear and the problem comes and goes.

Anybody experience this feature or have any ideas?

 

[b_a_betterperson]

Have the exact same thing going on with my '04.

Thought it was a tire balance problem -- but had all 4 checked on a Hunter GSP 9700. One of the tires was slightly out of round -- but not enough to cause this. Really irritating at around 65 on the freeway.

Curious to find out what your cause is because I haven't had time to get to the dealership. Really, really frustrating.

Good luck in finding out what's happening on your end.

 

[05 goatman]

ya my 05 does that also in the morning feels like a bad tire or something you feel it but the steering wheel isnt shaking or anything

 

[QwkRed05GTO]

ya my 05 does that also in the morning feels like a bad tire or something you feel it but the steering wheel isnt shaking or anything

Ditto on my 05. Recently started noticing it as the temps have dropped over night. Maybe something with front struts?

 

[westell]

you seriously waited 7000 miles before changing the oil ?

The sulphur deposits, amongst others, probably tripled There's a lot published on this subject.

I know you can run that long but why would you want to?

After 3K, my car actually runs better on fresh mobil 1 (by seat of the pants dyno)

your intermittent problem with brakes/shimmy; first i've read. good luck :cheers

 

[J.E.T.]

If you're running the stock snow tires that come with the car it's them. I just switched mine out today with F1's........huge difference in ride. My stockers would vibrate the steering wheel every morning for about five to ten minutes then smooth out........that's my bet.

JET

 

[Wing_Nut]

OK ready for the answer?.........GM Dealer says.......Needs four new tires!

Dealers really are scum. They obviously don't want to do any work under warranty.

The GM product has 13,000 miles on it. Most of those miles are highway as my commute is about 85 miles round trip with 75 of that on the highway. The tires have been rotated. There is plenty of tread depth left in tires.

The dealer service guy states that "the tires are cupped". All four? "Yes, you need four new tires." "Those low profile tires don't last long". And " you didn't rotate them often enough". Bull****!

At this point I mention that the right front tire is one that they sold me a few weeks ago when I had a sidewall failure on the right rear. The new tire went on the front and I had them move the fronts to the rear. Uh, wanna reconsider the statement that I need 4 new tires and they weren't rotated enough? At this point the service guy starts backpedaling having been caught in a lie. Buttwipes.

I've had low profile tires go 40,000 miles and the BFG's have a treadwear rating of 400. That's fairly high for a low profile tire.

Tires don't just cup for no reason with 13,000 miles of use. I ran my hand over the surface and can't detect any cupping. I can detect a lie however.

Final answer tonight from the losers at the Pontiackk store was "go buy yerself 4 new tires, ain't our problem".

This is almost exactly the attitude that made me walk away from Ford twenty years ago and I haven't bought a Ford since and never will.

I can't afford to own a car like this. Don't care about the money so much but can't afford to be dropping it off at the dealer and fighting about quality issues. I just can't afford the time.

I'm thinkin of dumping this domestic pig and going back to a European sedan.

 

[05 goatman]

hmmm i have 3300 on mine wonder what theyd say to that

 

[dealernut]

OK ready for the answer?.........GM Dealer says.......Needs four new tires!

Dealers really are scum. They obviously don't want to do any work under warranty.

The GM product has 13,000 miles on it. Most of those miles are highway as my commute is about 85 miles round trip with 75 of that on the highway. The tires have been rotated. There is plenty of tread depth left in tires.

The dealer service guy states that "the tires are cupped". All four? "Yes, you need four new tires." "Those low profile tires don't last long". And " you didn't rotate them often enough". Bull****!

At this point I mention that the right front tire is one that they sold me a few weeks ago when I had a sidewall failure on the right rear. The new tire went on the front and I had them move the fronts to the rear. Uh, wanna reconsider the statement that I need 4 new tires and they weren't rotated enough? At this point the service guy starts backpedaling having been caught in a lie. Buttwipes.

I've had low profile tires go 40,000 miles and the BFG's have a treadwear rating of 400. That's fairly high for a low profile tire.

Tires don't just cup for no reason with 13,000 miles of use. I ran my hand over the surface and can't detect any cupping. I can detect a lie however.

Final answer tonight from the losers at the Pontiackk store was "go buy yerself 4 new tires, ain't our problem".

This is almost exactly the attitude that made me walk away from Ford twenty years ago and I haven't bought a Ford since and never will.

I can't afford to own a car like this. Don't care about the money so much but can't afford to be dropping it off at the dealer and fighting about quality issues. I just can't afford the time.

I'm thinkin of dumping this domestic pig and going back to a European sedan.

Please do not hold an entire car comapny reliable for one @$$hole at a dealership. Take your complaint higher up the food chain. Speak to the service department manager, if not him then the General Manager of the store, if not him than the owner of the store.


If all of this fails then take the car to anyone of the other 2800 GM dealerships in the country. Please(speaking from an American dealership) do not let one moron make the rest of us look like morons.

 

[bergenfelter]

I experienced this on my Trans Am GTA a few years ago when I had a set of BFG summer (ZR4) tires on it. It would sit in the garage for two or three days between drives, and the car would do the exact same thing. It was actually flat spots on the tires from the soft compound tires sitting on the garage floor under load for a few days. A bit of spirited driving to warm up the tires and problem gone.

 

[big_mike]

his problem is more than a momentary flattening of the tires. And based on what he has been through I can understand his disappointment. But agree with dealernut, keep on trying.

 

[Wing_Nut]

Please do not hold an entire car comapny reliable for one @$$hole at a dealership. Take your complaint higher up the food chain. Speak to the service department manager, if not him then the General Manager of the store, if not him than the owner of the store.


If all of this fails then take the car to anyone of the other 2800 GM dealerships in the country. Please(speaking from an American dealership) do not let one moron make the rest of us look like morons.

Appreciate your sincerity but as I said, expensive to me is when I have to spend time fighting for decent treatment from a car company. Money is not a problem but I just can't afford the time and distraction for a transportation appliance.

By the way, I'm not one for half measures or wasting time. Already investigating a two car deal. Dump the GTO and my wife's Denali for M3 & X5 or Volvo S60R and X90C. Buh-bye GM. Good luck with the pension plan. Sucks that Ford owns Volvo now.

I'll try pulling the wheels off and deflating the tires this weekend. It could be a broken belt on one of the front tires. It can be hard to detect with them inflated if it's not severe. But, let the air out and a broken belt will make the tire look truly wierd. We'll see.

 

[b_a_betterperson]

wingnut -- sorry your dealer's such a schmuk. Get the Volvos. Ford's leaving them pretty much alone. The XC90 with the Jaguar-based V8 flat out hauls. The S60R's really nice, too. Saw a black one with like a baseball glove orange leather interior. Nice!

If you're into Jags at all -- watch out for gigantic deals on XJRs by year's end. Dealers out here start negotiations at $10K below sticker. The wife's got one -- and it is an awesome car.

 

[J.E.T.]

GM is in trouble......no doubt about it. I'm currently going through a Lemon Law action on my wife's four month old CTS. Thing stranded us on the tollroad first then four more breakdowns including two more tow-ins. I think we drove every model Cadillac makes during all the repairs and it's still not fixed. Even tried to trade up to the STS but they the one dealership who would even discuss a trade wanted $20K and her car........don't think so. Anyway the lawyers have the case now. Bought the GTO to drive while her deal is being settled. Didn't trust the CTS any more and you have to pay for any miles you drive it in the settlement agreement. I dunno, it took an Aussie company to build a quality GM vehicle. I know I'm done with GM.........

JET

 

[big_mike]

I dunno, I kinda dug the G6, and apparently so does everyone else. I did have a crapload of problems with my 95 vette though, but will probably still go with another GM product. But, thats just my .02

 

[C5ORGTO]

I dunno, I kinda dug the G6, and apparently so does everyone else. I did have a crapload of problems with my 95 vette though, but will probably still go with another GM product. But, thats just my .02

G6 is a pretty nice car, I have one. Its a little boring compared to the GTO however. I drove it for 4 months, then gave it to my wife and got the GTO. With regard to the tires, isn't there a separate warranty just for the tires from the tire manufacturer?

Here is the warranty for the BFG's
Treadlife Warranty None
Uniformity Warranty First 2/32" of wear
Workmanship & Materials Warranty 6 Years - Free replacement first year or 25% of tread, then prorated to final 2/32" of tread.
Manufacturer's Road Hazard Warranty None
Manufacturer Special Warranty None

 

[big_mike]

I just LOVE that car! Although, the GTO is kickass too, I may have a family in the near future, gotta keep it real.

 

[dealernut]

Appreciate your sincerity but as I said, expensive to me is when I have to spend time fighting for decent treatment from a car company. Money is not a problem but I just can't afford the time and distraction for a transportation appliance.

By the way, I'm not one for half measures or wasting time. Already investigating a two car deal. Dump the GTO and my wife's Denali for M3 & X5 or Volvo S60R and X90C. Buh-bye GM. Good luck with the pension plan. Sucks that Ford owns Volvo now.

I'll try pulling the wheels off and deflating the tires this weekend. It could be a broken belt on one of the front tires. It can be hard to detect with them inflated if it's not severe. But, let the air out and a broken belt will make the tire look truly wierd. We'll see.

I do agree with your statement about time. You are suffering from bad service and blaming the car. If your car was at a "good" service department then they would have identified the issue right off the bat. You cannot possibly blame GM for producing bad cars becasue of your situation. Your concerns have NOTHING to do with GM. They are with a dealership that is not doing their job. I assure you that a bad service department in a BMW can make the same mistakes.



If a BMW is your idea of reliable then by all means enjoy the car which is merely 20,000 more expensive than a GTO. Go over to Europe and see the "reliable" BMW's over there.

I do not understand why your Denali would be cut as well. Seeing as the Yukon is one of the most reliable full size sport utility on the road.(thats fact...not opinion)

Anyways, I hope your purchases make you happy. Take your "highly reliable" M3 and enjoy the hell out of it. I will never buy a car from a company that is not rooted in America.


(Only import I have ever bought is a GTO )

 

[big_mike]

every vehicle has reliability problems and bad apples. So when your M3 takes a dump, or your volvo breaks down, just remember these words.....

told ya so.

 

[dealernut]

every vehicle has reliability problems and bad apples. So when your M3 takes a dump, or your volvo breaks down, just remember these words.....

told ya so.

No sir. It is not built in the states so they cannot break down. Perhaps you were not aware of that.

BTW- how long is the warranty on that car? Wonder why it is longer than a GTO's?


You know it is weird.... BMW's website says that wear and tear items (tires) are not covered in their Full Maintenance plan. hmmm interesting.