Too many problems - '01 Firebird

[1sweetryde]

I bought this car new off the lot in Oct of '01 and I've had it in the shop more times for warranty issues than for oil changes! (13k miles)

The first time I had it in for something major they replaced the clutch, the R side dash and the driver's seat. When I picked it up, the antenna wasn't all the way down....they BENT it! So I took it back after they got the new part, later that night it malfunctions again! They said they only replaced the antenna shaft and now it looked like they would have to replace the whole unit. So finally the next time I take it in it gets fixed for good.

Next major issue:
It doesn't rain much in this part of Cali, but when it finally did...there was a PUDDLE of water on the pass side floorboard! To make a long story short....finally the THIRD time I take it in for this issue they replace the entire winshield and that fixes it.

And just the other day...I pull into the parking lot of the grocery store and go to roll up my window. Nothing happens. I call them up and they say, "well we can't look at it till Wednesday" (it was Monday). I told them that wasn't good enough, there were clouds in the sky and my window is stuck all the way down!!! I finally got it back this Thursday.

I use this car to get to work and to get me to customer's sites. I depend on it to work!!! I have had to take several hours off from work to pick up and deliver the car. As you can imagine this has inconvenienced my boss a number of times. Fortunatly he is somewhat understanding of my situation. My only satisfaction is that this car is going to make GM eat that ext warr I bought!

Is this kind of thing normal for these cars? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I am just so bummed out....
This is the first brand new, nice car I've owned and I love how it looks and how it drives. I love this car, and it is breaking my heart :( If these issues continue past the warranty period (5,75), I will most likely sell it.

Any words of wisdom/advice/encouragement/hope/sympathy would be greatly appreciated!!!

-Signed
Brokenhearted by a Brokedown Firebird

[Horse_Hunter]

Maybe you should revise who you bought the car from. Every car has it's problems some more than others but don't give up now. Key word advise don't evr buy a chevy from a ford dealer. And check your warranty that you bought, if through an external company they may let you take it to other chevy dealers instead of just the one you bought the car from. Check it out its worth a shot. Good Luck, Just Don't Let The Small Stuff Get To You. [img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

[Dominic]

Some cars have worse problems than others, and a general rule with cars is the more electronics onboard, the more there is to go wrong.

I dont have power windows, a power hatch, a power defroster, TTops, power locks, the stock Monsoon stereo, any of the stock stereo wiring, power seats, leather, popup headlamps, or any other item which may fail stupidly on my car for this very reason.

However, your firebird, like my previous one, can be fixed. Im not sure what dealer you bought it from but you might try finding another one, even if its a chevrolet dealer, that treats you and your car better. I have been to many dealers and some are good, some are bad, and some have made me madder than a hornet in a jar.

The rain puddle can likely be traced to a grommet or leaky door seal - tell them you need your weather stripping replaced because you not only have bad air leaks but have bad rain leaks too. They might consider realigning your windows, I had to have it done on my mom's 2000 birdie but not my 2000 bird.

The power windows are one of the items KNOWN to fail, so are the pop up headlamps. Since its equipped as such just use them as you normally would and accept the fact they might need replacing every so often, so far nobody really has a fix for anything other than the headlamps.

All the other problems you list up top sound like "crapper dealer syndrome" so again, try to find a new dealer. Im sorry you are having all those problems, but they are minor, and I know there has to be a qualified dealer who will fix all of it within a day. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Some of the things I have done which might help you:

- Change all fluids front to rear with synthetic. When I got my car new the M5 trans was half full and so was the rear. My previous firebird, and my mom's firebird, were both that way as well.

- Replace the battery or be prepared to replace it soon in some way whether its warranty or you just go buy one. I have been through 3 in one year, the Delco batteries just are not that good and don't seem to ever treat me well.

- Add a locking fuel cap to prevent fuel theft or any problems with people messing with it. Stant makes a good one, I recommend it.

- Change your coolant out to 50/50. Mine came from factory 100% filled with dexcool and 0% water... Combined with the 195F stat it was terrible. Run a 50/50 mix and a 180stat at least, especially in California (the biosphere).

- When your Eagle GA's wear out, get them warranty replaced. They have a 45,000 mile warranty on them and I got new Yokohama ES100s for $27/ea after warranty replacement money was factored in [img]smile.gif[/img]

- And lastly, find a good dealer and try to develop a 1-1 relationship with the service manager. If you can't do that, if they're just not gonna listen to you or not going to be personable, you need a new dealer sadly.

[Arctc Wolf]

hey dude, that sucks. I think u just got a factory freak of a car, but then again, all i ever do it modify the crap out of it, so I figure I'm replacing the bunk parts before they go bad. Where do u get ur car taken care of at? I live on the central coast too. There's a dealer here that I've taken my car to that does good work.

[David Blalock]

Dominic hit it right on the money. There's nothing better than having a good relationship with service manager at the local dealership. There is a dealer here that I would not go to if they payed me to take any car from their lot the service is so bad. There's also one that I take my car to for everything minus oil changes (Do it myself) and trust them where I usually trust none but myself. Good luck with the bird,
David

[Camarorulz]

[img]graemlins/omg.gif[/img] Thats a lot of problems dude. I've had my 2002 Camaro for a year and no problems whatsoever. Granted, there's not much to go wrong (my car has no options as all, pretty much as base as they get), but its been through many a rain and no leaks whatsoever. Get a better dealer to work on your Bird.
Dominic I can't believe you've had to replace your battery that many times, I've had no problems with mine, go figure

[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: Camarorulz ]

[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: Camarorulz ]</p>

[1sweetryde]

Thanks for the advice everyone [img]smile.gif[/img]

Wolf: I'm in Atascadero, I take the bird to Pete Johnston in Paso Robles. Only other place to take it is SLO and I hate going over that stinkin grade.

These guys always seem so busy it's hard to stand there and shoot the breeze with them. And I would rather have a good relationship with the guy who was actually going to work on my car instead of his boss.

Oh, forgot to mention that after they replaced the dash, clutch, front seat....they didn't even finish securing the underdash. You know the part right above where your feet go? It was hanging down on both sides.

Dominic: Thanks for the advice on the fluids. Considering how much bad luck I've had, I will take it in next time for the oil change and have them change every oz. of oil in the car!!!

Thanks again everyone

[apiccola]

You should review your state's lemon law, and then pursue a claim if your car qualifies.

[Mr. Spock]

Your car must have been the last car to be built on a friday (Rushed). Sometimes these things happen. :(

[Kris Burns]

My drivers side window motor just went out after 13,000 miles. Brought it in at 9:00am and it was ready by 11:00am. I also had a ses light for bank 2 running lean they tightened the 02 sensor on the passenger side manifold and the tried to blamed me for not tightening it when I put my cat back on even though its about four feet from the intermediate pipe

[Equis]

hehe you wanna hear bout a car with problems?? at least your's is under warentee and you didn't need to get the engine rebuilt in the first month you had it ;) ....and yeah I have a lot worse probs than that

-Equis-