Leaking Intake Manifold Gasket

Does anyone know how I can get assistance from GM to help pay for having my intake manifold gasket replaced? I have a 2000 olds alero. Apparently, most GM autos with the 3.4L V6 manufactured before 2001 have defective gaskets (I have even found an article from canadiandriver.com, the link is

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I feel GM should helpcover the cost (800$ CAN) to get it replaced. GM representatives havebeen giving me the runaround and my dealership is no help either. Hasanyone run into this problem with their automobile?

Reply to
Brian
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Here's your answer:

Teach the lazy/greedy/incompetent bastards in Detroit a lesson - buy a foreign car.

Brian wrote:

Reply to
Guido

Reply to
Bon·ne·ville

GM management culture isn't known for going very far out of their way to retain customers, from my (and friends/family/coworkers/neighbors experiences I've heard about) in comparison with their competitor car companies I've dealt with over 30+ years buying cars. When you tell them you're going across the street to buy a Honda they respond "...don't let the door hit you on the way out..." (sad to say).

Reply to
James C. Reeves

"Brian" wrote

How many miles on your vehicle? If you are over

60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers), you are probably out of luck. GM is extending their "good will" on this repair, but from the documents I've seen...it appears that you need to be the original owner, or have bought the vehicle second hand from a dealership, "and" be under 5 years/60,000 miles. In other words, they are going to look after the people that (for the most part) have continued to frequent the dealerships.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

The two questions that have much to do with it are;

Did you buy it new and how many miles on it?

Reply to
Scott

Yes I did buy it new, the car is only three years old but there is

130,000 km on it.

I was told the "goodwill" warranty was applicable to 80,000 km.

Has anyone heard of or had any luck with a class action lawsuit against GM regarding this matter?

Reply to
Brian

"Brian" wrote

Why would you sue? You got 130,000 klms out of the engine before you had to replace the intake manifold gasket. That's perfectly normal. What's the deal here....all you folks out in internet land want the manufacturers to cover your vehicles from cradle to grave? Get real.....you have to be responsible for your own repairs to your own vehicle at some point. GM would have "goodwilled" the repair at up to 100,000 klms no questions asked, but you have another

30,000 klms on your vehicle. You got excellent mileage out of the engine before the intake gasket let go....now it's time for you to pick up the ball when it comes to repairing "your" vehicle.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

Well, the problem is the gasket should NOT need replacing. There are some people who have had there engine destroyed because coolant has leaked into it from this gasket. Should they be responsible for forking over the cash to replace there engine regardless of how much mileage is on their vehicle?

GM designed a plastic gasket that just doesn't seal. They f'd up. They realized this in 2001 and modifed the part by subsistuting the gasket with one made from a material with better sealing properties.

They have already offered full 100% compensation for pontiac owners with this problem.

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Why should I and others not be compensated as well? There are other people who agree it is GMs problem and they should be held accountable.
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Here is the link to an online petition for a recall, help out if you can.

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Reply to
Brian

"Brian" wrote

And you "aren't" one of those people! Your engine made it to 130,000 klms before the gasket needed replacing. Nothing lasts forever. At some point, you need to take responsibility for repairing your own vehicle. If you think that the car has some problems, punt it and try another brand.

By the way, GM 60 degree pushrod v-6 engines have had intake gasket sealing problems since the day of their inception. This problem is nothing new, I know because I've worked on these engines since they first appeared. It sounds to me like you just didn't do your homework when you picked your car.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

"Brian" wrote

Did you even read this release? This has "nothing" to do with "your" engine. This has to do with the 3800 engine and what you term "100% compensation" is nothing more then a band-aid fix of some nuts and coolant sealer.

Now, anyone who read your post and doesn't know any better....will imagine that only Pontiac owners get their intake gaskets fixed for free. That's the internet for ya.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

My friend has his car's engine destroyed due to this, it is a 7 yrs old car but only ~35K miles. I would cost him about ~3K to get the re-built engine !!!

Reply to
Hai Pham

Ian,

You seem to be taking this quite personally.

I never said it was the same engine. I said it was the same problem. If the problems on the 3.1 and 3.4 could be fixed as easily and at such a low cost I am sure GM would be doing it.

Now read this service release carefully,

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GM has REDESIGNED the part. You dont go redesigning a part unless there is something wrong with it. In this case, the part leaks. Its faulty and DEFECTIVE. You are telling me you would accept the fact you paid for a car with a DEFECTIVE part, and now have to fork over more money to get the part that actually does the job it was supposed to do in the first place? Granted, there are a multitude of parts in any automobile that this applies to. But that doesn't make it right.

This is not a maintenance issue, this is not a wear issue, this is not an upkeep issue. It is a GM made a defective part issue and they should be held accountable. The part just doesn't work. You know this, I know this, "lemonaid" knows this, the consumer auto safety board knows this, and GM knows this. It is not right that the consumer has to eat the costs for GM's design mistakes. End of point, end of discussion.

To everyone, thanks for your help and input and good luck!

And btw, I agree I didn't do my research when i purchased my car.

Reply to
Brian

"Brian" wrote

And this is where you are wrong. It's not the same problem. You don't know what you are talking about. It's always important to get the facts right before you start spouting off about what GM "should" be doing. The problems that affect the 3800 line of engines has "nothing" to do with the problems that affect the 3100/3400 line of engines.

Thank you...in case you aren't aware...I'm a GM dealership tech...have been for 23 years....I'm well aware of the intake gasket problems....have been for years. GM has always re-designed parts over the years....it's all part of learning from past experience and trying to make the product better. Believe me, I'm no champion of GM products...I simply work on the things. I'm thankful every day that GM can't seem to figure out the 60 degree engine sealing problems. I have to make a living too.....heh heh....

There are 3100/3400 engines that go even longer then your vehicle before they have an intake manifold gasket failure....my point is....at what point do you take responsibility for your own vehicle? You cannot expect GM to look after your vehicle from cradle to grave. Even their "secret" extended warranties on items like

2.2 head gaskets only last up to 160,000 klms. Eventually, even if the part has a known failure rate....you...the owner ....has to take responsibility for repairing "your own" vehicle.

As it is...GM is stepping up to the plate and basically repairing any intake gasket leaks up to 5 years/100,000 kilometers. And who knows.....any day now...it may turn into what is referred to as "special policy" and it may get extended out to 7 years/160,000 kilometers. In which case, you will be able to get your money back on the repair which you just had done. So I would advise you to keep your receipts and keep an eye on the situation. I'll be the first to let folks on here know about any extended "special policy" as it comes down the pipe.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

I have done my research and I like my both GM vehicule so much that I am willing to live with the intake manifold threat.

My Montana have been trouble free for the last 2 years and 20k.

My Century 2002 is also very reliable and its a lot of car for the money (bought use with 11 months and 15k)

Millions of 3.1 and 3.4 ran, are running or will run. Ian do you have a idea of the percentage of 3.1 3.4 that are leaking ??? Also what are the chance to kill an engine with that leak if you monitor the coolant let say once a month ?

Thanks for your valuable input here,

Richard

Reply to
Rick

"Rick" wrote

Honestly, I dont know that. From what I see in the shop, it seems as though every one of these engines will eventually develop some sort of leaking intake gasket problem, whether it's coolant or oil.

If you monitor your coolant levels....chances are that you won't have any problems with the engine. As soon as you start to see the level go down...it's time to figure out where it's going. But we change gaskets on vehicles that have obviously been running with coolant in the oil for a very long time. So far, only a few engines have been replaced. Sure, down the road, the engines will not last as long...but they seem to be quite hardy engines when it comes to running with coolant in the oil.

This is where a good oil change interval will help. Every

3000 miles, or 3 months....whether it needs it or not.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

".

So you are obviously not a promoter of the Oil life Monitor !!

Reply to
Rick

"Rick" wrote

No....I'm not a big believer in the Oil Life monitor. It's simply GM's way of trying to push low/no maintenance on their vehicles. Marketing...really. It may work fine for folks who lease for 3 years and then give the car back, but for those people that like to keep the car for 10-15 years, good maintenance is essential.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

I'm glad that you seem to have calmed down Ian. Your comments and advice have helped many on this newsgroup get through a trying time, including my bout with this problem. I don't think many will disagree that a $650us bill after many miles of service is too much to ask, but many including myself bought one of these newer vehicles in an attempt to budget and for reliability. I was laid off during my lower intake manifold gasket episode and took the unexpected drain on the wallet very personally. It is VERY important to report ANY coolant loss to your GM dealership as soon as you notice it. In my case I could have caught mine at about 37000 miles but chose to add coolant until I could verify where it was going. 1st drop hit the garage floor at 62000 miles if my memory serves me correctly. I could not find a leak or oil contamination. In a nut shell....my ignorance.

With that being said however.....our replacement vehicle is coming from Hiroshima. ;-)

Thanks for being here for us Ian! I bet somedays it must feel like a heavy cross to bear, but I for one appreciate the time and effort that you put into your replies.

Reply to
Mike

Theres where your priorities were backwards. If it wasnt leaking to the outside then obviously it was leaking to the inside. The eternals of your engine are far more important than any garage floor... Oil contamination isnt noticable because it was going through the combustion chambers. The human eye can not see slight contamination of the oil that was happening between oil changes but it was there.

Well next time you're laid off just remember you have no one to blame but yourself. ;-|

Reply to
Bon·ne·ville

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