GM Shot themselves in the foot

Hi...can we talk? I have a 97 Pontiac GA with a 3.1 V6. For the most part I have actually been quite happy with the car, it now has over 121k miles and is holding up quite well indeed. But would I buy another GM car?....Maybe...maybe not..I really dont yet...because of 2 words...INTAKE GASKETS. At about 100,000 miles I developed a water coolant leak and then found out that this problem was actually extremely common and expected. Yes very common on the 3.1, 3.4, 3.8 and I have recently found that it can also be a problem on the 5.7 to some extent, let me know if I missed any other engines. This intake gasket fix was an $800+ repair! The real problem is that these gaskets have been failing for years and GM has not addressed it. Rumor has it that the GM Dextron type coolant contributes to the failure. GM now has at least 2 new v6 engines out the 3.5 and the 3.9. These engines happen to be in the G6 as well as other cars. Since GM never addressed the intake problem in the other engines I am inclined to believe they will not be addressed in these new engines. Thats why there is a very good chance my next vehicle will not be a GM. They let me down by not coming clean and because of that I may well abandon ship. It just goes to show if you do the right thing up front you may have a customer for life, if you dont it can come back to bite you in the ass.

Reply to
Jack L. Spratt
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Ouch !

So did ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill, back in the late 70's. Not supposed to carry loaded guns in the cowboy boots.

Harryface =D8=BF=D8

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 300,811 miles
Reply to
Harry Face

Those two new engines are quite different from each other. The

3.5 is just an enlarged version of the 3100/3400 and it does have a redesigned intake gasket. This engine's intake gasket has been even further re-designed then the interim gasket that came out a little while ago to "help" the problem with the older 3100/3400 engines. The 3.9 engine is a totally different design and intake gaskets will no longer be a problem. GM is moving away from the "wet" manifold design....and it will simply disappear as a problem once the older style engines are gone. Hopefully, there ought to be 2-3 other design problems that will crop up. This is the GM way.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

Supposedly now fixed in the 3.5 and 3.9. It took over 10 years which is unexceptable.

Reply to
GTA

I saw ZZ Top at the Rosemont Horizon on two seperate tours. VERY good shows. ZZ Top is a great band live. GW

Reply to
Geoff Welsh

They were here in Oh a couple of years ago but the tickets were sold out before I could get there (2 hours) Really wanted to go...... Dave

Reply to
Willy Wanka

GW,

I saw ZZ Top at Rosemont for the Afterburner Tour in 1986. We waited longer to exit the parking lot than what the show lasted.

68 Buick Conv. 14 degrees that day

Harryface =D8=BF=D8

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 300,811 miles
Reply to
Harry Face

We were at the same show!! Small world. GW

Reply to
Geoff Welsh

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