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Quick and dirty FAQ for alt.autos.pontiac

If you ask a stupid question, expect to be flamed.

If you can't type, type in all caps, or can't figure out the basics of language, expect to be flamed.

If you ask a question that has been asked and answered dozens of times, expect to be flamed.

If you post "My car won't start" with no other info, expect to be flamed.

If you are an idiot posting from a message board, expect to be flamed.

Now,

If you ask for an honest answer and it fixes your problem, a follow up saying thank you is nice. Folks like to know what fixed what.

Your answer is probably here;

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If it's not, then give us some info to work with. Trust me and see #3 on this one.

Info needed is what car, what year, what engine, what tranny, and for electrical issues, what trim package. Codes are good too if you can pull them. If you can't there are billions of places on the net to figure out how to.

What is spam? Any ad by a commercial seller. Any crosspostings. If you want to bring up an iffy topic please put OT in the front of the subject line. Private sellers please put FS in the beginning of the subject line and don't expect to be responded to via email. Post here, read here. Also this is not a binary group, please post links to any pictures.

Do I own or moderate this group?

No

But I am tired of seeing it go to shit. I was going to shrug it off and decided not to.

BTW, you can post things other than problems. Hell, road trip with a rental Poncho? Tell us about it. Thinking about buying? Also a good question to ask in a place full of folks who probably have driven or owned the same car. Car show with a cool GTO or G6 and you were impressed by paint/mods? Once again, share.

This group is an open group but it will turn to shit if all we get are four line posts from idjits on message boards. If someone has to wade through 800 posts of "Call me a Whambulance" How many honest questions will be overlooked?

Don't like my posts? Don't read them.

Want to add to this FAQ or help me make it better? Please post in this thread. Thanks!

Reply to
FBR
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Just to take this a step farther,

Let's say Jane Doe from talkaboutautos poses the question, "My car won't start". No car info, anything else. If Jane really has a problem and can grow skin thick as folks here wear, and maybe don some nomex undies, after the flames, most of which will ask questions, she will repost with more info. The thread will continue and dang, Janes Doe's car now starts, she maybe learned some things she didn't know before, and maybe made a friend or two in the process. Now the message boards DO NOT carry all the content of the Usenet groups they scavenge for content OR THE THREADS THEY START. It is not in their interest for Jane to get her car to start and make friends. It IS in thier interest to generate click-throughs. If Jane stays on the message board rather than going to Google-Groups etc, she will never see any posts that mod of that message board deems unfit. No nomex undies, no new friends, no fix.

Reply to
FBR

And you can bet niether of the previous posts show up on any of the message boards.

Reply to
FBR

Erm ... how about some clues for the clueless on what keywords might get the most relevant results? I'm not being snarky; I just tried a search for my car (which is great, incidentally, and I continue to love it) and

+codes +"97 grand am" didn't turn up anything useful on how to pull codes; "how to pull codes" +97 grand am turned up zip!
Reply to
REP

Ok, great question. I'm guessing you used a basic Google search. For info on more advanced search techniques try here;

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Even better though, hit Googlegroups, then this group;
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then poseyour search. Also if you have an account at your local library you canusually access Mitchells online databse or something equivelent. Another idea, start with a search for 97 GrandAm, then search within those results for either error or code. Then search within those results to pull it down further. You try too many parameters at once when you begin your search and it's almost a forgone conclusion you will not get any relevant info, just a mass of crap. By doing this I ended up with;
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which whilefor a 95, might at least get you started. Good luck!

Reply to
FBR

Thanks! I meant this as a suggestion for the FAQ - right now, knock wood, my GA continues to be running fine (I'm still making a note of it ... just in case)....

... although I did post a little while ago about the ABS and ETS warning lights staying lit after the car was started, and that happens about every 50 starts (ETS has not been disengaged). When it happens, I do what the manual says and turn the car off and restart it, and the ETS and ABS lights go out and stay out. The warning lights don't go on while I'm driving. No problems braking. Am I right in thinking that I should avoid taking it to a shop until the ABS and ETS warnings *stay* on?

1997 Grand Am SE, 3.2 V6, 75,500 miles, brakes replaced 8/04 (when purchased).

Crap, didn't mean to hijack your thread, but you seem to know so much about, well, everything and I don't want to make a bad decision about my car. I also have no idea what to Google, though I get the impression that taking in a car that might/might not have a brake problem is a good way to lighten a wallet.

(Maybe you can use this as an example of a query that does/doesn't suck?)

Reply to
REP

Reply to
Shep

some

Hijack away. I don't want to claim to know everything, buit having a knack for finding things.

Doesn't suck at all. Depending on who did the brakes, and their level of competence it might be a number of things. Good article here to get you started;

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Reply to
FBR

BTW, while the article is about Volvos, the basic ideas on cleaning sensors, not forcing fluid back, etc, applies. Like I say, just a starting point to maybe help you get an idea of what in particular to search for.

Reply to
FBR

Thanks again for your help! I'll try to think of something else for the FAQ and not hijack your thread anymore.

Reply to
REP

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can find someplace to get that done. There doesn't seem to be any problems braking, but if I can avoid a costly problem, I'd like to do that.

Reply to
REP

actually, you are wrong FBR. Its here on google groups. just a FYI!

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Reply to
Ragtop

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