# Why?!?!? Why Is My Gto Such Garbage????!



## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

I am SOOOO frustrated!!!!!!!!! I'm starting to REALLY, REALLY hate Pontiac and GM, although, guess there is no point in hating Pontiac anymore!!!!!!!!!

Bought a 2006 GTO (automatic). First the battery died. That was about...oh...30 miles. Fine, got it replaced. No big deal, probably from being on the lot. 

Then I took it in for an oil change...tech forgets to actually screw the screws back on the engine cover & the engine cover falls 3/4 of the way off. On Thanksgiving. So I'm stuck by the side of the road til my dad can come and crawl under the car, in the snow, and reattach it. 

Then at about 24,000 miles, the car starts playing its dashboard notification music and telling me all kinds of crazy crap is wrong with it, and decides to die out at the gas pump. Call Pontiac Roadside, towed it, it took Pontiac a full week to replace the alternator. 

Fine. It's not even a MONTH later and I'm driving down the street and de de dedede, (dashboard music) "Engine is Hot!" Sure enough, needle is all the way on "H". My boyfriend comes and puts some coolant and water in it and I take it a few blocks to Pontiac. 

They say it needs "major engine repair" and it has a blown head gasket (at 25,000 miles????????) and that the oil and coolant and all that mixed together. Oh - and they aren't going to clean it. They say they will change the oil, but if I don't pay them $130 for an engine flush, they'll give it back to me with coolant all over it. (So I'm assuming I'll need an oil change in about a week? From all that coolant going down and mixing with the oil and making a nice grimy black sludge?) 

Bastards. How are they going to sell me this piece of **** car with all these defective parts and tell ME I have to pay to clean up the mixed up fluids in the engine from the head gasket blowing up?!? 

I have a call into the corporate office and the district manager is supposed to call me tomorrow, but they all seem to have come to the general consensus that an engine flush is preventive maintenance.


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## KyleGT05usmc (Feb 28, 2009)

look up the warranty info to make sure what the maintenance procedures are, and if you take it to them(dealer) for main't it will fall on them.
this should be covered by warranty IMO, my question is what would cause the engine to overheat at such low milage, and if it was indeed low on coolant, the dealer tec's failed to notice a leak or low level so again f up on their part. 
head gaskets arent usually known to randomly fail at such low mileage and their tecs obviously missed a huge issue in their preventative checks. did you ever notice high engine temps or low power before or was this random? how do you drive the vehicle?

i would definitely run it up to higher and dont settle for anything.


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## raspantienator (Nov 20, 2007)

Battery and screws not tightened are things you have an answer for. 
The battery does drain fast on these cars because of the security and computer systems. Also, many of us pleasure drive which also helps deplete the battery.

Head gasket at such low mileage? Your under warranty so you have the leverage to fix it. You cantake it to another Pontiac dealership to have it serviced if you are unhappy.


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## alsgto04 (Nov 21, 2007)

Ill also take it to a different dealer there trying to make you look stupid. Dont take that sh*t.


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

Thanks. I have no idea why the engine would have that happen at such low mileage. I've always gotten my oil serviced at Pontiac, and they claimed to have done the fluid checks. 

I drive very normally, I don't race or anything, I have two sons and I use the car to drive them to preschool & kindergarten, and then I park it at the train. The one thing I did differently last week was drive from Chicago to Dekalb (hour or so) with the air conditioner on. It was pouring rain so I couldn't open the window. I should be able to use the air conditioner without ruining the engine though, ya know? The next morning is when it overheated. 

The actual repair is covered by the warranty, but they claim they won't clean any of the fluids that mixed up and got everywhere out. It's still at the dealer now, they gave me a rental. 

I am so surprised I am the only one with engine problems...I figured if it happened to my car, it must have happened to a bunch of GTOs, but I guess not.


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## Sticks_n_Stones (Mar 10, 2009)

Put it this way "Sue": Not only is your car the only one with these kinds of issues, it's so unusual that 'some of us' might be inclined to think you are actually from a Mustang/Challenger/ or BMW website and are baiting us with a bogus claim. 

Just saying... 

If not, I would shove that defective lemon so far up there behinds the horn would be finishing sentences for them.


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

No, I'm not, and it doesn't qualify for lemon laws because I've owned it for 24 months, but thanks. That...was random.

(And my name is actually Sue. Without quotation marks.)


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## rnoswal (Dec 2, 2007)

Sue, sorry to hear about your problems. First of all, if it is a blown head gasket, they will have to drain all the fluids to fix that problem. It is not an overnight fix either. The heads will have to be check for warpage and all the bearings, cam, main and rod bearings will have to be inspected. Since water got into the oil, the thin film that protects those items were probably compromised and need to be replaced, which means that the crankshaft needs to be inspected and so on and on and on.....

What it means is that it would be cheaper for them to completely replace the engine under warranty and still honor the exchange under the current warranty instead of rebuilding something that is questionable as far as its reliability. I would demand the exchange and not let them try to rebuild the engine! It will be a loss for GM/Pontiac, but that happens from time to time. 

You must stand up for your rights. Get a trusted mechanic, your dad and your boyfriend to come with you as the dealer tries to explain what happened to the engine and what they feel has to be done to fix the problem. Don't settle! Don't let them get away with this! 

It may not be a common problem, but it is a real problem for you and it should matter to them about their reputation. They are nice cars and even if GM is going to drop the Pontiac line, they still have to honor all warranties and maintenance agreements with the car and you, the owner.

Keep us informed with this one, I am very interested in hearing the progress with your car and the dealer, AND any options they throw at you. 

Russ


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## blackmogoat (Apr 17, 2009)

Race car that has been used, abused, and put back on the lot after a quick tear down of blower, headers, and nox? It happens. Not a reflection of GTO quality. GTO does have a few issues: Bug in Dashboard firmware, Strut rub/leak, diff whine, .....


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## raspantienator (Nov 20, 2007)

I agree with much that has been said here Sue. Your problem seems unique for these cars. Left alone the LS2 is a solid engine. 
I had many less severe issues with mine when I purchased it 2 years ago but on my 3rd dealer attempt, I found one that new how to work on the car. 

Your warranty is good at any dealer so you may want to consider finding one that knows GTO's. Its not about how you look, its about getting the car fixed right.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

Sorry to hear of your problems with your GTO...hopefully it will get sorted out...(stick to your guns so to speak) and don't lose your temper with whomever you talk to but remain firm...and please give us a hint of where NOT to go for service in the Chicagoland area...good luck,
Bill


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Take your Dad, and or B/F with you and pay a visit to the owner of the dealership. Go past the service manager without even telling him you are going to the owner. Put in writing what is going on with the car, who told you what and when. Your car failed under warranty and as a result it caused the need to be cleaned etc. They OWE it to you to present you a PROPERLY repaired car with parts that will not fall off while looking as clean and as it did the day the car was sold. 
Go right to the owner and if he doesn't satisfy you, tell him you are taking HIS dealership's servicing practices, (IN WARRANTY services no less) public. If there is another local dealer contact them and discuss your dilemma and ask what they can do for you and if you are happy tell the clowns you are dealing with now you want THEM to pay for the towing to a reputable dealership. When playing Mr/Mz Nice guy/gal fails, ya gotta get nasty or you will be continually pushed around.


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## cpr (Aug 3, 2006)

:agree Sue, listen to the Judge!! Sorry for your headaches! Hang in there!!


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

Thanks for all the advice. I called my friend's boyfriend who works for another GM dealership managed by the same guy as this one (one in Orland, one in Oak Lawn - this dealership is Haggerty Pontiac in Oak Lawn, btw for anybody in the Chi area) and he is going to call over there for me and find out what the story is. 

I called and verified that the problem was a blown head gasket, and I wanted to know why, like installer error, overheating because something else is the problem, etc, but this guy Isaac, the service advisor said "It just wore down." 

Does that even make sense? I don't know why a head gasket would just "wear down" on a GTO w/26,000 miles, and my friend's boyfriend said this doesn't happen to these GTOs w/their small block engines EVER. (Which is pretty much what you guys have said as well)

About the cleaning, he said that they were just trying to sell me an upsell that I don't need and not to worry about it because all I really need is the oil change, which they are going to do. 

I just really hope the issue is not like a hose, or a thermostat somewhere that is causing these problems that they are too lazy to find. I hope the issue was installer error and I hope these guys at Pontiac put it together the right way this time. I really have my doubts though because like I said, these same guys were too lazy to screw on my engine cover all the way after an oil change. The oil change guys are probably different from the engine rebuilding guys, though. 

I will post later when I have my car back with that itemized receipt with what they did. 

I have another question, too...I always change my oil when the dashboard says "service engine oil" because that's what it says to do in the manual (synthetic lasts like 7,000 mi, right?). I asked them to reset the oil sensor since they are changing the oil today, so should I wait a full 7,000 mi or until the sensor goes off to change it again? Is that sensor on a timer, or does it actually check the quality of the oil?


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## REX (Jan 21, 2009)

Sue, did you verify there was oil in it after the change? It sounds to me like you got a partial oil change and then got the car back incomplete. That may explain the partially replaced skid plate. The lack of oil would have caused the car to overheat and blow the head gasket. I saw it happen with a brand new work rig with 5K miles on it, they took it in for an oil change, and blew the head gasket on the way back to the office... no oil! Go get 'em!


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

SueY816 said:


> I have another question, too...I always change my oil when the dashboard says "service engine oil" because that's what it says to do in the manual (synthetic lasts like 7,000 mi, right?). I asked them to reset the oil sensor since they are changing the oil today, so should I wait a full 7,000 mi or until the sensor goes off to change it again? Is that sensor on a timer, or does it actually check the quality of the oil?


Sue, the manual states to change the oil when the sensor alerts you, this is typically about 7K miles. The sensor measures engine revolutions NOT mileage, or elapsed time. You will be fine changing it when the sensor alerts you, providing the service tech reset it. Any synthetic oil compatible to what GM recommends will suffice. The sensor does not monitor oil quality.
If you follow the sensor, and you go a year since your last oil change, change the oil out and reset the sensor.

You may also want to monitor your miles driven to verify the sensor. If the sensor goes off well before you notice it should this may indicate the sensor was not reset, and then you'd be wise to change the oil at say 5K miles.

Personally, I keep a schedule. I change the oil every 5K and rotate the tires at the same time. Doing the same at 7K or so miles as the sensor alerts you, you will be fine.


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## AndreaH (Feb 26, 2009)

blackmogoat said:


> Race car that has been used, abused, and put back on the lot after a quick tear down of blower, headers, and nox? It happens. Not a reflection of GTO quality. GTO does have a few issues: Bug in Dashboard firmware, Strut rub/leak, diff whine, .....


So what is the bug in the dashboard firmware? Took my 04 in cuz it was flickering every time it was started and the dealership said "that was basically nothing to worry about". Also got in the car 2 days ago and the battery was completely drained for no apparent reasons...


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

AndreaH said:


> So *what is the bug in the dashboard firmware*? Took my 04 in cuz it was flickering every time it was started and the dealership said "that was basically nothing to worry about". Also got in the car 2 days ago and the battery was completely drained for no apparent reasons...


Can you be more specific?
How old is the battery?


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## AndreaH (Feb 26, 2009)

I'm sure it's the original battery. Never had any problem with starting or anything till then. I thought maybe the lights didn't turn off or something since I had it set to the 30 second delay after you turn it off and maybe a glitch in the computer with the dash flickering and all.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

If your battery is original, it's 5+ years old, my assumption is it needs replaced. A weakening battery will cause your PCM to begin getting goofy, there isn't sufficient power to run all that needs it. One day a battery is fine the next it isn't. Replacing the battery may be the cure.


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## taz4141 (Nov 6, 2006)

blackmogoat said:


> Race car that has been used, abused, and put back on the lot after a quick tear down of blower, headers, and nox? It happens. Not a reflection of GTO quality. GTO does have a few issues: Bug in Dashboard firmware, Strut rub/leak, diff whine, .....


:agree some (not all)but some people just have no respect for there cars . beef them up. pump them for everything it has. and dump them after they have bet the ever loving F*** out of them . then move on to a ricer cuz there cheaper to mod. but find out that they brake down faster. lol

plan and simple... what you do to the top, do to the bottom. what you do to the front do to the rear. other wise your time to walk will come. been there done that. i've learned my lesson. that's the problem with buying used cars of this magnitude. and if i did buy a car of this sort, i'd be prepared to over haul it anyway. muscle cars have 2 category's clean and neat and looking sexy. or flat out fast and ferrous. some of use like the best of both. pride if you will.

suck's for you because, you may have very well. of gotten one of , I'm sure , many car's (gto) in this case, that has been used and abused. then discarded. you may only have 25K miles. but the engine feels like it has 150k and doesn't want any more.

if you look at my pic. you'll see that yes i have a blower on mine. but i built the inside of this engine to more than handle this tiny blower. the heads, cam, crank, pistons,header's, exhaust, rods,lifters, all of it can handle. the ponies this engine puts out. looks stock but it's not. sounds stock but it's not.


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

I bought my car brand new in April, 2007. 

Also, thank you for the answer re: oil sensor. 

For anybody that is curious, turns out the water pump was leaking and probably caused the whole mess. 

Here is what the tech typed on the invoice: 

2.7 OLH CHECKED AND FOUND NO COOLANT IN RADIATOR. TOPPED OFF AND TESTED COOLANT SYSTEM. FOUND WATER PUMP LEAKING. UPON INSPECTION ALSO FOUND COOLANT IN OIL. CALLED TECH ASSIST AND WAS TOLD POSSIBLE HEAD GASKET LEAK OR WARPED HEADS. REMOVED BOTH HEADS AND CHECKED FOR WARPAGE. CHECK BLOCK DECK. BLOCK IS OK. REPLACED WATER PUMP. REPLACED BOTH HEAD GASKETS, CHANGED OIL AND FILTER. TEST DRIVE 8 MILES - OK. 

So..........hopefully my car is good now!!!!! It drove home a LOT better than it has anytime recently. Pontiac is giving me a $100 service credit as well and I didn't pay anything for this work or the rental. Crossing my fingers now I have a nice car like the rest of you :cool


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## AndreaH (Feb 26, 2009)

GTO JUDGE said:


> If your battery is original, it's 5+ years old, my assumption is it needs replaced. A weakening battery will cause your PCM to begin getting goofy, there isn't sufficient power to run all that needs it. One day a battery is fine the next it isn't. Replacing the battery may be the cure.



Just happened again.... And I checked the battery. It's not the original, looks to have been replaced 3/06. I saw somewhere else that there could be a possible problem with the auto lights on switch. Don't know, but having to jump it every 2 or 3 days is starting to suck. Same thing happened to a 04 GTO I test drove about a year ago(on the dealer's lot), so wonder what's up?


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Get your electrical system checked. Some places will offer that for free.


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## huitt06 (Feb 23, 2009)

my car overheated at about the same mileage and they told the head gasket was blown too...i towed it 2 another shop and turns out the radiator was leaking and they replaced it under full warranty!


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## raspantienator (Nov 20, 2007)

The importance of finding the service that knows these cars is so important.
Fingers crossed with ya.


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## rnoswal (Dec 2, 2007)

Well.....it's been a whole week now, are you still happy with the car? Ready to start modifying it now! Just kidding about the modifying part, but just curious about the car now.

Russ


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

Yep, all good so far. I'm still kind of skeptical though, I hope nothing else happens after the warranty runs out. I think I still have my warranty until March or April of 2010. That's interesting about the other GTO above w/the leaking radiator. At least these things happen under warranty.


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## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

A lot of car problems can be contributed to lack of maintaince [ weekly or daily inspection by the owner ] . I always check my fluids at least once a week, check the tire pressure monthly and give the tires a glance a few times a month, check my belts and hoses almost weekly. Even check the ground under my car for any leaks. In most cases you can spot a small problem before it becomes a big one


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

SueY816 said:


> Yep, all good so far. I'm still kind of skeptical though, I hope nothing else happens after the warranty runs out. I think I still have my warranty until March or April of 2010. That's interesting about the other GTO above w/the leaking radiator. At least these things happen under warranty.


Don't know if you considered an extended warranty but GMPP offers you a pay as you go policy that is transferable.


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## raspantienator (Nov 20, 2007)

:agree
Listen to the Judge.
I have the GMPP -the warranty is a win win scenario whether you keep or sell your car.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

SueY816 said:


> Fine. It's not even a MONTH later and I'm driving down the street and de de dedede, (dashboard music) "Engine is Hot!" Sure enough, needle is all the way on "H". My boyfriend comes and puts some coolant and water in it and I take it a few blocks to Pontiac.
> 
> They say it needs "major engine repair" and it has a blown head gasket (at 25,000 miles????????) and that the oil and coolant and all that mixed together. Oh - and they aren't going to clean it. They say they will change the oil, but if I don't pay them $130 for an engine flush, they'll give it back to me with coolant all over it. (So I'm assuming I'll need an oil change in about a week? From all that coolant going down and mixing with the oil and making a nice grimy black sludge?)
> 
> ...


You blew a headgasket. That happens when you typically overheat the car. IE not check your fluid levels. On top of that, after the car overheated. You put more coolent in and drove it...

Now your complaining?

Battery from an 06... its now 09 so it last 3-4 years depending on build date. Sounds abuot right. If you kill the battery, chances are you ran the **** out of your alternator. Preventitive maintance would be to replace both at the same time.

Alot of your problems could have been avoided or atleast minimized if you took care of the car. These are solid cars and of course all cars have flaws, but yours seem to be from neglect.


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## rnoswal (Dec 2, 2007)

How can you possibly neglect an alternator? How can you possible neglect a 3 year old radiator? You are being too hard on her! Does everytime anything happen to you and your car, is it due to neglect? Sometimes, S&*t happens, and when it does, who are you going to call?

Give a new owner, Sue, in this case, a break! She did what she could! I know about most of the over the counter guys in the parts stores and also the service techs in the dealers. It is rare when you find a sympathetic one and a knowledgeable one. Women get a bashing from dealers and it doesn't take much to get a bad rep and word of mouth travels fast. 

Before I bought mine the previous owner had to get a syncro replaced, a three year old transmission and a syncro had to be replaced! I know you can really abuse anything, but he is not Tanner Fauss , but comfortably enthusiastic about his ride, as I am. It's like some who are so brand sensitive, give her some credit, be kind and maybe she will stay a GTO owner and inspire other women to do the same!

Russ


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

rnoswal said:


> How can you possibly neglect an alternator? How can you possible neglect a 3 year old radiator? You are being too hard on her! Does everytime anything happen to you and your car, is it due to neglect? Sometimes, S&*t happens, and when it does, who are you going to call?
> 
> Give a new owner, Sue, in this case, a break! She did what she could! I know about most of the over the counter guys in the parts stores and also the service techs in the dealers. It is rare when you find a sympathetic one and a knowledgeable one. Women get a bashing from dealers and it doesn't take much to get a bad rep and word of mouth travels fast.
> 
> ...


Symathetic is what you do when someone has a problem and needs help. Not blames it on the dealer or the car. Cars break PERIOD. But some can be prevented. You see so many people complain about the POS GTO. I have had mine for awhile. Beat the crap out of my 04 daily. I do all the preventitive stuff and have no issues. My girlfriend has an 05. Same with hers, beats on it hard, changes stuff when required, no issues. Its the owners, not the cars.


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## Sticks_n_Stones (Mar 10, 2009)

26K mine overheated in stop and go traffic. Pulled over just as the dash started beeping at me. I had just installed my SLP 421 Bobcat tune minutes earlier and assumed that was it - fans werent coming on so I figured I had a corrupted upload that messed up the fan settings. When I got it home it was down 1 1/2 gallons, the dipstick wasn't even registering any oil, the overflow hose had come loose from the radiator (clamp was slid down the hose, factory f*ed up), and the overflow bottle was half full still. Runs fine, no oil in water or vice versa but I still dont know for sure what caused it in the first place.

And yes I had been checking my fluids twice a week at least (just got the car and was starting the mods - which means ALWAYS double checking the obvious stuff).


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## rnoswal (Dec 2, 2007)

I don't think Sue started out hating her car. When it started doing what she said, AND after dealing with the dealer, THEN she stated her low regard for the car. I am sympathetic and empathetic for her. I can't tell you how many people I know that have had bad experiences with the dealer.

I know thing just break in a car, without dogging or abusing it. She said she wasn't and I will give her the benefit of a doubt. With all the problems mentioned here in this forum, it suprises me that you think it is all due to neglect of the owner. I happen to like my GTO, but there are problems that the car has that will never be corrected due to the dropping of Pontiac.

I hope Sue enjoys her car now that her problem has been fixed, but it is fery frustrating to have just bought a car and have it break on you, and in her case, a serious break! Anyway, they all need constant care and hopefully my daughter will learn that it is better to keep ahead of the game by checking stuff...she won't, but I can always hope.

Russ


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## 04gto1999lude (May 12, 2010)

I'm really sorry to hear your delema but just like i told my wife and keep telling her just a few more parts and i'll be done with my Nikki(GTO) and yet more stuff keeps coming up..its a sensitive car unless you have money to blow you do not need a gto, leave them for people like us that don't mind spending money on these cars to get them perfect..


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## 04gto1999lude (May 12, 2010)

I have Both A ricer and A GTO but yes a Prelude,and it will last you years and years but you can never get the same feeling on any import like you can get on a GTO!!


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

At 25K miles the radiator cap should of never been off the car, and the LS shouldn't have been using any oil or leaking. She bought a relativelly new car expecting it to be problem free. This would piss me off also. The dealer wouldn't flush the engine if she didn't pay, but it was a warranty repair? So, they let her leave with oil in her coolant? She needs to find a new dealer.

I bought an 01 Lincoln LS that is the same way, everything breaks, car is junk and lincoln wont' help. If the GTO has problems like the Lincoln she has every right to be upset. If she is going to keep the car, she better buy an extended warranty and find a good shop to do the work.


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## 04BLKGOAT (Apr 27, 2007)

Glad to hear that your car is back and working properly and was covered under warranty. I had a similar issue with mine with the engine locking up due to a trans bell housing bolts had come loose and backed out until it hit the torque converter. Bolt had goughed itself into metal skin of the toruqe converter. Thank god the power trans warranty covered this repair. 

I am also thinking about getting a extended warranty for my car, just in case something like this happens again..


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

first of all battery going dead and the skid plate is hardly reason to call it garbage.. the battery is garbage and the skid plate was not bolted on tight enough.. secondly the fact that it overheated and the head gasket blew is the owners fault because its your car you should car about it enough to atleast check the fluids!!! if you get your car serviced by someone else is even more reason to check and re check because you need to KNOW yourself that its in good running condition. the reason that the head gasket blew is because the car *overheated* it is quite common a lot of times the whole head will warp due to the alluminum heads.. how hard is it to check your fluids?!


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Ease up! Evidentally, reading back through the thread, the problem(s) has/have been solved. Why do you feel a need to further beat on the poster?


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Sandy vag in this thread


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

ya i admit i was a little harsh, but i hear storys like this all the time. it drives me crazy how people don't recheck the fluids and maintain their cars they just assume everything is good because their "mechanic" just replaced the fluids and then wonder why it has problems.. to me my post was more of a public service announcement. maybe its just me to double check just to make sure because its a lot of money lost if it goes kaput..


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

*2006 Impulse Blue/blue leather/A4/18" rims*

I bought my car new June 10th, 2006. I had the car a month or two and starting hearing a clanking/banging/popping noise under the front of the car. The front struts had blown out. My car sat at the stealership for 2 weeks getting fixed under warranty (took 1.5 weeks for the parts to come in while I drove a rental on GM's dime).

I had the car for 4 months and the passenger side window decided it didn't want to go up all the way on the interstate on my way to Chicago from Gulf coast Alabama in the middle of a thunder storm with my wife in the passenger seat. We get up to IL and the window starts working again. I take it to a stealership up there and they won't touch it because the window is working and they won't tear into the door unless there is a problem. I take it to the stealership where I bought it when I get back to Alabama and they tell me the same thing. Luckily, it hasn't happened since, just fixed itself somehow. 

I had the car for 2.5 years but out of warranty from mileage and the key fob decides to quit working. The battery didn't go dead, it just somehow lost its "memory" that coded the transmitter to my car. I go to use the manual door lock in the door to get in the car and guess what, it doesn't work. It was the first time I had ever stuck a key in the door and didn't find out the door had a bad lock until it was out of warranty. I take it to the stealership after my friend from work drives me home to get the other set of keys to get in the car. The stealership reprograms the key for me (after a WAR because I don't have the MAGICAL "business card sized card" that has all the secret computer and stereo system codes on it that I was suppose to get when the car was new and I never got) but they charged me to replace the lock in the door. 

Again, the car is just out of warranty and I reallize that the tops of my backs seats are all torn apart. I mean, the gaps of the threads are big enough I could hide a chiwawa in, and not just a teacup chiwawa, I'm talking full blown Taco Bell dog. I took it to the stealership and they wanted like $1100 to fix it. I laughed. I took it to the local window and upholstery guy. He was gonna charge me $275 to replace the tops of the seats with blue vinyle at the sticthing. He said the sun wouldn't shrink it like the leather and I'd never have to worry about it again, but he couldn't match the exact shade of blue so I still have big gaping tears in the tops of my back seats by the headrests.

Last year the key ignition quit working inside the steering wheel. It locked up worse when it was hot out. I would put the key in and try to turn it and it wouldn't budge, almost break the key off on the inside trying to get it to turn. Sometimes it would take 15 mintues of having key sex with the cylinder, key in, key out, key in, key out, tweek here, tweek there, to get it to turn. Come to find out, the cylinder went bad and I had to pay a couple hundred bucks to get that replaced and reprogrammed to my key. 

Lately when I hit the unlock button the passenger side door lock only comes up about 75% of the way, not quite up enough to unlock the door. I got to lean over and pull it up for my wife or if we're in the car and I put it in park and turn off the engine, sometimes she has to lean over and pull it up to let herself out. It only does it about 25% of the time, not enough for me to poor money into it but enough to piss you off. 

I've never had dash gremlins that some of the peeps on here talk about but I did have my stereo freak out a couple time and just starting cycling through cds and acting like it was trying to eject them before calming down and returning to normal. 

Just thought I'd share some of my problems. All that being said, I love my car and I WILL NEVER SELL. She has 60,000 miles on her with a fresh cam/heads/intake swap and running like a raped ape.

Oh yes, one more thing, my battery too was junk not long after a year. I replaced it with an Optima Yellowtop and have been running ever since.


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## UdnUdnGTO (Jan 30, 2006)

I have a friend in the used car business. He states that people trade cars when they "loose faith" not when the car is done. When we have problems with autos we tend to start looking. For encouragement: I have 128,000 on a 2005 GTO M6. Nothing has been replaced. Regular oil changes, check fluids, top off when needed, change tranny, diff, radiator fluids when books says. GTO is a great car. When it hits 150,000 I will put it in a garage to be driven on special occasions. This car is a keeper. I am thinking about changing the suspension. Lots of great articles and discussion on it. Great car, GTO.


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## SueY816 (Apr 30, 2009)

Bluegoat - this post is very old and I'm on to a whole new problem now, but somewhere in the middle of this I posted that the water pump was broken, which caused everything to overheat and the blown head gasket. It had nothing to do with not checking fluids.


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