# Quality and the GTO



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

I am wondering about the quality of GTO's. Mine was perfect except for the B&M shifter that I added. Not one problem. Some have had theirs lemon lawed and such though. I'd like to poll this and see how the quality is.

Was trying to do a poll but I wasn't quick enough. OOPS


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

4 Problems with mine so far.....

DIC died within a month.....replaced under warranty.....no problems since
Oil consumption was high for first 5,000 miles....since then maybe 1/2 quart in 5,000 miles....must have been factory fill or ring seating.
Tires "cupped" @ 12,000 miles according to dealer.....not happy about irregular tire wear or dealer response.
Passenger side rear tire blew out a sidewall. Could have been mechanical damage or the regular trips to 140+.

No other quality problems in 19,000 miles. 
Guess I can't really complain. 

The interior is holding up well and the car is rattle free. 
Powertrain is solid.
Paint is very good.


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## SilverGoat (Oct 30, 2004)

1. DIC DOA, replaced and has been perfect since.
2. Shifter rattle, replaced, no more rattle.
3. Two tires out of round, replaced. Other two original tires out of round, out of warranty. Plan on "rounding" them this summer so all that rubber doesn't go to waste in some landfill somewhere.
4. Occasional electrical gremlin that lasts a second or two and then resolves on own.

Rattle free otherwise, which is amazing as the road I live on feels like a motocross track right now. I hope it smooths out after the frost is out of the ground. Love this car, all-around best car I've owned.


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## C5ORGTO (Dec 30, 2004)

Perfect so far. I bought my 04 in Sept 05 with only 3200 miles. No issues except it sucks gas like most wouldn't believe.


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

21,000 miles, no problems, only maintance. 
Working at a dealer, I see twice as many problems with 05's than 04's. No offence to 05 owners, the 05's just have a whold diffrent engine mangement system that can be a little quarky.:cool


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## Starrbuck (Dec 13, 2005)

PEARL JAM said:


> Working at a dealer, I see twice as many problems with 05's than 04's. No offence to 05 owners, the 05's just have a whold diffrent engine mangement system that can be a little quarky.:cool


<gulp!>


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## ModBoss2 (Nov 13, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> I am wondering about the quality of GTO's. Mine was perfect except for the B&M shifter that I added. Not one problem. Some have had theirs lemon lawed and such though. I'd like to poll this and see how the quality is.
> 
> Was trying to do a poll but I wasn't quick enough. OOPS


I think it sort of depends on how the car is treated. If you do your best to tear it up and treat it like a '64 dragstrip car then it's going to start being a disappointment to own. I don't drive mine like it's stolen or like my dad bought it for me.


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## Good 2 go (Sep 7, 2005)

11,700 miles so far:

1. Within a couple of weeks of ownership, had driver's side door lock knob replaced

2. Not too happy with the fragile paint.

Otherwise, it's all good! :cool


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## rt66er (Nov 1, 2005)

Here's the list on my 6,200 mile 2004 A4 GTO, purchased new in Sept. 04:
1. Drove off the lot and noticed only defog working; no dash vents. Found problem myself; split vacuum line under fuel rail cover. Trimmed out split part and reconnected. Problem fixed.
2. Passenger side front freeze plug leaking. Dealer fixed on second try. Still good to date.
3. Harmonic vibration at idle in "D" in warm/hot weather. Not cam shake but a constant harmonic vibration throughout whole car; gets worse with warmer ambient temps. Under 40 degrees ambient virtually no vibration at all; 100 degree ambient and the dash literally hums from the vibration; car feels like a big old magic fingers bed. After so many trips to dealer I lost count, no resolution. They have washed their hands of it; Pontiac says "normal operation." It's winter now, so there is no problem. As soon as temps warm, though, I expect this to return. I suspect there is a problem with the fuel management or something where it's not leaning out with warmer, less dense air at higher ambient temps. I may try a custom tune to see if it helps.
4. Both front strut rod bushings blown/collapsed. These fluid-filled bushings are amazingly fragile. One hard stop and they are blown, after which alignment continually changes with road conditions. Installed Noltec strut rod bushings (at my own expense) and this problem is now fixed. Had four-wheel alignment done (at my own expense) and fixed the strut rub problem on passenger side front tire.
I'm not counting the numerous designed-in problems (no rear wing delete option, cheap, rubbery HVAC controls, no dead pedal, barely adequate brakes, ridiculous rear seat access mechanism, easily scratched silver painted interior trim).
I have a real love/hate relationship with this car. All the problems (especially the unresolved one) really temper my attitude. If the car wasn't such a blast to drive, it would be gone by now.


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## dealernut (Oct 22, 2005)

rt66er said:


> Here's the list on my 6,200 mile 2004 A4 GTO, purchased new in Sept. 04:
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
> ...



WOW!!!! I believe that is the worst review I have ever read on the car from an owner. Problem 1 and 2 are build issues. There is a fella local that has a similar problem you have with 3. Its not the fuel management system. We have torn that apart for him and to no avail.4. The strut rub should have been GM covered.


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## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

Broken gas cap early on. Basically 14,000 trouble free miles. Interior is holding up well. Exterior paint is getting chipped up -- but nothing out of the ordinary.


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## rt66er (Nov 1, 2005)

dealernut said:


> WOW!!!! I believe that is the worst review I have ever read on the car from an owner. Problem 1 and 2 are build issues. There is a fella local that has a similar problem you have with 3. Its not the fuel management system. We have torn that apart for him and to no avail.4. The strut rub should have been GM covered.


I understand the strut rub should be a covered item. Unfortunately, I'm not confident enough in my dealer to adequately align the front end. Plus, I replaced the strut rod bushings with aftermarket pieces, which I am fairly certain would allow my dealer service advisor to blame the strut rub on this "modification." These particular folks are pretty quick with the blame game. I spent $200 on bushings and alignment, but it was done right the first time and I'm sure I spent less time than all the run-around and return visits (not to mention endless "technical conversations") would have taken. I'm sure there are good service departments out there; I just have no confidence in mine (from experience). As far as the vibration goes, I had a motor mount replaced by a friend that owns a diagostic/repair shop. They detected some possible metallic contact in the passenger side, as compared to the drivers' side. No joy. It is almost humorous how anyone can call this "normal operation" if they have experienced it first-hand. Even my service advisor admitted (to my face, but not on paper) my car idled significantly different from their demo A4.
I really believe the fact that it idles fine at ambient temps below about 40 degrees is a significant clue.........


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## Holden (Sep 10, 2005)

Mine has vibration / rattle in shifter until it warms up worse if it sits for a wk or so but goes away. Wonder if its piston slap. Also don’t like Silver Trim paint, afraid to touch it. Don’t like stereo either. BUT Love the car and think its well built. I guess you all know about the similarities with Cadillac Catera. And most of the ones I work on are junk so that worries me. Similarities are amazing when one is German & other is Au. Want to know what your trunk should look like just look in a Catera the tank is still under car Huge Trunk.


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## dealernut (Oct 22, 2005)

rt66er said:


> I understand the strut rub should be a covered item. Unfortunately, I'm not confident enough in my dealer to adequately align the front end. Plus, I replaced the strut rod bushings with aftermarket pieces, which I am fairly certain would allow my dealer service advisor to blame the strut rub on this "modification." These particular folks are pretty quick with the blame game. I spent $200 on bushings and alignment, but it was done right the first time and I'm sure I spent less time than all the run-around and return visits (not to mention endless "technical conversations") would have taken. I'm sure there are good service departments out there; I just have no confidence in mine (from experience). As far as the vibration goes, I had a motor mount replaced by a friend that owns a diagostic/repair shop. They detected some possible metallic contact in the passenger side, as compared to the drivers' side. No joy. It is almost humorous how anyone can call this "normal operation" if they have experienced it first-hand. Even my service advisor admitted (to my face, but not on paper) my car idled significantly different from their demo A4.
> I really believe the fact that it idles fine at ambient temps below about 40 degrees is a significant clue.........



I really despise inferior service departments. They are to blame for the negative opinion of GM quality. IMO!!!!


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## Holden (Sep 10, 2005)

:agree :agree :agree :agree :agree :agree


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## jacobyb (Jan 2, 2006)

I only have a whopping 1400 miles on mine since December 31st. ONly problem to date is the driver side door lock knob needs to be replaced. That's it. The only problem I have with it is that there are some factory paint runs in the rear 1/4 panel, and I wisj I had the Australian HVAC controls instead of the tacky plastic dials. 

Great car.


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## Holden (Sep 10, 2005)

jacobyb said:


> I only have a whopping 1400 miles on mine since December 31st. ONly problem to date is the driver side door lock knob needs to be replaced. That's it. The only problem I have with it is that there are some factory paint runs in the rear 1/4 panel, and I wisj I had the Australian HVAC controls instead of the tacky plastic dials.
> 
> Great car.


Ouch my first GTO had “factory paint runs “. I took to body shop they showed me 1/3rd of car was repainted. 30mi when I bought it, no disclosure so Dealer bought it back.


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## yipching (Oct 5, 2004)

The problems I mentioned in my buyback thread aside, the GTO's powertrain has been solid. The engine is amazing - never burns any oil no matter how hard/often it's pushed. The body is stiff and held well over the crappy, pothole-ridden roads around my home. It's the electricals that'll git u tho...


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## dealernut (Oct 22, 2005)

yipching said:


> It's the electricals that'll git u tho...


thats something I agree with. Electrical gremlins can be so many variables in a vehicle that they are almost impossible to recognize and isolate. We have a Solstice here that we simply cannot figure out why the right head light intermittenly goes off. We cannot duplicate with any regularity and the problem is NOT in the wiring as we have tracked it through the entire car and to no avail!!!!


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## jortegasr (Nov 4, 2005)

I love my goat. I am only 27 and this is only my 3rd new car. The only thing that pisses me off is the floormat anchors. They seem to only last me a week or 2. There is a few things that I wish was offered on our cars, like Onstar and memory seating. But I have not had any problems with my goat (knock on wood). arty:


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## Ironmancan (Feb 11, 2006)

jortegasr said:


> I love my goat. I am only 27 and this is only my 3rd new car. The only thing that pisses me off is the floormat anchors. They seem to only last me a week or 2. There is a few things that I wish was offered on our cars, like Onstar and memory seating. But I have not had any problems with my goat (knock on wood). arty:


 Yea, onstar and memory seats would have been nice. Haven't put in the floor mat anchors. Mine stay still though.


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## DaveH (Jan 20, 2006)

Very happy with the all around quality performance and comfort of my 6000 mile daily driver!


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## Stephen Hopkins (Feb 6, 2006)

2004, Torrid Red on Black, A4. No problems yet... 15,500 on the clock, about 1,000 since we bought it a month ago. There are some very minor paint swirls, probably from improper washing. I plan on doing clay-bar and maybe zaino when spring break rolls around... not enough time w/ class and sr. design project right now. Barely have time to wash it and when i do it rains the next day. I've pretty much decided all day every day of spring break is going to be GTO related... one day is exhaust, one day is wash/clay/zaino, one day is interior & stereo (aux-in mod, maybe 8" subs & amp), and the last day (maybe 2) will be a road trip along w/ a buddy who has an '02 Camaro SS.


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## GTO-Quikls2 (Mar 21, 2005)

To date the only problem I have had is that the gas cap broke... wouldn't screw back on. Dealer replaced it under warrenty. My interior and exterior is holding up just fine. No rattles and the leather looks like new. 

I was worried about some of the finishes on the inside and outside but so far so good. It will be interesting to take another look at this same topic in a couple of years.


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## bemeyer (Apr 4, 2005)

My 2004 GTO has ~17k on the odometer. Here's my list from memory:

1. Coolant sensor - cured the beeping and low coolant warnings.

2. Dead stereo output - was grounding of one of my rear speakers, they'd shift during accel and braking just enough to kill all output of my stereo. However, a week or two ago my radio went silent again. Next day it worked and has been fine since. :confused 

3. Auto headlights freaky - This is a new prob which I haven't had looked at yet. My lights will come on even though it's clearly dark out. Also, they'll stay on even when I shut the car off, lock, etc.... My guess is a bad sensor.. I've tried using the old fashioned method but I keep on forgetting to turn them off after getting out of the car as there's no audible reminder to turn off headlights.:confused 

Overall I'm very happy with the build quality of this car. Electrical quirks aside it's the best built car I've owned. Still rattle-free and the LS1 is road-proven and smooth as silk. Fun factor is awesome with this car. Only crappy facets of the car is worthless trunk and horrible rear seat access.

4.


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## Stephen Hopkins (Feb 6, 2006)

I've just notice the nikel finish on the auto shifter button is peeling on the edge facing toward the back of the car. So far it's not that noticable, like a bubbling but no breaking/flaking. If it flakes i'll take it in to the dealer. Anyone else having any nickel peeling/flaking


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## Dad's 05 GTO (Jul 5, 2005)

Wow, I'm afriad to sat this for fear of putting some bad mojo on my GTO, but the car is flawless. I have spent good money on Vettes that have had fit and finsih issues as well as mechanical stuff, but this car is great (knock on wood).arty:


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## 05GOAT (Nov 11, 2004)

The only problem I have had is with the B&M shifter just like fergyflyer who got this good thread going. The B&M is being replaced with the GMM Ripshifter by the way. It's the best car I have ever purchased. I should get it back from the Blower / Cam install this week so I can tell you then really how good this car is.

arty:


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

05GOAT said:


> I should get it back from the Blower / Cam install this week
> 
> arty:


PICS! PICS! PICS!:cheers


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## smkdu (Sep 22, 2005)

Stephen Hopkins said:


> I've just notice the nikel finish on the auto shifter button is peeling on the edge facing toward the back of the car. So far it's not that noticable, like a bubbling but no breaking/flaking. If it flakes i'll take it in to the dealer. Anyone else having any nickel peeling/flaking


Had the same thing happen on my 04 A4.The only other problems were the 
1. Front bumper had paint peeling off finally on the 3rd try they bought me a new bumper and painted.(Didn't even think to get the SAP front)
2. I have to take it in on Mon. for rearend whine.
Has anybody noticed that the rear tires wear on the inside or is it just mine. Does anyone know why it wears on the inside and not the middle. Other than that I'm up to 12,500 miles of pure fun.


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## GTO_400 (Jul 7, 2005)

smkdu said:


> Has anybody noticed that the rear tires wear on the inside or is it just mine. Does anyone know why it wears on the inside and not the middle. Other than that I'm up to 12,500 miles of pure fun.


I've noticed this as well doing a quick wheel spin mine leaves two black marks about 3.5 inches wide that came from the inside of the tires especially when there cold.
By the way mine has been perfect but she only has 4800 miles so she's Holden up very well, hope I can say the same at 148000 miles. Believe it or not just today I herd the horn for the first time and wow it sounds pretty good:lol:


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## Reno'sGoat (Dec 10, 2004)

No real issues here other than the ease that the paint chips. I do alot of highway driving so stuff gets kicked up. Great car otherwise and a blast to drive. I'm at 5,200 miles and she is away for the winter. Can't wait for spring.


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## Starrbuck (Dec 13, 2005)

Yeah, I have a couple of chips near the front center. Anyone have a good source for touch-up paint?


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## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

Starrbuck said:


> Yeah, I have a couple of chips near the front center. Anyone have a good source for touch-up paint?


Your dealer has factory touch up kits. Buy both the color and clearcoat.


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## jortegasr (Nov 4, 2005)

Starrbuck said:


> Yeah, I have a couple of chips near the front center. Anyone have a good source for touch-up paint?


Buddy is an estimater at a body shop so he takes care of them for me. Just give the paint guys a case of beer.:cheers


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## Doric (Feb 28, 2006)

I'm at 18,400 as of this morning. Drove it off the lot July 17th, 2004.

I had the climate control get stuck on Defrost once, and took it to the dealer along with a stack of TSBs. They fixed the Defrost issue (vacuum hose came disconnected), but didn't get a damned one of the TSBs right. Go figure.

Anyway, beyond that, I haven't had a single problem. Build date 12/03.


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