Looking for a used vehicle? Skip these GM "W" body cars

[MrDisco]

GM recalls 207,000 Buicks, Pontiacs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23631170/
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/346107

Yet another issue re-affirming my belief that the W body is not worth the headaches in engine issues (both regular 3.8 and now the Supercharged variant) and poor quality materials through out.

[mau108]

honda had a similar recall I believe, or was it because of the improper use of oil filters.

[gherikill]

These recalls are only for the supercharge 3.8s

[dasaylay]

That's not a fair representative of all the W-body GM cars. My 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue's engine is perfectly fine after 120k. Only had to change the alternator&battery once. Engine is built solid. As for the electricals inside, that's a nightmare.

[Dixon007]

not a big deal. alot of companies had recalls before

Honda Motor Company is recalling more than 180 000 Civics from the 2006/2007 model year. It's to fix a wheel-bearing seal which could leak and lead to a wheel falling off the car. Owners are being notified of the recall this month
Mazda is recalling 382,505 vehicles to repair faulty fog lamp parts that could start fires.
Toyota announces safety recall on Lexus models in U.S.

Toyota is recalling 160,000 Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars worldwide because their engines can stop due to an electrical problem, Japan's top automaker said Friday.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp., a Japanese automaker whose sales have plunged on recurring recalls, has announced another recall affecting 179000 cars for a defect ...
Nissan to recall approximately 650000 vehicles

[ac328]

Who wants to bet on how long it takes VivienM to show up??? :D

[Engi-Nir]

add this also to other imports having recalls:


THIS WAS 2 weeks ago Honda put out two recall notices today that affects some 273,000 2004-2008 Acura TLs. One of the recalls addresses a windshield wiper issue, where a potentially faulty circuit breaker on 129,600 '04 and '05 TLs could fail, rendering the wipers useless.

The other recall is a bit more compelling. Apparently an issue with high temperatures under the hood can cause the power steering hose to degrade to the point that it could crack and leak fluid onto the catalytic converter. This could result in a fair amount of smoke, or, at worse, a fire.

[Engi-Nir]

Toyota admitted quality issues Today, Mar 14/08:, hence it is not GM only, and add honda also. I just get troubled when everyone on this forum keep picking on domestics (GM) lol


TOKYO -- Toyota's president acknowledged the company's rapid global growth was partly behind a surge in problems that has plagued the Japanese automaker in recent years.

Speaking at the Japan National Press Club, Watanabe noted the reasons behind the defects were varied, spanning development, design, production, suppliers and maintenance.

But Watanabe said at least some of the problems, including time pressures and shortage of experts, stemmed from the company's dramatic growth in recent years.

"That is not zero," he told reporters, referring to quality problems rooted in Toyota's expansion.

"The fact that Toyota is growing globally suddenly shouldn't be used as an excuse," Watanabe said.

Finally, toyota accepted it can not use the global growth as an excuse.

[MrDisco]

That's not a fair representative of all the W-body

no, but it's yet another one to add to this line.

and i absolutely agree with other comments - recalls affect a range of makes and models across the industry. my point is simply the W body is not the be all, end all that some RFD members would have us believe. My opinion based on personal experience from owning a W (purchased brand new from the dealer and maintained at the dealer) is that they are terrible and not worth the headaches.

[i_spotdeals]

Who wants to bet on how long it takes VivienM to show up??? :D

hahahaha your read my mind. I bet by 8:30pm.. but no PMing allowed! :lol:

[VivienM]

Who wants to bet on how long it takes VivienM to show up??? :D

You called? :D

[tebore]

Looks like GM finally solved the mystery of the 3.8SC fires.

[Ten Count]

honda had a similar recall I believe, or was it because of the improper use of oil filters.

Haven't heard of that one. I think you may be thinking of the little-known Subaru Legacy engine recall from the 1990's due to the specs for the oil filters being inadequate (too low "burst point" IIRC?) .

Nonetheless it does appear that there is an obscure clause in the Canadian Constitution which decrees that automotive recalls may not be published in the news media except those pertaining to GM & Ford vehicles...

If you have a post-1996 GM 3800 and like the car, my suggestion is to gut the engine bay and replace it with one form a running pre-1996 donor car, or better yet a pre-1992 donor car -regardless of odometer, it was a 10 times better engine. Selling your newer engine will pay for engine swap labour.

GM used garbage material in the newer engines to gain a minuscule weight reduction. We'll probably never know if the money they saved on CAFE's was worth the money spent on all the warranty work & service campaigns.

[VivienM]

Haven't heard of that one. I think you may be thinking of the little-known Subaru Legacy engine recall from the 1990's due to the specs for the oil filters being inadequate (too low "burst point" IIRC?) .

There was an issue with Honda CR-Vs catching on fire after their first oil changes.

Honda's response was that their product was perfectly engineered (it's a Honda, what else do you expect?!) and that it must have been dealers/mechanics who screwed up, so they wouldn't pay for the burned vehicles...

[ES_Revenge]

GM recalls 207,000 Buicks, Pontiacs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23631170/
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/346107

Yet another issue re-affirming my belief that the W body is not worth the headaches in engine issues (both regular 3.8 and now the Supercharged variant) and poor quality materials through out.

:rolleyes:

Give me a break. Tons of cars out there have recalls. Of course recall issues are safety issues, that's why they are recalls. If they weren't safety issues but otherwise common problems, they'd be simple TSBs.

207,000 cars isn't much considering just how many W-bodies and 3800-based engines are out there.

There's little wrong with the L36, L67, L26, etc. Oh emm gee! There's a recall on some number of affected vehicles. Again give me a break and say hello to rolleyes guy :rolleyes:

The fact that there is a recall means it's fixed for free on any car that's affected. So why would this be a reason to stay away from these cars? You've got to be kidding!

A reason to stay away is a safety issue where the manufacturer refuses to repair the problem, not where a repair is both mandatory and free :rolleyes:

[Sohjonn]

why are they called "w" bodies, is that just a code or does it have any reference to the chassis?

[ES_Revenge]

why are they called "w" bodies, is that just a code or does it have any reference to the chassis?

It is the reference to the chassis--it's the name of the "platform" the cars are made on, in this case the W platform.

The W platform is being phased out and all models will cease by 2010 I believe.

GM's Zeta (G8; possibly a future Impala) and Epsilon II (LaCrosse which will probably be renamed to Regal; and also a possibility for the Impala) platforms replace the W-platform.

[VivienM]

why are they called "w" bodies, is that just a code or does it have any reference to the chassis?

It's the 4th digit of the VIN, which indicates the platform.
e.g. an Impala will be 2G1W...
FYI, first digit of VIN is country of final assembly (1 for US, 2 for Canada, etc), second digit for GM is G, third digit is the GM division (1 for Chevy, 4 for Buick, etc.) and 4th is the platform code.

(Of course, GM is sometimes less than consistent with this, e.g. the 2000-2005 Buick LeSabre has H in the 4th VIN digit even though it's clearly on the G platform, but the W bodies consistently have W...)

[stealth]

:rolleyes:

Give me a break. Tons of cars out there have recalls. Of course recall issues are safety issues, that's why they are recalls. If they weren't safety issues but otherwise common problems, they'd be simple TSBs.

207,000 cars isn't much considering just how many W-bodies and 3800-based engines are out there.

There's little wrong with the L36, L67, L26, etc. Oh emm gee! There's a recall on some number of affected vehicles. Again give me a break and say hello to rolleyes guy :rolleyes:

The fact that there is a recall means it's fixed for free on any car that's affected. So why would this be a reason to stay away from these cars? You've got to be kidding!

A reason to stay away is a safety issue where the manufacturer refuses to repair the problem, not where a repair is both mandatory and free :rolleyes:

Agreed. I respect a company that stands by its products, unlike others which in the past (Chrysler and Mistubishi come to mind, although I'm sure there were others) arbitrarily deny thousands of identical claims, citing trivial excuses like "well, your oil change wasnt done at a dealership".
For more info on the examples I'm talking about, google "Durango oil sludge" and "Vr-4 stealth transmisssion" or "vr-4 stealth transfer case"...tons of well documented complaints, no solution offerred by the manufacturer for very costly repairs. They just blame the oil sludge on driving conditions, climate and oil changes, and in the case of the Mitsu VR-4/Stealth, unproveable abusive drivers.