I found this interesting site.  It talks about one couples battle with GM.  Take a gander at it!

Why GM Sucks  http://thebormans.net/GMSucks.htm

"Your engine died with only 70,000 miles on it?  That shouldn't happen!"  This was the statement made by the service manager at a Virginia dealership when our car was towed to his shop early in 2003.  

Brief History: In 1998 we bought a new Pontiac Grand Prix.  Over the last 5 years we have taken very good care of the car, including regular maintenance and oil changes among other things.  In April, 2003, while returning from a trip to North Carolina, the engine ceased.  At the time the engine had a mere 70,000 miles on it.  The car was towed to a dealer in Richmond, VA and the service manager told us our only option was to replace the engine - at a cost of $4300!  Given that the car was out of warranty but had been well-cared for (we have all receipts for everything, including oil changes) we were hoping for at least a 50% discount on the parts and labor.  After several calls and visits to local dealers, service managers, regional managers, and GM Customer Care (an oxymoron in itself) we were informed that we were not entitled to any cost consideration.  So even with regular maintenance and care one cannot expect a GM engine to last more than 70,000 miles.  We will never own another GM vehicle.

What exactly happened to our engine?  We were not satisfied until we could get a precise diagnosis as to why the engine died.  We had the dead engine shipped to an engine building shop in Northern Virginia.  They took it apart and determined that the engine ceased due to lack of oil, which was attributed to a failure of the oil pump.  The oil pump is integrated into the timing chain cover on the 3800 engine, and that part was mysteriously absent when our engine was replaced.  The service manager at a local dealer claimed that the engine ceased due to lack of oil in the pan, but the dealer who replaced the engine verified there was plenty of oil in the pan when they replaced it.  Also, the fact that the engine stopped after traveling 100 miles at 65 mph, plus the absence of major leaks, rules out the possibility of no oil in the pan.  The failure was due to a defect in the oil pump.  However, GM claims no responsibility for the defect.

Other makes are better quality.  We have owned many cars and most have lasted well beyond 100,000 miles without major engine problems.  Our '83 Subaru went 98,000 miles.  Our '85 BMW went 112,000 miles.  My '76 Toyota that I had in college went 130,000 miles.  When I finished grad school in 1982 I bought a new Chevrolet Monte Carlo - my first new car - and it lasted 13,000 miles before the transmission went.  Later we bought an '88 Buick Century Wagon and that engine had to be rebuilt after only 38,000 miles.  There's definitely a pattern of GM vehicles failing.  

Problems with the Grand Prix began in 2000 when one headlight lens popped off and then 3 months later the other did the same thing.  The lens cannot be replaced by itself; you have to buy the entire assembly for about $90.  The GM parts technician who sold me the replacements told me this is a common problem with that particular headlight assembly, which is also used in several other GM models.  Yet it has not been a recall so the consumer pays.  Then one of the window motors died and so did the moon roof motor.  Still I considered myself lucky that we had no significant engine problems.  That was until Easter, 2003.  Now we are thoroughly disgusted with GM and will never own another GM product.  I hope to share this story with many people and discourage potential GM buyers.

What next?  We will keep the Grand Prix because even though we've had a miserable experience with GM the car now has a brand new engine in it and should last with the best care and maintenance.  Perhaps another 70,000 miles?  We know not to expect more.  There's no way we'd ever get true value for the car if we tried to sell it because although the engine is new the rest of the car is now 6 years old.  The car will be driven by my daughter once she obtains her license.  We will then buy a new car with a better reputation for quality, probably one made outside Detroit.  You can bet it won't be a GM of any sort.  

I think due to gas prices and the decline in suv sales, GM is especially hurting financially. Since suvs/trucks are the main profit items, they need to get into gear with their cars.

The GTO is nice, as well as a couple of other cars; however, the reputation of domestic cars is going to be an uphill battle for them.  

Yeah someone else told me the same thing the other day.  Thats a good assumption.  

The GTO is definitely a keeper. I plan on owning one very soon.  

This is what happens to American cars. Poor quality in their cars. The Japanese, however, last for years. I have a Jeep and a Mazda van. The Mazda is almost ten years old, and everything is stock on it. Brakes, filters, everything. The Jeep, however, is not even four years old, and the whole brake system is already [censored] up. We do maintenance checks as often as we should, yet it *** up. You see what I'm trying to say here? Nothing against American cars, they just have crappy quality.  

I'm sorry, but that IS crap.
I had an '89 Cavalier Z24 for my first car.  Did it die on me?  Yea.  At 196k miles.

Sold my '89 Camaro IROC-Z with 120k miles, no problems.

My mom still has an early 90's saturn with over 250k miles on it...

GM doesnt have the massive build quality problems most people seem to think they do.  Do most japanese cars have BETTER build quality?  Yes.  Simple fact.  But that doesnt make GM's bad.  A few (very LOUD and vocal people) have had problems with them, so they get smeared.

If you guys want, I can regale you with my tales of the horror of import ownership and blame japanese build quality...  

GM has many problems, and now they are snowballing. 1500 bucks of every new car they sell goes to their pension plan. I have worked for GM dealers for almost 30 years. The multiplication of the same vehicle rebadged for Pontiac, Buick ect has deleted brand loyalty.

The leaking/warped intake manifold on the 3800 engine is well documented. The plastic intake has ruined the finest engine GM ever built. The newer Series III with aluminum intake will run forever just like the old ones.

They have been too conservative for too many years. They have taken so long to bring a new model from the drawing board to production it's out of date by the time it gets to the dealer's lot.

Quality control is questionable at best. The plant has a lot full of the new Hummer H3's that can't be shipped for some quality reason. GM tells the plant not to ship a model with known defects or they will be considered for the 25k worker layoff. On the other hand, volume will be a consideration too.

Ford has a class action lawsuit against them for the same leaky plastic intake problem on some of their engines.

I could go on and on but you get the idea. I own an 04 Grand Prix that has been a perfect car except the cruise keeps going out, now I am out of warranty. No manufacturer will help you at all after 60k miles. The imports with 3/36 warranty are even less helpful.  

Why couldn't you do the plugs yourself? Could you not reach all of them or something? Just curious.    

err...you kinda didn't answer the question...I'm curious too...you say that you don't want other people messing with your car, but you fold on something as simple as changing spark plugs? I assume there's a typo in there somewhere...  

If this is the same guy, why don't you register?  

I just don't get why Gm and many other American car makers refuse to recall any of these problems. For the most part all they seem to do is shrug it off and continue making low quality cars.  

Actually, American automakers have no problem in recalling large portions of cars that may be faulty or even potentially faulty. This is part of the reason why many people believe that their cars are crap, but that's unfair. All manufacturers have issues; most just don't get hidden from the government like Mitsubishi's case.

Besides, they want to win over consumers with their openness to repairing manufacturer defects- not allow a defect to kill someone and then have their family go for blood afterward.  

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I just don't get why Gm and many other American car makers refuse to recall any of these problems. For the most part all they seem to do is shrug it off and continue making low quality cars.

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This is what happens to American cars. Poor quality in their cars. The Japanese, however, last for years. I have a Jeep and a Mazda van. The Mazda is almost ten years old, and everything is stock on it. Brakes, filters, everything. The Jeep, however, is not even four years old, and the whole brake system is already [censored] up. We do maintenance checks as often as we should, yet it *** up. You see what I'm trying to say here? Nothing against American cars, they just have crappy quality.

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[quoteMazdas I like...Toyotas are crap...Mitsubishis....*drool*

Mazdas are good... Toyotas crap?   Now I know you're on something. Don't even get me started on how poor Mitsubishis are.    

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