Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.5 $; site trsvax Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!convex!trsvax!mikey From: mikey@trsvax Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: How bad are the GM X-cars ? Message-ID: <55200192@trsvax> Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 10:20:00 EDT Article-I.D.: trsvax.55200192 Posted: Wed Jul 10 10:20:00 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 08:40:08 EDT References: <8871@ucbvax.ARPA> Lines: 57 Nf-ID: #R:ucbvax.ARPA:-887100:trsvax:55200192:000:3394 Nf-From: trsvax!mikey Jul 10 09:20:00 1985 I'll post my response here. I had a 1980 Phoenix X-body car that over-all I was pleased with. But I still think GM should buy every one of those deathtraps back from their owners!!!! The car was smooth, comfortable, fairly responsive, and handled reasonably well, but NEVER EVER EVER try to drive one in the rain until you are SURE you can handle the brakes. Mine would spin around 180 degrees at 55 if I jabbed the brakes. I must have talked to the dealer about it until I knew exactly what he would say. "Yours isn't covered by the GM recall, sorry" I called the GM district office and they would take my name and number and never return my call. I suspect that if you said X-body your call was flagged and they wouldn't talk to you. The problem was intermittent. I replaced the brake linings on the rear and it helped some. New FAT radials all around helped some too, but when you least expect it, even on the dry, it could get away from you and leave you facing traffic after a spin on the freeway! I ended up taking just over $1000 for it on trade for a new Chrysler Omni GLH Turbo. How do you like a car depreciating from $10,000 to just over 10% of its value. I heard that Car and Diver knew about the problem when they reviewed the Citation when it came out and they agreed to downplay the braking problem after promisses from GM that it would be fixed in production. GM still claims that they fixed the problem in cars that exhibited the symptoms, but if your VIN number doesn't match their tables, you gotta pay a couple hundred bucks for a part that still doesn't guarantee a fix. To be fair, a friend has an 81 Phoenix V6 with the manual tranny and the GM recall fixed his problem right away. Mine had automatic with the V6 so the dealer said it wasn't covered. It's not so much the car I'm upset about as the way I was treated at the Pontiac shop. I was never bullied so much in my life. Then after that I had a power steering hose leak cause a minor fire. This Pontiac dealer couldn't get ANYTHING right, except "it will cost you". I was sick of going back and forth between "add ons" from the dealer for the repair and to the insurance company. At one point Ipicked up the car thursday night before labor day weekend and the car wouldn't start friday morning. I called and they said they would get right to it. At 5:00 pm, it was still sitting. I raised hell and they came and got it, but told me they couldn't work on it till tuesday. I was furious! Ihad just given a loaner car (a 280 Z) back to a friend and he went out of town. I would have to PAY for a rental from the dealer for his screwup! I took the rental and told the manager I'd see him in court as I left. On tuesday, the shop manager told me I'd have to pay cash for my car as he wouldn't take my check. At that point working for a corporation that buys hundreds of cars from GM came into play, I had our leasing office call their fleet manager and had him inquire as to what was the problem. The main manager called me and appologized. They still wanted me to pay for the rental but I held firm. They finally gave in after I had the rental almost a week. GM?? Never again! Of course, these are my personal opinions and may or may not reflect those of my employer. They may or may not even be representative of GM in the rest of the country. mikey at trsvax