A Newer Project!

[njsteve]

Well, as you may have noticed from my want ad, me and my son were looking for a modern project car: a 1998 to 2002 Trans Am WS6 (because he likes how the hood scoops look - hey, he's 13 he doesn't need a real reason).

We found one today and picked it up.

Amazing to say the least - After searching through weeks of Craigslist and ebay ads I narrowed it down to half a dozen cars. It was really difficult to find an unaltered original car in the Northeast, all the stock ones seemed to be out west.

The <span style="text-decoration: underline">really</span> weird thing was that there seemed to be two specific types of people that were selling these.

1) Young men who's wives just told them they were having a baby, and that they needed a larger car.
2) Older women who were the original owners of the cars.

It was three of each situation. Very strange to say the least.

Well, I found a car listed on Craigslist here in NJ that belonged to the latter group. She was an older woman (a former over-the-road truck driver) who bought the car new in 2001. Wonderful lady to say the least. The ad had no pictures and very limited description. So, after a few days of texting and photos being sent, me and the boy went down to Southern Jersey and picked it up today.

The lady was fanatical about maintenance. She has over an inch thick stack of invoices for oil changes every four months. Sadly it seems that the GM dealers were taking advantage of her and doing every crazy fluid flush and cleanse just about every time the car showed up in there service lane. They would perform the $169 &quot;6,000 mile service&quot; every 2,000 miles. The car only has 61,000 miles on it.

The absolutely amazing thing is that she bought three extended warranties over the past 13 years! The car's mechanicals are still covered until late 2016! In fact the GM dealer just rebuilt the noisy rear differential in late 2013 and she only paid a $50 deductible for a $2,200 repair.

So here are some photos:

The window sticker: Bought from Triboro Pontiac in Cinaminson, NJ. Came with the optional Hurst Shifter for the 6-speed, and the rare traction control option.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/windowsticker.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/windowsticker.jpg.html)

Here's the pile of paperwork, and the inch thick stack of invoices from March 2001 to a early 2014. She paid full sticker for the car when new, plus the GM Mastercare extended warranty plus another aftermarket 60 month warranty when the GM one was about to expire in 2011.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/paperwork.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/paperwork.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/papers.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/papers.jpg.html)

And the door tag with the WS6 Ram Air option prominently listed:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/doortag1.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/doortag1.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

The owner was such a fun person to deal with. I had to talk her into letting me test drive it after she drove us around the block. It seems that no one had ever driven her car but here. Even her husband who was standing there nodded his head in agreement. She never let him drive it (he doesn't know how to drive a stick shift anyway). So after I passed the interview she let me test drive it with her in the passenger seat and my son in the back.

The car just purred and tracked and stopped perfectly straight. Ran like it should. (And after perusing the stack of receipts I saw that she would get the car aligned every six months and the wheels rebalanced at the same time.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/frontrt.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/frontrt.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/frontlt.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/frontlt.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/rearrt.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/rearrt.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/rearleft.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/rearleft.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/front.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/front.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

The reason she was selling the car was that she and her husband moved to a large property out in the country on the end of a long dirt and gravel road and she hadn't driven the car in months because she hated seeing it get dirty. The car had never been driven in snow and very rarely in rain.

Here's the ebony leather interior. The seats are very nice but the car does need a new carpet set because she was a former smoker and the carpet has really absorbed that tobacco smell. There is a cracked outer plastic molding on the driver's seat where the power adjustment switches are.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/interior1.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/interior1.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/interiorleft.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/interiorleft.jpg.html)

And the obligatory cracked door panel that these cars are renowned for. She didn't realize that this could have been covered under the GM warranties had she only asked at the time they were in effect.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/doorpanelcrack.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/doorpanelcrack.jpg.html)

The passenger door panel is perfect:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/rightdoorpanel.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/rightdoorpanel.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

The engine compartment. All the factory ram air components are intact. Most original purchasers tossed those air cleaner box resonators the first day they had the car. Original drivetrain of course. Even the original clutch, too. As an over-the-road trucker she knew how to shift and transmission properly. That tranny doesn't make a sound! All the synchros are still intact.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/engineleft.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/eniginert.jpg

[njsteve]

And now the bad parts:

Like 90% of the 1998 to 2002 F-bodies, there is a factory defect that was covered under a Technical Service Bulletin (03-08-98-001 Feb 2003) but not a recall. If you didn't push the issue with your dealer back in the day, they didn't voluntarily fix it. - And it was an expensive job - around $1,500 to $2,000. Had she known that it was something she would have gotten repaired under warranty, she would have definitely done it. You'da thought that since the dealer was charging her for every new fluid flush and refill process under the sun, they could have at least offered to do the roof repair at the same time since she was at the dealership every six to eight weeks for 13 years.

The assembly line used an inferior adhesive to bond the sail panel/roof panel to the steel roof frame of the car, starting in late 1998. It was too chemically aggressive/reactive for the plastic roof panel material. After several years the adhesive wicks its way through the molded plastic roof panel and bubbles the paint. No matter what paint repair is attempted, the bubbles will return. The only fix was to remove the roof panel and install a new one (while the panels were still available from GM - they haven't been available for years now). The red outlined areas are hard to see in the photo but there is a distinct line of blisters going all along the glue route.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/roofflaw.jpg

Unrelated to the roof defect is paint flaking off the front tips of the rear wing.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/spoiler2.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/spoiler1.jpg

[njsteve]

If anyone happens to have an original black Firebird logo insert that goes in place of the front licence plate, give me a PM. The seller's husband said he had it hanging in the garage for years but couldn't find it when he recently looked for it again.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13087-p1030164.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13088-front_plate_cover.jpg

[jannes_z-28]

Great find for you and your son. Looking forward to a long thread :-)

You sure know how to find them.

[KevinW]

Steve Congrats! I was recently looking at a 93 Camaro for my kid and saw the roof paint issues, did not know it was related to the glue! Too bad the Camaro did not fit her, in order for her to reach the pedals the seat was too far forward and she was too close to the airbag. Good luck on the new father/son project! Not that there is too much to do on this <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[iluv69s]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If anyone happens to have an original black Firebird logo insert that goes in place of the front licence plate, give me a PM. The seller's husband said he had it hanging in the garage for years but couldn't find it when he recently looked for it again.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13087-p1030164.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13088-front_plate_cover.jpg

</div></div>

I believe (99%) that I still have the one form my ex's car...she replaced hers with a purple bird....Im in brazil at the World Cup..but I will search for it when I return to the states next week..assuming you havent already found one.

Congrats on your purchase...sounds like a great car !!!

[napa68]

The 4th Gen cars are great driving cars. I miss the 02 Berger car I had. LS power, 6 speed, Black, you and your son are going to have a good time reconditioning what few shortcomings this car has. This thing says WIN all over it!

Enjoy!

Tim

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iluv69s</div><div class="ubbcode-body">


I believe (99%) that I still have the one form my ex's car...she replaced hers with a purple bird....Im in brazil at the World Cup..but I will search for it when I return to the states next week..assuming you havent already found one.

Congrats on your purchase...sounds like a great car !!! </div></div>

Awesome, that would be great if you have it.

Gonna teach him how to wax the car today. It was fun trying to show him proper car washing technique for a black car, yesterday. Maybe we should rent &quot;Karate Kid&quot; first...&quot;Wax on, Wax Off.&quot;

[njsteve]

We spent about 4 hours today working on the car. Got a new pair of rear lift cylinders to replace to old ones which weren't holding up the rear hatch any more. Gotta love Advance Auto parts and their online $25 coupons!

After installing the new cylinders (while trusting my son to hold the broom handle in place to keep the hatch from slamming down on me), we started to clean the exterior.

I showed him how to use the clay bar and detailer to clean the crap off the paint. The car was surprisingly clean compared to when we did the black paint on my daughters Impala SS a couple years ago. That car was a mess. Then we waxed the car and polished the rims.

Times like these are priceless especially after spending all those hours waxing and primping the black paint to have my son then look at the paint and say: <span style="font-style: italic">HEY, WHAT IS THIS! THE CAR IS ALREADY DIRTY AGAIN AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN DRIVEN IT ANYWHERE!!!</span>

I replied in best fatherly tone: <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;Welcome to the wonderful world of owning a black car, my boy.&quot;</span>

He was not amused.

Here are the after detailing photos. My wife, who usually doesn't notice anything more than the fact that her car was washed, actually noticed quite a difference in the shine from yesterday.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1030201a.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1030204a.jpg

And parked next to the old bird. My son asked if we could move his great-grandfather's 1971 Lincoln to the house garage so he could park his car next to my Firebird and his great-grandmother's 1975 Firebird.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1030206.jpg

[tjs44]

I had a 99 and a 02 WS6 for my Co. cars.Loved them!Tom

[Xplantdad]

Very cool Steve!!

[njsteve]

Today I drove the car down to my buddy's garage to try to get those pesky GM wheel locks off the rims. The seller couldn't find the key and deduced that Pep Boys didn't bother to put it back in the car when they sold her the most recent set of tires two years ago. So, luckily the Cornwall Tool truck showed up as we were trying the worn out lock remover socket that he had. They had a brand new one with sharp internal teeth that took the locks off rather easily. What a relief!

Later in the day the boy and I took the wheels off and cleaned the back sides of the rims to get the brake dust out. One thing I noticed was that the rear axle snubbers that are mounted to the frame had no snubber material left - it had just crumbled away when I touched the last bits of it. Were they made of some weird, purplish looking urethane that didn't survive 13 years?

[njsteve]

I did some research on those axle snubbers and it turns out that they were made of some inferior foam material that decomposed ten minutes after original warranty coverage. Most guys install aftermarket urethane snubbers, or originals from the 93-97 cars which used a more durable rubber material.

[njsteve]

It was a nice day so I had the boy do an oil change on the car. I instructed him on the safe way to jack up the car and where to place the jackstands. Hysterical to watch an 80-pound kid try to turn a wrench on the drain plug. All he succeeded in doing was to rotate himself around the underside of the car. I then told him to brace himself against something and then try again. That worked a little better after I loosened it.

I was able to locate the engine VIN and take a photo of the spot, That only took about 25 attempts to get the light in one spot, the mirror in another spot and the camera in a position to capture it all.

The machine-etched VIN is on the back of the engine mounting area that mates with the transmission bellhousing. It is directly blocked from view by the driver's side catalytic converter. You can reach it with a mirror and then see it in reverse. I was thrilled to see it matched the car's VIN.

Here is the general location. The silver rod is the handle of the mirror.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/enginevin2.jpg

And the actual VIN, stamped in a dot matrix format, as viewed on the mirror face.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/ee0146f2-85b3-417a-8458-37b2e0d721b2.jpg

[njsteve]

This evening me and the boy drove the car over to my buddy's garage and rebalanced the tires. The prior owner had religiously brought the car to Pepboys every couple months to get the car aligned and the wheels balanced. Besides losing the lug nut lock key, the Pepboys tire &quot;experts&quot; method of balancing the tires consisted of throwing the wheel on the machine and then adding another weight. They never bothered to remove the existing weights. The result was 4 rims with half a dozen weights on each rim.

So we pulled all the weights off and rebalanced each rim. Turns out each wheel only needed an ounce or less of weight.

The boy had a lot of fun using the impact wrench to remove the lugnuts. Had to train him to take his finger off the trigger....after half of the lug nuts skittered across the garage at hyperspeed.

We then headed home and made it into the garage ten seconds before a thunderstorm hit. Timing is everything!

[TMagda]

Love this thread. Great car, father and son, thank you Steve. Black car will keep him busy!

[njsteve]

Nothing like asking a teenager if you can borrow &quot;his&quot; car. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

The new ACC carpet set arrived yesterday and is currently stretching out on the floor in the playroom. It is one giant piece from front to hatch area. Hopefully that will get rid of the cigarette smell, otherwise we will do the T-top headliner fabric next.

We had to do this with my daughter's car when we got it. It was a 4,000 mile Impala that we got at a great price, but the former owner was a chainsmoker. We had to gut the interior, disinfect the upholstery, and throw away the original carpeting. It then took a year for the residue to go away.

[TMagda]

Steve, you may be able to steam the headliner instead of replacing it. Check this, Larry from Ammonyc. Great detailer with tons of technique vids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjHEcPcTJTE

[njsteve]

Thanks! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[RPOLS3]

From what I have seen the adhesive on headliners in later model cars that were &quot;smoker owned&quot; ends up failing and the fabric comes loose from the foam eventually.

Steve - it looks like a great car - and a really nice way to spend time with your son.

Jake

[njsteve]

The new bump stops arrived today from Hendrick Motors in NC. They had a pair on the shelf down there. You can see that they are made of some weird, yellow, hardened foam. The originals just crumbled away after 13 years.

At least the bolts loosened nicely with some PB Blaster. The aluminum spacers were part of the modifications done by ASC during the factory WS6 package upgrade. The WS6 cars came with 17 rims so the had to use the spacers to lower the bump stops, in order to prevent the tires from bottoming out in the wheel wells.

Here you can see how the original foam section is gone, leaving only the metal backing bolted to the spacer.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13228-p1030233.jpg

The new snubber next to the spacer.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13229-p1030237.jpg

And after the boy installed it. Another successful afternoon project.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-13230-p1030241.jpg

[SuperNovaSS]

Just curious, is the originals are a faulty design, why are you replacing with the same parts? The originals could have deteriorated 10 years ago.


Jason

[njsteve]

I'm a glutton for punishment and like original parts. The aftermarket urethane ones look like aftermarket pieces. And they require you to hacksaw off the locating tabs on the unique spacer blocks.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm a glutton for punishment and like original parts. The aftermarket urethane ones look like aftermarket pieces. And they require you to hacksaw off the locating tabs on the unique spacer blocks. </div></div>

I like the logic, I'd just find/buy another pair now for the inevitable....

[CC Rider]

Nice TA Steve. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[njsteve]

We got back from camping a couple days ago. Nothing like spending a week in the middle of no-where in the July heat, with no A/C and then have the A/C go out on the truck the moment you start the 300 mile trip back home. Ugh! It was like a Clark Griswold family vacation nightmare from the 1960's. I ended up ordering a new condenser from rockauto while on the road and it was delivered just in time for our arrival at the homestead. I then spent an evening at my buddy's garage installing it. After 19 years, the original condenser sprung a leak at the factory seam. The new AC/Delco unit bolted right up...after some modification to the original brackets.

So the next day me and the boy tackled the smoke impregnated factory carpet. I had him remove everything and he did very well. I'm glad we pulled the old carpet since it appears that the prior owner must have tried to clean the driver's foot well area and soaked the carpet so badly that the jute and the foam padding was too wet to reuse.

Here's the boy hard at work removing the rear seat attachments. He spent most of the day with me (9:00 AM to around 4:00 PM when he dumped me to go to a movie with his sister). <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif The kid has no stamina.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13632-p1030354a.jpg


And here is the old carpet once we pulled it out. Many cups of coffee found their way onto the floor by the cup holder area of the console. And the driver's foot well section was just as nasty. We ended up pulling off and reusing the all factory jute backing sections from every spot but the driver's seat area, since that was soaked and moldy smelling.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13633-p1030363.jpg


And the nice clean floor area...after vacuuming. We found $1.95 in change!

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13635-p1030357.jpg

[njsteve]

That new carpet from Auto Custom Carpet weighed a ton with the optional rubberized backing. To add to the grief is the fact that the Firebird used a one-piece carpet that goes from the dash to the rear hatch area. It took a very long time to get it centered and then installed. I quit at 9:00 PM after getting the carpet in and the surrounding moldings.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13634-p1030365.jpg


I pulled out the factory foam backed headliner and gently scrubbed it with a damp cloth soaked with dishwashing detergent and water. I let it dry overnight and Fabreze'd the heck out of it the next day. That seemed to work to get the smoke out.

[njsteve]

Here's the finished product. After scrubbing all the seats and applying leather preservative, my son and I spent the afternoon reinstalling it all. The car actually smells nice now. No more smoke residue.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13665-p1030369.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13666-p1030374.jpg

I was able to salvage the cracked polypropylene seat bolster by using the plastic welder and extra polypropylene welding rods. The repair is underneath and on the back side so it is invisible unless you remove the seats.

I also used some flexible bumper repair material, supported by wire mesh, along with a couple zip-ties, to the pull the two large cracks together on the driver's door panel and then permanently repair the cracks. There is still a visible repair spot but not nearly as visible as the original 1/16&quot; fractures.

We pulled the passenger side panel to reconnoiter the condition and found one tiny crack about to start in the same locations - the 90 degree angles that are cut into the panel where the inner weatherstrip attaches. We removed the factory staples, reinstalled new staples in a non-stressed locations and then used the flexible bumper repair material to form a layer of internal bracing to the area.

All is well now, until we can find a nice unbroken (and inexpensive) driver's side panel.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13667-p1030376.jpg

[njsteve]

We went out to the local cruise night tonight and the Firebird and Camaro just so happened to be tonight's featured car. There were several dozen first, second, third, and fourth gen Firebirds there. Another black WS6 pulled in and parked next to me right after this photo was taken. (It was an 2002 with an automatic...and a baby seat in the back.)

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13682-p1030379a.jpg

[Zman1969]

I dont if you've looked at LS1Tech they have a good board to hunt for parts like the License plate cover. I have a 99 Trans Am and its a great place to figure out the electrical issues these cars are plagued with (you'll see <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif ) My car has same roof issue as yours does, the soultion is buy a repop piece 6-700$ or find a 93-97 doner and carefully remove it and paint install the earler cars were not effected like the 98 and newer ones like ours. I cut one off at boneyard for 50$ - thats as far as I have gotten but I have more time than the funds and my car isnt so bad yet. do some searching in LS1Tech

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/roofflaw.jpg

</div></div>

[njsteve]

Already been over there and started a sister thread to this one. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Just picked this up today off of a 1997 Firebird in a local salvage yard. If the paint was a little bit better I could have used it as is, but the clear coat is crackling from sitting out so long. Now comes the fun part of carefully removing it from the steel frame. What method did you use? Piano wire or a heated knife?

BTW, what is the small triangular trim piece by the lower edge, held on with?

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13841-p1030396.jpg

[njsteve]

Well it took two days but we got the panel detached from the steel frame. First we had to use a sawzall and disc grinder to cut away the edges of the steel to allow a straight shot under the plastic panel. Then came the heat gun heating the steel to the point where it allowed an old butchers knife to slide in between the panel and the steel frame. On the middle areas where the plastic panel curves over the edge of the steel we used the windshield removal tool: a wire with two handles, to slide-cut the adhesive once the steel was hot enough to release it. The heat makes all the difference. Without it you could be there for a week with that windshield tool sawing away..

Here is the final result:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13914-p1030397.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13915-p1030398.jpg

[SuperNovaSS]

Well done boys!


Jason

[njsteve]

Went to my buddy's garage this morning and installed the skip-shift eliminator harness. It is a $10 plug-in that goes between the solenoid on the transmission and the harness that leads to the solenoid. Got rid of that annoying 1st to 4th gear, mandatory shifting. While we were under there, we checked to diff and trans oil levels. The boy is getting better with his wrenching, though he still thinks that everything has to be mega-tightened. Not with a drain plug, my boy! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/scholar.gif

Took some underbody photos after we wiped down the rear diff oil spray residue from prior to the diff being rebuilt last year by the dealer. Here it is.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13916-p1030401.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13917-p1030402.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13918-p1030405.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13919-p1030406.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13920-p1030409.jpg

[njsteve]

And noticed that the steering rack and the power steering pump were leaking. Gotta love that extended warranty! I'm going to call the dealer on Monday to get them replaced. ($50 warranty co-pay).

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13924-p1030413.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/07/full-1359-13925-p1030416.jpg

[napa68]

I would push to put hoses in too. As a rule, when both are leaking............there is an issue with one of the hoses that causes the system to over pressurize. FWIW

Tim

[njsteve]

Update on the steering rack: I brought it to the local GM dealer. The extended warranty covered most of it. Those warranty companies sure do nickle and dime the dealership to death. The service manager is very familiar with these warranty companies: he told me that they put you on hold for 20-30 minutes any time you call and don't pay the full repair rate and try to get you to put used parts on. They do this just to get you to give up on a claim. He was right. I was there when he was simply trying to get an update on authorizing a part and I could overhear the aggravation he was going through.

Since it is a GM dealer they wouldn't guarantee the work (only the labor) unless they installed Delco parts. The warranty company finally agreed to using Delco parts. The rack was a Delco unit ordered by the dealer. The power steering pump was a Delco unit provided by the warranty company after they balked at the high dealer price. The warranty didn't cover the pressure hose, so I got a new Delco hose from rockauto for $25. The warranty company didn't pay for the alignment and their labor rate was $10 less an hour than the dealer so I owed that difference. And there was a $50 deductible on the warranty policy. So in the end, for a $1,100 repair bill, I paid $225.

[njsteve]

A little Spring time update. The seat bolster panel I plastic welded held up for about 6 months until a real cold day a month ago when I sat in the seat and heard the panel crack at the repair joint.

But the good news is that after a year of hunting I was finally able to find a drive's side plastic seat bolster panel. It turns out that the panel for the optional seats with the lumbar support is a very rare piece. I found one on ebay last week that was from a 99 Trans Am. And it was only $19. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif The only down side was that it was grey, not black. I was able to dye it black using the SEM Landau Black vinyl dye. Great stuff and matched perfectly! Got it installed and now that is one less part to hunt for.

I spent today with the boy, outside working on the T/A. We put the car on jackstands and flushed the brake system. The old brake fluid was green - very weird. I mean green like the old Kendell Motor Oil green! We used an entire gallon of fresh DOT3 brake fluid to flush the system until it came out clear. Afterwards I went back and reviewed the inch-thick, volume of original dealer work orders on the car from the original owner. It looks like she had the Pontiac dealer do that BG Brake Flush at least three times in 61,000 miles, the last one at 55,000 miles. I don't know what was in that flush stuff but I have never seen green brake fluid before. By the amount of fluid discoloration, it looks like they never actually flushed the existing fluid out - just added some snake oil to it.

The dealer sold her a bill of goods every two months for 13 years. It's unbelievable how much she was over-charged for over-maintenance - over $10,000 in maintenance invoices during that time - in addition to the three extended warranties she had purchased for the car - good til 2016! Every 1,500 miles or 60 days she had the $39 oil and filter change, the $189 fuel injection system flush done, the $69 power steering flush done, the $169 6,000 mile service done (which is just an overpriced inspection with no replacement of parts), the $39 tire balance and rotation, (after she paid for free lifetime balancing and rotation in 2001), and the $99 brake flush plus $39 for the BG snake oil liquid.

Whenever she had a legitimate warranty complaint - like the driver's door speaker not working, they would note that they could not &quot;duplicate the problem&quot;...and then would go and do the maintenance-palooza on the car and she would get hit with a $300 bill on what should have been a zero deductible warranty visit. I found seven invoices over 13 years requesting the speaker to be replaced under warranty, before the speaker was actually replaced.

It just gets me so angry that the dealer did this to her (even though the car was the beneficiary of the over attention).

OK, I am done venting for the moment.

I did order a new set of ACDelco spark plugs and original equipment 748CC Delco plug wires for the car. So that will be our next project. (You'd have thought that the dealer would have done a tune up on the car with all those visits but I guess since changing spark plugs on an LS1 equipped F-body actually takes a bunch of time, labor, and busted knuckles, that they took the low road and just did fluids). Stay tuned!

[markinnaples]

I wonder if the investigative reporter at the local paper would be interested in hearing about that dishonesty by the dealer? That is really sad to hear someone being taken advantage of like that. Sheesh.

[njsteve]

Thankfully that dealership is out of business now. Gee, I wonder why? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif

[markinnaples]

Ah, gotcha. Well, I never wish anyone lose their livelihood, but those were some egregious offenses so I guess what goes around, comes around.

[njsteve]

Another update. I brought the T/A to my buddies garage last night and put it up on the lift to find a noise that I thought was an serpentine belt idler bearing, going. We think it is just the belt squeeling when it hits a rusty spot on the water pump pulley and slips at 2500 rpm. A result of the car sitting in the pine barons of New Jersey for too long without getting driven.

While it was up on the lift I decided to change the fuel filter since I had an NOS GM filter laying around. We swapped out the filter and applied a little air to the old filter's outlet to see what if anything was inside. A whole bunch of blackish dirt and residue came out with the fuel. Upon closer examination it looked like it was the original, assembly line fuel filter which, you guess it...the dealer had &quot;replaced&quot; on four separate occasions in the 13 years she had the car.

Too bad the dealer is out of business, otherwise &quot;60 Minutes&quot; would have had a field day with them.

We also used some wide mouth vise grips to unbend the lower front fender mounting tabs where the bottom of the plastic front fenders are bolted to the rocker panel flange. The dealer had used that spot to place the jack lift pads, instead of the frame rails, four inches further in. It had bent both mounting tabs 90 degrees over and flush with the bottom of the rockers. Luckily the mounting areas on the plastic fenders bent and didn't crack. Here is the after photo once we got it back in to position. We used a heat gun to warm up the plastic fender's flange so it wouldn't shatter when it was bent back to its original position.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/04/full-1359-24192-img_0970.jpg


I must say that I am liking these 4th Gen cars more and more. (Other than the plastic interiors). They ride and handle wonderfully. They have some great lines with the WS6 Ram Air hood. And the LS1 is no slouch on the road. (Could use some more horsepower...but then don't we all say that about every car?)


http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/04/full-1359-24193-img_0967.jpg

[njsteve]

The boy and I decided to tackle the cracked driver's side door panel that has been annoying me since we got the car. Last year we removed the panel, glued the cracks, removed and reinstalled the window felt, and reinstalled the panel but it was still an eyesore, especially since I had to look at the damn thing every time I was driving the car. (The passenger side panel was perfect - but I did remove it and reinforce the crack-prone areas with flexible body repair material and removed and reinstalled the window felts in a &quot;looser&quot; position).

So we decided to replace the panel. We all know how hard an uncracked 2001-2002 ebony panel goes for, so I went for the alternative. The early cars - up to early 1997 used a different plastic material for the panel which doesn't crack when exposed to heat/cold cycles like the later panels do. The only problem is that they are grey and not ebony. So we found a really nice 1996 grey panel with a cloth insert and started the experiment.

Since the panels used multiple parts that were plastic welded in place at the factory we used a heat gun to soften the melt points. The cardboard backed cloth panel then pulled right off the tabs. I actually trusted my son to wield the heat gun...lets just say he needs work on his aim...and I need to wear asbestos gloves.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070001.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070001.jpg.html)

Here is one of the tabs before heating. After each one was softened with the heat gun, I just pulled the panel off one tab at a time. After the entire cardboard panel was removed I reheated each tab and squeezed it with a wide flat toothed pliers to remake the tab into something that would easily engage into the ebony cardboard panel's slots.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070004.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070004.jpg.html)

And here is the plastic panel after the cardboard-backed upholstery panel was removed. I will tell you that the arm rest mounting points are much harder to heat as they seem to be of a harder white plastic material and not polypropylene. (this photo is actually a couple steps ahead and shows the ebony arm rest and map pocket set in place. Note the color difference).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070006.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070006.jpg.html)

I went ahead and removed the arm rest and the map pocket as I wanted to install as much of the original stuff from my 2001 ebony panels as possible. Most people could stop at this point and then dye the panel as is to get ready to install the ebony leather interior upholstery panels.

[njsteve]

Here is the grey donor panel after everything has been removed.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070007.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070007.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070009.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070009.jpg.html)

And after I scrubbed, cleaned and redyed the panel with SEM Laundau Black interior dye. This stuff is wonderful and I have used it for all sorts of black interiors over the years. Its a great match for the ebony panel color.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070011.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070011.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

Here is the ebony upholstery panel from my cracked door panel:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070014.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070014.jpg.html)

With the ebony arm rest and map pocket in place, now came time to plastic weld the map pocket in to place. The arm rest has to wait until the cardboard upholstery panel is in place as its mounting tabs are melted over the panel.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070015.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070015.jpg.html)

I used a plastic welder with a flat tip (basically just an overpriced soldering iron), to melt the tabs back into the panel and bond them together.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070017.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070017.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

Once the map pocket was welded into place I reset the ebony upholstery panel onto the mounting tabs and heated each tab in order to retain the panel in its original position. Once again, the large, white plastic plastic tabs for the arm rest are the hardest to heat and manipulate due to whatever plastic they are made of.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070019.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070019.jpg.html)

And then the insulation is reapplied. It was rather easy to use the heat gun in order to reactivate the existing sloppy application of glue all over the back of the panel (all the circular squiggly lines are glue). The insulation then stuck right into place.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070020.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070020.jpg.html)

I also reinstalled the original window felt using the wire from large paperclips. I cut them to a horseshoe shape and then bent them to form the new replacement staples. This allows the weatherstrip to flex a little and not bind the panel on hot/cold days.

And here is the finished job:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070023.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070023.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

nd here is how it looks in the car, when compared to the original ebony passenger side panel:

All in all the grey 1996 panel cost me $75 plus shipping and the can of SEM Laundau Black interior dye was $12. Sure beats $300 for a used ebony panel that is already brittle and ready to crack.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070030.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070030.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070031.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070031.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070034.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070034.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/P1070037.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/trans%20am%202001/P1070037.jpg.html)

[SuperNovaSS]

Well done Steve. The most impressive thing to me is your wife lets you do this in the house. Is that Cards Against Humanity in the background? Good game.


Jason

[njsteve]

LOL. Yes it's my daughter's game.

The wife texted photos of the process to my daughter at college showing her what we were doing in the dining room. (that's her version of a support group).

The text went something like this:

<span style="font-style: italic">&quot;It's such a shame your father doesnt have a workshop to do this...oh wait he does...and a basement, too...and a garage....&quot;</span> <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

[67 442]

I like the clip section you were using for the pocket.
Always a interesting read on your projects.

[njsteve]

I used whatever clips were in the wife's kitchen at the time. Did I mention how understanding she is? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[njsteve]

I stopped by the bodyshop today to get an estimate for replacing the &quot;targa panel&quot; that has the factory defects from the adhesive bleed-through. I left the replacement panel with him so he could start prepping and painting it. Here is a shot from when I spent several days last summer removing it from the sawed-off roof section of a donor car. The bodyman indicated that it will be much easier for him to remove the existing panel from the car since it does not need to be salvaged and he can use heat from the painted side to loosen the adhesive.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/04/full-1359-24482-p1030397a.jpg

[njsteve]

I tackled the spark plug and wire set challenge yesterday. Boy is that an insane job. Plugs 1,3,5, and 7 can be done with a minimum of effort, while lying across the front end of the car with your arms pretzeled along the side of the engine. Plugs 2, 4 and 6 require the smog tube to be disconnected from the manifold to give you some room to get your hand in. Luckily the bolts came out without breaking due to the low mileage.

Number 8 has to be done from under the car, sticking your arm straight up alongside the block. The hardest thing is using two fingers (because that's all the room you have) to pull the plug wire off the plug and coil. I could have used some of Bruce Lee's <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;One Inch Death Punch&quot;</span> training to get the finger strength to work in that tiny work area.

And of course, GM had to sharpen all the edges of every pointy piece of metal and shielding in the general area of the plugs and wires. At the moment, my right arm looks like it lost a fight with a rabid honey badger.

The original Denso PTJ16R15 12563707 plugs were still in the engine. They look like they were burning nicely but the gaps had worn to over .060 over 14 years of running. I replaced them with some regular copper ACDelcos. She idles much more smoothly now.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/04/full-1359-24586-img_0979.jpg

[SuperNovaSS]

Did the dealer receipts show any spark plug replacements?


Jason

[njsteve]

Surprisingly, no. Probably because that would have taken some actual knuckle-busting labor instead of allegedly hooking up some flush-o-matic 5000 machine.

It took me around 2-1/2 hours to change the plugs. (including the 15 minutes of trying to find the spark plug and socket that fell down and wedged itself on top of the starter. Luckily I disconnected the battery before starting the job. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

[jannes_z-28]

Nice to see your work of detail.

In my 2001 LS1 that I bought 10 years ago to put in my '69 Camaro I still have the original Denso spark plugs. They look fine and it runs fine, so I haven't had any reason to change them.

[njsteve]

I think the problem they had with these initial platinum plugs was that the tiny little &quot;puck&quot; of platinum on the tip of the electrode ground would fall off through wear or with via someone checking the gap with a feeler gauge and dislodging it. If you look carefully you can see most are missing their pucks, hence the wide gap.

[njsteve]

The WS6 is currently at the body shop getting the replacement roof panel prepped for installation. He was able to remove the old panel in one piece with heat and wire.

The underside of the new panel all prepped:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/0528151121b1.jpg

The steel support panel getting cleaned up:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/0528151122c1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/05281511231.jpg

[njsteve]

The trunk lid edges also needed some paint attention and the paint flaking on the tips of the spoilers as well.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/0528151122a1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/0528151122b1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/0528151121d1.jpg

[njsteve]

In the paint booth now, all painted up.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/IMG_2603.jpg

[Plowman]

Look's good.

[njsteve]

And here she is all finished and back on the road today. The paint and bodywork came out wonderfully.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/IMG_1033.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/IMG_1030.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/trans%20am%202001/IMG_1031.jpg

[COPO]

Looking sharp.

[scuncio]

Very nice.

[njsteve]

A little update.

We have only put on 900 miles since buying the car in 2014. Lately, I have been trying to identify an annoying engine-related noise that occurred only under constant throttle - not coasting or heavy throttle. It was hard to pinpoint exactly because of how loud this car is under acceleration with the aftermarket muffler on it. (Time is of the essense too, as the third extended warranty is getting ready to expire after 15 years in December 2016). <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

After pulling the serpentine belt and spinning everything by hand, that spins, I was able to isolate it to the alternator bearing and several of the idler pulleys. So I brought it to the local Chevy dealer and they did a nice job working on the car. They had just been through two days of dealing with the extended GM warranty with my daughter's Impala SS - replacing a leaky steering rack, the power steering hoses, the trans cooler lines, the oil pan gasket, and an engine mount. I found all of these items while underneath the car changing the oil last week. The GM extended warranties are wonderful to deal with compared with an aftermarket one. They even gave us a free 2016 Impala with 300 miles on it as a courtesy car! Total bill: $107. ($100 deductible plan)

The aftermarket extended warranty that the original owner bought is another story. The service writers were able to deal with the crazy people at the warranty company who, as usual, put you on hold for 20 minutes at a time and try to make it hard enough that you give up. For example, they agreed that it needed a new alternator. So instead of allowing the Chevy dealer to simply install the AC/Delco alternator that was in stock on their shelf, at the Chevy dealer price, they had the exact same part number AC/Delco alternator overnight Fedexed to the dealership. While they might have gotten the alternator $30 cheaper than the dealer price, they just spent $100 overnighting it!!! The same thing with the main idler pulley. The dealer only asked for the pulley - a $40 item. The warranty company balked at that but then sends them the entire AC/Delco idler assembly (a $200+ part) overnight. They also refused to pay the dealer hourly rate - undercutting it by $10 an hour...but then end up paying the extra hour for the idler assembly replacement instead of the pulley. (BTW, I think they actually get their parts from Rockauto based on the packaging).

So in the end, I paid $112 consisting of the $50 deductible plus another $45 in the unreimbursed labor charges, plus tax, for a bill that cost the warranty company around $1,000 ($500 in parts and $400 in labor and $100 in shipping). And I got to keep the original alternator and all the pulleys, idler, etc.

And the annoying mystery noise is gone!

BTW, When I brought it in to the dealer, they know how particular I am about my car so they had a space inside all ready for it - and it stayed inside for the three days it was there. The funny thing was when I brought the car in, the twenty-something male service writer didn't know how to drive a manual transmission so he handed the keys to a twenty-something young lady with full sleeve tattoos who gave me the all knowing nod (turns out she has a Mustang Cobra and an old pickup truck - both with stickshifts). Cool lady. If my son was older I would have played matchmaker. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[Xplantdad]

Wow...you wonder how places like that warranty company stay in business?

[njsteve]

Most don't. They go belly up after taking your up-front money. That was a common scam a few years back. That's why I want to get as much repaired as I can while the aftermarket warranty is still in place and the company is still in business. I have six more months to locate any new noises. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif

[njsteve]

I spent the morning replacing the brakes in my daughter's 2009 Impala SS. I took out the Trans Am to bring the rotors down to my buddy's garage. We tried cutting them but they were way too warped so I bought a new set at NAPA. I had already bought the new AC/Delco pads from rockauto last week.

Of course, the daughter slept through all of the work and woke up just as I finished the job four hours later.

While on the test drive, bedding in the new brakes, I noticed that one of the door lock solenoids wasn't working. I ask her about it when I get back and she says: &quot;Yeah it's been like that a while&quot;.

Sigh....

Of course I could have gotten it fixed when it was at the dealer last week under the initial $100 deductible. Now I have to wait until something more major needs replacing under her GM extended warranty to make it worthwhile. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

[njsteve]

I was thinking about updating the brakes on the WS6 so I decided to peruse the giant pile of dealer receipts from the original owner to see when they were last done. I wish I took a Mylanta before I did. It just got me all riled up again over how she was completely hosed by that dealer over and over again.

The rear brakes were replaced at 33,000 miles - new rear rotors at $44 each, emergency brake shoes at $89, pads at $59, and $120 in labor. That's not all that unreasonable. But at 45,000 miles they did the front brakes...and get this: they charged her $145 in labor just to cut her original rotors! That did not include the $120 actual labor to do the brake job. (Keep in mind that new GM rotors at the time would have been around $80 for the pair). Unbelievable! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif

There was also two invoices for replacing both her serpentine belts: first one at 52,000 miles was $102 labor and the two belts were $27 and $47. Then 5,000 miles later they replaced them again at 57,000 miles. Charging her $110 labor and $29 and $52 for the belts. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif

The stack just repeated this abuse over and over again. Too bad the statute of limitations is in effect, and the place went out of business in 2009 when GM pulled their franchise.

Anyway, I have been hunting down a front suspension jounce squeek that occurs only when the car has had a good heat soak after running. While I was under the car I noticed the lower control arm bushings were failing on both sides, so I made another appointment with my local dealer for the $50 deductible warranty coverage. I took photos of the bushings and even made a video clip of the squeeking and sent it to the service writer. We shall see what happens.

[Zman1969]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Xplantdad</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wow...you wonder how places like that warranty company stay in business? </div></div>

I used to work for a warranty company - I couldn't stand it. you gotta read all the fine print!! whats &quot;excluded&quot; usually is what fails - nothing in exhaust or nuts bolts fasteners is covered on what used to handle. Some policy's aren't bad but some are pure junk and thrown in to sell a high mileage piece of crap I feel sorry that some people don't know what to look for in a used car and when to run away!

[njsteve]

Yeah, they declined the control arm bushing replacement as a &quot;wear item&quot;. The account rep was nice enough to call me and explain why, which was unexpected. He said that since all four bushings had the same degradation it is considered normal wear and tear that is excluded in the fine print, versus if one bushing actually failed which would have been covered.

Compare that to my old Chrysler Corp extended warranty on our 2006 300 which covered the worn out lower control arm bushings and replaced the control arms at 99,980 miles on a 100,000 mile extended warranty.

Same experience with our Impala SS with the GM extended warranty. They cover everything even if it is wear and tear. (Other than brakes).

So me and the boy will be doing the bushings ourselves. Already ordered them from Rockauto, along with new brake pads.

[njsteve]

We replaced the front and rear brake pads and pulled the rotors to clean them and soak them in evaporust to remove the surface rust on the hat portion. They look much nicer now. I had to replace one of the caliper brackets after breaking the head off the slider bolt. It was completely seized in the bore and even heat and gently trying to turn it in a vice didn't do anything. Luckily the local Autozone had one in stock (Cardone remanufactured original bracket for $25).

Of course that means the dealer totally ignored that problem when they charged her all that money for the front brake job and an extra $145 to cut the front rotors, a few thousand miles ago. It was an obvious problem since that front inner pad was worn twice as much as the outer one since the caliper couldn't slide. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

[Zman1969]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, they declined the control arm bushing replacement as a &quot;wear item&quot;. The account rep was nice enough to call me and explain why, which was unexpected. He said that since all four bushings had the same degradation it is considered normal wear and tear that is excluded in the fine print, versus if one bushing actually failed which would have been covered.
</div></div>
Well that sounds like a steaming pile of you know what, and did you know you can dispute the denial? it would be brought back up to a supervisor and reviewed again and IMO bushings are not a wear item like brakes or shocks are. there alot of different warranties out there so you should read up on the company check the BBB and see if they are handling people correctly. IMO there are contracts thrown in on cars that have way too many miles but people think that theyre covered and when something like an engine fails and its found to be sludged up that its denied by PO lack of maintenence so the claim is denied leaving the new owner a useless unwarranted car. It's buyer beware for sure! personally I trust my knowledge of cars and inspecting them personally befor buying and deciding to take the risk of failure and saving the money I would spend on a contract(they aint cheap!) to pay for any repairs may come.