I really liked my GXP when I got it brand new but this is the worst piece of %&it I have ever owned! I am guessing that your oiler cooler lines are being pulled on because of a broken motor mount and they start leaking from the strain. That'* what happened to mine twice. Mine has literally fallen apart several times over. New engine and tranny mounts, oil cooler lines, valve cover gaskets, steering shaft (7 times!) Starter has gone bad, fuel guage does not work, drivers center control bad, seat heater broken, the side cladding has come loose behind the front wheel wells, the fog lights constantly burn out even after having the harnesses replaced twice, the radio display lights are burned out, it too goes through anti-freeze with no visible leaks, both front wheel bearings went bad of course needing new hubs, the back seat floor fills up with water evrytime it rains, the power steering leaks like a sive, the steering shaft still clunks, the center counsel box cover is cracking into pieces, and the air suspension pump has gone bad. I am not exagerating at all! All of this happened before even reaching 60k miles and it'* serviced regularly. I wonder if I can get a bail out from the govt for buying this piece of crap. Expect many problems with this car and run away from GM as fast as you can!

Blaze,

I moved your post to it'* own thread, you have a better chance of getting noticed in a new thread rather that in a 2 year old thread. One of our gearheads should be able to help you out.

Looks more like a rant than a specific problem. And what a list. And reason to rant. I have only had 3 of the problems listed in 48k miles. The front cladding loose, fog lamp premature burnout, and the IM shaft clunk. Mblaze, I feel for ya. It'* like your car is a factory freak but the wrong way for the wrong things. I'd flip it in a tradein for something else while it still has a decent tradein value. Unreal.

Been there done that. Mine has been covered under extended warranty. I have had fog light problems. IM shaft problems, fuel gage problems, heated seat problems, struts replaced, oil lines replaced, rack and pinion replaced, new power steering pump and pulley, seat track replaced, and the list goes on. Last time I had it in the shop, they kept it for 72 days ( couldn't fix the heated seats, 2 elements and a controler later fixed the problem) and to top that off it got hit in the stealership'* parking lot. ($1200 damage to the front bumper, foglight and headlight assembly.)

I love the way it runs and sounds but am seriously thinking about trading it in before the warranty runs out.

A lot of these are common problems that can be repaired cheap. There are quality control problems with this car, I won't lie, but I and others bought their GXP'* with that in mind.

The steering shaft has to be replaced or re-lubed. Take your pick, all Bonnevilles from 2000-2005 have this problem, and people deal with it. IIRC its somewhere around $185 for the redesigned part.

The oil cooler lines are not the fault of an engine mount. The cooler lines use aluminum couplers that are tightened around a hose, and that aluminum expands and contracts during rapid changes in temperatures, and leaks. During the summer, I don't have a single leak, but during the winter it will leak once every 2 weeks enough for you to smell the oil burning off the exhaust. I haven't replaced them yet because I'm lazy, and because it hasn't happened in 3 months. 77k miles on mine. The lines are dirt cheap too. Somewhere around $28 a line from gmpartsdirect.com, and you need two. Not something I'd complain all day about.

My engine mounts went bad too, but I also floor the gas every chance I get. Want to know about broken engine mounts? Part of it has to do with driving habits. My 95 regal went through two rear mounts, 3 front mounts, and 5 engine torque mounts in the last 12 months. My Bonneville went through one front mount since I bought it about 30k miles ago.

Your rear floor fills with water because there are seal issues with the trunk. Its either the washers on the lip spoiler, or the struts. Somewhere its leaking, and the best way to fix it is to find the trail of water. Or, you could do what I did and drill two small holes in the bottom of the spare tire well. Problem solved. Have you checked your spare tire well? Its probably filled with water.

The fog lights are a result of a bad grounding. You could go on replacing the fog lights every 2 weeks at whatever the cost of H3 bulbs are, or you can fork over a one time $50 to put in HID'* in there, and never have the problem again. I'm running 14 months now without a problem, and they're brighter and look better to boot.

My temp gauge went bad, not my fuel gauge. Had the dealership replace the whole cluster under aftermarket warranty. That'* one thing I'd raise a huge riot about if I didn't have the warranty.

The side cladding is loose because it was put on with double sided tape. Solution: get some new double sided tape. Mine has held up fine this last 20k miles.

The radio display lights burn out on practically all GM vehicles. Maybe half of them work on my 95 Regal, and 3/4 of them work in the Bonneville. You can buy a replacement set of LED'* for $20 and re-solder them on yourself if you're so inclined. Also something that'* in my opinion not that big a deal.

It goes through antifreeze because of water crossover gaskets. They're under $30 for the gaskets. I had the dealer replace mine under warranty. Just so you know where its coming from.

Wheel bearings go bad on all late model GM'* around this year. Have you driven a Grand Am or a Grand Prix lately? GM'* wheel bearings suck. I had mine replaced with Timken models. They're supposed to be of infinitely higher quality.

If your power steering leaks, here'* a solution: Lucas Power Steering Stop-Leak. Jaguar XJS guys swear by this stuff and for good reason. My Regal leaked power steering fluid, so I topped it off with this stuff every time. Leak went away and hasn't come back since I put it in 40k miles ago. I would suggest giving it a shot.

Did I leave anything out?

Sounds to me like yours is particularly bad. I also had a coil assembly go bad on mine, which I blame on abuse on behalf of the previous owner. We all agree some of these problems are absolutely stupid, but there are solutions and most of them are fairly simple. The drivetrain is for the most part bulletproof, so you should have no problems there.

One thing you have to admit is that these aren't huge problems. They're very annoying, but you can't complain that your transmission blew or that your engine grenaded. Its a GM vehicle designed and built before GM pulled their heads out of their asses. IMO my Bonneville GXP has enough to offer me to overshadow the nagging defects, and with a little bit of care, you can permanently fix most of these nagging problems and have a relatively trouble free car for a long time. I haven't had to touch mine for 20k miles, and there are people here with well over 100k miles on theirs without any problems.

if it was legal, id marry my GXP

Yes sorry for the rant, but it'* just so frustrating. Everytime I turn around it'* something else with this car. That was not even a complete list of the problems. The engine and tranny are great. The rest of the car appears to have been built in China for the Dollar Store or something!

Believe me, I hear you loud and clear. My fog light switch plate is coming off, my driver'* door rattles and I need to change the plastic push-pins that hold it down, the door latch from the rear seat to the trunk is broken. But you do have to admit most of these are small problems. Fix the little problems just once and you'll find that it should be fairly maintenance free after that. It will allow you to enjoy the car instead of being annoyed at it every time you drive it.

hi, what is the "cladding" that has been discused in this thread? i am new to GXP ownership and have a slight sound coming from the right front that i cant find yet. see ya

Essentially, the side skirts on the car, or ground effects kit.