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860 messages,  Last post on Jul 18, 2007 at 6:06 AM

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What is this discussion about? Saturn VUE, Saturn ION, Saturn L-Series, Saturn Relay, Electrical, Engine, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, SUV


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#813 of 860
bgilson by bgilson
Apr 23, 2007 (1:31 pm)
I have a 2003 LW200 with 27000 miles. The headlamps blink off and on at road speeds on some road surfaces? Anyone else experienced this problem?
#814 of 860
Re: bgilson [bgilson] by dtownfb
Apr 26, 2007 (10:04 am)

Replying to: bgilson (Apr 23, 2007 1:31 pm)

It is most likely your alternator. Very common problem with the Malibu/L-Series/Grand Am as they all shared the same platform and had many common parts. Try pushing the dealership to replace as a warranty item.
#815 of 860
Need Help!!!! by amanda9
May 01, 2007 (3:28 pm)
I have a 1997 Saturn SC1 Single Cam want to convert it to a Twin Cam Manuel- Don't even know where to start shopping for engine and parts! I know only a little about cars but i know enough as to what im looking for. Now i just need to find them!! Any help is great!
#816 of 860
Help- Multiple Problems by theaadd
May 04, 2007 (1:35 pm)
I have a 2000 Saturn SL1- I have two issues and can't really afford to take it to Saturn so they can charge me a fee just to tell me what they need to fix.
 
The first is that my keyless entry has stopped working. It will lock all the doors but only unlocks the driver door. I've changed the battery but that didn't work. Anyone know how I fix this?
 
The second issue is that my car stalls all the time, usually when it's cold. I literally have to drive around with one foot on the gas and one on the brake to keep it from stalling every time I stop. Autozone ran a diagnostic check and it said there was something wrong with my idel control but they couldn't tell me what that meant. Any advice here?
#817 of 860
Re: Help- Multiple Problems [theaadd] by user777
May 04, 2007 (3:50 pm)

Replying to: theaadd (May 04, 2007 1:35 pm)

1). some wireless remotes have a means to set if it unlocks all doors or just driver's, and it's a toggle that is accomplished i think by holding both the unlock and panic buttons. maybe it's in your manual or it's found via googling
 
2). hmmm, yeah an idle air control valve (IACV), something that provides a bypass around the throttle valve, when the throttle is all the way closed. maybe your's can be cleaned. maybe there's a broken hose.
 
another possibility, when you changed the battery, you messed up the idle. maybe your vehicle, like other vehicles has an idle "learn" procedure after replacing the battery.
 
more googling.
#818 of 860
Re: Help- Multiple Problems [user777] by theaadd
May 05, 2007 (9:38 am)

Replying to: user777 (May 04, 2007 3:50 pm)

Hmm, maybe my two year old reset it when she was playing with it, I'll try that, thanks.
 
I'll google the idle control and see what I get.
 
Thanks
#819 of 860
2001 L200 - timing chain (and engine) poof at 84,700 by relantel
Jun 05, 2007 (6:31 am)
Today is Day 49 in my ongoing fight with Saturn over a broken timing chain at 84,700 miles on our 2001 L200. It broke while the vehicle was in operation on April 17, 2007. I discover after the fact that Saturn had known about the problem for a long time, since well before the vehicle had moved out of the extended warranty period, even as far back as during the model year, when they changed the design of the lubricating nozzel for the timing chain in the middle of the MY. On NHTSA, Saturn admits a high rate of failure for vehicles manufactured between Nov 2000 and Feb 2001, yet did not recall those to remedy the problem. There are fresh complaints on NHTSA's ODI site even now.
 
We purchased ours new from Saturn of Fairfax in June 2001, after the change had been made, but ours had been manufactured in November 2000, part of the increased failure period.
 
The above notwithstanding, Saturn has offered an insulting 15% off of a warranty price on a new engine - admitting responsibility but not wanting to pay the cost or even willing to make it reasonable for the customer - who in their right mind would sink $3k into a vehicle whose trade-in value is less than $5k?
 
Futher details on http://dontbuysaturn.blogspot.com/ - we were die-hard Saturn loyalists, having bought four Saturns (a 2000 SL2, 2001 L200 and two VUEs, 2003 and 2004) within a 5 year period between 1999 and 2004. The treatment during the process has been about as bad as the "final" word from the last-name-less area manager at Saturn. A four-page letter, along with 9 pages of email-thread with Saturn, and 12 pages of NHTSA printouts was fedexed to the head of Saturn Corporation, General Manager Jill Lajdziak, on May 23, 2007, and copies were sent by certified mail to G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., Chairman & CEO of General Motors Corp; Troy A. Clarke, President, GM North America; Mark R. LaNeve, Vice President, GM North America, Sales Service and Marketing; and Tom Tellepson, General Manager of Saturn of Manassas. These copies were sent on Friday, May 25, 2007. No response has been received from Saturn, and none of the reply cards have yet been received from GM or the local dealer.
 
The gloves have come off, and I am telling this story far and wide. Saturn has done a lot these past 7 weeks to keep us from ever purchasing a Saturn or GM product again. They seem not to care about losing my business, or that of anyone who hears this story.
#820 of 860
A/C High Pressure Problem (And No Cold Air) by ryanfiala81
Jun 05, 2007 (10:11 am)
I recently bought an A/C recharge kit for my 2000 SL2. It blows warm air and I thought it might need a recharge. The kit came with a pressure gauge, which told me that my system is holding at between 65-70 psi (25-45 is normal, according to the kit). Any ideas what could be causing this? My old auto shop teacher suggested a sensor?
 
Thanks!
#821 of 860
Re: 2001 L200 - timing chain (and engine) poof at 84,700 [relantel] by kiawah
Jun 05, 2007 (6:43 pm)

Replying to: relantel (Jun 05, 2007 6:31 am)

Relantel,
I know you'd like to have a new engine (heck, who wouldn't), but just what is their responsibility in this? What is the published warranty on this product, 3 years and 36K miles?........which would put your vehicle at twice both the years and miles?
 
What would the cost be to pull the engine out of a wrecked car, and put it in yours (an engine from outside of that higher defect timeframe)?
 
I think your options are to:
- Continue to try to rattle the cages, which will probably have minimal chance of success. My opinion is that you are so far out of the warranty period that any reasonable third party person would come down on the side of the dealer as being fair.
- Swap out the engine with a previously totaled vehicle, guessing it would cost ?? 1K ??, then either continue to drive it or sell it at around it's value of 2.8-3.5K.
- Accept their offer of 15% coverage, spend 3K for a new engine, and then drive it till the wheels fall off (since you'll have a new engine good for another 80K miles).
- Unload it as is, take about a 3K loss.
 
I think I'd be looking for a replacement used engine.
 
I personally had a similar situation. Transmission went out on 11 year old 85K GM Suburban (our road trip vehicle). Turns out that they made a model year change to a transmission part, and didn't spec it as being made out of hardened steel any longer. These things are failing right and left, obviously a manufacturing weakness. Vehicle is worthless in broken condition, and way outside of warranty even though it's a previously recognized problem. This is a significant repair I ended up eating.
 
I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I'd suggest channelling energies to finding a more reasonably cost solution than a full new engine replacement. You got dealt a bad hand of cards, make the best of it and get on with life. You'll look back at this in 5 years, and it will be a blip on your radar screen.
#822 of 860
Re: 2001 L200 - timing chain (and engine) poof at 84,700 [kiawah] by relantel
Jun 05, 2007 (7:44 pm)

Replying to: kiawah (Jun 05, 2007 6:43 pm)

Kiawah, the vehicle in question had a Saturn Car Care extended warranty until 60k, the max offered for that year, and a recall replacement of the transmission was performed at 72k even though there were no issues with the original one. The timing chain is said to be part of the 90,000 mile scheduled service according to Saturn - an implied warranty that the original should last at least that long. All maintenance was performed at a Saturn dealer, most of it at the same dealer. Saturn knew of the timing chain problems in the 2001 Ls long before the extended warranty was up - in fact, they knew of the problem before we purchased our L200 new from Saturn of Fairfax.
In its ODI filings, Saturn claimed the failures never happened during operation. Wrong. The failure due to a manufacturing defect could have resulted in serious injury, and I am not alone. Saturn used to value the "100,000 mile club" - a wall of poloroid photos at each dealer of Saturn owners and their cars that made the 100k mark. They used to value the customer - now they'd rather throw them under the bus. A timing chain should have lasted more than 200,000 miles, not fail at 84,700.

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