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Sedans Pontiac Grand Am Pontiac Grand Am
2575 messages, Last post on Sep 12, 2009 at 10:42 PM
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| I bought a Grand AM SE I in 1/99. After many problems with the car including the rotor problem, Pontiac bought my car back. So, after test driving many other models with the same price range, I came back and bought another Grand Am SE. Maybe I am dumb, but I just love that car. So I guess I just better get used to the rotor problem now that I can see others are experiencing the same problem. My original car had other problems beside the braking issue which is why Pontiac agreed to buy back my car. The braking problem does still concern me. My problem with the brakes began at 12793 again at 17K and the day before I turned the car back, 25K, the steering wheel was pulsating. But, there really isn't another car like the Grand Am on the road. It is a fine looking car; handles very well, gets great gas mileage (V-6) and not too expensive to insure and there have been, so far, no rattles or vibrations coming from the dash which I can see is a problem on many of the American made cars that I test drove. I owed a 1992 Grand Am Se V-6 which gave me 232,000 virtually problem free miles. The only problem that I had with that car was that the alternator kept going bad and finally the problem wasn't the alternator at all but a short in the cluster. The problem was fixed and other than routine maintenance, it was a great car. I guess my decision to try again on the 1999 may not have been a good choice but, I am willing to try because of how much I really do like the car exclusive of the rotor issue. The question about the "ventilation" of the disc brakes. Is that possible. Any mechanics out there that can address that suggestion? | |
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The front rotors are vented... In fact the only car I've ever seen with non-vented front rotors was the 4 cylinder Z3... Your problem, is most likely a crappy rotor... I think GM is pretty famous for sticking the rotors on at the factory from the bargain bin... I would opt for DuraStop Rotors if you wanna stay GM... Otherwise go with some other brand... |
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| I don't want anybody to get mad at me but I just would like to know id the Grand Am is a front wheel drive car or not. My father-in-law says that all front wheel drive cars are bad and I just would like to know what your experiences were. My mother owns a 1993 Se. | |
| The Grand Am is indeed FWD... My Grand Am, and my GTP are both FWD, and I think they are fine... Bad in what respect? If you were autocrossing or something, maybe I can agree with it, but in most driving situations, I find FWD do be just fine, if not superior to RWD, especially when it comes to the winter months.... Let me tell you... My GTP is WORLDS easier to drive/handle in the rain/snow than my Chevelle-SS | |
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I now have had my 99 Grand Am GT for almost 2 months and love it! However, I keep getting depressed with all the posts regarding problems people have encountered with the vehicle. Looking at the long term, are there any owners out there that have had their GA for over a year or driven 20K - 40K miles? What is your experience with the reliability to date? Should I plan on trading this thing in when the warranty is up? Or will it be a car I can keep for awhile? Any feedback would be appreciated. |
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AVS007, after reading your post last night, I went out and looked under the Pontiac and your right-the rotors are ventilated. Must have gotten it confused with something else. I havn't had any more rotor problems since going aftermarket, but I do keep my eye on the pads more now. Under some conditions, the pedal will fluctuate, but I attributed this to the anti-lock system. |
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| I'm wondering if anyone knows something about this. I want to improve my stereo system in my Grand Am. That doesn't void any warranty or anything does it? And even trading it in sometime, will dealers take a car with aftermarket stereo stuff in it? One more thing, how does one get to the back of the Grand Am's CD player. I can't find any screw holes to try and remove any of the dash. | |
| Thanks to AV007. I will ask the Dealer about replacing the rotors with "DuraStop" You said they are a GM product? You know how important it is to use GM products and have them installed by "Mr. Goodwrench"!!!!!!!!!! After my warranty, I can choose another Brand. During the warranty period I am limited to GM parts. I wonder why no other GM cars are experiencing this rotor problem. I was figuring it was the newly designed braking system for the 1999 Grand Am. | |
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There are two types of DuraStops.. The standard, and the CrossDrilled/Slotted... Which are you going to get? (I would opt for the CrossDrilled/Slotted  Anyways, DuraStops, are made my AC/Delco... They are in the AC/Delco Performance Catalog at the dealer... |
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Trust me plenty of GM vehicles are having trouble with their brakes. My Father is having issues his 95 LeSabre. My girlfriends Malibu brakes pulse quite a bit and it is only 1 year old. GM needs to go to school on brakes. Someone at GM needs to discover that making micro thins rotors is a bad idea. Best of Lucks on the Brakes. I will be curious to hear what you go with. Stephen |
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