Oh ask my cousin, had a 02 Infinity G35. Liked the car(hated it in the winter and hated the brakes) but when he traded it for a subabru, it had two rust areas below the front head lights the size of a half dollar. It was bubbling and he was told it happened to a lot of G35's. It was only 3 years old at the time and had 45K miles.
When is GM going to learn? (long)
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Having worked in a GM shop for several years, I'd have to judge the 3800 as one of GMs better engine efforts. Smooth, quiet and reasonably powerful. I particularly enjoyed it in the now-deceased Toronado International Series. It's also the best thing to ever happen to a Regal. (Did I just age myself?) The last time I checked out the specs of a Pontiac with a 3800, it was pumping out 200 hp. If you wanted 225hp in something like a Grand Prix or Bonneville,(now bumped to 260 hp) they'd bolt on a supercharger. It just puzzles me that GM elects to force-feed this great engine instead of just freeing up its breathing. That engine could be world class with multi-valve heads and VVT. Might also save them money in the long run with not having to replace bearings in the Eatons under warranty. To me that would be improving something at the source, instead of bolting on a horsepower Band-Aid.
Ummmmmmm . . . there's no such thing as an 02 G35.
Maybe a G20? A much older design, but really, that doesn't matter. As Amkeer and the guy from Iowa pointed out, ANY car can corrode if the conditions are right.
Rickey, Apologies are indeed acceptable from imports. (And incidentally, if they are not acceptable for imports, why should they be for domestics?) Perfect engineering would require no further engineering, no improvements. Implicit in ALL development of all kinds is the realization that it can always be made better. For all their mistakes, Honda and Toyota do seem to be ahead of their competition in this game.
i look under my stepdads 98 f150 and its all rusted on the suspension and the diff cover is so rusty its flaking off rust and will probably start leaking soon.
on the other hand my crv which was also bought new in 98 and travels on the exact same roads has no rust underneath it.
way to go america! still building detroit rust, i mean detroit iron, i guess.
on the other hand my crv which was also bought new in 98 and travels on the exact same roads has no rust underneath it.
way to go america! still building detroit rust, i mean detroit iron, i guess.
Ok, it's my turn to jump on this thread, you guys ready?!!!
I just wanted to voice my opinion of pushrod engines. I love them!!! Why? you ask, because I love roller lifters!!! Ever since roller lifters made their way into American V8's back in the early 1980's, I have been in love ever since. Just the thought of the little wheels rolling their way over the camshaft lobes, really trips my trigger big time. Roller motors also make a distinct sound, apart from their flat tappet cousins, hence the advent of the Ford 5.0 V8 that first debuted in the 1983 Mustang GT.
Later on in years, the roller lifters/roller cams made their way into pickup truck V8's and into family car V6's. I don't know of any pushrod I-4 motors with rollerized valve-trains, but there might be. One thing I do know for sure: OHC motors don't have roller lifters. Nope!
I just wanted to voice my opinion of pushrod engines. I love them!!! Why? you ask, because I love roller lifters!!! Ever since roller lifters made their way into American V8's back in the early 1980's, I have been in love ever since. Just the thought of the little wheels rolling their way over the camshaft lobes, really trips my trigger big time. Roller motors also make a distinct sound, apart from their flat tappet cousins, hence the advent of the Ford 5.0 V8 that first debuted in the 1983 Mustang GT.
Later on in years, the roller lifters/roller cams made their way into pickup truck V8's and into family car V6's. I don't know of any pushrod I-4 motors with rollerized valve-trains, but there might be. One thing I do know for sure: OHC motors don't have roller lifters. Nope!
don't forget the Olds Quad 4 that blew head gaskets too. its not the bad design that bugs me - its no testing to uncover a bad design.
also my moms 98 buick at about 30,000 miles had the dexcool induced gasket leak in the PLASTIC intake manifold
also my moms 98 buick at about 30,000 miles had the dexcool induced gasket leak in the PLASTIC intake manifold
Almost afraid to post this after reading some of these posts, but I thought that almost all cars were greatly improved in corrosion resistance. Still remember my new 77 Volare that began to show rust on the fenders at less than 6 months!!! Haven't seen any new cars that bad.......
The Quad-4 was a decent attempt by GM to enter the world of multi-valve technology, but it was plagued with problems. It didn't help that engine at all that GM in its infinite wisdom, started putting it in those heavy Cutlasses and Grand Prixs...cars that should have NEVER been saddled with a 4-cylinder. The 3800 would have been the better choice back then, leaving the Quad-4 for the Sunbird / Cavalier (replacing the 2.0) and Calais / Grand Am. It should been put in the Fiero too, but you know what they say about hindsight. I was hoping the Quad-4 had a bright future, but it turned out to be not much better than the pushrod 2.5 it replaced (other than output).
Read up on how the first shuttle disaster happened. That will give you some insight on how engineers are often times put in a no-win situation. In short, if management doesn't supply the manpower and resources to properly engineer something, it will likely have flaws and continue to do so until management decides it needs to be fixed. I'm not claiming that engineers are perfect in everything they do, after all they are human too, but I never met an engineer who would knowingly incorporate a flaw into his design if given a chance not to.
Don't need them. They can use roller rockers with hydraulic lash adjusters instead. Less mass to move = higher RPMs.quote:
Originally posted by GoldenRod:
One thing I do know for sure: OHC motors don't have roller lifters. Nope!
It's closer to this:
First you said that the closer to the ocean you are, the worse it gets. You apparently didn't realize that where I keep cars, we ARE on the ocean. So suddenly you declare salt spray and sand to be non-threats, while only roadsalt qualifies as bad for a car. . .
So, you've lived in Maine for 50 years, yet you know more about the down south climate and what it does to our cars than those of us who live in it??? That, to put it mildly, strains your credibility. . .
And what on earth makes you believe that a saturated mud road down here is less capable of sucking a vehicle in down to its frame rails or floorpan than a saturated mud road up there? Shoot, maybe our mud is friendlier than yours.
I've always been a big fan of Toyotas, and never really cared for GM products, for a variety of reasons. However, I recall a picture posted here a couple of months ago (can't remember where) that makes me wonder how much of our biases (all of our biases, mine too) are based in perception rather than fact. My seemingly bulletproof Corolla is exactly the same as the Geo Prizm with minor cosmetic changes. The picture I mention shows a Cavalier in Japan with the Toyota emblem, where apparently it was marketed as a Toyota product. (Maybe over there it had a Toyota motor in it?)
OK lght, I'll throw you this combined bone/olive branch. The only vehicle I've ever actually torn a door off of was in fact a non-US made one. Yep, I really did it -- tore the door from the car, all the way off. It was one of those Daihatsu mini-mini vans that aren't sold in the US (we had it as a rental in the Philippines when I was stationed there). These things look like a cross between a VW Microbus and a lawn tractor -- a van built on a platform smaller than a Civic's.
After a long night out "celebrating" something, I was the last to pile into the wheeled shoebox for the ride back to base. I reached back, grabbed the sliding door, and slid it -- apparently a little too hard. Instead of translating down into the closed position, the little door continued flying forward, lurched out of its tracks, and cartwheeled off into the ditch. The looks on my friends' faces were indeed, priceless -- like they were all deciding that no one should should screw with me until I'd burned off a few of the beers. After some struggling, we half-way, sorta reattached the door. Thankfully, my name was not on the rental contract. . .
Well I can readily admit this: I've never succeeded in ripping the door off of a GM product, and don't think I ever will.
After a long night out "celebrating" something, I was the last to pile into the wheeled shoebox for the ride back to base. I reached back, grabbed the sliding door, and slid it -- apparently a little too hard. Instead of translating down into the closed position, the little door continued flying forward, lurched out of its tracks, and cartwheeled off into the ditch. The looks on my friends' faces were indeed, priceless -- like they were all deciding that no one should should screw with me until I'd burned off a few of the beers. After some struggling, we half-way, sorta reattached the door. Thankfully, my name was not on the rental contract. . .
Well I can readily admit this: I've never succeeded in ripping the door off of a GM product, and don't think I ever will.
My then 10 y/o son ripped the sliding door off my '00 Voyager two years ago. We were parked on a sharp uphill incline, he opened the door and let go. It flew down and right off the track.quote:
I've never succeeded in ripping the door off of a GM product, and don't think I ever will.
I wish I coulda ripped the doors off my first car...a 78 Chevy Monza. I had the bushings replaced on the driver's door 3 times in a 2 year period because of excessive sag. The latch had actually dug a 3-4 mm gouge in the striker, and you had to lift up to open it. That Monza was far from the first American 2-door to have doors that were too heavy for the hinges. Anyone remember the early 80's El Dorados / Rivieras? The doors were usually sagging on those before you got it home after the purchase. This is one phenomenon I've never witnessed on any Japanese or German car. I was so happy to see that car go....the ultimate in nickel-and-diming someone to death. I gave another American car a chance years later, and it was just as much of a pain...1985 Olds Calais 3.0. REALLY nice car, but at only 20,000 miles leaked EVERY fluid imaginable, and also had a slightly sagging driver's door. From there I went to Honda Civics, Nissan Sentras, and am still happily driving a Japanese vehicle. I hate to say that there will probably always be quality inequities between Japan and America.
WHAT? You mean to tell me that they are NOT perfect and they make actual mistakes??! Wow, I never would have guessed that going by the American lemming/sheep herd public or even the Nippon Giants' ad campaigns. The best one though was TOYota's Camry TV ad from a few years ago, "Too sexy for my...".
Hahahahha as Toyota laughs all the way to the bank with that one!
Hmmmmmm...I have a special service campaign on my 1995 4-Runner that Toyota just notified me about. They want the vehicle back in for the steering relay rod. This part is voluntary replacement and this campaign is not a requirement. Yes after 12 years they are still concerned with the vehicles.
See Toyota acknowledges when they make mistakes. They make it clear they screw up! They then get down to business and rectify the problem ASAP! This is a far cry from other manufacturers....
When Toyota buys GM what will you do then or should I say IF?
Hmmmmmm...I have a special service campaign on my 1995 4-Runner that Toyota just notified me about. They want the vehicle back in for the steering relay rod. This part is voluntary replacement and this campaign is not a requirement. Yes after 12 years they are still concerned with the vehicles.
See Toyota acknowledges when they make mistakes. They make it clear they screw up! They then get down to business and rectify the problem ASAP! This is a far cry from other manufacturers....
When Toyota buys GM what will you do then or should I say IF?
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