2001 Buick Century

THE TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE GAUGE READ HOT ON MY 2001 BUICK CENTURY AT THE BEGINNING OF A 200 MILE TRIP. I TOOK THE NEXT EXIT, FOUND A STATION WITH A MECHANIC AND ASKED TO HAVE HIM CHECK THE WATER LEVEL IN THE RADIATOR. HE SAID THE BUICK CENTURY HAS A HISTORY OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM AND ADVISED THAT I WATCH THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER UPON MY RETURN HOME. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION, MY SON INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH HIS WIFE'S 1999 BUICK CENTURY, ADDED A SEALANT TO THE RADIATOR AND IT SEEMED FINE. WHEN I GOT HOME AND TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE RADIATOR CHECKED, THE SERVICE MANAGER IMMEDIATELY INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS PROBABLY NOT THE RADIATOR AND THAT THE UPPER PORTION OF THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO THE TUNE OF APPROXIMATELY $700. SIX HOURS LATER HE CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE INTAKE GASKET AND THE REPAIRS WERE ONLY $648.52. PARTS REPLACED INCLUDED: GASKET KIT, GASKET, SEALER-THE(?), SEAL, SEAL, COOLANT, ADHESIVE, SEAL, ENG., THERMOSTAT (?), GASKET (191.84) LABOR: 428.75. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MY SON TONIGHT TO ADVISE ME THAT HIS '99 CENTURY WAS "STEAMING" AND WAS TOLD BY HIS MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. REPAIRS APPROXIMATELY $800. *JB

THE TEFLON SCRAPED OFF, ALONG WITH STUMBLING AND HESITATION. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. UPON THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE FRONT SCREEN. THE NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER REMOVED ALL OF THE STUMBLING AND HESITATION. THE OLD CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOWED EVIDENCE OF ANTIFREEZE AND WAS DEFECTIVE AT TIME OF THE NEW ENGINE REPLACEMENT UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY. A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AT THE TIME OF THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE DEBRIS AND OBVIOUS HEAD GASKET LEAK CONTRIBUTED TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THEIR POORLY DIAGNOSED CATALYTIC CONVERTER, PLACE IN USED SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES. GENERAL MOTORS WOULD NOT GIVE A 100,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR THE NEW ENGINE. *AK THE CHASSIS MILEAGE WAS 94K MILES. *SC

ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BECAUSE OF THE COST TO HAVE A MECHANIC HOOK UP THE OBDII MONITOR I DIDN'T TAKE THE VEHICLE IN RIGHT AWAY, HOPING IT WAS SIMPLY DUE TO A DIRTY SENSOR OR LOOSE GAS CAP (WHICH HAS BEEN THE ROOT CAUSE BEFORE IN OTHER VEHICLES). SHORTLY AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INCIDENT THE TEMP GAGE AND HEATER STARTED ACTING FUNNY. STARTING IN THE MORNING THE HEATER ONLY PROVIDED LUKEWARM AIR AT BEST. THEN THE TEMP GAUGE WOULD SPIKE REALLY FAST AND THE COOLANT ALARM WOULD COME ON. THEN RIGHT AWAY THE GAGE WOULD NORMALIZE AND THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEMS THE REST OF THE TRIP. THE TEMP GAGE WOULD BE IN THE NORMAL RANGE. THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN APPEARED TO GO AWAY. YESTERDAY THE PROBLEM RE-SURFACED EXCEPT THE TEMP GAUGE DIDN'T NORMALIZE AND THERE WAS A SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER CALLING AROUND TO MECHANICS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE THE INTAKE GASKET. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THESE PROBLEMS I'VE BEEN CHECKING THE COOLANT. I OWN OTHER GM VEHICLES SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURES. IN FACT, I HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON OUR BLAZER ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO. THIS BUICK ONLY HAS ABOUT 40K MILES ON IT. I THOUGHT BUICK WAS GM'S "QUALITY" DIVISION????*AK

THE 2001 BUICK CENTURY WAS NOT SHIFTING WELL AND RAN OUT OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. WHEN THE RESERVOIR FOR TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS REFILLED THE FLUID RAN OUT QUICKLY AND I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE LOCAL DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THEY TOLD ME ALL THE FLUIDS WERE MIXING AND THAT IF IT WAS NOT FIXED THE ANTIFREZE AND WATER WOULD HAVE LEAKED INTO THE OIL AND BLEW THE MOTOR BECAUSE THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFORLD GASKET WAS BAD. THE BILL FROM THE DEALER ACCOUNTS FOR LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID LINES AND THE LI MANIFOLD GASKET. THESE WERE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS AND THE REASON I DECIDED TO REPORT THEM WAS THAT MY SON AND DAUGHTER-INLAW BOTH HAVE NEW GM VEHICLES AND HAVE REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS ON ONE OF THEM 2 TIMES AND THE OTHER 1 TIME FOR A TOTAL OF 4 INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS FOR OUT FAMILY. THEY HAVE A 2001 AND A 2002 ALERO. NOW MY DAUGHTER IS ALSO DESCRIBING WHAT MAY BE THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

OUR WELL MAINTAINED 2001 BUICK CENTURY WITH A 3.1 L V6 HAS DEVELOPED AN INTAKE MANIOLD LEAK AT UNDER 75,000 MILES. THE CAR HAS BEEN WONDERFUL SINCE PURCHASED NEW - UNTIL NOW. INTERNET RESEARCH HAS REVEALED THAT GM USED A "PLASTIC" INTAKE MANIFOLD AND IT HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC. IT WAS ALSO REVEALED THROUGH RESEARCH INTO GASKET MANUFACTURERS THAT THE 100,000 COOLANT IS MORE CORROSIVE THAT GM ANTICIPATED. NOW, WHERE DOES THE RESPONSIBILITY LIE FOR THE MANUFACTURER (BUICK DIV) TO TAKE OWNERSHIP AS A RESPONSIBLE CORPORATE CITIZEN AND PROVIDE SOME REPLACEMENT COST RELIEF TO THE CUSTOMER? I CURRENTLY OWN 3 GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLES, HOWEVER ONLY 1 WITH THE PROBLEMATIC INTAKE MANIFOLD DESIGN. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM SOMEONE SOON. AS A MARKETING MANAGER FOR A MAJOR COMPANY, I CAN ASSURE GM THAT CUSTOMER LOYALTY IS WHAT DRIVES MY BUSINESS SUCCESS. IN ORDER FOR ME TO SELECT GM FOR MY NEXT VEHICLE, I WOULD LIKE THEM TO TELL ME WHAT THEY WILL DO TO REMEDY THIS DESIGN FLAW PROBLEM OF INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE. THANKS, ART PANDARU. *AK