1999 Buick Century

INTAKE MANIFOLD COOLANT LEAK CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. *AK INTAKES MANIFOLD GASKET WAS REPLACED. GASKET NOW HAS A NEW PART NUMBER TO CORRECT THE DEFECT ON THE ORIGINAL COMPONENT, GM CLAIM #1-180791866. GM HAS RECALLED FOR COOLANT LEAK, BUT IT WAS ON A DIFFERENT MODEL. ALSO, LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING. MECHANIC REPLACED THE LOWER GASKET. *LA

VEHICLE STARTED TO RUN A LITTLE LOT IN OCTOBER 2002. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO MECHANIC SHOP SINCE WE WHERE OUT OF THE THREE YEAR WARRANTY BY ABOUT 6 MONTHS. UPON CHECKING THE CONTENTS OF THE RADIATOR, A BROWN SLUDGE WAS NOTED INSIDE. PER SERVICE BULLETIN # 00-06-02-004 THE MECHANIC FLUSHED THE SYSTEM AND REPLACED THE RADIATOR CAP. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME SLUDGE WAS STARTING TO APPEAR IN THE RADIATOR. MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT WE BRING IT TO THE DEALER SINCE IT WAS PROBABLY A GASKET LEAK. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO CROWN BUICK. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A LEAKING LOWER GASKET AND THE AIR WAS GETTING INTO THE SYSTEM CAUSING THE SLUDGE. THEY CHANGED THE LOWER GASKET AND DUE TO THE SERVICE PERSON QUOTING US A WRONG PRICE ON THE COST F THE REPAIR THIS WAS COMPLETED FOR $ TWO WEEKS LATER, THE OIL PAN GASKET WAS DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING. THIS REPAIR COST $ IT AMAZED US THAT TWO WEEKS AFTER CROWN WORKED ON OUR VEHICLE THE OIL PAN GASKET STARTS TO LEAK. BOTH GASKETS LEAK AND CAUSE PROBLEM WITHIN 6 MONTH'S OF OUR YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRING EVEN THOUGH WE WERE UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. IT IS OBVIOUS INFERIOR WORKMANSHIP ON BUICK' S APART TO HAVE TWO GASKETS LEAK AND CAUSE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS TO THE OWNER OF THEIR PRODUCT. SINCE THIS WAS ALREADY EVIDENT DUE TO THE SERVICE BULLETIN BEING PUBLISHED, BUICK GEMS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED THESE REPAIRS AS WARRANTY. COMPLAINTS FILED WITH BUICK GEMS AND NO COMPENSATION WAS OFFERED. *CB

BATTERY WENT DEAD IN CAR, 1999 IN BUICK CENTURY ON 11-10-03. BATTERY WAS REPLACED. DUAL AC IN VEHICLE THEN BLEW COLD ON PASSENGER SIDE BUT NOT THE DRIVER'S SIDE. BROUGHT TO SHOP. COMPUTER WAS RESET SINCE VENTS WERE STICKING BUT PROBLEM NOT RESOLVED. PART REPLACED COST $646.07. PROBLEM NOTED IN TSB BULLETIN # 02-01-39-001. CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT COST THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE AN ADDITIONAL $646.00 EACH TIME THE BATTERY DIES TO HAVE AC WORK PROPERLY. SINCE TSB BULLETIN LISTED THE PROBLEM ALREADY, GMC BUICK SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR INFERIOR WORKMANSHIP. * CB

1999 BUICK CENTURY BEGAN USING DEX-COOL AND OVERHEATING. ALSO HEATER WOULD BLOW COLD INDICATING COOLANT WAS LOW. CAR TAKEN TO DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS A LEAK IN UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS. WHEN ASKED WHY THIS HAPPENED THEY SAID THAT GM HAS HAD BAD BATCHES OF GASKETS AND THEY ARE HAVING TO REPLACE A LOT OF GASKETS, EVEN ON 2003 MODELS. I ASKED WHY THEY WERE CHARGING ME $403.66 TO REPAIR, SINCE IT IS HAPPENING SO MUCH. THEY SAID THAT GM CONSIDERS THIS GASKET PROBLEM A "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" ITEM JUST LIKE BELTS, OIL CHANGES, ECT! THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING WHEN THE CAR ONLY HAS 34,780 MILES ON IT. *CB