1999 Buick Century

DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 1999 BUICK CENTURY. HE STATES THAT SIX MONTHS AFTER HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE HE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR A RECALL ON THE HEADLIGHTS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS THERE THEY MAINTENANCE THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE GAS FILLER PIPE HAD DETERIORATED AND THE COOLING SYSTEM INTAKE WAS LEAKING COOLANT. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS ABOUT 50,000 MILES. BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS HAD BLOWN OUT AND THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED ALSO. WYOMING VALLEY MOTORS PO BOX 1308 KINGSTON, PA 18704-0308. HE HAS SPOKEN WITH GM THEY TOLD HIM THEY WOULD GET BACK WITH HIM IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEY DID NOT CONTACT HIM BACK. HE IS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL AFTER 4:30. THEY TOLD HIM THE GAS FILLER PIPE WAS NORMAL FOR THE VEHICLE. HE SEEN A ARTICLE THAT SAID THEY HAD BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH YEAR FOR THE COOLING SYSTEM. THEY ALSO SAID THE BUSHINGS WAS NORMAL WEAR ON A CAR ALSO. HE DID GO ONTO CARFAX AND IT DID NOT INDICATE ANY TIME OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. *JB *NM

I OWN (BOUGHT USED) A 1999 BUICK CENTURY, AT 27,000 MILES MY DRIVERS WINDOWS REGULATOR/MOTOR WENT OUT. AT 30,000 I HIT A LITTLE BUMP WHILE IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE BROKE AND FELL DOWN, OF COURSE I SAW IT AND SWERVED A BIT, BUT FORTUNATELY NOT TOO MUCH. MY MOTHER OWNS A 2000 BUICK CENTURY, AT 20,000 HER DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW BROKE....I AM JUST WAITING FOR A FEW MORE MILES AND THEN HER PASSENGER SIDE WILL GO. GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO MAKE THESE PARTS BETTER. I DO BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE, DUE TO THE GENERAL REACTION OF SOMETHING HAPPENING LIKE THAT WHILE A PERSON IS DRIVING.

1999 BUICK CENTURY. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE POWER WINDOWS 6 DIFFERENT TIMES ON 2 WINDOWS. LEFT FRONT POWER WINDOW MOTOR TWICE. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE RIGHT REAR POWER WINDOW MOTOR TWICE PLUS THE REGULATOR. THE RIGHT REAR POWER WINDOW HAS GONE AGAIN AND THIS WILL BE THE THIRD TIME. I HAVE TIRE PLUS DO THE LEFT FRONT WINDOW AND THE DEALER WORKING ON THE RIGHT REAR. THE DEALER STATES THERE IS ONLY A 12,000 OR ONE YEAR WARRANTY SO I HAVE TO KEEP PAYING FOR THESE REPAIRS EVERY ONE TO TWO YEARS. ONE MECHANIC SAID THE PART WAS RUSTING. THAT INDICATES WATER BUT WHY CAN'T THEY FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE WATER CAUSING THEM TO RUST RATHER THAN ME PAYING $300 EACH TIME WHEN THE MOTOR FINALLY RUSTS OUT?

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK THE ENGINE LOCKED UP DUE TO LOSS OF COOLANT. THE WATER PUMP STARTED LEAKING AT THE SHAFT SEAL WITH LESS THAN 43000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. A DIRTY, OILY SUBSTANCE WAS NOTICED IN THE RADIATOR NECK. *TC

CAR STARTED TO LEAK ANTI-FREEZE VERY SLOWLY. HAS THE DEXCOOL ANTIFREEZE. I CHECKED THE RADIATOR TO SEE IF IT WAS LOW, AND THE RADIATOR LOOKED AS THOUGH IT HAD LOTS OF RUST IN IT. SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL FIRESTONE STORE TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT, AND THEY FOUND THE LEAK AND PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN GM VEHICLES AROUND THIS MODEL YEAR WITH THE 3.1 LITER ENGINE, THAT A MANIFOLD GASKET WOULD START TO LEAK, AND YOU EITHER GOT ANTIFREEZE LEAKING INTO THE OIL, OR AS IN MY CASE, THE OIL FROM THE ENGINE GOT INTO THE COOLING SYSTEM, HENCE INTO THE RADIATOR AND TURNED IT INTO "GUNK". THE PRICE TAG TO DO THE WORK WAS AROUND $700. SO I THOUGHT I WOULD CALL THE BUICK DEALER IN TOWN TO SEE WHAT THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND SEE WHAT THEY WOULD CHARGE TO FIX IT. I FOUND IT IRONIC THAT THE GENTLEMAN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, SAID THEY THE PARTS ON HAND TO FIX IT AND QUOTED ME THE EXACT PRICE WITHOUT EVEN TAKING A BREATH. SEEMS THIS IS A RATHER COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THESE ENGINES. WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AND THAT PERHAPS GM/THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE PICKING UP THE BILL FOR THIS FIX. THE SERVICE MAN AT THE FIRESTONE STORE SAID THE SAME THING, THAT THIS IS GETTING TO BE PRETTY COMMON WITH THESE CARS AND COULD RECITE THE NECESSARY WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO FIX IT RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF HIS HEAD. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER MY COMPLAINT IN HOPES THAT SOMETHING COULD BE DONE TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP PRESENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE HEAD GASKET AND MANIFOLD GASKETS NEED TO BE REPLACED, WHICH CONSTITUTES TEARING HALF THE ENGINE APART. ALSO THE OIL NEEDS TO BE CHANGED A COUPLE OF TIMES TO GET ANY COOLANT OUT OF THE ENGINE, AND OF COURSE THE RADIATOR NEEDS TO BE FLUSHED, CLEANED AND REFILLED. NO OLD PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE AS WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ARE GASKETS.*AK