1997 Pontiac Bonneville

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OR THE PLEMIUM WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THE THING WORE OUT AND ALL OF MY ENGINE COOLANT WENT INTO THE FUEL CYLINDERS AND LOCKED MY MOTOR DOWN I WAS HEADED TO MACON GA FROM DOUGLAS,GA GOING TO THE HOSPITAL WERE THEY HAD TRANSFERED MY BROTHER AND HERE I AM IN PERRY,GA BROKE DOWN BECAUSE PONTIAC PUTS A PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD ON A MOTOR I FEEL LIKE PONTIAC SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS PART BEING REPLACED. I ALSO HAVE TROUBLE WITH MY CAR SURGING BETWEEN 35 AND 55 MILES PER HOUR THIS IS THE SORRIEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWED AND I HAVE OWNED 2 GRAND PRIXS BEFORE THIS CAR BUT LIKED THE BODY STYLE OF THE BONNEVILLE AND I RHOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD CAR BUT BOY WAS I WRONG I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST,2002 AND HAVE SPENT ENOUGH MONEY ON REPAIRS ON IT THAT I COULD PROBABLY DONE PAID FOR ANOTHER GRAND PRIX.AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SIGHT I FEEL THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THEM FOR THE TRANSMISSIONS AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLDS BECAUSE THEY ALL SEEM TO BE RELATED TO ME .PEOPLE PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR THERE CARS AND STILL HAVE TO PUT MONEY IN REPAIRS ITS JUST NOT FAIR .*AK

I PAID THE STATED AMOUNT TO REPLACE A COMPONENT REFERRED TO ME AS A "PLENNUM". THE SYMPTOM MY CAR WAS HAVING WAS, IT WAS OVERHEATING. IT IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND IS MOUNTED ON THE TOP OF THE 3800 ENGINE. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THAT THE DAMAGE HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. THE FAILED PART HAD LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE. A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER HAVING THE PLENNUM REPLACED, MY CAR BROKE DOWN. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THE LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE FROM THE PLENNUM HAD CAUSED PREMATURE FAILURE OF A "ROD BEARING" IN THE ENGINE. THE COOLANT I'M TOLD ATE AWAY THE BEARING LUBRICANT. I AM TOLD MY ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT IS AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I AM NOT A CAR MECHANIC BY ANY MEANS AND SUSPECTED NOTHING, AND WAS TOLD NOTHING. I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT MAN MADE PRODUCTS WEAR OUT AND NEED REPLACING. THIS TO ME SEEMS TO BE A POOR ENGINEERING FLAW THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO FIX. I DID NOT INCLUDE THE $2000.00 ENGINE REPLACEMENT IN MY TOTAL REPAIR COST ABOVE. THE PLASTIC PLENNUM PART, BY THE WAY, WAS REPLACED WITH ANOTHER PLASTIC PART. I TOLD THE DRIVER THAT WAS RETURNING ME HOME WHILE THE PLENNUM WAS BEING REPLACED, THAT I WAS INTENDING TO TRADE MY BONNEVILLE IN ON A MONTANA MINIVAN THIS SUMMER. HIS REPLY TO ME WAS THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE MONTANA, AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE 3800 ENGINE. IT SEMS CLEAR TO ME THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM HERE THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.

WHILE DRIVING A 100 MILES FROM HOME THE CAR OVERHEATED & HAD TO BE TOWED. WE FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A HOLE IN THE AIR PLENUM IN THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE OVER 20 SUCH CASES IN OUR SMALL COMMUNITY ALONE. ALL ON 3800 MOTORS IN PONTIAC'S. THIS IS A FOUR HUNDRED DOLLAR REPAIR BILL THAT OCCURRED ONLY BECAUSE PONTIAC DECIDED TO USE PLASTIC IN THEIR PART WHICH IN TURN MELTED & CAUSED OUR MOTOR TO OVERHEAT. I HOPE THAT PONTIAC WILL RECALL THESE PLENUMS & REIMBURSE US FOR THE COST OF REPAIRING & TOWING OUR CAR. IF PONTIAC WOULD CALL THEIR DEALERS THEY WOULD FIND OUT JUST HOW MANY OF THESE PARTS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED. *JB