A little background, I read about a year ago that the brakes on G35s wear down really fast. I really didn't think much of it, but then about 9 months ago I got a letter in the mail saying that Infiniti was going to replace any worn out brakes on G35s for the first 3 years or 36000 miles.
So at the beginning of this week when my front wheels started making horrible screeching noises like a fat woman scratching her nails over plate glass, I was fairly worried. Luckily, I had to take it in for the 27,500 mile service anyway, so I made an appointment for Wednesday. Anyway, to make a short story shorter, they replaced the brakes for free and they threw in the 27,500 mile service for free as well. Pretty sweet.
free is a good word
That is why people buy Japanese.
All late model Grand Ams have a defective head gasket that develops a slow leak in the first two or three years. I took my car in for service just before the warranty expired, and asked the mechanics to do a general inspection to see if anything was wrong with the car. Of course, all Pontiac dealers were aware of the defective gasket. However, the mechanics found nothing wrong. I went back a couple months later (after the warranty had expired) for an oil change. A mechanic comes out, says that my head gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced. Oh, by the way, we noticed that your factory warranty has just expired, so you'll have to pay $700.
What amazes me is that the dealership lets their maintainance department get away with this. By ripping me off, they saved Pontiac a couple hundred dollars, made about a hundred themselves (work done under warranty pays less), and guaranteed I will never buy GM again. Kind of funny because at the time, I was planning to buy the next generation of Grand Am (G5) later that year, which probably would have earned the dealership and Pontiac a couple thousand each. And, I'm now using a third-party mechanic, so Pontiac doesn't even make money on my oil changes now.
In summary, GM sucks, and clearly Infiniti either doesn't suck, or sucks substantially less.
All late model Grand Ams have a defective head gasket that develops a slow leak in the first two or three years. I took my car in for service just before the warranty expired, and asked the mechanics to do a general inspection to see if anything was wrong with the car. Of course, all Pontiac dealers were aware of the defective gasket. However, the mechanics found nothing wrong. I went back a couple months later (after the warranty had expired) for an oil change. A mechanic comes out, says that my head gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced. Oh, by the way, we noticed that your factory warranty has just expired, so you'll have to pay $700.
What amazes me is that the dealership lets their maintainance department get away with this. By ripping me off, they saved Pontiac a couple hundred dollars, made about a hundred themselves (work done under warranty pays less), and guaranteed I will never buy GM again. Kind of funny because at the time, I was planning to buy the next generation of Grand Am (G5) later that year, which probably would have earned the dealership and Pontiac a couple thousand each. And, I'm now using a third-party mechanic, so Pontiac doesn't even make money on my oil changes now.
In summary, GM sucks, and clearly Infiniti either doesn't suck, or sucks substantially less.
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.
To be fair, buying a year-old Japanese car with a V6 would have cost at least $6000 more (Camry, Accord, or Altima SE, dunno about Mazda or Mitsubishi), so I'm sort of still ahead of the curve. The real issue will be how long I keep the car and how many more things go badly wrong. The resale value has mostly plateaued now. That doesn't mean I'd buy a GM car again.
I'll be interested to see how Vinny's car does. Its older and has lots more elecronic gizmos to break. Also Cadillac parts are a lot more expensive. That said, it may have slightly higher build quality, and the dealer might mistakenly believe Vinny has money and treat him with respect. Somehow Buick ranked second highest behind Lexus for long-term owner satisfaction. I don't know where Cadillac fell, but I would guess much lower.
I'll be interested to see how Vinny's car does. Its older and has lots more elecronic gizmos to break. Also Cadillac parts are a lot more expensive. That said, it may have slightly higher build quality, and the dealer might mistakenly believe Vinny has money and treat him with respect. Somehow Buick ranked second highest behind Lexus for long-term owner satisfaction. I don't know where Cadillac fell, but I would guess much lower.
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.
