Premature parts replacement
1sttimebuickowner
05-06-2004, 12:35 PM
I was curious to know if others have experienced the same premature wearing out of parts on their Buicks as I have. My 2000 Regal has about 33k on it. So far I have had to replace all four tires and now I'm looking at having to replace the rotors as well. Is this common for Buicks, or Regals, or is this becoming an industry wide thing. I also own a 94 Astro that currently has 94k on it. I'm on my second set of Michlens and my third set of brake pads/shoes. Although my second set set of brakes was a cheaper brand and I replaced them early because of the excessive dusting on the tire.
Skavoovie
05-07-2004, 12:16 AM
Wheel bearings are the most common problem I've heard in the wheel/tire region on the Regal... Make sure those aren't to blame.
bdserv
05-09-2004, 09:19 AM
Mine has about 80k on it now and I'm on my second set of tires and brakes (pads and rotors). I never bother to turn the rotors any more, I just replace them since they're not that expensive and my experiences with turned rotors is that they almost always warp shortly afterwards.
Short brake and tire life can sometimes be related to driving technique. If you drive your car hard then you can expect to go through the consumable parts more quickly. I sometimes wonder how long the brake pads last on the cars with the two-footed drivers - you know, the guys you see going down the road with their brake lights going on and off and nothing in front of them.
I wouldn't worry about dust on the tires - some of the newer pads put out alot of dust especially just after you replace them. Worry more about the thickness of the pad itself.
I've had alot of problems with the HVAC system, especially the controller. However, GM has fixed it either at no charge, or at a negotiated fee even after the car was well out of warranty - all you have to do is go directly to the GM people (not the dealer), and ask nice. Even though I've had these problems, I've found GM to be exceptional in their support of their product. The last thing I had fixed was the blower motor for the HVAC system and even though the car had something like 70k miles on it, they paid 50% of the cost to fix it.
Short brake and tire life can sometimes be related to driving technique. If you drive your car hard then you can expect to go through the consumable parts more quickly. I sometimes wonder how long the brake pads last on the cars with the two-footed drivers - you know, the guys you see going down the road with their brake lights going on and off and nothing in front of them.
I wouldn't worry about dust on the tires - some of the newer pads put out alot of dust especially just after you replace them. Worry more about the thickness of the pad itself.
I've had alot of problems with the HVAC system, especially the controller. However, GM has fixed it either at no charge, or at a negotiated fee even after the car was well out of warranty - all you have to do is go directly to the GM people (not the dealer), and ask nice. Even though I've had these problems, I've found GM to be exceptional in their support of their product. The last thing I had fixed was the blower motor for the HVAC system and even though the car had something like 70k miles on it, they paid 50% of the cost to fix it.
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