2003 Pontiac GT Questions (Tires and Interior)

[smetzler]

I just purchased a 2003 Pontiac GT and have a few questions. Any help would be appreciated.

1. I need to buy four new tires. Any suggestions? I like to have a smoother ride with less road noise. I have 16 inch tires. Use of the car will mostly be local back and forth and a few long trips here and there.

2. The light on the radio that displays the time and station seems to have a life of its own. It seems to come on sporadically. For example, last night after about ten minutes is decided to come on. This morning, I've driven the car and each time it came on immediately. Radio works fine. The only thing I found different than what was noted the manual is that I was able to program the time while the car was running and it DID NOT note AM/PM on the clock.

3. The light above the A/C button goes off/on when the A/C is running. The A/C is working fine. This is not the light on the A/C button, but above it indicating the A/C is on). What I noticed is if I push on the knob that controls the air flow or any area around the air flow knob, then the light stays on. After awhile, it then goes back to going off/on.

Thanks

Shawn

[richtazz]

answers to your questions.
1. Buy a touring tire, they are quieter and last longer than performance tires.
2. There are many threads about the back-light bulb on GM radios. There is a bulb behind the LCD display that goes out and causes the display to go out. It's a relatively easy fix if you're handy with tools. The bulb is available at Radio Shack.
3. Same deal, I believe it's a small "peanut" bulb going out.

[smetzler]

Thanks for the help. I can do things around the house, but never worked on cars. Any place that I can go to find directions on how to change these bulbs? I look for threads, but I'm not sure which one would apply to me.

Shawn

[richtazz]

I'm not gonna help you because I hate you because of the deal you got on that car. Just kidding of course. Let me see if I can dig up the thread, unless someone else beats me to it. I hope the car works out and the guy wasn't blowing smoke, because you basically stole that car at that price.

[smetzler]

Thanks. I promise that I'll pretend that I paid alot more for the car.

I had one other question that I forgot. I noticed the lock out windows and adjust mirror controls do not light up. I'm guessing this is by design. Correct?

Reason I ask is that it seems Pontiac did a good job lighting up everything in the car except for those items and the "arm" that controls the windshield wipers and cruise control. Does any car light up the "arm".

Thanks

Shawn

[richtazz]

I don't know of any GM car that the functions on the turn signal stalk light up, although that would be nice for people driving the car that are unfamiliar with it. As far as the mirror and lock out controls, I'm not sure. I'll check mine and get back with you.

[smetzler]

Just seeing if you had a chance to look at the mirror and lock out controls to see if they light up or find a thread on the bulb possibly going out on my radio.

[PREVIOUS QUESTION] - The light on the radio that displays the time and station seems to have a life of its own. It seems to come on sporadically. For example, last night after about ten minutes is decided to come on. This morning, I've driven the car and each time it came on immediately. Radio works fine. The only thing I found different than what was noted the manual is that I was able to program the time while the car was running and it DID NOT note AM/PM on the clock.

Thanks

Shawn

[jimmyv-21]

goodyear has a great tire- the assurance.
cool "v" tread pattern.
awesome traction, 80000 miles, and looks hot too

[regalfriend]

When it comes to tires there is a trade off...softer rubber means better traction and less miles...harder rubber means less traction and more miles...my car came with Goodyear eagle LS and did not seem to have good traction...wet or dry... I bought Goodyear Eagle GT HP...they have less life. They also have great traction dry, wet or snow. Road noise was about the same as the Eagle LS...For the GT HP tires i paid $120 for each...With tax, mounting and balance it cost about $600

[richtazz]

The lock out and mirror controls do not light up on my car either, so that's normal. To change the bulb in the radio, you have to take the top cover and faceplate off, and then you'll see the bulb under a white plastic cover. It is soldered to the circuit board, so you'll have to use a solder iron to get it out. Take the bulb to Radio shack, and they shoudl be able to match it up for you.

[andylikespez]

yea go with the goodyear assurance tripletread tires.

i bought them about a year ago for my 2000 prix. work like a champ wet, dry, and amazing in snow. had them on for about 15K and still holdin up like there brand new. major riding difference in everyway. and a pretty badass tread pattern

[smetzler]

Thanks. I went with the Goodyear Triple Tread. Seems to make a big difference on what I had.

[andylikespez]

Originally Posted by smetzler

Thanks. I went with the Goodyear Triple Tread. Seems to make a big difference on what I had.

hell yea! just wait until you hit that snow. i live in Syracuse, New York and we get some nasty winters and they handle like a champ. my whole family pretty much has them, since they know how good they handle.

[smetzler]

I had asked earlier about the LCD on my radio that indicates the time and station going off/on. It still does and the work to fix it is outside of my capabilities. I need to take it to a dealership.

I also have the light that indicates if the A/C is on or off going off/on (flickering). With the A/C light, if I press anywhere around the climate controls so the face goes back a little, the light comes on better. After awhile, the A/C light then goes off/on again. It seems pressing the face plate (don't know the correct name) on the climate controls makes the A/C light come on better. As a test, I put a couple of quarters forcing the face plate back and the light always stays on. I took the quarters out and eventually the light started to flicker again.

I called a few Pontiac dealerships and some are saying the problems can be releated (wiring), while some they they might not be. Before I pay around $400 for a radio exchange, could they be related?

Not sure if this is related or not (I doubt that it is), but I also noticed when chaging the flow of the air, it doesn't seem to work to well. For example, I went from Defrost/Floor to only Floor and there was still quite a bit of air coming out of the defrost. Designed this way or a possible mechanical problem? I'm doubting that wuld be related to the above problems.

Any suggestions would be helpful

Thanks

Shawn

[richtazz]

The AC control problems could be related, and the control head is giong bad. If the air stays about 50/50 defrost/floor no matter what position you the switch in, you may have a cracked/unhooked vacuum line leading from the engine to the heater control unit.