Need Used Car Supercharged Advice

[deb0704us]

Wanting to buy a white 2002 Bonneville SSEi supercharged w/66,000 miles for my daughter to drive to college and work. Is there anything I should be aware of on used superchargers? Does it only take Premium gas? Does supercharger wear out after so many years? Is there extra maintenance involved? What else should we look for when test driving and looking at this car before we decide to purchase? It really looks sharp! I know you Grand Prix owners here will have good advice. The Bonneville forum seems kinda quiet. Oh yeah, our 2000 Bonneville was totalled in her recent car accident, but it saved her life, she only has a broken foot. So we want another Bonneville for her to drive. I am NOT giving up my Grand Prix to her!

[richtazz]

The Supercharged 3800 does require premium fuel. The biggest issues with the supercharged cars are the transmission and Supercharger snout bearings and coupler. When the Supercharger snout bearings and/or coupler start to go, they get noisy and will rattle. The transmissions have issues with the PCS and shift solenoids (like all other electronic GM transaxles) and also check the condition of the trans fluid. If it looks brand new, the seller may be trying to cover something up (unless he has meticulous maintenance records). It should still be pinkish, with no burn or acrid smell to it.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by deb0704us

Does supercharger wear out after so many years? Is there extra maintenance involved?

If properly maintained like anything else no. There is no pre-conceived wear out date or mileage. Most supercharger problems are due to lack of proper maintenance. Not replacing the supercharger oil more frequently. The GM maintenance plan consists of checking oil level and adding oil every 30K miles. I recommend changing it out annually.

The only problem I've had is the coupler but since the snout has to be removed I replaced the snout bearings and seal. Replaced coupler with the improved one from ZZP.