First bonneville

[Grapes]

I just got a 2000 Boneville from my dad, he drove it to work and thats about it. i have a few things i have to ask and some things to fix.

The problems im having atm, some i have heard lots about some not so much of others.

the steering radius is TERRIBLE, just installed new strut bearings and seals w/ an intermediate shaft, still no help other than stopped the clunking. rust around the gas tank is pretty bad too, not to mention the bubbling hood and bottoms of doors. all the lights on my radio display burnt out, my ABS light is always on and even with a new battery it struggles to start.

the car has 142k on it, so it still has a ways to go. are there any guides to fix the tank rust? the holes in the side of my car look terrible,

and also is there any way to get an AUX imput or even a new radio, would one from a newer bonneville fit?

i know these cars have problems and im not a real GM fan, and my dad isnt now because of this car, but i just want to try to fix a few little things so i can use it as a daily driver reliably, untill i can afford a newer car.

thanks

[00Beast]

Welcome!

As far as the turning radius, there isn't anything you can do about it. Compared to my last vehicle, a 98 Tahoe, and my parent's truck and Suburban, this car turns great, lol. I was driving in downtown Minneapolis in parking ramps all weekend and I had no issues with the turning radius.

You have the newest style radio there was in a Bonne, the only differences were whether they had CD and tape players or not, and the AM/FM vs BAND buttons (slightly different internally to control XM, IIRC). You could add Aux-In using the hawkjet method: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=318&p=13780 , or you could install an aftermarket headunit.

As far as rust, the only true fix is to have a body shop cut the rusty panels out and replace them with fresh sheetmetal, then do body work and paint.

[Grapes]

well i hate having to turn in, back up and then finish my turn when parking, its like a 3-point park, lol

would it be easier to get the radio with the cd and tape, and just buy the tape/AUX jack? because there is a wreckers down the street that has a bunch of bonnes ive been getting parts from,

i did a nice fiberglass infused bondo, wire-mesh and bodywork to get the rust off, looks great now... in primer

so here are my most important thing to fix.

-The radio, want AUX (easiest, least expensive way)
-The body rust, what paint code for a bronze/gold '00? (google turned up nothing and theres no W/A code on my car i can find)
-and did anyone elses A/C just go dead one day? even after refill, it was ice cold for about a week then nothing....

This is the color of my car


Thanks for the help guys!

[John Deere Boy]

Tape deck plus cassette adapter is the easiest and cheapest way, of course sound quality is terrible. I found a tape deck on ebay for $75 but you can probably find them locally for under $30. (without the CD) Cassette adapter is around $10.

If you've ever worked with electronics before, you can probably take the radio apart and tap into the audio signal wires coming out of the CD player. I did it to my 93 and love it, but that's a completely different radio.

[Grapes]

im good with electronics, i just dont know where to start, and that guide on taking apart the whole dash scares me :0

another thing just happened... this bonneville HATES me, i think i said this in an above post, but my front left spring broke at the half point and my front wheel was just clunking until i got a new one.... on the way home today, i hit a tiny bump and i hear a clunk.... coming from the rear left. i get home, the spring broke! whats happening!

[00Beast]

The car's color is Light Bronzemist.

Your gas-cap fix sounds like the most jerry-rigged thing I've ever heard of...

[repinS]

Yeah, the turning radius on these cars are quite terrible. FWD and a transversely-mounted powertrain don't help the amount of steering lock you can put in. I got used to it, but turning radius is a trait I'd like to improve with future vehicles I own. (read: RWD )

[petraman]

I had no clue how a car should turn until I got my Fiesta. I can do a u-turn on a two-lane road!! Sorry, I know that doesn't help you, but I guess I was just used to big cars until I got my Fiesta, so multiple-point turns seemed like the norm. The Bonneville is a very large car, that's also FWD, and those two characteristics equate to a big turning radius. There's nothing you can do, just learn how to do multi-point turns.