PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

I just traded in a 94' Dodge Intrepid for an 04' GXP. It has 83,000 miles and is in the Pearl White finish. It's a stunning car. My question for you guys is, what should be the common maintenance tips to apply to this car. I'm sure this question has been asked a bunch, but I'd like to get a bunch more miles out of this car. Looking forward to getting some good tips here. Thanks.

First and foremost, Congratulations!

these seem to be the common denominators;

> maintain your transmission fluid changes on a timely basis
> use a good grade synthetic motor oil (preference is Penzoil Platinum)
> keep a watch on your engine mounts for wear, replace ASAP to avoid other issues
> perform regular brake caliper service (all four)

Good luck and enjoy your ride!

Welcome!!!

Drivetrain:
Regular Oil Changes with a good 5W-30 oil that meets the spec's for the year. I echo the Pennzoil Platinum suggestion, but what's more important is a high-grade filter. No version of Fram is high-grade. I personally use Wix.
Coolant should be changed every 2 years.
Transmission should be serviced regularly.
Air filter, fuel filter, etc. The plugs should be changed at 100k (not terribly easy task) and keep an eye on coolant consumption and other issues.

It's basically the same as any other Bonne, inspect and replace brakes as needed; no 05's came with a cabin air filter, so adding the filter with a bracket is an easy mod to make the air inside cleaner (very helpful if you or other regular passengers have allergies).

Look at the common problems sticky at the top of the 2000-2005 section, keep an eye out for any of those issues or keep them in mind when things start acting up.

To clarify, Pennzoil Platinum is HIS preference, not the masses here. I don't care what you put in. It doesn't matter whether it's regular or synthetic (FYI, you don't need synthetic if it's not something you want to budget for). It could be Wesson oil for all I care (sarcasm). Just maintain a regular and consistent change intervals and you'll be fine. I put 60+k HARD miles on mine using regular 'ol Valvoline (my preference, along with Mobil 1). 99.999% of people will NEVER push the oil they put in up against their maximum limits, so don't worry about those getting into pissing matches of maximum superiority of one brand vs. another. As long as it meets GM6094 or GM4718 standards, you'll be fine.

Cam cover gaskets are notorious for leaking, cooling system leaks (freeze plugs), electrical system gremlins, hood herpes (rust on the leading edge of the hood... common on all Bonneville's), and lets not forget the occasional front half shaft breakage (I hated these when they came in for service, it always seemed it was a Bonneville GXP).

One thing I will caution you, is while N*'s will happily run well past 100k, Once you eclipse that mark, I start to caution people that you may start being nickeled and dimed over little things in general. Problem is, unless you do your work yourself, any repair on this car is a labor intensive task (due to the top large, 4 cam, 32 valve V8, stuffed in an engine compartment designed primarily for FWD V6's). With 80k on the odo, you're not going to get much trouble/hassle free life out of it. I specifically planned on getting rid of mine at 100k, because I was already working on it every weekend to simply keep it going and doing preventative maintenance. Turns out, I got rid of it just before 80k.

But there is one thing you need to know. It is the bane of every Bonneville GXP owners existence. Our crappy fog lights. There is a thread in this section. I think it's one of the biggest threads in this section, that pertains to this piss poor excuse of a design fog light. Print it out, read it on the can, become familiar with this issue. If you use them, you will become intimately familiar with them...

Also agreed on the Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 and Wix suggestion. I just did a change today with those two I also tend to use Purolator Pure One filters as well.

Engine mounts are very important to keep tabs on - you may find that your front transmission mount is already broken, especially if you can feel the powertrain clunking around under throttle inputs or gear changes. It won't be an easy task to change, as the front half of the subframe needs to be lowered in order to get the mount and mount bracket out. The hockey-puck fix commonly used on the 3800's is not applicable here, the mount is different. Either myself or the previous owner(s) of my car left my front mount unattended for too long, and so now this week I have to have the rear trans mount replaced as well.

Oils that meet GM4718M & GM6094M:
http://pangea.stanford.edu/~schmitt/car ... e_oils.pdf

Use what makes your wallet happy and lets you sleep better at night. If it's on this list, it meets GM's standards and will be fine in your engine.

Thanks for the tips guys. I had my mechanic I normally go to give the car a good once over, specifically the undercarriage. It is very clean and tight. There is not a touch of rust anywhere and all mounts look brand new with no wear at all. A couple of questions though:

1. What do the three buttons to the left of the sunroof button do?

2. I believe the rims are aftermarket. They are 18's with a fancy S as the logo in the middle. Very solid and chrome, not polished. Not sure what brand they are.

It's very difficult to tell how the mounts are just by looking at them visually. Especially the front trans mount. Check for excessive powertrain movement when shifting between P/R/D, and also when hitting the throttle in gear with your foot firmly on the brake (be careful!).

The three buttons are the "Homelink" you can program them to your garage door openers.

Pictures would be great.

I've had my Bonneville GXP for about four month.The first chance I got I changed the oil,I don't know what the dealer put in it.For the last few years I changed all my cars oil to Royal Purple with Royal Purple filters with no problems at all.Runs great,very quiet.

I too like the Royal Purple. The cost isnt much more than other Syn oils and it "helps me sleep better at night"

Congrats on the GXP purchase!!!! Lets see some pics

Is there a link or page regarding posting pictures?

Loopy wrote:Is there a link or page regarding posting pictures?

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=146

Hey guys, took my car in too get a "look over," and just found out one of my engine mounts is broken. About how much does it cost to get this repaired? Also, I was told I should get "a good fuel system tuning", but turned it down for the time being due to cost. Is the tuning something I can do myself? I know I would have to change the fuel filter (not sure how difficult that is, but willing to try it myself), but what else would this include?

Thanks for the help guys.

Fuel system tuning sounds like a huge scam. The only serviceable part in the system is the fuel filter, short of replacing the pump, lines or injectors.

Fuel Filter: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 45&t=23215

I think they meant fuel system "tune-up" not "tuning".

Not only did it include filter replacement, probably also included an injector cleaning, pressure check, etc. But yes, a scam. Well, not worth the money.

A bottle of Techron or Gumout Regane and a filter change once a year will do 90% of what their $100+ service does.

I always run Chevron fuel that has Techron in it. Should I add Techron seperatly to give the system a cleaning?

Once a year, if you really feel like it. Modern fuels have a lot of additives in them, this just helps boost their concentrations for a little extra cleaning. What's more important is yearly filter changes. I change ours every fall no matter how many miles are on them. Clean fuel makes happy engines.

I agree Ed. After I replaced the valve cover gaskets this weekend I changed the oil, all the filters and plugs. This morning she felt like a new car again.