Recently accomplished scheduled maintenance in the past month......
For the bike:
New Avon Venom tires, tune-up, oil and fluid changes. Clean carbs.
For the car:
New Z06 brake pads for GTO. Ground .010 off of rotors. Two new Cooper Xeon tires. Oil change.
Unscheduled maintenance:
Pontiac pukes in Pontiac. Pontiac performs philanthropy.About two weeks ago on my way to the GFS Food Show in Novi I was southbound on I-75 when upon going to downshift from 6th to 5th gear, right as the lever went into neutral, I heard a LOUD bang. I coasted and listened with the clutch engaged. Nothing. I put the lever into 6th gear. Seemed ok. I dis-engaged the clutch. We have warp drive, Captain. Everything seemed fine. I listened intently for the rest of the ride and there might have been an almost imperceptable whine coming from under the car, but I wasn't sure. After about 15 more miles on the expressway I came to my exit and as I went to downshift I had no clutch. The pedal went straight to the floor. I slipped into neutral and rolled to the stop sign. Little wisps of smoke coming from under the hood. I pumped the clutch pedal, engaged second gear and got to my destination. Upon getting there, I discovered I had NO reverse whatsoever. I have had the car for less than 3 years, but the car has 48,000 miles on it. Warranty ended at 36,000 miles. At 4,000 miles I did report to my dealer that I felt the car did not go into and engage certain gears easily. I figured it was the clutch, they checked that and said it was within spec.
I wasn't feeling very good about things.
Next day, gingerly drive car to Jim Fresard Pontiac in Royal Oak Michigan. I tell them what happened. They tell me it is $600 to drop the tranny and have a look. I have $200 dollars. I tell them about my gear engagement complaint from delivery and tell them I am going to be seeking help from Pontiac in covering this as I know it was not driver related. They tell me they need my permission to open it up and find out what is going on. I give the order and leave for the food show.
After the food show, I go back to the dealer. The tranny is in pieces on the workbench. A bearing on the shaft that holds 5th, 6th and reverse failed. <bang> The heat that generated from the resultant friction boiled the tranny and clutch fluids, hence, no clutch at the exit last night. The spinning shaft, sans bearing, ground the hole in the casing into a larger and slightly less than perfect circle. The aluminum shavings from this recent rebore had permeated the entire trans. What we have here, gentlemen, is a lot of expensive paperweights.
I am overjoyed.
As I returned, the service manager, mechanic and service department head were in conference. They all agreed based on examining the clutch and shift forks that the tranny had not been abused. The mechanic flatly delared this was mechanical failure not driver related. They contacted Pontiac's warranty rep but he was out of the office until the next morning. They told me they couldn't say what would happen but that Pontiac was really trying to rebuild customer relations lately and that there was some hope they might help cover the cost of the parts. Upon examining what that would be we quickly concluded a new transmission was going to be cheaper. I was barely able to contain my enthusiasm.
It was a dark and stormy night in Ultra's world.
Next morning about 10:00 a.m. I get a phone call from Randy at Jim Fresard. He tells me in the flatest of monotones that Pontiac insists I pay...... <insert impossibly long silence> $100 deductable.
$100.
After almost choking up, I told him it was a deal. He said the mechanic suggested I put a clutch in it as it would need one in 20,000 to 30,000 miles anyway and I agreed that was a good idea.
I hung up and felt the floor lower itself about 6 inches below the soles of my shoes. Try as I might, I could not touch it for the rest of the day.
10 days of loaner car and $800 later and my GTO has a brand new tranny. I think my next car might be a Pontiac.
