First Car

[jpicks]

So this is the first car I've officially owned and liscened on my own now that I'm done University. 2003 GA GT. I'm happy with it so far. The only thing I'm not too impressed with is gas mileage. I'm only getting about 15-16 mpg in the city, and I'm not driving it like a maniac. Seems a little low to me..

[gerald]

Welcome to the boards!! Im not sure what the 3400s get on mpg but that doesnt sound right.

[jpicks]

Anybody with the same model have any ideas?

[lilniemo]

Yeah, I've got the same engine as you and I'm getting about 24-26 mpg . . . I'd say you've got a problem on your hand if you are only getting 15-16mpg

[Refuse Winst]

I'm actually happy with my gas mileage. It's not great, but better than I expected. You may want to have your fuel filter changed... also, run some injector cleaner through the system.


The car looks nice, and very clean! Just has 2 too many doors. :P

My first car was a beat to hell Silverado truck that barely ran, and finally died about four months after it was given to me, so consider yourself lucky.

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on getting a sweet car. Just be careful... if you start modding, it can get addictive and pricey. Just warning you... :P

If you don't know if it has been replaced, have someone take a look at the LIM gasket, as there's about a 100% of it failing in that car at some point. How many miles does it have? If it's relatively high-mileage there's a pretty good chance it's been done already. Check for oil mixed in with the coolant (it'll look like peanut butter in there or something), or vise-versa... coolant in the oil. Just thought you might want a head's up... was the first thing I was told when I joined too.

[lilniemo]

Originally posted by Refuse Winst
I'm actually happy with my gas mileage. It's not great, but better than I expected. You may want to have your fuel filter changed... also, run some injector cleaner through the system.


Yeah, what he says - I usually run injector cleaner through about every 3,000 miles or so. You don't have to, but I just coordinate it with my oil changes. Also check the spark plug wires and the MAF sensor.

[bandit307]

The car looks nice, and very clean! Just has 2 too many doors.

It dosn't have to many doors. Looks fine to me. One day the conveniance and exceptional styaling of the 4 door will rule the world. LOL

Anyways, Nice ride. Love them doors and :welcome:

[GTSpeeder]

Shiiiiiiny wheels....welcome!

[GTSpeeder]

Have ya got any plans for it yet? And what's with the mirrors? I thought GTs came with the 2-pillar mirros not the regs like the SE or even the 96-98 GT.

[lilniemo]

Originally posted by GTSpeeder
Have ya got any plans for it yet? And what's with the mirrors? I thought GTs came with the 2-pillar mirros not the regs like the SE or even the 96-98 GT.

The later models ('03-'05) have the Alero mirrors, which suck 'cause I think the dual-post are a lot sweeter.

[jpicks]

Update....I just filled it back up again, and after crunching the numbers I've gone up to a whopping 18 mpg. I also threw a bottle of injector cleaner in it, so we'll see what happens next fillup. I think a new fuel filter might be on the short term menu as well. As for the 4 doors, I'm moving to Vancouver in September to start my second degree (prosthetics & orthotics). I needed something that looked psuedo bad-ass, but was able to pack a lil bit of stuff in it. The only real "mod" (if you can call it that) I've done so far is install a 1 1/4 hidden hitch receiver so I can mount my bike rack when I'm travelling. Short antenna will be on soon, as well as a grill kit that I'm in the process of making, and black lettering for the front and rear pontiac name. I love the clean look though, so I don't want to clutter it up too much.

[jpicks]

Thanks to all the fine folks who've welcome'd me too. Hopefully I'll get some stuff (and maybe contribute some stuff too) from this site.

Jon

[urweak]

Originally posted by jpicks
I'm in the process of making black lettering for the front and rear pontiac name. I love the clean look though, so I don't want to clutter it up too much.

Theres a site that already sells vynal letter to put in the pontiac lettering.

[jpicks]

Originally posted by urweak
Theres a site that already sells vynal letter to put in the pontiac lettering.

yeah, http://customgrandam.com/index.htm has alot of neat stuff. With a bit of effort you can make some of the stuff (like the grille kit that's in the process), or find decent deals on ebay, or custom parts from car salvage lots off of cars that have been in accidents (with a little modification sometimes).

[lilniemo]

I've gotten all my decals from http://www.grafxwerks.com - actually I just got some in the mail today. I'll probably have new pix of my car up by the weekend. Anyway, the decals are pretty durable - I had them on my '00 GT (RIP) for about 3 years with no problems.

[Refuse Winst]

Yeah man.. I love coupes, but if you have to move anything around at all they're pretty impractical.

At least it's red!

[jpicks]

That' awesome. If anybody says anything negative about my car, that'll be my comeback.... "Atleast it's red..." Love it.

[sumx4182]

i like 4 door cars...the front doors are shorter and much easier to get out of in tight spaces...

[XoticGA]

I was getting that kinda shitty gas mileage too.. Change your air filter, get your fuel system cleaned.. I'm gettin about 25 mpg now :D :woohoo:

[jpicks]

Originally posted by XoticGA
I was getting that kinda shitty gas mileage too.. Change your air filter, get your fuel system cleaned.. I'm gettin about 25 mpg now :D :woohoo:

What did you do for the fuel system? just a bottle of fuel injector cleaner? Some other "complete" cleaner? I know I need to get a new fuel filter too probably. I checked under the car, and the one that's in there is the OEM one (I think), and the car has 53,000 k on it.

[wiseojelly]

Wow very nice car:) Welcome to the forum!!

[jpicks]

Thanks

[Dave C]

:welcome:


as everyone else has said, check the filters. any place you take your car to for an oil change should check your air filter... but that is probably the easiest thing to check/change yourself, just two screws under the hood.

I have 36k miles on my car, and getting 26mpg on country roads. For reference, the only thing I've done to the engine is a rechargeable K&N air filter (because it will last the life of my car).

[Refuse Winst]

There's a lot of different kinds of injector cleaner fuel additives out there... I've found that the Prestone Complete Fuel System Cleaner works best. It's the only one I've ever used that I could definitely tell a noticable difference after using it. It's in a silver bottle, and I think it's only around $5 at Wal Mart.

[jpicks]

yeah, I'm gonna throw a bottle of that in it next time I gas up. They had a sale on the Prestone injector cleaner for $2.50 per bottle at Canadian tire, and I dumped that in last night. Next time I need gas (1/4 tank left) I'll put a bottle of total cleaner in. I don't really know what the difference is, but for the $5 it couldn't hurt.

[XoticGA]

Originally posted by jpicks
What did you do for the fuel system? just a bottle of fuel injector cleaner? Some other "complete" cleaner? I know I need to get a new fuel filter too probably. I checked under the car, and the one that's in there is the OEM one (I think), and the car has 53,000 k on it.
I had a shope clean it.. My boyfriend said they didn't do shit.. But they did something! :lol:

[jpicks]

got the fuel filter changed today. When he took it out imagine Tomatoe soup...only black. He said it was the worst he's seen in 15 years, and he couldn't believe that my fuel pump was still running strong. I guess we'll see what happens after this tank!

[Refuse Winst]

Yeah, that would explain the poor gas mileage.

Some places like Victory Lane will do a fuel system clean for around $45. I've never had it done, so I can't speak personally for how good it is, but I told a kid I work with about it, and he had it done the next day. He swears by it, and says his horsepower and mileage increased greatly after having it done... but then again, he also had the fuel filter changed at the same time, so it's hard to say how much effect the cleaning did.

I need to replace my fuel filter too... I can tell that mine isn't the original one, but I have no idea when it was actually changed last. I'll probably do that and have the fuel system cleaning like a week later so I can see if it really makes a difference.

[jpicks]

yeah...I tried to blow t hrough it...Imagine blowing through a WD-40 straw

[99blackSE]

Nice GA and welcome to the site.

If I had some time I would drive out and meet up with ya as you are next door province wise = )

[jpicks]

good to know. I'll be making the drive from my place to Vancouver come the end of August, so that's why I'm trying to get everything sorted out ASAP. Thanks.

[jpicks]

So I just got back from a camping trip where I put on almost 700 km of pure highway. After the fuel filter and injector cleaner, I'm getting a *fairly* respectable 28.5 MPG (US). I think the car is rated for 29.