New guy

I have a '95 riviera I have given up on . I loved it so much i just couldn't junk it so it is in the back yard with 300k and body damage I have found another one that I am thinking about getting because I have the parts car already . At least that is my story for my wife . Truth is I think these are the sexiest US made cars ever. Any way this "new one " has almost 170000 miles but is in pretty good shape as near as I can tell . Can anyone tell me why it has the old Buick fake vent holes in the fenders just ahead of the doors . These are the 3 per side ,chrome ringed type .the door plate says the car was made 03-95 . All the pictures of Rivieras I have seen show smooth fenders without this trim . Did they make them both ways? It has the sun roof and is a green color with a little paint wear through but not much . The body is in pretty good shape with a few door dings but no real dents . The guy wants 2 grand for it which is about KBB private party value . i told my wife about it and she says if we get it she wants it and I can have her '94 e320 wagon . So , what about those fender holes / anybody have one like that ? Ed in turtletown

Welcome, Ed. Rivieras didn't come stock with portholes. Possibly the previous owner or a dealer stuck them on. Some of us have them, most don't. Personal preference.

Ed, welcome! What year is the "new" one you are looking at? If it's a 95/96 with 170k, 2 grand is too much, IMHO. I'd recommend looking 98-99 if you have the time to do some shopping. The earlier model years, while still nice cars, have proven over time to have a lot more issues than the last 2-3 model years. The fake vents... I don't like them on the 95-99 Rivs. Again, just my opionion.

Ed ,welcome!

tnturtle wrote:

I have a '95 riviera I have given up on . I loved it so much i just couldn't junk it so it is in the back yard with 300k and body damage I have found another one that I am thinking about getting because I have the parts car already . At least that is my story for my wife . Truth is I think these are the sexiest US made cars ever. Any way this "new one " has almost 170000 miles but is in pretty good shape as near as I can tell . Can anyone tell me why it has the old Buick fake vent holes in the fenders just ahead of the doors . These are the 3 per side ,chrome ringed type .the door plate says the car was made 03-95 . All the pictures of Rivieras I have seen show smooth fenders without this trim . Did they make them both ways? It has the sun roof and is a green color with a little paint wear through but not much . The body is in pretty good shape with a few door dings but no real dents . The guy wants 2 grand for it which is about KBB private party value . i told my wife about it and she says if we get it she wants it and I can have her '94 e320 wagon . So , what about those fender holes / anybody have one like that ? Ed in turtletown

the 'holes' are probably fake, you should be able to have them removed by a body shop, or yourself with fishing line and a couple dowels. Wrap ends of line around dowels like an "H' then use line to cut the portholes off. Use "Goof Off" (citrisolv) to get the glue off, be careful not to damage paint (that's why I said consider getting a bodyshop to do it)I mean if you like the portholes leave them but as for me, they did not come on the car and I don't like conspicuity all that much.

And, welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forum, I can see everyone has already informed you of your aftermarket add ons (portholes). No biggie, don't let it stop you from Rivin it up again.

I was thinking about offering 1500 for the car and see where it goes from there . If I do get it I will try the fishing line trick on the portholes . I didn't like them much to start with and now that I know they are an add-on , they will definitely have to go . The trans went out on my 95 about 2 years ago and I got talked into swapping the motor and trans both out with what was supposedly low mileage replacements from a wrecked car . A year later the harmonic balancer went out and I paid 900 bucks to have it replaced . The mechanic said it was 500 for the balancer and another 400 to replace the front of the engine that housed the balancer because it was cracked . He then hit me for another 250 to replace the alternator that i had not noticed being bad before he got the car . Anyway 6months later the rack and pinion started knocking and the shop guy said 1800 to replace that . That is when I parked it out back .The zone climate control was messed up and the paint looked really bad anyway . I guess I should have junked it when the transmission failed 2 years ago . It was a great car up until about 250k though .

Welcome Aboard !!! Good Luck with those portholes

tnturtle wrote:

I was thinking about offering 1500 for the car and see where it goes from there . If I do get it I will try the fishing line trick on the portholes . I didn't like them much to start with and now that I know they are an add-on , they will definitely have to go . The trans went out on my 95 about 2 years ago and I got talked into swapping the motor and trans both out with what was supposedly low mileage replacements from a wrecked car . A year later the harmonic balancer went out and I paid 900 bucks to have it replaced . The mechanic said it was 500 for the balancer and another 400 to replace the front of the engine that housed the balancer because it was cracked . He then hit me for another 250 to replace the alternator that i had not noticed being bad before he got the car . Anyway 6months later the rack and pinion started knocking and the shop guy said 1800 to replace that . That is when I parked it out back .The zone climate control was messed up and the paint looked really bad anyway . I guess I should have junked it when the transmission failed 2 years ago . It was a great car up until about 250k though .

These cars were well engineered but there are a lot of one-time maintenance things that will have to be done between 150 and 250 K miles - your replacements at that high mileage are not unheard of. The headache comes because if you do not do the work yourself it gets REALLY costly.

Turtle,
Fake holes stuck on? I've seen them on other Rivs. Not my cup of tea, either.
Try Xylene... removes (or in your case, softens) adhesives nicely. Can't recall if it affects mature paint, but you can experiment on a discrete area of your car.
Available at any Home Depot or other home store in quarts or gallons. Good to have around for other clean ups.
Best of luck.

From ___:

A common test for determining whether a dried sample of paint is oil-based or latex-based is to contact the sample with xylene. If the paint sample is latex-based, the sample will dissolve for easy removal. If the sample is oil-based, the sample will remain intact.

Because of this selective solvency, xylene has been used as a commercial latex-based paint remover, alone or together with other components. However, because it is an aromatic compound, xylene also poses a significant health and environmental risk.

Consider warming the portholes first with a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the glue (won't take that long) then using the fish line. Consider using a citrus-based cleaner to get the remaining goo off instead of using xylene. The main solvent in the citrus-based cleaners - and there are a bunch of them - is a terpene derived from citrus pulp, not a petrochemical (like xylene). It is an aggressive solvent, but has a risk profile that most DIYers find easier to manage. Read the labels...

Hello And Welcome, don't like those port holes either... at least not the fake ones. you must be a DIY guy when you own a Riv. the shop guys like to rip off people with them. my parents had the car before me and the jag off that they trusted to work on it was robing them blind. $400 for a battery...
clean and replace spark plugs instead of new ones... need I go on do your own work and you will be able to afford the the repairs. good luck I also wouldn't let the wife have it... Personal preference

OMG! I didn't mean to kill the new guy!
Without panic, I expect anyone to read the label on any chems new to them. Especially with a name like Xylene.
So do it outside and with protection.
Next time I advise I'll be sure to provide an government sticker so your first born won't have more than enough arms
The point here is that it works.

the only thing I would use on dried glue is mineral sprits.or hit the area with a heat gun at low setting.xyline can dull clear coat.xyline is nasty stuff.allmost as bad as mek.anybody who has accidentely gotten a good whiff of super glue and felt that stuff clear a gory path all up in your brain,knows what I mean.

i looked at it again yesterday . The mileage is 154k . I offered 1500 and he came back with 1800. I think I am going to have to have it . The wife said she doesn't mind the ports but they are tacky to me. i appreciate the tips .I don't want to have spots instead of ports , though. A close friend of mine was a luthier . He built high end bass guitars . He used automotive paints and solvents a lot . he died from brain cancer at the age of 45 . I appreciate both the solvent tip and the warning . Curbo was a'59 pontiac guy . He bought every one he could find from total junks to complete restorations . He was an extremely kind and generous man . anyway , I guess I am a Riviera guy . I talked to my wife and she is in favor of it so I will probably own it by the end of the week . It would be a shame to let a good parts car go to waste . I 've more in that new alternator than the scrappers will give me for the whole car .

tnturtle wrote:

i looked at it again yesterday . The mileage is 154k . I offered 1500 and he came back with 1800. I think I am going to have to have it . The wife said she doesn't mind the ports but they are tacky to me. i appreciate the tips .I don't want to have spots instead of ports , though. A close friend of mine was a luthier . He built high end bass guitars . He used automotive paints and solvents a lot . he died from brain cancer at the age of 45 . I appreciate both the solvent tip and the warning . Curbo was a'59 pontiac guy . He bought every one he could find from total junks to complete restorations . He was an extremely kind and generous man . anyway , I guess I am a Riviera guy . I talked to my wife and she is in favor of it so I will probably own it by the end of the week . It would be a shame to let a good parts car go to waste . I 've more in that new alternator than the scrappers will give me for the whole car .

Sorry about your friend Curbo.

Goo Gone (the citrus solvent), fishing monofilament, and a heat gun of some sort will get those stickers off, with patience on your part. Goo Gone and other citrus based solvents are all cousins of this stuff:

http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail_10652_670209_29103_-1_0

The terpene I was referring to is d-limonene, from citrus rinds. Grapefruit, lemon, orange, etcetera:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonene

People have developed soy terpenes:

http://www.greenterpene.com/GreenTerpene_Soy_Terpenes_p/001005650.htm

If you wanted to go into business mixing your own natural terpene-based cleaners you could get the base compounds in sample quantities here:

http://www.greenterpene.com/d_Limonene_Terpenes_s/20.htm

Be sure to put on your pointy black velvet hat with the cutout aluminum foil stars first...

After closer inspection , I decided not to get this car . It was running rough and not staring right up. . After a short drive the radiator was leaking a lot and it did not come from the hose . Steering felt sloppy and the slightest turn to the left caused a moan from either the wheel bearing or the power steering but it only did it with left steer . The paint was a lot more scratched up than I originally thought . The owner got it at an auction to re-sell and it looked like it had sat for a while before that . It just did not feel right right for the mileage it was showing . i could probably buy it now for a grand but I would have to spend a lot more than that on it right away . Medium hard acceleration did not feel supercharged and produced a muted backfire noise . I am going to keep looking and hope to find a '98 or '99 reasonably close in better condition . Thanks to all who helped me through the forum . My parts car is champagne gold '95 with tan interior . If anybody needs anything from it let me know . I am in SE TN . Thanks guys.

Sounds like you made a wise choice, Ed.

Keep looking...You'll find her !!!

Have you got any Pics? I think yours is the same colors as mine... if your parting it out I may
need some parts.