FAQ: High Mile Club - Wear/Repair Reports

I got mine with 56,000 on and now have 97,000. I changed out all the suspension @ 65,000. Just general repairs since then. It's freezing in Buffalo and she's still running great!


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Havent payed attention but just noticed my riv has 245,000 miles on it....that was on the original motor. Thats pretty darn good for an original 3.8 im only the third owner. Guy i bought it from never rebuilt it and he bought it in 2000 with 100,000. I doubt the 3.8 was rebuilt before then. never a head gasket or intake before now,

I've had mine since July of 04 when my Grand Prix caught fire. It had 65k when i got it, now it has 193k. I've been all over Michigan 4 times in this car

119K on the body, 19K on engine and tranny. What do I vote for? Body or powertrain?

I think you vote for body, and the Powertrain info goes in your maintenance records and maybe your sig.

Albertj

I'm wondering if anyone else has had quite as many issues with their Rivieras as I've had with mine

Alternator failed
two transmissions have developed internal problems
rear air suspension self-set to lowrider mode
k-frame cracked by front passenger side mount
blower motor siezed
exhaust donut gasket fell to pieces
driverside door lock switch no longer functions
passenger mirror wobbles, drivers mirror has stained appearance
sometimes while cutting a sharp corner the horn will blow without mercy
power steering does not exist at low speeds, touching the gas will loosen it right up
sometimes after driving for awhile, the headlights and rpm will go to incredibly low levels, a touch of the gas brings it back up to par.
Theres a black switch on the side of my seat, where the lower and back seat controls are that doesn't seem to do anything.
Occassionally when i start the car, the traction control and abs lights stay on, shutting down and restarting fixes this.

Not whining, just amazed.

Still wouldn't trade it for anything.

im amazed too! isnt it just like a woman to just confuse the hell out of ya and then take all your money?

don't feel bad, my list was much larger.

robotennis61 wrote:

im amazed too! isnt it just like a woman to just confuse the hell out of ya and then take all your money?

jamie wrote:

I'm wondering if anyone else has had quite as many issues with their Rivieras as I've had with mine

Alternator failed
two transmissions have developed internal problems
rear air suspension self-set to lowrider mode
k-frame cracked by front passenger side mount
blower motor siezed
exhaust donut gasket fell to pieces
driverside door lock switch no longer functions
passenger mirror wobbles, drivers mirror has stained appearance
sometimes while cutting a sharp corner the horn will blow without mercy
power steering does not exist at low speeds, touching the gas will loosen it right up
sometimes after driving for awhile, the headlights and rpm will go to incredibly low levels, a touch of the gas brings it back up to par.
Theres a black switch on the side of my seat, where the lower and back seat controls are that doesn't seem to do anything.
Occassionally when i start the car, the traction control and abs lights stay on, shutting down and restarting fixes this.

Not whining, just amazed.

Still wouldn't trade it for anything.

slowly, over time, I have had to rebuild a transmission, my drivers side mirror glass, horn ring, drivers side heated seat. And I'm going to have to rebuild my alternator soon. It does not keep up with the blower motor on high, rear window defroster, headlights and wipers all on at the same time if I'm idling in traffic (think winter snowstorm city driving), plus now it squeaks but I think that's my fault.

Sounds like your car has had a few more issues than mine. I try to fix things when they break and perform regular maintenance so it doesn't become overwhelming.

How many miles?

i've got a pretty long list too, but i figure it's expected with 150k miles, and a "drive it like i stole it" mentality. I cant really complain, i'll still keep fixing it because it's cheaper to drop in a new motor than get a new car.
Though come to think of it, nothing has really broke due to the way i drive and i dont think there is anything i could have prevented with more maintenance/service inspections.
i have yet to come across something i cant fix myself or diagnose with the help of this forum.

I agree 100%. The tech forums here are invaluable not only for DYI, but in helping to predict what can fail on a Riviera, and at what mileage to look out for it. Most of the problems I've had were affordable to fix, many I was able to diagnose and repair myself, and much of the time I can intercept the problem before it results in failure.

190k miles and still going... (only major repair was transmission, the rest is just the cost of proper maintenance, and mods of course!)

My Blue 99 is now up to 236,000 plus while Silver 97 is around 176,000.

The DIY are still valuable for those of us who just drive them. It helps us get mechanics pointed in the right direction. Like replace the coupler instead of the supercharger. The fuel pump is accessible from the trunk instead of dropping the tank. Stuff like that.

I turned 171K on a trip to NY last weekend, 28 mpg, 1100+ miles from Michigan to NY and back; 17 hrs of driving for my 35th high school reunion!

Update, I have 181K with a new radiator, water pump, and super charger coupling. Still runs like the day I bought it with 100K! 26mpg all day long.

One day last week the wife called me, somehow the keys were locked inside the car.
One of her passengers managed to mash the lock button on the pass. side door while she was climbing out of the car. The other passenger must have used the seat back compartment for a pull handle while she was getting out of the car. The driver side seat back is ruined.
On this same afternoon she also lost one of the wheel centers....

Last week the CD player quit. Last winter the driver side seat heater stopped working and the driver door mirror glass went all discolored....maybe thats all that will go wrong for a while. It has really been a great vehicle so far.

Just venting.


Bert

131.675. new shocks. new rad. smaller pulley. new wires and plugs. new water pump. new head gaskets,manifold gaskets,supergaskets.milled heads with mild port. welded manifolds, multiple cracks. soon to come: front tubular chromemoly subframe. tubular rear rssa. sunroof delete,side molding delete. bumper conversion(sqrivi designs) abs delete with custom proportioning valve. paint. luv the riv and she luvs me(though she is a tease at times) still cheaper than new. shes a keeper...if she ever cheats ,ill take her out to the dessert and torch her...muahh hahaha!!!

Just turned over to 198,000 last week.

I still can't believe a car can run and drive so well after that many miles!

Remember guys, this is an editable poll. You may cancel your mileage vote and resubmit if you move from one category to the next.

175,000 on the clock, got her running sweet after many months. still original tranny!

It looks as though no one has over 250k on their riv so far.

I see two with over 250K, but none over 275k!

190k. Approaching 200,000

New idler pulleys, tie rod ends, and a door handle in the last 9k.