It's the long weekend. (56 kbps / limited data warning).

"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
07/02/2016 at 17:50 • Filed to: Pontiac, Solstice, Convertible

Hey Oppo, first real post since I got the honour bestowed on me to post here.

It’s the long weekend, finally got around to give my girl a good wash and sealant. Usually I would do it earlier, but this year I’ve been lazy, and been thinking about a few things. Here she is: 2006 Pontiac Solstice, just turned 58k KMs today. Her name’s Kristin. K for Kristin, K for Kappa, and I picked out that name to piss off my high school/university buddy, he had a crush on this girl with the same name back in university.

Got her used 5 years ago as a CPO, with 11k kms on the clock. Not sure what her past life was, an one-owner garage queen or a demo from a shuttered Pontiac dealer, the kilometres certainly looked low, even to date. Carproof came out clean. She’s turning 11 next month.

She’s my only car, so I’ve been her as my DD. Used to live next to the subway station so wasn’t a commuter, just a grocery getter. After I moved several years ago, she’s my train station commuter AND grocery getter. Served me pretty well...

...even through the winter months. At first I was wary, since I went with a V6 FWD midsize sedan with an automatic (2006 G6), to a two-seater RWD roadster with no traction control and a manual. And yes, initially it was a handful with those god awful factory Goodyear Eagle RS-As and I spun out the second day I got her. Went out and got myself a set of used winter tires and rims, and I was blazing through the snow storm like it was nothing. In fact, with the manual and the extra feedback (my G6 had the electric power steering), it made me WAY more confident, it’s so controllable.

Problems I had with her? Actually too TOO not much:

Had a water pump go, but that got covered under the extra warranty I got. Known issues with these engines, Dexcool loves eating water pumps after 5 years.

Diff went right after my extra warranty ran out (totally should’ve got that extra year for a few hundred), even though the recall on the rear diff was done, but the thing still leaked and cost me to fix it.

Outside door handle broke once, got it warrantied

Inside handles broke twice because of a broken cable, DIY’ed it and everything was good.

Same goes for the small weatherstrip, I just have to reseat it once in a while to kill the wind noise.

Very small oil seep developed past year or two, seep is so small that I can’t even see the oil level change between changes, just some oil near the gaskets that rinses right off.

So all in all, I can say she’s pretty much trouble free. My mechanic says for a 11 year old car she’s pretty fit.

Oh, and there’s some minor clear coat failing that I was planning to fix:

And then some grocery cart accidents...

But yeah she’s served me well, and she’s awesome.

Been thinking I should get these fixed then demote her back to summer-only duty garage queen... if only I can find a second parking spot for cheap.

DISCUSSION (6)

DutchieDC2R > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/02/2016 at 19:22

great looking car! For that small amount of oil seeping away, you might want to look at those Stop-Leak substances. I used some for a steering-oil seep that I had. It closed the small leak I had and I’ve been trouble free ever since.

404 - User No Longer Available > DutchieDC2R
07/02/2016 at 19:27

My mechanic explained it’s because my car is winter driven, and especially I only use it for really short distances, it’s bound to happen one way or another on the gaskets because of the expansion and contraction. We’re monitoring it closely but so far he told me it’s not a concern really, given that tiny amount. It’s not like I see a puddle every day in my parking spot... or ever.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/02/2016 at 21:50

Welcome to OPPO! Matching avatar!

Nauraushaun > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/03/2016 at 08:27

Much prettier than I ever gave those credit for. Wish mine was that clean!

404 - User No Longer Available > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
07/03/2016 at 08:50

#ToothlessMasterRace

...or should I say #ToothlessAlphaRace

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/03/2016 at 10:20

Yep. Dwhite had the same one I do but he hasn’t shown in a while.