TCM tune and trans cooler do wonders

 

Anything helps, though neither of these things address the factory design flaws of the trans. Both of my failures occurred despite having a motor-home sized cooler and the trans never saw temps over 170. And I'm not the only one who's had this experience.

A TCM tune, from what I understand, can improve longevity as long as an adjustment is made to the TCC slippage allowed during lock and unlock. Less slippage means less wear to the converter clutch and less of the extremely fine clutch material circulating through the trans. Mine has been tuned, too, and I've not had any trans problems since, though I also have a TEP-modified stock trans.

In the end, though, the main problem with these transmissions rests with the poorly designed seals and a converter relief valve that allows too much pressure during the lock cycle, which prematurely chews up the TCC. Neither of these things can be addressed without removing and disassembling the trans. Everything else is just a band-aid.

I've written about this a lot on this site, and it's based on info provided by Dave @ TEP.

 

I tuned mine there's a lot of things to help including shift points andtc lock speeds

 

These things definitely help driveability but don't do as much for longevity of the trans.

 

I Would argue both

 

You can argue whatever you like.

I'll give you this: It would make sense that raising the lockup points takes stress off the TCC, but without evidence, it's simply an opinion.

 

You can also force higher line pressures during tcc lockup . lower shift ties etc.....its not a opinion cause you can't say with proof that it doesnt increase longevity

 

I love my Monte SS; lots of people ask questions, ponder and give the good old thumbs up! All ages and walks of life. I made plenty of passes on my Monte (I do have a big *** tranny cooler on her) but I have no issues! The styling of this W body is pretty much better looking and definitely more unique from many cars I've seen, IMO. FWD to RWD, they are some W bodies out here that will get in that A"SS"!! So understand that they're cars that are faster and slower than yours', mate.

 

Can we all agree that the transmission on any car will fail at any given time?

Anyway, this is the Super I was looking at:

http://www.cartergm.com/used/Buick/2...1ea11236e5.htm

And my Regal for comparison

 

Funny that there's nothing sporty looking about the interior of that Super. Which I kind of like, I think.

 

Its like with any car the better you maintain it the longer it will last. I also have a 96 Grand Prix thats still running strong and was our daily driver for years and now its a show car and just like a member of the family. And will be handed down to our son when we feel he's ready!! Beside we brought him home from the hospital when he was born.

 

Frankly, no offense to anyone, I can't stand the interiors of any of these cars. At least the Super is generic enough that it can still have appeal down the line. I never liked the GXP's interior at all except for the tap shift, HUD and the front seats.

Sadly the Super doesn't have any kind of Sport mode. Thankfully it can still go like hell.

 

I own a Super so I'm gonna throw in my 2 pesos.

Don't buy a car just because it has a little metal badge under the hood. Buy it for the features and options and the way it puts a smile on your face when you step on the gas.

Allure = sexy.

Very low production run as opposed to the LaCrosse. 133 built in '08 and another 16 built in '09. Only sold north of the border.

 

Very true. And that's because GM found out after naming the car that LaCrosse is slang for masturbation in Canadian French!

 

I wouldn't wish my GXP on my worst enemy. Anyone who believes that these car aren't of the lowest quality is either in denial or hasn't owned a non-GM vehicle. I bought mine brand new. The dealer had it more than I did during the first two months of ownership, mostly for interior issues like leather peeling off of the seats, warped dash pieces, and falling sunroof trim. I have a folder that is literally an inch thick with repairs that were done to the vehicle. Here is a short rundown of my issues (keep in mind that like many on here, I was meticulous with maintenance):

-Three wheel hubs needed to be replaced (<30kmiles)
-Front seat recovered (leather peeling)
-Headliner kept coming loose and vibrating
-Driver airbag module failed
-Sunroof trim kept falling down
-Radio cowl warped (severely)
-Exterior door moldings fell off (2 months into ownership)
-Front license plate bracket feel off while driving
-Plastic wire loom clips gave out, engine wiring harness fell on and MELTED TO THE ENGINE
-Starter went
-Needed wire replaced from engine fuse block to interior fuse block ($300 and no one knows what went wrong)
-Intermediate steering shaft failed and was replaced (rubber shroud squealed afterward)
-Left-rear stabilizer link failed
-3 different AC Delco batteries dumped acid all over the engine compartment (ended up buying an optima for $300 even though I was under warranty)
-Ambient air temp sensor failed.
-Rear struts went bad
-Turn signal lever failed (signal would flash my high beams)
-Right side wiper cowl warped twice
-two tire pressure sensors failed.

That is a short list which excludes the annual set of tires and brakes I had to put on the car. It also excludes my modifications. Don't get me wrong, I loved the car for what it symbolized and how it drove, but from a quality perspective, they deserve to be vilified.

 

Seems like you got sort-of a lemon.... But a lot of those issues sound like normal wear and tear issues. Struts went bad? Join the club, there's a ton of members; like every single person that owns a car.

Front license plate holder? Also, not sure the battery has anything to do with the car itself.

 

The only items on that list that are wear items at 30k would be the tires and brakes and maybe the struts. The rest are out side issues. A majority of the ls4 platforms eat brakes faster than normal as well as tires and struts. They also chew up hubs. I've owned a 2010 srx since new and it now has 52000 miles. Aside from oil changes its still on original rear brakes original tires and no warranty work whatsoever. Ill be doing all of those right before xmas. So a grand total of 700 in tires 100 in brakes in 4 years is good. The impala is the opposite. I've replaced all hubs once 3 of them twice struts around once all end links and bushing once brakes annually tires 3 times. Multiple sensors and solenoids including ambient temp air bag and evap canister vent solenoid. 2 batteries an altenator. Now on the other side of the fence I'm on stick trans...go figure? A majority of these cars are below sufficent quality. ..did we all get cars built on friday afternoon? Doubt it. I've owned a lot of new cars over a lot of brands and it seems the 3 impalas of owned have fallen apart compared to all my other vehicles. Except my aviator. That was the worst.

 

AC Delco OEM parts and warranty replacement parts have a lot to do with the car itself. I didn't mention that everything above occurred before 50k miles, that's why I traded the car. I am not trying to totally **** on these cars, the GXP was a beast. I just don't think anyone considering one should buy one.

 

I love the car I really do. But to pretend it doesn't have a lot of flaws is just lying to yourself.

 

Guess you got a lemon.

Mine has been solid for me. Bought it at a used dealership at 69k now 90k rear brakes never been touched I did the front pads just because I had a warranty from Autozone for free replacent . still original struts. Replaced the hubs just because I had a warranty on them too from my 97gtp. I've had no issues with the car and I DD the **** out of mine.