headgasket secret warranty

Just found out that the wife's 97 sc2 has a pinhole headgasket leak. Then
when searching the internet I found that Saturn had a "secret warranty "
program for the 92-96 vehicles for this very problem. Anyone out there ever
have experience with these secret warranty programs. Also, what would the
ballpark be for a valve gasket repair job, I am personally mechanically
disabled. Thanks in advance.

 

....you're sure it was a head-gasket issue and not a casting prob (crack) in
the head? I thought this was the case in some single-cam engines, i.e. SC1
and SC. I'm not saying what you say isn't so, it's just new news to me.

And there is no "secret warranty". There are some issues that Saturn has
decided they should fix on their dime, and since not all vehicles are
affected it's on a one by one basis. In contrast, I have received a couple
of letters from Saturn to cover the replacement of a defective horn, and the
other was to explain that my fuel pump may be one that will fail prematurely
(not a safety issue). I got the free horn right away and it wasn't until a
few years later the pump failed and Saturn replaced on their dime also.

You can always ask the dealer if your issue is normal wear and tear or a
defect that Saturn is aware of. In the defect scenario the next question
would be how much Saturn is going to pay towards the repair. The dealer may
or may oblige you, and or use some of their discretionary funds separate of
Saturn entirely. Depends on the situation. Cool, calm and rational dialog
has got me much further than loosing my temper and bursting into a rage (not
suggesting you would do the latter).

My 97SL2 has almost 90k and is (like yours) 7 years old. At this point I
don't care what breaks or fails. It's fulfilled my expectation for a $15k
investment. The only caveats are the oil usage and alternator olympics. I
think I still like it more today than if I would have bought a Civic. The
Saturn story is still interesting, sad to see it wasn't sustained.

Sorry for the rant... (3 large mugs of coffee and a day off from work do it
every time!)

 

program for the 92-96 vehicles for this very problem. Anyone out there
ever

I had that very problem some years back on my '96 SL, assumed it was out of
warranty and had it fixed at Firestone ($1,300 - ouch).

The next week, I heard about the secret-warranty at Saturn, called the local
service dept, faxed the receipt to them and had a check for the full repair
cost in my hand the following week.

If Saturn had a hybrid coming out, that'd be my next vehicle as their
service has been immaculate to date.

 

You're in luck...Saturn is releasing a hybrid VUE in late 2005.

 

no more GM for me. Their for the birds. Japenese here I come!

You're in luck...Saturn is releasing a hybrid VUE in late 2005.[/QUOTE]

 

You're in luck...Saturn is releasing a hybrid VUE in late 2005.

That may work. Thanks for the update; I didn't know that.

 

....yeah, I've got a family member with a new Suburban who would agree with
you. Read some of the newsgroups of the different automakers and you'll see
problems in the Japanese models too. Honda does seem to make a great
engine. I'm leaning towards horse and buggy myself...