1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged review from North America

When I first purchased this car it came with a 30 day warranty, and 50/50 with the dealer on parts and labor. I owned the Riviera two weeks when the instrument cluster went dead. I was told that I needed to install a new one which would cost $1,200 or a re-manufactured one at half the price. I opted for the re-manufactured instrument cluster and had the GM Service Technicians installed it. I've not had any further problems with it.

I've driven the car now for almost three years and noticed two weeks ago that I had a severe spark knock. I assumed I had water in the gas, since I had just filled the tank when I immediately noticed the dieseling. I added Alcohol to displace the water and found no change. I then thought that perhaps the injectors were dirty and added fuel injector cleaner. The dieseling got worst. I brought the car into the dealer for service the very next day.

I was advised that the #4 piston had burnt through! They performed a compression test and found that the motor was blown. They removed the head and found that the cylinder was out of round to the tune of 13 thousandths. The engine was beyond fixing and I ordered a remanufactured 3.8L for $2.900 including the installation. The engine comes with a three year 36.000 mile warranty.

The cause of the engine failure was diagnosed as inherent to the engine design. Exhaust gases are circulated around the front to the rear and both sides of the #4 piston, on it's way to the exhaust manifold. This #4 piston runs hotter than the rest and is more likely to warp.

I accelerated the process by using regular gas on rare occasions. So to all of you Riviera owners beware, fill your car with Super or it will cost you $$$