9th Nov 2004, 07:46
I've owned my 1995 Lumina APV since 1997 and I love the van. Yes, I've had some problems with it as you would any vehicle. Most of the problems I've read sound like maintenance items, that need attention on any vehicle after driving them for several years. Mine had about 24,000 miles on it when I bought it and now has about 73,000 miles on it. The only things I've replaced (other than tune up, battery and brakes) are the alternator, heater fan, electric window motor, hatch lock and one door handle. All of these items I consider to be minor maintenance for any older car.
I am also into the old car hobby and currently rebuilding a 48 Plymouth Coupe. If there is one thing I've learned in my hobby, it's to buy a "factory" service manual if you're going to have an older car. Especially if you're going to try to work on the car yourself. The service manual is a two book set for the Lumina APV and can be purchased at various places for between $20 to $50 used, or new from the publisher for about $120. If you have the books, the car is as easy to work on as any older vehicle.
Example: The Windshield Wiper problem. My wipers had a mind of their own too. Sometimes, they worked right, other times it was hard to get them to come on. Solution (from the service manual). Replace the circuit board in the wiper motor. Cost, about $60 if you do it yourself, and it's an easy to get to item and replace. If you didn't have the book and had that done at a dealer, it would run around $350 to have it replaced. So, one repair out of the service manual will cover the cost of the books.
Like several other people who posted remarks, I plan on keeping my Lumina APV. It's like the Corvette and Fiero, the body won't rust out. Everything else is easy to keep maintained or replaced.
24th Sep 2006, 18:53
I just bought a 95 Lumina APV off EBAY for cheap. Love the moonroof and power side door.
My wipers wouldn't work after 5 minutes of driving. I fixed it with a soldering iron and 30 minutes of easy work. It seems that the solder joints inside the wiper motor crack and either stop the motor from working, or make operation intermittent.
The motor is on the passenger side. You loosen the 2 bolts on the bracket that connects the motor arm to the wiper arms. No need to pull the screws completely off. The bracket just pulls down out of the way. Disconnect the electrical connector.
There are 3 bolts holding the motor in place. Remove them, and get the motor out. Remove the screws on the motor body, and expose the insides. You'll see a circuit board that you can just pull out.
Look at the solder joints at the electrical connector area (5 solder joints). You'll probably see one with cracks around it. Heat up your $3 radio shack solder iron and heat up that solder. Adding a little new solder helps too.
Once the cracks are gone, the wiper should work. Reverse the procedure and put everything back in. Be careful when you plug the connector back into the motor, the motor may activate and the arms may hit you.
Good luck!...
9th Nov 2004, 05:42
My 1995 Chevrolet Lumina has issues. Overall, it is a good running vehicle. However, we do not even put the windows down anymore because they have a mind of it's own. They go up when they want and go down when they want. The door handles on both sides need replacing. It runs great. I would rate it very high, but you just have to repair it quite often and that can become expensive, but at least it is paid for.