2001 Saturn LW LW300 review from North America

At 23k miles the tires were out of round and alignment. It took another 10k miles before Saturn agreed there was a problem and honored the warranty. They stated the problem was misalignment from factory. The paid for alignment and a set of Cooper tires. I have not had problems since. I noticed a previous posting about a kit but I am not aware of having one installed.

At 60k miles the AC was leaking refrigerant and despite 4 cans of dye no leak has yet to be found. That was 2003 and I have added 1 can of refrigerant each year an this keeps the cold air coming.

The 3rd taillight bulbs blow 2 to 3 times a year. I have recently started disassembling the socket and bending the contacts of a similar bulb to fit in the socket with the metal contacts. This costs less than a dollar a bulb instead of the $9 per Saturn charges. I also keep receipts and noticed that the bulbs have become more expensive instead of getting cheaper.

The floor mat "pin" came out within the first week and does not stay. I also find parts falling off from under the front seats.

I have replaced the water pump twice in 2 years.

The ignition coil and spark plug strip cracked and had to be replaced at 134k miles. I had the 100k service at 110k. This became complicated because the dealer mechanic bent the two metal hoses to the top of the engine and thought he would save me money by replacing the high temperature vacuum hose across the front of the intake manifold with thin washer hose. This expanded and became disconnected when the engine heated the next day. I am a home health nurse and was 40 miles away on an emergency visit when the engine ran rough and would not accelerate. I opened the hood and noticed not only that the tubing was bent, the hose disconnected, but they had reassembled the hoses in the incorrect order and they were no longer attached to the holders. I took it back to the dealer right away and it was after the service shop closed. The assistant manager was not helpful and would not give me a loaner car to get home. I returned the next day, and had to show the service manager what was incorrect. He took convincing but said it would be repaired by the end of the day. I returned and the car still was not repaired correctly. I had to bring a picture from the Internet of what the hose configuration was supposed to look like before they repaired it correctly. I not longer go to the dealer for repairs.

2 months ago the rear dome light switch assembly went out. A contact broke. I do not understand how since the switch has remained in the "door" position since I bought the car. You have to buy the whole dome light assembly to replace the one part.

A mysterious burn and melted plastic mark about 6" by 2" is over the instrument panel. I have no idea how it happened or where it came from. It is soft to the touch.

That was six months ago and yesterday I replaced the heater core because it leaked all over the passenger floor. You also have to buy this direct from Saturn and is not available from a wholesale house. This added $180 to the estimate.

This is my second Saturn and I bought it based on my experience with my 1992 SL. I had 286k miles and my wife insisted I replace it when the accessory bearings started going out. I still reports of my old car running around now. The LW300 does not have the reliability, as demonstrated above, and ease of repair of the SL.

It is not customer friendly for repair. You have to have a special tool to change the oil filter. The cap cracks easily and I have to warn the person when I go in for an oil change. Most fittings and clamps require a special tool to disconnect/connect.

There are not many parts you can buy from a wholesaler. You have to order direct from the dealer.

The car is noisy and the seat support and padding wears quicker than I would expect. Both my wife and I are slim and light.

Too many traditionally metal parts are now plastic. This includes the heater core and pipes leading into it.