2001 Saturn L300 from North America - Comments

I have a 2001 Saturn L300 v-6... the other day it wouldn't start, so I had to jump start it, I hadn't left any lights on or the key in the ignition. When I was driving I tried to turn on the air condtioner and the car tried to die... then when I was driving up a hill the car began to surge, then almost die. While it was surging, the service engine soon light came on, also the battery light. It did this 10-15 times before it finally died. It would not start again, so I had to have someone jump start it again, I made it home and turned it off and it would no longer start. The service (with the wrench) light it also on too and a Chevy dealership I took it to to get it serviced said that only a Saturn dealership can decifer the code it pulled.. is this true? It is in the shop right now, but the mechanics say it is not the alternator... when I've had a couple people that work on cars tell me otherwise... what should I do? I'm tempted to just get it towed to a Saturn Dealership just to get everything fixed, but I am a college student with a part time job and cannot afford such things. So far I've had regular oil changes every 3,000 miles, a coolant flush because my car was eating up coolant, even without leaks, when I turn my wheel to the left a strange grinding noise comes from the right (even though I have had this car in the shop twice since I heard it, both places, (one a dealership), tell me there is nothing wrong with it) the service with the wrench light has been on for several months now, one Shop couldnt diagnose it, the dealership said they couldnt decifer the code, my oil filter at one point was STUCK ON, I've never even heard of that happening, and I need new tires after buying the car with new ones 20,000 miles ago. Also when I get upto 60 mph the car vibrates and shakes, and I get regular tire rotations. I need some advice on what to do, money is limited, but I fear I will be having a bill of over $1500 before I'm through. Please e-mail with any suggestions on what to do, I need help!!

-Good acceleration

-bad gas mileage (V6 model)

-vibrates

-good cargo space

-horrible paint job (paint has weird blotches all over the car)

-eats up tires

-makes weird noises that can't be deciphered

-bad re-sale value

-spacious interior

-cheap looking parts.

Sounds more like the people you are taking your car to are incompetent rather than the car being faulty. Maybe you got a bad battery or alternator. I'd take it elsewhere to get fixed.

Sounds like you need a trip to a competent dealer or mechanic. Get the codes pulled on the SES light. You may have a faulty BCM, a common problem for this car. Also, check the integrity of the battery cables and connection to the battery. As for the tires, check the technical service bulletins for this model. There was a shim kit available for the rear wheels to help alleviate tire wear. ALL of what I just wrote should be easily determined by a good mechanic... not what you have now.

I drive an 02 L300. I have had similar problems, but nothing that extreme. The front end on mine has always been a little twitchy at high speeds. As far as the codes go, anyone can decode them, whoever told you that was very wrong. Mine acts up when it needs the spark plugs replaced, so that could be it. What it does is the engine misfires, making hill climbing and hard acceleration difficult. And whenever it misfires, the service engine soon (the wrench) light flashes and stays lit. Take it to a trustworthy mechanic before you ditch it.