2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE from North America - Comments

My g/f has a '02 Grand Am GT and the window mounting brackets for the driver side snapped off the other day.

http://www.a1electric.com/images9/br0824.jpg

Even with my friend that works at a GM dealership and his discount, the GM dealership wanted $60 each for the small piece of plastic. Plus the white plastic clips that I guess attach to the regulator broke off and they were also about $60 each. So all together my friend got all 4 parts for $180. I think it's ridiculous. That kind of money for plastic! I wish I would have heard about a1electric.com, I could have got 2 of the plastic pieces for $9!!! I'm not sure if a1electric.com sells the small white plastic pieces.

And those that have said that GM should recall this issue or do something about it are right, they SHOULD! I wish I was a machinist or tool and die. I could make my own clips from good quality steel. If these parts were made from steel, I doubt very much they would break as easily. But then again, I guess that's the whole idea. That's how these north american car manufactures make money, from replacement parts!

I will NEVER, NEVER buy another domestic car after seeing all the BS comes with it. Japanese/Chinese all the way! With north american cars it's quantity not quality, and with Japanese/Chinese cars it's QUALITY! I have friends that have old Hondas or Nissans, and they never have any problems with their cars.

There is a very quick and simple fix for the broken window clips on the Grand Am. Just DON'T SLAM THE DOORS. Everyone I know who has this problem has caused it by violently slamming the door.

My 7-year-old Grand Am has nearly 70,000 miles on it and has never had one single problem with anything. I checked the (original) brake pads and linings yesterday (mine has front disc/rear drum) and found that the rear linings are like new and the front pads still have plenty of wear left. I routinely get 100,000 out of the original brakes on all my new domestics.

As for condemning a car because someone slammed a door and broke a window clip, I'd suggest that before running off to buy that "wonderful import" you might want to check out the Camry reviews on this site. Half the owners of these cars will NEVER buy another one.

My own experience with 3 imports was so bad that I will never own another one. My 7-year-old Grand Am is better in every respect (and more reliable) than anything Toyota or Nissan can offer, and on a par with anything from Honda.

I too have had the same problem with mine. Mine is a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. First was the driver side, then passenger side 6 months later. now the driver side again. not to mention the passenger side is going out again too. the motor and everything is fine, just those plastic clips are cheaply made or something. So needless to say my driver side is held up with cardboard shoved down in the window to hold it up. I hardly use my passenger side, and my sunroof is now off the track from using it so much.

It's amazing how this topic has been posted upon for years, yet GM has willingly ignored the problem. I too have had this problem on my 2005 Pontiac Grand AM. One day, while on a road trip with my friends, my driver's side window fell in. Which was not the greatest situation since we wern't even home. Not a suprise the cheap, crappy clips are broken. I am attempting to replace this on my own, took off my door panel today and going to try to get the clips tomorrow. I WILL ALSO NEVER BUY GM AGAIN.

Instead of sending your money overseas and helping the downfall of america by buying an import, why not insist that GM use better designs and better materials? Start a petition, bug the company, anything. Just don't supposrt companies who take our jobs away from us. BTW, I have a 99 GMGT with the same problem. I agree, bad design. But I will never buy a foreign car.

The fix for the broken window clips is SOOOO simple. It is virtually ALWAYS the result of violently slamming the doors. Just tell your spouse and kids "DON'T SLAM THE DOORS!" I did, and in 7 years I've never had a problem with these "defective" window clips.

People who abuse their cars deserve what they get, and I can assure you that no import can take as much abuse as any domestic. I've had imports. They were all pampered and STILL fell apart.

We have a 99 Grand Am SE with 2 broken windows. Can any of you that have fixed the problem with the brackets yourself tell us how to get the "2 secret screws" off?

To get the "2 secret screws" out, simply use a philips screw driver and it that simple!!! One is under the reflector at the bottom of your door and the other is below the lock panel cover after you pop that out.

All four of the windows on my 2000 Grand Am GT have failed within a 6 week period. Since this vehicle holds its value worse than almost anything out there, this essentially totaled the vehicle with repair costs at $500 per window. Since no one will ever buy it, I'm just going to use some epoxy and close them permanently.

This was a hot car when I bought it, but Pontiacs just aren't a good long term investment. The interior trim is falling apart as well. I have two Hondas with twice as many miles and all the whistles and bells are still tight.

Maybe Pontiacs have gotten better since 2000, but I don't think I will ever give them another chance. Why risk it when I know my Hondas are rock solid?

Our Honda Civic was falling apart at 40,000 miles and using a quart of oil every 500 miles. Our 2001 Grand Am is going strong and has never had one single repair.

I also highly doubt that replacing little window clips (which cost about $10 each) could cost $500 per window. Hopefully a mechanically inclined friend can help you out and save you the extra $1960.

"4th Feb 2008, 23:43.

The fix for the broken window clips is SOOOO simple. It is virtually ALWAYS the result of violently slamming the doors. Just tell your spouse and kids "DON'T SLAM THE DOORS!" I did, and in 7 years I've never had a problem with these "defective" window clips.

People who abuse their cars deserve what they get, and I can assure you that no import can take as much abuse as any domestic. I've had imports. They were all pampered and STILL fell apart."

I agree. There are people out there who just don't know how to take care of things. I hate to have anybody else in my car, because you get these people that slam the door so hard that you'd think the whole car would flip over. And I always think "Well, it's no wonder their car is always trashed."

My 2001 Grand Am could pass for brand new... LITERALLY. The main reason is that I take care of ALL my cars, whether they cost $2000 or $50,000. We grew up very poor and the biggest gift my father gave me was a healthy respect for ALL your possessions. I've never seen ANY car that couldn't be kept running and looking like new for a very long time if the owner took proper care of it. It also brings a LOT more money when you sell it or trade it.

I have a 2000 Grand Am SE 4 door and have come across the same problem with the window clips and regulator.

As for the folks that say don't slam the door, I don't even open up my rear doors for anything and they still have broken, so that isn't the only cause.

As for the regulator, if you are even slightly mechanically inclined it is an easy fix, and if you check around on eBay or other on-line sites, you can usually get the regulator for 65 to 85 dollars, and with about 30 minutes of work you will have it replaced.

I have had a few minor problems with the car, this being one of the more annoying, but the car has run well for me and just hit 100000 miles, so if I have to put a few dollars into repairs every 100000 miles then so be it.

Use this link http://www.a1electric.com/grandam.htm to help find the secret screws and to replace the regulator.

Thanks for encouraging people to perform some of these relative minor repairs themselves. It saves a HUGE amount of money of you will just learn a few simple mechanical lessons. I've seen comments on here about people paying $2000 to have those little window clips replaced!!

I became so disgusted with one major automotive magazine for putting down the Grand Am that I canceled my subscription to it.

My family and I have owned everything from a 5-series BMW to a Dodge Viper. The Grand Am I currently drive as a third car is one of the best values in a car I've ever owned. ZERO problems in 8 years, great ride, handling that isn't commonly found in inexpensive compacts, and much more power than you'd expect from its 150hp rating. It will cruise all day at 100+ mph (if you don't get caught) and it still looks and drives like it did the day it rolled off the assembly line. It was the first GM car we had owned in almost 30 years, and it convinced me to give them another try. We currently have 2 GM's and both are flawless.