View Full Version : Those "factory defects" on our F-Bodies
So what are the "factory defects" you think our F-Bodies have that should be the very first things to get upgraded? But let's leave the opti alone :) I'll start by naming a few:
-Transmission mount on automatic cars -> Breaks very easily, I upgraded to a poly mount and problem goes away
-Brake Pads -> Very poor braking on stock ones, I upgraded to ceramic Raybestos and and huge difference
-Spark plug wires go very close to the exhaust manifolds so they get burned easily -> I used DEI Protect a Wire heat protector and never had another burned wire
-Pop up headlamp gears on firebirds get teeth broken and make horrible noise -> Easy fix with gears found on ebay, there are metallic ones available too
jaysz2893
11-01-2012, 12:27 AM
-cup holder on 93 to 96.. dumbest place especially witha 6 speed
-Plastic fuel lines that loop right over exhaust - bad if you have headers
-no trap door for fuel pump
popo8
11-01-2012, 05:04 AM
Glove box hinges
Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com
Steel M6 driveshaft replaced with aluminum or carbon fibre. Vibrates way too much, more so after a gear change.
meissen
11-01-2012, 07:03 AM
Power window motors that fail all too often. Dash pads that crack too easily.
biggriff
11-01-2012, 07:35 AM
rear hatch drains right into car when opened wet...DUMB...oh yeah and opti under water pump...not the greatest design...SMH
93M6Formula
11-01-2012, 09:58 AM
These are more annoyances than defects
Definitely the '93-'96 firebird cupholder. I can at least count on one hand how many times i've had a drink fall out of it and unload in my passenger seat.....
Slow ass window motors.
The bird bath that is created in my rear spoiler after I wash my car.
Joker Z28
11-01-2012, 11:06 AM
A rear end that is as strong as glass
audiorailroad
11-01-2012, 12:25 PM
lousy window switches and mounts
Badbird_96
11-01-2012, 12:47 PM
Vats
Oh and the m6 lockout.
Formula218
11-01-2012, 12:59 PM
-cup holder on 93 to 96.. dumbest place especially witha 6 speed
Seriously!!! And it's such a weird size. Too big for any bottles and only 1" tall in front so if you apply 10% break the drink is gone into the dash. Fail GM, big fail.
MeanTA
11-01-2012, 01:50 PM
-cup holder on 93 to 96.. dumbest place especially witha 6 speed
Seriously!!! And it's such a weird size. Too big for any bottles and only 1" tall in front so if you apply 10% break the drink is gone into the dash. Fail GM, big fail.
Its called the wet t-shirt option. girl+cup of water+hard left turn=free show;)
casey20000007
11-01-2012, 01:59 PM
Its called the wet t-shirt option. girl+cup of water+hard left turn=free show;)
Lmao that's very true. Oh and idk bout the others but in the 97's the rear cup holders suck once I had a fulI large sonic drink in it and took off a lil fast and It managed to spill in the rear seat behind the driver a full large 😭oh it sucked cuz I had just bought the stupid thing
You can't pee on what you can't touch (chevy)
zooguy
11-01-2012, 02:05 PM
aerodynamics ... you wash the car and dry it perfectly (even the droplets that sneak out from the tail light) and on the drive home you rear bumper gets dirty and you have to wipe it off.
These are more annoyances than defects
Definitely the '93-'96 firebird cupholder. I can at least count on one hand how many times i've had a drink fall out of it and unload in my passenger seat.....
Slow ass window motors.
The bird bath that is created in my rear spoiler after I wash my car.
You're right, what a dumb place to put the cupholder, at least I have the auto so it's less frustrating!
4mulaBaby
11-02-2012, 02:46 AM
Tail lights prone to delamination, bumpers prone to fade, and that damn little red box cover under the hood for the positive cables. It's broken on every one I see (except mine :))
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 05:26 AM
Dash pad cracks
Slow window motors
BCM fails
VATS sucks
Pond on my hood where the fake vents are
Water seeps under the tail lights lol
meissen
11-02-2012, 05:49 AM
Sadly, and as much as it pains me as a GM employee to say it, we still suck at cupholder placement. My cupholder on my 2012 Camaro is all but useless as well because it's right in the way of the shift knob. Not as big of a deal on an auto, but with a manual it's a pain.
popo8
11-02-2012, 06:31 AM
[QUOTE=casey20000007;256435.... but in the 97's the rear cup holders suck ...[/QUOTE]
Wait... the 97s have rear cup holders?!>?!?!?!?!?
CamaroZGuy
11-02-2012, 07:13 AM
center console lid! who has one that's still attached!
SMok3 Em A11
11-02-2012, 07:57 AM
Wait... the 97s have rear cup holders?!>?!?!?!?!?
97s have the LS style interior.
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 11:53 AM
My cup holder is right in front of the center console lid, two behind that lid and then there is a pull out one near the glove box. It's a 97.
SMok3 Em A11
11-02-2012, 11:59 AM
My cup holder is right in front of the center console lid, two behind that lid and then there is a pull out one near the glove box. It's a 97.
Yea my 96bird has just the one and its a pia right front of the lid behind the shifter.
harner
11-02-2012, 12:06 PM
I don't think I saw it, but the door panels are prone to cracking. A4's and the rears were made of glass. How about the 95's with the OBD2 connectors?
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 12:25 PM
I don't think I saw it, but the door panels are prone to cracking. A4's and the rears were made of glass. How about the 95's with the OBD2 connectors?
Yup, everyone 98+ I seen in person had cracked door panels. The 93-97 don't have it though.
My rear is holding up still, knock on wood lol
popo8
11-02-2012, 02:02 PM
...
My rear is holding up still, knock on wood lol
6cyl....cough...cough....
Joker Z28
11-02-2012, 07:50 PM
6 Cylinders? Someone stole his other 2?
CamaroZGuy
11-02-2012, 08:05 PM
oh i got one, THE LACK OF SPACE UNDER THE DAM HOOD!
popo8
11-02-2012, 08:14 PM
oh i got one, THE LACK OF SPACE UNDER THE DAM HOOD!
Well if thats the case... why would they tuck half the engine UNDER the dash, making it easier to pick your car off your engine, then pulling your engine out of the car...
CamaroZGuy
11-02-2012, 08:17 PM
Well if thats the case... why would they tuck half the engine UNDER the dash, making it easier to pick your car off your engine, then pulling your engine out of the car...
because they wanted to make the car look like a driving lawn dart....
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 09:01 PM
6cyl....cough...cough....
6 Cylinders? Someone stole his other 2?
Hahaha, all I could afford 1.5 years ago.
oh i got one, THE LACK OF SPACE UNDER THE DAM HOOD!
THIS, this is the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fastbird
11-02-2012, 09:03 PM
I personally don't think anything listed is a factory "defect". I remember when these cars first came out.....everything was hailed as perfect. These are minor design flaws appearing after years of use.
If ANYTHING was a defect.....it was the thinking of the engineer who put the opti under the water pump. Honestly, for mid 90's GM technology, the cars are great.
Badbird_96
11-02-2012, 09:08 PM
The opti and the rear are more of engineering errors. I mean hell the mustang of the 80s with a weak 5.0 has a better rearend and hell it had 4 lugs.
Styling is a big plus though :cool:
popo8
11-02-2012, 09:18 PM
OK... I got one....
the dumb ass passenger side floor HUMP!
Badbird_96
11-02-2012, 09:22 PM
Yeah that's a good one Larry. Atleast I never have to deal with it lmao
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 09:30 PM
OK... I got one....
the dumb ass passenger side floor HUMP!
I hate that thing!!!! I forgot about that! :frustrated:
BLK95-Z
11-02-2012, 09:30 PM
The doors and hinges should have been a little better thought out as well.....
Fastbird
11-02-2012, 09:31 PM
That floor hump is removeable. I plan to do so at some point.
Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound
popo8
11-02-2012, 10:23 PM
That floor hump is removeable. I plan to do so at some point.
Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound
would you heat and hammer the high side down.. or would u cut the low side out and plate it level?
Fastbird
11-02-2012, 10:26 PM
would you heat and hammer the high side down.. or would u cut the low side out and plate it level?
Cut and plate. A guy on that other site did it with a lot of pics. Makes a HUGE difference.
Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound
popo8
11-02-2012, 10:31 PM
Cut and plate. A guy on that other site did it with a lot of pics. Makes a HUGE difference.
Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound
I have a friend with a 3td gen... he did that to the bottom parts of the rear seat, since removed it, and it made more room for full LARGE exhaust....
BLK95-Z
11-02-2012, 10:37 PM
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1326/5138391728_f1ca4c75f2_z.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4070/5138391666_b5f4e4c006_z.jpg
No more hump
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1144/5137783873_6d129dba8a_z.jpg
HAND HERPES
11-02-2012, 10:37 PM
Won't the carpet have extra slack in it then?
That hump is there for the cat right?
Ashley
11-02-2012, 10:41 PM
I know it isn't a defect.
but I always wanted to know..
no matter what it is..
thar squeak in the hatch area??
and t-tops, do they all start to leak after awhile??
Badbird_96
11-02-2012, 10:47 PM
The squeek is a pita to find. The ttops leaking is just from people not installing them correctly. That's just defective owners.
popo8
11-02-2012, 10:54 PM
I know it isn't a defect.
but I always wanted to know..
no matter what it is..
thar squeak in the hatch area??
and t-tops, do they all start to leak after awhile??
Not one drop from my t-tops....
and squeeks are just a part of their character...and age.
BLK95-Z
11-02-2012, 11:09 PM
How about the factory light bulbs that melt the tail lights.
casey20000007
11-02-2012, 11:10 PM
Wait... the 97s have rear cup holders?!>?!?!?!?!?
Yup they're on the back of the console but they are not worth a Damn
You can't pee on what you can't touch (chevy)
I personally don't think anything listed is a factory "defect". I remember when these cars first came out.....everything was hailed as perfect. These are minor design flaws appearing after years of use.
If ANYTHING was a defect.....it was the thinking of the engineer who put the opti under the water pump. Honestly, for mid 90's GM technology, the cars are great.
Well, I think they're great cars and I think everybody here does too but definetely GM had to cut costs somewhere, so some parts they used are not the best ones, those I would say may be the "defects" we're talking about and that's why we have aftermarket upgrades :cool: In my case I would say that the stock tranny mount and brake pads would be between the worst cases and both easily and permanently fixed with aftermarket parts
That hump is there for the cat right?That was from 3rd gen cat placement. FWIW, when we were at Memphis 97, one of the head designers of the 4th gen was there. She told us that it would have cost millions to get rid of the hump. It would have to recertified for crash testing, etc. So it was decided to let it stay.
Madman337
11-03-2012, 10:45 AM
That was from 3rd gen cat placement. FWIW, when we were at Memphis 97, one of the head designers of the 4th gen was there. She told us that it would have cost millions to get rid of the hump. It would have to recertified for crash testing, etc. So it was decided to let it stay.
I once asked a Ford engineer if they all (designers-engineers) came home one night and found a mechanic in bed with their wife because of the way they design the cars to be so hard to work on, all I got back was a blank stare. Guess he didnt get the joke.
firebird_1995
11-03-2012, 10:46 AM
Lol nice!
Fastbird
11-03-2012, 10:47 AM
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1326/5138391728_f1ca4c75f2_z.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4070/5138391666_b5f4e4c006_z.jpg
No more hump
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1144/5137783873_6d129dba8a_z.jpg
God I can't wait to do this. It makes such a difference in how the interior presents itself, and how the car comes across when there's a floorboard there instead of a huge hump. It's just more "finished" imo.
Madman337
11-03-2012, 11:02 AM
Serious tho this is something I was thinking about doing to the car but in the back under the rear seats to make muffler room since nobody of any real size will fit back there anyway.
Badbird_96
11-03-2012, 12:16 PM
Definitely adding the floor hump removal to my list of future mods as well as the roof groove on the hardtop.
firebird_1995
11-03-2012, 01:12 PM
Do the hump de-hump
Badbird_96
11-03-2012, 03:07 PM
Do the hump de-hump
Should be bonus points to anyone that is brave enough to do it lol
popo8
11-03-2012, 03:31 PM
First u lift to the side like ur leg was broken....
Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com
firebird_1995
11-03-2012, 10:56 PM
Shaking and twitching kind of like I was smokin
popo8
11-03-2012, 11:51 PM
Shaking and twitching kind of like I was smokin
I thought it was "strokin," like havin a stroke...lol
Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com
KLaBZ28
11-04-2012, 09:24 AM
howabout the fact that you basically have to remove the front bumper on camaros to swap fog light bulbs? headlights are total fail, gas tank filler neck being part of the tank is a fail (for anyone who has dropped the tank out), factory routing of spart plug wires snaked thru ps pump and alternator and engine fail, and all the weird sharp metal edges in the rear that stab me in the head.
oh and gas gage going from 1/2 to E in ten mins.
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