Living with a G8 GT

G8 and GTO

There is someone at work who has a 2005 Cyclone Grey GTO that occasionally parks it in the lot in front of the building where my office is. Since I purchased the G8 GT, only once have I been in the lot at the same time… and of course I parked right next to him. Today after work I was driving home, just about to get on the I-580W, and I saw the GTO in my rear view mirror. He was not going to get on the freeway, so I decided to take the scenic way home!

I slowed down a little and let the GTO get along side. The passenger was looking over my car, so I can only assume that they were talking about the G8. It’s a nice feeling to have someone interested in your car… not really something that I’ve ever felt before.

I had hoped that we could line-up at one of the many traffic lights on N. Vasco Rd, but there was never the opportunity. At one point the GTO got stuck behind a slow moving car and made a quick pass (to catch-up with me). It was great to run down the road, a G8 and GTO!

I decided that I shouldn’t drive all the way up Vasco (a REALLY long way home) and took the last left onto Dalton Ave. I hoped the GTO would follow for a little fun on the back roads, but I didn’t expect it. The rest of the drive was fun too, but heading into commute traffic made for a less than relaxing drive… unlike the road at the same time on a weekend.

“Hey, I like your G8”

I was walking through the halls at work today and heard someone say “Hey, I like your G8”. Of course I stopped and turned around to address the wonderful comment. Turns out the guy has been looking at buying a 2010 Mustang or Camaro. I gave my $0.02 of course… highlighting the features of the G8 GT that I like most (361HP and 385 lb-ft of torque).

I think is is looking for something 2-Door, so the ‘refined’ and ‘grown-up’ nature of the 4-Door G8 GT may not be his style. To be honest, I don’t really know if I’d want him to buy a G8… One of the things I like best about the G8 is that it’s rare. Having two of them parked next to each other in the parking lot would be cool… but I’d no longer be unique.

Skyline – “The Wall”

After reading about Skyline Blvd. online, I was really looking forward to stopping at “The Wall” to try and get some shots of the G8 GT with the SF Bay in the background. The weather worked-out very nicely (no bright sun, no fog, etc.) and there were no other cars parked ‘cluttering’ my shots.

[svgallery name=”G8_20090306_Skyline”]

Playing Hookie

I woke-up this morning and there was no rain falling… I’m ditching-out on work to take a drive!

Total Distance: 149 miles
Driving Time: 5 hours 38 min

View Larger Map

I have been looking forward to driving on several of these roads. I decided that a Friday drive would probably work out better than one on the weekend, due to minimal cyclists. Things worked-out well as I only had to pass a handful of cyclists and there was plenty of room to do it.

That reminds me, the roads that were in great condition. I tried to pick roads that were all two-lanes, and I did a great job at it. Some of the roads even had hard shoulders! Also, despite all the recent rain there was very little ‘slide’ debris on the roads. Other than a few places with a little gravel or dirt, the roads were well paved (all of the roads in Contra Costa Country were perfect)… if only all the curvy roads around the East Bay were like this.

I started-out with a somewhat ‘normal’ trip towards Livermore. This time rather than just driving on I-580E I’d take Highland Rd., which was a great choice. The road was all two-lanes with some gentle curves and nice green rolling hills. Unfortunately, when I pulled onto Vasco I was stuck in the slow traffic (stupid semi-truck).

Fortunately, once I turned onto Camino Diablo, I was able to get some clear road ahead of me. Marsh Creek Rd. was very nice as well, until I got stuck behind another slow moving vehicle. This time I pulled-off the road to give myself some more room… and proceeded to hit a nice big pothole. I love the tire pressure monitoring system on the G8 as it reassured me that I didn’t blow a tire. Once I had some more room I started out again… and it was much more enjoyable not looking at the back of a Saturn that was going 25mph! Oh, but watch out for the Clayton Police officer who was sitting at the side of the road at the entrance to town.

At this point I made a loop around Concord to drive on Kirker Pass Rd, which was a total waste. While Bailey Rd was fun with some nice elevation changes, all the time spent driving in towns just killed the short bit of fun. Ygnacio Valley Rd didn’t help either, as getting stuck in lunchtime traffic in Walnut Creek sucked big time! I need to find a better connecting route from Marsh Creek Rd. that doesn’t include a bunch of city driving.

The driving didn’t become enjoyable until after I was on Reliez Valley Rd/Alhambra Valley Rd. More of the two-lane curves through green hills. I did get stuck behind another slow vehicle, but it was close to turning onto Bear Creek Rd., so not a big deal (even though I did pull-off to wait for a few minutes, just to turn off two corners later).

The next few roads were very nice to drive on. I didn’t see another car for quite some time and the handful of cyclists were not a problem. More of the ‘standard’ curves, but the closer to Berkeley I go the greater the elevation changes were. Wild Canyon Rd. had more cyclists and tourists, and I’m sure it would be packed on a weekend, but it was enjoyable. The road runs around the top of the ridge and there are some nice trees covering the road (something different than the grassy hills).

Once out of Tilden Regional Park, I turned onto Grizzly Peak Rd. (how cool is that name!) and headed south. The first bit was residential, but it turned into a nice curvy road. While I was trying to concentrate on driving, the view to the west was spectacular! I stopped at ‘The Wall‘ to take a few photos.

Back on the road I found myself on one of the greatest stretches of road imaginable… Grizzly Peak Rd to Skyline Blvd to (my new favorite) Pinehurst Rd. to Redwood Rd. These roads curve around the Berkeley hills through peaks… all the way down to valleys with redwood trees. There were extreme elevation changes as well as several hairpin turns (and I’m talking 180deg with elevation changes as well). Unfortunately, I think these roads will be crawling with cyclists when the weather warms up a little (and it’s not a Friday afternoon). While the roads are two-lane and nicely paved, there are the times when making a pass becomes difficult (due to a blind corner… or a bike on a wicked downhill doing 45mph in a 25mph zone). I still think I’d give these roads a shot this summer, they were just too good to not drive on!

The really nice thing about this route is it dumped me out in Castro Valley (just over the hill from home). I think starting here and driving North would be just as fun. At this point I made another loop to drive on a pair of roads that was a total waste of time. I went up Crow Canyon Rd (nothing but traffic) and came back on Norris Canyon Rd (much better, but only on it’s own). I took E. Castro Valley Blvd. to Dublin Canyon Rd. rather than heading home on I-580E to get back home, which was OK (not a freeway that’s all).

Overall the drive was fun. The G8 GT did an awesome job on the curves (as always) and behaved very nicely being thrown around tight corners… especially for a >4000lbs 4-Door ‘sedan’. There were a few things that I would definitely change the next time I head out that direction (like the city driving).

After a little fine tuning, I think this will become a regular drive for me.

Questions from the Guards

As I drove into work I was honored into a special club… one reserved for either hot females or owners of cool cars. I actually had one of the guards ask me, “Is this one of those new Pontiacs? How do you like it?” Typically all I get is a “Have a good day”, but to be acknowledged above and beyond by someone who must ‘see’ thousands of people a day was kinda cool.

I have been waiting in anticipation for one of the guards to comment on the G8, but until now it had not happened. I told the guard that it was a ’09 G8 GT and that I love it (which I do). He commented on how it looked like an Acura… to which I pointed out that it has a 6.0L V8 (not some wimpy 3.2L V6). He asked about gas mileage… and I pulled-up my average (18.6MPG). The guard even called over to his buddy at the other shack to ask what he thought of the G8! At this point a line of cars had formed behind me (which the other guard commented on), so I drove off.

While it may seem trivial, this sort of attention is new for me. Having driven less than special cars the rest of my life, knowing that people are interested in what I am driving is very cool… rather than mundane.

Service Complete

I picked-up the G8 GT from the shop today. Final diagnosis:

Inspected found code P0442 EVAP small leak, P0455 EVAP large leak purge and seal system. Found not holding vacuum. Hooked up EVAP machine. Smoke EVAP system found smoke coming from top of tank. Lower TNK found vent seal on top of tank leaking. Replaced tank. Recheck. Clear code all ok.

The drive home was SO much more enjoyable… It is good to be back in the G8!

Grand Prix For Sale

Checking out the dealer’s website where I bought my G8 GT I found the Grand Prix I traded-in up for sale. Quite a bit more than I got for trade-in (as expected)…

I wonder how long it lasts and what they actually sell it for. I also wonder if they took care of the vibration at speed, the slipping transmission (once at temperature), the ‘low coolant’ indicator, or any of the other issues it was having…

Gas Tank Replacement

I got a call from the dealer and it turns out the gas tank needs to be replaced. I hoped that it would be something simpler, but I guess it’s good to get this fixed and fixed right (rather than having to make several trips to the dealer just to replace the tank in the end). Things should be back together Friday, so it looks like I’ll be stuck in this rental car till then. At least it’s a Chevy Equinox and not something like a Geo Metro!

Fuel Leak!

I am sitting in the waiting room at Hilltop Pontiac writing this. It looks like there is a fuel leak! Good news: They found it. Bad news: They need to drop the gas tank to get to it. I am now waiting for my rental car…

Hopefully it’s something ‘simple’ to fix and not anything that would require replacing the gas tank. Last night I read a few threads on G8Board.com about gas odors and gas tank problems. Seems like if they need to order a replacement tank it could take up to a week!

Check Engine

600 miles on the car and my first check engine light. Driving to work I was playing around in the ‘Engineering Mode’ watching the AFM turn on/off… so I wonder if this has something to do with it? I called OnStar and they ran a remote diagnosis that came back ‘ignition fault’. The operator suggested tightening the gas cap (strange, I filled-up last week and it has been tight ever since). On the way home from work I got a ‘Low Fuel’ notice and figured I would fill-up and see if that changed anything. After the fill-up I still have the check engine light… and when I parked I noticed the smell of gasoline. I grabbed my Father’s nose (and the rest of him came along too) and we went sniffing around. He could definitely smell the odor of gasoline… and today is a semi-windy day, so it’s not like it’s a small drip or anything

I called the dealer’s service department and will be bringing the car by tomorrow morning.