High Mileage LTZ
 

Hey gang.

Just a small update. I have 171k on my '06 LTZ.

Had my Rack and Pinion replaced twice this year and had my PS pump replaced twice in a month.

Slighty disappointed with the many problems with Generation 7 steering....but extremely happy with my drive train.

I also still have the original ceramic brakes and my mechanic says I still have plenty of mileage left.

Got a coupon from the original dealer offering $99 per axle for ceramic pad replacement.

My mechanic says it would more expensive if he had to buy ceramics at wholesale with his labor.

Just concerned if the dealer would say, "we can't replace the pads unless we xxxx amount of dollars to your brake system.

Any dealer thoughts.

Most of they time they expect that you will need more parts than just pads so they can get more money from you. That may not always be the case but they are in business to make money. A brake shop would be about that much per axle so with ceramic pads I say its a good deal but with any shop I would say make sure if they say something is bad, have them show you what is bad don't just take there word for it.

my steering has alot of crazy sounds at low speeds i also have the ltz does your lzt shift hard when you put the foot down 2 hard?

I recently replaced the pads on my 01. It did not need rears but since I had it apart I did them anyway. I never turn the rotors unless they are warped (pulsating pedal) or squeaking. Otherwise just shaving away good metal. Less to dissipate heat and the more you turn them the sooner you need new ones when they are too thin to turn.

I flushed out the brake fluid and some of my power steering fluid too to hopefully prolong steering components.

Thats some high miles on a pretty new car. how'd you rack on that many?

JEEZ, you are catching my 2000! :p

Barely using the brakes? You must just cruise on the highway for hours at a time.

Thanks, great advise. FWIW, I was a writer at a brake shop for a couple of years. That was a long time ago. I remember that we were always pushed by the owners to sell a "complete system flush."

Hi, my LTZ shifts hard when I come to a rolling stop and then get on the accelerator pedal. I was told my fron motor mount was gone. Mkes sense, because I got a new transmission at 98k free on my GMPP.

Steering problems though are very serious and should be handled quickly. My first rack and pinion was down to one mount...considering it has something like 6 or 8 mounts.

I don't believe in turning the rotors unless the surface is extremely uneven.

I live in Los Angeles??????/;)

I remember a member here saying that learning how to efficiently work the cruise control saves on a lot of engine and axle parts.

If someone doesn't decide to cut me off, I can get 30 miles to work and back without hardly using the breakes.

Ahh LA ok makes sense now lot more driving than the small town guys like me lol

Realistically, Mia and I get an awesome kick out of driving the LTZ around.:)

it remindes me i need to do mine i do aalot of high way and attraction driving. bad drivers where you need to use your breaks alot i mean stop on a dime abuse. i need to replace my rotors and pads at the same time it feels like they are warped. what are the best rotors to be honest i dont really want to get reamed on the price on them

Dang, and here I was thinking my 110k was getting high. So far I haven't had any steering problems other than the blown line that was later recalled.

I seem to have cured my Service Traction Control with a complete tune up including cleaning the throttle body (probably helped the most). Pretty much my only complaints so far.


I replaced my brakes at 60k with slotted rotors and some EBC pads (I think). Old ones didn't really have any warpage and so far these ones don't either. Replacing them was pretty easy and straight forward, in case you might be thinking of taking that route.

I am small town guy but drive 70 miles round trip to work every day. Some days I work at diffrent stores or multiple stores and I put 300+ on in a day. cruise control is alot easier but you get an extra 2-3 mpg without it at least in a hilly are like me. Work is 250' above sea level I live 12 ft below sea level. So alot of hills and the way to work is uphill.

I haven't tried the cruise yet and I've had my car since 2009.......I haven't even figured out how to use it either......:o

I rarely use mine. My truck doesn't even have it :rolleyes:

If it is anything like Jenna's Impala you just hit the middle button on the left hand side of the steering wheel (probably has an icon that looks like a speedometer) that turns on cruise, then you hit the set button on the bottom and that sets the speed.

I'll have to give that a try next time I hit the turnpike on my way to work, thanks Mike.....

I posted a few months ago that my mechanic told me that he could tell people who were good and were bad with their braking habbits. Fortunately, he told me that I has very good braking habits because my brakes and rotors were in very good condition.

Also, sometimes the pulsating brakes are not the rotors, but the ABS kicking in.;)

Yeah, I took mine in for the power brake line recall. I also hate when the traction control light comes on every time I get on the throttle off the line.

Is it suburban or rural mileage?

Yeah, I had to practice in light traffic before I became confident in heavy traffic. I can almost cruise control on Los Angeles surface streets now.

Since I found out I had diabetes and swelling issues with my accelerator leg, I had no choice but to utilize the cruise control as much as possible. High mileage driving is one of the main causes of vein issues with diabetic people.

BTW, I drove cross country for many years.

Monte carlos don't come with ceramic pads. The pads for 99.00 aren't the oem pad that came on your car. It came with metalic... those cheap ceramic
pads are hell on your rotors...

Ceramic pads are considered to not cause much wear on the rotor at all. The comparisons that I've seen say that metallic pads are more abrasive thus causing more wear.

Hi Garrett (Belated Happy 2013 to you),
Great to see you online & making posts. Hope life is going good 4 U 4-Sure! How many more years of school ?
Wish U the best ~> EnJoy the Journey.
===========================
Hi Grandpa `Dave,
It's great to see member's with the 3.9L posting their updates..
Thanks 2 you & Garrett for keep'in them alive & running...
It's a great engine with a lot of power :thumbsup:
Peace/Out

I'll be done this Spring and then I'll be out working full-time.

Right now I've got to replace the antenna for the key fob/tire pressure sensors and get my rear defrost working. I plan on doing a write-up for each as those both apply regardless of engine.