SPECIAL POLICY: DOOR HINGE REPLACEMENT DUE TO BREAKAGE
Subject: SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT DOOR HINGES
1988-89 GRAND PRIX COUPE MODELS WITH 8.7mm CONICAL PTN DOOR HINGES
General Motors has determined that certain 1988-89 Grand Prix coupes with 3.7mm conical pin door hinges have had a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If the lower hinge breaks, the door may require more effort to close, or a popping or scraping noise might be heard. If the upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the door handle may drop down, making the door difficult to reposition and close properly.
NOTICE
It's been determined that a primary cause of door hinge fractures is corrosion of the door hinge. Accordingly, the majority of vehicles experiencing this condition will be located in high corrosion areas (Canadian Maritime Provinces, New England, Creat Lakes States).
As a result (and also due to limited parts availability) owner mailings will be phased out first to owners of vehicles located in high corrosion areas and then expanded to include other regions. Dealers should be certain to consider this corrosion factor when placing parts orders.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1988-89 Grand Prix coupes with 8.7mm conical pin door hinges built within the following VIN breakpoints:
Up To And Year Plant Beginning Including ---- ----- --------- --------- 1988 Fairfax JF200001 JF286357
1989 Fairfax KF200001 KF230159
SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT
This Special Policy covers the condition described above for ten (10) years and unlimited mileage with no deductible from the date the vehicle was originally placed into service regardless of ownership. Correction at no charge to the customer will consist of replacing all door hinges in involved vehicles which experience failure of any 8.7mm single-hung door hinge. 11.3mm single-hung hinges will be used to replace the 8.7mm single-hung hinges when a failure occurs.
REIMBURSEMENT
Customer claims for reimbursement on previously paid repairs to correct a fractured door hinge are to be submitted by December 31, 1992 (the time limitation for presenting the original paid receipt may be longer depending upon the law in your state). Owners must submit original documentation that reasonably confirms the amount or unreimbursed repair expense, a description of the repair, the date of the repair and the person or entity performing the repair. Customers claims for reimbursement are to be submitted using the special "Owner Reimbursement" labor operation listed under the Claim Information Section of this bulletin. Reimbursement amounts of $300.00 or less can be processed by the dealer. If the amount exceeds $300.00 an Owner Reimbursement Form '201-039 must be forwarded to and processed by the Zone Office. Customers from the states of Connecticut and Virginia must submit request for reimbursement directly to Pontiac Division per the owner letter.
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by Pontiac Division (see copy of Owner Letter included with this bulletin).
PARTS INFORMATION
Parts required to complete this campaign are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operation (GMSPO). To ensure that these parts are obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a C.I.O. order with no special instruction code, but on advise code
Quantity Description Part Number Per Vehicle ----------- ----------- ----------- Left Door Hinge Kit 10218446 1 Right Door Hinge Kit 10218445 1
Each door hinge kit contains 2 hinges, 4 nuts and 4 bolts.
Due to initial parts quantity restrictions, please limit the ordering of hinge kits to previous hinge fracture rates experienced by this vehicle population.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
NOTICE: THIS PROCEDURE DIFFERS FROM PREVIOUS HINGE REPLACEMENT METHODS BECAUSE:
a. Door remains on vehicle.
b. Access to both door hinges is made through front wheelhouse area.
c. Hinges come pre-primed and are NOT to be painted.
NOTICE: IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE DOOR REALIGNMENT, DO NOT REMOVE BOTH DOOR HINGES AT SAME TIME. DO EACH HINGE SEPARATELY AND, IF BROKEN HINGES ARE NOTED DURING VEHICLE WRITE-UP, REPLACE BROKEN HINGES FIRST.
1. Place vehicle on hoist.
2. Obtain hinges for both door locations.
3. Using proper lift points, raise vehicle to half up position (until wheel/tire chest high).
4. Using two pieces of masking tape, place one piece to bridge gap between door and rocker panel and second piece to bridge gap between door and quarter panel to act as reference points for door alignment (see Illustration 1).
5 . Cut tape at gap area using utility knife or other suitable tool.
6. Remove front tire and wheel assembly.
7. Starting at top center of front wheelhouse liner, remove all attaching screws located rearward of top center of liner.
8. Loosen liner from fender and position liner forward of front suspension assembly.
9. Remove insulator cover attachments and insulator cover (located between fender and hinge pillar).
10. Clean hinge mounting surfaces on door and body with rag and mark hinge locations on body surfaces with grease pencil or other suitable marker.
NOTICE: BROKEN HINGES SHOULD BE REPLACED BEFORE OTHER HINGES ARE REPLACED.
11. Remove hinge attaching fasteners and hinge from vehicle.
12. Install new hinge within previously marked locations using new fasteners and lightly tighten fasteners.
13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 for remaining hinge.
14. Repeat steps 4 through 13 for the remaining front door.
15. Install both tire/wheel assemblies to vehicle and lower vehicle to ground level.
16. Inspect edges of tape on doors and with aid of a helper, align doors as necessary.
17. Raise vehicle to previous position and remove tire/wheel assemblies.
18 . Tighten and torque hinge attachments to 20-28 N.m (15 to 20 lb. ft.).
19. Reinstall insulator covers between fenders and hinge pillars.
20. Reposition and install whellhouse liners using original screws.
21. Reinstall tire and wheel assemblies.
22. Remove reference tape from doors, rockers and quarters.
23. Lower hoist and remove vehicle.
CLAIM INFORMATION
A separate repair order must be used for each vehicle. A completed warranty claim is to be kept as a permanent record of completion.
DEALERS SHOULD SUBMIT WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR CREDIT IN THEIR NORMAL MANNER WHEN THEY PERFORM THE SERVICE AS FOLLOWS:
Failure Labor Labor Other Net Operation Code Operation Hours Hours Items --------- ------- --------- ----- ----- ----- COUPE 95 T1831 1.6 *
Reimbursement For Prior Door Hinge Replacement 95 T1834 0.2
* Net Item should be submitted by dealers who sublet body shop work and repair. Note that this amount should not exceed allowable dollar limits that would have been calculated at the dealers approved warranty labor rate multiplied by the applicable labor hours.
FAILURE CODE 95 MUST BE USED WITH THE LABOR OPERATION.
Parts required are to be listed in your warranty claim in the normal manner. Parts will be credited at dealer net plus 30% dealer handling allowance.
Dealers will be credited via Warranty Document or Terminal Transmission, whichever is their normal method of submission for payment. Claim must contain all information required and should list the labor operation as outlined.
Dear 1988-89 Grand Prix Owner:
We at Pontiac are very proud of the Grand Prix, and sincerely hope that you are happy with your vehicle. We are also proud of the warranty coverage that we provide you. Sometimes, however, we need to make some special arrangements so that things which might happen, even to a very small number of our customers, are handled properly.
Some Pontiac customers with a 1988-89 Grand Prix may have a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If a lower hinge breaks, it will require more effort to close the door, or you may hear a popping or scraping noise. If an upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the door handle will drop down, making it difficult to reposition and close the door properly.
Most Grand Prixs are not experiencing this problem. In fact, because the condition is primarily a corrosion problem, very few vehicles outside New England and the Great Lakes States are likely to experience a broken hinge. Nevertheless, we are taking action for all Grand Prix owners.
We are providing owners with special coverage for this hinge condition. In the event of any door hinge failure, all door hinges will be replaced at no charge to the owner. This coverage will be in effect for 10 years and unlimited mileage form the date the vehicle was originally placed in service regardless of ownership.
If you have already paid for some or all of the cost to have a broken door hinge replaced, you may contact your Pontiac dealer to seek reimbursement (except for residents of Connecticut and Virginia). Connecticut and Virginia residents must write to Customer Assistance Center, Pontiac Division, One Pontiac Plaza, Department 317B, Pontiac, MI 48340-2952 for reimbursement. In either situation, please provide your original paid receipts or invoices verifying the repair, the amount charged, proof of your payment and date of payment of those charges. This information must be provided by December 31, 1992 (this time limitation for presenting the receipt may be longer depending upon the law in your state).
If your car ever has a broken door hinge, we suggest that you fully close the door, lock it, and take advantage of this coverage as soon as you can.
We are sorry if this condition causes you any inconvenience. By taking this action, however, we hope to show that we value having you as a Pontiac customer.
General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
