2008 Sky RL
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Welcome aboard. Here's a thread that provides info on what to check-- need advice on 2008 rl
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Welcome from Chicago! Hope the RL checks out good for you.
Welcome.... There are a few things you need to know. The waterpump (WP) is a very common failure point around the 45k-75k mark. And it's not cheap to have it done...about $1200. Make sure if the vehicle is around that mileage that it's been done. The other concern is the top. Again, not cheap. An assembly is about $3k+. And a recover is $2500+ and usually never done correctly. If it has more then 100k on it, make sure the timing chain and guides have been done. It's almost cheaper to put a new motor in it. The timing chain runs about $2500, is about 90% labor. A few other things to remember....make sure it's always had 100% synthetic oil changes. These cars require 100% synthetic or the turbo won't last long. There were reports of a tech at the GM proving grounds putting conventional oil in a Regal (same motor, just later edition) that lasted about 700 miles. Also they require premium fuel, or at least 91 octane or it won't last long either. The LNF (motor name) hates "pinging".
I upgraded one of my Sky Redlines at about 120k miles for better performance. Ported head, larger turbo etc. It still retains the original water pump, high pressure fuel pump, pistons ect. The valves on the old head were a lot cleaner than many heads I worked on with less miles. Everything was very clean inside the front cover. No sludge or varnish whatsoever. The chain guides looked almost brand new, the wear was so trivial that a fingernail couldn't catch, but I replaced them anyway because I purchased them before I disassembled the engine. The chains were in excellent condition without perceivable stretch, but they were also replaced. Maintenance with premium products and driving habits are important for longevity. All vehicles were not built with the same component part numbers.
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Fear mongering.
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Hopefully it works out and welcome! This forum is an invaluable source of information. Do you have any more info on the car?
Not at all. Most people don't have the time or money to just replace parts that aren't broken or causing issues. WP are a common issue, with a high failure rate by 60k miles as we've all seen. And for some, that's a make or break deal. Especially if it's going to be an "only car" situation because of the repair price. But that high failure rate is only seen mostly on the Solstice and Sky. The other cars that used our motors, and are transversely mounted, have little to no failures. The timing chain issue is not the chain at all...it's the inferior guides that were used on the timing chain and balancer chain in late '07 and early '08 production. Not too mention the "lazy" tensioners that happen after about 90k. But most 4 cylinders will need new tensioners, guides and chains by the 135k mark anyway due to wear. When certain high price repairs come along, many aren't prepared for the price of common issues like the WP. And with the tops being an average age of 13 years now, we're bound to see more and more "I need a new top" posts. Dealerships get their bad raps, because people have no clue of expected issues and costs. I wished that I had done more research here when I bought mine. I would have known about common issues and the pricing, and been more prepared for my future issues.
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I'm a newb to the platform, but I'm proactively replacing both chains and the water pump. It's a 08 Redline, 70k miles. It's going to be for autocross, and I have the skills/time/money to do this work myself. Given what I've read/watched in the past 2 months, I'd agree, at the very least, water pump replacement proacticely can be better than having a failure. If a person really needs reliable transportation without maintenance, buy a Honda or Toyota. Any Kappa (now in the "older car" category IMO) can need extra maintenance.
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