Rawja

Heya guys, Mike Rukavina let me know that I had been mentioned here... For the record, I didn't "get mad and leave." By the time of my departure, I was only visiting the forums to perform my moderating duties. I had read every single post in the Reatta forum(s) up until then, and there wasn't any information I was gaining from my participation. My approach to moderating, more or less "hands off," was not appreciated by the larger administrative team from the AACA, who had no patience for the drama that would erupt here from time to time. As they saw it, I was not fulfilling my duties adequately. Upon Padgett's receipt of moderator status, my backend access was turned off, and I was no longer under any obligation to monitor the forums. I still have my '88 Reatta, though it's been sitting in storage for well over a year and isn't registered or insured. I'm currently obsessed with my '00 Honda Insight, which truth be told, "ruined" all my other cars for me. I routinely get over 70MPG, and even having the car about three years now, I'm still getting better at driving it. It has a 5-speed, digital dash, and is perhaps the most engaging ride I've ever owned. Every time I get behind the wheel, it's an opportunity to get a new "high score." Having participated in the forums for so long, I really feel like I've learned everything there is to learn about the Reatta, and to be clear, I bear no animosity towards the AACA, or towards anyone on the Reatta forum. I was just not a good philosophical or personality fit with the larger administration and moderating staff, who I was frequently at odds with behind the scenes. My current obsession:

Congratulations Padgett!

Looks nice. However I already have "Stereo Bezels", got 'em the difficult (and expensive) way, located an '87 T-Type passenger seat years ago.

The same assembly is used on the 86-91 Riviera, Toronado, Seville, Eldorado and Allante.

It's just an 'L'-shaped piece of tin that provides continuity between the negative contact of the battery and the body of the flashlight which is the negative path from the bulb. Doesn't have to be that substantial, aluminum foil might be a good kludge.

As of this morning The Reatta Store is back online. Whether Ronnie will be returning to post here remains to be seen, though if history is any guide he'll be back.

Send it to www.MNRElectronics.com

I've been doing it for years, with several shops as I moved around geographically. Granted, I've always been looking after a lot of cars so I've always been something of a volume customer. Excepting the occasional emergancy-type repair, the cars go in pre-diagnosed by myself, with every part needed and with the explicit understanding that if a part later fails I am not entitled to free labor for the replacement as that is usually funded by their traditional parts mark-up. I've been told by both the shop owners and individual mechanics that they love working like this on my cars because the car is always clean and pleasant to work on and that they are never hung up searching and/or waiting for a part. Since I usually have any number of other cars I can drive instead, I deal with busy shops and let them know they can work on it during those times when there's not much going on, filling what would otherwise be un-billable time for them. It's all just a question of how you approach the situation, if you make it a win-win, everyone's happy.

The Teves system is fine. Yes, it is sensitive to neglect, but the "horror stories" are usually from one or both of the following: People who ignored the signs of a compromised system, ignored the warning lights and were "surprised" by brake failure. People who were taken to the cleaners getting work done on the system by entities that were crooks and/or ignorant of the proper diagnostic procedures. Parts are not difficult to source and are not expensive, certainly when compared to changing over to a completely different system. Do a search here on brake problems and you'll see how competent this forum is at remote diagnosis. You'll find thread after thread of inexpensive DIY repair, often after the original poster had received estimates from mechanics or dealerships for thousands of dollars.

You're just experiencing a different fault.

You should be able to find something nice-ish in your price range. I would skip the sunroof option, they take away headroom in an already abbreviated space and the metal panel tends to rust out, even in non-salted environments. If you are looking at a sunroof car, besides checking for proper operation, look carefully at the metal panel if you see ANY evidence of corrosion, the panel is shot and you will be replacing it sooner than later. Drivetrain is generic GM 3800, bulletproof and inexpensive to keep up. Brakes on 88-90 is electrically operated with a pump and accumulator rather than a conventional vacuum system. System is great IF it is looked after, but many systems have been neglected by their owners. Plan on becoming conversant in the ins and outs of the system (which can be troubleshooted quite easily), because most mechanics and dealers don't understand the system and will quote sky-high prices to deal with it. As said, mechanical bits are shared across GM's full-sized line up, but body and glass is Reatta-only and can be expensive. Windshields can run over $2,000.00 new, though you can get a used one somewhat cheaper. The windshield and back window are manufactured with a rubber encapsulation as a single manufactured assembly, so if you're looking at a Reatta with really grotty-looking rubber moldings around windshield and back glass, to make it look new again the entire assembly would need to be changed out rather than just new moldings. 88-89 has the touchscreen, which is very reliable and allows for truly on-board diagnostics. 90-91 went to conventional controls for HVAC and radio and deleted many of the screen's diagnostic and trip computing functions. '91s have a conventional vacuum ABS braking system and 16" wheels, though there are not that many out there and they seem to command a bit of a premium as far as pricing. The cars only came fully-equipped. There were only few options: Sunroof "16-way" power seat (easily identifiable by thigh bolster design and power recliners) 90-91 had an optional CD player Car is fun to drive, more of a grand tourer than a sports car, ride is well controlled and compliant and is great for long trips. You should get mid-20s to 30 on the highway, city mileage can be pretty abysmal depending on your local traffic conditions. Mileage isn't as big a deal as condition. 3800 will run forever. If the (88-90) car is displaying the red "brake" light while driving and/or the pedal is hard, seller was probably quoted $2K to fix the brakes, by all means beat them up on the price, but know you can fix nearly anything wrong for a great deal less than that.

I'm fairly certain that the Calais' rims were of a smaller bolt circle than was used on GM's larger offerings. (100mm vs. 115mm)

The 86-91 Seville and Eldorado's door switches are not back lit. The switches themselves are the same as used in The Reatta, with though different fonts used for the labeling.

I keep the Reatta Resources thread updated with current RockAuto discount codes. It's always there should anyone need it.

Coupe uses an 1141 (from memory) bulb, access is via the interior trim above the pass-through door from the trunk.