Arrallen

I looked into refinishing mine a while back. I was told they were originally electro polished, that is a chemical polishing procedure, then clear anodized. I was quoted a price of $350.00 for one bumper and that was several years ago. This was by a local industrial metal refinishing shop.

The dual element bulbs have two contacts at the bottom of the bulb and two corresponding contacts in the socket. The single element bulb has only one contact so a single element bulb contact will not line up with the contact in the dual element socket. Buick probably used dual element bulbs in all the positions so it would be easier to install the bulbs without having to worry about what bulb went where.

That was a nice write-up about your car on the Barrett-Jackson web site. Worth saving to use as a selling point if I ever decide to sell my convt.

The fine print on that web site says you got to be a registered salvage dealer within that state in order to bid on the wrecks. That leaves most of us out.

I would also be interested in where you got the top and what problems you ran into. Several years ago I replaced the top on a 65 Mustang, was easier then I thought. Please post here or e-mail me direct. Thanks

It might be possible to get a printout of registered users by state. Peterg should be able to answer that question. Anyone know how to contact him?

Sounds good to me. Either E-mail or post here when you get enough interest.

That's because they have those cheap Caddy mirrors, I have the more expensive dripproof Buick mirror Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye on it.

I am holding the button in long enough. I have been in that mode several times before but this is the first time it is giving me trouble. Added information, first the climate control panel flashes then a second later the main panel flashes. If I continue to hold the buttons in the same flashing sequence will reoccur. I must have tried going through this 15 to 20 times and I get the same result.

90 coupe--when I press "off" and "up temp" simultaneously the display flashes but does not stay lit, goes right back to the normal setting. I tried disconnecting/reconnectiong the battery, but that didn't help. It is the same whether the engine is running or not. What do I do now?

Several months ago someone asked about installing an auto dimming mirror from a Riviera. Well these eyes are getting old and tired and what with high riding SUV's and brighter headlights boring through the back window I decided I needed the option. I installed it on a 90 convertible which is easier that the coupe since the trim below the front bow is easy to remove to get to the wiring. If your interested here is what you have to do. First get an auto dimming mirror with the cable attached(Important). I was lucky to buy one off ebay for $25.00, the local junk yard wanted fifty. Who ever took the one I got off the car also snipped the wires past the connector which helped me but is not absolutely essential. Remove the trim above the mirror by removing both visors, the visor latches and a screw in each upper outer corner. (The top needs to be down to get to these) The visors have wiring attached so don't pull too hard on them. The connectors for the visor wires are tucked in a nitch above the visor mounting hole and are wrapped in a sponge rubber tape. You have to take off the tape to get the connector apart then you can remove the visor. Pull apart the connector for the remote antenna and the trim can now be removed from the car. Remove the Reatta mirror by first disconnecting the connector, also wrapped in foam tape, loosen the star headed screw in the body of the mount and lift up. On the Riviera mirror there is a three wire ribbon cable. The one closest to the mounting stalk on the back of the mirror is for "hot on run" power. This corresponds to the brown/white wire leading to the connector for the Reatta mirror. The middle wire is ground and corresponds to the Reatta black wire. The outer wire is to turn off the dimming effect when backing up. I don't look in my mirror when backing up, I was taught to look over my shoulder out the back window so I didn't hook this wire up. If you need this you have to run a wire from the reverse switch up to the mirror. Tricky GM used the same connector for the regular mirror and the dimming mirror, but reversed the male/female ends so you can't just plug in the dimming mirror because you have two plugs. If you were lucky to get the entire plug/socket assembly cut off the plug and solder on the socket. If you didn't then you must cut off the socket from the Reatta mirror with enough wire (2 inches is good) to splice and solder it on to the ribbon cable from the Riviera mirror. Another thing GM did was reverse the wiring. If you look at the plug or socket you will see the wire connections are marked A B C. When you are soldering make sure that the wire closest to the mounting stalk is soldered to the wire leading from the A connection and the center wire is soldered to the B connection. If you ran a wire from the reverse switch that has to be attached to the third wire. Electrical tape all the wire so they don't touch and you are ready to reinstall the mirror. Before you get too far test the mirror for proper function. Mount the mirror, hook up the connector, turn the key to the run position, turn the mirror switch to the full on position, cover the detector on the back side of the mirror with your finger and shine a flash light into the detector on the mirror side. The mirror should turn a noticeable green. If it doesn't the first thing to check is to make sure the brown/white wire leads to the wire that is closest to the mounting stalk. If everything is right then reverse the disassembly instructions to reinstall everything you took out. I taped my connectors with electrical tape in lieu of foam tape. The Riviera mirror is larger the the Reatta mirror, but fits without a problem and, of course, you lose the courtesy lights built into the Reatta mirror. If you have any questions E-mail me direct or post your question here on the forum.

You want sneaky try Illinois. They were using dump trucks and tractors for the radar units. Go around the next bend and there would be four or five state police cars hauling people over to the side of the road. On the same subject, how stealthy is the Reatta? Radar needs a flat surface parallel to the gun to get a signal bounced back, usually off the front license plate. On my Reatta the plate is tilted slightly down and I see no other flat surfaces, so how many of you leadfoots got speeding tickets from radar?

If I unlock the 90 Reatta with the remote the alarm goes off as soon as I open the door. If I use the key to open the door the alarm stays silent. I looked in the repair manual and it looks like the power door switch and the theft deterrent module system cancel are on the same circuit so I am stumped as to why the system will not turn off using the remote but will turn off if I use the key. Can anybody help?

I argued with my State Farm agent. It was a very short arguement. According to company policy if the car has two seats it is a sports car. Case closed!

Anyone have experience placing an ad with one of these internet used car want ads? Do they work? Just looked at Autotrader and they have 8 pages of Reattas for sale. I feel my ad would just get lost in the mix yet how do I get a bigger audience then the local newspaper? Ideas anyone?

Some of you may be interested in this ad on <A HREF="http://www.Autotrader.com" TARGET=_blank>www.Autotrader.com</A> 1990 Reatta Convt $5,995 at Barry Olds/Cadillac, Elyria Ohio. Have no idea if it is the buy of the century or a pile of junk.

Hate to rain on your parade but.....I have had my 90 Reatta coupe for sale for over a year. 77K miles, excellent condition. I started last year at $7600, advertised in the Chicago Tribune and had one looker. Dropped to $7200 and advertised in the Trading Times for six weeks with a corresponding ad on the internet, not even a call. Two weeks ago I again advertised in the Trib got 2 calls, both said they would call back and never did. I also put a notice on this forum and did not get a response. If someone has a sure fire way to get buyers let me know.

There was a thread about a month ago on the Reatta perchance to run warm in summer. I had the same problem , when it was over 90, the A/C on and rush hour traffic I would get up to the red mark on my 90 convt at which point I would turn off the A/C and suffer. Reading the thread didn't give much hope. I flushed the system, put in fresh antifreeze and a bottle of TOW COOL, about $7 at Pep Boys. It says, "Reduces operating temperture, prevents overheating, lubricates the system and improves air-conditioner performance." It has only been a week, but it seems to work. I am using the same 195 degree thermostat as before, the air temp has gone over 90 and everyday is rush hour traffic in Chicago. The temperature needle has stayed a steady straight up. Don't know for sure if it is the Tow Kool or the flush job, but for $7 it is worth a try.

Don't know if my trials and tribulations will help, but here goes. I own a convertible which is prone to leaks. I swore I had a gremlin in the car because different electrical problems kept poping up. After a terrible rainstorm I had wet carpets so I took out the carpet. There is a channel under the carpet padding at the very bottom of the floorboards. Inside this channel is about thirty wires and mine were submerged under water. Many were corroded which led me to believe water has been getting in there for a long time. I had to splice new wire where the old ones were completely fallen apart-no easy task, but it did solve ninty percent of my problems.<BR>I wish you good luck in finding your problem, they can be stinkers to hunt down.

I too would be interested in the tape and manual if its a reasonable cost.

Same thing happen to me. Check the channel the window rides in at the front edge of the glass, the one right behind the quarter window. Mine was crimped causing the glass to bind

I had mine switched over by a local garage and I am disappointed, wish I would have never had it done. R34a does not cool as good as the old R12. Unlike new cars, the system was not designed for it.

I agree with Jerry. Make sure your car is level. I got a low oil light every morning only because I park off the side of the drive at night so my wife could park next to me. It drove me nuts until Jery advised parking at a slant will do it.

Found this ad while surfing the internet. 1991 Reatta convertible for sale 33k miles white with red trim, white top. CD player, showroom condition. asking $16,000 Go to <A HREF="http://www.pacars.qc.ca/reatta.htm" TARGET=_blank>www.pacars.qc.ca/reatta.htm</A> <BR>to see ad.

Well, so much for the idea that Buicks are only owned by a bunch of old geezers, there are quite a few of you still wet behind the ears. Of course when you hit the 60's (I'm 62)anybody less than 50 is wet behind the ears. Bought my Reatta coupe in 98 and the convt in 2000.