reattadudes

you might want to check with Pilkington Classics in Columbus, Ohio. they had eight rear windows in stock last year. you can reach them at (800) 848-1351. they also have new windshields in stock. they carry stock number DW1072, and as of last week, they had 192 new windshields available. they do runs of 400 windshields at a time, and will manufacture more when necessary. Mike buickreattaparts.com

Kevin, you have several choices here. I would first suggest you contact the guys at Pilkington Classics at (800) 848-1351 to see if they have an NOS rear glass in stock. they had a few still available last year. they are in Columbus, Ohio. the rear glass is somewhat year-specific; the 1988 models don't have an antenna built into the rear glass, as they did not have keyless entry. the 1989-1990 models have a large retangular keyless antenna in the top of the rear glass. the 1991 models have just a short stub (about 4 inches) embedded in the top of the glass for a receiver. in a pinch, the 1989-1990 glass can be substituted, as the antenna connection is in exactly the same place in the center. there are several issues with replacing the rubber gasket. first, look at the lower corner in the front. there is essentially a 90 degree angle there that the molding won't be able to go around. the biggest issue will be when you open the trunk, and look at how big the molding is below the rear window. I don't think this could be duplicated with any stock molding. having someone pull the glass can be scary. the problem with most glass technicians is that they are trained to pull broken glass, and have no knowledge of pulling glass in one (unbroken) piece. the company we use spends about three hours pulling a windshield, and it's very slow going. they use a piece of piano wire, with one person inside, and one outside. they go around the entire perimeter of the glass, a half-inch at a time. this is also how the rear window would come out. the encapsulation cannot be damaged. removal of the rear glass is even harder. the windshield is relatively flat; the rear window is more like a bubble. if you decide to go this route, I would suggest removing all the interior trim in the back, as well as the headliner, to avoid any trim damage. Mike buickreattaparts.com

Kevin, you raise some interesting questions. first, our leather packages are made to order, as there are so many different combinations. a lot of our customers select custom options, like full leather (no vinyl anywhere) or ultrasuede/leather combinations. this would be very hard to have on a shelf, premade. the company that makes our tops had a pattern already; we just added three important changes, and have an exclusive on them. they are also made to order, as there are many fabric and color choices. both of the items are relatively easy to create, once you have really great suppliers. the other items are a problem for several reasons. let's look at the top gaskets around the side windows of a Reatta convertible. there are six pieces in all, and the rubber itself is bonded to a metal backing plate that screws into the top frame. I've taken or sent these six pieces to three different rubber companies. they all said that the best method would be to offer a complete set, including the metal backing plates. just to get the inital R&D started (from the cheapest company) was over $40,000. and that 40K wouldn't have really produced a single set. using an estimated vehicle population of 2,000 convertibles, the cost (not including the R&D costs) would run about $800 per car. this would be our cost, not what we would sell them for; this would not include the amortization of the R&D costs. at this time, it's really cost prohibitive. as the value of Reattas increase, we estimate that within five years this project will be viable. all those gaskets for Chevys are very available because there are so many cars still out there, and many owners think nothing of dropping $50K-$100K for a restoration. so far in the last year, we've only had eight customers spend $20K-$40K (each) on their professional Reatta restorations, so we have quite a ways to go. we plan on having an excellent reproduction trunk gasket available in the next six months. this is much cheaper to manufacture than the top gaskets. every Reatta uses the same trunk gasket, and the vehicle population of over 18,000 will support and spread the R&D and production costs. we have targeted about ten items that we feel will be necessary to reproduce in the future, and we will be working on these. Mike buickreattaparts.com

all Reattas for all years were available with either black or color-keyed moldings. the reason for the choice was the fact that there was quite a bit of internal turmoil at GM about this. the powers that be (GM President Roger Smith) wanted the black moldings, as just about all GM cars of this era had either black or dark gray moldings or cladding. the management at Buick wanted the color-keyed moldings; compromise was reached by making the black moldings technically standard, with the color-keyed moldings (option code B84) a no-charge option. all TV and print advertising always featured the black moldings. the dealer needed to code the color-keyed moldings to get them; otherwise the car came with black. the factory order guides for all year Reattas have the comment, "recommended" next to the black molding choice. it seems the mix was about 50/50. the tension between Buick and GM concerning the Reatta was an issue from Day 1. Roger Smith envisioned a very basic car with over 50 options. the base car would have had 14" white sidewall tires with wire hub caps, a cloth interior with manual seats, and a vinyl roof. thankfully, the powers at Buick prevailed, and the car was introduced in 1988 with just about everything standard, and only two options, a sixteen way seat, and a sunroof, and no vinyl roof. Mike buickreattaparts.com

Greg, getting your sunroof to pop up correctly is a very easy fix. after your headliner is off, you will see four nuts in each corner of the sunroof. these are the sunroof adjustment nuts. they are easily distinguished by the rather odd-looking silver washers behind them. I would concentrate on the rear ones for the adjustment. try loosening them both slightly, and them see if the roof will open correctly. you will get it working perfectly thru trial and error with the adjustment nuts. if you're going to have your headliner recovered, it is also a good idea to have the inner sunroof panel recovered to match. to remove the inner panel, move the sunroof to the vent position. from the outslde, starting in the front, gently pull down on the inner panel from the sunroof panel. there are eight plugs that hold the inner panel to the sunroof. the plugs look like Parcheesi game pieces. if you're feeling really frisky at this point, get back in the car, and remove the six 10MM nuts that attach the sunroof outer panel to the sunroof assembly. with this off, you now have complete access to all the mechanism on the outside. you can use a shop vac to remove all the debris that will be in the rear section (this part is never fully exposed, due to the fact the roof does not open fully, by design), helping to avoid plugged drains again. be sure to also fully lubricate the tracks, hinges, pop-up mechanism, and air deflector assembly. your sunroof will now be working like new. Mike buickreattaparts.com

the headliner will need to be removed to do the job properly. 1) remove the body fuse (cavity #2) from the fuse box on the left side of the console, behind the carpeted door. 2) remove sun visors (3 phillips screws each), and unplug wire. 3) remove sun visor clips. 4) remove shoulder belt bezel and coat hook from both left and right C-pillars. pull C-pillar trim back on both sides. 5) remove molding from around sunroof perimeter. 6) remove lens from dome lamp. remove bulb. 7) using thin flat blade screwdriver, pull down on the two lock washers that attach dome lamp to headliner. Hint: put a piece of tape on the bottom of each stud. once the washers are loose, they tend to fly into an inaccesible place in the car. the tape will hold them until you can grab them. 8) starting near the rear window, carefully reach up between the headliner and the roof. there are six velcro strips that secure the headliner to the roof. two in back, one above each door, and two in the front. slowly remove them, and slide the headliner back, and out the door. THERE IS NO REASON TO REMOVE THE A-PILLARS. if you attempt to, they will many times break. 9) you will see four drain tubes, one in each corner; remove the clamp attaching each one, and blow them out with compressed air. the front tubes exit behind the front wheels; the rear ones, in front of the rear wheels. 10) check in the pan area around the drain tubes for any corrosion or rust thru. if any corrosion is evident, the sunroof assembly should be replaced. if your sunroof is still operational, this is a great time to grease the cables. the cables run in the slot in the chrome tracks on either side. white lithium grease works well. run the roof thru a few cycles to distribute grease. this is also a great time to replace the headliner if yours is bad. Mike buickreattaparts.com

Bob, I know they exist for several reasons. first, the facility in Sterling Heights that maintains the GM collection called us in 2005 for a part. they wanted a Polo green tonneau cover for a convertible. the photo I saw of the 46 executive cars in a group unquestionably had two green convertibles. as I mentioned, there were two black convertibles, one on either side. it was a sunny day, and the color difference was unmistakable. on a cloudy day, it would be more difficult to tell. I'm sure Ed spent a lot more time either in Flint or Detroit than he did at the Craft Centre; he lives here in Arizona now. most of the folks that worked on the Reatta project are certainly getting up in years at this point, and some memories have faded. Mike buickreattaparts.com

I think Barney's numbers are closest the the actual number of Reattas that GM has in inventory. we have a private company as a customer in Sterling Heights that maintains the inventory (I should clarify here that there is a difference between the Heritage Collection and the GM general inventory) has repeatedly told me they have 11 Reattas in the warehouses, including two green 1991 convertibles. what is most surprising is how many parts this company buys for these "new Reattas" from us. we've sold numerous complete front and rear bumper assemblies, grilles, hoods, and fenders. and just as HandBlt pointed out, the cars in GM's inventory aren't exactly treated with kid gloves; they're just units. they must play a lot of "bumper cars" in there. there were also an additional two green convertibles included in the 46 that were put into GM executive service (these were the #2 cars of the 305). these 46 were put into GM executive service, and sold to GM employees in a lottery-type system when they reached 7,500 miles. I have seen a photo from a GM employee who was there the day they had the sale of these 46 cars to GM employees. the "group photo" clearly shows two green convertibles right up front. there is a black one on either side, and clearly a color difference between the black and green. I believe there were about ten green convertibles in total produced. many have doubts about that, but need to understand that if a GM executive wanted something, they got it. they had a car to build at the Craft Centre; they had the paint. it was pretty easy to put the two together. there are also numerous Reattas that have not just off-standard combinations, but also exterior colors that were off-standard. we have a new customer in Palm Springs that has a beige 1990 convertible. I've heard about this car numerous times from other customers in Palm Springs over the years. the beige convertible owner just ordered some parts a few weeks ago. the gentleman who owns the car had a brother that worked at the Craft Centre, and the convertible was painted GM Code 57, Camel Beige, to match their 1990 Park Avenue. his brother told him there were 10-20 cars per year that were painted in non-standard (to the Reatta) colors, with White Diamond being the most common. having the Craft Centre plant manager, program manager, and chief engineer as customers has given us a lot of insight into how things were done. unlike most other plants, things at the Craft Centre were played fast and loose. VINs are not even close to being sequential, and they went far out of their way to build whatever the customer wanted. if these changes didn't have proper GM codes, then so be it. the factory installed custom exhaust systems on Frank Sinatra Jr's three Reatta convertibles immediately come to mind, as well as the Maui Blue/ white leather convertible we sold at Barrett-Jackson in 2003. there was not a Reatta code for white leather standard (non-16 way) seats, so it rolled off the line with a standard Sapphire Blue code for the seats. no worries. another "new" Reatta convertible not to be forgotten is the one that should be in the Oldsmobile Museum in Lansing. from all accounts, this was a very low mileage (less than 500 miles) Lemon Law Buyback (cowl shake) that was the last remaining Reatta when the Craft Centre was gearing up for production of the EV1. it was way in the back of the warehouse. they didn't know what to do with it, so they gave it to the museum. ...and one last thing about "desirability". beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, and history should teach each and every one of us that. the real truth is that Reattas were a real hard sell in the market after the first year. I'm sure there were many who maintain the GM collection who asked why they would save so many Reattas back in 1991. do you suppose the same question was asked when they saved 1957 Chevrolets (after all, cars "just got better evey year", right?) when those new-and-improved '58's came out? what about the 1969 Camaro? when the 1970 1/2 Camaro came out, the '69 looked positively ancient. why save this car? yet today, the '69 is one of the most coveted of all Camaros, not the '70 1/2. perhaps that Aztek will be the featured vehicle in all the Barrett-Jackson glossy advertisements in twenty years, and sell for millions. Mike buickreattaparts.com

I haven't posted here in literally years, but after receiving quite a few calls from customers about this post, I felt compelled to respond. I certainly understand how 2Reattas feels. he comes here for some help and advice, and what's the first thing he encounters? ridicule. I've encountered exactly the same thing here myself. let's trash the guy because he didn't elaborate very well! perhaps we should send him to detention because he didn't use the proper "Reatta for sale form". where is that nun with a ruler? let's ignore the fact that he has two very desirable cars; he's a stranger that didn't present them properly. talk about cutting off you nose here. over the course of almost ten years I've been selling Reatta parts, I've seen many strange Reattas. for a few years, I reported and discussed them here on the forum. after getting "kicked in the teeth" by the ringleader here, I finally decided that enough was enough, and just walked away. I can't recall how many times I was trashed, and basically called a liar, because I was reporting something that was out of the norm. I've personally seen 183 brand new Reattas (and estimate there are about 400), and reported this right here on the forum years ago. result? ridicule! where are the VIN numbers? I have a hard and steadfast rule when it comes to cars that I've been given the priviledge to see: THEY ARE THE PROPERTY OF SOMEONE ELSE, and I have no right to be poking thru them, or writing anything down. as a matter of fact, many of the owners have specifically said they wanted no one else to know anything of their existence. I have complete respect for that. I consider it an honor that they even let me see them. anyone fail to understand that? it's always a real thrill to see these cars. I've seen 13 Reattas (all new) in a climate-controlled building made just to house them in the Cleveland area, and even found two new 1991 black/flame red, consecutive serial number convertibles up on blocks, in the back of a GM dealer in very rural Kentucky. they're everywhere, and you never know where you will find them. "new" Reattas sell occasionally, and almost always very privately. we had a customer in Central California pay $67,000 a few years back for a new (30 miles) black/burgundy 1990 convertible, and someone pay over $80K for a new 1991 (8 miles) convertible last year. there is a whole world about Reattas beyond this forum, as there are many folks who don't know about it, or don't care to learn about it. don't believe it? how many regular posters here? 30? 50? and 18,000 Reattas still on the road. where are the rest of the folks? eBay should not be used as a determination of value for anything, unless you're interested in getting about 20-30% of your car's real value, or getting a great bargain. we participated in helping 93 customers in the past year get insurance settlements for accidents they were involved in. the average settlement value for an '88-'90 coupe (70 of these) with 170,000 miles in average condtion? $7,230. 1990 convertibles (9), 100,000 miles, $19,820. 1991 convertibles, (2) 42,000 miles, $28,200. 1991 coupes, 85,000 miles (12) $14,230. don't believe it? just check the Old Cars Weekly Annual Value Guide, the CPI Guide, or even better, call a collector car insurer like Haggerty, and ask them the value range for the Reatta for their basic insurance. not a $3,500 value to be seen; more like $8,000-$10,000 for an average 1988-1990 coupe...and it only goes up from there. we've seen insurers even step out of these parameters. we had an 1989 Reatta (140,000 miles) in Kansas last year that State Farm paid out over $12,000 to repair at the insistence of the owner. she had driven under a semi, and the car stopped two inches in front of the windshield. everything short of the engine had to be replaced. her husband offered her a new Lexus, and she wanted her Reatta repaired; no Lexus. by the way, this car did not have 'stated value' coverage; just a very determined owner, and a great agent. we had a USAA claim on a 1991 convertible in South Carolina that had been hit front and rear. the damage was so bad we just sent a convertible rolling shell down so they could cut it up any way they needed. total cost of the repair? over $25,000. and it was repaired. no such value? I think not. if these cars had as little value as many think here, I wouldn't be in business, or anyone else that sells Reatta parts. the low values would mean that just about all cars would be totaled; none repaired. this would depress values even further. thankfully, this is not happening in the real world. contrary to what many folks here think, this is an absolutely terrible place to sell a Reatta. lots of chatter, lots of "would you sell that little plastic piece behind the..." the person just wants to sell a car, not parts. I can remember a Reatta for sale here on the forum; I believe it was around Memorial Day of 2003. the car was in the Austin, Texas, area, and the guy wanted a whopping $150 for the whole car. while the pros and cons of the car were endlessly discussed here (along with the obligatory "wouldya sell the...", we had the car paid for, and on a transport truck. I think there should be some very serious soul searching that should be done by some of the ringleaders here. I've said many times that the politics of IN-clusion works a hell of a lot better than the politics of EX-clusion. don't believe it? how many people are in the Reatta club? 400? and 18,000 Reattas on the road? let's look at the Chrysler TC Maserati Club in comparison. total production, 1989-1991, 7,260. total vehicle population today (est), 3,000. total membership? over 900!! could it be that they practice of the politics of IN-inclusion? could it be that they make the event fun? could it be that they have people's choice awards (NOT 400 point judging)? could it be that they don't get points knocked off for not having the corect valve stem caps, or the "correct" original twenty-year-old tires? who would want to drive on twenty-year-old tires, anyway? could it be that they give awards at the last night's banquet (as well as the results of the judging, NOT two weeks later), awards that include things like the car with the most potential, car with the best modification made (Horrors!!), and who drove the furthest, person who has attended the most...think IN-clusion, not EX-clusion, folks. the survival of this club depends on it. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

there is no equivilent aftermarket replacement for the velour carpeting used in a Reatta. the only other car that used a similar quality carpeting was the Allante. you are in luck, however. someone has reproduced the saddle carpeting in a kit. this is the ONLY color available. contact Alan Faircloth at www.carmotorsports.com for more information. he sells the complete kit, which includes the floor carpeting (molded, as original), the rear section, and the console/door pieces, too. the aftermarket stuff is all junk; the aftermarket cut-pile carpeting turns green in about six months. Mike

for some reason, this is a common misconception. the Reatta windshield comes to sharp points at the upper corners (this is much more apparent when out of the car), and the Riviera has rounded corners. the Reatta glass also has the encapsulation bonded to the glass at the factory; the Riviera has the encapsualtion added when the glass is installed, as per standard GM practice. as Howard mentioned, many parts are shared with the Riviera, including front suspension, drivetrain, dash, and console. but that's about it. Mike

you'll really enjoy your Cadillac. in my experience, the Northstar engine is absolutely indestructible. I owned a livery (car service) business for eight years. instead of the normal (and troublesome) Town Cars, we used white diamond Cadillac deVilles exclusively. we bought ten at a time, and replaced them every two years, when they had about 350,000 miles on the odometer. I'd love to tell you about problems, but we never had a single one of any kind. not one transmission, A/C compressor, starter, or water pump. we always followed a schedule 6 Government maintenance program (3,000 mile oil changes, 25,000 mile transmission fluid changes), but 350,000 miles in two years is still a lot of driving. our average fuel economy was about 22.3 miles per gallon. my present deVille (2003) is following in the same foorsteps as it's predessors. it just reached 100,000 miles, and the only thing I've been back to the dealer for is oil changes. just drove it today, and the average (not instant) fuel economy is sitting right at 27.2 miles per gallon. Mike

Dave, it would not make any sense to convert a system already designed for R-134 to R-12. however, it would really make a difference as to where you live. if you have a vehicle originally designed for R-134, take a look at the condensor in front of the radiator; now compare that to a vehicle originally designed for R-12. you will find the R-134 condensor to have roughly twice the number of cooling fins and tubes as the R-12 vehicle. this is because the R-134 is not nearly as efficient as the old R-12; hence all the extra cooling capacity for the R-134. in most climates, a 134 replacement will work just fine. for those of us that live in hot climates, it just doesn't work that well, especially at low speeds. why? it's those darn cooling fins; they just can't cool the less-efficient R-134 fast enough. if you have an average hot and humid summer day in the midwest, the temperature is usually somewhere between 85 and 90 degrees. for us in the desert, our temperature on an average summer day is thirty degrees warmer than that. that R-12 makes a big difference. Mike

I have dealt with coolparts on eBay many, many times. not one single problem; very fast shipping...and they do have a 100% feedback rating. Mike

your entire top is essentially loose. I would try adjusting the rear pins first. they are easy to access, and screwing them in a few turns will pull the whole top tighter. this should eliminate the squeak. Mike

you might want to rethink changing over to R-134. it's not as efficient as R-12, especially on cars not designed for it (like the Reatta). I would check with A/C (only) shops in your area, and see who still has a supply of R-12. I had the system on my 1988 Reatta evacuated and recharged with R-12 a few months ago for a cost of $168. this was considerably less than the $500 I was quoted for a (proper) changeover to R-134. either way, don't make this a "do-it-yourself" job. I really learned my lesson about this; air conditioning service entails a lot more than just throwing a few cans in the system till it's cold. the biggest issue is overcharging; this can have catastrophic results, with blown lines and compressor seals. another advantage of having your system professionally serviced is being able to detect leaks. after the refrigerant evacuation is complete, the machine runs on a "deep vacuum" cycle. if any leaks are present, this will be the time it shows. this is especially helpful on a car that is "new to you". Mike

some tips on sunroof removal: -first and foremost, unplug the sunroof first. the plug is on the header panel, once the headliner is removed. it never fails that you have the entire sunroof cassette unbolted (and hanging on your head), and the plug is still attached. -before you start wrenching, see what actually holds it in. it's the two bolts on each side that hold the brackets in the roof. DO NOT remove the nuts with the slotted washers behind them; these are there to adjust the sunroof fit, and for proper opening and closing operation. -as Barney mentioned, be sure to blow out all the drain lines. -this is a great time to replace the headliner (if it's bad); you have to remove it anyway. be sure to NEVER remove the A-pillar covers. to remove the headliner, just remove the C-pillar trim (around where the shoulder belt comes out), pull the headliner down (gently) from the velco that holds it to the roof, and then slide it back. this way, you don't need to remove (and break) the A-pillar trim. we have seen a lot of really rusted roofs (the actual roof itself, not just the sunroof panel) like this one in the past year or so. so many, in fact, that we only have one rust-free one left. a lot of people are doing essentially "ground-up" restorations on their Reattas, and they just buy the entire roof, cut their rusty roof off, and weld the new sunroof-equipped roof on. I've delivered seven of them since January. it's very difficult to find rust free roofs. sunroofs always sell best in places that the sun doesn't shine often, and that usually means rust. Mike

save your money. the best I've found by far are the Kumho Touring 732s. you can find them on the Tire Rack web site for 44 bucks each. I've been buying them for five years now, and have replaced all the Michelins I've had with the Kumhos. no comparison! Mike

we have two brand-new 1988 (only) cloisonne hood emblems available. please email us for more information. Mike, buickreattaparts.com

I've seen hundreds of Reatta remotes from 1989-1991, and they ALL have the same FCC number; GLQ9Z61507. we don't sell any used remotes (an invitation to disaster, in our opinion), but we do recommend either www.remotesunlimited.com, or www.keylessride.com we probably send about thirty customers per month to these two sites (and with the above FCC frequency number), and have gotten nothing but compliments about both companies' quick service. not a single problem with the remotes working, either. Mike

those were most likely added. you will notice there is not a single Buick tri-shield emblem anywhere on a Reatta; only the Reatta script, logo, and "Reatta, by Buick" below the glove box. Mike

Kit, there is a simple reason your Craftsman's Log is not signed. the owner's manual portfolio you have is not the original that came with the car. I would say at least 30% of the Reattas produced went into demo serivce. why? with the exception of the early 1988 models, the Reatta (to put it politely) was not exactly a good seller. dealers would put them into demo service, take their mileage writeoff, and send them to the auction. my own 1990 Reatta met with this fate, shipped to auction with only 2,300 miles on the odometer. the owner's manual portfolios were probably still in the filing cabinets in the dealer's office, not in the car. when it was sold at auction, the new owners wanted a portfolio, so a replacement was ordered thru the parts department. Mike

Kit, these are easy problems. 1) turn signals. does the emergency flasher work? if it does, you need a new turn signal flasher. the 1990 turn signal flasher is up under the dash, near the steering column. emergency flasher uses a separate flasher unit. 2) fog lamps. check the fog lamp relay first. also be aware that the fog lamps only work when the key is turned to the "on" position. 3) get a service manual if you don't have one, and run a diagnostic test. it could be something else besides the cam and crank sensors that the previous owner replaced. Mike

Barney, thanks for verifying the information I provided. it gets a little frustrating trying to buy any of these lock parts. I went thru the exact same thing that you did; first to the supplier, who looked up all the parts information...and then told me I couldn't buy it directly! by the way, these lock parts are NOT common at all. the only other GM car that has a lock that remotely resembles it is the Chevrolet Beretta. Mike

Chuck, you're exactly right. most of the techs don't really understand how the system works, although it's kind of unusual to hear the about Schofield; they've been a Buick dealer since the dawn of time. technicians really don't do much troubleshooting anymore. it's just easier for them to just replace everything. you can't imagine how many dealers call us every week needing help to repair Reatta problems...and then charge the customer $90 per hour to repair it. Mike