Now, I have had *a lot* of GM vehicles in my day. I guess you could call us a GM family. To prove the point, let me tell you a bit of my car history (keep in mind that I am only 31).

Had in the past (I think the years are right...):
1983 Z-28
1988 GMC S-15
1990 Grand Prix
1991 Cavalier Z-24
1998 Lumina
2000 Cavalier Z-24

Currently own:
1982 Camaro (hubby's race car)
1983 Trans Am
1991 Beretta GTZ
2001 S-10
and, the topic of today's article, "Chippy" the 2003 Monte Carlo SS

Why is it named "Chippy". Because, this is the "chippiest" car I have ever owned. As you can tell, I have owned quite a few. I have worked at the same company for over 8 years, and I have lived in the same house for about 4 years. During those 4 years, I have driven (including this one) about 4 different cars and my husband has driven 2. He currently drives the S-10. This S-10 travels the same roads as I do. Why is that important? Because, his truck is in *much* better shape even though it has almost 3 times as many miles on it.

Obviously, there is something wrong with the paint (red berry metallic) and the glass that the windshield is made of. The paint (which is a new color this year) chips if you just look at it wrong. It has chips all over it (not just on the front as you would expect). It looks like somebody dropped a load of gravel on it. It's insane. I'll have to get it repainted in a year just so it won't rust out. I have *never* had this happen to a car before. And, my husband's truck (which travels the same roads) does not have this issue.

I have only had *one* other car that I have to replace the windshield in (which was a Jetta). Chippy currently has at least 6 major chips in the windshield and 2 of which are cracking. As soon as it got cold, I started getting a chip a day (little chips along with the bigger one). When the sun hits the windshield, it looks like there is rain on it due to the light reflecting off all the chips. So, why don't I just get it replaced? Ever see a car that has had a replaced windshield? They rust out around the windshield. When they take out the old windshield, they damage the paint around the area, then the new windshield is never sealed as well as the original, so moisture gets in there and rusts like crazy. Not good if you want to keep the car for a long time.

This all just really ticks me off. I love this car and wanted to keep it a long time. I would have never bought it if I thought that the quality of the exterior would be so low. Of course, this car has also had a couple recalls- one of which was on the users manual (that's a new one).

I think I will send this link to GM's (or Chevy's) customer service. Do I think that they will help me? Absolutely not. Why would they? They didn't seem to care that the dealership put a remanufactured alternator on my husband's 6 month old truck when the factory one failed or that we then had to get that reman part replaced again a year later when it failed. Why would they care about this? This "issue" doesn't even fall under warranty. All I can hope for is that they recall the paint, but that doesn't help me with the windshield.

I think that we may not be "GM" people for much longer. My husband can get a Daimler Chrysler discount...... Sigh.....

I think I may get a "HI! My name is "Chippy! ask me why!" sign made for my car. Considering that I drive over 100 miles a day, I bet a lot of people would see it and get the point, what do you think?