You Know You've Taken Your Fiero to the Wrong Repair Shop When:

1. They raise the front hood to check the oil.

2. They remove the plastic lug nut covers with an impact wrench.

3. They try to put a magnetic number (in the service area) on the roof of your car and wonder why it doesn't stick.

4. They put your front tires and wheels on the rear. (GTs and Formulas)

5. They don't know how to release the emergency brake.

6. They place a floor jack under the coolant pipes and BEND them.

7. You tell them the car is a Fiero and they say "A WHAT?"

8. The mechanic tells you "all of these Japanese cars are just alike".

9. The service manager tells you the clicking sound you hear probably means you need a new speedometer cable.

10. They can't find the battery.

11. The service manager shakes his head and tells you, "'cause these little cars are SO much different from what we usually work on it is going to cost you a whole lot more to fix!"

12. They try to sell you new front struts.

13. They tell you GM doesn't make parts for the car anymore.

14. They do a front brake job on your '88 and charge you for repacking the wheel bearings.

15. They can't find the air filter.(V-6 models)

16. They put five quarts of oil in your Tech-4.

17. They check the coolant level by removing the radiator cap with the back of the car jacked up.

18. Their service manager offers you a tune-up for $69.95 that includes "points, plugs and carb adjustment".

19. The alignment shop tells you rear caster can't be adjusted.

20. Nobody in the shop has the slightest clue on how to change a tail light bulb.

21. The guy at the quick oil change place tells you he topped of your power-steering fluid.

22. They say that you should have that knick on your hood touched up before rust sets in.

23. The mechanic points to the front of your car and says "How can you fit that thing over the engine?"

The Greatest Misconceptions About the Fiero

1. The guy you just blew away with your GT tells you at the next light, "You're car runs pretty good for a 4-cylinder!"

2. People think your car is a "death trap" since it's so small it couldn't possibly fare well in an accident.

3. People think your car is a new model. (We wish!)

4. People ask you what type of Ferrari you own. (My Dad had this happen to him!)

5. People think it's a very expensive car even knowing it's a Pontiac!

6. People still fumble with the pronunciation.

How to know if you are a Fiero enthusiast:

1.) Do you try to take curves in your Fiero without lifting off the gas?

2.) Do you park your Fiero, then turn around to look at it admiringly, as you wal k away from it?

3.) Does it make you nervous to have anyone work on your Fiero, let alone leave it with them?

4.) Do you own more than one Fiero?

5.) Do you own a Fiero or two for parts?

6.) Do you have a large supply of spare Fiero parts?

7.) Are you involved in a Fiero club? More than one?

8.) Do you participate in the Fiero Mailing List on the Internet?

9.) Does your wife/girlfriend/significant other regularly start a conversation with you by saying "I saw a Fiero for sale this morning" instead of "how are you honey?"

10.) Do you take your wife/girlfriend/significant other to a Fiero show instead to a nice restaurant for dinner?

11.) Do you wear Fiero shirts and/or caps a lot?

12.) Do you collect Fiero toys and/or literature?

13.) Do you collect any magazine with the words "Fiero" in it?

14.) Do you attend Fiero shows? Hundreds of miles away?

15.) Do you know what colors were produced in what year?

16.) Do you know how many yellow '88 GT's were made?

17.) Do you know which parts are discontinued?

18.) Do you know your primary Fiero parts store number by heart?

19.) Have you performed or know how to do all major repairs on a Fiero?

20.) Do you know the most popular Fiero options by code?

21.) When you go to sleep, do you dream about driving your Fiero on a curvy mountain road?

22.) Do you wash and wax your Fiero every Saturday?

23.) Do you wave at every Fiero that goes by?

24.) Do you look at any year Fiero, no matter how ratty or beaten-up it is?

25.) Do you have a heart attack every time some idiot employee at the oil change place tries to lift your Fiero up by the its plastic rocker panels? Afterwards, do you run up to them and yell like crazy?

26.) When people put down your Fiero, do you put up a battle of technical talk and shut them down, or do you take them for a ride and they end up leaving in total disbelief of Fiero can really do?