Oldsmobile Silhouette

dirkdaddy · October 2002

FYI -

I was concerned about a nasty sounding scraping noise from the rear drums every morning when we first apply the brakes out of the driveway. After a few stops, it went away.

I know enough about brakes to realize if it was really worn the thing would scrape all the time, but it still got my curious nature. Over the weekend I removed both drums and checked the brakes. Both sides were fine, with over 1/4" of lining left all around (drum linings don't wear evenly, so check all parts).

Just FYI, if you are experiencing some scrape brake noises in the morning, ignore them. But do check your brakes at recommended intervals.

FWIW - I find the brakes on the Van to be pretty darn good, realizing the mass we have to slow down. The assist is perfect (as in most GM cars), pedal firm, Front/Rear balance very good and the antilock is perfectly calibrated to only kick on when needed and not before (unlike a ford explorer I rented where it would come on too early and probably extended braking distances IMHO).

I don't know what GM is thinking deleting ABS on cars as a standard, I have used the ABS on van twice in a year and both times it really helped keep in under control in wet high speed near-maximum stopping (ignoramus avoidance). I guess the imports make you pay for it, so GM is doing the same and getting an extra $500 discount if you don't want it.

DD

artgpo · October 2002

Two weeks ago I bit at GM's 0/0/90 financing deal and bought a 2003 GLS. I bought through GM Buypower and got what I feel is a great deal. On top of the financing I got a $843 leather seat rebate and $500 Customer Cash. I took the 5/60 GM Master Guard extended warranty being offered to all new Oldsmobile buyers. Had I opted out of the warranty I would have gotten another $1,000 back.

So far I am enjoying the van. this is my fourth minivan and it seems to be the most comfortable one to date. We looked at the Town and Country, Windstar, Odyssey and Montana. All ride and handle similarly. The Olds was clearly the most luxurious.

This past Saturday we took it on a 700 mile ride. It ride well, is quiet and handles great. So far there have been two minor problems: one of the driver's seat memory buttons is not working and a hinge on one of the visors is broken. New parts are on order for both.

I bought the van despite poor reviews in the top consumer magazine. Carefully look at their frequency of repair numbers for the '01 and '02 Silhouettes and the Odyssey, their top minivan choice.

jrdwyer · October 2002

I've joined the leaking gasket crowd. Our 2001 Silo GL was starting to leak coolant with several drip marks down the side of the engine which were easily seen from the front of the engine bay. The van has 15,000 miles and is 14 months old. The dealer verified the leak with dye and a black light and then fixed the problem in 5.7 hours. We have been very happy with the van over the past year and hopefully the new gasket is better than the old one. If not, I'll likely see the dealer again before the 5yr/50k warranty is up.

tobiasson65 · November 2002

I recently purchased a 99 Premiere and the day after I took delivery, I noticed that when the engine turns over I hear a couple of clicks and then the sound of something spinning for a second or so. The noise comes from the drivers side of the engine compartment. I've tried to read thru to see if anyone else has had this problem but I'm only into the 300's!

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions before I call the dealer to argue for a free fix??

Thanks!

rawah · November 2002

Folks,

I have a 98 Olds Silo GLS. I am looking for the specs of the (upgraded) sound system in order to determine if I want to change it out to aftermarket. The dealer says they don't have access to the specs (parts or service), the Olds Customer Service number says they don't have access to the specs. The dealer says Customer Service DOES. Any ideas?

bob550k · November 2002

We have the optional sound system in our '99 and it's pretty poor. You'd think the premiere package would have a great sound system (at least as good as the one in a Suburban or Tahoe) but it doesn't. My wife doesn't care so I won't be upgrading it. I'd go so far as to say it is one of the worst sound systems I have heard in a car that was well over $30,000 new. In defense of the car I will say all of the sound systems I heard in the mini vans were pretty bad, but that's no excuse for what is supposed to be one of the most luxurious mini vans available. I'd go aftermarket.

CapeCod · November 2002

I recently noticed my a/c heater blower seems weak? Fan seems to be running fine....
I pulled the cabin filters...
Cleaned them out with a vacuum cleaner.
I think it made a difference ?????
Still not as strong as I expected ?
Does Silh have history of blower problems?
Should I pull the filters completely as a no restriction to air flow test ???
Could there be a problems somewhere else ?

jjkewl · November 2002

Have you checked the coolant level ? I got the same problem and when the dealer checked it out, it's the famous coolant leak problem. So they replaced the lower gasket and flushed the coolant. The coolant reservoir actually doesn't indicate if you have enough coolant so have a mechanic or dealer check it.

nkairns · November 2002

I have a 99 Silo with 68000 kms. I've also developed the dreaded coolant leak problem. The van is no longer under warranty but I called the local chev olds dealer anyway. He took the VIN of the van and called GM. GM said they would make the repair (approx $800.00)but only charge ne $100 + tax. I assume it's because I'm barely over the warranty.

If any of you have the same issue....contact your local dealer and see what they can do for you. Mine goes in Monday for the repairs.

nkairns · November 2002

If anyone here has lost or broken their keyless entry remotes. Go to www.keylessride.com

These guys have all the remotes for all the cars. They are factory units at decent (way below dealer charges) prices. They come with technical help (phone and written programming instructions).

I order one last week, received it and programmed the new one as well as my last existing one in less than 2 minutes.

smuvej · November 2002

We're planning to buy a minivan because we're expecting our third child (all three will be in car seats). Plan was to buy used because we'll put relatively few "around town" miles on it and new ones seem to depreciate so much. But a new Silo GL at $26,318 (Edmund's TMV), less 3000 customer cash (in lieu of 0% financing), 1500 loyalty rebate, (and a separate $750 GM rebate from a class action settlement on our 96 Tahoe), comes to $21,068. Edmund's shows a used 2001 Silo with 25000 miles from a private party would be about $14,000. The $7000+ difference is a lot of dough but a brand new van with 5/60 protection seems worth it. Any thoughts?

artgpo · November 2002

With new you get the 5/60 warranty (or another $1,000 back) and you know the history of the vehicle.

I have a 2003 GLS with 1900 miles so far. The van rides nice is fairly quiet and luxurious. I was very leery of buying a GM van but read everything I could. When comparing Consumer Reports frequency of repair records for the Silhouette and Qdyssey I found very little difference. In fact, the 2002 Silhouette appears to be just as reliable if not more so.

As for my Silhouette I found two minor defects: A broken #1 seat memory button and brolen hinge on the passenger side illuminated visor mirror cover. Both parts had to be ordered and were replaced just this morning.

jdstuber · November 2002

I agree. There is a lot to be said to knowing the history of a car. For example, my wife has a Nissan Maxima that we bought used, and for being one of the more reliable cars made, we have had a number of problems. And then I had a '94 Ranger that I bought new and put 200k miles on with not a problem. I'm a firm believer in my own maintance. But then, the problems that GM seems to have are with the "special features" and not usually drive train related.

But anyway, my opinion as to whether buy new or used. This opinion is only true for the phenomenal deals that you can get in the current market for domestic vehicles (i.e. Oldsmobile).

We recently purchased a 2003 GL with a sticker of $29k. I work for a GM supplier so that took 3k off, 1,500 rebates, $2k from GM card earnings, and the 0% financing (I suggest to run the numbers, depending on the standard interest rate you could get and amount of time you plan keeping the vehicle, this is usually the best financial decision).

So all told, after trading in the Ranger and calculating the cash equivalent of the 0% financing, we paid in the neighborhood of $19k. And to me that few thousand extra is worth the 5 years or 60k miles of (hopefully) worry free driving.

bob550k · November 2002

We bought a used van for about half off the original window sticker. The van is a nearly loaded car except heated seats and 16" inch wheels. At 2.5 years old with 22,000 miles the car was still under factory warranty so we still had the option to extend the factory warranty or buy any other after market warranty. I really wanted the heavily optioned car, I didn't extend the warranty and I got 0% financing that was offered on a credit card (with no points or finance charges). Tough to beat that! The Premiere package is a great option group, the kids love the entertainment center and it sure is easy to get the gummy bears off the leather.

We've had the van for over a year, I put front tires on it, front brakes and did the 30,000 mile service. The van has 35,000 on it now. We had two warranty claims before the warranty expired, a broken power window switch and a rubber seal on the power door was damaged, that's it. If the intake manifold gasket goes bad it'll run under $800, far less than the $2,500 for the extended GM warranty so I'll take my chances there.

Oh yeah, if you go used the General tires are terrible so plan on replacing at least the fronts so the car won't shake. And beware of the 18 month old GL and GLS models with 18,000 to 28,000 miles as many are rental returns. Take your purchase to a mechanic and have it looked at and you can call GM warrany line with the VIN and they will give you the warranty history of the car.

Good luck.

tauberj · November 2002

I experienced the same problem with the driver's seat heater. The heating element shorted out and was replaced by the dealer under warranty. I asked to see the old one and there was a small burn mark (not substantial) where the short occurred. Hope this helps.

tauberj · November 2002

I have a 2000 Silo with 28K miles. The warranty will be up on December 1. My wife drives the vehicle mostly and in the last two weeks has told me of two things which occurred. The first was the power sliding door buzzer sounding while she was driving the van. This happened once before about two years ago before we had the two recall services performed on that door. The other thing she mentioned last week was that the horm would not work. I tried it and it worked fine.

Has anyone experience the horn problem, in particular? Thanks for your help! :-)

jjkewl · November 2002

You might save a lot of money by buying used. With Oldsmobile gone by 2004 it is expected that the depreciation will be terrible. Ask the buyer what's the reason why he's selling the van, if the reason is fair enough then go ahead with the purchase. Buying new doesn't really guarantee that it's worry free even if you have 5yr/60K warranty. You can buy GMPP for $1000+ for a 6yr/75K coverage. Used vans are worth the money since they are not really abused as compared to sedans and SUVs. Even if it's a rental they are still worth the money. Have you seen rented (or not) vans being driven off-road or involved in car racing ? Typically drivers tend to drive carefully when the whole family is at stake.

I have similar experience with the General Tires and brakes on Silos, by 30K you have to replace them.

bob550k · November 2002

Having been involved with a major rental fleet I can say that I have seen any type of car used for anything you can think of. How about a Porsche used for off road? A Toyota Corolla that was rolled and repaired by the employees and returned without telling the boss? And when they get wrecked you know only the best repair shop is used... While the cars in our fleet were maintained only because I had a say in the matter, I believe there are companies that do ZERO oil changes, 40,000 cars in the fleet, no $35.00 every oil change ever times 40,000, do the math the savings are huge. Rentals are scary in my book, especially those from Hawaii, the road to Hana is pretty bumpy and the salt over there eats them alive. The used rentals from Hawaii are shipped to the main land for resale.

GMPP for $1,000? It may be available for the first year of ownership to the original owner but it goes up from there to about $2,550 for 6/75,000 for the second owner.

You are right on about the depreciation, our premiere was $18,000 with 22,000 miles 2 1/2 years old, it can only go to $0 and we'll get 130,000 out of it by then. I felt I was taking advantage of the "end of Olds" panic depreciation. There are so many nice trade ins at the dealers due to the 0% financing.

dirkdaddy · November 2002

Everyone else has valid points as noted above this post regarding your question of new vs used $7K difference.

I'll add my 2cents that it depends on the type of person you are. If everything has to be perfect and you're really anal about things, if you keep a vehicle a long time, you might be better with a new car.

However, if you're willing to accept some minor annoyances such as marks on the rugs, small paint chips, windshield dings, possible repairs like battery, tires, etc a used vehicle can be a great bargin because of the steep depreciation curve.

I knew we are hard on the interior of vehicles by not cleaning as much as I should and since I'm pretty good car mechanic I dont mind doing minor repairs, I got a '98 GLS Ext with everything exc. sunroof for $11k US, which to me was a steal.

I've had some things to fix like Tierod ends, brake rotors and pads, and a battery, but its been a great vehicle.

Dirk Daddy

vistacruiser · November 2002

Is one of the symtpoms of this intake-manifold leak a noticeable coolant smell (a sweet, formaldehyde-like scent) coming from the heater vents, particularly during hard acceleration?

nkairns · November 2002

Vistacruiser

I didn't notice a smell coming from my vents. My coolant leak was in the very early stages. The easiest hint you'd have of the leak is to open your hood. Look on top of the motor at your manifold on the right. There is a small bolt there (to the left of your aircleaner). The bolt is in a small depression and in this depression pools the coolant. For some reason, in the early stages of the leak the coolant is only visible on a cold engine.

Rest assured, if you see coolant there, the problem will only get worse. An external leak you can live with if you don't mind topping up your resevoir. However, if the coolant gets into your oil, you've got major headaches

Norm
Montreal Canada

CapeCod · November 2002

Would any of the radiator leak stops help with the leak if it is still minor ????
Or just another waste of $$$$
I used a leak sealer on an engine one time...
I swore it actually made the leak worse !

nkairns · November 2002

I've never tried any type of "stop leak" product. I don't think they hold much weight. New gaskets are the only way to go in my opinion.

indrgb · November 2002

I have used coolant leak stop products 2X in my life. The first time it didn't help. The second time it plugged the radiator so badly I had to flush it 3X to clean it. I followed the directions carefully both times. Has anyone ever used one of these products successfully? If so, what was the name of it? I can't remember the name of either one I used.

bob550k · November 2002

If the smell is real strong when the heater is on it's likely that you have a leaking heater core, check the floor mat its probably wet on the passenger side. If it's an external leak you would smell it most of the time, acceleration (creates heat and more PSI in the cooling system) would force more coolant (or steam)out through the leak and the smell could be stronger. If the leak is internal you wouldn't smell it until it was real, real bad. The intake manifold can and will leak either internally or externally. The cooling system is easy to check out, the radiator shop will put a pump on your cooling system, pump it up and look for the leak. If it is not obvious there are a few other tests they run, i.e. check for exhaust in the coolant, check for coolant in the oil etc..

There is one stop leak product I've used a few times that has stopped radiator leaks, heater core leaks etc... I'll get the name for you. If you use the wrong product is messes everything up and shuts your cooling system down. It's a temporary fix either way and if you plan on keeping the car have it fixed right.

I'll try to post the product name tomorrow.

Martypa · November 2002

I traded in my 00 Silhouette Premier in favor of the Odyssey. I loved the van, but the list of minor and possible major problems were impossible to ignore. Ball joints replaced at 18k, needed again at 38k. Multiple problems with trim pieces falling off. Vacuum pump in transmission replaced 4 times. The final kicker for me was the warranty. I had the misfortune of purchasing mine 10 days before GM announce that they were phasing out Oldsmobile and offering the 5/60 warranty so my vehicle wasn't included. I attempted to resolve my repair issues with customer service, but they were quite rude. I notified the service dept. at my local dealer that I was trading my vehicle in for a Honda, and that my previous 5 new cars were all Oldsmobile. It was only after the service manager called Olds and passed along that information that the customer service rep called back blabbing that she now wanted to "work with us" and not consider buying the Honda. It was too little too late.

In all fairness I think we just got a lemon. There were many things wrong with it that I don't have time or space to mention. Our previous Silo went to 125k without a problem. If Gm extended the same 5/60 warranty to me I would still be driving my Olds. I may consider GM again in the future, and would even recommend the GM vans to anybody looking, but it will be a long time before I forget all of the problems I had with my Silo, and the poor customer support from Olds. BTW, my van had just turned over 40k.

dlubin · November 2002

How badly did you get hammered on your trade-in??

artgpo · November 2002

I have owned my '03 Silhouette for over a month and 2,200 miles. So far, so go. I did have two minor problems under the "fit and finish" heading. First, the #1 driver's power seat memory button did not work. #2 was a broken hinge in the illuminated visor mirror cover. Both required parts to be ordered and replaced. Other than those items I have noticed nothing else. I enjoy the ride, handling and power.

This is our 6th minivan and the jury is out. I can relate my prior experiences with the others, all bought new:

1983 VW Vanagon air cooled, 9-passenger. The VW service manager and I became good buddies. What didn't need repairing?

1987 Nissan Van. A dangerous fire hazard all of which were bought back by Nissan.

1990 Pontiac Transport. A very nice, comfortable people mover. Bought it the first year of introduction with very few problems.

1994 Dodge Grand Caravan. Pretty much a lemon to replace a lemon '93 Intrepid bought back by Chrysler.

1997 Ford Windstar. Very nice van but leased, a mistake on my part. I looked at the '03 Windstar and it is basically the same van.

We'll see about the Olds as time goes on.

dirkdaddy · November 2002

Congrats and join the club. While minivans are not a usual "gloat" item if you look at the old posts you'll see you made a good choice. Every vehicle will have some percentage with problems, but these vans are great workhorses and run well, while getting class leading fuel economy.

Based on my reading of the posts, you statistically may have a problem with power windows, the rear door grab handle may break (most recommend using the door itself to grab) and other minor issues, but the basic van is a good one. Some have minor coolant leaks after 70k miles, but the powertrain is otherwise pretty bulletproof.

I have a Olds too and think you got the best version :~)

DD

pfdsotm · December 2002

I have a 02 silhouette premier. On three occasions we have had the horn honk for no reason. One time I was driving down the road then my wife was driving the vehicle and the last time, tonight, my wife was sitting in the parking lot when it decide to just honk. Has anyone heard of this problem? Also I had the front drivers side head light bulb explode, latterly, there was glass and other stuff parts of the bulb all over inside the headlight assembly.

nkairns · December 2002

On occasion I notice a problem when my transmission is shifting gears. Sometimes the shift is not smooth (as normal) and is harsh, jerking from one gear to the other. The oil is clean (red and not burnt), can't feel any type of grit in the oil and it's at the proper level. I've experienced this situation twice in the past two months. Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be?

Norman
Montreal Canada

dirkdaddy · December 2002

I heard via a old post that the transmission harshness you sometimes feel is just some small component controlling the shifts is slightly worn, but it has no effect on durability of the drivetrain. I considered getting it fixed on mine, but I quickly blew it off. A dealer should be familiar with the problem, although I can't remember if there's a TSB on it, but I seem to think there was.

After it warms up it seems to be normal, so I ignore it.

DD

Martypa · December 2002

It may be related to a bad vacuum pump in the tranny. It fixed the same problem in our 00 Silo (at least until it went bad again-2 more times). It was part of the reason(s) we dumped ours with 41k miles. It was pretty annoying when it occurred, hopefully yours is still under warranty. Good Luck!

Marty

[Deleted User] · December 2002

2001 Premier about 45K. Bunch of minor problems including heated seats failing 3 times.

At about 35K the passenger sliding door would make creaking noises. This would occur even if you are not hitting bumps in the road. After taking it in, they replaced some seals on the door and it was ok for about another 10K. Now the noise is back and the power door is starting to make noises. Seems to get louder in cold weather like the door seals are loosing pliability. Anyone experiencing this?

We noticed on the 1999 models which my father-in-law has that the sliding doors are made different and their ride is much quieter. The rubber seal on the 1999 model is attached to the body frame and not the door. On the 2001 model it is attached to the door. We already had this fall off once and then have the door close on it rendering it useless so we had it replaced.

gm.

pkcicco · December 2002

I have a 2001 GLS with 13K and just began having problems with the alarm system. It goes off randomly day or night, in the garage or outside. It beeps the horn 5 times and then stops. As anyone else experienced this? The dealer can't figure it out.

In general, I'm a little disappointed in the van. To date I have had to have the following done:
-Recharge the AC
-Resurface the front rotors
-Replace the front tie rods
-Replace a headlight housing
-Have the power sliding door fixed twice.
-Replace 2 interior trim pieces.(they kept falling off)

Its a shame because the van is a great highway cruiser and a pleasure to drive. I had a 98 Silo before this one and it had alot of problems. I bought the 2001 because I liked the design, versatility, features and ride. I was hoping that being in its 5th year of production the bugs would have been worked out by GM. I'm sorry to say that if I pull out my 98's service records and I compare it to my 2001's I see a disturbing similar pattern developing.

I've heard the Silo is going to be rebadged as a Buick. Does anyone know anything about it?

funsterling · December 2002

My 2000 Silhouette, has just 38925 miles today

I had been thinking that I had make a good decision of buying this vehicle, until two weeks ago, low coolant level lights was on. Checked it out, low in coolant, added ¼ gallon coolant; two days later the lights came on again, added another ¼ of coolant; two days later the lights was on third time. There was no outside leaking sign, I realized that something definitely wrong. Along with this, the rear brake started to make noise before the vehicle stopping. Took to the Dealership, they told me, Intake manifold gasket failed causing coolant leaking into crank case, mixed with engine oil; and both rear brake cylinders leaking brake oil. Total repair bill: about $2000.00!

Fortunately I just bought a extended service plan from Warranty Gold in October, when the vehicle passed Factory bumper to bumper warranty. The policy I bought is 6 years (6 years from the data I buy the policy) or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first with zero deductibles. Warranty Gold paid $1,750 (much higher than the price of policy) plus three days of rental car. I paid the balance of $250, this is for the clean up the whole engine inside/outside cooling system.

GM does not backup their product or their customer!
My vehicle only had 38,600 miles at that time. I called GM customer service, I even spoke to the GM Customer Service Manager, her last name is Freeman. What I asked for was this major repair happened only 2000 miles after expired the factory warranty, it is a major defect of the vehicle. I want GM to cover my $250 clean up cost. As you may expect, GM refused to to so, they even blamed me for not taking vehicle to the Dealership earlier

I bought two GM vehicles so far, both are Oldsmobile. It is very likely to say, this is my last GM product.

Good luck.

pluto5 · December 2002

GM turned me down for an out of warranty alternator for the same reason, not using the dealer for maintenance/repair. I didn't take it to the dealer cause they wanted over $100 more for the repair and I do my own maintenance. BTW these so-called customer service mgrs are contractors; you are probably better off making your complaint thru a GM dealer who may go to bat for you especially if they think of you as a future customer.

So, if you need a $2,000 repair you can probably get it done for about $1,500 thru an independent shop.

Small claims court is still a good option IMO if you didn't have extended warranty. GM is still the largest car company in the world so you can't expect them to cover all the out of warranty claims they get.

rawah · December 2002

Folks,

Does anyone have the specs for the OLDS Silhouette (1998) premium sound? OLDS dealer does not have access, Olds customer service is of no help - refered me to Delco. Delco will not provide to a retail customer.

Any ideas? Cheers

artgpo · December 2002

GM is now providing a 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty on all new Oldsmobiles. It is unfortunate GM refuses to assist you with this problem that seems to occur with alarming regularity. I do believe they are no worse in this regard than any other manufacturer.

pluto5 · December 2002

Actually, I think that DC has been much more generous with out of warranty dollars. I got over $4K worth on one vehicle! Nothing from GM.

bamacar · December 2002

Even a failure rate twice that of normal may be seen as bad but not warranting special action for customers out of warranty, but this leaky gasket is another story. I have not nor have I heard of anyone having a leaky gasket in less than 100,000 miles on any other brand car or truck. On the other hand, I am not sure I have heard of any of these vans going 100k without a gasket being replaced. That tells me that this is a special case where GM should replace for free (or at least after 100 customer dollars) the gaskets out of warranty. I have a problem with the part failure, but I have an exponentially greater problem with way it is being handled by GM.

CapeCod · December 2002

1998 Olds Silh with 78,000 miles....
Heater has become very slow to heat especfially the defroster ! Usually my wife drives the van.
Today I got the heater to work by playing with the hot/cold dial. It seemed like the more I played with it the stronger the air flow ????
I noticed a huge difference in air flow.
Cold is quite strong while the hot setting drops by about 40 %. Is this normal ????
I have already changed the cabin filters...
topped off the antifreeze.
Any suggestions... besides a 20 minute warmup !

pathy58 · December 2002

To CapeCod, you may want to have the thermostat checked and check heater hose to make sure it is not pinched or plugged.

CapeCod · December 2002

Thermostat seems okay...
Guage goes upto its regular, below half,
guage position...
When I adjusted the warm/cold dial this morning I got what sounded like a flapping noise.
After I moved it back and forth 10-20 times the noise went away and flow of heat seemed better.
BUT shoud the hot setting have only 60% of the air flow of the cold position ?????
I once or twice had the a/c blow warm air only to have the problem go away. That time I was told a "door" might have been stuck open or closed because of humidity... sounded good... cheap to fix !

CapeCod · December 2002

For those of us dealing with manifold antifreeze leak... try visiting the GM triplet's site listed under Olds Silhoutte. They have a discussion re: ground up walnut product which GM used to put in for leaks. Seems they stopped the proceedure with DexCool. A GOOGLE search led me to a Cadillac discussion re: GM Cooling System Seal Tablets

part #12378254 Interesting !

http://caddyinfo.netgetgoing.com/howtosealantconfusion.htm

Think I may give my dealer a call re: magic tabs !

funsterling · December 2002

Thanks for all the advise! I will do some follow ups and post updates here.

paliwoda · January 2003

I have a 98 Silhouette and have the same problem with the reduced air flow in the warm position. I do notice that as the engine warms the airflow improves. We've learned to live with it since the dealer says that all these vans do that.

paliwoda · January 2003

I have a 98 Silhouette Premiere with the video entertainment package. I've never been happy with the sound quality from the rear speakers when the video is operating. I've had to have the video module replaced several times (the first time was a couple months after purchase) because the rear speakers kept cutting out. It tooka few months before the parts-swappers at the dealership finally replaced every component before figuring out it was the switching module. I would like to know if anyone else has this poor sound quality problem (lots of distortion), and if so, what they did to fix it. I have a 6-year, 100,000 mile bumper-bumper warrenty with no deductible (courtesy of GM for earlier engine problems) so would be quite willing to take it in for repairs if there is something they could do.

jeber · January 2003

palwoda: re. sound, if you've got the "cutting out" problem taken care of and its just distortion, I would say it sounds like just poor quality speakers (I used to be a car audio freak back-in-the-day). Factory speakers are often real bottom of the barrel garbage. You could probably get some speakers for $75 - $100/pair (of course the sky's the limit there) that would be a vast improvement. the aftermarket ones should probably screw in & connect to existing holes & wires. Of course, wouldn't probably be free warranty work at dealer, maybe you could get speakers & talk them into installing. If it ain't the speakers, maybe take it in to a specialty car stereo place, see if they can give some insight...of course they would want to sell you a bunch of new stuff, but I've occasionally run into some really helpful, knowledgeable people who can provide advice without trying to get all your $.

Curious as to what your "earlier engine problems" were...was it the notorious intake gasket leaking problem?

rjp7 · January 2003

Just started to see a few drips of coolant. Took it to the dealer and they did a pressure tests and claimed to replace the lower intake gasket at 34K miles. They recommended I replace the Dexcool and put in typical green antifreeze which they said sisn't have the issues with Dexcool. I did so after having the system flused by them. After 1 day, not I have green antifreeze drips. I aheb already called the dealer (left a message afterhours) My wife drove the car and noticed an engine noise (very faint) that we didn't notice before the supposedly gasket replacement and coolant replacement. I drove it and it is very faint. Could a GM tech be so incopetent so as to have replaced the gasket incorrectly and allow the green coolant to mix with the oil? I wouldn't have thought so, but????Also, not being an auto expert, I noticed on the sevice order they specifically replaced the lower gasket. Is there an upper one - the leak is on the passenger side. Any comments. Also I noticed Warranty Gold paid $1750 for a $2K bill. Is there a reason why? I bought a different extended warranty (I have 34K on the car it's not yet in effect). It is 1autosource with the zero deductable. Since I had to have the gasket 'fixed' before 36K, do I smell preexisting condition issues with my extended warranty if I have issues down the road after 36K?

Oldsmobile Silhouette

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