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Comments
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
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.
Anyone have any ideas or suggestions before I call the dealer to argue for a free fix??
Thanks!
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?
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 ?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Has anyone experience the horn problem, in particular? Thanks for your help! :-)
I have similar experience with the General Tires and brakes on Silos, by 30K you have to replace them.
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.
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
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
Or just another waste of $$$$
I used a leak sealer on an engine one time...
I swore it actually made the leak worse !
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.
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.
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.
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
Norman
Montreal Canada
After it warms up it seems to be normal, so I ignore it.
DD
Marty
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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 !
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 !
part #12378254 Interesting !
http://caddyinfo.netgetgoing.com/howtosealantconfusion.htm
Think I may give my dealer a call re: magic tabs !
Curious as to what your "earlier engine problems" were...was it the notorious intake gasket leaking problem?