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Comments
My 98 experiences the same problem... But it is one of those problems that I deal with and the dealership doesn't see a problem... It gets worse in Hot weather...
Also the problem with the brake grabbing... The 98 has that one too... Also the dealership does not see it as a problem either...
Mordecai
I've not had the pedal-sticking problem with my Aurora, but have with two previous cars, an '86 Olds NinetyEight and a '92 Infiniti Q45. Both times it had to do with sensors and/or the computer inputs/responses. On the 98 I had shop after shop grease everything they could find until one shop finally said "I know what it is" and he was able to fix it by reading the computer codes and re-programming some settings. On the Q45, I took it back to the dealer and they found a sensor somewhere in the throttle mechanism had simply needed "adjusting" and it was fixed (at no charge).
Isn't modern engine technology wonderful?
I have a 98 Aurora(or should I say my wife does most days...) It's diamond white with/neutral and has every option but the Bose stereo. We purchased it in March of 2000 with 36000 miles on it. It now has over 46000 miles on it and has had some of the common problems like the rear window trim, wind noise around the doors, etc. I took it to Talladega, AL a couple of weeks ago for the NASCAR races and on the way home to southern IN, the AC compressor locked-up. Luckily, it wasn't too hot and was fixed under our soon to expire factory warranty. We are trying to decide if we should purchase an extended warranty. We will probably keep the car at least another 2 years and have been pretty happy with it. I normally don't buy extended warranties on anything, but I know there are lots of things that can happen that aren't cheap to fix on this car. Any thoughts or info would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone purchased and/or made claims with the GM Protection Plan, warrantydirect.com, or warrantybynet.com? Thanks.
Light Teal Metallic,dark blue interior. Purchased for 22k in May 98 with 18k miles on it.
All options except Bose sound system and CD changer.
Repairs
1.Replaced the AC compressor under warranty in 99.
2.Replaced Fuel Pressure Valve: $300 in 2000
3.Replaced EGR valve which seriously effects how the car operates. That was summer of 2000 and cost $400.
Total repair costs out of pocket after 3 years:$700.
Routine Service
The car has 68k on her and I replaced the tires about 1 year ago. I put Yokohama Avid V4's on her and they are great. A far cry cheaper then the OEM Michelins, and from my driving experience, every bit as good if not better. BTW, tirerack.com.for those.
Tune-up at 50k
Brakes at 50k
Issues:
1. The old Service Engine Soon light is quirky and can come on for no good reason but is usually related to refueling, re fueling on a rainy day or whatever and goes off of it's own.
2.Occasionally starts with a thud, possibly engine mounts???
3.Sun glare off the massive dash surface combined with the steeply sloped windshield can be brutal.
4. The engine consumes a quart of oil almost every 1000-1200 miles. Although, it does not leak one drop of any fluid.
5.The universal garage door opener does not work with most rolling code technology garage door opening systems, so it's virtually useless. I believe this was corrected with newer models.
I keep thinking of getting a new car, but I struggle with the reason why I want to.
Few comparable cars out there are more comfortable and enjoyable to drive.
I put 72 miles a day of combined winding country roads and Interstate driving on this beast and it is a pleasure to drive and everything in/on it works.
I too debated the extended warranty issue at about 48k when the factory warranty was about to expire. I would recommend it to those buying the Classic these days. What the hell? You are paying so little for a great car a $1000 or so for some insurance is a reasonable bet. I would have probably bought an extended warranty at the time of purchase if I were to do it again. The peace of mind of having it should you wish to keep the car for 100K is worth the cost of the warranty or better yet if you can negotiate it included in the deal.
Overall, a decent set of wheels.
PS, if anyone else has noticed that thud or clunk when you turn the ingition(seems to occur only after it's been sitting all night) let me know.
Can anyone tell me the correct procedure for removing the rear deck to get to the speakers? Unfortunately, you cannot just remove the speakers from inside the trunk like you could with so many cars in the "good ole days".
Thanks...
to uhlme, try warranty gold. i got my 97 in feb. of 2000 with 37k miles. purchased a diamond plan from WG in aug., 2000 for $2000 that covers upto 150k miles and 5 years from time of purchase. WG has been great in handling 3 claims for me so far. new radiator, replaced alternator and replaced both front hub bearing assemblies. i now have 64k miles and will be looking for tires soon. has anyone ever hear of FULDA tires? they are suppose to be the best selling tires in germany. they are quite inexpensive, about $85 each for the classic. any suggestions?
I seen a Grand Am the other day and it looked like it had classic Aurora rims on it. Very strange.
I've noticed the weather makes my car run differently. The more humid it is outside the better my car runs. My friends noticed it too so I know it's not just me. Anyone else experience something like this?
I checked the price for the part alone at the time. I think it was some $200.00 so I wonder if we are discussing the same thing. I now know where it is located, not that difficult at all to get to. I researched it online at the time and I saw for about $200 as I mentioned.
The car would stall doing 80 on I-476. You lose power steering, power brakes, I would shift to neutral and restart on the fly, but the engine went into the survival mode. The dealer tracked it on the first try and it has never been a problem.
I can live with noisy window seals, but I can't live with a burned up transmission, or a blown engine.
The car drives well, sounds good, looks great and has been dealer maintained.
I just want to know if the '95 model had any particular problems... Any help is much appreciated.
BTW -- If I make this purchase, I'll be back for advice on upgrades/modifications
--j
Seegirt - Was it the fuel pressure regulator? When you take off the plastic shroud on the top of the engine it is on the reight side and the EGR is on the left (I think). I cant imagine paying $200 for an EGR valve but with these cars anything is possible.
Would you be interested in having your own space in our Owners Club section? (Your Bonneville 'cousins' seem to love theirs!)
For those who might not know, the Owners Club is a dedicated folder where you can have as many discussions as you would like. Take a look at some of them here to get an idea of the possibilities. You will see that the various clubs have separate discussions for things like introducing yourselves, posting pictures, maintenance issues and whatever other related topics the groups may find of interest.
This discussion will remain here on the Sedans board, but will be linked to the Owners Club folder as well, making it accessible from either place.
You can "subscribe" to the entire owners folder, which makes reading all the posts in the various discussions very easy to do. You will also eventually have the opportunity to have regularly scheduled owners' chats if you are interested in doing so.
Let me know if you have any questions. If this sounds like a good idea, just give me a couple of positive posts and I'll get the ball rolling.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
i would be very interested in signing up to an owner's club. it's a great idea.
please keep us posted as to when you set it up.
thanks!
IMHO.
Of course you can buy the part and replace it yourself assuming you have figured out what went wrong and what to replace to fix it.I guess if I knew that, I'd be mechanic.
The fuel pressure regulator...now when that was on the blink, the car ran once started, but was difficult to start and once it did, you saw and smelled it.
I want an Aurora and am considering a 98 with 100k "executive/highway" miles (Mileage doesn't scare me; my Lumina has 200k+). The price seems ok. It's loaded with every available option. Other than the fact that it's white, it's my dream car. Any thoughts or warnings before I take the plunge?
I think it was Henry or Zinc that mentioned checking the black plastic piece under the front bumpe for cracks/abuse. That will give you some sort of an idea as to how well the previous owner took care of it/drove it.
HIT
Most everything you could ask for in a car comes standard.
4.0 DOHC 32 Valve 250hp
The whole engine/tranny combo is perfection.
The doors look sweet when open due to the framless door.(not sure what to call it.)
Trunk hinges are mounted where it wont hit on objects in the trunk. (great for speaker boxes)
The battery under the back seat.
It's aerodynamic looks
The DIC.
The mounting posistion of the trunk release, fuel door, and the seat posistions.
Seats are comfortable and the middle console in the back is pretty nifty.
Ciggerette lighters in all ashtrays.
The leather or the side of the doors is cool
MISS
Back gets sweaty from the leather in the summer. A/C seats would be nice.
Middle console seems in akward place. Hard to organize things in there. (Maybe its just me)
front seat cup holders seem a little too cheap.
The tail lights dont light up all the way across. When lights are off dont really notice it.
The rear plastic blower directors broke in my car too easy. (I often have 5 people in my car.)
Would of been nice to be RWD.
Cant turn off a/c when front defoggers are on.
Cars wieght it a lil on the hefty side.
Would of liked to see a different option for rims.
I dont like where they mounted the speakers. Would of liked to see the tweeters in the dash or at least angled differently and 3 1/2's (I think thats what they are) mounted a little differently. (More angled towards the person sitting in the corisponding seat.)
Turning ratio could be a little better but not much
Magnasteer. Im the type of person that likes to feel the road. Can be a bit too easy to steer.
The seek button on the turning wheel - Can go up a track but not down a track.
Heated seats for the back passengers.
All Iv'e come up with for now. I have to get back to work or boss is gonna kill me.
Henry, I promise it won't be hard to keep up with the posts in different discussions if you just "Subscribe" to the whole Owners folder, then use "Read Subscriptions" to read the new posts.
It gives you an opportunity to have regularly scheduled live chats, if you want to do so. And a separate topic in which you can post pictures, which are then more easily accessible as time goes on. That would also be true for a maintenance topic or any other subdivision of this conversation you might choose to have.
As most of you have probably discovered, it is very difficult to search through previous postings here on our new platform. Many of the folks in the owners club are enjoying have smaller, more focused discussions in which to "store" information that can be easily retrieved at a later date.
Anyway, these are just my thoughts - I certainly don't mean to push anyone into anything you aren't interested in. Just feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
IMHO
By the way, are there any women in this forum???
Come on Ladies speak up!!!
I am about to do a front brake job on my 98. I checked at autozone, oreilly, etc.. and can get OEM rotors for about 40-60 bucks. On carparts.com, I found what look to be nice vented, hi performance rotors for about 120.
Should I expect to be changing rotors often? The only reason I have to change this one is that a pad or something broke and I now have a big gouge in the left front rotor.
Any ideas on pads as well. Thanks all
to Pat, I like the idea of an owners page. Another vote for yes....
i am also looking for front rotors and pads.i have a 95 Classic. i haven't been out pricing yet. my right front rotor is fine, but my left front is also gouged slightly on the outside only. i have found slotted rotors at RSMracing.com. they are 90$ each. i haven't seen anything yet on decent brake pads. please keep us updated as to what you find out.
thanks!
To you with the "autobahn package"....... If you want to hit 139mph, come to North Dakota. The highways, are with stretches of 30 to 40 miles, with no curves, no traffic, no stop lights, and hardly any highway patrol. The only thing you might have to watch out for, are the deer.
My first observations / questions:
-The car drives great. Engine is strong and pulls solidly and smoothly up through 90+ (haven't gone any faster yet).
-Gas mileage is not great, but not bad either. According to the DIC I'm getting about 21-22 at 80MPH.
-I had a fairly severe shimmy at speeds over 70. Went back to the dealer and they put on a new set of Continental ContiTouring(?) tires. Seems to have fixed it. Rock solid (if not somewhat softly sprung) at 80+.
-Bose stereo is excellent and the steering mounted controls make it real easy to manage around the cell phone (car kit mounted, of course).
-Seats are generally comfortable,-with every adjustment imaginable - but allow for little or no air circulation (see below)
-Brakes are excellent. Dealership put new brakes all around when I bought it. Pedal is solid and the car stops. quickly (especially for it's size).
-DIC is a GREAT TOY
Minor gripes / areas to modify:
-The car is sprung somewhat soft for my taste. Maybe the shocks are worn (51K miles)? It has the rear load leveling suspension so I suspect there aren't shocks back there. What is the recommendation for a good set of gas shocks up front? What can be done to stiffen up the rear?
-I'll probably replace the anti-sway bar w/ a '97/'98 set. Thanks Henri for that suggestion. I think with the stiffer ASBs and stiffer shocks, the ride will be much improved.
-After 3-4 hours in the car, the back of my pants/thighs are soaked w/ sweat from the seats. Very embarrising when you walk in to that important business meeting. :-( Does anyone have any recommendations for seat covers/cushions that might make it more comfortable without looking too bad?
- Yes, the cup holders are original and suck. Thanks again, Henri for the heads up. They're on my list to be updated.
-Front cover/bra. I've spent too much time already cleaning bugs and stuff off the front of the car, due to my highway driving. Anyone got a recommendation for a front cover or bra to protect the nose? Does oldsmobile sell one and/or do other companies make a custom fit for the Aurora?
All in all, when you you consider that for (in my case) $11K I bought a car with only 50K miles, the styling, performance and potential of the Aurora, you can bet I'm pleased.
Thanks to everyone for their posts. Even when all I do is lurk, it's a wealth of info.
Larry
Zinc - Do you know what exactly is different on the autobahn. I went to your site and seen the package costs $352. Would it be worth it to buy this or not. Is there a way to convert without paying that much? Is that just a different axle ratio and tires? I dont know what the axle ratio is so someone please tell me. How would I get the governer to cut off the engine at 139 instead of 111? I think the $352 might be better spent on other performance mods.
Suspension - There are ahocks in the back of the car. If you want to stifen the ride, you should get the Cadillac replacement shocks. I am not sure of the part number, but caddie should know. If Not, just replace with the factory ones (I did). I put KYB's in the front. However, again, check the Caddie line.
SOFT RIDE????? _ NEVER thought I would hear someone say that the car rides too soft. Granted, I have stiffen my ride with my mods tot he car. However, even from the factory the Aurora has a stiff ride compared to other sedans. I have thought from the beginning that it rides a little rough (i.e. sports car rough) for a car its size.
I am wondering if anybody knows if OUR magnasteer is adjustable?? If no one knows for sure, can we start asking our dealerships about it (on the theory that some will know and some will not know).
Matrixfrog - Hey Neo! - I been meaning to mention this but kept forgeting to post about the magnaSteer until I saw your message.
also how come your profile doesnt say that you drive an aurora
I like the KYB idea. I will look into that. Question: Which caddy model do they pull the shocks from? And are they that much firmer than stock?
Zinc: I saw on your web page the "Custom and various" page in the gallery. Some of these accessories are really nice. How do I find them? Specifically the custom wheels in the first pic. Also there is one with the front cover/bra. I'd be interested to know where to get these.
Thanks
Might just go with the autozone brand. Will be taking the first LONG trip soon, Baton Rouge, LA to St. Louis and beyond. I need to get it done while I have the time
Wingnut
Redskin024 - I think Henry's calling him Neo from the movie Matrix - his profile says he owns a 95 Aurora, maybe you have to login to see it(??)
Larryfl - The first pic was from Razzi.com. The ground effects kit is theirs but I dont know where they got the rims. (link here) The two bras in the pics are from different manufacturers, but I don't know who they are. The second looks like a Saddleman LeBra, I have that one on my Aurora (also in the Gallery). Bought it at a local Kragen. There's a problem with pre-owned cars though: If your car was painted, Saddleman suggests you don't use a bra. I found out why: It causes the clearcoat to 'cloud' or appear 'burned'. Costs $$ to repair.
Hope it helps
Rex
BTW, I couldn't help reading your "log book" on your web page a few days ago. Makes me glad I spent the $$ on the GM bumper-to-bumper. If if makes you feel any better, the Q45 I traded in on this cost me, the warranty company, and Infiniti over $28K in service/repair during the 3 years I had it. I feel like I got a bargain with the Aurora!
Larry