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Comments
Anyway they are ordering a new gear. I always called it a steering rack, but I guess it's a gear. They always come with new inner tie rod ends.
Having said that, they should not be just machining the rotors but replacing them instead. Turning them will just make them thinner and easier to warp the next time. You will be back in 20k complaining of the same problem instead of 45k! Insist that they pick up the tab for the new rotors, after all, it is still under warranty right?
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
What was the fix and what are the associated TSBs. My warranty is up the end of this year so I have to move on it.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/99-01alero_a.htm
Recently I changed from 10/30 Mobil 1 tri syn to the new 5/30 super syn and the fuel mileage obviously improved. The last tank mileage was 30.25 mpg this is the best I have ever recorded in 18000 miles. I keep a record of every drop of fuel and mileage. The mileage has been running in the 24 to 27 mpg range. But most of that was with air conditioner on, and the last tank was with limited air conditioner operation.
That the thing was modified for 10 years or so, one would expect perfection.
Just reading the brochure makes me want to go buy another one.
But that mileage is mostly City, not heavy city, driving. The Intrigue gets better highway mileage than the old 4 cyl. Alero. The Intrigue is a GX sans the PCS and with 3.08 gears instead of the 3.27 with PCS. Also the V6 Alero turns in better highway mileage but less City mileage. With fuel prices rising 2 to 4 cents per day I may have to find a Geo metro or a Diesel VW.
Your Quad 4 sounds good. Always liked the power but never the noise/vibration. I hear they will have turbo powered Ecotecs at the SEMA show coming up. Wonder if they could be added to the Alero?
Once again, thanks for the great advice.
Any other informatio re: the 2003 Aleros that anyone would like to share would be greatly appreciated. (By the way, I think the colours available for the 2003 are pretty terrible. LOL. Loved the old "midnight blue" but see that for 2003 there isn't any shade of blue available - guess it must be "old fashioned". For sure I thought the teal colour was old-fashioned - a flash back to the late 80's or early 90's but it's back - ugh)
I have a ruby red Alero, I think it, Polo green and gray are the best colors.
Thanks
Don't like it, but I understand why they did it. You can still get it optional.
BTW, would you care to share any blues your wife had with her RX300?
TIA
As far as your question about the RX, don't get me wrong we truly do love the car and would get another but: The sunroof would make a loud snap from heat expansion/contraction and it took about 7 trips to the dealer to get it fixed. Toyota has received a lot of bad publicity on the V6 engine in the RX, Highlander, and the Sienna minivan with what they are calling oil gelling, which is actually sludge. They did send a letter giving me a 8 year warranty on oil gelling, which helps a little. The engine does not idle as smooth as the Alero V6. Nothing to fix here, all RXs have the same idle. The RX is geared much lower than the Alero which causes the engine to rev much higher at highway speeds and affects gas mileage more than a higher geared car. No tire pressure monitor like the Alero. No chime when low on gas. Service is extremely expensive if you have the dealer do any work other than warranty. Not to mention you can get 2 Aleros for the price of one RX. Before anyone who owns an RX jumps on my case I did say we love the car and would get another. I also did not go into the many wonderful features of the car.
Alero base price dropped a little I think, but when you add back the ABS, you will pay more for the same car.
I also bought my 2K2 Alero because of the rear disc and ABS as "standard". A similarly equiped Accord or Camry were around $5000 more (not to mention less incentives such as cash back & 0% financing). No contest in my opinion. I will suffer with the resale however, but that wont be an Issue for 5-7 years, by which time the money saved initialy will have earned me over $3000 in interest!!! Add in another $2000 in interest I would have had to pay out to finance one of those cars for 5 years and you have a final price difference of $10000 over five years. Reliability and resale values are no comparison to $10000.
Disclaimer: These figures are rounded off and in C$. Others may save more or less. LOL :-)
At about 15K started getting a pulsation through the brake pedal. Took it in and they did a "run-out" on the rotors and re-surfaced them under warranty. I told the service manager that I had been told there was a TSB on the rotors but he denied all knowledge. 7K later the pulsation was back. This time when I took it in armed with downloads off the web, and before I even mentioned the TSB the service writer said, "Really? Damn, those should have already been replaced!" Short story, Olds did it under warranty. (btw...this is Chev/Olds/Caddy dealership and they have done ALL the service work on my S-10 and the wife's Olds...I'm a familiar face there *L*)
At about 25K the battery cracked the casing. I know this was an anomaly so I don't fault the manufacturer. Replaced again under warranty.
Other than that no more problems aside from a few squeaks and groans that developed as the miles grew.
I love the brakes in her car! Very positive feel on the pedal. Easy to modulate, and stops on a dime! And the ABS has gotten me out of few tight jams!
The seats are junk! She is, well, er...Plus sized and she really can't get comfortable. I've been trying for three years to find the right "Sweet-Spot" on the adjustments. Still searching.
Handling at low to moderate speeds is exceptional! Almost go-cart like handling around town. However, out on the open road above 60MPH the front end starts to hunt around. Rather unsettling and doesn't inspire confidence on the interstates.
Car is NOISY! Tons of road noice comes into the cabin. Again, around town it isn't bad but on 'scruffed' open road pavement it starts to get tiresome.
LOVE THE V6/TRANS combo!! One of the best engine/transmission combos I've ever driven for two lane passing. Stab the go-pedal and it downshifts NOW!!! and I'm passed and slowing faster then you read this sentence. And it seems to get stronger as the miles pile up. LOVE IT!
It's paid off now and we're saving up for the downpayment on a '03 Passat GLS. That car is everything this OLDS tries to be. Quiet, surefooted, elegant, and powerfull. Would I buy this car again? Doubt it seriously. Knowing then what I know now.
So far, the only real problem I've had with the car was the Service Engine Soon light coming on. It happened only once. After bringing it back to the dealer, he said it was probably air in the fuel system.
Another strange thing I've noticed is the car doesn't do well on gas consumption. I used to get only 18 mpg on the highway, worse in the city. I found putting higher octane gas pushed my milage to 27 mpg. My driving habits haven't changed, either. However, even after three years, it doesn't do as well as (believe it or not) my Olds Delta 88 (V6, 3.8 liter).
I'm pleased with the car overall. I drive my Delta in the winter, Alero in the summer. Both cars handle well and maintanence has been excellent (knock on wood). However, I think my Delta may soon need to be retired. I'm thinking about buying another car in the next year, but I'm going to keep the Alero. I love my Alero, but I have my sights set on something "just a little bit higher" (BMW 330xi). Steel Metallic Blue, Black Leather interior, Sport Package, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, 5-speed, Bi-Xenon headlights, Aero package with spoiler. I'm hoping my Alero will have new company soon!
As far as your gas mileage goes, something sounds wrong. I use regular in my 2000GLS/Auto and always get at least 25mpg in a combination of city highway driving.
Is this normal for DOHC I-4 engines like the Ecotec or should have the dealer look at it?
Otherwise all is well with almost 10K on the dial.
By the way, we have 4000 on our GX and man is that ecotec/5 speed really getting smooth. I don't get to drive it much as it is my wife's car, but when I do, I notice the change. Wish it was my car!
I will have them check it next oil change.
As far as buying a dieing breed ... $3,000 cash back on top of my GM employee discount (about 12% off msrp) seems a bit hard to pass up when combined with $2,000 from GMCard.
Sounds like a sweet deal to boot. I'd say go for it.
If you really hot foot it a lot then go with the handling suspension and hi performance tire package. But if you have a concern for the ride on rough roads, stay with the standard setup.
I hope you enjoy your Alero as much as we like ours. You should, your car sounds like it's basically top of the line vs our base model. Let us know how u like the XM. I hear a lot of good things about it.
Did you say what color you ordered? The performance suspension isn't much rougher than the standard one (this isn't a Corvette :-) and I think it makes the car handle better and more fun to drive.
Any idea when your car will be delivered?