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By the way. How in the world can a transmission make a whistling or chirping noise?
1. Buying a new car is most likely the third most expensive investment you will ever make (kids and a house being first and second).
2. The choices we make require time and we need to set priorities on what results we are looking for from our choices.
3. As far as the Alero goes, I have a 2000 GLS sedan. I may just be lucky since I haven't had the transmission gremlins, water leaks, brake problems, or any other problems that have shown up in this conference. But in reference to my points above, you have priorities to set when buying a car. True enough, if it's reliability you're after, buy a Japanese car. But, they are generally more costly for given equipment levels, and usually have generally generic styling. If you are looking for reliability plus a higher fun quotient, look towards a German vehicle. Like the Japanese, however, they can get expensive in a hurry, in both initial cost and to maintain.
The Alero, I think, was the best balance between other competing cars. True, it doesn't have the rock-solid dependability of a Honda or Toyota, or the highly-polished edges of a BMW or Audi/VW, but GM cars are at the very least acceptable in these categories. I do like the styling much better than anything from Japan, but it's not quite as sexy as an A4 or a 3-series. You can't get a comparably-equipped Honda, Toyota, or Mitsu for the price of an Alero. At 20K, you can't get a six in a Toyota or a Honda. The Galant ES can be had with a V6 for around 20K, but it doesn't come with leather, 16" alloys, or traction control. For my money the Alero was the best balance of features I wanted for the price I was willing to pay. Sure, I wish it was bolted together like a drum-tight Honda and had the road-holding of a 325i, but I'm happy with what I have. You do get what you pay for. I just tried to set my priorities. I'll deal with the little niggles as they appear; when the rotors go bad I'll probably upgrade to aftermarket performance rotors. When problems arise, as they do in all new cars, especially new designs like the Alero, there are other solutions than running back to the dealer. Now, if your car is still under warranty, you should go to the dealer. But take a proactive stance and try to see the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. I look at it this way: The Alero has some problems; I can fix them and improve the car beyond what it was originally. Feel free to check out owners comments at www.alero.org (yeah, that's a plug).
Seems that we all similar priorities when we bought our Alero's.
I'm not in any way suggesting that anyone else is ignorant or needs my advice (who the heck am I to say?) but I think we all focus on the negative outcomes of the choices we make far too much. Thanks for reading and letting me rant.
I fully agree with mfuller1's assessment about how Alero stacks up against the competition. Car has a couple of nuisances but I'm much better pleased tahn I thought i would be.
A friend of mine bought a Saturn LS at the same time I ppurchasaed my ALero. His car is a larger, and has a bit of a European feel when driving but he's been palgued with small problems liek door handles falling off, a leaky sun roof and a weird feel to the leather seats. He tried to talk me into the Saturn but now I'm happier withj my choice.
After that its about every 4000-5000 miles for me. My driving situation is mostly light suburban so your driving and oil change intervals may differ. I tried to go with the GM oil monitor which indicated to change oil at ~5800 miles but it was too sludgy for me. So I went back to my tried and true 4000 miles or so.
I've owned many cars most of which I've kept past 100,000 miles with no engine problems so I stick to my routine.
I obviously like both cars. If you like smooth, quite, and performance you may want to consider the Intrigue. So far there have not been any engine problems reported with this new hi-tec engine. The engine has been rated as a top 10 by Wards automotive two years in a row.
Both cars have substantial performance and mashing the gas can make for short life of the front tires with the traction control switched off.
Just opinions as you asked for.
As stated I bought my car June 14, 2000. A demo model with 6,000 miles. (I thought the bugs would be worked out.) On or about June 28, 2000 I was back at the dealership, water leaks in the floor boards. Not just little leaks, but, standing water! The dealership said they fixed the problem, but not so, I have been back in there 3 more times since with the next to the last one to get the new skirts put on that I read about earlier, and guess what, it leaked again, worse. Took it back to the dealer and they said, they took the door panels off, soaked it all day, rechecked the skirts again, seals, etc. and you guessed it, no leaks while it was there. I am nervous, because my husband is a severe allergist with the #1 allergy being to mold and mildew. I questioned the service department about the carpet and padding. I was told that it would not mold, it's a new type and told not to worry about rust in the body. Easy for them to say, when it gets wet, then dries, new brown stains appear. I was further told that out of all the skirts replaced mine was the only one known to have to come back it worked in all the others.
Next problem right after I purchased the car in June my husband and I kept telling service that the front end was pulling and not braking just as we thought it should, and were told everything was okay, it was probably that the wheels just needed balancing, this was done, and still had the problem. Well, just a couple a months ago, I had to go in again with the third problem, the drivers window motor and regulator failed and had to be replaced questioned the tech about the front end problem was told at this time, some models have had a bulletin regarding warped brake rotors. Yes, you guessed it, mine had to be replaced. But, read on.
After this work was complete, I kept hearing a slight roaring sound when I back up at times, and braking at slow speeds in traffic. The tech advised me that when a car sits over night or for a few days the rotors "set up a little rust which is common". He further stated that the roaring sound was the pads cleaning the rust off every day. Can anyone advise if he is feeding me a line? I have never heard of such a thing.
Next, they have had to replace two of my fuel injectors. Is this a common problem so soon? Although I saw a dramatic increase in my gas milege and performance. I had also complained it did not get the milege stated on the sticker.
Well they finally found out now what was wrong with the front end pulling, it is a strut of which they ordered and are to call when this comes in hopefully next week.
I know my request is long and seems like I am picking on this car, but I truly love it! I would like nothing more but, to keep it. I now have 15,000 miles on this car. But, I can not afford to keep driving 45 miles one way to the dealership, on a regular basis not to mention I am getting a little nervous wondering what will happen next. My husband and I met with the dealership General Manager and I showed him the documentation of my concerns, and even drove some other Oldsmobile products, but not the same. Please help. What would you do and or is there anyone else with all these problems? As this is my first car, will these bugs work out or have I got the proverbial lemon I have heard about.
Thanks in advance for your time and efforts,
Cathy
With all your troubles, you might want to call the GM customer service line and see if they can arrange some compensation for all your trouble. I do believe that somewhere on here someone had some decent compensation for a lemon that they got. On the back of the GM magazine it has the number of 1-800-GM-DRIVE. Not sure if that's just for Canada, but it's worth a try.
Just wondering, what made the techs change your fuel injectors? How much mileage were you getting? My mileage doesn't seem to be as consistent as I think it should be.
In any case, hopefully all your problems are resolved. Happy driving .
Thanks for your interest, and Happy Driving to you also.
5-speed and was wondering if that sounds right?
19.5 MPG , imperial gallons. I usually drive the around 2000-3300 rpm city driving.
She had a '99 GL coupe where the "traction-off" light and "service engine" light kept coming on. They did offer to replace the car with very little out-of-pocket cost, so even if your state doesn't have a "lemon law" you can still call the B.B.B.'s "auto-line" where they will work on your behalf.
Now, my mom has a 2001 coupe. Well, at 700 miles, the passenger floor was all wet. She also had that problem with her '99 but it was fixed the first time. I think this problem is common to most Alero coupes unfortunately. She's taking the car in next week to see about it. She only has a little over 1,000 miles now and no other problems.
I'm thinking of buying a GL2 coupe w/V6, sport suspension. How do you like the ride of the 16" wheels? Feel free to email me and I'll keep you posted on my mom's Alero.
In response to your question regarding the ride with the 16" wheels. At first it seemed tighter than the regular if that helps. But, I Love the ride it is really a fun car to drive. Handles great in curves, reminds me of a little sports car.
I would love to keep in touch reference the Aleros. Is there some way I get your email address from this site?
Thanks again,
Cathy
Now I am dealing with dim headlights when I turn on the read defroster. Someone told me that my alternator is going out. Any ideas?
Cathy
It has been a pleasure talking about cars with you folks.
Cathy
So, it was easy to fix. Now I wish It would rain!
I was told that the getrag tranny from Italy had
some problems and would not be avaible here in west
central Illinois till ought-one.Have you seen many
in your area?
Bought front brake rotors and pads from NAPAonline. It's worth the $100 and a Saturday afternoon than to lose the car for a day and hope the dealer does it right. I've read posts of the shutter re-occuring even after the dealer replaced the rotors.
Has anybody noticed flickering headlights? It's hardly noticable. More like the blink of an eye. Trying to figure out if it's a battery load thing (like the electric fan going on), or if it's the auto-on circuit. I hardly ever have to actually turn on the headlights myself.
Cathy
So I read every single posting on this forum, in preparation for some more educated questions for the rest of you. The horror stories from many of you now make my Focus seem like a Lexus in reliability, but I feel compelled to ask these questions before making a final decision.
1) The brake rotors. My Malibu had the same problem. I was told that when alloy wheels are not properly torqued, the rotor can deform. When high speeds are achieved and the rotor heats up, and a puddle of water is hit, a permanent deformation occurs. Being an engineer, this makes perfect sense. So my big question is, are the Alero owners having rotor problems the same ones that also have alloy wheels, such as GLS owners? Do any of you GX owners also have warped rotor problems, as you do not have alloy wheels? I have yet to hear this complaint from a GX owner. If the problem is related to alloy wheels, then I will make sure that my GL1 does not have the Feature Package or GL2 upgrade (2001 model), both which have alloy wheels.
2) Water leaks. This appears to plague mostly coupes. I planned on buying a sedan anyway. However, leaking windshields that drain into the fuse box certainly can affect the coupe or the sedan. How many of you have had water leak problems on your sedan? If so, did drilling bigger drain holes stop the problem?
3) Does your CD player frequently skip? Very bad bumps are excluded from this question. I have heard horror stories on this one as well, and do not plan on getting the 200-watt 8-speaker upgrade, which is similar to Pontiac's Monsoon stereo.
4) Gas mileage. This question appears to have been answered by previous postings, but I will ask it anyway. Does the larger 3.4 Liter V-6 engine really get better highway fuel economy than the smaller 2.4 Liter 4-cylinder engine? The answer appears to be a definitive "yes", as the larger engine was apparently designed with fuel economy over more power in mind. If one were to plot engine size vs. torque and horsepower, the 3.4 Liter engine clearly drops below the straight line connecting all GM engines between 2.2 and 3.8 liters (Northstar 3.5 excluded). This also tells me that one gets great fuel economy for commuting, but only slightly more power. If this is so, then the 3.4 Liter V-6 is my choice for sure. Any opinions, anyone?
The only reason that I am still considering the Alero after reading the horror stories is that I consider it to be a superbly styled car that handles and accelerates well, and is also a much better value than the more uncomfortable Japanese cars. If the Alero gets ruled out, then the ugly 2001 Honda Civic EX sedan would be my next choice, which is smaller and priced the same as my would-be Alero with rebate. The Civic seats also feel like a straight jacket. Waiting another year until I can afford a Toyota Solara SE is also another option, with the Nissan Sentra SE being my final option. Given my choices, one cannot blame me for wanting to buy an Alero and avoid it's main problems in the first place (alloy wheels and leaky coupes). I may wind up renting an Alero sedan and testing it with the garden hose while it plays my least favorite music CD. This is certainly cheaper than getting stuck with another lemon like the Focus. My new year's wish will be for Ford, GM, and Chrysler to all start building better quality cars! We deserve it!
Any feedback will greatly be appreciated.
and an Olds Alero, and I was leaning more toward
the Olds after talking with my insurance agent.
Camaro insurance is much higher. You see, I live
in Alabama where it is cheap anyway to insure a
car, but the Camaro would be a full $25 more per
month, the Alero only $3 more per month, and keep
in mind I have no accidents and a 11-year perfect
record.
But another thing: resale value. I checked with
NADA and compared a 1999 Camaro V6 with a 1999
Alero V6, same equipment. I wanted to compare a 4
year old car but they only starting making Olds
Alero in '99. It lists that Camaro's value
(average retail) as $18,000 and the Alero as
$14,500. Can this be real? Do used Camaro's
really keep more value than other cars?
99 alero's and ga's seem to be a dime a dozen in indiana, at least.
I have a 99 sedan and haven't had any water leaks.
So, does your Alero have alloy wheels? Thanks for the thumbs up on your sedan not leaking. Just an hour ago, I was looking at a 2001 Midnight Blue GL1 sedan with neutral cloth interior, a 3.4 Liter V-6, and the Feature Package with the really nice looking alloy wheels. If I have to get the less attractive steel wheels and hubcaps to avoid brake rotor problems, I will, but I would much prefer the alloy wheels. Steel or alloy, which will it be?
Water leaks haven't been a problem at all with my sedan. I've found that the car is sealed too well as the windows fog up very quickly with recirculating air.
The CD/tape player has been virtually flawless. Other than it ejecting the CD for no reason when I first start the car, there have been no problems.
If you're driving in the city, the 4 cyl. is definatly more fuel efficient. My 6 cyl. is horrible in city traffic. With 80% highway driving, I get about 450kms on a tank of gas. But, I find it to be a good investment as it's more fun to drive and also much quieter than the 4 cyl. especially highway driving. It's virtually non-existant compared to the wind noise.
The only other problems I've had with my car are a broken shield on my steering rack (damage from hook in shipping) and a faulty pressure cap for the cooling system. Very minor compared to the other stories that I've heard. Overall, I totally LOVE this car and am thinking of buying one for my father.
Good luck with your choice. Happy driving!
98 monte: I wonder if the higher resale value of the Camaros is because of lower production and younger buyers who can't afford a new one eagerly seeking out used ones. GM seems reluctant to cut back on production of its bread-and-butter sedans and coupes, using incentives to prop up sales. This hurts resale values. With the Camaro (and Firebird), GM seems more willing to let production fall instead of offering high incentives.
2. I rented Pontiac GA, with 3.4l engine, while my Malibu was in body shop. GA is the same car as Alero.
Did not notice substantial difference in gas mileage comparing with 3.1l Malibu. The 3.4l engine is only a bit more powerful, than 3.1l, but have a way more torque across the full rpm range. Fun to drive both in city and on highways. The car cruises at 70mph at mere 1800 rpm, this is almost idle. Of course, it does not drink much gas. But the power is always here for passing etc.
On the other hand, I did not compare the gas consumption with 4-cilinder. Test-drove Malibu with the 2.4l engine in 1998, when they were available, and consider it unadequate: too weak acceleration.
There was also a rumor that the bad rotors were a thin design and the good ones are a thick design. That makes sense since a thin rotor neither has the heat capacity or the heat transfer path to handle the heat.
What I didn't perceive until your (Paul116) followup message was that you were braking from high speeds. As I said, that is what caused my rotor warpage without the help of puddles. It was immediate and noticeable on the 1st braking cycle from over 70 mph. And because it was immediate, it has nothing to do with alloy wheels.
The wheels were properly torqued because I did them myself.
Paul116 - You from the big NO? That's the only place below sea level (I know of) that gets wet.
Horrible driving conditions there!
Well, the more I read the responses on why rotors warp, the more I realize that you guys know more than the mechanic who told me about improper torquing of alloy wheels being the cause of warping. His explanation may be true, and still makes sense, but cost cutting measures at the factory makes even more sense, whereby adequate cooling time is not allowed. In other words, these rotors were doomed from the start, no matter what type of wheels one adds to the car. Knowing this, it really pays to treat these cars gently when braking, but our bad drivers will not allow such treatment.
These forums whereby we all help spread the news is probably why the car manufacturers are finally doing something about these problems. Thanks to the internet, these problems can no longer be swept under the rug. You should see the look on the salesperson's faces when I ask probing questions about water leaking under the doors and rotors warping. Ask a Honda salesmen about the CD players eating CD's on the 2001 model Civics, and see what kind of response you will get! Hey, if it ain't perfect, then cut the price some more!
The 2001 Alero GL1 Sedan 3.4 V-6 with alloy wheels is now at the top of my list! And the 2001 brochure has a misprint, as Midnight Blue does indeed have the Neutral interior as a choice on the GL models. The brochure only indicates Pewter being available for the interior color, which is not true. Too bad Ruby Red is only available with Pewter. The good choices of cars on the lots won't last nearly as long as the $1250 rebate until mid January. My dream car happens to be sitting only 10 miles away on my closest dealer's lot.
Thanks again, everyone, especially those of you who took the chance on the first model year of 1999. Now two years later, most of the bugs on the Alero seem to have been ironed out. I took the plunge on the all new Focus and lost out big time. I tried to warn prospective buyers, but the cuteness factor is what sells. Never again will I buy a redesigned model year or any brand new design for any car. The Focus will soon join the likes of my 1993 Mazda MX-6 and 1998 Chevy Malibu LS, all being new designs that wound up being traded in as lemons.
I guess they're saving the "rich-looking" color combos for the top level models. The new Green color coming out this winter will have the neutral cloth too.
I have not seen a midnight blue with Neutral. have you actually seen one or just had a dealer tell you they can GET one for you?
This reminds me of an interesting story about color choices. When the current style of Accord Coupe first debuted in 1998, I test drove one, loved it, and then refused to buy based upon the color combinations. Once the desired engine, transmission, body style and equipment are chosen, color is EVERYTHING. A bad color choice can ruin a wonderful car. Back then, I had three color choices for a beige interior for the Accord Coupe: yuppie green, feminine white, and speeding ticket red. The salesman did not believe me when I told him that the color choices is what caused them to lose the sale. If I am going to spend more than $20,000 on a new car, I at least want some good color choices. So they asked what I wanted. I thought for a few seconds and then told them either Midnight Blue or Santa Fe Red with the beige interior. Well, three years later, Honda's Eternal Blue is exactly like the Alero's Midnight Blue. My Sante Fe Red is now called Firepepper Red for the 2001 Accord Sedan, which is similar to the Ruby Red on the Alero. Both of these Alero colors are also in their second year.
By the way, when looking at all the facts on any GM car (Saturn excluded) through Edmund's home page, insert a zip code under "View Dealer Inventory". This will link you to the GM Buy Power web page and show about 5-6 nearby dealers that are hyperlinked to the actual inventory on their lot. Once you view the color combinations and MSRP under the brief listings (4 per page), you then click on that particular car (two separate links), and the entire window sticker appears in printable form. In my case, the equipment I want totals $20365 on the MSRP, so I just look for that price in Midnight Blue with Neutral interior. This is FANTASTIC!!! No more waiting for the dealer to locate one for you, as you can now do it yourself. To expand your search, enter the zip codes of the extreme reaches of your first search in all subsequent searches. Eventually, you will have a handy list of zip codes within a 100-200 mile radius. For the Alero, you will probably find what you need within a 50-mile radius. For Sunfire GT, you need more than 200 miles in your search. I wish that all manufacturers would do this like GM Buy Power! So, if I were to find my dream car 100 miles away, I could choose to drive to that dealer to see the actual car and test drive it. This avoids the pitfalls of ordering a theoretical dream car that has never been seen and hoping it turns out to be exactly as imagined. Luckily, my vivid imagination has never let me down when blindly ordering a car, but GM Buy Power adds a powerful tool now available to the buyer. It is also good just to see if your dream car is to be found ANYWHERE. Luckily, what I want is not all that rare.