Oldsmobile Silhouette

gordbert

I just got my free Ryder Cup golf bag from Oldsmobile today. It's pretty nice one... now I need new clubs to go with it. Might try the argument with the wife that I purchased the Silo for her and therefore I deserve to get new irons.

indrgb

Looking at a 2000 Silo Premiere with 30k miles on a Dealer lot in Indiana. Dealer wants $21k and I offered him $19.5k. He thinks I'm crazy. I showed him the Edmunds TMV and he said it's a joke and that Edmunds is the worst car site on the internet and no dealer uses it. I walked away but this dealer desperately wants to sell this van. Is there any other web site where I can get TMV and not "suggested retail"?

catam

Actually TMV is generally very close. I believe your salesman is suffering from selective ignorance. Just make sure when you enter the info for your vehicle on TMV, you include all the options the vehicle has. The $1500 difference between your prices is significant, if the dealer is unwilling to budge, and you have entered all the relevant info correctly on TMV, I would suggest you keep looking. There are plenty of the GM vans available in this price range.

indrgb

I bought the 2000 Silo Premiere (see msg 555). After doing more research and considering this van is in near perfect condition, I came up $500 more and the dealer finally came down $1000 for an even $20k. I don't think it's a steal, but I'm satisfied, plus I got 5.9% fin. It's only been two days, but so far we love it. The only thing I'm concerned about is the tires. The Generals don't look very good after 30k. Can anyone recommend a good, quiet tire at a reasonable price?

hardesty

The OEM Generals are very inexpensive, so the fact that they only go about 40K at best is not unresonable. The Yokohama Avid Touring has a very high wear rating (620) and is rated very quiet (on http://www.tirerack.com ) by owners. It is resonably priced (~$50). Our new 2002 AWD Silhouette Premiere has Goodyear Integritys in 225/60-16. They are a more aggressive tread (befitting the AWD) and while I like them much better than the Generals that were stock on our 1999 GLS, they probably would not fit the quiet requirement well.

dmathews3

The AWD wouldn't be much good without a more aggressive tire, that is why they are installed instead of a common street tread.

kkollwitz

I have these on my Venture, bought from Tirerack. I'm satisfied.

onthegomom

I own a 99 Silo GLS. I have had the following problems and am inquiring whether anyone else has experienced the same ones:
1) The engine makes a slight pinging noice when first started. The noice decreases as the engine warms. I change the oil loyally every 3-5000 miles and use 5w30 oil as recommended by GM.
2) The radio controls get extremely hot when the heater is in use. Have taken to the dealer many times with complaint only to receive "no problem found". I suspect that it may be a design problem.
3) Sliding door problems. I had sliding door problems from day one of ownership. Took to the dealer multiple times only to be advised that the only thing needed was to "reset" the fuse. Ended up replacing the actuator at a cost of $900+ (after the warranty expired of course) Now I received a notice of a recall. Is that for the part replaced or the new part? How should I confront the dealer?

Other than that, the van has been great.

Lastly, I read many discussions about bulb replacements. We had a minor fender bender and had to replace the left front light. Since the accident the bulb repeatedly burned out. I took it to an auto parts store and the worker recommended that you lubricate the bulbs prior to replacement. He stated that the lubrication prevented moisture from getting into the socket and would prevent shorting out. Just a little tip.

I am considering trading this van. Any advise?

dirkdaddy

Good deal. If you find one that is what you want, sometimes you have to come up slightly on price.

My used '98 has some sort of conservative Michelin tire mounted on it, I don't know the model, but they generally wear very very well. That is the problem for me, as I told my wife I wanted to get a wheel/tire upgrade when these are worn out...and that might take a long time!

Great - I love our van and have found it to be a great design, and very well made on the powertrain. The fit and finish are very good for GM, and the interior is very comforable. We got 24.5mpg on my last tank too, beating my 2000 maxima.

Enjoy the van, I think from a financial standpoint we did a smart thing and got a nice used one, avoiding the depreciation hit and worrys about the first nick or smudge on the interior.

DD

dirkdaddy

My '98 silo radio (has cd separate, and cassette) does not get even warm with heat on. I'm not sure if the '99 is the same or not. Maybe the lighted bulb is bigger and it heats up?

FYI - our doors and everything have been great. I was expecting a sloppy door like on the full size domestic vans I have used, but the GM vans have a well designed door system IMHO.

FYI Some car radios do that. I almost bought a 2000 intrigue and the radio buttons on that get hot from just the normal operation from what folks say.

I have noticed a loss of coolant and will check again today to see if its the intake seal as some have suggested. I have also replaced the outer tie rods, and the rear window washer line connector was too short and had become disconnected so I had to use some vac line and fix that, but just minor stuff - pending the coolant leak.

bob550k

We just purchased a '99 Silo Premiere after a 5 month search. These are hard to find used! 1999 Premiere that I believe has all of the factory options except the 16" wheels. It's White, grey leather, 24,000 miles and 2 months left under the factory warranty. Not a scratch on the car, near new condition purchased from an olds dealer at $18,261. I called the factory for a complete history on the car, one fuel pump and all injectors under warranty, left rear brake replaced under warranty and the power slider was repaired under recall. It currently has an inoperable broken power lock button, a rubber door seal is damaged and both are warranty items. I purchased the car mostly because the complaints here at edmunds are pretty minor and there doesn't seem to be many complaints compared to other brands (i.e. windstar). I looked at every other model, this was the nicest car out there with good power and it is by far the most comfortable. Every one keeps asking why I didn't get the Honda, it's simple at just 6'0" my shins hit the dash in the passenger seat and what good is 240 HP at 5,500 RPM? Is that in case you want to scare the heck out of the kids? I have a Vette for that, but I can only scare one at a time that way... It may be a mistake, but I'm not going to extend the factory warranty, I can do many repairs for $2488.00 in the next 50,000 miles. There really aren't any Silo's in the dealer for repair and from what you all have said I'm not expecting many problems.

indrgb

Now that I just bought this 2000 Silo, would anyone like to comment on an extended warranty? The Dealer wanted to sell me a 5/60 for $1500 and $100 deductible. I thought it was ridiculous and turned it down. Edmunds has a link to Warrantybynet. The price is much better, 6/80 for about $950 with $50 ded. Does anyone have experience with this company? How about other companies? Thanks.

dirkdaddy

Bob550k, your summary is almost exactly like how I ended up with one of these vans. You will enjoy it. I doubt you will need a warrenty, save those for Honda and Chrysler owners. As you have noticed, there are not nearly as many problems. GM transmissions (many van's weak link) are the best in the industry and the 3.4 motor is very reliable and gets great MPG.

INDRGB - I have heard that 3rd party extended warrenties have policies that sometimes are not what you would expect when you purchase the policy. Like you may have to pay up front for repairs and hope they reimburse you promptly. May not cover things the same as a MFG warrenty. Companies may fold under. Basically, I wouldn't bother. Sort of like a homeowners warrenty, people hardly ever persist enough and go through all the red tape to break even on them.

DD

yzf

Bob550k & Dirkdaddy:

We got our Olds Silhouette Premiere for the same reasons you guys did! And we didn't even know it existed when we started minivan shopping. We looked at the Honda, DC, and Ford. We almost went with the Pontiac Montana - but something just wasn't quite right style/feature-wise. Then we checked out the Premiere - no question hands down winner for price, features, style, drive, and yes, even safety. We've enjoyed our 2001 for the past seven months with only a couple of minor adjustments needed (worst was when some jack_ss stole our Thule box off the roof rack while the vehicle was at the dealer for the powerdoor recall - dealer paid for repairs and a new box).

mrustic

I have had my Olds for almost a year and now have a little over 20,000 miles. According to the mileage computer it has averaged 0ver 24 mpg since last reset at 12000 miles and has been a trouble free, excellent purchase. Only been in the shop once for the door recall. I have dual power doors and they are trouble free and something I would not do without.

The grand kids enjoy the entertainment center and it sure makes trips much nicer. Only wish they would have included a T.V. tuner in the package so I could watch TV while my wife shops. Anyone know of an after market tuner that will plug into the input connections?

Great van and 100% happy with the purchase.

ronsmith38

I have a 2000 Silo with the load leveling feature. Is a tire inflation kit supposed to be included with this feature? I don't remember ever seeing the kit.

yzf

If you mean the hose and adapter that comes with the compressor set up in the rear of the van, then yes, that "kit" is supposed to come with the van. I got one for my 2001 Olds. Its great!

bcd99

I have a 2001 Silo and since the weather got cold the gas shocks that lift the door only open it about halfway. If you open the door fully the shock hold it there. Anyone else have this problem, I'm thinking of complaining to the dealer. My father-in-law 1988 Olds 98 has the original gas shock on his trunk and hood that still work and open fully, I think a 2001 should not be having problems already.

mwblackb

My 2000 Olds silhouette has a engine knock when it first starts until it warms up. I have taken it in to the dealer and they said it was normal for this engine, due to the some of the engine parts was built by two different manufacturer. It sound like to me that this is a engine defect and should be cover under the bumper to bumper coverage.
I am now waiting on what Oldsmobile with do. Did anyone else have this problem and get it repaired?

dirkdaddy

The knock is piston slap, and when the motor heats up, the tolorances are reduced and its quiet. The pistons were slightly out of spec or they gave the wrong spec to the mfg or something like that.

THis was discussed recently on the Pontiac Montana list- go back 10-20 messages.

Bottom line, don't worry about it. I'm not sure if anyone has gotten rebuilds from this. The new design motors are more prone to this with shorter piston skirts and floating piston. The 3.4 otherwise is a very reliable, torquey motor with outstanding fuel economy.

indrgb

Has anyone ever attempted to change the engine air filter? I just did it on my 2000 Silo. What once was a 5 minute job on every other vehicle I ever owned turned out to be an hour long nightmare. The manual says to undo the clips and bend the snorkel out of the way. Ha. I want to see the Engineer and Tech Writer change mine. If the goal was to get you to take it in for service, then I'm sure it worked. Has anyone found the "trick"?

offham

Re last message and it is like wrestling with the devil to change this filter. On the diagonal cross member they have bolted something like a coil that does not help. Not shown in the handbook.

However, I have in the past undone the inlet pipe at the various stages. I have concluded that the easiest one is the one to the exteme left, rather than undo the others.

This is easier to remove and re-install and it will release the tension in the hose and allow the cover to be removed. Other issue is that the bottom tabs must be properly inserted in the main part of casing.

dirkdaddy

Its not THAT bad, but like OFFHAM says, you do have to make sure the tabs are engaged at the bottom. I got my van used and the bottom tabs were not in and it was loose. It was probably sucking raw air in around the filter.

Any support for combining the Montana/Venture/Silo lists? Hello moderator?

DD

stever

Not an overwhelming tide either way. I guess my concern is that new members with a Venture, say, will overlook the combined topic if they scroll through the list and see "GM Triplets" and don't read the rest of the title. (I own a twin, and I go looking for "Quest" not "Villager" for example).

I'm more partial to putting links up to the other discussions, but I could be persuaded.

Anyone with strong feelings about combining the triplets discussions, please post a note in the GM Triplets discussion.

Steve
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missedbass

I called Olds customer service to find out if there were any open recalls on my 98 Silo and if I could get a history report on the car. He told me that there was an open recall on the sliding door, but he couldn't give me a history report. When you said you called the factory, did you mean customer service? My van runs good but I am curious if any warranty repairs were done to it

nlm2

I have a '98 Silo w/the 15" aluminum wheels. About once a year I lose a wheel center cap (the part that covers the lug nuts - part #9593195). Dealership quoted me $23. Wondering if anyone has ordered these online for less $$? I've tried several car parts websites but had no luck.
Thanks!

montanafan

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com has it for $14.28 before shipping.

bob550k

To get the warranty repair history on My Silo' I called the department at GM that sells (factory) extended warranties, sorry but I didn't save the (800) number that I called nor do I remember the exact name of the department. Always call the factory before the purchase of a used car and ask for warranty history. We've all heard of the lemon law right? What do you suppose happens to those cars when the factories buy them back? They don't crush them! You may avoid a real pile of junk with just a phone call.

nlm2

Montanafan...thanks for the info!!

mobilmac

until last week, It was a 2000 gl with 45k miles and i had to let it go, my wife loved that van and wanted another, just could not get decent deal from olds for another one. Anyway the problems we had were as follows, which i didn't really consider major; that hot behind radio, even with the ac on, it burned her hand where the display was when attempted to change cd tracks. Powerlock switch on passenger side intermitten operation. Airbag light coming on and dash lights flickering at night, alternator had to be replaced, seatbelt height adjuster broke in up position on passenger side, weatherstripping on both doors needed replacing, leaking when it rained, and parking brake cable came loose at rear. Most were covered by warranty, will give more information on next post.

pfdsotm

I am looking at purchasing a new Premier. We took it for a test drive the other day. We had the foresight to take DVD with us to try out the entertainment system, and for my two small kids to watch as we looked over the van. In early talks at a different dealer I was told of the various ways the system would work. One was that I would be able to listen to my CD in the front and the rear would have the option of either listing to the DVD on the rear speakers and the center speaker or with the headphones. I liked the first option because my youngest is only 2 and does not like things on his head. Well during my test drive I was unable to get this option to work. In fact I was unable to get the center speaker to work at all. Cam anyone tell me what the center speaker is for and doe the system support the spilt audio configuration?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

A

mobilmac

where i left off about my silhouette under the gm triplets topic, i have quite a few similiar situations that i feel would be beneficial to the other van owners.

boxtrooper

We sold our 1999 Silhouette with about 48K miles last year. For us it was a terrible van for stuff breaking. It was back to the dealer for non-planned repairs 26 times almost always different things so I am not sure if the lemmon law would have covered it.
..
After several months, the new owners love our our old 1999 Silhouette GL van. It has been perfect for them without a hint of trouble. Except they could hear a small sound...
..
The 1999 GL had better seats than the 2002 Silhouette we replaced it with. We bought another Silhouette so that we could swap our three middle row seats to make it an eight passenger. The GM discount I can get together with the longer Olds-Going-Out-Of-Business 5yr/60mo warrantee also helped us to get another Silhouette dispite the problems with the first one.
..
So far, except for the ususal initial quality problems / adjustments, our 2002 Silhouette has not had any troubles. By the same number of miles on the 1999 we were into the second transmission and new rear parking brakes, drivers side sliding door would not close right etc... etc... etc... etc...

grelax53

My wife and I had a 91 caravan that we bought new it was not a good car lots of problems!!! such as transmission, Anti lock breaks, AC, Pieces falling off right and left. So when it was time to buy a new one we didn't want to buy a Dodge again(even though I am sure they are better). We read reviews talked to people drove them and we finally ended up buying a 99 Olds Silhouette with 25,000 miles we paid 17.8M less trade for a premiere in perfect shape. We looked at the Honda and the Toyota as they always are rated high just like they are on here but frankly we didn't like either one nearly as well. And the Honda for instance was always 5M-7M more for the same year and mileage. So we thought let's buy this and add a $1,200.00 100,000 bumper to bumper.
We love the van we have not had any problems, it has everything as far as options as you all know and as a used van was a heck of a lot better deal then he honda or toyota. So we are a happy campers.

hawk27

We've owned ours for over a year now and we could not be happier. It has 15k miles and has been trouble-free. We've taken it on trips, but mostly its an around town kid hauler and so gets frequent stop and start abuse. But it has been up to the challenge and then some. I've been an import buyer, but this van is very impressive. It is comfortable, well-made and handles very well on wet or dry pavement. My relative bought an Odyssey at the same time and it has already been in the shop twice for serious repairs.

tryem

Hi all, Got a 99 Olds Silhouette Premeire Edtn yesterday from Carmax, Iam not sure what to expect from the Van in terms of performance, reliability and maintenance issues. Anyone who have had any experiences good/bad let me know.. This will help me to give the van back within 3days, if reviews are not good

Thanks all

csvipersah

Doesn't the IIHS safety rating worry any of you who bought this van. Just seeing the pictures of the dummys head smashing into the steering wheel and the body crushed into the compartment under the wheel makes me ill.

dirkdaddy

If I was so terrified of collisions to use that as rank #1 factor in selecting a vehicle, I'd probably be driving a surburban at 35 mph and wear a crash helmet. But then again, if I was so concerned, I'd probably be mentally unable to drive in Houston traffic like I do. This vehicle has Gen II air bags, as well as side air bags and did great in the head on. You may find it hard to belive but this is the safest vehicle I've owned in my life, but I don't buy cars but about every 10 years or so. The offset crash was not good, but there are tons of vehicle who are less safe. And the other choices in vans and SUV either seem to be trouble prone and/or expensive or gas hogs.

Heck, I used to ride a Honda Hurricane 1000 superbike, and two cars ago I was driving a '65 Nova with steel dash, lap belt only and 4 drum brakes. The freakin' mini van is super safe by comparison. Buying the car that crashes best is fine for some folks but its not my first concern. I have to look at drivetrain, comfort, value, etc. Safety is one of the things I look at, but in my opinion, one test does not make a unsafe vehicle.

bcd99

I'd have to second that feeling.

kkollwitz

as well as the IIHS labtest wrecks, and did not hesitate to buy my Venture.

montanafan

The fact that the IIHS rates the Montana (#1) and Silhouette (#2) as the SAFEST vans available is an important plus in my mind. If I was to buy a van to drive 200 feet into a concrete barrier in a lab, perhaps I would be thinking about a different one.

sweingast

You said "The fact that the IIHS rates the Montana (#1) and Silhouette (#2) as the SAFEST vans available is an important plus in my mind."

I don't mind being wrong, but its was the resale and the crash stats that led me to say no to the Olds. I liked the features and thought is was a great compromise between the large minivans and the smaller minivans.

Can you please tell me where you saw the GMs being 1 and 2?

csvipersah

Montanafan, I'm pretty sure your dead wrong about that figure. Keep in mind, the offset crash is the most-likely collision in the even of a crossover accident and in that case, the van utterly fails. Your absolutely right about the brick wall, the front crash tests done by the government have little chance of occuring in real life unless you aim your car directly at a wall.

Kkollwitz, I'm not quite sure what you mean.

For all you daredevils out there, its your life.

montanafan

http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl/ictl_wagon.html , actually never been able to get the link to work properly, always ends at home page. From menu click on publications, the choose the 1998-2000 loss report (third choice on the list), then select wagons/vans from the drop down box. When the chart comes up, look at the first and second vans listed.

csvipersah

Actually, those ratings really don't prove much of a point because they are subject to certain profile and geographical circumstances.
They also don't give individual examples of their criteria. In addition, these are older numbers dating back to models before their redesign. As an example, these numbers include the previous version of the Odyssey , the MPV, and the Grand Caravan(and these werent very safe vehicles compared to todays models). It may have been a safe car compared to pre-redesign minivans, but it just doesnt compare anymore.
As another example to the absurdity of these numbers, the GMC Safari rates 3rd, but it received universally low numbers in crash tests. This,by itself, proves that these statistics are biased.

Then theres the fact that you know if your ever in an offset crash, you will not be as safe in the Chevy vans as you will in almost all other minivans.

montanafan

Thank you for following the link and looking at an opposite view from the same source.

sweingast

Whats these stats real testament to the drivers and owners of the Montana and Olds. These people are more careful.

These stats show that two door models of the same weight and model type do worst than the four door (2dr Accord v. 4dr Accord). Well younger (less experienced) drivers are more likely want two door cars and drive faster.

I once read a CR report that Honda owners are more likely to sweep their garage floors. These people are also more likely to change oil every 3,000 miles. Guess what??? Hondas have less oil related problems.

Good for you Montana and Olds owners on being more careful. I think being narrower helps avoid some of those accidents. Now, if you guys can help my wife keep it under 75 mph in one of those wider minivans.

stever

Heh, I drive a Nissan (with not so hot safety ratings), wash it 2 or 3 times a year, and do the 7,500 oil change interval. I have swept my garage floor once. I don't want to ask what CR says about me and my ilk!

Steve
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sweingast

The people who sweep their garage floor once a month scare me. I am happy when I can see it.

When did the garage go from a place to store your car to a place to keep your kids stuff?

Steve, you change your oil once every 7,500 miles and your the Host? I thought that 5,000 miles was a bold compromise.

stever

I'm hanging out with my dead dino 7,500k interval as a service to my fellow TownHallies. So far, so good (64,000 miles). When my engine blows up or sludges at 70k miles, y'all can say I told you so.

If I get to 100k free and clear, I'm gonna start bragging :-)

Steve
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