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I wouldn't be surprised if the 33-2086 simply "becomes" the Intrigue filter after enough people e-mail them, and TELL them they're using it...
Let's face it, the K&N filter is perceived by most as a performance add on. Your typical "mature sensible" Intrigue driver is a 60 year old male, hardly a likely candidate for buying a performance add-on. So the market it pretty tiny. If it costs them $100,000 to develop and tool a new filter and they make $5 profit on each sale, then they gotta sell about 20,000 just to break even. That's close to 8% of the total Intrigues on the road. I'm sure they don't have 8% market penetration on any single model. It's just not a money making proposition for them unless they can put it in production for very little cost.
Oh, yeah. I also saw black helicopters today too :-)
Have had it kick in seveval times and it is amazing, yet it can not defeat gravity and angular momentum. Trust me, i lost a fender and headlight on a corner that turned to a sheet of ice. It tried mine you and probably kept me from hitting buddy head on. Just glanced off her fender.
Im sure that without it i would have spun out , hit head on and popped the air bag and maybe got hurt but for those that might think they have become invinceable don't get to over confident in the cars ability. Let pcs help you drive the car and not let pcs drive your car.
It tends to happen on my car at around 70 to 80 klics or 40 to 50 miles per hour just after you have come to the top of a grade and you, cruise or the tranny ease up on the gas. Sometimes it will occur as your taking an off ramp from a main road. The problem is more prominant in the rain or cold when you may be using wipers and have the blower running to keep the windows defogged.
Sometimes it may be quick and not occur again for days and sometimes it may flicker 6 or 7 times in a row. Once i thought the car was going to die. Also, Other signs will be your blower motor fading off and having your dashboard lights blink. I attached a scope and recorded the bat voltage and found that it was dropping off by 1 to 2 volts. This drop could last anywhere up to 1/2 of a second. I was told by service that the problem was overheating of the built in regulator.
It may not be annoying if you are in traffic or on a highway with lighting, but i can gaurantee you that if your on a back road with no lighting or other cars in front of you, it can be very annoying. Especially, after a long drive because its like you blinked your eyes yet your brain didn't tell you to.
This can make you think your going crazy or getting doppy and then you start to focus your attention to the headlights and not the road. If you are a city dweller, it may not be an issue, but in my area of rural roads and animals lurking, one must not be distracted by flickering/ blinking headlights
You should have it replaced asap because trust me, it tends to get worse. I am on my third in 10 months and have an 2001.
;^)I bought mine at Auto Zone.
Good luck.
I thought: Oh no! Did some bum park too close to me yesterday, and I didn't notice the damage?
But, no problem. The mirrors apparently are hinged. It just popped back into place when I pushed on it.
GM wasn't always doing this... I remember those 1980s J-body cars all had fixed mirrors, that just cracked off when they were hit!
They told me that they now have a fix-it kit. Lube seal etc. It was on back order. They'll fix in a week or so.
Anyone else been told about the fix-it kit?
Only problems so far have minor (fit fasteners etc.) I love to drive the car( 18K mi now.)
Also own a 98 Vette, so performance and handling are important.
Just want to be clear on this, is the fix-it kit instead of replacing the intermediate shaft? Please keep us posted as to what exactly the dealer will do and the results.
Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure why anyone that wanted a K&N filter for their Intrigue wouldn't get one now. As I said, the one I have fits better than the OEM.
I'm wondering if anyone has tried that "tornado" fuel saving device that helps deliver air into the engine? My buddy says he could make me one outta a tuna fish can! LOL!
They still have a gorgeous navy blue 2001 aurora with the 3.5 on the lot at the dealer. I could get 0 percent financing for 5 years on it but don't know how low they'd go on price. Would probably rather get a 2002 max for 22.5K. Even so, I was thinkin we could probably boost the horsepower to 240-250 just by adding a K&N intake kit. As I said, I've noticed a more open feeling when accelerating with my K&N filter. I can only imagine that a whole intake would boost it greatly. I don't know if I'd even fit in an Aurora though. Has anyone tested one? I'm 6'4" and have a lot of height in my torso so headroom is a problem. On paper, it has less headroom than the Intrigue.
Service guy said we were replacing them but they
"didn't stay fixed"
Will probably not take it back till after 1st of year.
Will let you know.
Deals on Aurora's have been very good indeed.
The service buddy told me that the problem was a thermal breakdown of the regulator that is built into the altenator. Electronic, semiconductor which can be intermittent and show no physical or electronic symptoms before they decide to not work. Sometimes one can wet their finger and place it on the device in question to check for excessive heat but in this case that is impossible.
The problem occurs when the drop is quick and can be notice, without headlights on, if your blower fan is up high enough to hear a drop.
If buddy service guy at gm is right that the regulator is breaking down under thermal problems, It will never repair or fix itself. After 21 years as a electronic engineering technologist (quite a mouthful), repairing all kinds of industrial and residential electronic applications, a heat sensitive intermittant device is only repaired by replacement. A design flaw could exist if sufficient cooling to the device is not being applied.
The two biggest killers of semiconductor devices is heat and overvoltage.
Looked really nice.
Mikey
;^)My first choice would be a Saturn LW2 sport wagon, but my wife wants an SUV and since she will be driving, she gets to choose.
I was all ready to cut my losses and trade it in for anything but another Oldsmobile, but 2 things changed my mind: the ridiculously low resale value, and merging into traffic on the ride home. I do love that engine. Of course, I'd been driving a 94 Olds 88 loaner for 3 weeks, so anything would seem better (sorry 88 fans). But with all the other nickel and dime problems I'm having (passenger door trim, dashboard separation, knobs coming off the radio, door handle trim falling off, crappy brake rotors) I'm worried about what will go next.
Does anybody have any stories about Intrigues with high mileage that haven't had some sort of major mechanical difficulties?
But considering that many SUVs and minivans have so little luggage space, I still don't think that they have much in their favor. I mean, most SUVs have such a small trunk that the spare tire has to be OUTSIDE the vehicle, by golly!
;^)I prefer the Pontiac Vibe over all of them. I have never seen the point of small Suvs.
The Vue is solid IMO and I think the styling is fine. It's a little different which I like. One thing I don't like about Escape is that you see them everywhere.
The VUE is interesting, just not my cup of tea in terms of vehicle type, fit and finish and looks.
The Escape is an OK small suv but the Recalls have spoiled its reputation, like most Ford products.
Matrix pictures look good but I have to sit in one to see how it all feels. It's just not a vehicle type I see myself in yet. That said, I could drive one and love it.
I wish the Escape had a better record cause I would probably buy it. It's certainly priced right.
My ultimate choice would be an Envoy or Bravada, but I just don't have the money for that right now.
Years ago I heard that you are not supposed to wax a new car until the paint has cured a few months. Is this true, hogwash, or not true any more with new paints/processes?
My car would have been painted probably in the last 2 weeks.
I live in northern Illinois where it is unseasonably balmy right now, but winter will soon hit along with the associated heavy use of road salt.
How would you protect the paint if you were me, or should I not be concerned?
Has anyone stepped into the Mazda Tribute area lately and seen if people are happy in there?
I left at 6 AM last Thursday. As soon as I got on Interstate 5 set the cruise to 100 MPH and left it there for all freeway driving. On single lane desert roads the speed was held to about 85 MPH. At 100 MPH the engine revs 2800 rpm which makes for really comfortable and quiet cruising. Stability is excellent at that speed with no directional corrections ever needed.
Once in the Tehachapi mountains the car, blessed with an aftermarket rear sway bar, easily gulped down a not very well driven BMW 328 as it was attempting to keep pace through the twisties. Just before Barstow, I came up on an other Intrigue and, for a while, we did some synchronized high speed passing maneuvers on this section of single lane highway. Once back on freeway, he settled for a 90 MPH cruise while I clicked on the “Resume” button for an even 100.
The total 557 miles, including two stops for gasoline and one 10 – 15 minute stop at Wal-Mart in Bakersfield, was done just under 7 hours. Getting into Vegas, a fill up surprised me with 21 MPG! That is super economy for cruising at this speed plus performing dozens of full throttle passing maneuvers. I must also admit that I just had to check that stupid speed control just to see if it was still there. Yeap, it cut at 109, just as before...
Sunday, on the way back, there was considerable more traffic plus extended periods of heavy rain. My cruise control was lowered to 85 MPH. The car is excellent in the rain with no hints of hydroplaning even on the very flooded shiny road surfaces. Average gasoline consumption for the return trip was 26 MPH. Incredible! Total time for return was 8 hours.
Gasoline prices for my fill ups varied from $1.69 in my home town (San Ramon, CA), 0.91 cent at a Texaco station in Bakersfield and 1.19 in Vegas.
All in all a superb car for a fast, long trip.
The production Vibe (At least the base versions) will not have the dark gray plastic all the way around. The bumper and underside of the vehicle is fully painted and color matched.
Dindak::: I saw the VUE up close and in person last month at the South Florida International Autoshow. The car has very interesting and promising technology such as the CVT transmission (Which Ford just announced they have delayed the launch of a CVT tranny on a new Ford product for more than a year) the Saturn L Series V6 engine, the nooks and crannies and the interesting features all around the vehicle. To me some components such as the nicely integrated storage trays (they can be fold away when not in use on a fixed place) in the cargo area are fantastic and better than a cargo net, but the quality of the plastic is pretty bad. If you put there a heavy bag with groceries I am sure the plastic basket is going to break if the bag leans to briskly against it. The Interior is OK but in Mouse gray looks very drabby and the plastic is not that great either. On the outside the car has that Playskool feel to the way the panels are fitted with gaps that if you are on a drive thru you don't need to open the window..they can slide the bag with the burger and fries right thru the cracks and so on. The car looks different but the look is boring and unspiring. It is just Saturn's sleeping pill answer on a sea of better looking compact Suv's such as the Escape/Tribute, Rav4, New CRV and Hyundai Santa Fe.
I much prefer the Vibe from the standpoint of a sportywagon/family hauler with Toyota reliability and quality at a Pontiac price.
you are not supposed to wax the car until 2-3 months after a paint job, but the panels are finished way before the actual build date.
i think any wax protection is better than nothing before winter, but make sure you use 100% made in usa cotton towel, as other might contain fibre or unknown content which will scratch the paint.
The dealer's around here wax the cars before delivery anyway.
If you have your vehicle painted by a local shop then you should wait about six weeks to wax it, because the wax will hinder the drying process.
http://www.asechips.com/
They quoted me a price of about $350 (installed) for the 3.5L engine. I think you have to remove your PCM/ECU and mail it in. You'll also get more hp and torque, and increased shift points. Maybe someone here would be willing to be the guinea pig?
In the end I'm looking for an economical SUV which is what the Vue is. If I could afford a real SUV I'd be looking at the Pathfinder or Envoy.
axr6 : Sounds like a good ride. The Intrigue is a great distance car. I have driven mine 800+ kms in a day and really not felt that tired.
I am not buying until June so I will monitor the quality here at Town Hall. Apparently the Vue has already gone on sale here.
When i got mine, i waited a month or so to wax it just in case, but that old adage my now be
just a wive's tale.