Wondering what happens to this newsgroup next fall, when no new Intrigue is offered? Will the newsgroup go away? Hope not, as us who still own the car will need to communicate on parts/service issues esp. as time goes on after the car is unavail.
By next year there will be even more to talk about becuase most of the cars will be out of warranty. That will allow intrigue owners to put on superchargers, coffee can exhausts, lowering kits, 19" wheels, rear wings, and yellow paint jobs you guys have been waiting for.
Heck, It will probably bring in the 20 year olds into the thread.
redline? Can you explain what you mean by increased shift points? I'd be game but it says they recommend high octane fuel. That's something I don't know about. I love having the performance with the lower octane rating.
jg28 - the company claims the chip will make the transmission upshift at 500 rpm higher than it normally would. Kind of like the performance mode that some cars with automatic transmissions offer. I think you have to go to higher octane (92 or higher) because the chip advances the ignition timing. Using lower octane would cause knocking or pinging. Supposedly the chip will eliminate the speed limiter as well.
Dindak: what is the name of your insurance company. who should i talk to? My best quote was from gm insurance at $1500! i have been driving for 20 years with a 6 stars rating.
26 years old and already here. I'd like to see some Intrigue's with blowers, but for heaven's sake don't ruin such a great looking car with those tacky wheels and fart pipes or the mustard yellow paint jobs. Some high performance wheels and possibly lowering the stance just a bit might be neat, but otherwise the car looks so good already, nothing much is needed.
I know we've talked about how the Intrigue has lost a few small features over the years(i.e. heated mirrors, power fuel door release, cd changer, etc) and I was wondering if earlier models had warning/courtesy lights on the front doors? I've noticed mine has a relector, but no light. I know this is a small nitpick, but I'd like to have a light there and was wondering if any Intrigues every had this.
I get my insurance through Direct Protect, but I can't remember the name of the insurance company as it changed last year. Many people were complaining about their insurance rates going up (because of Sept. 11), but much to my surprise ours went down a little. Over all (2 cars and home) rate went down about $60 this year.
I'll let you know who the actual insurer is.
Where do you live? One thing I will tell you is our rates went down a lot after leaving Toronto for Oakville.
Mosts chips do advance the timing. We all know what that does....increases low end torque. Something the intrigue needs. Not so sure about the increase in shift points to 7000rpm. Intrigue motor really shines in the midrange not the top end. Although an increase in shift point will help the drop off in power when it shifts into second. Who will be the first?
I guess I'm the king of "mods" here with my K&N and my sways and strut tower braces but I'm gonna have to pass on the chip modification. If nothing else because I don't wanna pay premium prices for high octane fuel. I wish we could get a chip for the transmission though. I hate how the transmission has to "kick in" (like when you push the pedal all the way, there's like a delay when the transmission kicks in instead of it being a smooth power curve transition like in the Maxima). It seems to me like the shift point from first to second during a steady acceleration is plenty high enough anyway. I actually wish it was lower cause the engine revs so high.
How are things in Michigan these days? I am scared of what will happen when this zero percent financing deal ends. Ontario layoffs could be heavy at the car plants. Truck sales seem strong though.
Emission testing happens every 2 years after a car is 3 years old here. Have not heard of any change to an annual test. Actually I heard they are planning on changing it to have the first one after 5 years instead of 3.
Actually, I think the 3.5 probably could go that high safely. But it would be really rough on the transmission.
What the Intrigue really needs to help the low end is just shorter gearing. If the 3.29 was available as a separate option, (without the rear wing and other doodads) I might have gotten it.
I may not even be buying new cars anymore because they've become so doggone expensive. So I'm toying with the idea of maybe picking up a used 2002 PCS car, in another 4 or 5 years.
Dindak: didn't know there is difference in insurance from toronto to oakvile, i live dt toronto. it is only a 30 minutes drive! E-test is nothing more than tax grap, they can do a lot more by reducing sulphur level in gasoline, but they don't want to fight big gas companies, so instead they put the squeeze on the little guys. i read many horror stories on e-test charge by garage.
The chip should not make the rpm's go higher than 6500, it will just cause the transmission to shift 500 rpm higher than normal. In other words, if you and your tranny normally shift from 1-2 around 2500 rpm, now it will hold first gear until 3000 rpm. As someone stated previously, it will keep your revs higher for the next gear.
I am assuming that there is a fuel cut off at a certain rpm and that the chip will defeat it or modify it. But, you may be right redline. Maybe we should call the manufacturer and find out.
According to the service manual, the engine redline is 6500 rpm and fuel shutoff is at 6700 rpm. To be honest, I've never been able to get it above about 6100 rpm unless my tach is wrong. Not that I want to try the fuel shutoff point, but would like to get it up to redline. When I get the K&N installed(if I can find the right one here someewhere) I'm going to tank her up with Amoco 94 octane "white gas" and see what kind of numbers I can get.
Ya big difference. I think the insurance dropped $300+/ year by moving to Oakville. I was shocked to say the least. I lived in Toronto for 7 years, but we wanted a house so we became suburbanites.
Direct Protect is our agent (800-3871963) and out insurer is Traders General Canada. Give it a try, maybe it will save you a few bucks.
My intrigue would typically shift at 6200 rpms. A couple of times i think it went to redline but i am not to sure because i was busy drivng. I think people on the aurora board have compalined that both the 3.5 and the 4.0 shift at 6200 rpm instead of 6500 rpms.
Too add some more info. What it comes down to is torque multiplication. The difference between the 3.05 gear and the 3.29 gear is about 8%. That means for any given speed the engine is spinning 8% faster with the 3.29 gear.
If it were at 2000 rpms with the 3.05 gear, it would be at 2160 rpms with the 3.29 gear. Because it is at 2160 rpms it is producing more hp and torque.
Another way to look at it is, if your car was in 3rd gear which is 1:1 then the engine would be turning 3.29 times for every one turn of the front tires. You can see how that would give more off the line power but lower fuel economy.
The cheapest way to increase a car's 0-60 time is to give it more gear.Think what the difference would be between a car that has a 2.56 gear and one with a 4.11. About a 62%increase in torque multiplication!!!
Cars with small engines generally have very deep gearing and this is noticeable on the highway because the engine gets buzzy.
The American way is the best way. Big displacement engines with tall gearing which allows for excellent hwy economy, but soso city numbers.
You will notice that the Accord V6 has performance that is fairly close to the intrigue. It has a smaller engine with less torque. But a lot more gear than the intrigue. You will be hard pressed to get 26 mpg on the hwy in the Accord, but an intrigue will do 29-30 mpg.
jg28 if you want to look into how gearing affects a car's performance, get a copy of Road & Track. In each roadtest they will have each of the transmissions ratios and the ratio of the driven wheels. If you multiply the tranny ratios times the driven ratio you will get an overall ratio that is very telling. You will notice that the Japanese cars are pulling much more gear in 1st, 2nd and 3rd than their domestic counterparts.
You will also notice that the engine at 60 mph is turning higher rpms than your intrigue.
Hi to all, I have not posted here for a long time but still lurk occasionally. My 1999 now has 26,000. I remember people talking about starting trouble. Mine just has began not starting on the first try. It seems to do it more often when the engine is already warm. About a year ago I had the rough start thing. I think they replaced the fuel sensor- can't remember exact without checking my paper work. I will be calling the dealer to make an appointment but would appreciate any thoughts.
bjl3 - I've had the same problem. Have you had any battery problems? I'm on my 3rd battery now and my '99 Intrigue has about 31K miles. Make sure your battery cables are not loose at the battery posts. Also make sure there is no leakage - my last one was cracked. I've also had my crankshaft sensor replaced, but it didn't seem to help. Since I got the new battery a few weeks ago I have not encountered a rough start. Also, when I got my second battery the rough start was gone for about 4 months.
Took a mini road trip to Atlanta this past weekend with 2 of my college buddies. It's only about a 3 hour drive so nothing like the Chicago trip, but I did get the Intrigue up to some very illegal speeds. Both guys were very impressed with how solid the car felt at 110 mph and I again was amazed at what a great road car the Intrigue is. Averaged about 26 mpg on the highway part of the trip with very little cruise control. Used Onstar several times and my friends had a blast flirting with their operators. I did have 2 Onstar problems though. Once after we had been on the call for about 20 minutes checking hotels she tried to update my location and could not. This was odd because I wasn't in a tunnel or under a bridge. Also, we lost cellular connection once while she had me on hold checking rates. Trying to call Onstar back was a pain at about 6PM friday because everyone on I-75 in Atlanta must have been on their cell phones because I got the "fast busy" tones several times. I think the analog cell phone system is the weakest link in the Onstar system. Other than UT losing to LSU, we had a pretty good time. It's hard to believe that I've only had this car since July and I'm at 8800 miles.
I'm contemplating trading/selling my '99 Mazda 626 and am considering a used Intrigue. There seems to be plenty of low mile used ones out on the market around here. What options would you opt for if you were buying your Intrigue now? I'm really interested in a car with leather. Thanks in advance.
jonbgood- A GL with leather seems to be the best value, in my opinion. The GL trim gets you auto climate control, fog lights, and folding rear seat. Options I'd get would be steering wheel radio controls and BOSE audio! On newer models PCS stability control is a worthy option.
Thanks, I'm not sure, I guess it could be the battery.I checked the battery posts, they were fine. I will be calling today for an appointment. More likely I would say it's a sensor. We will see. With my luck they will say Could not duplicate!
Heard radio personalities joke about it this morning on the radio, so I guess the Deville is the car that is going to have the special "hip-hop" edition.
Go for it! As someone else mentioned, look for a GL or a GLS model as these have more features. Leather is standard on the GLS and optional on the GL. Also, both models come with climate control and fog lights which are not even available on the base model. The GLS model will get you dual power front seats, heated front seats, and an auto dimming rearview mirror(and Onstar if it's a 2001). I have a 2001 GLS that I purchased in July and already have 8800 miles on it. Great road car.
There's a good reason there are a lot of used Intrigues around- just read all the posts on this list about problems. You should be able to get one for next to nothing, but plan on experiencing some problems, and getting less and less support from dealers in the near future. It's a fun car to drive, but if you're looking for worry free transportation, you could make better selections. Just my [admittedly jaded] opinion.
donsell - You say it's an easy replacement...Just where is the sensor located? I had one replaced last Jan at a local Olds dealership. They were very happy to tell me that the parts and labor would be covered for 1 year if the sensor were to fail again.
2 weeks later, the dealership ditched Olds for Honda. So, now that my car is starting to have the same problem again, I go to the Honda dealership (same chain - Dan Young) and they tell me all the Olds records have been moved to their Chevy dealership down the street.
And here's an interesting note...I call the Chevy dealerships service department and ask for a quote to get a crankshaft sensor replaced on an Olds Intrigue. First thing he says is....Is the car under factory warranty? Because we DONT DO FACTORY WARRANTY WORK ON OLDSMOBILES!!!
I'm like, WTF?, but my 99 has 55K, so warranty isn't an issue. He quotes me $220, which I seem to remember being about $175 11 months earlier.
So, I have 2 options.. 1. Replace the sensor on my own (could be interesting) 2. Go to the Chevy dealership and battle it out with a service manager stating that the Olds service dept (which Honda told me that they inherited) said it was warranted for a year.
PS, I no longer have the receipt for the prior service.
If anyone here is biased toward the Intrigue, it's me. I'm on my second on since the first got totalled. I had only 2 of the problem that you'll see here: the steering shaft and rusted rear rotors. On the '01, it's been absolutely flawless at 10,500 miles since purchasing it in July. What can I say? It's a fun car to drive.
That being said, buzzard makes a good point. I'd stay away from '98s and early '99s. They are most prone to the steering shaft problem. Later build '99s may have an alternator problem and strut jounce creak.
When I purchased my '98, I knew about the steering shaft so when the problem arose, it didn't bother me because I expected it and knew it was covered. If you know about the problems you'll have, it may make ownership easier.
Got a call from the guy who leased our Crapalier to us. He said there is a C$1000 credit for upgrading from Cavalier to Malibu or Alero. That would be on top of the C$2000 Olds loyalty credit and another $500 Christmas promo bonus. If I bought I would get 0.0% as well. The only thing stopping me is there may be a penalty for early termination of the lease (6 mo. to go).
If there is little to no penalty I may skip the SUV for 3 more year and go for an Alero. Wasn't thinking about it, but since GM is dumping $3500 + 0.0 in my lap maybe I should go for it.
I don't know if this is common practice, but about 6 months before the lease on my Alero expired I got an offer from GM to trade the car and they would forgive any fee for early termination, along with the remaining payments, of course...
Hope you are right. The offer's GM has right now are juicy to say the least. I'm waiting to hear back about that, but they said I may have to bring the old car in for inspection before I get any final word.
Doing some research on tires again. So far, Michelin Pilot XGT H4 is still tops on my list. But I've been researching Yokohama tires. Specificially AVS db. According to Tirerack.com, they are supposed to provide excellent dry and wet traction. I'm particularly interested in how they perform in snow (2 - 6 inches). The Pilots danced thru the snow like a polar bear. I've heard rumors that Yokohama tires don't do well in the snow.
Anyone, particularly our Canadian brethren, used Yokohama? If so, what model? And how was the noise level? (Noise is a big issue with me) And last bust certainly not least, how was performance? I would think Yokohama would do well in this arena.
I have got to get out of the BADyears! They are horrible in the rain!
I haven't heard any comments on snow and the AVSdb's. They might not be as good in the snow as the XGT H4's as they are V rated. They don't have a great wear rating (320?) so I didn't seriously consider them.
Another tire getting rave reviews on tirerack.com in rain and snow is the new Dunlop SP Sport A2. Fairly cheap too.
I guess I don't know how difficult it is to change the crank sensor yourself. I dropped my Intrigue at the dealer at 8:00 am and took the courtesy shuttle into work. At 9:30 that morning they called and said it was ready. From that I didn't think it was a big deal.
I'm sure I've seen a post here from someone that did do it themselves (it may be in the maintenance section)
It appears that the 2002's have an alternator problem too. Mine and my sons both have headlights that dim at times. My car is in right now at the dealership getting that repaired. I will let all know what happens!
Comments
Heck, It will probably bring in the 20 year olds into the thread.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
I'll let you know who the actual insurer is.
Where do you live? One thing I will tell you is our rates went down a lot after leaving Toronto for Oakville.
Not so sure about the increase in shift points to 7000rpm. Intrigue motor really shines in the midrange not the top end. Although an increase in shift point will help the drop off in power when it shifts into second. Who will be the first?
Emission testing happens every 2 years after a car is 3 years old here. Have not heard of any change to an annual test. Actually I heard they are planning on changing it to have the first one after 5 years instead of 3.
What the Intrigue really needs to help the low end is just shorter gearing. If the 3.29 was available as a separate option, (without the rear wing and other doodads) I might have gotten it.
I may not even be buying new cars anymore because they've become so doggone expensive. So I'm toying with the idea of maybe picking up a used 2002 PCS car, in another 4 or 5 years.
E-test is nothing more than tax grap, they can do a lot more by reducing sulphur level in gasoline, but they don't want to fight big gas companies, so instead they put the squeeze on the little guys. i read many horror stories on e-test charge by garage.
Hey 1way, how's it going old pal?
How was FLA? Have you decided on your next vehicle?
Direct Protect is our agent (800-3871963) and out insurer is Traders General Canada. Give it a try, maybe it will save you a few bucks.
A couple of times i think it went to redline but i am not to sure because i was busy drivng.
I think people on the aurora board have compalined that both the 3.5 and the 4.0 shift at 6200 rpm instead of 6500 rpms.
Too add some more info. What it comes down to is torque multiplication. The difference between the 3.05 gear and the 3.29 gear is about 8%. That means for any given speed the engine is spinning 8% faster with the 3.29 gear.
If it were at 2000 rpms with the 3.05 gear, it would be at 2160 rpms with the 3.29 gear. Because it is at 2160 rpms it is producing more hp and torque.
Another way to look at it is, if your car was in 3rd gear which is 1:1 then the engine would be turning 3.29 times for every one turn of the front tires.
You can see how that would give more off the line power but lower fuel economy.
The cheapest way to increase a car's 0-60 time is to give it more gear.Think what the difference would be between a car that has a 2.56 gear and one with a 4.11. About a 62%increase in torque multiplication!!!
Cars with small engines generally have very deep gearing and this is noticeable on the highway because the engine gets buzzy.
The American way is the best way. Big displacement engines with tall gearing which allows for excellent hwy economy, but soso city numbers.
It has a smaller engine with less torque.
But a lot more gear than the intrigue. You will be hard pressed to get 26 mpg on the hwy in the Accord, but an intrigue will do 29-30 mpg.
jg28 if you want to look into how gearing affects a car's performance, get a copy of Road & Track. In each roadtest they will have each of the transmissions ratios and the ratio of the driven wheels. If you multiply the tranny ratios times the driven ratio you will get an overall ratio that is very telling.
You will notice that the Japanese cars are pulling much more gear in 1st, 2nd and 3rd than their domestic counterparts.
You will also notice that the engine at 60 mph is turning higher rpms than your intrigue.
http://www.auto.com/industry/iwiri8_20011208.htm
Thanks- BJL
There's a good reason there are a lot of used Intrigues around- just read all the posts on this list about problems. You should be able to get one for next to nothing, but plan on experiencing some problems, and getting less and less support from dealers in the near future. It's a fun car to drive, but if you're looking for worry free transportation, you could make better selections. Just my [admittedly jaded] opinion.
2 weeks later, the dealership ditched Olds for Honda. So, now that my car is starting to have the same problem again, I go to the Honda dealership (same chain - Dan Young) and they tell me all the Olds records have been moved to their Chevy dealership down the street.
And here's an interesting note...I call the Chevy dealerships service department and ask for a quote to get a crankshaft sensor replaced on an Olds Intrigue. First thing he says is....Is the car under factory warranty? Because we DONT DO FACTORY WARRANTY WORK ON OLDSMOBILES!!!
I'm like, WTF?, but my 99 has 55K, so warranty isn't an issue. He quotes me $220, which I seem to remember being about $175 11 months earlier.
So, I have 2 options..
1. Replace the sensor on my own (could be interesting)
2. Go to the Chevy dealership and battle it out with a service manager stating that the Olds service dept (which Honda told me that they inherited) said it was warranted for a year.
PS, I no longer have the receipt for the prior service.
Any advise???
Thanks!!!
That being said, buzzard makes a good point. I'd stay away from '98s and early '99s. They are most prone to the steering shaft problem. Later build '99s may have an alternator problem and strut jounce creak.
When I purchased my '98, I knew about the steering shaft so when the problem arose, it didn't bother me because I expected it and knew it was covered. If you know about the problems you'll have, it may make ownership easier.
Just my two cents.
If there is little to no penalty I may skip the SUV for 3 more year and go for an Alero. Wasn't thinking about it, but since GM is dumping $3500 + 0.0 in my lap maybe I should go for it.
Are there no other Olds dealers in the area?
Anyone, particularly our Canadian brethren, used Yokohama? If so, what model? And how was the noise level? (Noise is a big issue with me) And last bust certainly not least, how was performance? I would think Yokohama would do well in this arena.
I have got to get out of the BADyears! They are horrible in the rain!
Another tire getting rave reviews on tirerack.com in rain and snow is the new Dunlop SP Sport A2. Fairly cheap too.
I'm sure I've seen a post here from someone that did do it themselves (it may be in the maintenance section)
Good luck!
It appears that the 2002's have an alternator problem too. Mine and my sons both have headlights that dim at times. My car is in right now at the dealership getting that repaired. I will let all know what happens!