Oldsmobile Intrigue

redline65

If you grasp the top of your shifter handle (where the button is) and apply a slight twisting motion back and forth, does it move?

Yep, I already had mine fixed once and now it is loose again. I would highly recommend against having the dealer fix it, as they will remove the plastic console and when they put it back in you might have creaks and rattles in the center console like I do. My suggestion is to live with it. You can probably ask the service advisor if they can fix it without removing the center console. Don't expect a permanent fix though.

dindak

Picked up some Mother's "back to black" at Crapy Tire tonite. Intrigue goes in tomorrow for an emissions test and the $39.99 Goodwrench spring maintenance. We are probably getting close to needing new pads also.

perna

Are they the place that sell Crapyears, Crapalins, and Crapstones?

Sorry, it's a Friday.

moonshadow

AKA: Canadian tire, CTC

FYI

Today CTC is now a general automotive / hardware / general merchandise franchise throughout canada, in just about every town.

Years ago they just sold tires and expanded to include automotive products of all kinds, then general merchadise. Including kitchen ware gardening stuff and now plants even.
 
In the old days CTC (canadian tire corporation) was referred to numerous demeaning names such as crappy tire and canadian trash, Because of the questionable cheap products they sold, on the cheap. Once used by a lot of people to fix up cars to "sell" and did not care as to the longevity of the parts.

For instance, to this day, i will not buy thermostats at crappy because of a long history from a rad shop that replaced thirty crappy tire thermostats on one cold day here. They would tend to stick closed. One thermostat was plugged with a half a tube of silicone seal that had to be scraped out of the thermstat housing, man was that guy ticked when he was showed the problem. No gasket just silicone .hehe what a mess.
 However, today they have a much superior reputation due to better quality control and most important, brand names.

A couple of years ago some dude started a web site called crappy tire and CTC sued them for infrigemnet on the trademark because of the "affectionate referral of the term crappy tire" that so many canadians tend to know and associate with their stores. Funny eh!

Some crappy tire store auto garages still have a bad rep. on their mechanics as most people believe some stores still give commision to mechanics for parts installed (conflict of interest). Born from the fact that if you take your car there, the guys seem to change every part within a two foot radias of a defective part.

Common canadian statement: "Well, lets buzz down to crappy and see what they got."

Some update on the venerable canadian icon, for those deep in the states, who didn't get the reference from dindak et al. LOL

sunsession

Thanks, jg28 and redline65. After looking at a diagram of the innards of the console on an Alldata page, I have decided to go with redline65. It's very complicated in there. I'll live with a little jiggle.

fgriff1

I've used Meguiers Tire Gel. Works great and lasts a few rain storms

ozznet

I got my stereo installed into my Intrigue yesterday. You know those bastards at GM have the Air Bags and other electronics wired though your stereo. If you just take it out and put the new deck in your Air bags and other things can go off while you are driving for no reason. They have a part that cost 160 bucks to fix it. Also just to take the rear speakers out you have to take the rear seats out. They can't make anything easy these days.

vcjumper

Anyone see it yet? Intrigue meets its maker pretty good and a bunch of Auroras get destroyed. Was practically a GM smash up derby at one point.

oldsman01

Seems GM supplied the film with about 50 cars. I guess they figured if they couldn't sell the Oldsmobiles this was the next best thing to do with them:) I hope to see the movie soon.

dindak

ozznet : I think 95% of people never do anything to the stereo so GM does what ever it feels like. I think the upgrade stereo we have is pretty decent. Wish I had the Bose, next time.

Re: Matrix - Very excited about the flick. I love the first movie and this one is suppose to be fantastic. Saw a lot of Cadillacs and Auroras. Didn't see an Intrigues. All very modern looking cars so no surprise the Matrix used them.

ozznet

I saw the Matrix yesterday. I thought it kind of sucked. The action was cool but the scenes were to long and drawn out. That was cool when the Intrigue got blown up though.

oldsman01

Saw the Matrix today, overall I thought it was pretty good but did have some dull moments at the beginning. The black Intrigue that got shot up and overturned was MY EXACT CAR!! Well I couldn't tell if it had chrome wheels but it had the gold emblems and the PCS badge on the rear. Great action scenes but I'm not exactly fond of seeing my car rolled:) Oh well, it was kind of neat seeing the whole rear end of that BMW literally peeled off at the beginning of the chase. And I noticed the Aurora which did an end to end flip had no exhaust system which makes me wonder just how much those cars were "doctored" for the movie. Guess I'll have to wait for the DVD to come out so I can freeze frame it. And the two semis crashing was totally digitized just as the fight scenes atop them. Other than those being obvious, the effects in the movie were great. Other than the CTS and the Escalade EXT, I didn't see any other Cadillacs. Pretty much every other GM car was on the road at one point though.

buzzard4

I'm trading in my '99 3.5 GLS today for a '03 Maxima GLE.

Thanks to the group for several years of informative discussion. I wish you all good luck with your Intrigues.

evandro

Congratulations and good luck on your Maxima.

redline65

So what happens to this discussion thread once nobody else here owns an Intrigue? Will it get deleted?

dindak

Well someone will have to own them, it's not like they go in the garbage when they get traded in. People like ozz buy them used.

buzzard : Probably got a great deal on an 03 huh? It's a nice car, enjoy!

oldsman01

Unless it gets wrecked, stolen, or something else major goes wrong , it looks like I'll have the Intrigue a bit longer. Longer as in until the 04 CTS is available. The latest issue of Autoweek has a short write-up on the 04 CTS changes and they are pretty much everything the doctor orderd. The new 3.6 liter V6 has a fuel shut-off speed of 7000 RPMs and the automatic transmission's sport mode is set to hold full throttle 1st to 2nd upshifts to within 300 RPMs of that! Oh and in 05 a 6 speed manual will be offered with that engine. Other upgrades include a true dual exhaust and minor interior upgrades. Unless Cadillac goes crazy and balloons the price, this will likely be my next ride. I already love the CTS and with these enhancements, it will be that much better. I had been thinking of going ahead with a Saab 9-3 or 03 CTS, but think it is in my best interest to wait. After all, I still have my sharp black beauty to ride:) BTW, the girl I went out with Saturday night loved my car. Even though it was a warm night, she had to try out the seat heater. Gotta love women! She even said she wanted to drive at one point. So I started thinking trade-off I let you drive and you let me, well.... Okay, so I came to my senses and reminded her it was kind of rainy and I didn't want her to get hurt since she was unfamiliar with how the car handled.

vcjumper

Seems like a better deal than a GTP Comp-G which well optioned is more expensive than a low end CTS or G35.

dindak

Too funny. Was it a first date? I kind of miss those dating days. Can't believe it's been about 7 years since I asked a girl out, ack!

04 CTS will be worth the wait. That said, if one could squeeze a deal, an 03 would be fine. I thought the 3.2L was fine.

vcjumper : I would go for a CTS before I would get the high end GP. Only GP I would consider is a GT-2.

sda

Sorry to see you leave. I would love to see a final summary of your Intrigue experience. Likes/dislikes. Problems, mileage, words of wisdom. Enjoy the Maxima. They are nice cars.

oldsman01

Yeah, it was a first date. And she was only about 21 or 22. Not sure your missing much in the dating scene as I could probably write you a book of the fiascos I've been through. And most recently, the drought:)

The 3.2 liter V6 in the CTS isn't bad but the 3.6 looks to be that much better. And the other enhancements which are coming with the 04 model make it worth the wait IMO. And besides, I still have my sharp looking(and still great driving) Intrigue.

dindak

I usually only think back to the good dates but yes, lots of really bad ones for me also. I'm happily married with a beautiful little girl so I can't complain. I guess the grass always looks greener..

Intrigues still look great on the road. Lots of them in this area and I always admire them. See more CTS on the road every day though, definitely my dream car in about 4-5 years. Unfortunately we will need a kid hauler next.

buzzard4

sda, since you asked, I'll give a brief rundown on my Intrigue experience.

I'll start by saying that the '03 Maxima GLE I replaced it with is already in the shop! I noticed a slight vibration, hopefully a wheel weight got knocked off in transit. It just goes to show that I am truly jinxed in the car department.

My '99 3.5 GLS had about 85,500 miles when I traded it in. A lot of that mileage was my wife commuting about 55 miles one way for the first few years we had it. She loved the car, as did I most of the time. That last ride to the dealer was tougher than I thought it would be.

I've posted before about the steering problems I had a few years ago. I had some of the other typical problems along the way (crank sensor, door trim, brake rotors, poor fit on dash) but nothing else really major.

I agree with most of the posters here on the car's strengths: great highway car, distinctive styling, good handling, good gas mileage. The 3.5 was just made to go fast. Even when I got it up to FSO (I hit it around 120 mph), it felt solid. There are also a few little things I've already noticed that the Maxima doesn't have, like the doors locking when you put the car in gear, more tilt to the tilt wheel.

Other than the problems I noted, there wasn't much I didn't like. I got rid of it because I just took a job that will now require me to commute 55 miles (the wife is home with the 1-year-old). I was noticing some rough starts with the Intrigue after it sat for a few days, and it was going to need a lot of routine maintenance stuff. I figured I'd put that money toward a replacement with a fresh warranty. With all the problems I had with Oldsmobile and GM, I wanted to try another direction. Besides, nothing in the General's lineup had as many features as the Maxima in the price range I was able to get it. My wife was keen on a Saab 9-3, but it was at least $4K more for similar equipment. I like the CTS, but my wife hates the styling. The Maxima has no style, really, and is a bit smaller, but it has a lot of features I wanted for a good price, and hopefully will be reliable.

I guess the only words of wisdom I have are that if you expect the worst from a car, dealer, or manufacturer (foreign or domestic), then you won't be disappointed if you get screwed. And maybe (if you have better luck than me) you'll be pleasantly surprised and have your expectations exceeded.

dindak

Maxima won't likely be much more reliable than the Intrigue, but like you say, a fresh warranty. I really like the car though, it's a great combination of performance and luxury at a reasonable price. Too bad the new 04 Max isn't going to have the same qualities.

ozznet

I got my Mothers Paint Chip Repair kit in the mail today. Hopefully I can go to town on those scratches and chips on the weekend.

pat

akitadog, please check your email.

vcjumper

pricing seems pretty similar, ~34K CAD for an SE.

evandro

My Alero had it and my Bonneville does too. However, the Intrigue does have it etched in the instrument cluster, but it lacks a light there. The Owner's Manual even doesn't depict the instruments with that light. When did it have such a useful feature?

TIA

redline65

The Intrigue was going to have the tire pressure monitor, but I believe they pulled it before it went to production. I think it was a cost-savings measure. As far as I know, there were no Intrigues sold with this feature. Anybody have it?

evandro

It can't be a cost saving matter other than for the wiring to the bulb in the instrument cluster and the bulb itself. After all, the system that GM uses relies on the ABS sensors at the wheels and the ABS computer calculates whether a tire is low by comparing the rotation speed of each wheel against the others. It's all software that uses hardware already in place, except, again, for the indicator light...

Oh, well, that's too bad, for I really got hooked on it.

moonshadow

my neighbor has an alero with tire monitor light that works and its console looks like a duplicate to my intrigue console.

Why it wasn't included in the more expensive and up scale intrigue is up there with why the intrigue does not have a locking gas cap, headlights not staying on for 20 seconds after you shut it off, and why the idjits canceled the 3.5L engine as well as olds.

What goes on in automotive management minds is a mystery that no one can make sense of.

evandro

... or doesn't have an open-door warning light. Yep, those pin-heads are plain stupid. Olds' demise is the ultimate proof of it. Sad...

ozznet

ever wonder why when you go to lock the doors with the power lock the door chime turns on the first time and then you have to press it a second time to lock it.

lmacmil

The door locks are programmable. The default mode is a 15-20 sec delay after you hit the lock button, enough time to get out, open a back door and retrieve something. When you hit the lock button the second time, you override the delay and they lock immediately.

moonshadow

The door chime lets you know that you set the program to "last door close" delay.

I like this as when it is in this program mode, you do not have to sit and wait for all the slow pokes to open their doors and get out, to lock the car.

 Ie.yon can shut off the car, get out and hit the door lock once, you hear the chime, close your door, walk away and then the mother-in-law can take her time, i think 30 seconds or so, getting around to opening the door and closing it, as the program will wait so many seconds for any door to open.

If you open a door the delay will be extened so many more seconds after that door,or the last door, is closed, then it locks up everything.

I normally wait until all doors with people are opened and then hit the lock button once and walk away.

oldsman01

I've noticed the spot for the "low tire pressure" on my Intrigue as well. Not sure why the car doesn't have it as it has everything else just about. But I will say, there are a few omissions on this car. Those include heated outside mirrors, locking fuel door(I understand 98 and 99 models had this), a "trunk ajar" warning light and a way to activate a delay-off feature on the headlights. The thing is, these features would cost GM nothing to add to the car other than the heated mirrors and how expensive are those anyway? Good grief, my 89 Olds Touring sedan had them. The headlight delay can be activated by the BCM(I'd almost bet there is a way to turn it on with a GM Tech II tool) and what is it going to cost to put a trunk ajar light in the IP? Having said that, the Intrigue does have some serious standard hardware that alot of cars in it's class lack. A kick-[non-permissible content removed] engine, standard ABS with four wheel discs, standard alloy wheels, and available stability control system come to mind. Oh well, the car has been out of production for nearly a year so we're beating a dead horse.

oldsman01

I do like the "delayed locking" feature on the Intrigue. I usually put my briefcase and laptop in the back so when I get to work I get out of the car, hit the lock button and then close the driver's door open the back door and retrieve my things. Within about 10 seconds of the last door being closed, the doors lock. It's not long as I'm still close enough to the car to hear them lock. And if you want to, you can set it so that the horn chirps when the doors lock.

ozznet

cool I didn't know this. I guess you learn something new everyday.

evandro

Mine, a 2000 GL, has a remote lock switch beside the trunk remote switch...

I like my Bonneville's better, that unlocks the gas cap when the transmission is placed in Park and is locked along with the doors.

moonshadow

the locking gas cap was eliminated in 2001 .

I remember addressing it to the salesman and he came up with a lame "they had problems with the functioning of the cable so they removed it". I said remote gas cap release/cable have been around for decades and was more probally a cost cutting thingee. He just shrugged his shoulder.

Throw in PCS but cut out a $2.00 gas cap mechanism.
Who knows go figure.

While we're commenting on cost cutting, who is the cheep moron in gm that cut out the 'under the hood light'? I thought it was just cheaping up the intrigue but a neighbor just got her new grand prix 2004 and it does not have a hood light either. Like, of all the things to cut, a hood light.

evandro

Cable? Mine is electric...

Yet, yep, those bean counters ditched Olds and are soon to ditch GM. Super-Lutz is the only hope, but he has still to father a car from concept to launch... :-D

ian18

I think it is likely that GM ditched the locking gas cap because they started selling Intrigues to Avis for rentals. People that rent cars do not like to hunt around for gas cap release switches.

moonshadow

I thought that it was electric because as i was looking at the 2001 brochure it still showed a picture of a gas pump on a button beside the trunk release. Go to show the brochure people don't even know whats happening.

 I was playing with the actual gas cap and told buddy that that latch must be broken on the car in the showroom. That is when he came up with his lame explanation. Salesman, they would lie/cheat their own mothers.

Salesmen are just interning for their next job, politician.

i think the bean counters next decapitation will be something /all in the Buick line up. Then those buick customers will find out about resale hell.

Why North america changes line up names so often is beyond me. The corola nameplate has been around for probably 30 years, despite the numerous design changes every five years or so. It is basically a new car every five years but nobody cares. Same with the civic and accord.

There are only a few long runners here in NA such as century, mustang, thunderbird(cut during the the late 90's). Impala doesn't count as they killed that for a couple of decades.

Maybe Gm has caught on to something by bringing it back ?.... Naaaahhh

mfletouva

That doesn't make any sense. I can guarantee you that far more Alero and Malibu's were sold to rental car companies than Intrigues, and Avis also rights lots of Impalas which I believe had it too. Actually, I never see Intrigue rentals. They are pretty uncommon. In 2002, the Intrigue only sold around 30,000 units, so there can't be that many rentals.

ozznet

mine was a rental. Usually any car that you buy from a dealer that is one year old was a rental. They have some sort of program.

oldsman01

Again, my 89 Olds had this feature. Although it was a pain because the release button was in the glove compartment and once the ignition was off, it didn't work. There was a mechanical release in the trunk if the power feature quit working.

moonshadow, I'm with you on the names. In fact, I often wondered what would have happened had the Intrigue been a Cutlass Supreme. It truly would have been the most supreme of all Cutlasses(or Cutli). I know there was talk that the potential customers of the Intrigue wouldn't consider something with a Cutlass name, but I really don't think the public is that shallow. And anyway, they didn't seem to buy the car when it was called Intrigue anyway. Of coarse, not advertising the car much doesn't help either. Think of it this way, a dumb name for a car like Civic or Neon hasn't hurt sales.

oldsman01

Since the Intrigue has been out of production for about a year now, you probably won't find many in rental fleets as rental companies typically keep pretty new cars in their fleet. I think Olds sold quite a few to fleets in 00 but I'm not sure about after that. There seemed to be a glut of 00 models on the used market about a year or so ago.

winter9

Has anyone replaced the fuel filter yourself? Where is it located? Is it accessable? How did you do it? Thanks. I will be doing it on a 99 w/ the 3.8 engine if that makes any difference.

ozznet

On my old Grand Am it was down buy the rear passenger wheel mounted to the frame. It was very accessible. I don't know about the Intrigue though, just thought I would give you an idea.

lmacmil

When I bought my 2000 in April 2001, the local Chevy dealer had 6 Intrigues, all either white or silver, exact same equipment, all 24-28K miles. Mine was a rental and I assume the others were also. At the same time, the local National Rental Car outlet was selling 1999 Intrigues, they had at least 3 but were out of warranty. So I think it's safe to infer that in the 1st 3 years of production, Olds sold a lot of Intrigues to the rental agencies. About 40% of Taurus sales are rental cars. No wonder they're discontinuing it.