Oldsmobile Intrigue

taycron

I really do love my Intrigue. I sometimes wish I could buy a new one..

focus

Just had them checked and were told they are still OK at 50,000 km.
front and rear pad has 9/32 left, same as the front and rear tire, lot of time left on the rotor as well.
i wonder if the intrigue warranty covers the ABS, traction control and stability control?

vanman1

I love my car. I just wish I could figure out the rattle in the back.

dtownfb

That's interesting. i also have a rattle in the back. Mine is definitely coming from the trunk and not below. Wehn I have time, I'll check it out closer.

does anyone know how much it cost to change the alternator on the Intrigue? I have the flickering headlights and would like to get it fixed. It appears the only solution is a new alternator.

lmacmil

Unfortunately, I think replacing the alternator is a several hundred dollar repair. You might find the cost by searching this forum.

buckwalter1

Flickering lights caused me to have a shop replace the alternator...cost $400. They had to drain the coolant and remove some parts to get that puppy out. It did fix the problem.

focus

Went to dealership to check for abs, stability and traction control and was told if they could not duplicate the problem, i'll be charge for it.
Went to midas just last week and was told pad and rotor are ok.

vanman1

It could be in the trunk also, I was assuming it was coming from the rear wheel area through the trunk. Everything I have checked seems secure though and when I bounce the car it's quiet from the outside. Mainly I get noise when I turn corners slowly.

taycron

My 2000 Intrigue's coolant idiot light comes on a lot. I usually have to add coolant but I can't find a leak. It doesn't lose a lot of coolant but it loses enough for the light to come on. The car doesn't overheat or anything so I guess the water pump might be ok. I have 133,000 miles on it so it could be anything. I had a mechanic check it and he couldn't find a leak and said I should leave it overnight.. I couldn't do that but I may have to. I heard horror stories of coolant leaking in the engine and ruining it. I hope that isn't the problem..

lmacmil

My coolant light has come about half a dozen times since I had my antifreeze changed last spring. I'm not losing any coolant. I think either there's an air bubble in the system or the sensor is failing. Since I'm not losing coolant, I'm not going to worry about it.

taycron

I have to add coolant to the reservoir every so often. I don't have to add much but it does seem to be losing coolant but I can't find any leaks..

lmacmil

Could be a head gasket. Coolant leaking into the combustion chambers would burn off so you wouldn't find any wet spots. A competant mechanic should be able to determine if that's the cause.

msw13

Most likely the cause of the coolant loss is a leaking intake manifold. The 3.8 and 3.5 (I believe) use a injection molded plastic design, which have a tendency to warp and create a leak path to the combustion chamber over time. The only real solution is too replace it, or possibly just re-seal it with new gaskets if the warpage is within tolerance. The new La Cross's 3.8's have a cast aluminum intake, so I guess GM decided to revert back and fix this known problem. I have 90k miles on my 3.8, 40k I have put on myself, over the past 3 years, and I add a little coolant every month or two. No biggie. If it gets real bad, I will change out the manifold myself. Good luck.

mick1

1999 Intrigue GLS 3.5 with 135,000 miles. after coolant was drained and filled at 105,000 I had to add a couple ounces twice because it was slightly low. mechanic had said he let car idle for a half hour to allow any air bubbles to escape. Overflow bottle recently cracked, I also added twice to bring it up to level. Seems those air bubbles are a little stubborn. I like the car but this past year I've had many expensive repair bills.

lmacmil

My limited experience with cars after 100K miles is that you're better off unloading them can pouring in money. I made that mistake on a Plymouth minivan spent more than the thing was worth in the last year I owned it. My 2000 Intrigue has only 55K miles on it but I'm leary of GM reliability so will probably get rid of it next spring.

dtownfb

Actually it is the 2.8, 3.1 and 3.4 engines tha have the intake manifold leak problem. The 3.5 is derived from the Cadillac Northstar engine.

 

I've had to add coolant to my 200 Intrigue. When on a slight incline the light woudl come on briefly and then turn off after 2-3 minutes. I added some Dexcool and all is well.

msw13

The 3.8 also has had TSB's on leaking intake manifolds. The Impala owners forum has had quite a bit of discussion on this subject. The possiblility is still there for a leak path on any engine with a V-design and coolant passages that interface with the intake manifold. They are typically very difficult to find and correct. My prior response was pointing out that a head gasket leak was not the most likely cause of the coolant loss. The 3.8's system has a bleeder screw on the T-stat housing for getting trapped air out of the system. Low coolant level after flushing could simply be the effect after the trapped air has been released. Good luck

dtownfb

I had always heard it was the small block V6 that were affected. Sorry to hear it was the entire line of V6. I have had the situation which oyou are referring to in my power steering. Kind of scary when you change the fluid and the steering is worst. It was a simple fix but I had a couple of difficult turns.

lmacmil

My Intrigue was built in Dec 1999 and I have owned it since April 2002. I have read the accounts of flickering headlights over the years and considered myself lucky I didn't have the problem...until this morning.

 

The car sat out overnight (usually garaged) and it was about 20F overnight. As I drove away I thought I noticed it but thought it was just from the streetlights. The more I drove, the more obvious it became that the lights were momentarily dimming ever so slightly at random intervals. Since I plan to get rid of it next spring, I'll probably just live with it until then. It will be back in the garage tonight so we'll see if that helps.

b4z

Sell it!

It's a lemon!

LOL.

 

Just thought i would stop by and see how the Intriguers are doing.

This forum continues to chug along, and it's good to see some of the oldtimers are still around.

lmacmil

My youngest just graduated from college so I'm jonesing to use some of that disposable income on something more "upscale." Infiniti G35 or Acura TL are my first choices but I might settle for an Accord EX-V6 or even Camry SE V6.

pat

Good to see you b4z! It's been a while ...

mrdubya

hi everyone, my girlfriend owns a 01 intrigue. today she said it started shifting bad, getting worse and worse, harder and harder. i took it to checkers, did a scan, and its code P0742, "torque convertor clutch circuit stuck on".

 

it started when she was waiting for her dad, he car sat idling in a parking lot for about 3-4 hours. almost imediatly when she started to drive it started shifting hard, and it got harder and harder. she said she got home, and her dad checked the tranny fluid level with the car running, and it was way above the mark. he checked it 3 times, all above the mark. when she met me at checkers, she said it drove 100% ok (had been sitting for about 4 hours), and when i checked the fluid level, it was EXACTLY were it was supposed to be, then back to my house, then home, it drove fine.

 

anyone know whats up? did it just mildly overheat, and the car is really ok? i know it probably built up heat just idleing there for 3-4 hours, but here in minnesota, its about 12* F!!

 

thanks for any help

akitadog

Hi, Imacmil

 

I, too, haven't posted here in a while.

If you're looking to replace the Intrigue, your choices sound nice. I would even consider the Caddy CTS or the Maxima (next to the Camcord).

If you want to just add a toy to your stable, consider the Mini Cooper S. I plan on adding it so that my 99 GL has a little brother. If you can swing it, (and you can, considering your selections) get the John Cooper Works package. 210 bhp in the Cooper can't be all bad! Plus, the depreciation is almost nil!

lmacmil

The Mini is cute but after driving an Eagle Talon for 6 years before the Intrigue, I'm enjoying a bigger car with a cushy ride. The Maxima with leather and a real sunroof is the same price range as the G35 without the cache but I've driven it and it is a nice car. My wife likes the look also. Can't get beyond the rear end of the CTS (even worse than the Accord in my opinion) plus I just don't think GM brands have the reliability I'm looking for.

 

My biggest problem is that there too many choices, each with its own pros and cons. I could be happy with just about any of them. I even like the Chrysler 300 but I'd rather go a little smaller than a little bigger.

mick1

I had the same problem when I was in bumper to bumper traffic in front of Yankee Stadium(I thought it was because I'm a Mets fan). Same code, same problem. The dealer said I may be lucky and I was, only $800 to put a new switch in without removing the tranny from the car. My 1999 has been driving beautifully for the past 4 months, it has 135,000 mi. Hope this helps. Good luck

thugh

I had a hard shifting problem on and off for two years. My 2001 Intrigue was in the dealer 3 times for transmission issues. My tranny would shift hard under 2 circumstances. The first is when I quickly turned the key to start. It would be like trying to start your car and the key slipped out of your hand and the engine slowly came up to an idle. Sounds weird but was somewhat reproducible. The second circumstance was when moving slowly in traffic during warm to hot ambient. A cool down of 20+ minutes would typically reset the tranny to "normal". My tranny never felt right from mile zero. The first trip to the shop was a re-program job. The tranny behaved better but still felt "odd". The second and third trips involved significant but not complete rebuilds. Its been a year since the third visit with no detectable issues. It feels better now than it did new. I have 67K miles on it now and plan to pass it to my daughter in 3-years. The car is tight and performs well. It gets 26-28 MPG on my work commute of 100-miles round trip/day (would not consider the ride truly a highway commute).

 

Tom

b4z

I have posted this before, but it is still interesting to me that this thread is more active

than the IMpala thread. Impala sells 300,000 a year and the last Intrigue rolled off the line in April 2002, almost 3 years ago!

 

Anyway, transmission problem should be taken care of because things will get worse.

Impala had a solenoid go bad after warranty and Chevy paid for half of the $1100 cost.

Same transmission as Intrigue's and was shifting real jerky. Had something to do with the brown transmission fluid prob that these cars were having.

Mine happened at 50K miles.

 

Been Driving a SRX since March (no backseat room in CTS) and a '04 GTO for about 3.5 weeks.

A very underrated vehicle and a total blast.

 

Gm came by and picked up my Olds dealer's sign last month. It was strange to see it leaning up against the post. He is Caddy only now.

They have sold all of their Old's including the hard to sell minivan. They are still providing service to Old's customers.

bennycheck

Great looking car IMO. In your first few weeks do you think it was worth the money? Do you have the 'vett v8 in it? I've only looked at it on line and don't know much about it but it sure looks sweet to me. Nicer than the new Mustang which I think also looks great.

batista

I haven't read your posts for quite some time.

From an intrigue to an impala and now a cadillac SRX and a GTO. You're going in the right direction bud.

Hope your cadillac has been reliable and the GTO must be lots of fun.

taycron

Well, the snow is good for something. I see that I am leaking a little anti-freeze.. All I have to do now is figure out where the leak is coming from.. What's the average price to replace a water pump in a 2000 Intrigue with the 3.5 engine

mrdubya

well, as a update, her car is driving completely fine, and she's driven it for long distances, probably put about 1000 miles on it since then. as we are broke college students living with our parents... it seems pointless to bring it to a dealer if its not having problems, do these transmissions just have a problem overheating? if that, i would think a transmission cooler would solve that, i dont know how hard they are to install, but i know they are relatively cheap

 

thanks

vanman1

When have people been doing tranny flushes here?

 

I have 85000 kms on my 2000 and I suppose I should have done it but the dealer said my fluid was still pretty clear and my transmission is working better than ever.

b4z

haven't been coming around as much as I used too.

 

I am enjoying both the SRX and the GTO is way too much fun and built waaay better than any Camaro/fbod I have been in or owned(5 Z28s).

The quality of the interior is better than the caddy's.

The leather feels like it is from a BMW. Most comfrotable seats I have EVER sat in.

Paid 26,500 for the GTO.

lease payment with 0 down and rolling in 1st month's payment and taxes also, is 348mo.

GTOs can be bought for 23-25K now at most dealer's.

Needless tosay the SRX has not ben driven much in the last month.

1250 miles on the GT0 already.

 

For those of you who know me are aware that if there is a flaw in a vehicle I will have it.

My Intrigue had just about every documented problem so will my GTO and SRX.

 

SRX had to have 2 new camshafts at 1300 miles.

Rearend whines.

Has some suspension noise.

 

GTO is sometimes hard to shift into reverse when cold.

Rearend whines.

 

Lastly, one of the agents in my office just bought a used 2002 Intrigue. Car only had about

20,000 miles on it and was a little old lady car.

Pretty much flawless.

I told them about some of the things to look out for and she told me how well it drove and how powerful and smooth it was. I agreed.

We talked about it a little more and you should have seen the look on her face when I told her Oldsmobile no longer makes cars.

Her hsuband hadn't told her before she bought the car. We got a good laugh out of it.

batista

Sorry to hear that you aren't having much luck in the reliability department even with the newer cars. You are probably the most loyal GM customer I have heard of considering the outcomes of your cars. I live in Canada and am disappointed that we don't have any GTO's for sale since it is the most horsepower per dollar vehicle.

Happy New Year to all.

lmacmil

I have read in automotive service columns that if you wait until the manufacturer's recommended flush interval, it's too late. The flush may stir up contaminants that have long been laying in the bottom. It's also supposedly better just to do a drain & refill and not replace the filter. You could follow your dealer's advice, which seems to be "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

My tranny was rebuilt under warranty at 24K miles, so I'm not going to worry about a fluid change for a long time (I have 56K miles now.)

ab348

With winter here and snow on the roads my 30K mile OE Goodyear Eagle LS tires were extrememly dicey to drive on, even though there was about 1/4" of tread left on the fronts and a bit more on the rears. This week I went shopping for replacements.

 

Best combo of value and quality I could find was a set of Michelin Destiny (same as Harmony) at Cdn Tire. With taxes, install, etc, it cost me a bit over $500 Cdn. for 4 since they were on sale this week. Made an amazing difference. I never liked the Goodyears but never realized how awful they really were. These Michelins are much quieter and ride much better. I'm told these will wear much better as well. Why GM chose the Goodyears as an OE tire is a mystery. Even the Goodyear store told me (his words) "they are a crap tire", as he was trying to sell me a set of something else.

focus

Yes, they do make a huge difference. I bought myself a set of 4 used Goodyear Ultragrip Ice last month, with 4 steel rims from walmart.

Wow, i can now drive in winter with more confidence than i did in the summertime.

i have about 9/32 left on my Goodyears Eagle RA OEM tires, wondering if i should replace them come spring time or keep on driving them?

mrdubya

well, another update on the hard shifting tranny........we drove for a few long distances, about a hour, then 10 minutes then 15, back to back (with like 15 minute breaks between) and just before we got home, it started to shift hard again, not really hard, just noticible, its like its AFTER it shifts (probably since it is the torque convertor lock up thingy)

 

any suggestions? would a tranny flush do anything? im not sure, but would the tranny run cooler if its flushed? someone said not to replace the filter on the tranny flush, that would be a really easy job then, since you dont have to take the pan all the way off (oem tranny gaskets are re-usuable accoding to the dealership by me).

 

im kind of worried about her car, since she goes to school in wisconsin, she'll be doing long trips everyother weekend, and its not even hot outside yet (seems like the tranny only acts up when it gets hot)

 

oh ya, the car has 94k (01 intrigue) bought it used at like 91k

vanman1

Thanks for the thoughts. I really am not sure what to do. I never changed it in my old 1991 Z24 and I sold it in perfect working order at 152K kms.

 

I hear so many different things it's hard to know what to do. I know GM trannys are pretty bullet proof but I also want to take care that I never have to change it.

shortstar

Hi to all my fellow "intriguers" who I haven't posted with for so long. My 2000 GL "typeR" is still going strong, 5 years now and 39k miles. No problems except a battery going (typical here every two years in Vegas). Used to live in Chicago and the car saw 3 winter's, but keeping it nice and clean is easier now (just more dust of course). Still love the car's look, handling and engine, and plan another 4-5 years of ownership.

Very interested in the new '06 Impala SS 5.3 V8 that is coming, and also like the LaCross (ok, shoot me). Take care!

lmacmil

Speaking of shortstar, C&D took a swipe at the Intrigue engine in response to a reader letter about the LaCross. C&D claimed the new "high function" V6 in the LaCross made 45 more hp with only 91 more cc. In reality, it's 25 more hp but 5 lb-ft less torque. I don't see that as such a great improvement.

rokker

I have a 2001 GL. Fortunately, when I bought it I bought a 100,000 mile extended warranty. At just over 50k miles, the tranny acted up. It was slipping. It was especially bad when the car was cold.

 

The dealer did some work and gave the car back. The day I got it back, it was FAR worse than it had ever been. The car jerked, bounced, and barely moved.

 

The next day it went in and I got a new tranny installed. No problems since.

 

I hear the Intrigues have a newly styled tranny. I've heard that there are many problems associated with it.

 

I'm at about 57k miles now, so my warranty will be good for awhile. That being said, however, I hope I don't have to use it!

 

I have a question. When starting my car, when it's cold, I get the sound of a turbine engine, like a jet engine. It lasts anywhere from 10 seconds to maybe a minute. When it stops, you hear it basically "wind down", like "whirrrrrrrrrrrrr".

 

Anyone have any idea what that is? It only does it when cold.

 

Anyway, I'm new here, having just found this place. I plan to post pics soon.

b4z

Good to hear from you!

I guess you got the job thing worked out and you are staying in Vegas.

i seem to rember something about you going back to the midwest.

 

Will be interesting to hear how Intrigues are doing 5 years from now.

A 10 year old Intrigue. Makes one wonder.

February will be my 5th year as a edmunds.com member.

And I owe all to the Intrigue.

vanman1

Mine in 5 in March. Runs well aside from an intermitant rattle in the back. I too still love the car and nothing I have seen aside from the CTS (which costs a lot more) attracts me as much as the Intrigue did. GM blew it when they killed this car after 1 generation!

cornellpinoy

That sound is the secondary air pump. From your description, it sounds like its operating normally.

ketch

Well, Edmunds corrected my userid back to what it was. As for a job, I am working in Vegas and plan to do so for some time (gaming software). We'd like to return to the midwest someday though. The car is doing great here and like I saidf, is easy to keep nice. Just hope it makes it another 5 years. So far it has been pretty good for me.

This summer I went to a GM show and test drive thing at the raceway (LVMS). Drove the GTO and a STS as well. I came away impressed, but even more so how the Intrigue still measures up in handling and feel as compared to them. I think I will keep 'her'

lmacmil

Check the Chicago forecast today. Las Vegas sounds pretty good this time of year.

vanman1

Handling, power and comfort absolutely measure up still today. The interior is a bit dated now but I still like it. I have never felt as comfortable in any car as I do in my Intrigue GL.

 

p.s. I'll take Vegas weather anyday.

evandro

Could we find a home at... Saturn???

 

http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2005_detroit/saturn/aura/p- ages/1.htm