Oldsmobile Intrigue

oldsman01

I would(and did) compare the Intrigue to other non domestic brands. Camry V6, Accord V6, Maxima and Passat come to mind. Again, got my completely loaded GLS for a hair over $24K and it is much better equipped than an Accord or Camry at that price. Ditto that on the Passat. Not sure what fully loaded Maxi GLEs are going for now as Nissan seems to be discounting them heavily. I'll stand by the fact that for $24K, there is(or was) not another car available with the features, performance, or style the Intrigue has(or had). Today, one could get a base Intrigue for probably just a bit over $20K. Thats alot of car for the money. V6, ABS, four wheel discs, alloys, the usual power features, and a 5 year 60K warranty. Try getting a comparably equipped Honda or Toyota for that.

oldsman01

FINALLY installed the K&N filter last night. I haven't done any high speed runs yet, but off the line the car seems a bit more responsive. Kind of like the slight difference you notice when the A/C is on or off. I would imagine the free flowing nature of the filter will be more noticeable at higher engine speeds. We will soon put it to the test. As for cleaning intervals, K&N says 50 to 100K unless in an extremely dusty area. I don't live in what I would consider an extremely dusty area, but I was amazed at how dirty the stock filter was at only 14,500 miles. Also, how expensive and how many applications does the K&N cleaning and re-oiling kit last? I figure I'll check it every 25K or so. Installing was pretty simple as well, did it in about 30 minutes.

one2one

Since the subject of in-dash 6 disk CD changes come up, I figure I'd throw some helpful info in.

The days of carrying 4000 CDs are effectively over. I'm not going to debate the Intrigue's lack of an in-dash player vs. the TL/CL. What I am suggesting is that if you want to take advantage of what's out there now instead of arguing over what car is better because it uses or doesn't use late 80's "high tech", take a look at this:

SavingsLots.com

That's a darn good price for this unit. Compare it to Crutchfield and their supposed discount:

Crutchfield.com

The Pioneer CD player oscarz2 and I purchased sounds FANTASTIC!!! People swear I changed the speakers; highs are crystal clear and lows deep and throbbing, which tells you how good the factory speakers are in the GL/GLS. Check out the list of features including the 200 watts, independent bass/treble control for the front AND rear, 24 station presets (great if you go bewteen cities--set the stations then switch once the signal fades) then ask if you would put an in-dash CD player in ANY car.

Did I mention it's XM Satellite ready?

dindak

jgriff : Still apples and oranges.

oldsman : What is the model # of that K&N? Which car is suppose to be for?

redline65

oldsman01 - you can't convince jgriff that some people don't pay MSRP for cars. He only looks at MSRP when comparing vehicles, and to him your $29K (MSRP) Intrigue vs. a $29K TL is a no-brainer...

Like you, I compared the Intrigue to a comparably equipped Accord before buying, and I saved about $2K. But in jgriff's world I paid $2K more for my Intrigue than the Accord would have cost.

amuhaluk

This problem may have already been discussed but I could not find it. I have a 3.5L 99 Intrigue GL which fails to start from time to time. When this occurs, the motor will "turn over" but will not start. Usually, it starts on the second attempt or sometimes the third and has never completely failed to start. However, the problem is very annoying. I have had it in the dealership several times and they can neither find a trouble code nor duplicate the problem. I have 34k miles on the car and would like to get this problem fixed before the warranty runs out. Has anyone encountered this problem? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
I have had several problems with the car including: replacing window motors, replacing the fan motor for the a/c, the 3rd brakelight went out which required that the entire spoiler be replaced, the brakes pulsated unusually and had to be replaced and a motor seal had to be replaced. However, I am not unhappy with the car. Of course I do not like problems, but the car has many positive qualities that make it very enjoyable.

rjs200240

I also find the "Oldsmobile" badge to be out of character with my car, especially the font on "Oldsmobile" contrasting with the font of the model name. In addition, the "Oldsmobile" badge is off on the side while all the other badges are centered on the car, and the lettering is sized awkwardly. I have pictures of the rear with and without the Olds badge (the without is a fakery, though). If you are interested, the picts are at http://www.geocities.com/aurora402002

The removal has cleaned the rear up a bit, although it is obviously a minor change. I used dental floss and 3M Release Agent sparingly. The removal went quite smoothly.

I imagine the addition of the Rocket badge to an Intrigue would give it an attractive custom look. There's actually a bit of heritage in not having the Olds name on the car as the original Aurora didn't feature it for the first few years.

moonshadow

I HAVE A 2001, PCS .

I feel that the steering is heavy and while on the gmservice.com website I found an article referring to magnesteer and its operation and differences with conventional racks.

In this bulletin it says that some models that use magnesteer have three programmable levels of assist. Factory, more firm and less firm and that the module only be reprogramed on customer complaint.

My request to you if you will, is to browse through your fancy manuel to see if there is any reference to this and if it applies to our cars.

Thanks in advance

redline65

amuhaluk - keep the key held in the "start" position until the engine starts. When mine starts rough I just hold the key and a few seconds later it starts. You may be turning and releasing too soon.

shanian

It could be Cam shaft position sensor. Had more or less same problem. Would not start first attempt, but always started 2nd attempt. Dealer on first attempt did not fix it, sencond attempt they changed the cam shaft position sensor, and all has been well since then.
00 GL, 38 k.

oscarz2

sounds like crankshaft sensor.

b4z

It is the crankshaft sensor. there are two sensors.
I had mine in about 7 times. They would not even look at the sensors because there was no trouble code and they could not duplicate.
This is why i turned my car in early. They could have cared less.
Take it to a dealership that is proactive.

one2one

Sweeeeeet.

I'd be enjoying an Aurora right now too if the clowns at GM hadn't made the Aurora interior smaller than the Intrigue (they did lengthen the seat track slightly in later build 2001 and later Auroras but not enough).

My Oldsmobile name actually looks pretty good on my Intrigue only because the dealership's name uses a very nice script on the left of the license plate. So when looking at the car from the rear, it looks symetrical. That's the only reason I had them leave it on there.

BTW, anybody know where I can get Star Trek license plate holders?

oldsman01

I've glanced at the section on steering before and don't recall anything about the level of effort being programmed, but I will look again and will let you know if I find anything. Me thinks that if one had the GM "tech II" scan tool, there are alot of things that can be reprogrammed on the Intrigue. Anybody have any ideas on what one of those costs? What about a non GM(i.e. Snap On) scan tool costs?

oldsman01

First thing I did when I got mine home was peel the dealership decals off. I was also a bit ticked that they put their plate on the front as once the bracket is mounted, you can't remove it unless you want three holes in your bumper.

rjs200240

Why do you say the interior is smaller? Front/Rear leg room is bigger, front/rear shoulder room is bigger, rear hip room is bigger, and rear head room is bigger. The only things smaller are front head and hip room. Plus, the EPA passenger volume for the Aurora is 104.4 cu.ft. compared to 98.6 for the Intrigue. The Intrigue does have a noticeably larger trunk, though.

b4z

I took the front bracket off and left the holes. They were barely visible on my bronze mist car.
Looked a lot cleaner.

b4z

The intrigue has more usable room. On mine i would put the seat all the way back then rock the seat bottom up. This would give me almost 2 inches of space between my knee and the knee bolster/ignition area.

In the aurora my knee was touching the dashboard and the console. Mostly the console. The aurora is designed like a cockpit so there is less spread out room for my legs.

The backseat had less legroom than the intrigue.
The bottom cushion was down low and because I could not pull the front seat up like I could in the intrigue, there was noticeably less legroom back there.

In the headroom department the intrigue wins by a mile. The intrigue has an open green house feeling with incredible visibility.
The winshield header is away from my forehead which gives great upward visibility and makes it easy to see overhead stoplights.

The aurora has a low windshield header and rearview mirror. This blocks forward visibility and makes one lean forward to see stoplights.

Both one2one and I looked at the aurora but each decided that it was a step backwards not forwards. Why pay more fo a car that has less room?

The manufacturer's specs don't tell the whole story when it comes to interior room.
My current car is an impala.
I am 6'8" by the way.

ian18

I have to agree with b4z, the Intrigue is much more spacious (at least in the front seat) compared to the Aurora. It seems to be the "cockpit" like interior that makes it a tight fit. If only the Aurora Interior was designed more like the Intrigue, my next car decision would be much easier.

I am also tall, better than 6'4", thus leg room is quite important.

oscarz2

I e-mailed Delphi a while back about steering issues. I copied them as well as the responses:

1st E-MAIL TO DELPHI
I have a 99 Olds Intrigue/3.5L. I guess it has Magnasteer. However, power-steering performance is poor (not enough assist). Dealer says GM is aware of this problem but "no fix". My question is: can it be replaced easily with magnasteerII and if so, would it give more assist?
Thanks.

2nd E-MAIL TO DELPHI
I originally took my 99 GLS/3.5 to the dealer
for a complaint with my steering because of a minor shudder/vibration when turning at low speeds (such as backing out of a driveway or turning when barely moving). I also complained that the steering felt heavier than before. When I picked up my car, the paperwork stated, "no fix from GM at this time". When I asked the service advisor if they acknowledge my complaint and confirmed the symptoms, she said yes. Basically, that's why I inquired about Magnasteer II. I guess it's a moot point based on what the engineer stated. The shudder/vibration has since decreased (I'm assuming the much colder temperature outside is a factor) but the steering is still too heavy in my opinion. Much more so at higher speeds and I realize that is how it's designed but I've driven other 99 Intrigues that have lighter steering than mine so that's what led to the complaint. I'm just searching for a way to boost the power-assist at any speed, especially higher speeds. Any remedies? Thanks.

1st RESPONSE FROM DELPHI
"I'm not aware of any problems that exist on the Intrigue regarding not enough assist. In order to provide any insight on how to improve it, I would need to know more information about the problem. For example: 1)What speed/speeds does this occur? 2)Is it a lack of Assist (efforts spike up when steering wheel is moved rapidly or in the corner during a parking maneuver) or is the complaint just high effort? 3)Does the steering appear to stiffen with vehicle speed? Regardless of the issue, changing from Magnasteer to Magnasteer II is not a simple task on a vehicle that is not already equipped. It would require a new controller, steering column, and wiring harness. In addition, from the little information we have, I doubt that Magnasteer II would help this
situation. Magnasteer II systems are usually tuned to stiffen the System more, and it sounds as if the steering efforts are already too high."

Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems
Communications Staff
3900 Holland Road



2nd RESPONSE FROM DELPHI
"Sorry for the delayed response, but I was waiting for some information on the Intrigue controller. Based on this gentleman's explanation, it doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with the system, except that it is tuned too heavy for his preference. Some
Magnasteer controllers have an option which allows the dealer to increase or decrease steering efforts for situations such as this. I
have been informed that the Intrigue controller does NOT have this capability. It is possible that he has a gear which is on the high end of the range for steering effort, or a pump which is on the low end of the range for flow. In such a case, changing the component would help the situation. I wouldn't recommend changing these, however, without an indication from the dealer that the steering efforts in this vehicle are heavier than normal. If the efforts are typical for the way this car has been tuned, then changing parts will not have a significant effect, and could actually make the steering a little heavier yet. I'm sorry I don't have any solutions for you. There's not much more I can offer. His best course of action is to work with the dealer if this is truly at the complaint level."

Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems
Communications Staff
3900 Holland Road

Just a footnote: The shudder/vibration went away on its own a while back. Maybe the dealer did something and didn't tell me. Since tweaking my suspension and changing tires, my steering is more comfortable (mainly attributable to understeer) but that's just me. I would still take a little more assist if I could get it.

dindak

one2one : Too bad you don't live in Ontario. You can get official Ontario license plates with the Star Trek logo on them. They are quite cool, but my wife won't let me get one.

oscarz : Interesting.

b4z

There were quite a few complaints about a shudder about 2 years ago on this thread. Mine had it and I think 1 guy even turned his car in because of it.
It was only a low speeds and often while backing.
Mine did it but they could never duplicate it.
I remember one time i was doing a three point turn. i pulled into a drive way, threw it into reverse and turned the wheel left and the whole car groaned. It was so loud that pedestrians stopped in their tracks.
Add it to the list of the things that were never fixed on my car.

one2one

What b4z said.

I'm 6'8" too. I discounted the Chrysler LHS/300M for the same reasons (though I tried really, really hard to find a way to fit :-)

one2one

Cool.... :-)

dindak

My wife wants the University of Toronto plate. I said no way as I'm a Queen's U grad. Perhaps we will compromise and get the square dancing association plates.

;-)

rjs200240

When I test-drove the Intrigue, it definitely had more head room and trunk space. However, it didn't seem to be bigger in any other respect. I really like the way the Aurora surrounds me. Perhaps, though, it's because I'm only 6'. I thought both the Intrigue and the Aurora had great visibility, though my nod would probably have to go to the Intrigue.

jg28

oldsman01, glad someone else has finally put a K&N filter in their Intrigue. I love mine and would never go back.

rjs200240, that is ONE HANDSOME AURORA and I love the personalized license plate. I've never actually sat in an Aurora so I dunno how I'd fit. I'm 6'4" but most of my height is from the torso up so headroom is VERY important to me. Doesn't sound like I'd fit in an Aurora. Sounds like a lot of us Intriguers are tall guys.

amuhaluk, I have that starting problem too, exactly like you describe. Apparently it's one of those "features" of the car... wink wink, like the dimming headlights. Drives me crazy but, as you well know the dealership "can't duplicate." It's so intermittent and unpredictable though, so I haven't done anything about it.

Sounds like quite a few of us are Star Trek fans too. Now how would THAT be on the back of an Intrigue? (A Starfleet insignia). Hmmm....

yurakm

May be fuel pump / temporary lack of gas.

My Malibu sometimes starts from the second attempt. I notice that it never happens with my wife, and happens with me only when I am in hurry, and the car was not driven for long time - at least the whole night, or longer.

We discussed the problem on Malibu board, and one participant (sorry, do not remember who) wrote that he knows the reason.

The key out to be left in the "On" position for a second or two before starting engine, for fuel pump to build pressure. The gas drains back to tank from fuel lines while sitting long enough, and it takes some time to pump it back.

Looks reasonable explanation for me, at least with my car.

Of course, this is Malibu, not Intrigue. However, I have impression, that GM W-body cars have the same basic design of the fuel system...

pgl1

For those of you with late model Intrigues with the Precision Sport Package, what were your OEM tires? I'm looking to replace the Eagle LS' on my '99 which provided a great blend of performance and comfort, and I'm wondering what is currently the premium OEM tire. I believe, but am not sure, that I read a prior posting saying someone replaced their OEM Eagle RSA's. Thank you.

rjs200240

Has anyone heard anything about the Final 500 Intrigue that was shown at the NAIAS this year? It looked pretty neat, but will it actually be made? It seems like it would be getting close to the end of production by now. The Eldorado line just finished, and I think the Intrigue is supposed to stop in May. Just wondered if anyone knew anything about it. I'd definitely have to go see one if they do it.