Oldsmobile Aurora

matrixfrog

The best place by far is zincs website. http://members.fortunecity.com/zincster

I tried creating an aurora club but due to lack of intrest and the fact that zinc has a sweet site kept it from taking off.

pat

I have offered to have an Owner's Club created here - a couple of folks have responded positively and if a couple more are in favor, I'll get it done as soon as possible.

The other thing is that everyone should be aware that posts outside of the TOU (there is a link to that which you agreed by joining Town Hall on the left sidebar) are removed. So it is entirely possible that you do not know all of the facts that go into management decisions that are made - you may not have had the opportunity to see everything that has happened.

You might take note of the fact that among many other very important issues regarding civility of messages (and other issues), the TOU requires that all of our members maintain one consistent identity.

I'm going to get up on a soapbox here for a minute - I think everyone who is a member of Town Hall needs to understand several things. One is that we all agreed to the TOU when we joined. It is therefore encumbent on all of us to read, understand and comply with that document.

Another is that this is a wonderful community, free in all respects except for the fact that we, in all politeness and ethicality (is that a word?), should honor our gracious host's - edmunds.com's - wishes as to what this site should be about. Personally, I don't think that it is too much to ask that we - as guests - respect those wishes and understand that we may not know everything that has happened to create certain unavoidable decisions.

Stepping off of that soap box now...

Anyone interested in an Owners Club here might want to review a couple of my recent posts - here are links:

pat May 4, 2001 10:17am and pat May 16, 2001 11:54am

As I said, a couple of folks were very interested but one member was vehemently opposed - so I decided to wait to see if there was more interest. Let me know.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

tpken

Please email me - see my profile.

Ken

Henry

And I thought "Dynasty" had been cancelled.

zinc1

Hehe Henry...

L8_Apex has always done alright by me. In future I will ask before making any (public) assumptions. But, hey, life should be interesting, no? I removed two of my posts that were prematurely posted.

On other fronts...

Matrix - I added your video to your page on the site (Richard's 98). Looks cool, but don't hurt her! They don't allow MPGs(?) so it's zipped.

Made some Cadillac Aurora concept scans for the Gallery if anyone's interested in seeing what Cadillac designed before they gave the marque to Oldsmobile. I think the interior was the only part that even remotely resembles the finished product.

LOL Mordecai, I don't know how I missed your 'concrete' post. Sounds like something that would happen to my little witch

matrixfrog

Thanks for posting that zinc, I appreciate it. I'm searching for some space on the net today to start the aurora files. This weekend some friends and I will be out with the digital camera and we hope to record some amazing feats. (All of coarse will be legal ;o)

If I dont post again today, everyone have a good weekend.

matrixfrog

found some pics on motor city

http://www.motorcities.com/contents/00B9L104007387.html

matrixfrog

Somethings screwy with edmunds. It says I cant pst words longer than 115 (Ithink thats what it said) but the URL's I posted were serperated and they wernt that long so I am forced to put this URL in a different post.

http://www.motorcities.com/contents/00B8E144822157.html

fjk57702

Now I see why people think the Aurora was to have been a Cadillac. Concept/show cars are built for the auto shows. Some of them end up in production like the Evoc. Most concept cars are just that, a concept.

The first generation Aurora (and 95 Riv) were a whole new engineering design for GM. I think Cadillac may have wanted it for the 92 Seville, but the engineering was not ready yet. But the 92 Seville was a significantly improved car and those improvements were added to the 94 Deville.

The Aurora was Oldsmobile's opportunity to recreate the Oldsmobile division and save Olds from extinction. They got a down sized Cadillac engine to help. I don't know what happened to Olds. My Aurora is my second Olds (the first was a 78 diesel). I have owned a number of Buicks which I have really liked but I like the Aurora and its V8 and trip computer. The Oldsmobile buyers of yesterday have vanished (I guess).

So my point is that the Aurora was the Tornado replacement and also replaced the Oldsmobile Touring Sedan. The 98 was also replaced, and the Olds division was to become the Euro style car division for GM. Buick (which once had a line of T-type turing models) was to be the traditional american luxo car (with no handling). Perhaps there is no market for Euro style cars here?

matrixfrog

If only I was the owner of an AWD 4.5.

Zinc, where do you get all this great info? you da man!

redskin024

Zinc>>>>>> i like the bra on your car... it gives it a "blinders" look, like a racehorse.

Can anyone tell me what happened with etharnon/bobfarcus? i must have missed it

redskin024@aol.com

tpken

Zinc - great pics on the concept car for Cadillac. I think it turned out much nice as the Olds rendition. Those classic tail lights have always struck me as so Toronado like (66-67 model) and I think the car took the place of Toro and 98 very nicely. Such a shame it had to end - ah well. All the more reason to believe that this car will indeed become a true classic.

Have a great weekend everybody

Ken

zinc1

matrixfrog - Keep the videos coming. I'm getting inspired to do some now. Yeah, I've seen the classic pics on that link, they're from a 1996 Woman Motorist article. The first one by the boat is nice.

fjk57702 - I'm sure you're right about the Cad Aurora being a one-off. But it's curious that the Aurora name was first used by Cadillac and its engine is a smaller version of the Northstar. They must have been working on the engine about the time the concept came out.

redskin024 - The bugs and grime from the road were starting to damage the paint, but I'm getting used to wearing a bra now

tpken - IMHO there's no comparison between the concept and the Classic. The latter's much better looking all the way around.

Have a good weekend all.

fjk57702

There was talk in the car magazines for a few years before the 93 STS got the northstar. So yes, the northstar was in developement in 1990. What Cadillac wanted from the northstar was 300 hp and no gas guzzler tax. The aurora engine is an updated northstar (in the first generation Aurora) and is the same block with a smaller bore. There were some enhancements in the intake manifold. The Aurora's tuning seems to me to be a compromise of sorts. I think they wanted 250 hp, but also wanted good low speed torque.

My 98 aurora engine say this engine made exclusively for Oldsmobile by GM. I think that the V8 and exclusive were hoped to be enough to save Oldsmobile. This was a top management decision at GM.

The future of the Northstar is variable valve control. The CTS (catera replacement) may have a new variable valve engine. I am hoping to see at least the 3.5 V6 in the CTS. I hope its not the current engine (which is an opel engine anyway). The new 4.2 Liter inline 6 that the trucks get has variable valve technology, so GM can build it. This engine has 270 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. The aurora is 250 and 260.

larryfl

Has anyone any tips on the care and feeding of the leather interior? We are entering our hot season here in central florida (and it IS HOT) and I've not had good luck with keep leather from cracking in the past and want to keep this one looking good.

Anyone know of any specific creams or leather care products for this type of climate? Any help would be appreciated.

matrixfrog

larrfl- I use leather conditioner. I can't remember what kind it is. I live in Michigan and have not notice anything going wrong but like I said I live in Michigan. When you do use leather conditioner, try and use a leather cleaner before you condition it. I use(the bottle reccomends) my hands when applying/rubbing it. to use a cloth would waste a lot of it and it doesnt harm your skin. (prolly helps it

zinc- is that tinted windows I see on your car? I was printing out some custom aurora pictures to show some friends when I noticed your windows. Looks nice and sharp. Hopefully will have mine tinted by the end of summer. (hopefully before)

autobahn95

Larryfl,
I've used a product made by Armor All called Leather Care. it comes in a brown bottle, available at most car parts stores. it has lanolin in it, and it really works great!!! I own a 95 with graphite leather, and the seats look brand new. after I used the leather care, the whole interior smells just like brand new leather, it's great. I've only needed to put it on maybe once a month, but I could go longer between applications. I just love that new leather smell!
I hope this helps you out.
good luck!

zinc1

I use the Armor All product also - I'm at work so I can't get the name, probably Leather Care.

Matrixfrog, the windows are tinted. All except the driver's and front passenger's that is: There's a cop here who cites people for anything he can find, got me twice for three things and I had to take off the front tinting.

matrixfrog

what did you pay to have those windows tinted? I just wanna get an idea as to how much mine will cost. I would do it myself but I dont want any mistakes at all on my baby aurora. do you know what kind of tint they used?

larryfl

Thanks, Matrixfrog- and Autobahn95.
I've used Armor All Leather Care in the past - I guess I just didn't use it frequently enough. Also, I had fallen out of favor w/ the standard Armor All product for the interior. I have come to believe that when used over a period of time, Armor All actually does something to the dash and other other vinyl that - after not using it - makes them look worse than if you never used it at all (if that makes any sense). Case in point - I used Armor All on a vinyl top on a previous car and after several applications (it looked great when I did it), it got to where the vinyl would cloud up and look awful if I didn't put it on every 2 weeks.

BUT, with two resounding recommendations, maybe I should look again into Leather Care. It's certainly readily available and reasonably priced.

matrixfrog

I've noticed when I apply Armor All to a surface it makes it easier for dust to cling on to it. It's also really hard to get something to stick on a surface once you've used armour all on something. I only use the stuff on my interior. I think it helps prtect against fading from the sunlight. I dont use regular armor all on the leather though, for that I use leather conditioner. I also use armor all on the grey pieces of trim on the under part of the car. I think STP works a lil bit better for those pieces though. I think thats the longest I've ever talked about armor all.

wingnut396

Just got back from the first long trip in the Aurora. I must say this is the MOST comfortable car I have taken long trips in. From Baton Rouge, LA to 3 hours West of St. Louis, about a 14 hour drive straight through.

Milage on the highway was about 28MPG, about as good as my last car, a VW Golf! You can have everything, a V8 and milage too.

The only car problem I had was a pin from the lower left caliper bracket backed out. Seems like the idiot who did my brakes last forgot to put lock-tite on that bolt :P When in reverse, it caused the caliper to swing up and butt up against the rim, stopping the car. Not nice.

Anyway, I called Oldmobile roadside assistance who directed me to the Dave Berry Olds in Crystal Springs MS. Had to wait about 3 hours, but they fixed it while we waited, and covered it under factory warranty! Great service from these folks.

This trip just proves to me that I have made my best choice in a car. Talk about effortless eating of highway miles.

Brett

tpken

Brett - Great trip report. Isn't it wonderful to eat up those highway miles in a smooth riding cruiser like Aurora? There's just nothing like knowing you have 6 or more pleasurable driving hours in front of you in a great road car.

I'll be heading back to PA from Maine again for my monthly trip next Monday morning. Can't wait for my Bonneville to hit the I-95 on ramp
Best wishes to all

Ken

tpken

You can hit delete key to remove the duplicate

Ken

zinc1

Oops! I got home found it wasn't Armor All I used on the leather, it was Eagle Ottawa's Tanner Preserve Cleaner and Cream. Sorry, only used them once so far.


Brett - 28 mpg! You must not be using the A/C at all. That's the only way I can get good mpg. In summer I get about 23 mpg - a loss of about 4-6mpg with A/C.


FYI, I posted the 1996 Motor Trend article "Borla Stealth Oldsmobile Aurora" on the 'Race and Pace' page at the site. Cost them $9.5K for the whole tamale, but wowee...

zinc1

Oops again! Borla is on the Custom page, not the Race page.

redskin024

Lexol is also a good leather product, supposedly the best. thats what our local car wash chain uses.

Matrixfrog>>>> i live in NY... to get my 2 front windows tinted and the 2 rear quarter windows tinted cost $45. On my beater chevette, at a different tint place, all 4 side windows, the rear quarter windows and back windows cost me $100. But i wouldnt go by that, i think they gypped me out of a little cash. I would expect to pay about $50-$90 on your car. My car is tinted 20% all around and my beater is tinted 35% front and 20% back. Your best bet is to shop around and see who has the best deals. Ask friends or family who have gotten theirs done and see if they recommend a place. My tint is standard black but expect to pay extra if you want something different. I think you car would look sweet with mirror tint!!

wingnut396

Ken- Just wanted to share again :P

Zinc - Used AC about half the time. A cold front came through and kept things cool (to Louisiana standards) Once I hit Jackson MS, started getting warm again, (90's). I also do not have the autobahn package. From previous posts, that likely made a difference.

Henry

Well gang at Cheers, I am about to take "the Princess" on her next road trip. I must say that after taking the car on the highway, it is NO FUN doing city driving in the Prncess. The Aurora is just not built for city driving. The trip is the Newark New Jersey to Myrtle Beach South Carolina run.

TpKen - Rest assured that I will be using my comfortable and convenient steering wheel volume/radio/fan/tempearature controls (read your post on the Bonne Board) during the trip.

Zinc1 - I see you are going for another piece. Lets hope that there are no last minute bids this time. Good Luck!

Will give you a report on the trip when I get back at the end of next week. I have to admit that I am a litle concerned about the waterpump thing. My extended warranty will fix it upon the pumps failure, but I really dont want to wait until it fails. I am at 63K so I am getting into that 70k range you guys were talking about.

Happy Highways!

P.S. Mom wlll be with me on the trip, so I will not be joining the 139 club on this trip. Still only 2 members. I still say the car cruises best at about 90mph. I like it there, the aROARa likes it there, so why do the cops have a problem? Isn't this suppose to be a democrocy??

Matrixfrog - Hey Neo! - Its Vinyl

zinc1

Sorry Matrix, forgot to answer your question. The window tinting was $100 for all four sides and the rear window. Looks good, no bubbles (a little rough at the top on the back window where the dots are though). There were scratches on the front two window tints before the cop made me remove them. Looked like something in the door that guides the window was scratching the tinting on both.

Henry - Yeah, always getting out-maneuvered on the items. Have a good trip. Sounds like it's more fun travelling than arriving in these cars - for some reason everything goes by so fast, I wonder why. But this is a Republic not a Democracy, and I keep telling my Reps to lose the speed limit. Don't know why they won't listen :P

tpken

How about a bit of dramamine for mom (or perhaps a glass of wine at some rest stop). Maybe she'll drift off long enough to push the PEDAL to the METAL!

Have a great trip buddy!

Ken

ethink

I recently replaced the OEM Michelin MXVs (after 48,000 miles) with Pirelli Sport Veloce P6000s.

While both are considered "all-season, touring" tires, the Pirelli's are supposed to be better in the rain and snow as well as being a sportier tire. The trade-off is that the Michelin's provide a somewhat smoother ride than the Pirelli's.

With the Pirelli's I have noticed that there is a small amount of high speed vibration at speeds between 68 and 72 mph. The ride is smooth at lower and higher speeds.

The tires, mounted on Borbet rims have been balanced and checked. A 4-wheel alignment was done when the new tires were mounted. The vibration is minor, but it was not noticeable with the original Michelins.

I have heard that other "classic" Auroras have some high speed vibrations. I am wondering if the reason that I now notice the vibration is due to the change in tires?

My 1996 Aurora has 49,500 miles on it. I have not replaced any components on the front suspension. What is the expected life of the front struts?

I had planned to replace the OEM front struts with KYB struts. I am now re-thinking this plan. I now think that the OEM-spec front struts
will provide a smoother ride (with the Pirelli P6000s) than the KYB struts.

Please share your comments and experiences.

Thanks.

matrixfrog

Seems possible that he could of got 300hp out of the aurora while still N/A. I wonder why he didnt boost it any more than what he did? Because it's an aluminum block/head? If I was that guy and had enough money to through around I would of gone the turbo route and customized the hood to make it all fit. A 315hp Aurora is still cool beans. I've heard myths about the almighty turbo aurora but never seen any proof. Ohhhhhh how I long for an aurora twin turbo. If I ever come upon a large amount of money its going straight to my car.

Henry

Hmm,showing your age. But I can definitly feel you on your last comment.

matrixfrog

I don't understand.

Henry

I just thought I would share the text of an email message I received:

"I BOUGHT A '95 AURORA 3 MONTHS AGO, HASN'T BEEN A PARTICULARLY GREAT
EXPERIENCE, BUT I LOVE THE CAR. 40YO WOMAN THAT HAS NEVER OWNED A CAR
W/AIR CONDITIONING BEFORE."

So guys, she is definitely out there and watching our little board. I hope that she will decide to post here and share her insights. Lets give her a little encouragement. Funny thing is that while I do not think she has posted to the board, her screen name did seem familar.

Matrixfrog - Hey Neo! - I believe I was saying that your comment about spending a lot of money on performance upgrades for the Classic showed your youthful enthuisiam and lack of other bills to pay. (smile)

ROAD TRIP - The trip went smoothly. HOwever, the check engine light (I know it doesn't say that) came on as soon as I started my little interstate trip. I called my dealership about it and the tech told me that it sounded like the wires were going bad and not to worry about it. The wires on the Classic have a tendency to go between 55K and 65K. He said I can take care of it when I get back to the GREAT STATE of New Jersey. At one point I had a BMW directly behind me for a few miles. You guys (and one gal) may not agree with this, but the front of the Classic and the BMW are similar. I am NOT saying that they look alike, I am saying that they have the same aura (sic) or attitude.

Henry

I am in South Carolina now. The DIC says that I averaged 54mph (remember, mom was in the car) and 23.2 miles per gallon. I do not understand why I only averaged 54mph when most of the trip was spent in the 65-85mph zone. I guess getting stuck in traffic those 2 times really had an impact on my final numbers. That is the only thing I can think of that would put me at 54mph.

Zinc1, what does your DIC tell you about your average speed??

(If you read that question out loud it will make you chuckle.)

fjk57702

It is said (by Car Magazine editors) that Olds spent too much time getting the Aurora's look and too little time on making the eronomics right. I think the first generation Aurora's looks are great. But I notice that the drivers side door is a bit closer to my elbow than my 95 Riv's door was. One other even more annoying thing is all the dash board glare in the windshield when travelling into the sun in late afternoon. I have a light interior - this would not happen if the dash were a dark color like BMW's are.

On the average MPH and MPG, I have found that the miles per gallon are weighted in favor of the most recent usage or are an average over the last maybe 30 gallons. The MPH seems to be since the last reset.

tpken

I have a 2000 Bonneville with a charcoal interior and the glare is just as bad as a light color. Granted it has the glossy look from being cleaned a couple months ago with one of those plastics cleaning products - but even now 2 months later - it still is bothersome when heading into the sun.


BTW - gas mileage on the 3.8L (non supercharged) seems to be averaging 25 in combined driving - still getting 30 mpg hiway at 74 mph. Heading to PA again next week - can't wait to get another 1000 miles on my Bonny!

Ken

fjk57702

My 95 Riv did not have a problem with glare. The dash was flat and also a special textured finish. I have a black towel that I can cover the Aurora's dash with that gets rid of the glare so I thought perhaps a dark color would make a difference. This problem will be on my list to check on the next car I buy.

matrixfrog

fjk57702 - I have charcoal interior in my aurora and glare has never been a problem.

I am doing an oil change and replacing the front brake pads. Anything I should know before I do this? I got Valvoline DuraBlend and the Autozone lifetime guarented pads.

larryfl

Thanks for all the replies to my question on leather care. Now I'm confused again, but at least I have a choice of 2 or 3 good brands. We'll see which services the summer!

28 MPG?? I don't get anything like that. the DIC tells me I get about 21-22 on the road, but that's with full A/C and at 78-80MPH w/ cruise control, and I do ALOT of highway driving. I've owned my '95 for about 4 weeks now and have put 4400 miles on it (825 in the last two days). And, yes Henri, it is a great road car.

ethink- When I first got the car I had a significant vibration at 70-80mph. The GM dealer that I bought the car from put on a new set of tires, and that helped - but I still had a slight vib at 80. The dealer then did a "force balance" of all four wheels and indexing, where they dis-mounted the tires, rotated them to match perfectly with the wheels and re-mounted them. That took care of it. I've had solid, vibrationless cruising ever since.

Finally, BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! I almost got in a major wreck on I-75 in a torrential FL downpour last night. The anti-locks saved me, but about 4 cars behind me slammed into each other. A fire truck w/ all red lights flashing crossed the median and pulled onto the interstate in front of me - everyone hit the brakes and then the truck stopped when he saw the bumper-cars going on behind us - and actually put the truck IN REVERSE to go back and render assistance. The car behind me had stopped with plenty of room but he got hit from behind- the last of a 4-car pile up - leaving me no where to go but off the road. What a mess. I was actually the only one to escape unscathed.

Please, everyone have a CAREFUL and enjoyable weekend.

rocket3_50

Just to add my bit to the mileage discussion - My 2K1 V6 with 4500 miles is getting about 28 mpg in highway driving at 60 - 70 mph. I switched out the OEM oil at 1600 miles for Mobil 1, but I didn't have enough experience to know if it helped the mileage.

To switch to an earlier topic, I'd like the benefit of anyone else's experience with finish care of a new auto. I've almost decided to use the following. Any warnings or other comments?
LEATHER - Lexol. I tried it, I like it.
INSIDE VINYL - Lexol's Vinylex. I tried it, it's ok.
CARPET - Scotchguard. I tried it, it's ok, so far.
TIRES, EXTERIOR VINYL AND RUBBER, SOME UNDER HOOD RUBBER AND PLASTIC - Mother's Back to Black. I tried it, it's great.
EXTERIOR GLASS - Rain-X. This is really fun stuff.
CHROME WHEELS - Formula 2001 wax. I tried it, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
EXTERIOR PAINT - Meguiar's step #3 wax. I don't think I need #1 Cleaner and #2 Polish on a new car. I tried #3, but it doesn't seem to last particularly long. Any suggestions?
EXTERIOR - Regular hand washing with an automotive wash followed by drying with an old, somewhat dirty chamois.

Am I missing anything? Besides the rest of my life, of course. Wife is starting to act cranky about my time with the car. Son is rolling his eyes in contempt for the a) futility, b) pointlessness, and c) hard work involved. While I don't share their feelings, I take these as signs that just maybe I'm a little too focussed on the car. (Or maybe I just need to let them drive it more?)

Ken

zinc1

Henry - DIC says avg speed is Zinc Factor 7, but I know this is wrong because I can barely get out of impulse power in this traffic.

Ken - Thanks for the shopping list! I wouldn't worry about what the family says - it's when they start bringing your pillow out to the garage for you at night that you have to worry

...and added some more pics to the Race page - I'm kinda proud of how 1996-mediaguide-1.jpg turned out.

Rex

Henry

If you let the family drive the car you will stop all discussion ans discontent.

Remember, they will be assimilated, resistence is futile, all will become one with the Aurora

Henry

I am surprised that Pat has not stopped this discussion since the TOS (terms of use) police ARE WATCHING.

(I hope you are smiling Pat)

pat

And I hope we can drop this line of discussion now. :-)

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

redskin024

See the Aurora, Be the Aurora, Feel the Aurora, HEAR the aROARa....

wingnut396

I'm telling you guys that I have been floored by the milage. Those getting in the low 20s on the highway, do you have the autobahn package

Henry- On my trip the DIC said I averaged about 60MPH. Most of my driving was at about 80 on the interstate, but those little times of idling in the city kill your average. Make me think back to college and my GPA......

Brett

matrixfrog

I changed the oil and changed the front brakes this weekend. Both of which I found to be very easy to do on the classic.

This is my last week of work here for the schools until school starts up again. Might not post on here often but I'll try to get on at home every once in a while.