Oldsmobile Intrigue

dindak · June 2002

The top 1/2 seems to last longer but in reality the car has a lot of gas left in the tank when it hits empty so it's probably not lop sided at all. When I fill up on empty I calculate there is typically 10 liters in the tank still, enough for another 100 highway kms (sorry folks, I didn't feel like converting to imperial tonite).

oldsman01 · June 2002

I hit 120 in mine last fall while driving through Indiana. The car felt very solid and could probably drive at that speed all day. Unless you have a straight road with excellent visibility, I seriously don't recommend driving that speed though. BTW, what color combo is yours?

one2one · June 2002

Oh, wait until you get the chance for your first road trip. Just remember, you have to stop once you hit the ocean :-)

The seats are perfect for road trips. They may seem a little firm for short trips. But they're perfect for long trips. My longest was from Philly to Providence, RI.

swagled · June 2002

The firmness works fine for the driver's seat, since it's got the 6-way adjustment. But I have to wonder how comfortable rear seat passengers would be on a long trip. It's pretty stiff back there.

In the "using your Intrigue as a cargo hauler" department: I picked up a twelve foot roll of vinyl linoleum today. It took some squeezing, but I got it in, with about 3 feet sticking out the back. But it sure made for a high "armrest"! :-)

dindak · June 2002

TSchramm : I'm not so sure the float will stay. Even a lot of older people do like it. Buick would be wise to make a car with an Intrigue type handling package.

b4z : I would love to buy a classic car for the summer months, but it's not going to happen for a few years. I almost bought an old GTO 2 1/2 years ago, but I snapped out my dreamland when I remembered my wife was pregnant.

As for the Impala, 4-wheel discs would make a big difference. Rear drums always take away from brake feel /. performance.

dindak · June 2002

After doing a number of long road trips I have to say Intrigue seats are very comfortable. 3+ hours of driving for me tonight and I know I will be comfortable. The seats in our previous Grand Prix were not nearly as comfortable. I remember squirming a lot.

Rented a Grand Caravan last weekend to haul some furniture. It had good seats also. I was surprised how nice the van was. Dodge has a really nice product. Biggest beef I had with the van was with the transmission which seemed to shift way too much. Makes you really appreciate a GM transmission!!

tboom · June 2002

I've had my new GL for 5 weeks now and have put on 2200 miles. So far no problems with the car at all. At first I was disappointed with the gas mileage, but now I am getting 24mpg or so. I agree with a few other posts that the gas gauge is somewhat funky in the readings it gives you. My low fuel light came on the other day and I filled it up with only 12 gallons. So I had about 5 gallons left when the light came on.

The biggest compliment I get when people ride with me is the seat comfort. Although I haven't made any long trips yet.

I think my 2 favorite features are the Bose and the automatic temperature control.

Since I am pushing the 3k mark in miles, what has everyone doing for oil changes? I was going to wait till the change oil light comes on, but part of me thinks I should change it in the 3-5k mileage range. That's how often I changed the oil in my last car, a 95 cutlass, and I had zero problems with the engine. Any thoughts?

perna · June 2002

It's Indigo Blue with neutral cloth. No spoiler. I like the way it looks without the spoiler, but do miss it (My Alero had one) when it comes time to close the trunk. It made a great trunk handle. I was torn between the blue and the black, but every time I see a Bravada or Alero on the road in Indigo Blue, I find myself unconsciously turning my head as it goes by. Very sharp color. The Intrigue looks great in it, IMO.

tboom, I would definately do the first oil change @ 3,000 miles, and be more flexible after that. When an engine first breaks in, there can be all sorts of junk floating around in the oil. Let me put it this way, it can't hurt. I realize that the 3.5 is a fairly new engine, but I just can't let especially the first change go to 7500 or whatever ridiculous number the manual suggested.

Rich

oldsman01 · June 2002

one2one is right about road trips, this car was born for them. Whenever I have to take a business trip somewhere, I will drive unless time is critical. Not only do I get to enjoy the open road with this car, but I get reimbursed for mileage and come out with extra money in my pocket. And that still costs the company less than airfare would have. Now that I have XM radio in my car, I'm dying for a road trip. Once I get this dealer fiasco resolved, I think I may need a vacation.

Seat comfort, I've never had anyone complain about the seats. Mine has power driver and passenger seats and I don't often have someone in the back. I've sat in the back seat momentarily and it seemed pretty comfortable. Alot more comfortable than the rear bench seats of the Dodge Caravan(first generation) my parents had back when I was growing up. My brother and I used to fight over who would sit up front because the rear seats were so uncomfortable. When I was at the dealership recently, I looked in an Olds Silhouette that was in the showroom and I'm telling you, kids these days have it lucky. Leather bucket seats, rear A/C, and a DVD player with wireless headphones(lucky for parents on that one).

00zx3 · June 2002

Quick introduction since this is my first post. We recently purchased a new '02 GX (PCS, driver control pkg, etc.). So far we are enjoying the car and have had only minor problems (poor interior panel fit). We took GM up on the early lease termination offer to get out of our Alero. I swore I would NEVER buy another GM after that Alero, but the deal on the Intrigue was too good to pass up. For the money we paid for the Intrigue we would have been stuck with a 4 cyl. import. So far I have been VERY happy with the new Olds.

Anyway, I have a decent pair of 6 X 9's that I'd like to put in the rear deck and would like to hear more about removing the rear seat and package shelf trim to get the speakers in. (I don't have the fold down rear seat).

oldsman01 · June 2002

The dark blue was my first choice when I bought my Intrigue, but the dealer could not locate one in that color equipped as I wanted. So I had to settle for my second choice which is black. Mine has the dark grey interior as well and that along with the chrome wheels and gold emblems really looks sharp. That is when it's clean and the not damaged by the dealer. But I still usually do a double take when I see one in the dark blue. And I'll also agree that Aleros and Bravadas look good in this color. And the 2002 Auroras got a similar shade of dark blue (marine blue is what they call it) and it looks very sharp. It's the same dark blue Cadillac uses as well. Once I get the body damage fixed and get the car detailed(and windows tinted) I hope to take some pictures and post so that everyone can see it.

oldsman01 · June 2002

I have the factory service manual on the car and I will look and see if it has instructions on how to remove the rear seat and rear deck. Please bear with me, it may be a few days before I get back to you as I am very busy right now.

Good move with the Intrigue, hope you have better service with it than with the Alero. And I sincerely hope you have a decent dealer as I've discovered just how a terrible dealer service department can really sour what was an excellent ownership experience.

oldsman01 · June 2002

To those who had their windows tinted, other than the tint not wanting to stick to the "dotted" section at the top of the backglass, any other problems either with installation or afterwards? I'm really considering doing this as I think it will look good and more importantly, keep the interior cooler. We've been at or near 90 degrees the past few days and after sitting in the sun all afternoon, the interior is quite toasty. The A/C seems to cool well as it blows cold air, but even with that it takes it a while to really lower the temperature. All that heat can't be good on the dash and interior either. I know why white is such a popular car color in Florida and other warm climates.

one2one · June 2002

Mine is Midnight Blue and looks incredibly good when clean, if I may say so. I've been using Meguiers and have had good results. In fact, even when it's dirty (excluding snow dirt) it still gleams. Was going out with a buddy and he wanted to take my car because he liked the shine. I had to "tell" him it was dirty until we got close. I hear Zaino is great but not easily accessible and is costly.

But not to get off the point, it was a toss-up between Midnight Blue and Ruby, which I think is absolutely beautiful. It was such a tough decision that I, in a way, let the dealer decide for me. I went to GM Buypower.com and searched for an Intrigue that had all the things I wanted: GL, leather, spoiler, no Bose, etc. My car came up in the list and it was Midnight Blue.

Those two colors look so good on this car that it basically came down to flipping a coin.

dindak · June 2002

When we bought our Alero I wanted the blue but it was not available on the 02 models. Then I wanted the polo green but they could not find one for us. Settled for the ruby red and it's actually a very nice color. I think the Intrigue looks good in the ruby also. We have a silver gray Intrigue which is a bit bland, but I like it!

one2one · June 2002

I see a lot of Ruby Aleros out there. I think it looks better on the Alero than the Intrigue. And I LOVE the way it looks on the Intrigue!

yurakm · June 2002

If ruby is darker red, I saw a beautiful ruby Intrigue a couple days ago.

Intrigue GL, with spoiler, and gold emblem. Wal-Mart parking, Wallingford, CT.

I always thougt that the gold is just to throw moneys away, but with darker red it is really gorgeous. I stopped on my way, and just enjoyed how the car looks for couple of minutes.

swagled · June 2002

I used to think the "change oil" light was only for absent-minded people who forget to change oil. But I've seen articles that say GM came up with this feature, because engines and oils are much better than they used to be. The breakdown point doesn't really start until 5000 miles or more.

GM's position is that people are just spending extra money on oil changes... Kind of like people who insist on putting premium gas in their cars, the "3000 mile change" is just money spent to "feel good".

I changed my first oil voluntarily at 5000, and the next 3 times at 6000 more. I'm at 27k now on the odo, and I'm just going to let the change light tell me when to do it again.

Remember to reset the light after an oil change, though. (I don't trust the grease monkeys to remember this.) Put your key in the ON position, without the engine running. Press the gas pedal three times at a moderate pace, kind of like using a heavy door knocker.

rjs200240 · June 2002

I can understand changing the oil the first time a bit early I changed mine after 1000 miles just to be on the safe side. However, now I just use the oil life monitor. It is really pretty smart. Here is some info on it:

http://service.gm.com/techlink/html_en/pdf/200003-en.pdf#dst03

vcjumper · June 2002

Anyone had this done to their Intrigue? They apparently change the fluid and filter and make sure the gasket around the pan is OK. Paid $125 CDN. They recommended it since I was well over the 85,000km mark it was suggested at. They also checked my serpentine belt but said it was ok.

RE: Colours. I have the Opal Blue that was only on the 98-99 Intrigue. Goes well with the tint. Here's an old pic, I'm trying to get a new one parked beside my bosses 02' 7-series:

white6 · June 2002

I thought the first tranny service was recommended at 100,000 miles and the serpentine belt at 50,000 miles. (??) I go 5,000 miles or 6 months (whichever comes first) for all my vehicles now. Filters for the 3.5 are kind of a pain to find; can't get any better now that they don't even make this engine any more!

dindak · June 2002

vcjumper : I like that color too.

one2one / yurakm : I love the red with the gold also but as the Alero was a second car, we were just going to stick with a base car. There is actually another ruby red Alero down the street. We don't know the people so no big deal.

vcjumper · June 2002

Funny I guess this is a bit of a controversial topic.. Some feel you should change it every 50,000 miles or so, but if you don't, don't ever change it:

Trans fluid change, good or bad?

b4z · June 2002

I am going to stay away from that topic.

javidogg · June 2002

Hey that's the same 1999 Intrigue that I used to have same color, it sure looks nice though, mine did not have the sunroof or fog lights. I also added some custom 18 inch wheels, but none-the-less looking at it it sure brings back memories. I now have a 1999 Aurora in Onyx Black with the 18x8 chrome wheels.

Hey vcjumper how did you manage to post this awesome picture of your ride?

I have a picture of my former 1999 Intrigue with the custom wheels that I like for all of you to see.

Oh by the way one thing that I really liked about the Intrigue was how it looked coming down the street with it's 2 day time running lights on, it just looks nice and one of a kind.

one2one · June 2002

This isn't a recommendation; just what was my experience.

In the '98 Intrigue, I never changed the tranny fluid in 80,000 miles. Transmission was smoother than when it had lower miles. Fuild was still red with no grit. Remember, it has the 100,000 mile long life fluid.

On the wife's '95 Bonniville it had started to shift hard (kick is a better description). At the time it had about 50,000 miles, give or take. I thought I was going to have to spend a bunch of money on transmission work. Before jumping to conclusions, I changed the fluid (that year does not use long life fluid). It became buttery smooth. Now, at 60,000 miles, it still shifts smoothly.

My recommendation (the one I said I wouldn't give :-) is to change it according to the schedule. If you're paranoid, do it earlier. If you've missed the schedule even by a lot, do it when you get the chance. Because not doing so couldn't possibly be worse than changing it.

As a side note, owning an Intrigue for such a long time (mileage-wise) was very, very easy. The only thing I concerned myself with was oil changes. And I let the car tell me when to do that. Occasionally I had to fill add coolant when it went below the fill line. But that didn't start occuring until I got higher mileage. Maintaining the car was a no-brainer.

one2one · June 2002

One thing that might explain why the person on that post said the trucks trannies failed after changing could be in how it was changed. In most transmissions, the fluid should be dumped, reflilled then drained again, then refilled with a new gasket and screen. This is because the torque converter needs to have new fluid put in and run to get out the gunk.

Fords, interesting enough, have a plug that eliminates the need for the above proceedure and thus requires only one flush.

At least that's what I read. Anyone more knowledgeable please correct me.

I had an '89 New Yorker I purchased used with 50,000 miles. We got a rebuilt transmission under our used car warranty. We kept the car until the odo went 114,000 miles after which we gave it up due to engine problems. We never had any problems after the rebuilt tranny and I changed it every 2 years faithfully. Note: The original tranny problem was a documented Chrysler problem, not because of the mileage and fluid changes. Same thing with my '95 Camry. Purchased with 50,000 miles, fluid changes every 2 years and ran it to 109,000 miles before trading it on the first Intrigue. I never had problems with that tranny. Ditto for a 1983 Buick Century (my FIRST ride!)

So, I still believe that it should be changed. Just take it to a reputable shop.

b4z · June 2002

For some reason I thought June 5th was the last day of production. I just checked, and between 6/10 and 6/15 775 Intrigues were built. I wonder when the last ones will roll off the assembly line?

rjs200240 · June 2002

There is fluid that stays in the torque convertor. About 4-5 quarts, so it's no small amount. The service manual for the 3.5 Aurora states 7.4 quarts are needed for a drain and refill, 10 for an overhaul, and 13.4 if it's dry. I think the overhaul includes emptying the torque convertor, but there is still the tranny cooler that's integrated into the radiator, and the various lines and such. I've heard there are machines that can flush most of that out, but dealers tend to charge a lot for it. All the mainenance schedule requires is the drain and refill that includes changing the filter. However, that seems like a good idea to run it a bit to get the good fluid to circulate then drain it again. You still wouldn't get every drop of bad fluid, but it would help.

B4z, I thought the Collector's Edition (Final 500) were being built in June.

dindak · June 2002

I think GM is piling up Intrigues to last until September. I've noticed 3 different lots have more Intrigues than the usual 1-3 Intrigues. Local dealer had about 6 last drive by.

oldsman01 · June 2002

Maybe they've just come to their senses and decided to keep building them. Seems they built nearly as many Intrigues as they did CTSs that week.

rjs200240 · June 2002

did you guys find such detailed production numbers? Thanks!

b4z · June 2002

www.autonews.com
Scroll down the page and look to the right.
You will see a box with production numbers.
Click on the pdf.

dindak · June 2002

Amazing the amount of info available on the internet these days. Five years ago we were all in the dark I guess.

;-)

winter9 · June 2002

Speaking of wonders of the internet... Does anyone know where I could go (besides the parts dealer) to find the OEM part numbers for such things as fuel filters, windshield wiper blades, cabin air filters, etc?

I'm thinking of coming up with a good list and going to GMparts.com to do up an order. Some on this board have used and recommended this site.

yurakm · June 2002

A lot of part numbers are listed in car manual.

buzzard4 · June 2002

The other night I was driving some friends to dinner, and one noticed that the light switches over the back seats are different colors. On the passenger side, the light switch is tan, matching the handle and the rest of the trim. On the driver's side, the switch is gray. Has anyone else noticed a mismatch like this, or do I have a one-in-a-million collector's item? I wonder if they have a QC check for that kind of thing. I never noticed it before, but I don't ride in the back very often, and when I do, I'm usually on the passenger side staring at the gauges to see what the driver is doing to my car. If anyone with a gray interior has a tan button, maybe we could work a trade...

vcjumper · June 2002

Check out instructions on how to post pictures in the beginning of the pictures group in each of the car owners' clubs.

white6 · June 2002

You might check out auto-parts-for-less.com ; I have found them to be cheaper than gmpartsdirect.com.

swagled · June 2002

www.car-part.com ! ;-) It will be the only way to get Intrigue parts someday...

sda · June 2002

00zx3, Congratulations on your purchase! Though I bought my Intrigue used, I could not be happier. Mine is a 2000 GL and is similar to yours. Midnight blue (replaced by Indigo blue for 2002), neutral meridian cloth interior, sunroof and rear spoiler. One improvement I really like for the 2002 year is the improved headliner pattern and the improved fit of the door gaskets that fit around the headliner; A,B,and C pillars. I noticed in the 2002 brochure a color called Tropical Teal, a blue green color. Has anyone seen this color? About the speakers, since Oldsman01 volunteered to post the instructions from his shop manual, I think that description would be better than my one off experience. But if he can't, I'll do my best to describe the procedure. Enjoy your new Intrigue!

00zx3 · June 2002

Thanks in advance oldsman01/sda for the info on speaker installation. Strange you should ask about the teal. I saw an Intrigue in that color over the weekend. It looked quite nice. I am tempted to say it looked 'sporty' compared to our ruby car. In any case, I liked the Tropical Teal, though I think some other colors (including ruby) are better suited to the Intrigue's style.

oldsman01 · June 2002

To remove the rear deck, the rear seat back must first be removed and to remove the rear seat back, the rear seat cushion has to be removed. So basically, the back seat has to go. The cushion has two tabs just under the seat on each side. You pull up on the tabs(they are supposed to have little rings you pull) then the seat cushion just comes out. Once out, you will see two bolts attaching the seat back to the car. Remove those then lift the seat back up a bit and then pull it forward. It has two hooks that drop down into holes that are in the frame under the deck area and those hooks are visible from in the trunk. Might want to get a mental picture of how it looks before removing the seat back. Once the seat back is out, there are two or three plastic snaps that hold the deck panel on the area which is concealed by the seat and once those are removed and the seat belts positioned aside, the deck panel should just lift out. Once the seat is removed it should be easy to see how the deck panel comes out. The speakers are top mounts so the deck panel has to be removed to do anything with the speakers. Hope this helps.

oldsman01 · June 2002

Well, got a call from the dealer yesterday and they set up an appointment for me to bring the car in next week to correct the "spotting" and repair the dent. I also got a call from customer assistance today following up and acknowledging the letter I had written to the dealer and CCed them on. So hopefully this will all have a happy ending. Will let you know how it goes. Sorry for the lack of posting lately, I have been very busy.

ab348 · June 2002

The Tropic Teal is an attractive color on its own, but unfortunately neither interior goes with it really well. The neutral is too beige-ey for the teal, and while the gray doesn'tr clash as badly, the combo looks very cold and drab. Of course that's a problem with virtually any gray interior and with any make. The teal paint really needs a specific-color interior that works well with it.

winter9 · June 2002

This board has been quiet lately. I hope it is just temporary and that it will stay active long after production ends.

lmacmil · June 2002

I think internet BBS traffic drops in the summer months. Summer is too short to spend it in front of the computer.

dindak · June 2002

Ya, but most of us are at work right now on the board so that doesn't wash during weekdays.

Nothing to report on my 2000 GL. Oil and gas is all she has been needing. Looking forward to a few long road trips this summer. Our new Alero is also completely issue free and we are enjoying the Ecotec power plant. Great little commuter car! I've actually been driving the Aleroa lot as I drive more during the day and gas prices seem to be creeping up again.

redly_one · June 2002

On my street right now, there's my Intrigue, 2 Intrigues and an Aroura at the neighbors, a Bravada at another neighbors, 2 Silohettes and another Aroura up the street, and another new Bravada that shows up every other day too.

dindak · June 2002

Me also! There are 2 other Intrigues on our street and one other Alero. There is also a an older Cutlass Supreme and an Achieva. The city I live in has a very healthy population of Oldsmobiles, but I know other parts of the country and the U.S. are not the same.

Oldsmobile Intrigue

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles