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Oldsmobile Intrigue

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Comments

  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    An Eminem fan in a Malibu (judging by annoying blared music and lookalike clothes) with limo dark tint raced me at a light (I wasn't planning on it, never even made eye contact but he gunned it so I had to put him in his place). What was he thinking! He had a 1 length lead which disappeared by the time I hit 60km/hr.
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    As of yesterday my rear passenger power window only goes down using my drivers' door controls.. Goes both ways using the control on the door.
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Anyone driven one and can compare to the Intrigue? They are pretty heavily discounted up here right now.
  • shanianshanian Member Posts: 26
    I have the same problem. Dunlop sport SP2 's badly cupped after 12-13 k miles. and the tire warranty apparently does not cover cupping, which they pass off to alignment etc.
    Only thing I can do is not to buy that brand again. Do you mostly drive alone in your car. Wonder if it is due to not having weight at the back. Looking at Michelin MXVPlus at Costco at 137 per including balancing and mounting. I have had enough of performance, and I need quiet tires now.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Nice cars those Volvos but no more reliable than an average GM car.

    Our neighbor has one.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Just replaced the Goddyear GA's on my Impala with Michelin Harmony's. Much quieter than the Goodyear's, slightly better ride and cornering.
    $106 tire + $10 shipping from tirerack.com.

    You can go to their website and search these tires and there is a survey result on them.
  • redline65redline65 Member Posts: 693
    I have the same problem. Dunlop sport SP2 's badly cupped after 12-13 k miles. and the tire warranty apparently does not cover cupping, which they pass off to alignment etc.
    Only thing I can do is not to buy that brand again. Do you mostly drive alone in your car.


    I just got off the phone with customer service at tirerack.com (where I purchased them), and they said the same thing - cupping is not covered by the tire warranty. Since I had an alignment just prior to having the tires installed, they can't use the "misaligned" excuse. But they did try to say it is a problem with my suspension, which I don't think is the case because two different garages have looked at mine and did not find a problem. By the way, I drive mostly alone in the car with nothing in the trunk, but that shouldn't cause tires to get cupped. I also keep them inflated to 31 psi.

    I'm going to take the car to an authorized Dunlop retailer (Goodyear) to have them check it out. If they don't want to help me I will have to start writing letters to Dunlop I guess.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Forgive my ignorance, but what do you guys mean by a cupped tire?

    TIA
  • shanianshanian Member Posts: 26
    Edmund's leading expert on tires is capriracer in the tires,tires,tires forum in aftermarket etc forum.
    see last few pages and discussions.
    Cupping is uneven wear # 2561 is his reply
    capriracer "Tires, tires, tires" Apr 16, 2003 7:47am

    my question is 1 page before #2559
    shanian "Tires, tires, tires" Apr 15, 2003 4:07pm
  • redline65redline65 Member Posts: 693
    Forgive my ignorance, but what do you guys mean by a cupped tire?

    I'll try to describe how mine appears visually. If you look at the outer-most section of the tread, each individual tread has part of it worn down more than the other part. So going all the way around the tire, only every other 1/2 tread is making contact with the ground. You can really see this if you drive onto a dusty garage floor, 1/2 the tread is black and the other 1/2 is dusty. With the SP Sport A2s, all of the center tread is flat and not really sectioned, so the cupping only appears on the outer (and inner) tread.

    I do tend to push the tires hard into corners on occasion, so maybe that is why they are cupping badly on the outside. I should probably be putting more than 31 psi in them to compensate for my driving style.
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Base s60 can be had for $29K CAD here now (6K off). Turbo model is 35K though.
  • audreywaudreyw Member Posts: 1
    Hey this is my first time posting messages... I am glad I found this site & maybe someone can give me some insight... I have a 99 Intrigue GL with 60,000 miles and when I make a right turn not matter what speed there is a terrible noise (whining sound). Anyone else have this problem or know how to fix it? I also have those clanky center caps... how do you fix that? Other than that I love my Car! Black with Chrome Wheels & Spoiler but no leather (husband said no with the baby)!!!
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Don't they consume premium fuel though?

    $29K isn't bad, we paid almost C$28K for our Intrigue. Why so much discounting?
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I bet that Malibu sounded awful revved up(good old 3100 V6). I occasionally have to put the kids in their place. It's one thing when a Bimmer comes along and wants to race you, but some kid in a Camry listening to the crap like Eminem(sorry if anyone here is a fan) thinking he'll pass me, and all I have to do is kick her down a gear and he starts seeing the letters I-N-T-R-I-G-U-E getting further and further ahead of him. As for the Volvo, they are decent cars but if your going Sweedish, get a Saab. As they say over in the Saab forum, people in Sweeden consider Volvos as cars for people who don't like cars(kind of like Camrys and Tauri in the US) while Saabs are for car people. Having finally driven a 9-3(and seriously considering one) I can see why.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Usually a toe-in or toe-out problem.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Yeah, I took the car to have its wheels aligned and the toe in the rear ones was off.

    Now, at low speeds, the tires make a noise that oscillates faster as the car speeds up. The noise is louder when the tires are cold, but are still there even after they are warm.

    I'll try to rotate the tires and expect the greater wear up front to round out the tires. However, I'm afraid that it'll only go away once and for all with new tires.

    Still, I think that the Eagle LS is on the noisy side. Noise and wet capabilities are more important to me than cornering. In this regard, according to the survey in Tire Rack, Bridgestone tires come at the top. Is that really so or Firestone employees are pumping the survey up? :-)

    BTW, shanian, capriceracer is THE MAN! Thanks.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    I did a short, 200-mile one-way trip with the family over the Easter weekend and the 3.5 V6 averaged 32MPG on the highway!!! So far it's the thriftiest car I've had, more than the late Stratus 2.4 I4 it replaced.

    I'm still measuring the mileage in urban traffic, but it seems to be lower than my Bonneville's (22 vs. 24MPG), probably because of its poorer low-end torque. But on the highway it beats the 3.8 V6 by 3MPG.

    Not too shabby. ;-)
  • pernaperna Member Posts: 521
    Stupid question: why no leather with a baby? I thought if you had a baby, leather was a GOOD thing (i.e. easier cleanup). I don't have a baby myself, but I just imagine normal child messes would be a BEAR to get out of cloth seats.

    Growing up, our family truckster was an Olds "woody" Delta 88(not entirely sure on the name, I just remember it was a mid-late 70s Oldsmobile) station wagon with vinyl seats. Now, I remember some of the messes my younger sibs made, and when I think about cleaning the same messes out of the cloth seats of my car, I want to cry. Thankfully the wife's Escape does have leather, so if a baby does come along, I won't have to worry about soiling MY car. Selfish? Nah. :)
  • pernaperna Member Posts: 521
    One of the things that amazed me about my Intrigue the short time I had it was the gas mileage on road trips. I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. About a week after I got the car, we drove up to Mackinac Island (plus a detour on the way there to check out a landmark). About 300 miles or so.

    Well, I didn't actually have to stop and fill up until I was FAR into the trip home.. I'm guessing about another 150 miles of driving?

    The Intrigue is the ULTIMATE road trip car. It has no peer. My dad, mother, sister/husband, me/wife are going out to Maryland this August for my cousin's wedding. My plan is for dad/mom to take the Intrigue (dad bought it from me), and the rest of us take the Maxima. Unfortunately, mom has always gotten carsick unless she's riding up high, and therefore REALLY wants to take her vehicle. All six of us. In a 2000, beat up, rattletrap Pontiac Montana. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    I've ridden in the Montana. The Intrigue is smooth, quiet, and powerful on the highway. In comparison, the Montana is like road-tripping in a mail truck. Maybe if I slip a dramamine into mom's drink beforehand?
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Went on a comfortable 500 mile trip over the weekend. Averages about 30-32 MPG also. Mileage numbers have always been good on our car considering the power and size. It's too bad the 3.5L is no more. Hopefully the new 3.6L going into the Rendezvous and CTS will be as thrifty.
  • ozznetozznet Member Posts: 81
    I just figured out my city mileage and I got just over 20 mpg. Not amazing or anything but not bad for the size of the motor. For the amount I drive it doesn't matter. In 2 weeks I only used half a tank.
  • emmanuelchokeemmanuelchoke Member Posts: 97
    I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the SP A2's on my car did exactly the same thing. Great tires initially, but at 15K they were also ruined. Worn struts on my car caused it which surprised me as there were no obvious signs they needed replacement. Maybe the Dunlops can't tolerate slight suspension and alignment variances as well as other tires.

         emc
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I remember my parents had a Grand Caravan(first generation) when I was a teenager and despite having the extra room, my brother and I both hated taking long trips in it. The ride was rough(especially for whoever was in the back row) and it was noisy. I know that vans today are probably much better than then, but I still think you can't beat a nice medium to large sedan when it comes to a road trip. While there are probably some better road trip cars than the Intrigue, I think in the Intrigue's price range, it is tops.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I think 21 is the posted mileage for city so you are right there.
  • shanianshanian Member Posts: 26
    At how much Mileage were they considered worn.
    My tire racket got so bad, I was dreaming of all kinds of things that could have been bad, wheel bearings, struts, engine problems etc.
    May be I am just treating the symptom than the cause of my cupped tires, but there could be so many things wrong and there is only so much time and money you can throw at finding out. At 3 years and 60 K miles, my car is probably in that mid life where nothing is obviously wrong, but several things are not new either.
  • redline65redline65 Member Posts: 693
    I think emmanuelchoke is probably right, these tires are just not a good match for the Intrigue and its suspension. They are probably a better fit for performance cars that have stiffer suspensions and less body roll. The body roll in corners might be what is eating these tires up.

    I'd like to know what tires others have been successful at replacing their Goodyear Eagles with, especially if you have put 30K+ miles on them.
  • w5kapw5kap Member Posts: 32
    Folks, new poster here but have been "listening" for awhile. Well, the dreaded CrankShaft Sensor caused the Check Engine light to come on. It waited a while as the car has 43k on it. My question is this; The dealer gave me a choice of flashing the computer or replacing the sensor. Since the Flash was a whole bunch cheaper, I went that route. Anyone else had this done and with what kind of success? Also, in the morning my tranny will slip once and only once on the fist hill that comes along. Never does it again no matter what. THe engine is warm, the air temp is warm too. Can't fiure out what can be causing this. Any ideas are greatly welcomed.
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    When I replaced the GoodYear LS with Yokohama Avid Touring, I had some balance problems. After several trips back to the tire store and even replacing one tire they thought was out of spec, they 'force balanced' all four tires. This did the trick. No more tire vibrations and good tire wear so far. If you can find a shop that does 'force balancing', I strongly recommend it.

    2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav

  • moonshadowmoonshadow Member Posts: 256
    What is "force balancing". Never heard of it, could you please elaborate.

    I have visions of the tire dude standing at the high speed balancer, with a big knife in his hand, verbally threatening the tire to comply. LOL

    Did they think it was the rims or the tires?

    I too was thinking of replacing the bad year RSA(really stinking awful or royally screwed again) with avid tourings.

    Now that you are all tune up, compared to the eagles, what is your opinion on ride comfort, noise and did the avids lessen the (feel every crack in the road) sensation?
  • white6white6 Member Posts: 588
    They use a specific type of balancing machine that produces downforce on the wheel/tire as it is spinning to simulate the weight of the car on the tire. The machine then tells them if there is a heavy spot on the tire. I believe anything more than 15 pounds is determined to be too much variation. The wheel/tire is broken down again and the tire is "spun" on the wheel to align the heavy part of the tire directly opposite the heavy part of the wheel, therefore canceling each other out and producing a wheel/tire that is balanced much better. Yoko's may be more sensitive to this type of imbalance...
  • ozznetozznet Member Posts: 81
    Has anyone ever used one of those car dusters?
    I would love to get one but I don't want to chance scratching my car.
  • limadeltalimadelta Member Posts: 49
    I had the Dunlop SP A2's and have replaced them with the above named tire. 84,000 on my '00 GLS and these Pirelli's will hopefully last longer than the Dunlops did.

    I think I only got about 30,000 miles on the A2's

    BTW, I still like the Intrigue and look forward to long trips in it. The 3.5 is THE motor that the General should have kept for the other divisions. Beancounters, bah!
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Still no nice rev happy OHC motor available in their mainstream midsize sedan offerings (18-25K) lineup? Might be a few years atleast before one shows up?
    The 3.6L thus far is only slated to be in the CTS as far as sedans go. Even the Camry will have 225 hp or so and 240lb/ft for 2004. Will a smaller version of the 3.6L engine be powerful enough?
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I read somewhere that 3.6L derivatives will follow a year later. Hopefully we will see something next year. The 3.6L will also be an option on the Buick Rendezvous this fall.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    I've read that Buick and Cadillac will have exclusivity over it for 3 years. So I guess that it'll be seen in other brands only in 2006 MY or so.

    However, the family will grow, and maybe derivatives make to a broader availability.

    The remarkable 3.8 is also poised to be improved and enlarged to 3.9.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    That 3.9 is actually a version of the 3.1/3.4L 60 degree V6, which will be the "high-value" V6. The 3800 doesn't seem to have a future at GM.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    The 3.8L in the new 04 GP is suppose to have been newly revised and improved. I sat in one yesterday and I think it's growing on me. It's not perfect, but the seats are incredible comfortable (vs the Intrigue or most any other sedan) and the dash is very nice. Still have to test one some day when I have time.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I stopped by the Pontiac dealer about a week ago one evening to "window shop" the new GP and low and behold, one had been left unlocked. It was the GT model, but it had the leather seat package. The seats were very comfy, more so than the Intrigue's with one minor quirk. The headrests were too far back and they are not articulating headrests. Also, while they fit me well, I can see how the bolstering of the seats might feel confining to someone who is rather obese. Of coarse, BMW never gets any criticism for this as their seats are the same way. All in all I liked the car and the interior was about 2 steps ahead of the previous model. I still think that high end GPs should have automatic climate control.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    All this talk about the new GP had me thinking, imagine an Intrigue with the TAP shift feature. As much as I like the new GP, I can only imagine what the next generation Intrigue would have been like.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    Well, in the midst of considering new cars a Jeep Grand Cherokee crossed my radar screen. I'm not a big SUV guy, but the GCs are pretty good looking and it would definitely be something different for me. It also helps that just as we can get GM vehciles at GMS pricing through my company, we can get Chrysler vehicles through their equivilant program. Anyway, I thought I'd check out the JGC forum here in Edmunds. All I can say is as much as I like them, I don't think I'll be going that route. While we Intrigue owners have had some problems, at least we didn't have to start a separate thread just for problems as the JGC owners did. Even worse, the dealer stories of problems not being resolved and the ever so popular "unable to duplicate" sounded an awful lot like my experience with Olds service. So at this point the Jeep is pretty much off the list. Oh well, I don't really need an SUV anyway. Just thought that was interesting as I know some people who have Grand Cherokees and they love them.

    Heard back from Oldsmobile customer assistance on Friday. They got my letter and called me to discuss my concerns. When I advised them I would really appreciate some compensation for the extended(45+ days) time I have been without a car the lady said she would have to escalate the issue to a district manager as they typically do not offer any type of monetary compensation when rentals or loaners were given. She was friendly and seemed to be on the ball, but I'm still skeptical if anything will be done. She did begin to offer an extended warranty at first then must have realized my car already had one. I'm not asking for the world, just something which is fair due to the number of problems I have had with this car and the inability for them to be corrected in a timely manner. If GM would give me a voucher for say $1500 or so similar to what Olds owners were given when the phase out was announced, I would have much greater confidence in them and be much more likely to buy another new GM vehicle. To me, this would not only compensate me for the time I've been without car but also make up for the fact that I could not sell this car at top value due to all these problems should a potential customer ask to see the service records.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Ya, heavy people may have a problem with the GP, I'm not sure. I wish I had seats like that in the Intrigue though, and I always thought they were good.

    Like you say, the next Intrigue would have been a sweet ride. I will test a GP soon as I want to feel what could have been.
  • dekesterdekester Member Posts: 322
    I have been using the dusters since I got my Intrigue (Jan 99). You don't put any pressure when using - no rubbing or scrubbing - it just lifts the durt/dust. If the car needs to be washed, however, it will not remove any "ground-in" dirt, only the surface dirt/dust. The duster does NOT scratch the finish.

    IIRC, California Car Cover Co offers a two-fer set - large for the outside and a smaller one for the interior.

    Can beat 'em for keeping your car looking good between washes.

    Deke
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Just a follow up on the urban traffic mileage: 22MPG. Thus, in line with what others get.

    22/32MPG is not bad at all.

    For the record, I get 24/29MPG on my Bonneville with the same transmission and axle ratio, but with the 3.8 OHV. Around town is where the Buick V6 shows off its practically flat torque curve.
  • ni7irsni7irs Member Posts: 4
    Does anyone havea problem with the brakes dragging. It seems to happen once the car warms up and the brakes have been applied a couple of times. Any ideas?
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    The Yokohama Avid Touring tires are decent for the price. I paid about $75/tire installed. They seem to be quiet but handling is not their strong point. You get what you pay for.

    2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav

  • one2oneone2one Member Posts: 626
    Hey, folks. Haven't been around for a while but have caught up on missed posts.

    This was so impressive, I had to tell you guys. My TornadoAir unit ( www.tornadoair.com ) just arrived today. Supposedly, fuel economy is improved as well as throttle response. I just put it in and took it for a spin. I'm on 1/4 tank so fuel economy improvement has yet to be seen. As far as throttle response goes all I can say is:

    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Now, I know some of you might think this is mechanical snake oil (as some feel about the K&N) but this is the real deal. There is NOTICEABLE difference. I have the 3.05 axle. We all know that the 3.29 axle (if you have PCS, you've got the 3.29) is noticably quicker off the line. Well, the 3.05 feels like that now, if not better. That inital lag off the line? Gone. And as the tach rises, the fun factor increases exponentially. It idles even quieter and smoother than before, which says a lot considering how smooth and queit it was without it.

    Installation is super easy. Simply install it in the hose behind the Mass Air Sensor (the Mass Air Sensor is that metal piece with the wires attaching and the black box attached on the right side), reattach the hose back to the mass air sensor, unplug the positive and negative terminal battery cables (to reset the computer) and drop the hood. The dyno test (on the box & website) showed from 10hp to 20hp increases. Even at the low end, that would give the Intrigue 225hp at the wheels.

    I don't know how much the K&N helps but the TornadoAir does wonders for performance. I like it so much, I've ordered one for the wife's car.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Let me know how it goes on the fuel. If it saves fuel also, it will indeed pay for itself so I can justify it a little more. Sounds good from what you say though!
  • ozznetozznet Member Posts: 81
    I've seen it on TV a bunch of times and I've always wondered if it worked. It's nice to hear that it does. Maybe I will think about getting one.
  • white6white6 Member Posts: 588
    Um, no. Intrigue is rated 215 hp at the flywheel. Probably around 185-190 hp at the wheels. You can usually figure on about 10 to 20 percent driveline loss, depending on whether it is a manual or automatic trans. Chrysler auto trannys are notorious for high driveline loss, usually around 20-25 percent. GM's are pretty good, though. If you gained 10 hp with the "Tornado" then that would translate to about 8 or 9 hp at the wheels. So you might be close to 200 at the wheels. Only way to know, of course, is to dyno it. Seems to me the main thing I have heard about the "Tornado" is that it increases turbulance and low-rpm intake air velocity. This would give you better cylinder filling (kind of a minor supercharging effect). I would bet that you would see a decrease in hp above 3500 rpm or so, due to the restriction to airflow created by the device. Might be a good way to move your power curve downward (we all know the shortstar is a little light on low-end torque), so the overall effect might be positive. Depends on how much you run 'er up over 4,000 rpm in your daily routine.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I am still not sold on those things.

    The improved throttle response that tone2one is feeling may be an increase in low end torque from having a smaller intake opening, since the tornado does tend to choke down the inlet pipe diameter. Having a smaller inlet area will increase the speed of the air within the pipe.

    This choked down air intake pipe idea is the same as putting a set of 1.5" diameter headers on a car thentesting it on the dyno or the street. Take those headers and put some 2" diameter ones on and that car will be a dog off the line. But make big power at 6-7000 rpms.
    Provided of course it has suitable heads, cam, intake to take advantage of high rpm operation.

    Remember, you can either have increased velocity or increased flow. Velocity will increase low end torque. Flow(bigger diameter pipe) will increase high end power usually at the expense of low end power.
    I suspect that his intrigue's torque and torque band has been moved down lower to where it is more accessible in stop and go traffic.
    And then when he floors it on the highway it is probably turning 2-2500 rpms. Closer to where the big part of the torque is than before.

    Just a theory.
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