Oldsmobile Aurora

garwar · December 2002

I, too, loved my Michelin MXV4 Plus tires when they were new. They had great traction on dry and wet roads and in the snow. Now that I've got 19,800 miles on them, though, they're not so good. I managed to get through the 4" snow-covered road near home but with much sliding and tire spinning (TC was "on" but did not kick in). On another occasion, when I attempted to drive up our slightly inclined driveway with a light overnight dusting of snow, I had to sand the driveway three times before I could get out. If I had storage room, I'd buy a set of 4 snow tires and wheels to use in the winter, saving the Michelin's for the rest of the year.

hammen2 · December 2002

Thank goodness we didn't get much snow in Wisconsin last winter. I had 37k mi or so on the original (4 year old) MXV's when winter started last year, and they were just awful - in snow, I saw the traction control light come on more often than my turn signals (and I use them all of the time :-)

I put Dunlop SP Sport A2's on in March, and they were excellent in a late-season snowstorm. We haven't had any real snow around here yet (go figure - Illinois and Indiana got pounded) so I can't say how they hold up - but I've got about 16k mi on the Dunlops now...

--Robert

rjs200240 · December 2002

Hammen2, I think Garnes has the Pluses. Apparently there is a fair difference between the old MXV4's and the new MXV4 Pluses. So that might account for his liking them and your hating them. So far I've been pleased with my Pluses (15K on them), but we don't tend to get any real snow here in Virginia. I think if I lived further north I'd get a set of snow tires, though, as all-season tires are usually not the best for snow.

Henry · December 2002

The 95's do not have an air recirculation switch in them. I have always assumed that the car was set to the fresh air setting. Can anybody confirm this??

fjk57702 · December 2002

Your owners manual should explain how it works. Either there is no recirculation or it will activate automatically under some condition. My 98 did have a button as I recall, but things are becoming fuzzy now that I don't have that car.

rjs200240 · December 2002

Well, my first real problem with the car has surfaced. I can't put my seatbelt on. The bottom half of the belt stays retracted. It did this a few times in the last week or so and I was able to jiggle it loose. This time I couldn't put the belt on at all. I tell ya, I don't know how people can drive around with no belt on. I felt like I was a sitting duck... So I'll have to take it in...

Also, I made some sound/movie clips of my car accelerating. My exhaust is stock, but the new Aurora seems to have less intake noise than the classic we test-drove, so you hear a bit more of the exhaust note (at least it seemed that way to me). The first is like 3MB and the second is 1MB. You may just want to save them locally and then play them. They are filling up my yahoo account, so I will probably delete them at some point. My wife and I have a digital camera now, so I will probably post more pictures and such.

rjs200240 · January 2003

I was cruising the Lingenfelter website looking at ZR-1 classifieds when I noticed they sell Corsa systems. What was interesting is that all the Corvette systems were $100 less than they sell for on the Corsa website. I found that sort of strange. I wonder if they could get the Caddy system for a $100 savings. Plus, you'd have bought something from Lingenfelter AND Corsa... It'd be double cool!

mike98c · January 2003

RJS many of the aftermarket companies will not sell a part for less than a certain percentage over cost which in many cases is the same or more than the cost to a jobber or retail outlet. This is so the store knows they are protected from carrying inventory and having the supplier undercut them. The company that supplies the part in turn gets established outlets to sell its parts. Of course if a large enough group gets together and orders a part sometimes a discount can be negotiated!

rjs200240 · January 2003

if those movie files worked for anyone. I thought I'd have gotten some feedback... If they worked, how does the sound compare to the classics, or to the Corsas? I'm sure looking forward to the eventual Corsa, but the stock sound isn't too shabby.

fjk57702 · January 2003

Both files played for me, but I don't have speakers on this computer, so I didn't "hear" anything.

53rocket · January 2003

Really like the sound of that! Got the thrill without putting wear on my engine. Much prefer the acceleration from 20mph!

Noticed your speedometer from a dead stop as I watched the tach. Bet that would shock a few rice burners (not to mention those rice loving magazine editors)!

nne3jxc · January 2003

Nice sound on those clips. I didn't notice that it sounds *a lot* different from my classic. And I agree with 53rocket -- the acceleration time is sweet -- by my count it looks like right around 7 secs 0-60.

I want to increase the rumble a little at idle/slow speed on mine. At WOT all V8s sound good!

pat · January 2003

Folks, the Town Hall does not wish for vehicle-related "rice" terms to be part of the discourse here.

I realize that there are widely varying views on this subject, but the Town Hall's position remains that because of the offensive ethnic orgin, those terms are not appropriate in our discussions.

Please do not argue with me here because I have no control over this policy and the policy itself is off-topic. If you have comments to make, please either email me or our Community Manager, Sylvia, at sylvia@edmunds.com.

Thank you for your understanding.

rjs200240 · January 2003

If you have a 2001+ 4.0 Aurora and are interested in the Corsa exhaust system, you need to go here and sound off! Let Jim know you are serious. This may be the only chance to have one made that is specifically for the Aurora. You might even let him know if you have a 3.5 and are interested. It may be that the systems mount up the same (although who knows what sort of sound will result since it uses waves, not baffling). There are a lot of posts on the link, but go to the second page of it and you will see a reply from Jim Browning Jr. Hopefully a few people will be interested!

davesaurora · January 2003

I have read how on northstar cadillacs you hold down the "off" and "warmer" buttons on the climate control to enter diagnostic code mode. Also the same for other Oldsmobiles like the Toronado. My 95 Aurora does not have a button for turning off the climate control, but has a rotary knob. I have tried several other button combinations but none worked! How do I get the Aurora to display these codes?
Thanks.

sinatra2 · January 2003

Unfortunately The DIC will not display trouble codes from the PCM like on the Cadillacs. A code scanner has to be plugged into the receptacle under the steering column. This requires a trip to a dealership although some good independent repair facilities have the equipment to be able to read any trouble codes.

blk97aurora · January 2003

davesaurora:
I was quite disappointed to learn that my '97 classic could not display trouble codes through the DIC. I erroneously assumed that capability would have been carried forward, since my '86 Toro could display its OBD I codes.

All other aspects of my Aurora are far superior to the Toro, but the lack of easily (and inexpensively) available OBD II codes is sorely missed.

rjs200240 · January 2003

I figured there would be some way, but that I just didn't know it yet. On my Corvette, you just stuck a piece of wire or paperclip in the ALDL (in a specific place, though) and the "Check Engine" light would blink out the codes to you. It was a little slow, but a real lifesaver. I thought that was soooo cool. Too bad that isn't possible anymore.

chstr1000 · January 2003

You can go to AutoZone and get an engine diagnostic reading for free. You can go to dealer or garage and pay for it. Usually they charge for an hour. $50 or $60 or more.

You Decide.

rjs200240 · January 2003

I saw a Final 500 Intrigue at a nearby Olds dealer today. That color is definitely darker than the Cherry from 2001-2002. It might look similar under bright lighting, but it is noticeably darker and more purplish. The salesman also had an Olds publication from Dec 2002 with a picture of the Aurora CE. It had the 17" STS wheels... Ughh... Those wheels look appropriate on the rather plain, boxy Seville, but they don't look good on the swoopy Aurora. Plus, they aren't even bigger. Perhaps it will have the Goodyear W-rated tires and a 155 mph speed limiter, but I doubt it.

The salesman also mentioned that they couldn't order Auroras anymore. I guess you'd just have to buy one that's been made. Not sure what's up with that as they had zero 2003's on the lot. Looking at the production they seem to crank out less than 20 Auroras per week. That's pretty dang slow... I guess I'm not surprised, though, especially with the 3.5 gone.

fjk57702 · January 2003

If they have closed the orders, then they have enough orders in hand to finish out the production run and the "final 500". So, basically they are done. I think my 16 inch chrome wheels look way better than the wheels on the first generation Aurora. In 1991, they delayed production of the "final" Reatta till they had all the dealer orders in hand. They made about 2000 or so. I remember this because I went into the dealers and said how can they have a $3000 incentive on dealer stock when they haven't even built one yet? I got the incentive.

b4z · January 2003

Will be be built in February and March.

rjs200240 · January 2003

But I'm doing it anyway. Besides, it's Olds' rival from the IRL so it's cool (and I'm not posting in the board for the car I'm bashing). At the auto show, I had to check out the G35. It is surprisingly cut-rate inside. The interior is terribly cheap. When I sat in an Altima at a local Nissan dealership months ago, I was particularly surprised by the cheapiness of the inside door handle and lock. They are metal colored plastic and the flashing runs right down the length of it. The flashing is both quite visible as well as easily felt on your hand when you grab it. Plus the plastic handle is rather flexible and feels unbelievably cheap (every passenger you ever have will feel this). I was surprised that it was considered acceptable for the Altima, but not overly surprised it was there (even the car mags called it cheap feeling). Anyway, what blew me away was every Infiniti from the I35 to the G35 to the M45 had this same cheapo interior door handle and lock. Even the Q45 had it, but it was covered with chrome so you couldn't see the flashing. But it felt quite plastic and cheap even with the chrome topper. I can't even imagine plunking down $35 to $55 grand for one of those cars and then touching that thing every time I drive it.

rjs200240 · January 2003

At the show, GM had by far the most impressive display. They had two theaters showing a little movie about the proving grounds, they had a powertrain testing demonstration (complete with an LS-6 mounted to an engine dyno), and they had a chasis test demonstration with a Silverado mounted on a platform that bounces it around. Plus, they had numerous concepts and soon-to-be production cars, they had tons of engines on stands, they had some history/evolution displays, and a bunch of other stuff. Most of the other makers just had their production cars laid out and maybe a few concepts. I spent about half the day at the show looking at GM stuff, and the other half looking at every other car maker. GM (with the notable exception of Olds) really went all out. And it was inspiring to see GM finally toot its own horn (some displays carried the tagline "GM: The World's Best Powertrains").

I don't know how I can show you all the clips of the Aurora from the DVD, but it is really cool. It would be an incredible ad campaign if only Olds cared about tooting its own horn to someone other than a die-hard Olds fan... The little video has like 6 different segments, each about 30-60 seconds, on things like performance, style, interior, luxury, and other stuff. Great commercial material...

garnes · January 2003

You must be mistaken. You know American cars have a monopoly on cheap plastic. Can't be on an import : 0

Yeah, just glancing inside a G35 and I noticed right away - there really isn't anything "luxury" about it.

It sure sounds like GM is really going for it with the powertrains. I think they will have to get cute with the "first drive" test cars if they are to compete in the marketplace of public perception. If Honda is sending in "first drive" Accords that beat G35's and BMW 330's (in separate tests) in the same magazine, then whatever GM comes up with will likely be 2nd in performance as well.

I really wonder if the marketing guru's at the big 3 have a clue sometimes about what makes the consumer tick, and what the competition is doing to push their buttons - honest or otherwise.

As a very small example (I feel silly pointing this out) is the 140+ speedometers the imports put on V6 and 4 banger grocery getters. Well, as stupid as that is, if it impresses Joe Nonothing, then do it as well.

I have some doubts if GM knows that it is just as important to also create a perception of superior performance to go along with their powertrains. Otherwise, as you pointed out with Olds, people do not know and don't buy your car.

sinatra2 · January 2003

I found the following on an obscure web site and thought it maybe of interest to some.

The Oldsmobile Aurora was a natural choice for pace car of the 1997 Indianapolis 500, after serving as pace car for all Indy Racing League races (except Indy) in 1996 and 1997. The Aurora's standard 250-horsepower, 4.0L V-8 engine meant the car needed no performance modifications. A 650-horsepower version of that same engine went on to win the 1997 Indy 500, marking the first time the same engine design had both paced and won at Indy.

1997 also marked the first time since 1947 that a four-door sedan was chosen to lead the race, and the first front-wheel-drive four-door ever.

Only 64 Auroras were built for use as pace cars and parade cars. Oldsmobile did not produce a replica of this car.

The 1997 pace car was driven by three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford.

I bet that there are some of those 64 pace cars still out there. Would love to get my hands on one.

35aurora01 · January 2003

Hi there. I'm new to the group, and a proud new owner of a Cherry '01 3.5 Aurora. Has 44K miles. Picked it up last week and wife and I love the ride. Lots of room for the teens, plus luxury and sport all in one. Just what we were looking for. We don't see many on the road, and the Cherry is awesome!

We finally put down the old Ford Areostar van, after 11 years of service. Also have a 2001 Pathfinder, great vehicle, that serves us well.

Working through some kinks with the Used Car lot. It is an independent (non-GM) car lot, family run and very nice people. Small town called Alliston, about an hour north of Toronto. Thought I'd list the problems under investigation and repair in case any of you have had similar and can provide any advice. include
o clunking in the sunroof when opening/closing...fixed via adjustment
o headlamp out...to be replaced
o rear seatbelts shoulder straps are fraying (both)...to be investigated. Anybody have a problem with these? I think the retract mechanism must be damaging them.
o rear door window switch will not open window, however will close the window...to be investigated. I suspect a defective switch or connection
o gauges on dashboard very dim in spots (ie. first 2/3 of the speedo, first 1/4 of the tach, volume switch on steering wheel and the temp guage). Service Garage pulled the dashboard out and said there is a burnt bulb that is the source for the fibre optics, but they don't have the equipment to repair. May need dealer service, as the garage is an independant not a GM dealer. Under investigation.

The car lot is providing 30day bumper to bumper, afterwards I'm on my own as the car is out of GM warranty due to the mileage. I'm on the fence regarding buying an extended service contract. Granted I have some initial kinks here, but nothing major. Any recommendations? What has the reliability been for you folks?

Anyways, thought I'd say hello. I read many of your posts prior to making the purchase and found the many discussion threads interesting and informative. Glad to be a new Aurora owner.

rjs200240 · January 2003

Welcome to the board. There are a few other 3.5 owners here. I don't know that anyone has really accumulated enough miles on the new Aurora to judge durability. At the most, they could be close to 3 years old. You might find out the build date (look at the sticker in the driver's door) of your car and factor that into your warranty formula. The 2001 was a very early 2001, so some of them are basically 2000's. If you have an earlier one, you may want to consider the warranty more seriously. There were also a fair amount of service bulletins for the 2001 as a result of some early build kinks. Also, the Intrigue board may be a good place to get repair/durability info on the engine and transmission since it was used in that car also (well, the tranny was used in tons of GM cars). But I can tell you the engine is one of the most reliable GM makes, as are the Premium V8's. Again, welcome.

Hey, just a note, if you are interested in a performance exhaust from Corsa, you have about one day to let them know as they will crank out a few specially for the Aurora. You can search the Accessories & Mods board here for more info on Corsa. Also, check out this discussion for info how to contact Corsa. I don't know if you are interested, it's just that the boat for the Corsa is sailing so you might want to know. They have to custom fit the Seville system, so if you don't order it now you may never be able to.

rocket3_50 · January 2003

Welcome to the board.

I see that you read past posts, but just in case you missed mine, it might help you for me to repeat what I reported to this board before.

I have a 2001 3.5L silver Aurora. Built just for me and delivered in April 2001. 32,500 miles in 21 months since then. Maybe my repair history could help you down the road. (All of this work has been done under the original new car warranty.)

1. Replace power steering unit with revised design unit. There's a Technical Service Bulletin out on this. Symptom - occasional moan or groan on low speed or start up turns.

2. Lubricate intermediate steering shaft. Well known problem in the GM shops. Symptom - a sort of rubbing or grabbing felt while turning the steering wheel.

3. Replace defective crankshaft position sensor. Symptom - the car stalled on me twice while driving very slowly looking at houses for my parents.

4. Replace plastic push rivets as they pop out from the wheel well trim and front air dam trim. Maybe half a dozen in 21 months. It would help if I didn't keep pulling the front of the car up on the curbs, sidewalks, bumpers, large dogs, sleeping drunks, etc.

5. Aim driver's side front fog lamp. Dealer first told me that they weren't adjustable. But they are.

6. Replace burned out bulbs:
   a) both rear fog lamps. The dealer told me that the replacement bulb was a longer life bulb.
   b) right side steering wheel buttons. (The left temperature button has now burned out too, but I haven't had it replaced yet.) There does seem to be a differnce in brightness between some of the four buttons.
   c) instrument cluster bulb. Sounds like your complaint about the dash. I didn't actually notice this defect in mine. The dealer noticed it and replaced the bulb when he pulled the intermediate steering shaft. I guess either he broke it, or more likely, it just went bad the day I took the car in for the intermediate steering shaft rubbing.
   d) heated seat switch bulb on console. WARNING!! The walnut veneer on the console is mounted on some fairly flexible plastic. If the technician is not very careful, he will flex the plastic while removing it. This will pop off a chip from the walnut veneer, and the appearance of your console is damaged. This happened to me. The dealer replaced it, of course, but it would be less aggravating if it hadn't happened. There is a technical service bulletin out on the removal of this piece. But it doesn't do you any good unless the technician knows about it and pulls it and reads it and follows the guidance before he does the work, not afterwards. Just because there is a technical service bulletin doesn't mean that the technician is aware of it. To my eye, my replacement console has a nicer looking piece of walnut than the original, so I'm happy. ALSO, the clips that hold the console top in place have some sharp edges, and upon removal of the piece, these clips can cut the small vinyl lip around the console. This happened to me. Again, the technician must read the TSB.

7. The coat hook on one of the rear grab straps broke. It's fairly flimsy plastic, and I haven't bothered to repair/replace it. The grab strap looks fine without the hook.

8. Replace the console storage compartment (armrest) lid hinge. The first hinge wore out pretty quickly. The replacement is not spring loaded, i.e., it won't stay in the up position, it's just a hinge. So, I have to take a little extra care closing the compartment, or else the lid slams down. I'm not happy with the replacement, but it's minor.

Good luck! I smile every time I get in my car. I wish I could afford another one right now. Keep us informed of your life with the princess Aurora.

Ken

Henry · January 2003

there is a nice Aurora flag on ebay if you guys want to take a look.

95mushroom · January 2003

Hey,

I was interested in finding out of the 01+ floormats will fit my 95. The new ones have the Aurora badge on them, and I can get one for probably a lot cheaper then $75+ for custom ones.

I not to worried on them being an exact fit since I can get them so cheap and mine doesnt have ANY mats currently.

Thanks
Shawn

rjs200240 · January 2003

Where is that flag? I searched Ebay for it and couldn't find anything. I did see a bunch of 01 and 02 Auroras for sale for pretty damn cheap, though. All under $15,000...

sinatra2 · January 2003

RJS

Go to ebay home page........search box, type... flag aurora ....and press go you should find it listed with a bunch of other flags but it is there.

R

hammen2 · January 2003

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2153867138- &category=14048

--Robert
(who is avoiding buying any more Aurora stuff on eBay - actually, there's very little new that I don't already have :-)

rjs200240 · January 2003

Man, that flag is exactly what I've been looking for. I did try the search, but maybe the auction had already ended. Well, I guess I don't need to spend $40 on a flag, though...

sinatra2 · January 2003

Does anyone know if the logo with the checkered flag is available as a metal decorative item?

vcjumper · January 2003

My father picked up an 02 3.5L Aurora this morning for $32K cdn. I'm so jealous!

rjs200240 · January 2003

Was it a new 2002? Sounds pretty sweet! They are a real bargain of a luxury car. What color and options does it have?

vcjumper · January 2003

Its burgundy, has the Bose stereo, and sunroof.. Thats all I know as of now. I'll be visiting next weekend to check it out. It was a dealer demo/manager and has ~6,000 miles.

He did purchase an extended warranty to 5years (Canada we don't have the 5yr warranty on olds).

rjs200240 · January 2003

My sister was in Virginia today and stopped in at a 7-11. While she was there, she ran into Oliver North. She talked to him for a little bit, and apparently he drives an Aurora. I thought that was pretty cool. I don't know which version or anything, though. Maybe I'll have to look him up, seeing as how we are like the two Aurora owners in Virginia...

Henry · January 2003

This "kid" at the Mobil stattion where I get my care repaired insist on making references about my "SLOW" Aurora. How his 4 banger modified Corolla will "walk pass" my 8 on the highway.

One day I had to listen to the crew tell me that everything from a 1970's Eldorado to a 1999 Maxima will dust my "slow" Aurora.

In response to this Aurora bashing I printed out the picture of the Aurora beating the Hemi at the start. NO EFFECT! (they saw it was bracket racing and never read the stuff about the other race)

I then printed out the picture of the Aurora engine in the Indy Car. That had them on the ropes. However, they still tried to put the Aurora down when I said it won in 1997. Their response "1997, look how long ago that was."

I just turned to them and said in a quiet voice: "Yeah, what year did you win?" THAT SHUT THEM UP!

No more talk of slow Auroras. However, now they want to race me.

800wattaurora · January 2003

I say you take that challange. Let them know what an Aurora V8 can do. Whip that trash talking 4-banger. What's souped up on the Corolla? I bet it's all bolt on and no boost. No problem them. Just be safe when you race. And remember to put the shifter in 2 w/ traction off.

Henry · January 2003

Its actually a rear wheel drive Corolla with a manual shift and NOS. The kid is a 23 year old mechanic that did all the mods himself. He put in a different engine.

Personally, at 40 years old, I have no real reason to race this guy. It would be an interesting race. The race would be from a 40 mph start and go for 2 miles. I already conceded to him that he would take me off the line in a 1/4 mile race. So that is how we got to the 40mph start for 2 miles. Any of you guys out there with the Corsa and throtlebody mods want to take him on?

rjs200240 · January 2003

Just so you know, the Aurora also won the Indy 500 in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. Plus, over 5 years competing in the Indy Racing League, the Aurora won 49 of the 51 races, and took the pole position in every single one of those 51. In 1996, the Aurora won the drivers and manufacturers IMSA World SportsCar championship (their closest competitor was Ferrari, and it was quite a battle). They also won the GTS-1 class that year (and won 8 of 10 GTS-1 races, had 9 fastest laps, and took the pole 8 times). And in the 80's and early 90's, Oldsmobile was a major force in the NHRA (in 1995, Oldsmobile won their 12th consecutive NHRA Manufacturers Cup).

P.S. Where would you be able to race for 2 miles? You'd most likely hit the speed limiter doing that.

hardesty · January 2003

AutoSite published DEC (and 2002 total) sales numbers, and fewer than 9000 Auroras were sold for the year, and fewer than 500 in December. The "Final 500" Auroras may not all get built at that rate. I think that they should just give them to us loyal fans and take the tax write-off.

rjs200240 · January 2003

That's what I was thinking when I saw the weekly rates on AutoSite. Something like 20 a week? So it would take about 25 weeks to build them (although I'm sure their capacity is much more than 20 per week). They should have started trickling them out a few months ago.

Henry · January 2003

I am sure GM does not have its top executives in the Oldsmoblie division. So don't expect too muchfrom the good Olds guys. The guys are probably concentrating on their interviewing skills.

garnes · January 2003

RJS - awesome post on the race history. Lets not also forget the Shelby Series 1 too.

Henry - you really have to just do the throttle body and exhaust (I hope you at least have a K&N). The mods would be transferable to that 99 you get too. Oh wait, the TB is different for the 95. Oh well.

mike98c · January 2003

When they stick a 3800 series v8! Magically in the engine bay of their flagship car and nobody apparently notices and the copy editor doesn't even know (or care)? I think whoevers left is probably sitting at a desk frantically polishing up that old cereal company resume :0

rjs200240 · January 2003

Well, this semester I have classes until 10pm on Mondays. So this means when I leave to go home there is very little rush hour traffic left. So, because of the lack of traffic, and my desire to get home soon, I was driving a bit sportingly. The temperature display was showing a chilly 8 degrees F. I tell you, the car was a monster. I don't know if it was the air or what but that thing was tearing it up. Even 1/2 throttle acceleration was strong enough to be surprising. I don't think I had to put it to the floor at all. It's too bad I couldn't have gone to the track then. I'm quite certain the 94 degree drop in temperature would have had a substantial effect on my ET. Clearly our cars benefit from the extra oxygen.

The other cool thing last night was that it was fairly still out. So sitting at lights I got to see those two wisps of steam drift up from both sides of the car... Man, I love dual-exhausts in the winter. And accelerating away from the lights I could see those two trails left behind in my rearview. I envy those people behind me because they got to see the tips in action. And soon I'll be envying them because they'll get to hear those straight-through mufflers in action...

I love my car...

Oldsmobile Aurora

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles