Oldsmobile Alero

oldsman01 · November 2002

You will LOVE XM unless your tastes in music are the same old cut and dry, over and over, teenage focus group derived, commercial laden formats on nearly every FM station today. I have an aftermarket XM system in my Intrigue and honestly would not want to do without it. I recently did a 9 hour drive to Chicago and brought along about 7 CDs which I typically do while on a road trip and found that I only listened to two of them. And it was because I wanted to hear them, not because there was nothing on the radio as I can just about always find something to listen to on one of XM's many channels. The new XM antenna GM is using on 03 models is much smaller and less obtrusive than the one they used on 02s and the one most aftermarket units have. And it's kind of neat having it as you soon start looking for other cars with XM antennas. Reminds me of years ago when cell phones first came out and you only saw a car with a cell phone antenna every once in a while. I hope you enjoy the car and XM. I've had XM nearly a year now(late November 2001) and it is the best $9.99 a month I spend.

iamgwc · November 2002

Do you see any advantage of jumping on the long term comittment offer from XM? It really is not that big of a savings by the month but it does add-up and I would not need to worry about monthly invoices. What are the invoices like and how long do you have to return with payment? Is it a hassle?

12 mo = $99, 24 mo = $199, 36 mo = $299, 48 mo = $399

evandro · November 2002

I'd ask y'all a similar question, but about On*Star. I've just dropped On*Star from car after the free trial year. I've never used it and the insurance discount for the tracking and immobilization features is a mere $16 per year, equivalent to a month's worth of On*Star.

I'd only keep it if my area was served by Personal Calling, because I happen to live in the 5% of the country where they don't offer the service.

How about you, did you get yourself another monthly payment?

TIA

iamgwc · November 2002

No On-star on the 2003 Alero. If there was availability in the past it is gone now. I can't say that I would have used it anyway.

dindak · November 2002

I think it's good if you are on the road a lot. For most, a cell phone makes more sense to me.

If it were $10/ month or pay per use, I would get it maybe though.

oldsman01 · November 2002

If you plan on keeping the car for several years, then it would probably make sense to do the yearly agreement and not have to worry about it. I have XM direct billed to my AMEX card every month so I don't even receive an invoice. I think they prefer you pay this way or annually, this way they don't have to send out statements. I don't think Onstar was every available on the Alero, but it is now available on the Grand Am and some other low end cars like the Cavalier and Saturn ION. My Intrigue has Onstar and I have continued the subscription after the free year, but I'm thinking about dropping it as I don't use it all that much. To me, Onstar is a feature that makes more sense on a luxury car as I can't see too many people in Cavaliers willing to pay an extra monthly charge for an electronic bulter. At least GM is also offering XM on cars like the Alero, Grand Am, and Cavalier as I think the target audience of these cars could easily justify the monthly subscription fee for this service.

iamgwc · November 2002

Thanks for the info. I think now that I know that the monthly cost can be direct billed to a credit card, I'll just do that. Long term comitment is not worth $1.75 per month savings. You never know what may happen to the car ... stolen, totaled ...

Oh yeah, called the dealer today and my car will go into production next week! Estimated delivery date is December 6. That's only four weeks from order! Now I just need to sell my '99 Malibu which hits the local paper this Sunday.

infinia1 · November 2002

well i've posted my numerous, numerous problems here before. after continually discussing the situation with olds customer service, and continually taking the car to the dealer every 2 weeks, they will either offer to extend the warranty to 5/60 or give a $1000 gm owner loyalty certificate. i told them i would think about it. i finally got a great olds customer service rep that has done everything right for once! i'll probably take the $1000 since the wife wants something bigger anyways. plus next year i will be eligible for gmgrad too. so i guess we will wait for about 1 more year then dump our troublesome alero. while there are now too many problems to list, my latest is...the rear door checks, cd player/radio, a bracket holding a part of the fuel line, emergency brake boot torn again for the 4th time, and of course the driver mirror as always for the 13th time! this will all be fixed next week (except the mirror i'm sure) plus i got the dealer to throw in a free oil change for all my inconvenience since they gave one to a little old lady in front of me that was inconvenienced for a whole 15 minutes! i really wanted to keep this car for a long time since it was my first new car, but i cannot deal with all these things for much longer.

dindak · November 2002

You definitely have a big lemon. After about 7 months of ownership the only issue we have had is a fogged up headlight fixed up quickly the first time. Nothing else but gas and oil.

Hope your next car has better luck.

jlgolden · November 2002

infinia1: Well, be careful with your optimism regarding the customer service rep who seemed to do things right. Every time I called I got someone different and had to start all over again, and I heard alot of sweet-sounding apologies "...we want to solve this for you..." but nobody had authorization to produce solutions. I got referred back to service managers, regional service reps, and round and round and round for over 12 months. Meanwhile, I was driving a car that was not performing properly, with new things failing every month. Had my situation been rememdied without having to interact with 18 different people, I might have a favorable opinion of GM's customer satisfaction priorities. Back to the car itself: I will not be fooled by "GM quality" again.

infinia1 · November 2002

i know what you mean about getting someone different and having to start all over. it's very frustrating. i only put up with that a few times then i got my reps direct extension and every time i called her and left a vm she got back to me within the next business day. she is what has changed my whole attitude about the situation. but that is of course because she was/is actually offering the type of customer service that i expected all along. i have to wait to see the olds rep when he comes to my dealer in wy to further discuss my mirror. but my rep assured me of the offers and i believe her because so far she has been everything a "customer service" rep is supposed to be. if you want i will email you her name and extension. what types of problems have you had?

dindak · November 2002

While you may be having better luck with your Sentra, Nissan is statistically no better in terms of quality or durability than GM.

iamgwc · November 2002

I'm sure you have been through this before, but could you povide a concise listing of all of your "problems"? With any luck I'll steer clear of a lemon but am interested in having a checklist which may enable me to nip any problems in the bud (so to say). I ordered a new GLS which will be here in a few weeks.

Thanks in advance ....

infinia1 · November 2002

i'll tell you about all my problems but not in an attempt to persuade you not to buy an alero because i truly believe mine is an exception. you asked, here goes. emergency brake boot torn at seam 4 times, cruise control switch lights went out, fuel sending unit went bad, weather stripping along bottom of all 4 doors came undone, rear olds emblem fell off, broken rear seat belt buckle, vibrating driver side mirror that can't be fixed (over 10 attempts), vibrating inside rear view morror, cd player wouldn't eject cd, fuel line bracket broke, bad brake rotors, large spring fell off bottom of passenger seat, rear door stops quit working...i'm sure there's more, i just can't think of any right now. and i will mention that i take better care of my cars than anyone i know so it's not like it has been abused.

iamgwc · November 2002

Thanks for your time ... Ouch, I hope yours is an exception too.

dindak · November 2002

I have a co-worker that has a Mazda 626. Her story sounds like yours. The car has been nothing but trouble. It's funny because the lady that sits in front of her has a Mazda Protege which she is very happy about and has had no trouble. Just plain bad luck.

jpelder · November 2002

I too have a friend with a similar story. In the late nineties, she bought a new Hyundai and had nothing but trouble. Trim falling off, engine trouble, rattles, electrical...you name it. She attributed to the brand and traded it in on a Toyota a few years ago. Ran good for about 8 months, then all sorts of stuff started going bad. Tranny trouble was first, then her seat adjustment lever, then emergency brake, then a recall for her wheels. 2 weeks ago she was here and said now that the warranty just expired, the driver door lock does not work. Toyota?

Through it all, she's had an old s-10 (bought it used) that has run without a hitch. For her next car, she's looking at buying American now.

After 11 months, I still have nothing but praise for my '02 alero.

dindak · November 2002

Glad you are still happy also. I'm just glad I got an 02 GX as the 03's lost ABS as standard equipment. I guess GM was forced to drop this standard feature as the competition doesn't have it either.

oldsman01 · November 2002

GM is just cutting costs by dropping the ABS and I think it is a wrong move. One of the Alero's advantages over it's competitors is(or was) it's level of standard features at even the base model. Four wheel disc ABS brakes and traction control are nearly unheard of being standard at $17K. It's fine that GM is getting away from making Onstar standard from a Cavalier on up to a Cadillac, but I think having standard ABS on even the cheapest cars is an advantage which they could use.

jlgolden · November 2002

Here's what I experineced with my Alero, in only 13 months: left mirror shook and distorted images at highway speeds, fuel guage quit working, vinyl peeled off all 4 inside door panels, driver's seat track popped when accelerating or braking, cruise control would not set, front suspension shuddered and clunked over bumps, rain water leaked in and filled the right front floor, brakes pulsated and growled, a/c blend door broke and would not recirculate air, steering shaft replaced due to excessive slack but still did not solve noise. Further, the steering wheel shimmied when dirving highway speed, new tires, new rack & pinion, and machining rotors did not help. I am not hard on my cars, in fact I pamper them. To have experineced this in the 13 months of ownership was horrible. Every issue was resolved under warranty except the steering noise and vibration. I became very acquainted with the Olds hotline and finally the Department of transportation. Ultimately, GM engineering and 3 dealers gave up and my car was repurchased following Texas Lemon Law guidelines. I did replace the car with a Nissan Sentra SE-R as Nissans have a better reputation for long term durability. I am not likely to return to GM or any other domestic brand without some serious financial incentives and product refinements.

jpelder · November 2002

I too am a bit glad I got an 02 over the 03. However, the rebates are much more generous...$3000 already off an '03! I bought my '02 in January and got a meager $1500.

I haven't checked lately, but if the GX lost ABS brakes as a standard, did they also lose traction control? I must assume so. Did they also lose the 4 wheel disc as standard?

By the way, my buddy is at nearly 100,000 miles on his '99 GL2 and still has not had any quality issues. He still loves the car.

dindak · November 2002

4 wheel discs, ABS and traction are all gone from the GX/GL. ABS/traction is optional but only the GLS keeps the 4 wheel discs. The 02 is the best year as you can get the Ecotec with the better braking systems. With the ABS optional now, they can certainly discount the price more so you didn't really pay much more assuming you wanted ABS.

Oldsman : I agree but, the Alero is a lame duck now and I guess they need to cut prices to be competitive. I hope down the road the ABS / discs on our car will yield slightly better resale.

evandro · November 2002

The best selling cars in the market don't have either ABS or any form of TC. Ergo, Lutz thinks, the consumer doesn't care about those. Well, I'd only agree if it were about the misinformed consumer.

I got the Alero on a heart beat because of standard ABS and TC. Besides, what other compact car can be had with a V6?

I just hope that GM doesn't go the way of the Japanese manufacturers when it comes to contents...

dindak · November 2002

In a car like the Alero I would tend to agree for the GL/GLS models. The base GX is a volume car and has very price sensitive demand. What GM should have done is axe the standard ABS/discs on the GX and kept them on both the GL and GLS. Cars like the Cavalier and the new ION should definitely keep ABS an option and price is everything for entry level cars.

rebrab · November 2002

Is it true that the 2003 Alero GX is only available with old-fashioned crank windows???

Also, how does everyone find the Ecotec 4 cylinder vs the 6 cylinder? Currently driving 2000 Alero GL 6 cylinder. Considering dropping down (for economic reasons) to GX with 4 cylinder. Would some of you be kind enough to share your advice and experience re: this change?

Thanks a lot, everyone!

dindak · November 2002

Definitely less power with the Ecotec 4 cyl., but I think it's plenty peppy and very smooth. I think with the 5-speed there is only a marginal difference in 0-60 times between the 4 and the 6 auto. My mom has a 6cyl GL and we have a 4 cyl GX.

GX has crank window, not sure if you can get power unless you upgrade to a GL.

rdeschene · November 2002

A couple of weeks ago, the fuel gauge on our 2000 GLS started acting up. It showed the tank as full all during a drive to Ottawa, then swiftly dropped to a quarter of a tank on the drive back. I filled up a week or so ago, and it's still sitting on full. Either that's exceptionally good gas mileage, or our fuel gauge has succumbed to the effects of TSB 01-06-04-008C (March 2002: Fuel Gauge--Erratic or Inaccurate Readings).

Question: Does anyone know the specific cause of this? Is there a fix we can do at home, or does it have to be handled by a service tech?

infinia1 · December 2002

it's the fuel sending unit-i had it happen at about 15,000 miles.

rdeschene · December 2002

Thanks for the info, infinia1! Did you have the fuel sending unit replaced in the shop, or were you able to do that yourself? The reason I ask is because, since our warranty has expired, my husband would prefer to replace that himself, if possible. He was able to replace a faulty fan resistor, so I'm wondering if this kind of repair is in the same league, or more complicated.

infinia1 · December 2002

the fuel sending unit was replaced under warranty by the dealer so i'm not sure how difficult it is. mine is a 2000 gl. the tsb you mentioned was the exact one that applied to my alero.

cpwingnut · December 2002

I have no experience with this particular model, but have changed many in the past. In general, the sending unit is quite easy to change for an average back yard mechanic.

Some cars have a removable cut-out either under the seat or under the trunk lining directly over the fuel tank that can be removed to access the sending unit. Not sure if Alero does but if not, just remove the two straps that hold the tank (empty it as much as possible before starting) and lower the tank enough to reach in and disconnect the fuel lines and wiring harness.Be careful not to spill gas on yourself! With a new car there should be no corrosion issues to worry about and should come apart easily.

Once these are disconnected, remove the tank and you'll find the sending unit under the pipes that the fuel lines were connected to. Simply twist off the retaining clip and pull out the unit. Replace with new part and reverse previous steps.

The easiest way is if there is an access hole from inside the car though. Maybe someone who knows more about Aleros specificaly can chime in here. Good luck and I hope all goes well.

rdeschene · December 2002

I'll print this out for my husband . . . and we'll see what happens.

cpwingnut · December 2002

I would suggest buying a service manual for your car. Haynes is one publisher that sells them for $15-20. Bentley also publishes some (not sure which models) but are quite a bit more expensive. They are more for the professional technicians. They give you step by step instructions as well as pictures to help guide even the most novice shadetree through everything from changing brakes to rebuilding the engine! I have one from every one of my previous cars. Once the warranty expires, you can save thousands of dollars doing your own repairs!!!

If you look @ www,haynes.com you can find one there. They are sold @ most auto parts stores. If not, take a look @ www.books4cars.com and you will find a manual for the 99-2000 Alero for $17.95 that you can order by mail. Mine is a 2002 and is under warranty for 5 years. They don't publish one for this year yet but with the warranty, no need for one yet

.

rdeschene · December 2002

We had a Haynes manual for our Corsica, but haven't got around to buying one yet for our Alero. I went to the Haynes website, and it looks like the number for ours is 38026. So I'll see if I can find it locally.

rdeschene · December 2002

Well, Mother Nature is not cooperating with the idea of a do-it-yourself repair. We don't have a heated garage, and temperatures haven't made it above freezing for the past couple of weeks now.

So I took it in to our local GM service centre today. Turns out the problem was not the fuel sending unit, itself, but the sensor for the fuel sending unit. Good thing, too. They said that if it had been the fuel sending unit, it would've doubled the nearly $400 (Canadian) I paid for today's repair.

In the year we've had our Alero, we haven't had a lot of things go wrong: (1) the plastic knob on the gear-shift handle broke off; (2) the fan resistor wore out; and (3) the sensor on the fuel sending unit went flaky. But our Corsica, while not nearly as nice a car, didn't have as many things go wrong with it over the several years we had it.

Re: buying a Haynes manual for our 2000 Alero, I went to Canadian Tire and was told that it's not available yet because it's "too new."

evandro · December 2002

I bought one for the Alero. Thus, not that new...

dindak · December 2002

Go to amazon.ca or chapers.ca and see if you can order it. They both have free shipping on for Christmas.

oldsman01 · December 2002

I agree with most of what Lutz is doing and I agree that most buyers could probably care less about feature such as Onstar and even auto on-off headlights, but I think that any educated car buyer is going to want ABS. Anyone who has ever owned a car with them certainly will. For years, GM has had an advantage with their lower end models(even if they did lack some of the refinement of their competitors) as they always came well equipped with safety and convienience features at a reasonble price. I also don't see how removing ABS as a standard feature saves them much money, as the more ABS units they buy from Delphi(or whoever their supplier is) the cheaper they are per unit. This was actually why GM and much of the industry went to fewer model variations and more standard equipment as it is cheaper in the long run when you don't have as many build combinations.

oldsman01 · December 2002

Seems like a step down in the world. I can see going from an Alero to an Altima, but the Sentra(even in SE-R form) will always be an economy car in my eyes. In the same way Cavaliers will always be a low end car(even dressed up with Onstar).

oldsman01 · December 2002

BTW, I'm currently driving an Alero as my Intrigue is in the shop. It is a dealer loaner, 99 base model(crank windows, manual driver side mirror, no cd player) with the 4 cylinder. Car has about 41K on the clock and drives pretty well. The four is peppy once revved up, but coming from an Intrigue with it's super refined 3.5 DOHC V6, the engine is certainly a bit harsh sounding. Nothing like the four sounded in an Achieva which I had as a rental one time. The car handles pretty well and despite not having all the power adjustments, has a very good driving position. Funny thing is, last time I had my car in they got me a rental from Enterprise which was a current model year Buick Century. The Buick had more features, but driving wise this base Alero which is 3-4 years old drives better. I'd be curious to drive an Alero with the new I-4 engine and the 5 speed.

evandro · December 2002

Oh, I do agree with what Lutz is doing to the new designs and current models overall: enough with design by committee!

However, I think he's dead wrong decontenting the cars as he did in Chrysler. Chrysler prices are pretty high and the equipment level is among the lowest in the market. This is especially true when the Japanese brands started adopting standard ABS or TC in their models (e.g., Camry and Accord).

It's all about perception of value. GM never mentioned that in its marketing, shooting at its own foot. Now, other brands put that in head letters and are praised for doing so... That's why I bought my Alero and my Bonneville: more value for my money.

I'm just waiting to see the press of likes such as CR, C&D and R&T criticize GM cars for not having such features as standard equipment like "oh, the imports" after having failed to mention this when they did sport them... :^P

But there's hardly any point threading these remarks. Lutz doesn't read this forum; he's probably in a office in one of the ivory towers of the Renaissance Center...

dindak · December 2002

The Ecotec is much smoother than the old 2.4L. I would not have bought the our Alero if they still had that Quad 4 in it. It's not bad, but the Ecotec is world class.

Martypa · December 2002

Has anybody needed to have the intermediate shaft (steering) replaced? I have an 02 Alero and it is exhibiting many of the same handling characteristics our Intrigue had before getting a replacement shaft.

wwhite2 · December 2002

We are giving up on a Saturn 99 SC2 with a list of MAJOR problems . We like the look of the ALERO but I dont want problems like the saturn has . This board doent look to promising ?

dindak · December 2002

I have not heard of anyone having problems with the 01/02 models. We have an 02 GX with a 2.2L and it's been flawless after 7+ months aside from the defective headlight that fogged up. The car is solid and tight. My mom has a 99 and she has had very few issues over almost 4 years and 70k.

I highly recommend the car!

ctalerico · December 2002

I had a 2000 GLS and I got rid of it after a year and a half. Endless rotor problems and I had to have the tierod, struts and drive bearings replaced. I loved the looks of it but didn't want the headache.

Dindak- good to see you still love your Alero.

dindak · December 2002

The 99's and some 00s has some brake rotor issues. The 01/02 models seem better. My mom's has been fine though. A new or newer Alero should be just fine.

iamgwc · December 2002

Well I just closed the deal on my 2003 GLS and so far so good ... I have no issues with initial build quality everything looks good so far. XM is very nice.

With respect to not buying a car based on the information on this board, I defy you to find any board here at Edmunds in which people are not airing their dirty laundry. This is the nature of the beast - if everything is working fine you probably will not be sitting in there typing in glorifying posts. At least I hope this is the case. I'll be sure to pipe up when I have a problem but I do not plan to report on my good fortunes every week/month ....

mikey00 · December 2002

I wish you the best of luck with your new purchase.
There are many of us on this board who think the Alero is a fine car but unfortunately only post when we have a problem. I have a 2000GLS with 31k on it. To date the only problem has been with the rotors which were replaced under the warranty at 13k. My other car is a Lexus RX300 and I do comment about the Alero over on the RX board, mentioning some the features this car has that are missing on the RX at about twice the price (tire pressure monitor, low fuel chime, turn signal chime, 150k coolant,smooth ideling engine, great 6 cyl gas mileage, geared high for smooth low reving highway crusing) Well anyway, you get the point.
Mike

oldsman01 · December 2002

I bet those Lexus guys hound you when you mention something your "lowly" Oldsmobile has that their Lexus does not:)

evandro, you are dead on! One of the reasons why I bought my Intrigue was due to the features it offered for the price. If I'm not mistaken, Honda now offers ABS standard on all but base level DX Accords.

Oldsmobile Alero

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