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Comments
jlgolden : I see many 04 GPs around so I guess people are liking them. I have not driven one, but I am generally impressed with the new design.
My parents had a 99 and it had only a couple of small issues over the 4 years they had it. They just upgraded it to a LeSabre as they wanted a bigger car,
There have been some bad Aleros but most of what I have heard and read had been decent though.
Mine is a '00 3.4L model. I love the way it drives but hate the way I have been treated since the warranty ran out. I have had the "usual" problems with water leaks, vibrating driver side mirror, rear defrost switch replaced, tie rods replaced, turn signal problem (That was under recall for the hazard switch). After my 3 yr / 36K mile waranty ran out I have paid through the nose for brake jobs to replace the pads & turn the rotors at 41,000 miles & again at 53,296 miles (thats only 296 miles out of warranty from the 1st repair)and most recently had the intake manifold gasket replaced at 55,100 miles. My dealership has refused to "work" with me on the cost of these repairs saying it is normal wear & tear for the brakes & the rotors are fine. GM knows they are having problems with the intake gaskets. I guess I will replaces the rotors when the brakes start vibrating again.
By the way alldata.com has a wonderfull list of TSBs on the Alero. If you look hard you can find some you can actually print out. Among them is the TSB for the brakes covering 4 GM models (00-05-23-002B) and the intake manifold gasket covering 14! GM models (03-06-01-010). It seems GM isn't just short cutting the Alero!
My blower motor resistor board went but that was only $17 to replace myself.
Other than these problems, I have not had any of the others mentioned. I do fear that the intake manifold gasket will need replacing someday. It seems to fail on a lot of Alero V6's. Even if it does, by staying away from the dealer my repair costs have been very reasonable.
Overall, a great car.
With that much interstate driving I am doing well on the mpg. I average 29 - 31 mpg with every tank. Years ago I started resetting my mileage indicator to 0 with every fill of the tank so I continue with that habit with the Alero. I think the gas gauge is starting to give me problems & I keep up with mileage so I won't be embarrassed with running out of gas.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6328&n=156,- 178&sid=178
cflorian : We have a few scratches on our 02 but it's dark red so I know you see more on that vs. our gray car. 2/3 main scratches have been my fault and I don't feel the car is any worse than anything else.
After 4 years of ownership, we've decided we can't take it any more with the Alero. For the record, our 2000 Alero GLS racked up 34100 miles. It never failed to start, however, after 3 years of ownership the car started falling apart. We've had the rotors and pads replaced 3 times, hazard switch go through the dash, had the tire creaking problem, the water leaking problem, the windshield etching problem from the wipers, the blower resistor problem. The worst part (from my engineer's perspective) is that the car felt severely underengineered. The interior of the car suffered from serious amounts of squeaks and rattles that no amount of duct tape could solve. While most of these can be considered "minor" problems, we just couldn't take it any more.
It's a real shame since it seemed like a good car at the beginning. It's also a shame that it's the shortest lifespan of car that we've owned. We've had a 1990 Camry that lasted 10 years and 164k miles with only brake pads replaced. We also have a Chrysler minivan for 7 years with no problems (go figure... given the number of transmission complaints on the chrysler board).
It'll probably a long time (if ever) that we'll own another GM vehicle... it's a real shame. Good luck to the rest of you.
BTW, we replaced the Alero with a 2004 Forester, which we will more than likely own for the next 10 years with little trouble.
FYI.. Subaru is controlled by GM.
I like the new Forester though don't expect it (or any car) to be trouble free.
mechanic for regular maintenance. A "trouble" I can deal with.
'00 Mazda 626 130 ponies bridled to a left-leg flexor
We're consistently satisfied with the service we receive at the local GM dealership, and overall the car has performed well. We haven't had any of the problems with warped rotors, scratched windows or rain seepage that other folks have reported. Another plus is our gas mileage, averaging about 33 mpg. Count us in as happy Alero owners.
Thanks
GM Recalls 783,000 Cars to Fix Hazard Switches
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news03/gm_flasher_recall.html
We have a friend with a Grand Am and one with an Alero, both are very happy so I think most of these cars are pretty good. They tied for best initial quality last year so the cars must be pretty good.
Anyone experience problems with the wipers. On the delay feature, they almost stop at the top, and when I do the mist feature, they regularly make 10 or 15 swipes across the window. Wipers work fine in position on low or high if it is raining hard.
Just filled the radiator overflow tank for the second time. First one was a year ago, so looks like I have the head gasket thing going on. Trying to hold out till March next year when I can get a V-6 VUE with hopefully my full GM earnings and $1K Oldsmobile certificate. Had a '98 Intrigue which I got rid of after five years after I spent $1K on repairs, then I felt the transmission diodes going. Wasn't going to spend another $1500.
Have only replaced two tires on the car so far, but problems are creeping up.
Anyway, feedback is cool. Thanks!
Jeremy
Jeremy
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Jeremy
BTW what do you guys think about the oil life monitor in the cars? Do you follow it or just do the change at every 3K? That whole once a year thing if the light doesn't come on seems WAY too excessive for me. I think I'll stick to my 3K schedule with Valvoline Durablend or I may try Mobile 1 synthetic.
Feedback is great!
Jeremy
Car should start first try. I have never had an issue. Could be just a dirt issue though.
BTW, have any of you registered your car at mygmlink.com? It's a cool website and can be pretty helpful.
Also, do any of you own a roof rack? Which would be best in terms of money and quality?
Thanks,
Jeremy
My car has developed a squeaky seat which is really annoying. Next oil change it must be fixed!
Other wise gas and go. Great car!
Jeremy
Then I got a Bonneville and an Intrigue to replace them both, at 23/29MPG and 22/32MPG, respectively, and these are much heavier cars!
It's good to see that at least some people are seeing even better mileage on newer (and heavier) vehicles. Personally, I think GM deserves more kudos for their pushrod V6s (3.4, 3.5, 3.8L) then they receive from the self-proclaimed, expert, automotive journalists.
Dindak. Actually, I assumed that the I4's advantage would be more apparent around town than on the hwy (less displacement idling) so your numbers are also quite interesting. Are those U.S. or Imperial gallons ? We had a trip in your corner of the province in October (Guelph, Orangeville, Point Pelee then back to Brocktopia) with not great mileage (29mpg US).
I had forgotten about "winter gas" though, so I had blamed it on the Michelin Arctic Alpins, heavy winds, rain and lots of two lane highway driving (stop signs, red lights, tractors, etc.)
With regards to cold starting - I have also noticed that I have to hold down the key longer, and the engine turns over more times, for our V6 Alero to start then was necessary for our V6 Corsica. These two engines are very closely related.
I just recently tried allowing (LITERALLY) 5 SECONDS between putting the key in the on position and turning it to the start position and it started right up. It was a very quiet day and I had the rear seat folded down, and I did hear the fuel pump cycle on /off during that 5 seconds.
So it could be that, or it could be something related to getting cleaner emissions on startup -- preheating the combustion chamber (which really is quite small) with the spark plug before fuel injection begins? I dunno !!!
I'll let you know how the dealer visit goes.
Jeremy
jtrujillo86 : Should be able to go to any GM dealer. My parents get their LeSabre serviced at a Chev Olds dealer all the time.
I've been told by this Oldsmobile dealer, in addition to two others and a Chevrolet dealer, that for warranty repairs you vehicle must be taken to a Olds dealer unless it's an emergency situation. You can have it serviced @ any GM place, but just not have warranty repairs done anywhere else.
I was new to this Olds dealer. They were a pretty small outfit, but they did their job well. I have always been pleased with GM service (that of course is not including their prices).
While I was at the dealer I saw an awesome 03 2 door silver Alero with a spoiler. It had the 2.2 Ecotec w/ stick. It had everything except power windows and sunroof. I was shocked to see the sticker @ $18.5K, but then there was an additional $3K rebate if you went through GMAC. I still kinda thought it was a bit excessive, but that's just me.
Anyway, other than the door handle, everything here is great. I took the advice of the board and decided to wait 5 seconds with the key in the ON position before cranking it...it seems to have solved my sort of problem. Thanks!
Jeremy
Jeremy