I was interested in adding some accessories to the Silver Bullet such as a front-end cover (bra) and seat covers. I would prefer to get genuine GM parts, but am having trouble finding that stuff on the GM and Olds websites. When I owned my Malibu, Chevrolet had a downloadable brochure on all of their accessories, but since Olds is being cut, I can't find one on any GM site for the Alero. Anyone know where I can get this stuff?
dindak is right-DO NOT put a bra on your olds. from experience, they trap dirt underneath then when air blows over the bra, it causes the trapped dirt to scratch. plus the paint fades underneath. they are a pain. instead, try a hood deflector. i had one on my 00 alero. i like lund the best. they make auto ventshade or also called carflector. alero, part number 20729. checker auto has it or try their online partner here. when i bought mine 3 years ago, it was $30 cheaper on their website than in the store, including shipping.
I just purchased XM Satellite Radio for the Silver Bullet. I like it a lot. The install was a snap. I kinda did my own install w/o going by the manual. In the manual they wanted you to drill a hole in the fire wall and run the antenna up the windshield to the roof. I don't think so! I just ran the antenna from the unit up the B pillar, out the top of the door and to the roof. There is much less wire showing on the outside of my car than would have been if I had went their way. Anyway, the unit is really easy to use, set up, and most of all, listen to. Along with the unit I purchased a wireless FM modulator (since I don't have a tape player to use the tape adaptor). I also didn't want a wired FM modulator because not only is it expensive to purchase but you also need to pay for the install of that. I've also heard that if you use an FM modulator with GM's retained accessory power, the stereo freaks out when the vehicle is shut off. If anyone is looking for cheap, commercial-free radio, XM is the way to go.
This is a great car. With the deals that are being offered, these should be snapped up fast. I just bought one for 14k with the rebates. Strong acceleration, excellent build quality, firm suspension and comfortable ride. I hope GM will keep some of this alive with the next Grand Am or Buick (?)
Congrats on your purchase. I agree that they have some great deals right now for the Aleros. Which trim and color did you get? Two or four door? Hope you enjoy the new ride!
I was wondering what you guys thought about doing a tranny flush at 30K miles. The manual says to do it at 50K, but my dealer suggests the 30K interval. If I do do the flush early, it couldn't hurt. What do you think?
Well, disregard everything I said about XM. I really liked it at first, but after taking a 3 hour in-state road trip, I realized there were only 3 channels out of all 120 that I liked. Also, my normal FM radio gets better reception than the XM with the wireless modulator. Anyway, I ended up taking the tuner and the modulator back to Best Buy and cancelling my service. They rebated the full price I paid for the stuff and XM rebated the monthly service fee. In the end the only cost that I was out was the $10 activation fee. Oh well...
I had my first "real" issue with the Silver Bullet this morning. I started it to go to my Dad's house and I noticed that the radio display was blank. Normally, even with the power off, the time will still be displayed. So I pushed the power button to no avail. I went next to the fuse panel on the driver side of the vehicle. I located the fuse labeled "radio" and pulled it - everything was fine. I then went to the passenger side fuse panel and pulled the fuse labeled "radio batt." - again the fuse was not blown. When I reinstalled the fuse, however, I had power to the unit. This happened twice today. What might be up? Is there a fuse block for the radio under the hood that I should check? I have to take my car do the stealership in the morning because the jacked up my door panel when I had my exterior door handle replaced two weeks ago (finally). The stupid mechanic misaligned the door panel, making the vinyl look all wrinkly and it made the staples on the backside of the door panel show...I was pretty mad. Anyway, let me know if you guys can think of anything that might be wrong with the radio.
BTW - Say, for instance, that they have to replace my radio. Is there any chance that they would let me pay a little extra $$ to get the unit with the CD AND tape? Let me know.
and the radio has to be replaced. I'm going to take it back on Saturday to have the new one put in. I'm kind of worried about them taking apart the dash because of the known dash pad issues (which I saw on a used car at the dealerships lot) but hey, it's gotta be done. A few of the knobs on the radio were scratched from the previous owner, so I guess that's about the only plus.
BTW, there is no chance of me getting the Tape/CD combo. I even told them that I would pay more $$ but they informed me that any warranty repair must be done with the same stock equiptment that matches the VIN on the vehicle. I was a little peeved, but whatever.
FINALLY found a dealer (after three tries) who was able to fix the clunking in my front end. It happened over bumps and rough surfaces. Turns out the problem was both in the suspension and the steering. They replaced the steering gear assembly as well as the sway bar isolators which were excessively worn. Previous attempts tightening the struts and replacing the tie-rods did not work. Steering is much tighter now and it feels like a different car.
Saw the new G6 at the auto show a couple weeks ago. It is very good looking, in fact much better in person than in pictures. A great successor to the Alero, with handsome good looks rather than tacky overstyling. The interior looks especially nice with a raked back instrument panel, chrome ringed gauges...somewhat of a RX-8 look to it.
Check Oil light popped up today. I think that next time I won't wait until the light comes on - I'll change the oil every 4-5K miles. I used a GM filter with Mobil 1 Synthetic.
The current generation of Delco radios are tied into the Class 2 serial bus of the vehicle, and use the VIN for security. If the unit is changed the radio must be programmed to recognize the vehicle using a Tech 2 scan tool. Theftlock is always active; this was not the case with earlier versions where you could set a code or disable Theftlock altogether.
Just got the notice in the mail this week about a recall for the hazard switch for my '01. I had read some people had trouble with it, but I guess now it's official.
My wife's April 02 Alero 3.4 has a problem with the Dexcool Antifreeze in the expansion tank. The car has done 36000 miles and each week when I check the expansion tank level, there is brown sludge on the base of the cap and at the top of the tank. I flushed the expansion tank and refilled with 50:50 solution as instructed of fresh Dexcool to no avail. As Dexcool is supposed to last for 150,00 miles or 5 years I'm confused. I've never used Dexcool before, surely this sludge should not happen. Can anyone help?
I bought a 2001 Alero in December 2003. Since ownership, I've always had problems with the brakes. Is this common? My previous car was a Toyota Carina in the UK. Every year, the car had a service (Inspection) and that was all that was needed. I just had to pump petrol (Gas) and check the tire pressure. No oil changes or anything (just once a year). Do cars in the USA need a lot more maintenance?
I haven't wrote in a while, My 2001 Olds Alero just turned 92,000 miles today. I was having no problems up untill a few weeks ago. I got my recall about the hazard switch, I guess i wasn't the only one with that problem. Then my Service Engine Soon light appeared, it ended up being a engine knock sensor, and the relay for the HVAC fan had to be replaced. The fan only worked on speeds 3-5, not notches one and two. I also took my car to the dealer for the intake gasket leak, and all they did was tighten the intake gasket bolts, they didn't put new seals in, so far so good, we'll see how it holds up, it sure was cheaper than replacing the gaskets. I also had the drive belt replaced, otherwise I am debating the fate of this car, anyone have higher mileage, problems ???
Glad to hear you made it to 92k with relativly few problems. My 2000 has 47k on it and I am still very pleased with it. Only 2 real problems. Brake rotors warped at 13k and were replaced on warranty. They were warping again at 30k and I had them turned down and the pads replaced. Then they warped again at 40k and replaced by my local guy at my cost. My blower motor resistor board went on speeds 1&2 same as yours. It only cost $17 for a replacement and I put it in myself. What symptoms did you have indicating a intake gasket problem? Was it the usual coolant leak? I know this is a problem I will see sooner or later. It would be great if I could just get away with a tighten up as you did. All in all I still think the Alero is one of the best cars I have owned.
Hey fellas - I haven't talked here in a while. There is a new forum that I and others from here are involved in. But, have no fear, Jeremy is here. Just kidding.
To Drivehard: After 92,000 miles and only those few repairs, I would say that you have found a fine automobile. As for the drive belt, I would say you got your monies worth on that bad boy. Most of them need replacing at 50-60K miles. Honestly, once again, I believe you have a great car there. Keep up with the maintenance and she shouldn't cause too many problems for you.
As for those crappy rotors, I would definitely go non-GM if you haven't done so already. At 30K miles I'm beginning to feel a SLIGHT pulsation in the brakes when I slow. I think that I will go to either slotted or cross-drilled rotors. I saw a set of the slotted rotors on a 2001 Grand Am GT1 and they looked sweet. The Grand Am was silver as well, so I hope that if I shell out $50 per rotor, they will look equally as well on my baby.
As for my car, I'm making a trip back to the dealer tomorrow. So far I have had little trim annoyances that I wanted fixed before the warranty runs out. Anyway, my trip tomorrow is to replace the right rear exterior door handle...AGAIN. It was working fine for a month or so, then yesterday I went to clean my car out, and the door handle just flat out didn't work. I tried and tried but nothing happened. I found a TSB out for the door handles, but the stealership informed me that it didn't appear to affect my vehicle. Oh well - we'll see after tomorrow.
As for my radio, they ended up replacing it with a remanufactured one. That really peeved me, but I figured they would since that's what it stated in my warranty booklet. The new one hasn't cut out on me at all, but the buttons take a little harder push than the other radio took.
The dealer suggested to me a while back that I have the transmission fluid flushed as well as replace the filter, and have the plugs cleaned and re-gaped at 30K miles. The manual says that there is no need to change the tranny fluid or filter until 50K miles, but I would like to play it safe. I think that I will purchase the filter from GM but have Aamco do the flush since that's cheaper. As for the the plugs, I just purchased Bosch Platinum +4 plugs. Instead of cleaning and re-gaping the other plugs, I'll just have them replaced with the Bosch's. Hopefully I'll see an increase in MPG as well as new "peppiness".
Everything so far is going well with the Mobil 1 Synthetic 5W-30 oil. It looks much, much cleaner than with the dyno oil that was in it, even when the dyno oil had just been put in. I think it's a keeper!
Well, I guess that's the end of me for now. I'll let you know what happens, if anything, with the door handle.
Well, it's happened again. The plastic button on our gear-shift handle broke off. Same thing happened two and a half years ago . . . except that then, it was covered under warranty. This time, we'll have to cover the cost of replacing the part. The expense is not astronomical, but still. We keep our car parked in the garage most of the time, so it's not constantly exposed to direct sunlight (which can weaken plastic). Seems to me this indicates it's a defective part and/or flawed design.
I assume the lack of activity here is due to no problems with the Alero. I have 23,000+ miles on 2000 Alero and still have no problems. Still love the car.
I have a 1999 Oldsmobile Alero GLS, I recently discovered that I broke a Front Coil Spring after I blew 1 tire and almost my spare as well. Then it was brought to my attention that my Front Brake Rotors and Pads were completely worn after 23,000 miles, I bought it with 34,800 and they replaced the rotors and pads then. When I brought it in with a broken coil the mechanics looked at me like they have never seen it before, anyone know how I could have done that, anyone else with the same problem.
What did you hit when you blew your tire? I'm sure if it was like a curb or something and it was hit hard enough, that could cause a broken front coil spring. As for the brakes and rotors, those are know issues for the Alero. I would go aftermarket with the pads and rotors, as the GM ones are crap. BTW, how many miles total do you have on your car? Have you had to replace the intake manifold gasket on her yet?
As for my Silver Bullet, it's doing good. I'm about 10 miles away from the 31K mark. There, once again, is some stuff that I need to get looked at. The replacement radio they put in back in February sucks. About half of the preset buttons don't work unless you push them just right and the track selection button only works in the cold unless you push really, really hard. Also, when my passenger door closes, there is this nasty tin sound, like an empty pop can being dropped on the street. It's happened ever since I got it, but I didn't think anything of it until I compared that noise to the noise the drivers door makes, which BTW sounds much more solid. And the last thing is the rear defroster. When I turn it on it only clears the middle section; it doesn't even touch the right, left, top, or bottom. I know that the ALL of the bottom part of the window isn't supposed to get melted, but what's supposed to, doesn't get it. I have heard of this problem on another forum, and the only fix is to replace the back window
I have been getting kick butt gas mileage. I drive mostly city and am a 'spirited driver' (read: lead foot at times). Anyway, I'm getting 25 mpg! I love it. My Malibu had a smaller engine, the 3.1 V6 and I never, ever got over 19 mpg.
It's been a while since I've been on; frankly this website is pain in the butt. Sometimes it wants to let me in, others it takes 5 tries, and then sometimes, it just doesn't let me in at all. The latter usually happens most often. Anyway, since the last time I was on I took the Silver Bullet to the stealership for their reccommended 30K 'tune up'. I got the fuel filter replaced, plugs cleaned and re-gapped, and new air filter (I had just done that so they gave me the filter), the throttle body serviced (cleaned and stuff), and something else, but I can't remember what that was. I got that for about $120. I also had the transmission flushed and the filter replaced at Aamco. I had them use Valvoline ATF. I know that this stuff isn't supposed to be done until like 50 or 60K, but I would much rather pay a little more for earlier maintenance, than have something fail on me later. I read on some other forums of a few trannys failing at about 112K.
I waxed her about a month ago using Diamond Luster wax. It looks okay but I think I'll try Eagle One Wet Wax and Polish or the new Eagle One NanoWax next time, which will be in about 3 months. I'm going to wax my Mom's black 1999 Blazer with one of the two, and then I'll decide. I'll let you know how it turns out.
In the area of accessories, I have added a new 3M clear bra. The stealership wanted like $450, to which of course I laughed in their face. I found a place in the Denver-metro area called Extreme Clear Bras (for anyone in the area) that did an awesome job. I got 12 inches put on the hood and on the fenders for $150. It took about 15 minutes to do; that turns out to be $10 per minute, but it was much cheaper than the dealer and I got a lifetime warranty with it in case it ever turns yellow or anything. I would highly recommend a clear bra over a regular one any day. The clear bra is about $70 more but won't stretch or scratch your paint like a normal bra will. I also plan on purchasing a car cover with lock from the dealer for about $100. I'm shipping off to school soon and the Silver Bullet will be parked most of the time :-( I want to keep her covered so that the paint won't fade and the interior won't get jacked.
If I remember correctly, there are a few folks here who aren't fans of pushrod engines. I know there are TONS in the Malibu thread. I found a great article in support of pushies in the May edition of Car and Driver on page 34 by Larry Webster. Check it out whether your in support of them or not. It's great!
Well that's about all for me. I'm sitting here at my computer all out of tissues and I'm really sick, so I gotta go. See ya later (if Edmunds decides to let me log in the next time I try :-)
I just bought a 2004 Alero, Ecotech, 5sp-stick. The car itself is tight with great quality. But I must admit, the Ecotech is a bit underpowered, esp. in torque. It's quite smooth, though. It's adequate, but only barely. The good thing about the Ecotech is that it barely fills 3/4 of the engine bay, so it's a dream to work on. But the 3.4L is the way to go.
Hello, I just thought I would mention a few problems that I am having with my 99 Alero. I brought my car into the dealer for a couple of things. One being that my driver seat does not raise up and down anymore. I was told that my motor gearing was stripped and that I would need a whole new motor replacement. The estimated cost by the dealer for this is $450 (not including labour). I will mention that this seat motor was not used that often. While I am the main driver of the car I would say the this motor was probably used twice a month. I was very surprised to hear that this was the reason for it not working. I would think that this motor should last longer than just 5 years. Another problem that I have is with the bottom vent for the feet area. When the heat switch is turned to the "feet" part no heat/air will come out. The dealer said that I needed a new "Mode door" which he described as some plastic piece and that this plastic piece just broke off. He said that this plastic piece is relatively a cheap part to buy but that it would be about a whole day of labour to fix it and therefore could cost about $700.00 The newest problem that I am having now is that while I am driving my gauges inside the car will go to zero (ie gas gauge, speedometer ect.), the digital kilometer reading will go blank, the buttons for the windows won't work, and the heating/air vents will not work. However, my radio still works. The service technician said that this is due to a defective ignition switch. He said that the switch is wearing out. The price quoted for a new ignition switch was $225.00. Has anyone had any similar problems with their Alero? Perhaps you could offer me some advice before I give the go ahead to get things fixed. Thanks, I would appreciate anyones suggetsions!
Just wanted to give a little advice on the issues you're having. The ignition switch is a know problem with all of the GM 'N' chassis vehicles: the Alero, Grand Am, and Malibu. It should only take the tech about an hour to replace it so I would estimate your total coming out to about $325.00. That's pretty cheap compared to some of the other prices I have heard. In some cases, I know people have paid upwards of $500 for that same repair. As for the mode door on the HVAC system, I would say your getting hosed. For a little more info on that door, it basically redirects the air flow, and actually when you turn the knob on the HVAC system, you can hear the door close and redirect the air to the floorboards. Anyway, my mom had pretty much the same issue on her 1999 Blazer, but it was a hose that needed to be replaced. The hose was of course buried deep inside the dash and they only charged $125.00 total. I would definitely shop around on that one. In fact, I'll look at my repair manual that I still have from my Malibu and see if that's difficult to get at. And finally for the seat, I would ask myself, "Do I really need that fixed now?" If you're anything like me, it will irritate you knowing that something is broken, but really...do you NEED it fixed? If you could live with it, I would wait and save. Also shop around for this fix.
Hope this helped. Keep us posted on where your get your repairs done and how much.
Thanks for replying to my post. I didn't know an ignition switch could be tied up to so much electrical stuff inside the car. I will definitely have to get that repaired because it's a real hindrance having the gauges go to zero and not having heat on those colder days. For now I'm going to wait on getting the seat fixed as I agree with you, that seat going up and down isn't that important (although it did break on a lower position than I normally sit at), and I will also wait to get the floor vent fixed too. The technician did say that it would cost $700 because that mode door is hard to get at and that is why it would take a whole day of labour. Yes, I will be shopping around before getting this fixed! I will email you about that web site. Thanks for your help!
Well, after replacing the driver's side wheel bearing last December, yesterday we had to have the passenger side wheel bearing replaced. While the mechanic had the brake calipers off, he noticed that our inside brake pads were shot, so they had to be replaced, as well. It turned out to be an unexpectedly expensive day: $700 Canadian (around $500 U.S.).
What do you guys (and gals) think about adding a front (and possibly rear) strut tower brace to the ol' Silver Bullet? I found the set at partsforyourcar.com, which carries parts for the Alero, Grand Am, Monte Carlo and a few other GM vehicles. For the set it is about $200 and for the front only it's $119. They come in red and black. So whatcha' think? Let me know...
Yes, I was thinking of adding a STB to my new Alero as well. To be honest, I'm not sure what the STB will do--the Alero's structure is already remarkably stiff (25hz). STBs are usually used to stiffen the front for better handling. But I was thinking a STB might enhance the Alero's frontal offset crash performance, which is quite poor.
So I am gonna get the STB for my car. The only thing that I am unsure about is whether or not I want the rear STB as well. Like I stated, it's about $80 more, but I just don't know. I really want the front in black, but right now they only have red in stock, which won't look so bad; I just want them NOW, which means I have to settle for red.
I found the best stuff to use on our leather-wraped steering wheel and shift knobs. It's Coach brand Leather Moisturizer (that's Coach as in the luggage). It doesn't leave that nasty residue Armor All will and it won't make the components slick. It sinks right in and my leather looks brand new. No more funky white spots near the stitches or dry looking leather. It's about $8.50 at any Coach store for a 6 fluid ounce bottle. I highly recommend it!
They will be the special Alero "RIP" edition, complete with padded cream silk accents and grab handles down the side, and a special perpetual care service contract. (Just joking, Alero fans)
The final 500, described by officials as a collector's edition Alero, boast all the options, including sunroof.
The car is based on the high-end Alero GLS, but is distinguished by a number of unique features such as a specially designed heritage logo on the hubs, trunk, floor mats and the tan leather interior. Each has a numbered brass badge bearing the production number. Workers began producing them late last week. All the vehicles are the same color (dark cherry red).
I never owned an Olds but I have always admired them and may have bought an Intrigue instead of my 2004 Grand Prix if they were still around. I think GM made a mistake by canning the division. Seems to me Buick had and still has a much more dated line up. If they had to cancel one brand it should have been Buick I think.
It's sad to see Olds go though. Although I have owned Japanese brands in the past I feel like part of our heritage is being lost when these brands die.
I completely agree with you on the whole canning Oldsmobile thing. Since I purchased my Oldsmobile, I've wondered why Buick is still alive, even after Olds. The design of the Regal has been around since like 97, hasn't it? and the interior of all their models suck...Buick is stuck in the early 90's still with their column mounted gear selector and those ugly radios, which might I add, are in no other GM lineup. I personally think that's a waste of GM's money. Why wouldn't they use radios they already have, instead of designing a whole new setup for Buick? I will never understand...
Hi all! On my 2002 Alero, some of the buttons on the radio and the lock button on the driver door are getting rubbed and scratched off. I barely touch them, (I don't even have long nails!) I wouldn't mind, except that if the buttons look this bad after only 10,000 miles, they'll be terrible years from now. Will my warrenty cover replacing them or do you think it's one of those things that isn't worth messing with? Thanks!
You probably mean some of the paint on the buttons is rubbing off, right? I have this picture in my mind of scratch-off buttons, like on a lottery card. . . .
Comments
Jeremy
Thanks,
Jeremy
http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDetails.asp?SourceArea=SHOP&S- - - ourcePage=SEARCHRESULTS&MfrCode=VEN&MfrPartNumber=20729&a- mp;a- mp;a- mp;PartType=1041&PTSet=A
Jeremy
I was wondering what you guys thought about doing a tranny flush at 30K miles. The manual says to do it at 50K, but my dealer suggests the 30K interval. If I do do the flush early, it couldn't hurt. What do you think?
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
BTW - Say, for instance, that they have to replace my radio. Is there any chance that they would let me pay a little extra $$ to get the unit with the CD AND tape? Let me know.
Jeremy
BTW, there is no chance of me getting the Tape/CD combo. I even told them that I would pay more $$ but they informed me that any warranty repair must be done with the same stock equiptment that matches the VIN on the vehicle. I was a little peeved, but whatever.
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
http://wardsauto.com/ar/transportation_gm_recalls_cars/index.htm
What symptoms did you have indicating a intake gasket problem? Was it the usual coolant leak? I know this is a problem I will see sooner or later. It would be great if I could just get away with a tighten up as you did.
All in all I still think the Alero is one of the best cars I have owned.
To Drivehard: After 92,000 miles and only those few repairs, I would say that you have found a fine automobile. As for the drive belt, I would say you got your monies worth on that bad boy. Most of them need replacing at 50-60K miles. Honestly, once again, I believe you have a great car there. Keep up with the maintenance and she shouldn't cause too many problems for you.
As for those crappy rotors, I would definitely go non-GM if you haven't done so already. At 30K miles I'm beginning to feel a SLIGHT pulsation in the brakes when I slow. I think that I will go to either slotted or cross-drilled rotors. I saw a set of the slotted rotors on a 2001 Grand Am GT1 and they looked sweet. The Grand Am was silver as well, so I hope that if I shell out $50 per rotor, they will look equally as well on my baby.
As for my car, I'm making a trip back to the dealer tomorrow. So far I have had little trim annoyances that I wanted fixed before the warranty runs out. Anyway, my trip tomorrow is to replace the right rear exterior door handle...AGAIN. It was working fine for a month or so, then yesterday I went to clean my car out, and the door handle just flat out didn't work. I tried and tried but nothing happened. I found a TSB out for the door handles, but the stealership informed me that it didn't appear to affect my vehicle. Oh well - we'll see after tomorrow.
As for my radio, they ended up replacing it with a remanufactured one. That really peeved me, but I figured they would since that's what it stated in my warranty booklet. The new one hasn't cut out on me at all, but the buttons take a little harder push than the other radio took.
The dealer suggested to me a while back that I have the transmission fluid flushed as well as replace the filter, and have the plugs cleaned and re-gaped at 30K miles. The manual says that there is no need to change the tranny fluid or filter until 50K miles, but I would like to play it safe. I think that I will purchase the filter from GM but have Aamco do the flush since that's cheaper. As for the the plugs, I just purchased Bosch Platinum +4 plugs. Instead of cleaning and re-gaping the other plugs, I'll just have them replaced with the Bosch's. Hopefully I'll see an increase in MPG as well as new "peppiness".
Everything so far is going well with the Mobil 1 Synthetic 5W-30 oil. It looks much, much cleaner than with the dyno oil that was in it, even when the dyno oil had just been put in. I think it's a keeper!
Well, I guess that's the end of me for now. I'll let you know what happens, if anything, with the door handle.
Jeremy
I have never heard of Wanli before, Anyone know if this is a good tire, They Cost me about $99 per tire, thats tire, mounting, balancing.
As for my Silver Bullet, it's doing good. I'm about 10 miles away from the 31K mark. There, once again, is some stuff that I need to get looked at. The replacement radio they put in back in February sucks. About half of the preset buttons don't work unless you push them just right and the track selection button only works in the cold unless you push really, really hard. Also, when my passenger door closes, there is this nasty tin sound, like an empty pop can being dropped on the street. It's happened ever since I got it, but I didn't think anything of it until I compared that noise to the noise the drivers door makes, which BTW sounds much more solid. And the last thing is the rear defroster. When I turn it on it only clears the middle section; it doesn't even touch the right, left, top, or bottom. I know that the ALL of the bottom part of the window isn't supposed to get melted, but what's supposed to, doesn't get it. I have heard of this problem on another forum, and the only fix is to replace the back window
I have been getting kick butt gas mileage. I drive mostly city and am a 'spirited driver' (read: lead foot at times). Anyway, I'm getting 25 mpg! I love it. My Malibu had a smaller engine, the 3.1 V6 and I never, ever got over 19 mpg.
It's been a while since I've been on; frankly this website is pain in the butt. Sometimes it wants to let me in, others it takes 5 tries, and then sometimes, it just doesn't let me in at all. The latter usually happens most often. Anyway, since the last time I was on I took the Silver Bullet to the stealership for their reccommended 30K 'tune up'. I got the fuel filter replaced, plugs cleaned and re-gapped, and new air filter (I had just done that so they gave me the filter), the throttle body serviced (cleaned and stuff), and something else, but I can't remember what that was. I got that for about $120. I also had the transmission flushed and the filter replaced at Aamco. I had them use Valvoline ATF. I know that this stuff isn't supposed to be done until like 50 or 60K, but I would much rather pay a little more for earlier maintenance, than have something fail on me later. I read on some other forums of a few trannys failing at about 112K.
I waxed her about a month ago using Diamond Luster wax. It looks okay but I think I'll try Eagle One Wet Wax and Polish or the new Eagle One NanoWax next time, which will be in about 3 months. I'm going to wax my Mom's black 1999 Blazer with one of the two, and then I'll decide. I'll let you know how it turns out.
In the area of accessories, I have added a new 3M clear bra. The stealership wanted like $450, to which of course I laughed in their face. I found a place in the Denver-metro area called Extreme Clear Bras (for anyone in the area) that did an awesome job. I got 12 inches put on the hood and on the fenders for $150. It took about 15 minutes to do; that turns out to be $10 per minute, but it was much cheaper than the dealer and I got a lifetime warranty with it in case it ever turns yellow or anything. I would highly recommend a clear bra over a regular one any day. The clear bra is about $70 more but won't stretch or scratch your paint like a normal bra will. I also plan on purchasing a car cover with lock from the dealer for about $100. I'm shipping off to school soon and the Silver Bullet will be parked most of the time :-( I want to keep her covered so that the paint won't fade and the interior won't get jacked.
If I remember correctly, there are a few folks here who aren't fans of pushrod engines. I know there are TONS in the Malibu thread. I found a great article in support of pushies in the May edition of Car and Driver on page 34 by Larry Webster. Check it out whether your in support of them or not. It's great!
Well that's about all for me. I'm sitting here at my computer all out of tissues and I'm really sick, so I gotta go. See ya later (if Edmunds decides to let me log in the next time I try :-)
Jeremy
I just thought I would mention a few problems that I am having with my 99 Alero. I brought my car into the dealer for a couple of things. One being that my driver seat does not raise up and down anymore. I was told that my motor gearing was stripped and that I would need a whole new motor replacement. The estimated cost by the dealer for this is $450 (not including labour). I will mention that this seat motor was not used that often. While I am the main driver of the car I would say the this motor was probably used twice a month. I was very surprised to hear that this was the reason for it not working. I would think that this motor should last longer than just 5 years.
Another problem that I have is with the bottom vent for the feet area. When the heat switch is turned to the "feet" part no heat/air will come out. The dealer said that I needed a new "Mode door" which he described as some plastic piece and that this plastic piece just broke off. He said that this plastic piece is relatively a cheap part to buy but that it would be about a whole day of labour to fix it and therefore could cost about $700.00
The newest problem that I am having now is that while I am driving my gauges inside the car will go to zero (ie gas gauge, speedometer ect.), the digital kilometer reading will go blank, the buttons for the windows won't work, and the heating/air vents will not work. However, my radio still works. The service technician said that this is due to a defective ignition switch. He said that the switch is wearing out. The price quoted for a new ignition switch was $225.00.
Has anyone had any similar problems with their Alero? Perhaps you could offer me some advice before I give the go ahead to get things fixed.
Thanks, I would appreciate anyones suggetsions!
Hope this helped. Keep us posted on where your get your repairs done and how much.
Jeremy
Thanks for replying to my post.
I didn't know an ignition switch could be tied up to so much electrical stuff inside the car. I will definitely have to get that repaired because it's a real hindrance having the gauges go to zero and not having heat on those colder days.
For now I'm going to wait on getting the seat fixed as I agree with you, that seat going up and down isn't that important (although it did break on a lower position than I normally sit at), and I will also wait to get the floor vent fixed too. The technician did say that it would cost $700 because that mode door is hard to get at and that is why it would take a whole day of labour. Yes, I will be shopping around before getting this fixed!
I will email you about that web site.
Thanks for your help!
Jeremy
I found the best stuff to use on our leather-wraped steering wheel and shift knobs. It's Coach brand Leather Moisturizer (that's Coach as in the luggage). It doesn't leave that nasty residue Armor All will and it won't make the components slick. It sinks right in and my leather looks brand new. No more funky white spots near the stitches or dry looking leather. It's about $8.50 at any Coach store for a 6 fluid ounce bottle. I highly recommend it!
Jeremy
Jeremy
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1825170&nav=0RceMgyd
The article says they're equipped as follows:
The final 500, described by officials as a collector's edition Alero, boast all the options, including sunroof.
The car is based on the high-end Alero GLS, but is distinguished by a number of unique features such as a specially designed heritage logo on the hubs, trunk, floor mats and the tan leather interior. Each has a numbered brass badge bearing the production number. Workers began producing them late last week. All the vehicles are the same color (dark cherry red).
It's sad to see Olds go though. Although I have owned Japanese brands in the past I feel like part of our heritage is being lost when these brands die.
Jeremy
On my 2002 Alero, some of the buttons on the radio and the lock button on the driver door are getting rubbed and scratched off. I barely touch them, (I don't even have long nails!) I wouldn't mind, except that if the buttons look this bad after only 10,000 miles, they'll be terrible years from now. Will my warrenty cover replacing them or do you think it's one of those things that isn't worth messing with?
Thanks!