Oldsmobile Alero

missguineapig · April 2004

Lol, of course.
No more posting messages at midnight for me!

jtrujillo86 · April 2004

It's been a little cold (30f) here and I've noticed my car is having trouble starting. She's slow to crank, then when she catches, it nearly dies. I know that that stupid Freedom battery is taking a dump on me. Someone with a Malibu had their Delco battery replaced 4 times before 36K!!! Can you believe that crap. My mom's in her 99 Blazer only lasted until 55K. Anyway, I am making the trek to the stealership tomorrow so that they can do a load test on the battery. Hopefully they will replace it -- I'm about 4K away from 36K and it wouldn't hurt to get a new battery.

Anyone else have battery issues on their Alero?

Jeremy

burdawg · May 2004

Jeremy,
Mileage isn't a big factor in a battery, age is.
Most batteries today last about 5 years (give or take, of course), and they start aging from the day the electrolyte is added, which nowadays means that a new battery can have a good portion of it's life gone if it's been sitting on a shelf for awhile.
Batteries used to be shipped and stocked dry, and the electrolyte added when purchased, but those days are long gone....
Try finding out how to read the date code on the battery and that will tell you a lot more than the mileage will.

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

I took my car to the stealership to have the battery load tested. Keep in mind this battery was new with the car, which was produced in August of 2001...so almost three years. Anyway, the positive battery terminal was leaking, which in turn corroded the cables. The stealership replaced the battery and the cables under warranty. Told you those Delco batteries suck.

Jeremy

burdawg · May 2004

I had that same problem on my 95 Grand Am. The replacement Delco was fine, though. I've had this problem on other side terminal batteries also.
If your cars a 2001 then the battery was probably a little older since it probably sat in stock for awhile.
Anyway, sounds like it is fixed now.

turboshadow · May 2004

Within the next week, I plan to buy a 2001 Century or a 2003 Alero with ABS and V6. Mileage is simialr, as is color.

I like both cars, but would like input form those who have lived with these little beasties over the long run.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sway me one way or the other based on features you like or dislike about either car.

Turboshadow

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

I feel like the reliability overall for my Alero will be good. I have had a few minor issues but she feels tight and tough. But doesn't the Buick have the 3.1 and not the 3.4? They are exactly the same with the same HP and torque, but the 3.1 I had in my Malibu was a piece of crap.

Okay so now that I covered reliability with the Alero, lets get down the root issue: Looks! How old are you? If you are under 65, get the Alero!!! Over 65, go with the Century. C'mon man, the interior of the Alero is better by far as is the sporty look of the Alero.

BTW, what colors are you looking at? I have a silver one and it looks great!

Jeremy

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

I obviously didn't completely read your post because I didn't address some of the Alero's features I like compared to the Century.
So here it goes:
- Floor mounted shift (sportier than the century)
- On/Off Traction control button; I'm not sure if the Century has an On/Off button, but I do know that some have traction control. I like it because it nearly saved my life (long story).
- Height adjustable seats
- Steering wheel mounted cruise control
- Center console mounted e-brake
- "Low Oil" and "Change Oil Soon" lights (not sure if the centruy has these.

Whichever one you do decide to do, I would suggest you get the VIN #'s off of each. Then contact any local GM Goodwrench repair center to get the service and repair history of both. I did this when I bought my Alero and I found out that the intake manifold gasket had already been replaced at the selling dealer, which was a huge plus. That is a weak part of both vehicles in question.

Jeremy

coalcracker1 · May 2004

With the last Alero off the line we have to remember one thing. You now own a future collector's car. Keep it in good shape and someday it will be worth more than today. Don't sell. I intend to keep mine and will it to someone in the family.

coalcracker1 · May 2004

I have a 2000 Alero V-6 with 24,000+ miles. I just had to replace my front disc pads and two new rotors. The odd thing was that both brake pads were totally worn out on the inside and the outside pads looked like brand new. The repairman checked the calipers and said there was no problem with them. He did not know what caused the unusual wearing of the brake pads. Does anyone have any ideas? By the way, the right brake pad wore completely to the metal base because the wear indicator tab was broken off. Looking at the rusting on the tab it looks like the tab was broken off when the pads were initially installed on the car. So much for GM Quality Control at assembly.

bryan · May 2004

Pleased to say I am now the proud owner of number 363 of the Final 500 Oldsmobiles--picked up the car yesterday. A week ago, I went to look at the Malibu Maxx; the new Alero had just come into the multi-GM dealer the day or two before I saw it on May 8; car had not yet been through the dealer's new car prep yet. Still dirty, but saw its beauty right away. I have bought from this dealer before and always felt I was fairly treated. Did not get a "great" deal, ($1200 off sticker) but thought it was fair considering the interest the car was generating with "lot lookers" that day. Took the $3500 rebate, and added an additional year to the 5 year, 60,000 warranty for an extra $100, since I will only log about 8k per year on this car. Did get $1,000 above what I had been quoted for my trade(95 Cutlass--Olds man all the way!) by two other GM dealers. So I am justifying in my mind that I actually got $2200 off sticker! Car is simply beautiful. All the badging and monogramming is done very well. The badge denoting Number 363 is inside the driver's door.

The car is the GLS and was optioned with Sun & Sound package (power sunroof, 8-speaker premium sound), XM radio, performance suspension system, spoiler, and of course, the Collector's edition package. The dark cherry metallic paint coupled with the neutral leather is very striking.

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

Congrats on your new ride. The final 500 is a great set of vehicles. The cherry red metallic paint is absolutely striking. I saw one for sale one e-bay the other day for like 22K and everything about it was great. I really like the badging all around (the seats, the floor mats, the wheels, ect).

Anyway, congrats again. You have an AWESOME vehicle there. It sounds like you got a good deal, too, considering those will be collectors.

Jeremy

dan165 · May 2004

Should be a collector some day. Keep it well and it could well be a decent investment.

bryan · May 2004

Appreciate the kind words--I'm looking forward to keeping this car for some years to come. I didn't used to keep cars in my younger days more than 3 years max, but I do now. I appreciate Jeremy's info on the e-bay car; comforting to know with rebate I paid a little less than that, not even considering the extra unexpected $1K I got for the 95 Cutlass trade. Even the GM/Olds dealer's service people, who have been servicing all my other GM cars, are excited about taking care of this vehicle "with me". I'm looking forward to it too!

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

Hey fellas'. My 2002 Silver Bullet is approaching the six month check up time. I've never had a vehicle this new and I was thinking I would take her in for the check. I am willing to pay for the check up since my warranty will be up soon and I would like them to fix anything that needs to be fixed. Anyone know what this costs? Is it worth it? Also I think that I am experiencing some trouble with my low speed steering assist stuff. It just doesn't seem like it "assists" as much at low speeds as it used to. I'm hoping that either it's just a sensor or it's just me - I may be used to it and not noticing it. I dunno...anyone else have an issue like this?

Everything else is awesome. That strut tower brace I added a few weeks back is sweet as heck. I'm kinda wishing I ordered the rear at the same time now :-( The clear bra is still in good shape, despite what many people have told me about how they crack - I haven't seen any evidence of that.

I was also wondering if anyone has that security thing...I think it's called like Etch or something. They put traceable codes on the body, all four doors, hood and trunk, that way if the car is stolen, the thieves are less likely to part the car out. They also put stickers on the window warning thieves about it. It's about $100 and it's supposed to lower your insurance. I saw the same sticker on my friends VW Beetle and I saw the codes on her door. It's really not noticeable (I mean the codes on the inside of the door) and I'm willing to do anything to lower my insurance. Let me know if any of you have had this added to your Alero or any other vehicle of yours.

I think the last accessory' that's in my future is the car cover with a lock. I need to get this before I ship off to school because my car is going to sit for days at a time and I don't want the paint to fade.

Jeremy

turboshadow · May 2004

I'd be reluctant to spring for the etching as modern cars have the VIN stamped or on decals all over the place. I doubt it would lower your insurance...better call your agent.

As for the car cover, best not to get one unless you spring for a super-deluxe one and even then they are kind of iffy. The wind blows them and beats the heck out of the paint. Especially if dust gets under them.

BTW, i decided to go with the Alero if we can agree on price. The only thing I liked that you didn't mention was the fold down rear seat. century doesn't have it. No W-body does. At best there is a pass-thru.

Turboshadow

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

My crappy Malibu didn't have the fold down rear seat either. About a month after I got my Alero, my cousin and I took her up to the mountains to do some snowboarding. The Alero and the convenience of the rear seats held everything extremely well (boards, boots, bags, coats) with a ton of room to spare.

Jeremy

rocketman71 · May 2004

The Intrigue is a W body and it has a 60/40 fold down rear seat. I've found it very convenient especially when bringing home carpets etc. My 88 LSS only has a pass through, but better than nothing.
Cheers

turboshadow · May 2004

You are right! And thanks to you, I went and drove a 99 Trig with the Shortstar. Great driving car.

Now I'm torn......

Turboshadow

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

C'mon, man...the Alero is a MUCH sportier looking car. I also think the layout inside is much more catering to the driver. The Intrigue is way, way too open, where as in the Alero, it feels like your in the cockpit of a plan, with everything you need just an inch away from your fingertips.

Jeremy

turboshadow · May 2004

I like the looks of the Alero, except for its 'big butt.' My wife said "Looks like it has a really big trunk."

You're right about the open feeling in the Trig, felt like a much bigger car. I could go either way in that, but I tend to like things close, but not too tight (Mazda Protege comes to mind for the latter category.)

I think the Trig is a good looking car, and the Shortstar is quite an impressive engine.

Been thinking all weekend and I'm still torn.

Turboshadow

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

I took the Silver Bullet to the stealership for a six month check up. While I was there I told my service advisor that my low speed steering assist was not working as of late and I also asked her to look into the nasty sound the passenger side door makes when it closes. It turns out that the P.S. pump was cavitating fluid (starving itself of fluid) and the door thing was being caused by a piece of loose window motor regulator insulation. The low speed assist still seems to not be there. I may have gotten used to it by now (?) but I have a feeling that it's still not fixed. I'll keep you posted. Anyone else have this issue?

Jeremy

mfletouva · May 2004

Ok, my fiance's 2000 GLS Couple just had a major problem. It only has 20,000 miles on it and was bought used as a certified GM car almost 2 years ago. Its out of warranty (naturally) I was about to drive it to the airport and noticed fluid coming out of the bottom. It turned out to be power steering fluid, and all of it came out which of course made it near impossible to steer.

Turns out the whole rack and pinion steering unit was totally shot, plus the power steering motor was blown, plus the hoses needed to be replaced. In order to do all this, they had to take apart the front end and realign the car. End result: a bill for $1,722 to get it fixed.

Now, first of all, has anyone had a problem like this with the steering? Second, do we have any recourse with GM here? I know its out of warranty, but there is NO WAY the entire steering system should go at $20000 even if the car is (barely) 4 years old. Am I going to get anywhere trying to get them to pay this (I'm guessing not, but has anyone had success).

By the way, I used to have an Alero myself, but it had a lot of problems and I traded it for a new '02 Intrigue. I liked the Alero for what it was, but to me the Intrigue is just overall a better quality car, and indeed its been trouble free now through 21k.

mfletouva · May 2004

Wanted to see if anyone had any comments about this steering problem, and to see if we have any recourse.

My girlfriend has a 2000 Olds Alero GLS Coupe with 20,000 miles--it is OUT of warranty. Yesterday, I noticed fluid pouring of it, it turned out to be power steering fluid. I had to fly up to Boston, but she had it towed through AAA to a GM dealer. They said that the Rack and Pinion Steering unit was completely ruined and the Power Steering motor was blown. They also had to replace hoses. They said they have to disassemble the front end and realign the car to make the repair. The whole thing cost her $1722.

Since the car wasn't drivable, shopping around for the repair wasn't really viable so she went ahead and had the repair done (plus I wasn't there to help, but...another story).

First, has anyone had a similar experience. This seems very very wrong for a whole unit to fail at that low mileage. Second, do we have any recourse with GM on this? I know its out of warranty, but..that shouldn't happen and I think they ought to pay for it. Am I going to get anywhere trying to make that happen.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

jtrujillo86 · June 2004

Has anyone had experience with the above bulbs in their Alero? I was thinking about replacing the low beam head lights with these lights. They are available through tirerack.com for $77 a pair, which is overpriced and I'm sure I can get them cheaper, but that's just a ballpark figure.

If you do have these installed, which, if any, modifictions are needed before I install these bulbs?

Thanks,
Jeremy

isseyvoo · June 2004

I was disappointed to read the disparaging article about the Alero in this week's New York Times auto section.

http://edmunds.nytimes.com/new/2004/oldsmobile/alero/100282808/ro- adtestarticle.html?articleId=102196&tid=nytimes.e.....Oldsmob- ile*

I just took my '01 GL2 5 sp. in for maintenance. 13.5K miles and no real issues so far... (Since new I've had an intermittent starting problem where it will crank but not catch for several tries. Dealer cannot replicate. No code shows on the computer.)

I find my car to handle quite well, and disagree with the article's criticism in that area. (My car has the "sport suspension" so maybe that makes the difference.)

I still can't believe that Oldsmobile is no more. I don't think I'll ever forgive GM for killing it off, and despite having many GM Points on my GM Card, there is nothing remotely appealing to me about any GM product currently out there. Maybe I'll soften up if they bring the Chevy Nomad into production, but otherwise, GM has lost me forever.

I guess I'll become a Mazda guy now. The 6 hatch is very appealing.

yurakm · June 2004

Watch Pontiac G6. May be it will be an adequate replacement for Alero.

ijennings1 · June 2004

Can anyone tell me where the drain plugs are for the radiator and block on the 3.4 V6? We have a 2002 model. I'm getting rid of the Dexcool due to sludge problems.
I can't find the drain plugs anywhere. It looks as if i will have to take off the bottom hose, of which the clip is a right ba***rd to get to. Can anyone help?

jtrujillo86 · June 2004

I still have my repair manual for my old 3.1L V6 Malibu which is the same setup, but for some reason I cannot find it. This is what I can remember from the manual. I hope this helps:

There is a petcock on the driver's side of the radiator just behind the front bumper. Place a drain pan under the petcock and turn 1/2 turn until the coolant fully drains. Before draining the coolant, remove the cap from the surge tank. Obviously, you'll want to wait until your vehicle's engine is cool.

Jeremy

ijennings1 · June 2004

Jeremy,

Thanks for this. I appreciate your time.

Ian

burdawg · June 2004

You should remove the block drain plug(s) also to remove all the coolant that is in the engine block. I'm not 100% sure where they actually are on the V6, but they are usually near center on the bottom of the block casting.

isseyvoo · June 2004

Just made a 2,000+ mi road trip to Kentucky/Tennessee and back to NY in my '01 GL2 (4 cyl., 5 sp.). It all went well, except for one incident involving the brain surgeons working the roads for the Ohio DOT. On Sat., p.m., one of their guys on I-76 about 30 mi. west of Youngstown was power washing a scored road bed and sending pebbles and God knows what else in the direction of passing traffic. High velocity debris hit my car as I drove by, pitting the paint in at least two places that I can see. As you might imagine, the air was quite blue when I got done venting!!! Now I'm in mourning. My garaged baby (never driven in snow, rarely in rain) with only 15K miles on it has her first wounds.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

Anyone have experience with Powerslot or Brembo slotted rotors on their Alero? What about Hawk brake pads?

Jeremy

skibry1 · July 2004

How do like that German design,assembled in Italy
Getrag 5spd? 4 years ago I scoured the area for a
car just like yours or less...I would have settled
for the GX model. The engine/tranny combo sounds
very interesting but failed.

dan165 · July 2004

The Getrag is a fine transmission, why do you think it failed?

isseyvoo · July 2004

I've found the 5 sp. notchy going into 5th, but otherwise have had no trouble with it, and vastly prefer it to an automatic on a small-engined car. The dealer had a hell of a time finding a manual tranny GL2 for me when I bought my Alero -- had to schlep out to another dealer 370 miles away to bring it to me.

Just out of curiosity, a question to others with a 2.4 auto. -- What does your tach read at around 70mph? I wondered whether the manual or auto was geared lower. At 70-73 mph, my RPMs are around 2750, and I usually get around 28-30 mpg on the highway. Is this in line with what you folks with the auto tranny get?

mikey00 · July 2004

I have the auto tranny with a 6 and get about 34 on the highway. The 6 gets better highway mileage than the 4 which is even reflected in the EPA sticker.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

The 6 cyl. with the auto gets great MPG on the highway. The window sticker said 29 MPG highway, but I have consistently gotten 32+. Cruising at 70 MPH the tach on my car sits right at 2100-2200 RPM. That's why the 6 gets better MPG on the highway over the four.

Jeremy

mikey00 · July 2004

The window sticker on my 2000 indicates 32 MPG highway. They changed it after 2000 and I don't know why. I have always done better than 32 on the highway.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

I have a 2002 V6 so that's why my original window sticker said 29 highway. Was it different for 1999 and 2000 V6's or just the fours?

On a different note, I just want to say how much I love this car. I had to go shopping for a ton of stuff for my dorm today and this car held everything well. I got one of those smaller fridges, some small furniture things and other misc. stuff but it all added up to a ton of crap. I honestly thought that there would be no way that I was going to get out of the parking lot with all of the stuff I bought...but I did. Those 60/40 split folding seats are still amazing to me (mostly just because the seats in my Malibu didn't fold at all). A few days ago I also had to haul my bike unexpectedly. I don't have a bike rack yet so I had to throw it in the trunk with the seats folded down; even then I didn't have any issues with space.

One other thing: I had the A/C on today and I heard the serpentine belt squeaking a bit. Is this something the dealership can fix under warranty or will they just turn me away since nothing is actually broke? Is there any lube that I can use to quiet it down?

Thanks,
Jeremy

mikey00 · July 2004

It was the V6 that changed from 32MPG to 29 for no apparent reason. They also dropped the tire pressure monitor in later years, which is a nice feature. I am also very pleased with my Alero, except I think the rotors are beginning to warp a little again.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

Mikey, what year did they drop the TP Monitor? I have it on my 02 and it is a cool feature.

As for my rotors, they're toast also. I was looking at some Powerslot and Brembo slotted rotors. Of course, they're both expensive and on top of replacing the rotors, you also have to change the brakes. All together once I add in the price of the rotors and brakes, the cost will come to nearly $600.00. I'm currently poor because school is starting soon so I'm gonna have to wait on the rotor job.

I noticed that there's not place to post photos of our cars under the Alero forum. Can we do that right here or what? I'd love to see everyone's car.

Jeremy

pat · July 2004

You can post them right here in this discussion. If you need help on how to do it, just click on the Town Hall Help link on the left side of the page - you'll find an FAQ that will give you the syntax.

However, we don't have any photo hosting capabilities here at this time. Your pic needs to reside on a publicly accessible web page in order to use that syntax.

Hope this helps.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

Thanks Pat. That did help but I don't think that I want to go through the trouble of finding an image hosting thingy right now. Thanks though!

Has anyone used Maguire's products here before? I bought their "Three Step Process" for waxing. The first is a paint cleaner, second is a polish and the last step is the carnauba wax. All three bottles were $5.39 at Checker's. It is EXTREMELY time consuming to do all three (took me about 5 hours), but the end result is well worth it. I don't think that I needed to use the paint cleaner, but I did anyway. My car is absolutely stunning. I honestly don't think that I'll ever use anything else. If you have a dark-colored car (i.e. green or black) I bet this stuff would blow your other wax outta the water. Give it a shot. It works well.

Jeremy

mlm4 · July 2004

There are a lot of discussions (and discussion boards) about cleaning and waxing, but my general opinion is that you get out of it what you put into it. The more time and money you spend using these products, the better your car will look. But I have owned several dark blue vehicles for many years and found that just keeping the car clean and waxed every three to six months is good enough. Every once in awhile, if you can feel surface contaminants with your fingers, going over it with the clay and a quick polish makes a world of difference. The only time I use a paint cleaner is when there is a scuff mark that I can't get off with the polish. Since you've now done all that work, just keep it reasonably clean and waxed every so often and it shouldn't need another polish for quite awhile.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

I almost always wash my car once a week. Even in the winter. I want to keep this car as long as possible and with the crap they put on the roads in the winter, I'm somewhat worried about the rust issue. I used the cleaner mainly because I had very small dots off tree sap on the car. Anyway, the car looks awesome now. And like you said, you get what you put into it. After five hours, the car looks awesome.

Jeremy

ijennings1 · July 2004

I have a 2002 3.4 V6 and the parking brake is coming right up as far as you can go and needs adjusting. Does anyone know if this is easy to do? Does it have a separate inboard drum or use the discs on the rear? I know I can get under there and have a look, but i have a shoulder injury and am undecided to take it to a shop or wait until I'm better and do it myself.
I reckon the cable has stretched and needs bringing in.
Incidnetally, regarding the tire pressure warning light. Our Alero has it too. I may be wrong, but i thought this only came on when 12 lbs of pressure drops. If this is the case, then for Christ sake continue to check tires manually with a guage when the tire is cool. You would not want to brake hard with a 12lb variation on the front or rear.
Thanks in anticipation.

ronald1 · July 2004

I think the tire pressure light works off the ABS sensor. A low tire will turn faster than the other tires and the ABS will notice this and set the low pressure light. It takes a certain amount of tire pressure difference over a period of time to set the light. A weakness of this system is that if all four tires all equally low on air pressure there is no speed difference for this system to detect.

jtrujillo86 · July 2004

I had to make the same adjustment to my e-brake. I actually took it in and they charged me $90. I didn't want to mess with them plus I thought it would be covered under the warranty.

Jeremy

infinia1 · July 2004

on my 2000 alero, my e-brake adjustment was covered under warranty. check your e-brake boots. mine tore at the bottom of the seam 3 times and had to be replaced-all under warranty.

Oldsmobile Alero

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