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Comments
red_alero Dec 10, 2003 3:56pm
I don't think this is a universal problem for all Aleros, though. Ours is a 2000 model, and the interior is still holding up well.
Thanks.
Ian
I am NOT the least bit concerned about the Alero's quality, and the no charge extended warranty beyond the normal 3 year, 36K miles warranty to 5 years, 60K miles was one of the main reasons I bought it over other GM cars I was considering. Because I will put less than 10K miles on this car annually, I purchased an additional one year warranty for $100 more, so I have 6 years, 60K bumper-to-bumper protection. I'll get to six years before 60K miles.
The car has been a blast to drive--great power from the V6, and I'm getting close to 29 mpg on the highway. The chrome wheels and the spoiler set this car off, and the Final 500 badging and monogramming on the leather seats and floor mats are first rate. I test drove the car one day after it was delivered to the dealer--not even cleaned up. When I returned from the test drive, there were a few lot lookers that wanted to drive it, but alas, they were too late as I bought it on the spot! I really like the satellite radio (very worth the cost and monthly charge to me). Fit and finish appears to be top rate, and the car is very quiet, and as I said above, free of squeaks and rattles. Not one peep even from the sunroof!
There are alot of Oldsmobile "fanatics" out there. I don't think you would ever have difficulty in selling one of the Final 500 in the future, since there are only 500 Aleros out of tens of thousands that have this color combination. I'm more than glad to share my positive experience with this car. Good luck, and as several of the folks on the Edmund's boards routinely say, "Buy and drive what you like". I'm glad I did.
As for the recent talk about GM standing behind their product: that infuriates me. The people who complain about GM not standing behind their product are the people who have issues at 37 or 38K and still expect GM to cover their repairs. When they purchased their car they knew the warranty ended at 3 years / 36K miles, so why are they mad when GM won't cover repairs AFTER that time? I have had a few issues with my car and it seems the dealer is more than happy to help will all of them. I don't however expect them to help with any repairs past that 36K mark, because I didn't pay for an extended warranty. If you want them to assist after the bumper to bumper warranty time, then buy that extended warranty. If they went around doing "goodwill" repairs for everyone who had issues after 36K miles, they wouldn't be in business.
Jeremy
The manual doesn't state when to replace the filter, but I do it about every 30K too.
Jeremy
Jeremy
I took the car to our local Mieneke shop and they changed the fuel filter and charged $42 which I didn't think was bad. Money well spent I reckon!
I agree with your comments on these cars. They are great value IF bought at say 1 to 2 years old. I find the steering too light and the road holding could be tighter, but then again, with the terrible roads we have in Kansas City and Missouri, I wouldn't want the suspension any harder. Oh for Citroen's hydropneumatic suspension! I agree with your comments too about the blandness of Jappo cars. Their interiors are Germanic to say the least. Lots of hard plastic (Altima for example). Their second-hand values are way over the top. Our Alero 3.4 cost $10700. It was 14 months old with 22,000 miles on the clock. We have ABS, Traction, Auto box, tire warning light, oil change and vehicle service warning lights. The lights stay on after you switch off the engine.....and so on. We had one or two niggly problems when we bought it. The indicators failing and the drivers central locking, but it is fine now. My wife loves it. The driver's seat has electirc asjustment and lumbar control too.
I wish though GM would use their excellent 2.5 DOHC European engine though instead of the 3.4. It has a great turn of power and also develops 170 BHP like the 3.4. It can be mounted in-line or transversely. I also wish GM would lower their gearing too. Directly we hit an incline, the speed tails off too much, which involoves too many downchanges for my liking. Their European cars are renowned for thier tall gearing, which to me, robs the car of its performance potential. But there you are, we all know how cars should be built.
Thanks once again.
Ian
The Alero is a steal, like you said, after someone else takes the huge depreciation hit. It sounds like your car and mine are exactly alike. I got mine with 25,425 miles on it back in November for $9995. I was so close to going to a Civic, even though it was boring. There was no way I was going to find even a 3 year old Civic for the same price and the same equiptment (such as CD, p.w., p.dl, ect.).
I HONESTLY believe that no matter how many issues I have, I will always enjoy this car. With my Malibu though, that was another story. That was a grandma car and no fun to drive...I was OBLIGATED to sell it!
Jeremy
Anyway, the tech didn't reinstall the passenger side A-pillar cover correctly, so it's not flush at the top with the headliner. Does anyone know how to remove and reinstall this?
Thanks in advance,
Jeremy
According to my Haynes manual the pillar trim can be removed using a "trim tool", so I assume this is just snapped in place. I don't know what size/shape this "trim tool" is, but I would guess it's probably like a putty knife but with a curved blade and strong metal to prevent gouging the plastic when you remove the trim.
Good luck, and congratulations on the dash replacement. Possibly vinyl cleaner would give more sheen/brightness to the air bag cover and it would blend in better with the newer components ?
Personally I like the comfortable seats, hwy 32mpg and overall responsiveness (acceleration, brake, steering, handling) and outward visibility. Over the last 30,000 miles (68,000 miles total, it's a 2000) we've spent about $1300 replacing BOTH front wheel bearings, the fuel level sensor and the auto. gearshift lever.
So that's about $650/year in repairs to a quite new vehicle, and those are all parts which I'm sure can be made to last much longer as they were never replaced in my Corsica (137,000 miles when I got rid of it). These isn't horrible reliability, but why should I accept it ?
So over the next 4 years I could reasonably expect to put another $2600 into an already depreciating asset. It is the sort of thing that will probably have me looking at Hondas and Toyotas/Kenmores the next time around, even if they are more expensive or don't get as good gas mileage. $650/year buys a lot of gas !
So if I had to do it again I'd probably buy something else, and in fact avoid GM/Ford/Chrysler entirely. And that is kind of too bad, for these corporations and their employees especially.
About that air bag cover: I don't think any vinyl cleaner/dressing would help. The lines in the air bag cover are more prominent than those in the dash, just because of age. It's okay though...it's not that big of a deal and I think the only reason I notice it is because I'm the only one in it every day. Thank you BTW for your help with that.
Jeremy
Also, the secret to keeping repair costs down is finding a good independent GM repair shop. Make sure they specialize in GM...I would never take my car to those places who work on everything under the sun. There is a good one here in Denver that I plan on using now since my warranty is up. You guys can e-mail me if there is anyone in Denver who needs the name: j2000jeremy@cs.com
Jeremy
But really, the front wheel bearings and fuel level sensor were obviously definitely dead and needed to be replaced. And this dealership is actually very good like that in general - on this and the previous vehicle they never "found" extra things that needed to be repaired, and their parts and labour charges are pretty much in line with the local independent shops from speaking with others.
No, basically I'm of the opinion that GM has no excuse for having faulty components which have been essentially around for 20-25 years (e.g. front wheel bearings on FWD cars, fuel level sensors, etc.) It's not like we're talking about stability control system components or NAV systems here, this is really basic stuff.
I also happen to own a 2003 Aurora (built in February 03), but not one of the final 500. Have had several warranty issues with the Aurora, most notably the defective bose stereo speaker and the rattling roof behind the sun roof. Everything fixed to perfection, but then I expected it because of the stellar service regularly provided by the selling dealer.
Absolutely no issue at all with the Alero, which was purchased in May 04 and has now about 1800 miles. In fact, just gave it top marks in JD Powers survey.
There's no reason why you can't post the dealer's name here, but there is a big reason why you shouldn't post your email address. The spambots will get it and eventually you will be inundated with garbage. The thing to do is just make your address public in your profile. That allows logged-in members to see it, but the spambots cannot.
If you want, I'll be glad to delete your post with your address in it - just drop me an email.
As for maintenance, ask to have only what is necessary. My dealer also adds on fluid replacements that don't need to be done (and when it was pointed out that Olds says that the fluids last for 100K, then they said that they recommended that it should be done. But then why does Olds recommend otherwise? Why does Olds advertise low maintenance as a key feature? Tell them to do only what is necessary based on the recommended service by Olds.
Glad to hear you are happy with yours too. I'm really enjoying the XM satellite radio--can't imagine buying another car without it. As to maintenance, I am fortunate to have found a GMC/Chevy/Pontiac/Buick/Olds dealer in Delaware that doesn't play the service game. I now have all my GM cars serviced there, and I live 130 miles away! The followup after both sale and service has been outstanding.
Here's to many enjoyable miles for you in your collector's edition.
By the way, I contacted Olds about whether there would be a Customer Appreciation Package mailed to us (like the one people got with the coll. ed. Aurora), and they said no. No special anything from Olds to commemorate the purchase.
I'm probably going to go to the Olds Museum in Michigan next year for kicks.
Happy driving!
My dealer has given me several articles from GM shop publications about the final 500 for my "archives". It's in my files with the window sticker, etc. for posterity.
I'm getting 32 mpg highway, and car has about 2K miles. The car is a kick to drive--makes me smile every time I'm in it. Enjoy your ride.
My collector's edition has been resting in the garage for the past two weeks, but it's coming out this weekend for a run to the Delaware shore. Car has almost 3K miles--just about time for its first service. Took my Aurora in Monday for some minor body work, and the service advisor asked about the Alero. It sure is nice doing business where the dealership folks know your name and take such good care of you and your cars.
Let's hear some from some other final 500 Alero owners.
I'm waiting on some parts from GMPartsDirect.com... ordered a trunk tray, splash guards and extra mats (I put the originals in the house so I wouldn't mess them up).
At a restaurant a few weeks ago, the valet told me the car looked real sharp. I do enjoy driving it.
Best line I heard about my new car was from my neighbor. To make a long story short, her husband knocked a door and bicycle into my '03 Aurora that was in my garage while trying to borrow my extension ladder. His wife thought it was the Alero, and said to me "Well, we'll certainly pay for the damage--I'm just glad it was not your collector's edition car!" Me too. Especially since it was not the Aurora's first time going to the body shop!
1-The check engine light and another idiot light just won't go off when he tries to reset them. THere doesn't seem to be anything "wrong" with the car that would make the lights go on. Any ideas on that?
2-when the engine is rev'ed to about 4k RPM the engine tries to move to a lower RPM, almost like there's some kind of governor on it. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? (Of course, WHY he thinks he needs to be at that RPM is a topic we've also discussed!)
THANKS ALERO FANS!
Currently, I do drive with the interior dash lights on low to keep the floor console from heating up too much, but my arm tends to lean on the arm rest and my hand often rests near the hot area on the console. I'm going to see if I can open up the console soon and check what's going on with the bulbs (are they too close to the console? can they be disconnected?).
The main reason I worry is that I drove a rental Alero earlier this year which had it's floor console lights (P, R, N, D, ...) with blister cracks, presumably due to the heat. I don't want that happening to my car too.
My car is doing awesome. I have some bad news though...I have to sell her. My insurance on this car is killing me and with a car payment on top of that, I just can't do it. All I really need is a cheepo to get me to and from work every now and then, which is like a 5 mile drive, and something to get me 75 miles to and from home every other weekend or so. I found a 95 Saturn SL2 with 130K miles on it for only $900. I think I might spring for that. I hear that Saturns can go forever without problems...some have bad alternators or valve cover gaskets, but that's the same with these Alero's. I'm EXTREMELY depressed over this, but hey...what can I do?
Hope everyone is doing okay here...
Jeremy
Have you considered re-financing it for a longer term with lower payments? In your situation that may be an option, even if not the most desirable one, and at least you know what you have. You can't do much about the cost of insurance though.
Anything with 6 digits could be more costly than your cp+ins.
Jeremy
Jeremy
Overall a great experience--both the car and the dealership. GM said it was one of the nicest trades he had ever taken--they had to do NOTHING to put the car on the front line ('95 Cutlass convertible, traded in May). I guess it also helped that all maintenance on that car had been performed at that dealership for the previous two years.
Jeremy
P.S. Gmpartsdirect.com has a ton of parts that are below list price. (You do have to pay for shipping though.) It's a great place to get Alero accessories too, since even the GM website doesn't offer them anymore. Check it out.
The Alero was designed to be sporty and appeal to any age group (including males). I have no idea why you think it was designed for 56yr+ people.
Maybe its the deceptive name "Olds"mobile.