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Comments
My Alero's brakes have been perfectly reliable. I've always believed that GM's front disc/rear drum setup has all the kinks worked out. I won't have the head gasket prob; I have the Ecotec. Only time will tell if my ignition switch fizzles.
This car has not been typical of the GM cars in my family. My parents had a Caprice and currently have an Intrigue. The intrigue has had a few issues lately, but its over 9 years old and has over 90K miles. For the most part it has been reliable and they had far fewere problems in their first 5 years than I've had. Same goes for the Chevy which lasted 12 years. If I were to have similar issues with my next GM car I wouldnt buy GM again, but I think the Alero was just a problematic model. As I said, my car has cost GM a LOT of money. I probably had 7 things repaired under warranty in 5 years, the most serious being the gasket. Also had squeaky door hinge replaced, starter and loose window lock-out switch replaced.
First of all I am not trashing the Alero. I stated my experience with it over the last 7 years above. Even knowing what I know now I would still do it all over again.
But to answer your question, the G6 is doing great but I only have 3000 miles on it. I would have said excatly the same about the Alero at that mileage.
The Alero had a sticker price of $20,000 back in 2000. The dealer discounted it $2000 and I had $6000 in GM card points bringing it down to $12,000. This is a deal I thought I would never see again. But fast foward to 2007. The G6 had a sticker of $20,700. $1,000 dealer discount + $2,000 GM rebate + $1,000 Conquest rebate + $3,700 in GM card points bringing it down to $13,000. Almost the same deal.
I got the EcoTech 4 cyl in the G6. It has the same HP as the Alero 6 cyl did but delivers slightly better gas mileage. But only slightly better. The Alero had a good 6 cyl with excellent gas mileage. In my opinion the G6 is a good solid car very similiar to the Alero when it was new but hopefully without the problems. Customer satisfaction is high as long as long as you stick with the basics. But if you move up to things like 6 cyl, manual trans, panaramic sunroof, hardtop convertible the GM type problems really surface. The G6 lacks the low tire warning that the Alero had but does have very nice electronic power steering, factory remote starter, excellent Driver Information Computer for mpg, miles remaining, time, temp, % of oil life left, etc., Traction Control like Alero, ABS like Alero.
If you can get 9K for a 2002 GLS I would go for it. KBB trade in is only about 6K and private party sale is about 7.5k based on 60,000 miles. If you have higher mileage I would definetly go for it.
"General water leak Diagnosis Guide #01-08-57-007a" It's a two part link.
http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1474.html
http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1475.html
I discovered the leak because I was replacing my blower motor resistor and discovered tons of water in the motor housing and found out that it was pouring in from the window and down into the cowl and into my car and it went down under the passenger seat. So I took the cowl off and also sealed up some seams in there as well as a precaution and then took off the whole bottom trim and cleaned off all the old adhesive and re sealed it. *shrugs* I am no car mechanic, just a alero owner who tried to save a few bucks.
I hope the links help...
My parking brake sensor dont work anymore when i drive in the rear shift, has somebody this problem or is this option only on european cars.
The $820 bill was to rectify a coolant leak the lady of the house noticed -- had to top up coolant, which was unusual, and noticed a leak on the garage floor. She also took the car in for service, but from what I gather the pressure test showed failures and the service included a rad hose, valve cover gaskets, manifold gasket, a cooling system flush. While they were at it they replaced the thermostat. The plug terminals had a rough brownish deposit, so it does look like coolant was leaking into the combustion chamber.
Going by the part numbers (10477565, 24504709) they also replaced the oil pump seal and throttle body inlet seal at the same time ? It's been too busy and lacking in daylight to poke around the engine compartment to verify that, but those seals were only $6 out of $820.
Our recent $500 bill is, I suspect (dropping off the car on Jan.2nd) , yet another front hub assembly to replace. During our Christmas travels the "Trac Off" "Service Vehicle Soon" and "ABS" lights all came on at the same time. Turning off the engine and starting up again seems to "reset" the error code (i.e. no lights) and the traction control and ABS work. But after a few hundred meters/yards or, more often, 30-60kms (20-40 miles) the lights come on again.
So when I've only bought 4 wheel bearings and hub assemblies over 5 cars, and 3 out of those 4 is all on the Alero, I think that is too many ! These hub assemblies presumably saved a few pennies or dollars per vehicle but for me it is an ongoing cost of hundreds of dollars into the same vehicle.
Does GM corp. honestly expect owners to be such fools as to even consider a GM for their next purchase ? To ignore everything their ownership and financial experience has taught them and believe the advertising instead ? Market share was GM's to lose, and they've done everything in their power to do so.
Her boyfriends has had the lower manifold gasket replaced at the cost of almost $700 from the local Pontiac dealer. Talking to anyone in Oldsmobile is a waste of time. I understand there has been a settlement on the gasket issue that will be announced in February. Hope they will come up with a partial refund, because I don't want any discounts on future purchases. I have four GM products sitting in my driveway, and will not be buying another. The 2003 Grand Prix with less than 20,000 miles has the common problem of not being able to remove the key from the ignition after shut off. Traced it back to a broken wire on the shifter solenoid, and that was easy enough to fix, but when GM is making crap, they shouldn't be surprised when Toyota and Honda out sell them.
Thanks in advance for your expertise!
Terry
Livonia, MI
Thanks.
If they had produced a dependable car, these up and coming car buyers would have a favorable opinion of GM and may make a purchase in the future when they land the first job. With the Alero track record, I bet a lot of them look to Honda or Toyota. GM cut corners and used cheap parts, and it will come back to haunt them.
BTW, did you get any type of warranty with the replaced hubs?
Also, Temp gauge wasn't working. I noticed coolant was low but no leaking on ground. It was mixing with my oil. I had my mechanic replace the intake manifold gaskets, coolant sensor, thermostat & he did a flush. Temp gauge seemed to be fixed....for about 2 weeks. It's not working again. I advised my mechanic and like above.......he has no clue as to whats going on, so he contacted an olds dealer & spoke to a technician who said the temp gauage may not be working due to a pinched wire grounding out or possibly the PCM needs to be "flashed" or reprogrammed. So I take it into the olds dealer to look at it & they say I need intake manifold gaskets......again.
Have you heard anything else re: the settlement for the gasket issue you posted in your 12/29/07 blog?? I've tried researching this and have found that GM's been slapped w/ a gasket class action lawsuit in Canada for vehicles built b/w 1995-2003. This started back in 04/06??? They stated a similar lawsuit in the U.S. was granted class-action status in 1/07 but I can't find any info on it????
I just paid off my vehicle and don't want another car payment but I'm thinking about shopping. :confuse:
The first problem i have..i saw on a lot of other post in which the Trac Off Anti-Lock and Service Vehicle soon lights are on..I read and alot of them said it needs a hub. Is this the problem or is that what some people are experiencing?
The second problem is that the heat doesnt work..Like it blows only on level three and four and when it blows it is only like a little heat.....IS anybody experiencing this problem?
Next problem is I think my car has an electrical problem in the back. For some odd reason the tail lights come on as soon as you start the car up. I mean i do not have to turn lights on at all. I thought it was an Alero thing but when im behind another one their lights are off during the day. The speakers in the back doesnt work and i dont believe that they are blown out either. None of the buttons at the bottom work either. I mean the A/C button nor the back defrogger button or the other two work. I have to wipe the back window manually just to see out of it. IS this some kind of electrical problem?
Another issue is when Im driving the car on the highway and i get up to like 60 or 65 the car shakes and when im braking on the highway when it hits 65 or 60 it starts to shake again.
Last issue was my power steering and antifreeze keeps leaking. Im am feeling the two up once a week. I have tried every brand that says stops leaks but none seem to stop it.
Also..my gas mileage sucks like i have to feel up at least twice a week. I am getting a tune up but I AM CONVINCED MY CAR IS A LEMON :lemon:
Any suggestions?