27th Aug 2002, 13:11

I can top that, I have had my Oldsmobile Intrigue in for 7 alternators because of the flickering lights. They gave me pretty much the same song and dance, it's normal, that's the way it is, there is nothing they can do about it. Because I have had so many problems with it, they even offered to sell me a used 1998 Aurora, taking my Intrigue in trade (giving me on $10,000, because it has so many problems) and with only $3000 down, I could have 5 more years of payments of only $417.00...needless to say, I've contacted a lawyer.

3rd Sep 2002, 14:35

I had the same light flicker problem and a new alternator (600= labor+ Parts) correct it. But my car will use 2 quarts of oil for every 3000-5000 thousand miles. Can't see it burn any oil and it doesn't leak. Further there no white residue in the coolant recover tank. The passenger side rear seatbelt on my 2000 will not work and the dealer wants $200 (65 parts+120 labor).

23rd Oct 2002, 18:34

We bought a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue about a year ago. Since that time we've had problems with our blinkers not working after EACH time we've had the problem supposedly fixed. We've tried to explain that this problem just repeats itself only this time we're told there's nothing they could do, BULL!! Why can't this problem be fixed??

I plan to pursue the matter as well as have a discussion with the man who made the sale at the dealership. Either the problem gets fixed right or the car is GONE! It's been a nightmare having a problem fixed only to last about a week before going bad again. Thankfully we haven't been stopped and ticketed 'yet.' Obviously there is a problem and used or not it's going to be corrected one way or another.

Watch out on those Intrigue electrical problems no one seems to know how to fix. I for one have had it!

24th Oct 2002, 07:32

Watch out for flickering headlights on 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigues! GM says there is nothing more they can do and they are doing everything to hide the fact there is a major defect.

It is understandable why GM doesn't offer a 100,000 mile warranty. With that type of service, you make the decision for yourself if you should buy this car.

28th Oct 2002, 07:43

I too have a 2000 Intrigue that has had similar headlight problems. I was actually pulled over by the police one morning on my way to work. The Police thought I was trying to gain their attention by flicking my lights at them! So they pulled me over to see what the problem was. Try explaining this excuse to a cop at 4:30 in the morning!!!

I went all the way to the top with the headlight problem since the local dealerships were stumped and the area rep from Oldsmobile just didn't care. They said they are aware of the problem, but that its normal. Funny I've never seen any other "normal" cars doing this on the highway have you?

Mine also eats oil like crazy. I go through 1 1/2 to 2 quarts quarts between oil changes. That to me is way too much oil for a quote "normal" engine.

I also have a continuing problem with the A/C. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. If I keep turning it on and off five or ten times it'll all of the sudden start working again only to stop working when the headlights start their blinking act.

I'm pretty much done with American made cars since I've had nothing but bad luck or is it their poor design? Nope it couldn't be the design. Our engineers are infallible in America and shouldn't listen to their customers complaints. The customer is never right. I'm getting Japanese cars from now on. Their dealerships seem to back up their products much better than their American counterparts do.

All in all I like the car, but the design flaws and lack of quality lead to a dismal personal rating from me.

31st Oct 2002, 07:57

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue Lights flickering problem resolution: Folks, I too had the light flicker issue with my car last spring, mostly when cold and the first thing in the morning or when first starting the car. The dealer finally put in a new alternator after saying nothing was wrong with it the first three times in. I thought it was fixed, but what was really happening is it got warm out and it didn't act up. Sure enough as soon as fall arrived the crisp mornings got the flickering going again. Out of shear coincidence, the battery started leaking acid (nice, huh?) all over the front of the engine so I replaced it. Guess what? No more flickering. So check your battery! Good luck.

3rd Nov 2002, 21:21

I am preparing to buy an Intrigue. The headlight issue seems trivial. Power, bulb, and a switch can be remedied without much effort. My Saturn does this when the battery is about to die too (good warning indicator). The comment on using oil does concern me. How many of those reading/posting have an Intrigue, which uses oil?

4th Nov 2002, 11:59

Regarding the person's question about oil use, I can honestly say that I never used a drop and my car now has 28,000 miles. May I also mention that after I switched to Mobil 1, I had a notable increase in horsepower. Wow, what an improvement. I highly recommend synthetic oil in overhead cam engines like the 3.5. Make sure to use 10W30 as recommended or you will lose some oil. Maybe the folks who are using oil are using 5W30 in error?

23rd Nov 2002, 19:07

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue. Headlight flicker, cruise control, heater inoperable, rattle, need I go on. There has to be an answer. I have not taken it to the shop yet, trying to diagnose the problem on line. Best scenario, trade it off!!!

29th Nov 2002, 02:45

My mother has a 98 Intrigue - while it's never left her stranded (yet), she's had numerous problems with every power window, plus the windows stick to the weatherstripping (apparently common). Also has the lights flickering, though not very noticable. A/C compressor siezed up at about 50k miles, the interior looks 20 years old already (trim is peeling off the doors), the CD changer constantly jams, and the electronic climate control unit has been replaced twice and still doesn't work right (also replaced the ac/heater fan motor recently). Every now and then it'll get a wild hair up its ass and decide it won't start easy (about 20 seconds of cranking will get it going).

When it runs though - it DOES drive very nice, and has excellent power. Exceptional handling for a car of its size, but the brakes have always felt horrible - and gave out on me while parking once (parking barrier stopped me, but I had both feet on the pedal with all my weight and it wouldn't stop - dealer couldn't find a problem). The 3.8L engines run forever - the transmission is starting to act up at only 65k miles though.