2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premier 3.4 litre from North America
Summary:
Good
Faults:
Intake manifold gasket, $700 to repair. Owners manual says coolant should last 100,000 miles. Dealer tells me at 92,000 that coolant should have been changed every 30,000 due to caustic acid wear. This caused the intake manifold gasket to wear prematurely. Of course it isn't covered by the manufacturer even though it is a widespread defect. A friend of mine just had the same problem with their 1997 Venture and paid to have it repaired, but later it happened again and coolant leaked into the oil causing the head gasket to blow.
General Comments:
Get your coolant changed every 30,000 miles. This expensive breakdown is very common for this engine.
If it is too late, search for a class action lawsuit to join.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 18th December, 2005
18th Dec 2009, 16:32
Wheel bearing seems to be a common problem for this vehicle. My front ones are going as I can hear a grinding/circular sound when making a tight or hard turn. Don't even want to know how much this is going to cost via a mechanic. Part seems to be about $200 CDN for the front wheel bearings + about another 90 for the disk brakes. Colleague told me that it will probably take about 8 to 10 hours to do it myself.