bought 95 Cutlass-new to Olds -have questions

[Guest]

Just purchased my first Oldsmobile - In the past I have driven import vehicles with manual transmission - my past vehicle's motors could easily go 175 to 200K - that's what they were built to do and they certainly delivered. I learned to drive on a Cutlass, always loved the car and now that I have a family, the four door Cutlass fits my needs much better - I am concerned about the 96K the car has on it's engine, however. Please, what is the expected life of a 95 Cutlass motor - it's the smaller of the 6 cylinders. Incidentally, this car is a cream puff - it has been EXTREMELY pampered. The engine is CLEAN and regular maintenance has been performed. I intend to continue the pampering and as a Mom, with children in the car, I do not BEAT on a vehicle. Also, I live in a mountainous region, with dusty country roads. Thanks so much for your help - by the way, I'm a "convert". Since 9/11 I vowed to by "American" whenever possible, I'm glad I did. I LOVE THIS CAR!

[rocketraider]

All car engines last longer than say even 20 years ago due to improved metallurgy and manufacturing methods. I know several people who have 3.1 Cutlasses with 200k+ miles and no major service issues. Use good oil and filters (AC-Delco are the best for your car) and keep it changed regularly on the severe service maintenance schedule- never more than 3000 miles between oil and filter changes.<P>You don't need to beat on a car too hard, but it doesn't hurt them to run 'em thru their paces every so often. They're designed for it and need occasional "exercise".<P>A good friend just traded his 95 SL sedan on a minivan since his last kid was born and they didn't think the Cutlass was big enough anymore. He misses the car.<P>By the way- glad to hear you've decided to buy American. This "foreign means better quality" thing is a bunch of hype anyway. I have an 83 Olds wagon, supposedly built during the worst days of American car quality, that has 246k on it. Everything works, it's in very nice shape, and just made an 800 mile trip this weekend. It's had regular maintenance and stuff fixed as needed- and it's never really needed much. For some reason, the foreign carmakers' recalls and QC problems never get reported in the media, but they have just as many as the Americans.

[Guest]

raider, I must respectfully only partially agree. As you say, engine design lives are well over 100K miles. Secondary components are just now starting to be designed for 10 years. <P>All manufacturers have field problems and so called "silent recalls", but the incidence (reported or not) has been higher recently at Ford - GM - DCX.<P>3000 mile oil changes, with rare exceptions, are not necessary - 5K is fine. I base this in the oil additive package life studies - the oil companies use the NYC taxi fleet to rack up miles in a hurry. Just as engine metallurgy has progressed, so has motor oil formulation.<P>To the central question - how do you define an American car? Headquarters in America? Built in America? Assembled in America? I don't think there is one right answer here, but I look forward to some opinions. Everybody be nice and respect others' opinions.

[rocketraider]

Polite disagreement and discussion welcomed! That's how knowledge is gained. <P>Even with the advent of API SL oil rating, I still have qualms about going more than a few thousand miles on an oil change, especially after an engine gets 75k or so on it. I think one reason the aforementioned Olds has done so well is that it has had oil and filter changed every 3000 miles the first 100,000 miles of its life, and every 2000 since it turned over its first 100k. Uses no oil and the oil never darkens- the garage owner commented on that last week when it was changed. An unnecessary expense? Maybe. Peace of mind for me. The wagon sees 60 mile trips each day, meaning everything is warmed up and equalised so I could probably go longer between changes. I tend to believe all cars are actually operated under "severe service" conditions, especially our old cars.<P>The Honda dealer here is notorious for trying to (literally) cover up Hondas that have to be towed in. They send the rollback (which has no dealer signage) and cover the Honda from the time it's loaded until it disappears behind the dealership. I'm told the service department was intentionally designed with the holding area and all entrances at the rear of the building, out of sight. <P>American/foreign. A now difficult question to answer since a lot of current "domestic" production is built in Mexico, and all the major foreign players have assembly plants in the States. For starters, let's define it by the corporate engineering and marketing philosophy and ethic, since the Americans, Asians and Europeans all seem to have fundamental differences here.<P>Other ideas?

[Guest]

while that's an interesting thing to examine, I don't think it defines "American manufacturer." There is a lot of difference in approach between Renault/Nissan and Mazda/Ford vs. Toyota and Honda, in spite of them all being in some respect Asian and all building cars in North America.

[Guest]

Well-Looks like I may have started something with the American/Foreign thing. Sorry, not my intention. As far as oil changes go - I am NOT a Pro on the subject. All I can tell you is, the 95 Cutlass I recently purchased went in for it's first check up - the mechanic was extremely impressed at the overall condition of this car - the oil was clean, clean, clean, the engine was also. He said even with 96,000 miles on it, it ran and performed like a 2 or 3 year old vehicle and believed the regular maintenance and regular "3000 mile" oil changes are the main reason for it's superb condtion. And Rocket Traider, I did state that I'm a MOM who won't be beating on the car - I do have a husband who will as you say, "put the car through it's paces." This man could have been a Starsky or Hutch, so trust me, when I'm not around, he will "exercise" the car for me. I thank you all for your comments, I'm no longer concerned about what I thought were high miles - I think the quality of care the car receives while the miles are piling on can make a big difference - I do have a question, my manual says at 100,000 miles, I should change transaxle fluid and filter - my hubby, Hutch, says his buddies who race cars feel if you change the fluid and filter, you can cause damage ? Their rationale is that the old fluid "ripens" and turns into a type of varnish that actually fills in holes, etc. and that the changing of the oil will cause eat away this protective sealent that the old oil supposedly provides. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[rocketraider]

The worst that "could" happen if you change the fluid and filter is an expensive transaxle rebuild. The worst that "will" happen if you don't change it periodically is an expensive transaxle rebuild. I've heard that myth about not changing automatic transmission fluid too and I suppose it could be so back in the days when AT fluid was based on whale oil (that's what makes it stink so bad when it gets overheated or burnt). Modern AT fluids like Dexron III no longer have whale oil as an ingredient and are compounded to reduce varnish and deposits.<P>GM used to recommend trans fluid changes every 30,000 miles under normal conditions and every 12000 under severe service. So the 100,000 mile interval says they've improved things a lot.<P>If the fluid is clean, clear dark red and has no terribly burnt smell (Dexron III always has a slight stink to it), changing it won't hurt a thing. If it's brownish and has a noticeable stink, it's past time to change it. Most dealership service departments offer transmission flush service which is the way to go on a fluid/filter change. It gets all the old fluid out.

[Guest]

Thanks for the info on the transaxle fluid - I'll talk to my mechanic and see if he can flush it. If not, I'll head for the nearest Oldsmobile dealer. Appreciate the advice.