Told Alero is "Done"

[pearjas]

Hi everyone.
I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero with 77K miles on it that I purchased from my now deceased grandmother in 2014. The vehicle has never been perfect, but the price tag of $1,000 was a nice attraction. It's been my primary vehicle since 2014 though I do have a Ford Explorer as well that I use now and then. I don't know why, but I've just enjoyed having two vehicles and the Explorer has a lot more miles on it. Anyway...

I have a very good, honest mechanic that has done plenty of work on my Alero over the years. On Wednesday, I took my Alero to him as my ABS sensor (or something with the ABS system) is malfunctioning. Inconsistently, when going at very slow speeds, such as pulling into a parking lot, my car will bypass the brakes. I was hoping to get that fixed.

My mechanic advised me not to worry about that, however, because the car has extensive rust on the bottom - to the point where the structure of the vehicle is not safe. This has been an ongoing issue for quite some time that I knew would get worse, but I was hoping it wouldn't be quite this bad this quickly. I should mention, I've never looked at it myself, because I really don't know what I'm looking at.

Anyway, he did not even recommend an oil change. He said my car has reached the end of it's life. He said the car at this point is not safe to drive as he fears the rust will compromise the brake lines. He said it's already very close. So I'm wondering, has anyone had this problem with the Alero? It seems like such an odd reason for a vehicle to "die"...

 

[C&C]

I'm assuming you live in the "rust belt" (heavily salted winter roads); the only other thing you could do is ask for another opinion, but safety first; it may be a goner.

 

[pearjas]

Yeah, probably so. I'm in Missouri... (Misery)

 

[1970cs]

Sorry to hear about the Alero. Luckily mine is Sunday driver and has never been driven in winter here in Michigan where they love to salt the roads.

Even here, in Olds country and where the Alero was built, the population of Aleros are shrinking to the point where I only see 2 to 3 a day.

The wife and I have newer Silverados. We have monthly wash passes for the local car wash. Cost about a dollar a day which we can go once a day if necessary and we get the undercarriage flush every time. The wife's is pushing 5 years and seems to be very clean underneath.

Pat

 

[pearjas]

I am shocked any time I see an Alero around here..

 

[ktdavis]

Damn only 77,000 miles on it ?!

Yeah I live in Missouri as well and my 2003 olds alero 4 banger has some rust and yes I have had to replace a brake line or two due to being rusted out but good god she should still have at the very least another 77,000 to go before she should be put down. Definitely get a second opinion and be there so you can get under there to look for yourself too. You won’t know until you know & in the future you will know how to judge your mechanics word; he may be right on the money or he may have a teenager that is about old enough to drive & needs a first car (in your case a cheap one if you’re being told she is done)…

I am a mechanics daughter, both my dad & brother have been ASE certified for many years and I have learned that sometimes certain things are a headache & neither want to mess with it so I was on my own… long story short; I took my car almost completely under water, it died so I tried to start it again —-IT WAS ALL BAD!!! Anyways, I was told by multiple mechanics that it would never start again… I had no other options, single mom doing animal rescue & insurance wouldn’t cover anything! Everyday I went out & opened the hood up (January in Missouri) let the sun shine in there as much as possible, took spark plug out one at a time then tried cranking it over and over and over until I started to smell gasoline, siphoned all the water & oil outta the oil pan, dried my air filter out during the day in the sun, and believe it or not on the 8th day when I was just about to say f#%k it —she started and has ran for the past 3 years!!!! Now I am still unable to get my drain plug off my oil pan even though I was only under water for less than ten minutes. But I did it!!! I have a teenager girl whom I taxi her & her friends everywhere — that was a looooong 8 days!

Since then I had to replace my spark plugs (two years after drowning the alero) due to a misfire then the coil pack.

My only issue with this damned car that bites every now & again is the fricken security issue!!! When it slips into security mode I about lose my mind! Can not take it to dealership bcuz I already changed the ignition out years ago bcuz I was stranded on the highway 4th of July no doubt!!! Just a week ago my security acted up again as I knew it would eventually someday but I waited the stupid ten minutes for security light to stop flashing then jiggled the ignition (like old times b4 changing the ignition) and she started!!!

Knock on wood for now, I am amazed every single day that she starts back up for me & no security issue bcuz it’ll happen that I can count on for sure. Next time probably won’t be so easy I already know.

Anyways I have had my 03 alero for just over ten years and it seems like I have changed my brakes a little more than I ever have in any other car I’ve owned but its red and it is kinda fun to get to where I am going with this little thing. I almost bought a 6 cylinder once but its red and was just more power than I was used to so I opted out. Apparently I feel as though I am driving a red go cart so this 4 cylinder is all I need… I forgot to mention my father retired from General Motors Training Center so he will still let me park this car in his drive way beings its not no damn ford! Love my dad to death even though he consistently puts both his hands by his back pockets & just looks at my engine after I open up the hood; won’t ever EVER touch my vehicles as long as he lives…

something about some “unspoken rule” when my dad traveled outta the United States back in 2004 and back then my Buick had broke down so I had somebody else look under the hood & change my air conditioning condenser/compressor (can’t remember it was a 91 or 93 Buick)bcuz that particular Buick would not run at all… a valuable lesson I wish I never learned. Later after he retired he had started teaching automotive classes at a community college in Kansas and I believe I had a chance at a free ford & something went wrong almost immediately so my dad took the car up to the college to teach students to dislike fords as well(I kid I kid) anyways they were able to fix whatever issue it was during classes. I stand corrected; for training purposes he will touch my vehicle. I’m in my 50’s now, he may give me advise but he won’t ever touch my vehicles no matter what they are. If only I knew then what I know now. My father could have been a world of knowledge for me on this alero that is for sure…

I say get your alero in a garage so when they put it on a lift you are able to get under it to see for yourself how much of a rust bucket it is—-if I can take my alero swimming in January in Kansas City Missouri without it rusting out then your alero can not possibly be that bad… just my two cents & sorry about the long ass novel above. I can go on and on about this car so be careful what you ask.
Take it easy