Comments: 1-15, 16-20
Coolant turned to sludge and had to have my entire cooling system repaired at a cost of $2000.00 when there was only 50,000 miles on it. They claim the dex-cool which is supposed to last 150,000 miles was bad. After spending all this money, the coolant went bad again 10,000 miles later. At this point we got rid of the car. It also had many electrical problems and would just shut off for no reason.
The Bravada is a very comfortable car, but unreliable. GM wouldn't help with the coolant problems even though many other bravada owners also had the same problems.
I have a web page dedicated to the ever growing problem with General Motors and their use of the Extended Life Engine Coolant, Dex-Cool. I am looking to inform as many as possible about this costly repair, GM is laying upon us, the customer. Please visit my site at your leisure:
http://www.geocities.com/b_gillie/dexcool_problems.html
After having an Olds dealer service manager tell me I had "a little rust" in my radiator and it wasn't a big deal I was very surprise to find, 3 weeks later, that a rusty sludge had developed in the radiator and spread through the entire cooling system. The repair bill?...
$3000!
My '97 Bravada had 90,000 miles at that point. It just recently turned 100,000 miles and started making another strange noise. The problem? The AWD transfer case. The Olds dealer wanted $500 just to remove the case for inspection.
My solution to this problem? Junk it. I loved my Bravada and I refused to listen to people telling me that American cars were junk. Now it is junk. I will never buy a GM car again.
David Anthony
dael@sbcglobal.net.
I also have a 97 Bravada and I will never purchase another Oldsmobile again. Luckily, I do most of the repairs myself. I have had the rear bearing (in the transfer case) on the output shaft to the front go bad. (2 day job) I have replaced the alternator, front wheel bearings twice, brake lines, front c/v shafts, rear wiper motor, ball joints, every universal on the vehicle, hoses to the remote oil filter are leaking, idler arm is bad, idler pulley was replaced twice, and it seems like every month something else goes. When we had purchased the vehicle, the monetary value of the vehicle was high. In the three years that we have had it, the price has went through the floor. So, we cannot trade it in because we will take such a loss. There is 95,000 miles on the vehicle at the present time and I just hope that it lasts 2 more years until it is paid off.
P.s. There isn't a dealer around that wants to take a Bravada in on trade. If they do, you're not going to get anything out of it.
I have a 1996 olds bravada it has no problems, exept the front wiper motor broke, the brakes did too. Other than that it is good!
I own a 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada and it has been a great vehicle for 6 years. the only problems I have had is that my A/C stopped working. Other than that, no real problems have occurred. I plan on keeping my Bravada for years to come. It only has 65,000 miles on it. It is a very comfortable car, and no "sludge" has ever appeared as a result of my coolant. I love my car, and it has held up very good the past few years.
I got it about a month ago and have had a new ignition switch put on it. there is a noise in the transfer case at about 55 mph and up. i am going to have looked at. other than that, so far it seems to be a good ride.
Bought my 97 Bravada in Feb-Mar 04, it had just over 100,000 miles on it. Not long after it started to suffer. Ended up replacing wiring harness behind ignition, now she runs like a dream. Transmission fluid level was very low when I got it, hard shifted from 1-2 on one occasion. Had transmission basic service, now no problem. Fuel gauge went out, but info center tells me consistantly within.2 gallons, so not in a hurry to fix it. Look, some people have good luck with cars some don't. I've had a Buick 4-banger that went over 200,000 miles with only minor maint., I currently own a 1992 Camaro RS with 150,000 miles (all are mine), and she runs as smooth as day one. Again no major events, just maintaining. Am I confident in my Bravada? Yes, because I have had EXCELLENT results with GM so far. Can't explain your problems any more than my lack of them, I am sure that in the grand scheme of things it all evens out.
I am yet another proud owner of an Oldsmobile Bravada. I recently purchased this vehicle a little over a year ago with 75,000 miles on it. It was between a Chevy Blazer and this Bravada. Needless to say I bought it, and paid plenty of money for it too. The second week I owned the vehicle the transmission went. It would bang into second gear. Luckily I had purchased this vehicle from a dealer. It took him almost 4 days to realize it was the trans. He fixed it! The 2 weeks later, it went again. Sent it back, and worked in for a short period of time. Trans went a third time! This time the complete unit. I have had nothing, but problems since the first day I have owned this vehicle. The transfer case went and all the seals and gaskets as well. The water pump needed to be replaced, the heated seats in the car went, wiper motor went bad, A/C needed a new compressor. By this time the dealer warranty had now expired. I recently brought the car to the mechanic…to spend more money on the beautiful garbage pail. The steering became “Stiff”, I had to spend $450 and install a new steering box. Shortly there after I noticed that the radiator fluid went from the orange DEX-COOL color to a rusty brown. Had it flushed and filled and had radiator bored out and spent over $300. The rear caliper went and cost another $200 to fix. I am at my wits end with the Bravada. To make the SUV look even better the mechanic recently told me the vehicle needs a new front end, and rear shocks. Did I mention that the main seal is leaking? In case you’re wondering the vehicle had only 90k on it.
I brought a 97 olds in 2000 with 59,000 thousands miles. drove OK at first. problems started with interior lights burned out, front wipers stopped (recall) factory player, gas (twice). rear wiper motor. front ball joints (recall) upper and lower. idler arm, l and r wheel bearing. ac stopped working. front end leaks. now transmission won't shift in lower gear no power going up hills. more payment's then car left. last time with gm product.
I bought a 97 bravada I have nothing, but problems rear wiper motor. ball joints, fuel pump, front windshield wipers, leaking seals, I think ill never buy an olds again.
I own a 1997 Olds Bravada. The vehicle ran extremely well. I had a blowout and placed the donut on the car. I drove it 35 miles at below normal speeds on my way to the tire store. The tire caught on fire. People waved me to the side of the road and yelled "fire". I retrieved my daughter from the back seat just before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Unfortunately the vehicle was paid for so I only had liability insurance. The Bravada was a total loss. Sign me, very sad, in Idaho.
I also have a 97 Olds Bravada. It drove well for the first 5 years or until it hit 90,000 miles... Now I have 141,000 miles on it, but I can't get it out of the driveway. I took it to a mechanic because it wouldn't shift... so they replaced the gear shift assembly.. then the key got stuck in the ignition, so I took it back to the mechanic and they replaced the switch, but then said that they couldn't get it to start.. they kept it for a couple of days trying to troubleshoot it as it appears that the ignition problem is recurrent in this vehicle.. finally the mechanic called me and said to take the "piece of junk" out of there... So, I had to have it towed to my house... they put the old ignition switch in.. key won't come out, so the battery is dead.. Haven't used it in a month.. I've seen other 97-98's being sold for parts.. I also have a 93 Camry Le that I have little or no problems with at 146,000 miles.. I will never buy another GM car.. must be a reason why they stops making Olsmobiles...
I own a 1996 Bravada. It looks nice. That's the best thing I can say about it. Twice I had to replace the heater core. Once at 80,000 miles and again at 125,000 miles. THEN the radiator went out, followed by the waterpump. I replaced all of that and was OK until it failed to start last week. That's a new one on me. Also, the AC leaks freon since I bought it in the winter of 2000. Now I can't keep freon in it. Did anyone look at the ball joints on this SUV??? It looks like the same ones used on my cavalier! What type of engineer would under design a truck like that? The SUV looks nice in the driveway. Too bad it doesn't run. I will fix it and sell it. Its winter and maybe no one else will find the AC doesn't work. GM... I use to swear by it. Now... I will have to go buy an import. GM... You did it to yourselves. I sure hope the government doesn't bail them out when they go bankrupt!
I have a '97 Olds Bravada. I have loved the car since I bought it in January of 2003. It had about 75,000 miles on it. I did a carfax on it & it had only been owned two times previously to me buying it. I paid a lot of money for the car as well. Within a couple of months owning it, the heater core went bad. The next year, we drove it to Florida (I live in SC) & on the way home, the front end went out. That was scary. I had to do some minor repairs after that here & there. Then, in March of 2005 there was a knocking in the bottom of the engine. Went to see several mechanics & they all said to stop driving it & get a new engine. So, the car sat for almost a year & now I have a slightly used engine in it. The engine is fine now, but the compressor went out & my key is stuck in the ignition. Sometimes the dinging won't go off & my battery goes dead. : (Also, sometimes when I am going down the road the car cuts off. Very disappointing.
My elderly father bought a 1997 Bravada new in 1997. He averages about 3000 miles per year. The car only has 36,000 miles on it now. Not long after purchasing the car the problems started. He would often complain about the windshield wipers not working and occasionally the battery would appear to die for no apparent reason. The dealer never found a problem. I would drop by to check the car after each complaint, but each time the car seemed to work properly. The electrical problems were so varied and intermittent that I thought, due to his age and eye sight he was having problems operating the controls. I recently had to drive this car on an extended road trip and now I understand his complaints. First the seat belt alarm started buzzing and would not stop, the interior light would randomly flash, the front or rear wipers would occasionally not work. This electrical problem has existed from the first day... I wished I would have listened to my father's complaints years ago!!! And by the way, he also had to have the cooling system replaced ($2000) due to the type of cooling that was installed at the factory.