1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue GL from North America - Comments

The lights (both headlights and dash) occasionally dim while cruising (with no additional loads being applied). This first happened at about 20,000, and seems to occur most often in cold weather. The Dealer can find nothing wrong with the electrical system.

The steering rack had to be replaced at 50,000. I've owned several cars that reached twice that mileage and never had any steering issues.

The front brakes for the last 15,000 have seemed to shudder slightly (there's even a subtle noise associated with it) under light pressure at relatively slow speeds. The Dealer says the discs and pads are fine and doesn't think there's any problem.

I've really enjoyed driving this car. (It's not as much fun as my Mazda RX7 was, but it works better for my family). Its acceleration is great for a car its size (although it's diminished some in recent years) and handles very well.

Irregular dimming aside, the lighting package has been a plus. The high beams actually illuminate the road. I like the fog lights and the cornering lights (especially when I need to miss the telephone pole by our driveway). Even the interior map lights put adequate light in the right spots.

The interior / dash is nicely designed, with the exception of the cup-holders (although that's only an issue when I've got a front seat passenger). I like the fabric seat material, but unfortunately, some of the interior plastic/vinyl is a little cheesy.

Even if they don't get a decent cup-holder, my passenger's appreciate the separate passenger temperature control.

The (optional) Bose sound system is fantastic.

It is very helpful to know the exterior temperature, particularly when it's around freezing.

The rear seat / trunk access feature has come in very handy on occasion.

Your lights are dimming due to a bad alternator, it's a noted problem on the earlier intrigues, and GM is supposed to have a better one to replace it with.

I had the same problem with headlight dimming until I replaced the light sensor at the front of the car. Bought the part ($17.50) and replaced it myself. Problem solved.