New 2002 owner, 31k miles
 

Hello everyone. I am the new owner of a 2002 Alero GL. It was, literally, owned by a little old lady (my grandmother) who, at 93 stopped driving. It has 31,000 miles on it.

I am excited to see what there is to learn here. Off the top of my head:

1. Since it has not experienced heavy driving, is there anything that I should look into now that might become a problem in the immediate future? I will probably be driving it around 20k a year, so it is going to start to get a serious shakedown.

2. If I don't want to pay for the chime module, am I losing out on anything else when I swap out the OEM radio without getting the extra part?

Nice to meet all of you, I am happy to have discovered this site.

Chris

wow that's pretty good mileage
welcome

Nice! Welcome. My car doesnt have chimes. I could care less for chimes. So up to you.

31k miles its basically just broke in. But ween the car into how heavy you are on the pedal etc. Basically you want the car to adapt to your driving. You should be fine. 31k miles is low. Enjoy the car. You take care of it, it will take care of you.

Welcome Chris!!

Post pics of the car when you have a chance.

What part of Chicagoland are you from?

Very nice! and welcome. I would recommend not re-chiming. I hate that darn thing personally. the ecotec is a good motor, with good gas mileage. Considering the age and lifestyle of the car I would start with new fluids all the way around, maybe some plugs, basic tune up.

With the new fluids, I would switch to Mobil 1 5W-30 for the oil.

Get rid of the Dexcool and go to the Prestone with a 50/50 mix. Used Distilled water, not tap water. You have to flush the Dexcool out before adding the green stuff. I've seen what that does when the two are mixed, you don't want to find out

Yes Let's see some pics!! :coolio:

also: without the chimes i've forgotten my lights were on twice and drained my battery lol

Dexcool is of no issue. I change out my coolant once a year. (Every 13k-ish miles)

Welcome! Its great to see another proud owner of a Oldsmobile Alero!