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You need to understand that Edmunds.com does not permit promotion and solicitation on these boards. Because most of the sites you listed may be of general use to our members, I am allowing your post to remain on the boards.
In the future, you should be advised that posts containing solicitation and promotion of products and services are explicitly forbidden by the Town Hall Terms of Use which you should carefully review before proceeding.
We have many members who are in the automotive business who contribute very useful information on the boards without crossing the line into promotion and solicitation. Welcome to the boards and we're looking forward to hearing more from you!
tidester
Host
SUVs
Sometimes AOL's search engine corrupts things...
Try typing the address manually up in the address bar/box....for example:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Let me know....
Sorry Tidester,
That should've been a no-brainer.....
I was simply trying to help the consumers....
It won't happen again, sir.....
Am I allowed to give our Customer Assistance number....it's already in my alias actually...
Chevrolet New Product Info 1-800-950-CHEV
Chevrolet Customer Assistance 1-800-222-1020, prompt #3
GM Buypower assist/navigation 1-800-462-8976
If you call any of the above numbers, they will also be able to assist u on other GM Brands...
Later,
Brian......
The glass was broken in, but very few pieces were more than 8 inches from the rear hatch. I would assume if someone had taken a bat to the window that some pieces would have made it to the rear side of the back seats or even further forward. There was no rock, etc. found.
When you hit a window in the center with a ball or bat, the center breaks into small pieces, but the pieces get larger and larger more near the periphery. In our case, there were 2-5 mm pieces all at the edge. This makes me feel like it imploded.
Finally, the car was in broad daylight, in a open hospital parking lot, with security.
My dealer was Billion Automotive, Sioux Falls, SD, Oldsmobile,Buick.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like Explorers let alone most of the poorly built Ford vehicles. We actually have a Chrysler 300M. My point, get over the rollover Explorer issues and what caused them!
I have had two Explorers which were good vehicles. I like the Envoy, but am concerned about all the problems posted here.
Would appreciate it if someone who also considered the 2002 Explorer would comment on their experience on the quality of delivered Envoy as well as experience over first several weeks.
However, it could still very well have a tipping over problem. One theory is the close ratio steering of the Explorer. You always read how the Explorer drives like a car, but that's not always good. If a driver makes a sudden, panic move, that's all the more the front wheels turn. It makes it easy to steer beyond the limits of an SUV.
Anyway, I'm not overly convercened about the new Explorer and tipping over. I never needed to evaluate it fully, as there are too many other things I don't like about it.
I will take the TSB number to the dealer and see what happens.
Thank you for your help.
Carl
Thanks.
The title of this forum is not "3 similar SUV's from an unnamed automaker", so why are you complaining about someone posting links to GM sites in a forum dedicated to GM products??
I have seen the "Thought Police" completely destroy several other busy & healthy forums here at Edmunds.
Don't do it to this one.
Thanks,
This board more than others in many cases has problems posted but then there's only so much talk about how great our vehicles are that even a group of satisfied owners can take.
I've had my share, but resolved them all to a point that I'm still 100% satisfied with my LTZ.
TULSAHOG WROTE:
"I have had two Explorers which were good vehicles. I like the Envoy, but am concerned about all the problems posted here. "
First, the post in question was not removed from the board, in case you didn't notice.
And, second, all of us agreed to Edmund's Terms of Use when we signed on and the TOU specifically forbid promotion and solicitation.
Finally, my post was simply a reminder of the second point.
There is a major difference between talking about products from whatever manufacturers and attempting to sell items or services in order to bolster your own personal sales record. I am sure you can see and appreciate the distinction.
The expression "thought police" is intended to inflame, overlooks the reality of message boards and ignores the fundamental agreement people make when they sign on. As such, its use is less than productive.
tidester
Host
SUVs
Could you post more info about the Envoy travel kit you mentioned? I always need more ...
A quick question: I just changed my oil tonight, and when I got the filter at Auto Zone the computer said PF59 but the filter on the car was a PF58 and that is also what the manual shows as the filter. I remember reading some posts a while back about the filter, but I can't remember what the consensus was. I went ahead and put the PF59 on the vehicle since it appeared to be the same size.
Someone questioned why GM was being cheap and using the PF58 but I think this is a non issue for the most part.
Use the PF59 and you'll be fine.
I am actually going back to the same dealership tomorrow morning (Monday) to take in my 2002 Grand Am GT1 for service.. the steering wheel shakes at speeds above 55 mph and it only has 1,500 miles on it! Anyhow, I will ask my service advisor for my Envoy paperwork.. they didn't have time to complete it on Friday and mentioned that they would mail it to me.. Hopefully he should be able to provide me with the specific technical bulletin for me to post to this board for you. I thoroughly tested the personal calling and my nametags are displayed in the DIC in addition to the numbers that I ask the system to dial.. displaying one digit at a time.
Now.. I did setup my virtual advisor online but when I spoke the command "Virtual Advisor," the system said "connecting to onstar virtual advisor" and after a couple of beeps, it errored out and said that it couldn't connect to my account and that I should press the blue onstar key to speed to an advisor.. Well, after this last traumatizing experience with the onstar I decided to post-pone my call. Maybe I will try again tomorrow.. Wish me luck and I will post the info as soon as I have it.
Thanks!
Dennis D.
Thank you for any help that you can give me.
Carl
To: garyking concerning the GMC Travel Kit. I stumbled onto that website by accident and took a chance and ordered one. The site is: http://fulfillment-force.com/chevgmcpromm.html
I received the kit 4 days after ordering it and was pleasantly surprised in the quality. I got mine in pewter w/Envoy embroidered. The cooler bag is approx. 1 ft. cube and looks like real soft leather and has an umbrella w/GMC logo attached. The Envoy logo is on the zippered lid of the cooler. Also included is a GMC travel map which goes inside a net attached to the front of the cooler. Inside the cooler bag is another pewter leather zippered bag, which contains the first aid kit, flashlight and tire pressure gauge. The cost for the whole kit was $40.00, which I thought was very reasonable for the quality of the product. Everyone who has seen it thought it was really nice. Looks like something you would see in a Cadillac or Lexus. The picture of it on the website, which shows it in "blue" does not do it justice. The pewter (grey) color matches the Envoy's interior color. It's available in tan, also. Hope I described it as best as I can.
Thanks.
Check it out:
http://www.zainobros.com
I have a black and light pewter TrailBlazer LTZ. Part of my research into the vehicle before I purchased it was also looking into waxes and polishes. Never had a black vehicle before, and I knew that if I didn't care for it properly it could look pretty bad pretty quick. A LOT of people out there agree with beach15 that Zaino is the best way to go. While Zaino polishes are a multi-step process initially (done properly), the results are worth it. And future applications are faster and easier than traditional waxes. (Zaino isn't a wax - rather it's a polish. Subtle distinction, but a major one!)
Zaino is the only polish I've put on my TB (although who knows what the dealer put on it - the down side of buying off the lot!) and the shine and durability was well worth it.
I was able to Dawn wash, clay, Z7 wash, Z6, Z1, Z2/Z5 (two coats) both my TrailBlazer and my wife's Grand Prix GT in a weekend. With the new ZFX it only would have taken one day. So the time of application really isn't an issue (some people say it is since it takes longer to dry than waxes - but the ZFX really speeds up the dry time).
Check out the Zaino home page mentioned above.
There's also an Edmund's Townhall board under "Maintenance and Repair" - Zaino Car Polishes
-Jason
The Astro Shield requires two coats separated by at least 6-8 hours for the initial application, but only one coat per application after that. I have used it on boats, cars, trucks, vans, etc. and have never seen anything I like better. I had a car detail summer business when I was in high school and college and Astro Shield was all I used. I have used it on every color imaginable and on the newer clear coat finishes. I have used it on my Indigo blue Envoy and it is simply stunning. It would be a very easy job on the Pewter color as it is much lighter than my Indigo is. I buy the Astro Shield wholesale directly from the manufacturer in New York as no one around here sells it. I usually apply twice per year but it can easily go once per year and still look great and continue to bead up water. A really great product as far as I am concerned.
Anyone out there with an Envoy with running boards that can confirm/deny this?
So I deny what your dealer told you.
2800KM on it, so far so good. No noise, no vibration. Tight fit & finish. Perfect!
Looked like a nice kit though.
Thanks
Thanks for the heads-up though.
Thanks
David
I found no way to navigate to anything for my Trailblazer, but they do have the stuff. I got all weather floor mats and they're good. They're rugged but not too rugged and I've heard of fit problems with the aftermarket ones.
As for washing, use a terrycloth towel or mitt, not a sponge. With terrycloth, dirt particles get taken up into the nap and are less likely to cause swirl marks.
Also, note that the bottom part of the vehicle gets much dirtier than the top. You may want to use 2 buckets, one just for the bottom. Wash the bottom with one bucket then use the other bucket to finish off the truck. This avoids spreading dirt particles all over.
As for drying, a chamois is probably best but remember, it's just going to get dirty again.
As promised, I was able to obtain an actual copy of the service bulletin issued by On Star on the reconfiguration of the control module to work with the DIC. I will post general information about the bulletin, but it's an actual two page copy that I can scan and e-mail to anyone that may request it.
On my service invoice, it states:
"CK Operation of onstar system was not activated onstar reactivated system, used phone to make a call. Worked ok but no phone number were stored in the directory. Called onstar about display not working, on star said vehicle does not have display option. Called TAC to check if info was correct, TAC advised call on star. Called on star, advised to call RTAC. TAC advisor supplied bull 01 08 46 002 to correct problem. Performed bull, system working."
Okay, if most of you out there are like me.. reading "service lingo" can give one a quick headache, but I wanted to post it exactly how it displays on my printed invoice.
Now the actual bulletin itself is labeled: Info -- programming of Replacement On Star Vehicle Communication and Interface Modules (VCIM) # 01-08-46-002 and it goes into two pages worth of detail on how the tech can reprogram the module to work with the specific options on several cars/trucks listed on the bulletin. I will scan this into my pc system tonite and if anyone needs to have a copy e-mailed, please let me know and I will be more than willing to e-mail it to you.
Also, in my previous post (3984) I had mentioned that the Virtual Advisor stuff was not working. Well I had a rude awakening today because when I actually key pressed into the On Star center today, they stated that they had my current location but my account info did not come up in their system. To make a long story short, they mentioned that my system was not configured and that I needed to take it back to the dealership. A little heated over this, I quickly returned my truck back to the dealer and the service manager quickly found out that when they reprogrammed my system last Friday, they had to have On Star update their system to reflect the new codes?? On Star had dropped the ball in doing this. After a quick call to On Star, the service advisory was able to get them to handle whatever needed to be taken care of on their end. So now all of the features of my On Star are working correctly. If you need to have the service bulletin performed, be sure that you can actually reach On Star once they are finished with your vehicle.
Good luck and thanks everyone!
Dennis D.
IExplore2000@aol.com
I have the Magnetic Red Metallic Envoy SLT loaded to the gills ($38,415) with the SLT Professional Technology Package (DVD & Stuff).
What I have used to wash my vehicles in the past is the Zymol Car Wash liquid. It's relatively inexpensive and leaves a nice shine on your vehicle. I have been using this product for a number of years and I noticed around 1998 - 2000, the product was becoming extremely hard to find. I would end up ordering off of the internet in order to be consistent with my vehicles. Now, I guess the product is becoming pretty popular again because it is turning up at a lot of stores. You can now find the wash at Pep Boys or most auto part stores, Walmart, Meijers, etc. It runs about $5.00 a bottle and works very nicely.
Also, I use a lambs wool mit that I recently started to find in some of your "higher-end" auto parts store. The mit runs anywhere between $8 to $15 and the quality is exceptionally good!
For my wheels, I will normally use the Eagle One A to Z wheel cleaner or the new one by Meguirs.. I think that it's called "Hot Wheels." I utilize these agents first to break away the break dust and other road film, then I will clean each wheel with a terry cloth towel, warm water and the Zymol car wash liquid. Also, for the tires, my dad introduced me to the Castrol Super Clean product to clean the tires.. It really does a good job! I will usually use one bucket full of water just to do the wheels, wheel wells, tires, tail-pipe, hitch and as far as my hand can reach underneath the vehicle. Then I will refill my bucket and start washing the vehicle. Oh.. one other tip.. there is a GREAT touchless car wash in my area that does a SUPER job with the undercarriage blast. I will normally take my Envoy there once a week just to get the undercarriage blast, especially since we are in the winter season and the roads can be nasty. To dry my Envoy, I invested in the California Squeegee/wiper blade and that saves me quite a bit on drying time. I don't know how much time you have on your hands, but usually my process takes me at least 2 to 3 hours to thoroughly wash and dry my vehicle, thank god for a heated garage with hot and cold water outlets!
Now.. what about waxing?? I've tried a lot of products from expensive Zymol waxes to Armor All products and my father is extremely partial to the Meguirs Professional Series line of car waxes and polishes. He has really good experiences utilizing these waxes.. you ought to see his garage and his cars.. they are brilliant! I like the Meguir products as well, but I wanted to try other products as well, just to see if I could find anything better. I recently bought the 3M line of products, but haven't used them yet. Since I bought my Envoy in late November, I haven't waxed it yet, but I am planning on shining her up this weekend. I will keep you posted on my finding! Since everyone is raving about the Zaino products, I am going to check out their website tonite as well.
Lastly, just for those who posted questions about motor oil and oil change intervals, heck.. I have been a BIG FAN of the Mobil One oil products so since 1998, my cars have had nothing but the Mobil One synthetic oils and EVEN the Mobile One Synthetic Oil filter. The Envoy uses the Mobile One Synthetic filter (M1-206) which runs around $11 or $12 here in Michigan & Ohio, and I use the Mobile One 5w-30 fully synthetic oil at $4+ a quart. I know that this can be expensive, but for a $30K vehicle, I can afford to do this just to give me greater security. Also, no ifs, ands or buts about it, I ALWAYS change my oil at 3K. I just seems fair to me and the vehicle, I don't want like to keep oil for long durations in my vehicle.. I kind of look at it like me drinking water or milk.. If the water is warm, I get another glass.. when milk spoils, I throw it away..
Good Luck and I hope that my tips may have helped you!
Dennis D.
IExplore2000@aol.com
I blame it all on the high shift points, it stays in low and second gears way to long before shifting.
Dealer says this is normal, it may be normal, but it is not right.
Carl
I do a 41 mile commute each way every day, 33 miles is highway. I also average 5 to 10 miles per day during lunch (all city). Then at night I will generally put another 10 to 20 miles of city driving on maybe 3 to 4 times a week.
I still average 19.1 mpg, so anyone getting below say 14, must have something wrong with their vehicle.
JK
I think the mileage gets better with time and a bit of change in driving habits. Working in NJ and living in NYC has one definite benefit.. Gas is almost 25 cents cheaper in NJ.
Dheeraj
My milage numbers are: 2wd, 3:73 gears, easy on the gas, 5000 + miles, City: 17-19; hiway (70mph) 20.5. These are actual numbers, figured the old fashion way. Towing 3500 lb boat ,13mpg.