Buick Rendezvous Maintenance and Repair

shelby349 · February 2007

Thanks for the advice!This year I've had to drive around on full heat,max fan and I never had to raise it past 25C in the past.Can I change it out myself?It's also important to check coolant levels,this would affect circulation through the heater core.

jpierce · February 2007

Just go to an auto store (Auto Zone for example) purchase the HEPA filter and change it yourself. However, like I said I am not sure where it is located (under the dash on the firewall etc.) As for the coolant level affecting your heating I think not. From my experience if you are low enough on coolant to affect the heater core, you would have no coolant or very little circulating through the engine and such a dead engine.

If you do have a concern about your coolant though check your intake manifold gasket for leaking and coolant levels in reservior. If you smell a sweet smell very strong on an hot engine good chances are you have a leak (also look for pooling just by the throttle body on top of the engine or leaking on the ground after sitting in the driveway overnight). If you had your intake manifold gasket changed just ignore this paragraph.

James

shelby349 · February 2007

I just changed out the HEPA's(there is two,side by side, inside a door compartment in the glovebox)no problem!$75 at the dealer with tax(6% Can)Thanks again,they were really grey and clogged,and made a real improvement.I forgot the salesperson told me about them in '02,she had said change them out once a year.But at that price,and considering my personal experience I'd wait a while longer.I appreciate the coolant advice,I had a leak in winter of '04 at -25C.It was cured with some Prestone sealant additive and I haven't had a problem since.Told by the dealer it's the dreaded $1500 gasket job,my Trusted Mechanic said"it's little dribble,try the additive".As for A/C problems,it may be the condensor and change out with a STEEL aftermarket,$250.My T.M. saved me a grand on that one!

shelby349 · February 2007

I just changed out the HEPA's(there is two,side by side, inside a door compartment in the glovebox)no problem!$75 at the dealer with tax(6% Can)Thanks again,they were really grey and clogged,and made a real improvement.I forgot the salesperson told me about them in '02,she had said change them out once a year.But at that price,and considering my personal experience I'd wait a while longer.I appreciate the coolant advice,I had a leak in winter of '04 at -25C.It was cured with some Prestone sealant additive and I haven't had a problem since.Told by the dealer it's the dreaded $1500 gasket job,my Trusted Mechanic said"it's little dribble,try the additive".As for A/C problems,it may be the condensor and change out with a STEEL aftermarket,$250.My T.M. saved me a grand on that one!

intrepidcub · February 2007

its the dexcool sludging up. do a google or yahoo search for dexcool sludge. theres a class action against GM for it

intrepidcub · February 2007

i hear its because verizon isnt suppsorting analog anymore thats why they are not gonna be supported. personlally i despise onstar and think its an invasion of privacy. i think that GM needs to make onstar optional or a way to deactivate it ive already gottewn my new overhead console minus onstar buttons and pulled the fuse see ya onstar

jpierce · February 2007

Thanks for letting me know about where the filters are, I will have to change mine as well. I got the RDV back today from the dealer with hood freshly painted and fixed with a sealant added along the back seam. We will see how long this lasts. As for the AC condensor I changed mine out at 38000 km under warranty. There is a bolt that sticks out from the frame some place and rubs against the condensor causing a whole over time (resulting in premature condensor failure). The GM mechanic told me the fix was to grind the bolt down and replace the condensor (so I hope this will not happen again). So if you replace the condensor look for that dreaded bolt and grind it down or no matter steel or aluminum it could problems for you.

anyway good night

James

aricci · February 2007

I also need to repair a cracked tail light cover on the tail gate - without replacing the whole thing - $500 to replace the tail gate applique!?!

442455 · February 2007

Sounds like it might be time to check Ebay for some of your parts you are looking for. There are usually headlights, tail lights, etc listed at good prices.

boilerette · February 2007

So i was reading this thread and I went to check mine. I have NEVER even known about this "hidden trap door" in my glove box.

No filter in it?? Is this something standard or something I would have asked for when I bought the car 5 years ago?

How is not having had the filter for 5 years affected my system. Which, by the way, I don't have heat either. The engine gets hot fine (no thermostat problem)... blower is fine... so where to go from here? (you're going to say "the repair shop" aren't you?)

442455 · February 2007

If your thermostat is working, and your fan motor is working, than you might have a problem with the vents which allow the warm air to enter the cabin vents. These "mixer" doors open and close depending on how the switch or lever on the climate control head in the dash is set.

It could be something mechanical {broken or binding cable} or a problem with the vacuum controls which open or close the doors.

Do all the functions {vent, defrost, defog, a/c} work? Do you have manual or electronic climate controls?

intrepidcub · February 2007

I dunno if this is it but there is a TSB on this type of problem on mine it was making a whistling noise so i did this bulletin and cleared it right up ill just put the key parts but if interested i can prolly do the full instructions its easy to do if you are comfortable with taking this apart and it can be done in 20 minutes this is off my GM service DVD let me know if you want full instruction . hope this helps ithelped in mine
--------------------------------------------------------
Minimal Air Flow In Vent Position With Full Heat (Disable Temperature Sub-Damper Door) #03-01-38-013A - (Dec 9, 2003)
Minimal Air Flow In Vent Position With Full Heat (Disable Temperature Sub-Damper Door)

2002-2003 Buick Rendezvous
2001-2003 Chevrolet Venture
2001-2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2001-2003 Pontiac Aztek, Montana

with Front Manual (RPO C60) or Front Manual with Auxiliary Temperature Controls (RPO CJ3) HVAC Systems only

Condition
Some customers may comment on a lack of sufficient air flow from the instrument panel vents when the vent mode is selected and the temperature control is at full heat. Others may comment that the volume of hot air flow from the instrument panel vents may seem to be less than the air flow from the floor ducts.

Correction
Disable the temperature sub-damper door, located inside the air conditioning module, using the following procedure:

jdks · February 2007

Can you please give us the full instruction - I have complained about this before to my dealer and they told me it was normal.... :sick:

ray80 · February 2007

I believe this is the procedure (minus illustration):
Disable the temperature sub-damper door, located inside the air conditioning module, using the following procedure:

1. Turn the ignition key to the "ON" position and move the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) temperature control to the full cold position.

2. Turn the ignition key to the "OFF" position.

3. Remove the instrument panel closeout/insulator panel.

4. Remove the instrument panel compartment.

Important: The mode door actuator described below may not be found on all vehicles. The actuator removal and replacement instructions are not necessary if this actuator is not present.

5. Locate the mode door actuator on the passenger side of the HVAC module. Disconnect the actuator electrical connector. Remove the two actuator retaining screws and the mode door actuator.

6. Remove the two screws that hold the mode door actuator mounting plate to the HVAC module. Remove the plate, exposing the mode door levers underneath. Refer to the illustration above for the location of the mode door levers.

7. Locate the mode door lever, (1) in the illustration above. Remove the mode door lever by carefully lifting the lever locking tab and simultaneously prying outward at the base of the lever with a flat screwdriver. Be sure to pry as close as possible to the base of the shaft to prevent breakage of the lever.

8. With the mode lever removed, swing the temperature sub-damper door lever (2) fully up. This opens the door fully on the inside of the HVAC module.

9. The sub-damper door may vibrate or fall closed if not secured in place. To ensure that this does not happen, use a plastic tie-strap to ensure that the door is held in place.

10. Loop a tie strap through the channel of the lever. Loop the tie-strap over the upper actuator attachment boss, making sure to also get the strap over the side ribs, as the side ribs are the locating feature for the actuator backing plate. Refer to the illustration above for location of the tie strap.

11. Install the actuator mounting plate on the HVAC module. Make sure the plate is seated against the ribs on the mounting boss.

12. Install the mode door actuator onto the actuator mounting plate.

13. Start the vehicle and check the operation of the HVAC system mode doors and temperature controls.

14. Install the instrument panel compartment.

15. Install the instrument panel insulator/closeout panel.

intrepidcub · February 2007

those would be them its really easy esp considering the glove box has 2or 3 screws i think then you pop it out held in with those metal clips. heres pic of whaty youll see and do dont usually leave pics on my photobucket for long so let me know if i delete em to soon

stever · February 2007

This kind of stuff would be great to park on your CarSpace page - just copy them to your album there.

jdks · February 2007

Thank you guys for all the info.

How do you remove the instrument panel (which one, the driver side or the center one) or can that be done from the glove compartment, there is a trap door there?

jdks · February 2007

Thanks for the info again - I did manage to do the fix this weekend and everything is working - I finally have heat after 5 yrs!!!!

cruzak · February 2007

I need an advice from you guys. Im planning to put a full synthetic engine oil, is it advisable to my 05 rendezvous? If its ok, how often should I replace it? Does it affect my car warranty?

442455 · February 2007

When my wife purchased her 2004 Rendezvous new off the dealer lot, the first thing I did when we got it home was change the oil. I put in Mobil 1 5W30, and have been using it ever since.

I change the oil and filter every 5000 miles, regardless of what the oil life remaining information shows. It is usually around 40%. She just hit 40000 miles, and has no problems or leaks. It does not use any oil between changes.

Any oil which meets or exceeds manufactory specifications will NOT void your warranty. Look in your owners manual, and you will find the specs for what grade and weight of oil to use.

Since GM has a web site which allows owners and dealers to keep track of any maintenance or repairs done, I take advantage of that. I keep the web site up to date with what I maintain, and I also keep track using the owners manual service log.

stever · February 2007

I use oil that I get on sale, and change it around 7,500 miles on my van (just like my owner's manual says to). The wagon's manual says to change at 5,000, but I tend to let that slide a bit. I'm not cruising around in F-14's. :P

Synthetic motor oil and Engine Oil - A slippery subject Part 2 may be of interest.

intrepidcub · February 2007

Glad that worked for you im curious how much buick would charge to do that. i know for me it took 30 minutes but i stopped for a bit since it was raining.

irishnovice · February 2007

Hi There can you please show illustractions again. New to this site. having same issue. Thanks very much.

jpierce · February 2007

With all the things happening with my RDV I am getting a little paranoid. Left hand rear suspension is squeaking allot going over bumps and uneven road. You can here it sometimes inside with the radio and heater fan off. Now I know the car is 5 years old and I had this squeaking sound happening on some older cars I owned (75 dart), but I am not sure this car is not that old. I just had the rear ball joints replaced recently under recall and the rear spring does not appear to be broken (but I do have air adjustable suspension), but it might be. The car appears to be sitting normal. And it is not rear bearings I know that sound. Does anyone have an idea or a this point do I need to worry about it?

James :confuse: :confuse:

jpierce · February 2007

I may have answered my own question, however can someone corroborate this. Could the squeaky sound be attributed to the rear control arm bushings (this appears to be a common thing on honda civics). It is nothing serious, but annoying sound. Appears this can only be attributed to inferior manufacturing once again by GM.

James :sick:

442455 · February 2007

Let's see, your driving a 5 year old vehicle, just had the rear suspension torn apart, and now something is squeaky. Perhaps instead of "Inferior manufacturing once again by GM" it could be caused by lack of maintenance. Have you regulary done the reguired maintenance? Do you know what is supposed to be done? How often?

Honda must use the same inferior manufacturing on their Honda Civic according to your thinking.

jpierce · February 2007

As I said inferior manufacturing. I have had over 20 repairs done on this vehicle under warranty. There is a class action law suite due to faulty intake manifold gasket (poor manufacturing by GM for the past 10 years). This is my first GM vehicle, what else can I think but poor quality in manufacturing. I believe the product speaks for itself. There is no general maintenance to be performed on the rear end of the vehicle (just where and tear) Poor quality ball joints (which could cause a safety concern was replaced by GM (again poor quality), poor quality in wheel bearings (that should last the life of the vehicle) that wear out after 35,000 km. I think this forum speaks to the quality on how GM made the RDV. This forum is to help owners with issues. If you have no suggestions to contribute to our maintenance woes please post somewhere else, because it appears you have no issues with your GM vehicle. I made a suggestion on the bushings (which in most cases should last the life of the vehicle). I am venting a bit as most owners do when we get stuck with a lemon and there appears to be allot of us.

Excuse me for being human

James :mad:

tidester · February 2007

please post somewhere else

There's always the scroll bar over to the right in one's browser ...!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

intrepidcub · March 2007

here ya go

jablonsa · March 2007

Well sounds like you work for GM. Because no other person would be soo ignorant to the major problems with the RVD. not to mention the dozens of minor problems that no one even mentions on this forum because they are too concerned about the major things. Oh. maybe by regular maintenance you meant to say the weekly major repair. Because thats been my experience. other than worrying about the high risk a Head basket will blow, or the transmission will crumble, or the wheel bearings will go, the hood will rust, or the heater core will become punctured by a bolt thats sticking out too far... i love the car. I guess GM got me with the look, and spacey interior for my freakish long legs. lol. oh ya. im talking about the 2003 and earlier as some of the things i have mentioned have been redesigned in the later models.

A car, any car should run with no major problems for 100-150k. this car only goes about 40k. meaning POOR Quality, i meant to say non existent, the steering column being smaller than it should have been, thats just inexcusable. so is the heater core bold issue and the head gasket. Also this being a sort of SUV the suspension should be up to SUV standards. i heard some horror stories about driving over speed bumps. well ill have to leave it at that. i dont know what else to say with out getting banned for profanity.

I could really turn GM around with my ideas. I have been waiting ages for the GM aura to finally burst peoples hypnosis with them and see the light. i just hope GM sees the light too and realizes the hole they dug themselves into.

jpierce good luck with your car. I hope you get it to work for you. Im just waiting for the summer to get under the hood and see what kind of a mess i have to deal with here.

442455 · March 2007

No, I don't work for GM. I read a post where someone was complaining about a squeak from the rear suspension, and jumped on the old "inferior manufactoring" bandwagon.
The vehicle he complained about was 5 years old, and no mileage was stated. Just wondered if perhaps he had not done proper maintenance, such as inspecting the rear shocks, bushings, springs, ect.

As for the head gasket issue and the wheel bearings, yes, I have been through that with several Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs I have owned. The dealer was fantastic with the repairs.

With the rebates that GM always seems to have on their new vehicles I have always used some of that money and purchased the GM Extended Warranty. I buy the 100000 mile, 72 month, no deductible policy. I usually drive a vehicle close to the 100000 miles, and when selling the vehicle, can transfer the remaining warranty to the new owner for their peace of mind.

My wifes 2004 Rendezvous which has 42000 miles on it, and which she purchased new, has had two minor problems. I do all the maintenance on it, and have never noticed any "inferior manufactoring" issues with it. As for too small of a steering column and a lack of an SUV suspension, never noticed those, either. If you need an SUV suspension, buy an SUV, not a cross over vehicle.

Good luck with your vehicles. I do feel badly for anyone that has had the major problems some have talked about, but just got rubbed the wrong way with the "inferior manufactoring" remark because of a squeaky rear suspension, which the owner has not even had checked out yet.

chuckie2 · March 2007

I guess I kind of feel bad for some of these folks... I've had my RDV since new (04) and have had only 2 issues: wheel bearing (replaced under warranty) and at 72,255 mi. my power steering pump developed a leak which my dealer did a courtesy repair at no charge. I currently have 78,878 miles and I still like the vehicle. I drive between Durham, NC, Brooklyn, NY and Cleveland, Ohio frequently even through the blizzards and I have always felt assured that I would make it there and back. I do have to say though, I am very particular about routine maintenance because I am on the road a lot so my vehicle must run like new at all times. I have driven Buicks, Caddy's and Lincolns since I was 16 and always drove them well past the 150,000 mile mark with no major issues. It seems that the loudest bashers of American metal are folks who dont take care of their vehicle. True, there are some lemons out there....The chevy citation comes to mind...but thats not a class of vehicle I would purchase anyway. I think the RVD is a fine entry level SUV, and my next purchase will be the Enclave with the V-8.

jablonsa · March 2007

ok fair enough. I guess i can understand how that might of rubbed you the wrong way. as for your wifes car. the 2004 had the 2 major things fixed. the steering column and the gaskets. I just got unlucky because i went to buy one car, than saw the RVD and it impressed me. i put down some money that day, not knowing anything about the car. when i went home within a couple minutes i knew most of the issues. I wanted to check the gaskets myself before making the final deal and bringing the car home. but my parents didnt listen to me and went to pick it up themselves for me during the week when i was working. imagine this the dealership was around 90km from my house. by the time they got back the entire cooling fluid drained out of the plastic reservoir and enough not to see any in the radiator. the first 3 weeks the car was in the shop more than in my driveway. just a strain of bad luck or miscommunication led to 3k being wasted. at least i hope the car lasts till the summer. there is a lot of corrosion under the hood. this is my first car and i have never been a car head at all. but i learn quick. so i plan to clean up all the rust this summer.

does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of product i should use to clean the rust off. i want to clean and protect at the same time from future damage if possible. some kind of rust stripping oil i think would be best. if anything like that exists. I dont understand why cant car manufacturers just anodize all the nuts and bolts and metal parts that rust under the hood. If GM started doing that it would build a lot of trust with the customers and perhaps get them back with a quality product. only other thing would be to wait till canada turns into a nice dry desert to keep my car preserved for generations. I hope GM does not have its engineers down in the desert designing cars for us up here in the north where it rains more than once a month.

442455 · March 2007

What year and how many miles does the Rendezvous have? GM does have a rust through warranty which may help you. Where is the rust? My wife had a 1988 Chevrolet Corsica, which at 97000 miles the hood started rusting through. The dealer repaired the hood at no charge because of the warranty.

jpierce · March 2007

To first add. My RVD has 100,000 km (60,000 miles) I am probably the most meticulous person when it comes to maintaining any vehicle and as such when it comes to my RVD I am very protective of it. I am little frustrated with the lack of support from GM in my opinion and how this RVD was very poorly manufactured (made with off-shore parts according to my mechanic and made in Mexico_I guess when I found razor blades hidden inside the doors after I received the vehicle I should of caught on). The transmission went at 90,000 km due to a faulty and poorly constructed main drive shaft and plantary gears (The after market components are upgrades compared to the original and corrected these known issues according to transmission shop that does all the GM transmission repairs). This cost me big time. I hope the new one lasts. If you read my previous posts the number of things gone wrong with my RVD is long and are common repairs being done on this vehicle (as indicated on this web site by many others and other RVD forums on the internet).

Now to deal with the rusty hood. I just got mine fixed under warranty (5 years 100,000 km or 60,000 miles) through the GM dealer. This is what GM told me. First the hood is aluminum and the problem is the design along the back of the hood/windshield and faulty design of the back seam along the hood. It appears the seam is not sealed properly upon original manufacturing and as a result of snow piling up on the wind shield and falling down under the hood space (where the wipers sit) the moisture seeps into the seam and causes oxidation and then corrosion. The only way to fix this is to grind off the corrosion and repaint (the original repair was to replace the hood, but GM put a stop to that since it was getting so expensive for them). The GM dealer did put a sealer along the seam, but said it will bubble again and their is nothing I can really do about it.

So if you did not buy extended warranty beyond 60,000 miles or 5 years you will have to try and fix it yourself.

Getting back to my suspension I just had all new rear end ball joints installed on the vehicle by GM (recall) and a month later the squeaking starts. I was under the vehicle today and everything appears to be tight and OK. The noise is just annoying (since I am meticulous). I will take it into the dealer, but I do not think its critical. I am busy trying to get my older car (96 MX6) fixed up (new cat, o2 sensors, belts, trans fluid change, plugs) for the environmental test we have to do every 2 years to get our plate sticker. This is general wear and tear maintenance since the car so old. RVD goes next year (2008) for the environmental test.

Anyway I have talked enough. If anyone has any idea what is causing the squeak in the suspension it would be great. I like to go in knowing something then nothing when I visit a mechanic. As always mechanics have you as a captive audience when it comes to car repairs.

good night

James

lindeezy · March 2007

I started my 02 RVD this morning and it started making this awful knocking sound. So I popped the hood to take a look and noticed oil all over the fan and all over the ground. On further inspection I noticed when it is running it blows oil from somewhere above the oil filter. Has anyone had this problem. Please HELP I live in germany and dont know what to do.

jpierce · March 2007

There could be a few things wrong here. I have had some experience not with the RDV but other vehicles.

These are the simple ones first

1.check to see if oil filter is tightened properly. If oil change was recently done.

2. There is a oil pressure sensor located above the filter and what happens these can crack (since they are made of plastic) causing the leak. This can be serious since it drains out the oil while the car is running.

3. Specific to the RDV is a rubber seal that can go around the top of the oil pump. Check for oil sitting on top of the engine. In the general location of the intake manifold. This pricey to fix for a 2 dollar part.

Now for the 3.4 L motor. This engine is notorious for cracked blocks and ruptured head gaskets. This may also be your problem, which is very serious and makes the car undriveable. The only thing you can do is check for the three items I mentioned and if this is not the case take in right away for an assessment Good luck

James :sick:

awill475 · March 2007

Hello, I am new here and hope to find some help from you! I took my car to the dealer today regarding my driver's side front window that stopped working. They told me that the motor/regulator was causing the problem and that the regulator needed to be replaced. Here is my confusion: the dealer tells me these 2 parts come as a complete assembley, however I can't find that on line any where, all I find is the motor by itself. Any suggestions where I can find this part? Also, how do I know for sure that it is just the regulator and not the motor, I don't want to spend the $$ on the worng part. Thank you!

442455 · March 2007

"GM Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 03-08-64-015 was released to address parts issues with inoperative power windows. They now have the power window motors, the regulators and the regulator clips all as seperate parts. So in the event of a power window failure you do not have to replace all of those parts (unless more than one of them has failed). If you had to replace the entire unit, the cost would be pretty high as opposed to being able to replace each of these individually, especially if the problem is due to the regulator clips as opposed to the regulator itself."

I copied this out of a different discussion group pertaining
to Azteks and Rendezvous which share many of the same parts. There are clips which hold the window and seem to break quit often. The clips are around $30.00. The motor and regulator, according to this post, are now seperate pieces. You need to find out what is wrong with yours, and how many components are in need of repair.

rcjsr · March 2007

Hi, My 02 RDV remote lock/unlock quit working. I drove the RDV about 30 miles. No other issues. Two weeks later the battery was too weak to start the car. Recharged the battery and next day bought new battery. As soon as battery was installed the remotes worked normally until I started the car, then quit working again. If I remove battery power OR remove and reinstall fuse for BCM the remote works again until key is switched to run. Can anyone help. I am reasonably able to follow mechanical/electrical instructions. Thanks

awill475 · March 2007

Thank you!

phobosmoon · March 2007

Hello group I am new to this forum. From what I've read there have been some problems with the RDV. I'm glad to say I haven't had too bad an expireance with this vehicle.

Having said that...

My driver side window just fell into the door while I was at a red light. Needless to say I was not happy. When I look into the door I can see that the motors are working fine.

My question. I've removed the screw and bolt from the door panel but I can't find the location of the clips or clamps that hold this puppy on. There is no repair manual for the RDV that I've found. And I'm not having much luck on finding info on the net.

Any Suggestions?

Thanks to all.

Rick

442455 · March 2007

Rick, you need to remove the trim panel and the watersheild which is attached to the door. Once these are removed, you should be able to see the window regulator. The plastic clips are at the front and back of the regulator, towards the bottom. They are held on with a bolt. When you replace the clips, tighten the bolts to 97 INCH pounds. the clips are about $30.00 from the dealer.

intrepidcub · March 2007

this is all the repair Dvd shows they clips you just pull straight out.

Open the door.
Disconnect the power window switch assembly. Refer to Power Window Switch Replacement - Left Front or to Power Window Switch Replacement - Right Front .
Remove the screws from the front door trim panel
Use the J 38778 to remove the trim panel.
Reposition the electrical harness connectors.
Remove the trim panel from the vehicle.

jpierce · March 2007

Well I just had my RDV (2002) diagnosed with leaky head gasket (at 100,000 km or 60,000 miles). My worst fear has come true. I asked GM to replace both gaskets since they will have the engine apart anyway. The rear one is gone. First sign for me was smelly coolant smell and then small drippings on the driveway right-hand side from the back of the engine. I was not too pleased. I contacted GM Customer Service and they are looking into providing some assistance if want to or not. This will cost 2 grand if GM does not help out. This is 6 grand in repairs on this vehicle in the last 4 months (Transmission went at 91,000 km - and GM told me to get lost on that one). That is a year worth of payments on a brand new vehicle. After this repair I will be looking into unloading this vehicle and moving on. Unfortunately my first attempt at GM has left a very bad taste in my mouth. No more for me. Toyota, Honda and Nissan here I come.

:sick:

intrepidcub · March 2007

Just get a new one with the 5 year 100K warranty.:) I agree with you on getting tired of it this is my first GM i ahve ever owned and i love my vous havent had any problems with it but i wont buy another GM I jsut dont like the way an average person cant work on GMs. your forced to go to the dealer for the BCM you cant even change the thermastat without dissassembling the motor and rotating it. Its sad that it doesnt seem feasible to wanna keep a car more than 5 years anymore they drop in value so fast and repairs are so expensive. I would keep your RDV though your not going to get your money back trading it in and hopefully you got most of the bugs out of it.Good luck

kirkncc · March 2007

Thanks. You are probably right about the trade in value. I heard back from GM Customer service and it appears I am fortunate. General Motors is going to cover the replacement of the head gasket, rear bank only, since that is the one that is gone. The gasket was cracked. As for the front gasket I will have to pony up the doe since that was my decision to replace it as a precautionary measure. Might as well since the engine is torn apart. Extra 400 to 500 bucks for that repair. Its hell of allot better than 2 grand. Thank you GM. So there is a better side to this story. However, I can not expect this to happen forever, the car is moving on in age. With so many problems with this vehicle though I will probably still have to replace it. I can not trust it anymore. People what more can happen to it, well I asked myself that about 6 repairs jobs ago and it keeps happening. Whats next window problems, power stirring, rear gear box....this list goes on and on. Well until next time

JP

cruzak · March 2007

*Thanks for advice

*Another thing I want to ask, what is the best fully synthetic motor oil in the market?
Mobil 1?
Amsoil?
Castrol?
Pennzoil?
or any other leading products for suggestion?
*How many liters should I put in the engine?
*My other car seldom I use, should I change the engine oil every 5000miles with synthetic oil or is it good only for how many months?

442455 · March 2007

What brand of oil is best? Well, that is a question which is difficult to answer. Many people are brand loyal because they have never had a problem in the past. I use Mobil 1 because it has been around for a long time, and I have never heard anything bad about it.

Any major brand, if not all brands, will meet or exceed the manufactory suggested requirements. It is just a matter of what you choose to use.

There is no "time limit" for how long oil is good for that I am aware of. However, if you look in your owner's manual, I am sure that it will tell you to change your oil at certain mileage intervals, and if you drive less than that, it will state to change it at least (fill in the blank with a time period). Usually I have seen it say at least every twelve months.

My wifes Rendezvous takes almost 4.5 quarts of oil with the oil filter being replaced every oil change.

intrepidcub · March 2007

Engine Oil Scheduled Maintenance
Change engine oil and filter as indicated by the GM Oil Life System or every 12 months, whichever occurs first. Reset the system.

Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know when to change the engine oil and filter. This is based on engine revolutions and engine temperature and not on mileage. Based on driving conditions, the mileage at which an oil change will be indicated can vary considerably. For the oil life system to work properly, you must reset the system every time the oil is changed.

When the system has calculated that oil life has been diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is necessary. A CHANGE ENGINE OIL message in the Driver Information Center (DIC) will come on. Change your oil as soon as possible within the next two times you stop for fuel. It is possible that, if you are driving under the best conditions, the oil life system may not indicate that an oil change is necessary for over a year. However, your engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year and at this time the system must be reset. It is also important to check your oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.

If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must change you oil at 5,000 km (3,000 mi) since your last oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system whenever the oil is changed. Refer to GM Oil Life System - Resetting .

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Buick Rendezvous Maintenance and Repair

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