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Buick Rendezvous: Care & Maintenance

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Comments

  • pgn421pgn421 Member Posts: 5
    Hi
    According to my computer im getting 24.3 miles per gallon, on the highway. Im doing around 70mph. I was wondering if i putone of those high perf air filters i might get better gas mileage. What do you think?
    Pat Detroit
  • nextmoonnextmoon Member Posts: 386
    I've changed the filter about 3 times (once a year). Yes, it's a complete pain in the [non-permissible content removed] each time. I've scraped up my hands pretty well each time. The documented way to change the filter is to have the metal crossmember that runs across the top of the filter box removed. Then you're supposed to remove the clamp that connects the rubber hose into the filter box. But it's such a pain in of itself, so I skip that.

    I open the airfilter box with everything in place and yank out the old filter. There's just enough room to push the filter cover to the left towards the engine to free enough room to remove the filter with a good hard tug. That's the easy part. The hard part is putting in a replacement and it gets tricky. With everything in place, the top of the filter box opens more than the bottom. You need to slightly lift up the box to free the bottom which has two tabs that holds the cover in place. Once it's up, you slip the new filter onto the back of the filter cover (the part attached to the rubber hose). That part is easy. The hardest step comes when you need to squeeze the cover back in place. It's hard to get the bottom two tabs lined up because you can't see them and the filter itself is in the way. I normally end up flattening the bottom of the filter in this step. But the filter folds will stand back up once it's in. That's the process. It helps if your hands are on the medium to small size.

    Don't bother checking it more than once a year. And when you do check, might as well replace it for all that trouble.
  • pgn421pgn421 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for some inside info. Im going to change the filter. Any one have Sirius satt radio? I have it and its great!
  • verdi942verdi942 Member Posts: 304
    As I posted awhile back, I been hearing a slight "groan" when first leaving my driveway. This was when the car was brand new. While I may yet fall victim to premature wheel bearing failure, this noise is apparently caused by the ABS brakes testing themselves. At least, that's what the service tech told me.
  • tablescapetablescape Member Posts: 18
    I have a slight groan once in awhile when I back out or turn out of my driveway too. It is always when it first starts up. I hope you are right and it is the brakes. I have read the problems with the wheel bearing and was getting concerned also. Mine is a 2005. I hope the bugs are all out by now. My only complaint is the external temp. my old car was exact all the time this one is all over the place from 115 in the garage in the shade to 74 when in the hot sun and it is 90 out. It changes when I get going and the dealer put a new thermometer in so I am guessing this is normal?
  • verdi942verdi942 Member Posts: 304
    table, my '02 Regal's temp reading is always immediate and accurate. My '04 Rondy's always starts about 20 degrees too high and then settles down after about 5 minutes or so. Now, my COMPASS reading is all over the place. Like showing due south when traveling east. I've tried calibrating it per the manual [driving in a slow circle, etc.] with no effect. Also, the CD player sometimes forgets where it stopped the last time it was playing the disc in it. Since I've had zero problems [13K miles] otherwise, I'm chalking this up to a minor computer glitch[es].
  • tablescapetablescape Member Posts: 18
    Well I guess I won't worry about the temp readings. I have never noticed the compass but since I never know which way I am headed it really won't matter. I probably should have gotten the navigation system. ;) I do love my new car/suv so far. I never know what to call it.
  • jk27jk27 Member Posts: 244
    I do believe the brief sound (groan) you hear shortly after starting is the ABS brake system. It happens once, right after starting, every time. I have read this occurs on other makes/models of cars as well.

    My temperature readings are quite accurate, once you've been driving for a few minutes. Initially, the readings are artificially high, as I'm guessing heat is accumulating under the hood. Once you start driving, the temps match the actual exterior temp.

    If recalibrating your compass doesn't fix things, I'd recommend that you bring it in for service. I've had to recalibrate only twice (when I let my battery run down ... oops). And, once I recalibrated, things were just fine with the compass.
  • nextmoonnextmoon Member Posts: 386
    Just wanted to point out (in case someone didn't realize) that you must choose the correct zone of the United States that you are in. Your manual lists the different zones. Mines was set to the wrong zone and made the compass less accurate. When I set it back to the correct zone, it seems more accurate. It may help.
  • jacklin30jacklin30 Member Posts: 14
    I searched the archives and didn't find much information on the care of the leather interior on the Rendezvous. The manual says not to use the commercially available cleaners and conditioners. It says to dust often and use a mild soap if necessary. I called the dealership and they told me they sell a product called Lexall and that they make a conditioner and a cleaner. But, again, the manual says not to use those cleaners/conditions. What do they mean by mild soap - Dove???? Ivory???? Mine need a little cleaning and I don't want to use anything that's going to make them dry out and crack over time. I'm curious what other Rendezvous owners are using.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I use Lexol on my wagon (try a tack shop if you have trouble finding it in with the car waxes). You can find other alternatives in the Cleaning Leather/Cloth Interiors discussion while waiting for owners to respond in here.
This discussion has been closed.

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