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Now we are really concerned. We don't know how bad these problems are and shall we still buy?? Your input is appreciated.
It is a matter of personal prefernce, but there are no mechanical problem with these two. Transmission can be reprogrammed to improve the shifting. Otherwise it makes you drive like a typical Buick driver:)
Leaks are a whole different problem. Some cars are affected, some not. There was a recall for some of them.
Leaking, as others have said is from the sunroof, and affects certain VIN numbers. Worried about this - pass on the sunroof - I'm going to do this anyhow as I don't care for the sunroof execution. Problem solved - no leaks have been reported from vehicles without the sunroofs.
Visibility - yeah, I can see how this might bug you. It is a small view port out the back, no doubt. The optional backup sensors and camera go a LONG way to addressing this. The sensors and the camera make this vehicle a LOT safer to back up than my 05 Highlander without those safeguards. I think you get used to this - but as others have said - if a big vehcile is a problem for you - this is not your sled.
In truth it is the most AMAZINGLY quiet vehicle I have ever driven and it offers real value in it's segment.
My Enclave has 28,000 miles on it in just under 15 months. My ownership experience has been stress-free. No leaks. No drips. No squeaks. All the bells and whistles work like they are supposed to, and I have every option available on my CXL. I did have the rear hatch switch bite the dust, but it was replaced in less than 25 minutes. The dealer offered me a loaner car if I didn't want to wait!
The car rides smoother than a limo. It's quieter on the inside than all but the most expensive luxury automobiles. The transmission is geared for maximum mileage. On the highway driving at 4-6 mph over the posted speed limit, I routinely pull down 25 and 26 MPG's in my 2-hour round trip to see mom. If I can stretch 520 miles out of 21 gallons of gas in a 5000 lb vehicle, call me granny.
Remember if you are a prosepctive buyer, ALL CARS HAVE LEMONS that roll off the assembley line. That's what lemon laws are for. Be aggressive!
With this recent downturn in the economy, I have the opportunity to trade in my Enclave and buy anything in the $45-$55,000 bracket. There just isn't a car out there that can match the luxurious interior amenities, quiet and supple ride, huge storage, unbeatable gas mileage and seating for 7 like my Enclave. I've spent hours on Edmunds.com researching the competition and they all fall short. Mercedes R class? Comparably equipped it's $12 grand more, and don't forget Mercedes famous $250 oil changes. Audi Q7? Also at least $10 grand more, and who wants to pay for premium unleaded when gas goes back up to $4.00 a gallon? I even looked at BMW, Audi, VW and Mercedes station wagons, but they only seat 5. You want to tell one of my kids which one can't bring a friend?
If you are in the market for a 7 or 8 passenger car and can't justify the huge engine and poor mileage of large SUV's, you owe it to yourself to drive an Enclave.
There is a TSB for Enclave's that have the Delphi NAV units where the power to those is left running and drains the battery. The software update solves the problem for everyone I have heard of with this problem.
Your dealer should be able to look it up for you too. I've heard of plenty of people having this update applied.
The good: It still rides like a dream. All the bells and whistles work. There are no signs of wear, even on the leather seats (ok, the unlock symbol on the key fob is wearing off). Had it in this week for the 30k service, there is still 5mm of brake pad all around. No squeakes, rattles, hisses or other intrusions. I think it's broken-in. I think it's very well built.
TIP: Have your tires inflated with nitrogen. Mine were when I bought the car, and it appears I have at least half the tread left.
The bad: Warranty work has been limited to reflashing the tranny, replacing the rear-hatch door switch, and a faulty outside temperature sensor. I had a piece of industrial foam rubber inserted under the front seat cushions to correct the seating angle. My only complaint is when I went to get snow tires this year (I'm FWD), there were two manufacturers who made this size, and both were sold out for the season.
T-T-T-That's All, Folks! :shades:
I bought a touch-up paint bottle from the dealer for $12 to hide a couple of nice scratches I've acquired on the hood.
I'd like to see some type of brush-like material to protect the floor seat channels from filling up with kid debris.
Boy do I not miss the Toyota Sequoia! :P
thanks
GM, call me to do ads for the Enclave. This vehicle still rides as smoothly as the day I drove it off the lot. Brakes perfectly straight. Accelerates just right. No rattles, hums, or other annoyances.
Everything still works. All the bells ring and the whistles are loud and clear. Towed a big 12' enclosed UHaul from OH to FL...had to keep reminding myself the vehicle in my mirror was not tailgating! A super-nice touch: when in trailer mode, the usual three-blink lane change function increases to six blinks.
Hardly any sign of wear on the leather seats. The paint shines brightly. Even the exhaust tips haven't discolored.
Aside from regular maintenance, I did elect to have the tranny fluid and coolant replaced at 65k. Maintenance-wise......that's all, folks!
Since life is not perfect, my only beef is how GM is handling the heated washer systems. They are simply disconnecting the heaters and offering customers $100. SHAME on you GM. I have elected to keep the system connected. I love it.
You can't find an engineer who can fix the problem?
My dealership experience has been so-so. I'm on my third, I like them and hope they will be my long-term go-to dealer.
If I had to summarize my three years of ownership, I am completely satisfied. My vehicle was one of the first off the production line, and it is very well built. thank you, Mr. Lutz.
Safety: the above post is one of the main reasons I have an Enclave. An acquaintance of ours bought one several years ago and was head-on'd on the highway. They lived to tell the story. They went right back to the Buick store for a new one.
Comfort: Everything still works perfectly. The seats are barely showing signs of aging. Six Florida-Ohio runs of 2700 miles each in the past 18 months have been a pleasure...I'm not sure kids today can truly appreciate the DVD system. I was tinkering with getting a conversion van for these frequent escapes, but why? A folded piece of paper under the clock eliminates an intermittent dash squeak.
Reliability: I've had two major problems, both covered under warranty. At 76k the transmission gave up the ghost. A reverse pawl (?) snapped. My Buick dealer was thrilled to do the work as they hadn't had to open one up yet. I received a completely new tranny, not a rebuilt one. At 88k, a loud rubbing/echoing sound emanated from a wheel well. The entire hub assembly was replaced, warrantied as part of the drive train! Thanks, GM! My windshield is showing signs of needing to be replaced as there are many teeny-tiny chips from all the high-speed highway driving. Gas mileage is holding strong. I can still eke out 26mpg is if stay within 3-4 mph of the speed limit and moderate the gas pedal carefully.
Dealership Experience: I'm on my third dealer, and they are a gem. The service adviser knows me by name, explains everything in great detail, and has really earned my business. My purchasing dealer and closest, local dealer both have worthless service departments.
I'm on my third set of tires: two Michelin OEM's then a set of Goodyears. I'm from Akron, Ohio so it is hard for me to buy a non- Goodyear/Firestone/Goodrich tire. The Goodyears are a little noisier than the Mich's, but the Goodyears were $60 less PER TIRE. Coscto does tires and balancing really, really well.
The paint still looks showroom new. The carpet and leather seats show so little wear that people ask me if my car is new. I take good care of her inside and out: cleaning the carpets twice a year; applying leather conditioner 3 or 4 times a year, and waxing every 4 months.
I can honestly say there is no better car out there in the same price range.
Sarah
GM Customer Service
We were leaning toward Traverse versus Enclave for $10K savings but edmunds.com posts say -Traverse/Acadia have serious mechanical problems. Appears Buick has fewer problems.
We need a reliable vehicle within reasonable price range. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
By the way, I bought with no nav system because I love my Garmin. Back-up camera is in the rear view mirror - much better place for it if you ask me. And, no DVD player, no step assist (the latter totally not necessary). Dropping these extras, and the console, helped a great deal on price and I do not miss these items at all. I live where there is lots of snow. Most people do not need the AWD.
My biggest complaint is the location of the driver side, side view mirror. Creates a terrible blind spot - getting use to it and take a much better look when I am turning the corner. Makes it difficult to find the pavement and PEDESTRIANS crossing! Really can't think of another negative!
Well worth the money.
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Press
Where do I begin? Lets start with the worst...leaking roof (the fixed skylight not the moonroof). Since I bought the car in January (Minnesota), the roof leaking did not become visible until it began to rain in early April. To make a very long story short, I took the car back to the dealer FIVE TIMES! Each time they told me it was fixed and it wasn't. I eventually had to call GM corporate customer service and open a case. After much arguing, I was able to get a letter of warranty from GM stating that they would fix any issue with the sunroof leaking up to 100,000 miles. I have not seen any leaking after they had the car in the shop for the fifth time. I spoke directly to the person working on the car and his conclusion was that the problem was a poor design.
A few weeks after having the car, I pushed the button to open the lift gate. The entire button assembly fell out into my hand. I had to take the car back to the dealer to get it replaced, While at the shop, they told me the transfer case seal was leaking so they replaced this as well. Both were covered by the 12 month warranty.
In the middle of the summer (6 months after purchasing the car) the air conditioning went out during an eight hour trip from Chicago to Minneapolis. Of course it was in the mid 90's and I had the entire family in the car. This time the dealer said they could not find any leaks in the system and that the system needed to be recharged. I had previously owned a 1999 Chevy blazer for nearly 10 years and never had to recharge the A/C system.
Shortly ofter the A/C problem, I began to experience a severe vibration while braking at highway speeds. The front brake rotors had warped and needed to be replaced. At this time I had put on less than 10,000 miles since I purchased the car. Of course this was not covered under the warranty.
One great annoyance with this vehicle is the transmission. This has been well documented in the years since this car had been released. The transmission is programmed to shift up early (to improve gas mileage according to GM). This is fine if you are only going to drive this car on perfectly flat terrain. Unfortunately, if there is an incline, the car keeps shifting down, then up, then down again. I have read that GM put out a service bulletin that would allow dealers to re-program the transmission to alleviate this problem at the owners request, but that fuel economy would suffer (and the cost to re-program is at the owners expense).
On the subject of fuel economy...I have yet to come close to the estimated 21 mpg. I did not have the transmission re-programmed. I am lucky to get 17 mpg in mixed in-town and highway driving.
At the writing of this post, I have just made another appointment at the dealer because the car has developed a loud whining noise while at idle or driving at low speeds. After doing some research, it sounds like I am now experiencing the power steering issues that have plagued this car and its siblings the Acadia and Traverse. GM has service bulletins on this issue as well.
My other vehicle at this time is a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited. I bought this car as a 2 year old certified vehicle in 2001. This car has been a champ. At this point I have far more confidence in the Chrysler than the Enclave.
I have read other posts here that sing the praises of their Enclave. I am truly happy for these folks that they have been lucky enough to avoid the multitude of issues that other Enclave owners like myself have had to endure.
If we can be of assistance, either by providing recall or warranty information, or by opening up a Customer Assistance case, please send us an email with more information including your name/username, the last 8 digits of your VIN, and the name of your involved dealership.
Kind regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
In a follow-up to my last (lengthy) post, I just got my enclave back from the dealer after being in the shop for two days. I originally brought it in for a noisy power steering pump. They did discover a leaking power steer in hose. However, they also found a defective sway bar and replaced that. Then it was discovered that the water pump was leaking, so that was replaced as well. Finally, they called me to tell me that they had found an oil leak coming from the timing chain housing. They replaced the timing chains and resealed the housing. This required an oil change of course. The car currently has 67,000 miles.
All of the above was covered under either my 5 year 100.000 mile power train warranty or the extended warranty I had purchased. My guess-timation on the retail cost of this work would be in the neighborhood of $2500 or more. I paid my deductible on the extended warranty of $100. I guess that is a way of looking at the bright side.
I go back to my original post about the quality of the vehicle. If all of these things had to be done on a vehicle that only has 67,000 miles on it, what does that say about the quality? I have 105,000 on my '99 Chrysler town and country. I have not had to replace even a water pump. I took the Chrysler on a 500 mile round trip over the past three days. The car ran like a champ and got me nearly 24 miles/gallon.
dealer...they're the best...hands down. And keep in touch with GM Customer Service...they really will do there best to help you. Oh, and I don't work for GM!
But as of now I will not buy another GM vehicle, period... Here's why...
GM initially sells their vehicles with VERY OLD MAPS. Don't buy the update disks either and if you do for God's sake don't get it from the thieves at GMNAV Disk.
If you take out your DVD disk and put in your computer to check the folders you'll see that the 2011 disk has maps dated DEC2008. The maps are even older than that and I have found no difference in them from the maps in the DEC2007 dated map folder on my GMNAV Disk that came with my then new 2010 vehicle.
They just released the 2012 GMNAV dsk update and guess what. The maps are from 2009 and they are no where near up to date with roads and addresses that were open in 2009 or in 2008 for that matter.
GM, as always, takes an otherwise "great" vehicle and then pisses off people that plunk down $50K or more by screwing up badly such details as "intentionally" selling 3-4 year old maps with a $1500-$2500 in dash Nav system. Then add insult to injury by trying to "gouge" customers for a ridiculous $200 for a truly ""feeble"" attempt at an "update".
GM needs to be held accountable for this scam and so far no one is except for the few of us willing to rip their thieving throats out on blogs.
We are not only customers but we bailed out this damn company with our tax dollars. We who then also pony up a huge bundles of cash to buy a GM vehicle DESERVE BETTER!
2013 Buick Enclave Gets Midcycle Updates (Inside Line)
Thank you for taking the time to post your concerns. Can you please email me directly with your VIN? I would like to look into this further for you. I look forward to your email.
Christina
GM Customer Service
SocialMedia@GM.com
To start with, the overall quality of the vehicle is extremely poor. There is a very loud whistling noise right behind the driver's head when driving on the highway. It is very pronounced when there is a cross wind coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. I would expect a vehicle in this price range to have a nice quiet cabin. The vehicle itself makes all kinds of strange popping and clanging sounds when it is started up. It seems as if something is going to fall off of the vehicle or blow apart at any time.
The transmission is tuned so poorly that the vehicle is tremendously unresponsive. When you step on the gas it seems to hesitate and then makes a strange whirring noise when it finally decides to go. This beast is not fun to drive.
Blind spots in the rear from the very small window are frustrating. When the DVD screen is folded down there is zero visibility from behind. The front support columns around the windshield create large blindspots as well. It's difficult to see approaching traffic while stopped at in intersection.
The above items are mere annoyances compared to maintenance issues with this vehicle. In addition to numerous smaller maintenance issues that had to be fixed in the shop, in the short time I've had it, the power steering pump failed and had to be replaced and now the evaporator for the A/C has failed. I'm looking at $2000 for out of warranty repair. It's 90 degrees outside and I have to cram my family into our little sedan to go somewhere because the Buick doesn't have any A/C.
Needless to say, I'm going to sell the Buick ASAP and buy something else. I had a Honda Pilot prior to the Buick and it was a GREAT vehicle. I got what I thought was a good deal on the Enclave and now I regret ever having bought it.
Bottom line, the vehicle looks great, but it is of very poor quality and extremely unreliable. GM really botched this one. I will never buy a Buick again. My next vehicle will be a Toyota or Honda.
It looks as though you have decided to sell your Enclave, and I had wanted to express my apologies that you have encountered so many concerns with this vehicle. I wish you the best as you pursue other vehicles, but if in the meantime you would like for us to look into anything further, please send us more information (including the last 8 digits of your VIN, your name, and Edmunds username) at socialmedia@gm.com.
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
It sat idle in the driveway until today. When I tried to start it -- DEAD BATTERY!!!!!!
I had the battery replaced and the computer reprogrammed for a parasitic battery drain last year after continually having this problem and finally calling the tow truck to pick it up after every event.
Now again!!!!
Any suggestions?
Now, what does this mean? First off, cars are machines...nothing more. Most are very good, but sometimes things go wrong, either by manufacture or by operation and maintenance. Take a good look at the way some people "drive". Cars are just not made to be operated this way, regardless of their price tag. Next is the service. Sure, you can "service" (change the oil, filter, etc.) yourself, but why? The GM dealer is better trained, and equipped, to do this (or at least, should be). Finally, and most importantly, you bought a "used" (or "previously owned") vehicle. You probably have no real idea of how the previous owner handled the car. Did he service it at all? Did he try to run the guts out of it? Was it a "flood" car? Forget about tracing the previous ownership, anyone can phony that up.
Try going to the GM Customer Service for some help. And good luck.
Oh, and maybe your Honda (or Toyota, or whatever) was a good car...but if you have a problem, they don't want to know who you are!
I apologize that this response did not come to you sooner - do you have any updates on the progress of your repair?
Kind regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I'm sorry that you have had so many issues with your Enclave. Do you have any current concerns that you are hoping to have looked into? Let us know if we can be of any assistance.
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service