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2010+ Buick Lacrosse Body, Chassis and Exterior

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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    After my little rant about seat memory in the main topic I figured it was time to update this issue.
    I have a habit of avoiding steering hard to limits so I don't strain components, but sooner or later you will find those limits. Then I would release wheel just enough to bounce back from that position.
    Mine has started making the loud clunk when reaching limit. Others have posted of it and I presumed it was the sound of hitting the limiter. Not so in my case it seems. It sounds and feels like the joint is popping from its seat.
    Many of these joints are a machined ball and socket and the ball is held seated by a spring. The spring maintains tightness of the joint as it wears and the spring has a lot of pressure. I've seen the naiive sold unnecessary ball joint and tie-rod jobs. Mechanic uses a very large pair of pliers and squeezes to overcome spring. The movement is used to sell an unnecessary repair. (I wonder how many of the new parts would act the same way.)
    This case, the ball is popping from the socket from power steering force. At the least, the limiter is located in the wrong place it seems. It should be at the rack it seems. And if the rack pops it can enough road forces be generated to pop it? This could be a serious control problem under extreme dangerous conditions. And would certainly get worse with time as demonstrated by the fact it does not do new, but does start popping with low mileage.
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I've probably noticed the slight gap before, the seal at the front edge of door. I just learned that it is not part of fender but attached to door. These seals are obviously not making full contact with fender.
    Anyone else notice this?
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I had previously posted about the large amounts of weight when the car was near new. As much as a dozen weights inside and outside on most wheels.
    I can see no weights whatsoever since the rebalance at 8000 miles. Could there really have been that much change?
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    My previous post about the door seals at front of door not making contact with fender was glazed over at dealer. But then there are so many issues, more pressing as well.
    I gave mine a good hand wash this morning. Has anyone else started noticing seals that are shifting as if they might be shrinking since install?
    On all four doors, along front edge, you will see what might be a splice point during manufacturer. On two doors it is completely separated and on the other two it is partially separated, not all the way through yet.
    And the seal that runs from front to back along bottom of door openings, held a little surprise. You owners that are in salt country are going to love this one.
    Water kept dripping long after I finished drying car and I looked closely at the seal, pulling it a bit away from body near back. Car was in inclined driveway so water was working its way that direction. I found a small rectangular hole on the inner/upper side. The darned thing was full of water. I checked and could not find a drain hole in it. Just lovely. A place to hold water in contact with the body, and salt.
    Upon drying the inner surfaces of doors and cavities after washing, I paid a bit closer attention to the right side because it seems I am hearing more road noise from that side. It was more a curiosity thing than else because it may be the acoustics of the interior. But now suspect this as a source of some wind noise behind me as well.
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I washed with Armorall car wash but am slightly disappointed.
    Neighbor turned his sprinkler on and watered my side yard and most of driveway. Water spots are all over my car.
    Does anyone know a product good for removing them?
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    crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    Rider: We have used (only) the pink clearcoat glaze that the dealers use to prep and detail new cars. Comes in a gallon jug and costs less than $30 last time. Jug lasts forever and product has no residual haze for darker colors. Our silver 2010 Lacrosse is foregiving but our Black Bonneville is not.
    Beautiful product if dealer will sell to you since they get it from local wholesalers. Very light abrasive rating so it removes the water spots w/o affecting the finish and EASY to use.
    Good luck.
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Might that be Strawberry wet wax? Applied with buffer and wet sponge?
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    crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    No. the clear coat glaze is applied as a thick liquid and dries to a haze.
    dealer item thru local distributor where we live. not really expensive given how long a gallon lasts even with multiple cars.
    Excellent product for dark finish cars IMO.
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    lacrossesoakedlacrossesoaked Member Posts: 87
    I have a Black LaCrosse with water spots compliments of Palm Springs, CA garden sprinklers. Crankee: can you provide a brand name/model # of the glaze product you are referring to?
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    edited June 2011
    The wet wax/glaze is allowed to dry and then is easily dusted off. Man running the dealer detail shop told me they order from Florida.
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    crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    The gallon jug I currently have is labelled:
    Auto Magic BC-2
    Basecoat/Clearcoat Finish No 78
    UPC Code 31802 15078
    Made by: Auto Wax Company Dallas Texas 75247
    My cost was $25-$30 per gallon from a carwash I saw using it
    to detail cars.Same as our original dealer on black Bonneville.
    You will be shocked and amazed at how a black car comes out
    esp. if you have avoided scratchy car washes with your finish.
    Good luck and let us know if you can find a source.
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    lacrossesoakedlacrossesoaked Member Posts: 87
    edited June 2011
    Crankee: three links. Thanks!
    here is the online store for the company, Auto Magic:
    http://www.automagic.com/cart/78.htm
    Appears this next link may be for businesses/distributors only???
    http://www.dealergoodies.com/page299.html#top
    Then another online retailer:
    http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/auto-magic-bc-2-basecoat-clearcoat-finish-78.ht- - ml
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    crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    Glad you found the exact product. I do not prefer to recommend stuff in the current know it all environment but this is an outstanding product for dark (black) cars with no residue. It lasts quite a while but we always hand wash our cars and avoid car washes like the plague. Water spots and the sun is tough to get out. We lived in Dallas and a light rain would do that with the sun.
    The pain ton the new Lacrosse is truly a step up IMO so it is fun to see how great it will come out with the Auto Magic No. 78. Thanks to you for the website links. I always have had to get a dealer or detailer to resell for my needs.
    Regards Crankee
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    crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    soaked: did you locate the product and try it on your car? Our experience with black finished cars made it the default for all subsequent cars regardless of color. As stated it seems to last quite a while if abrasive car washes are avoided.
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Has anyone with less than 80K had a caliper stick even slightly.
    I state that mileage because anything this new would have to be only highway mileage and certainly should not have problem.
    If you had such, do you regularly drive dirt roads or through mud, etc.? (I definitely do not, that is for trucks, etc.)
    If this is a vehicle I owned and was not planning to dump, out of warranty, I'd do a brake job with special attention to calipers and of course in pairs so they work very much alike.
    The odds of having two new GM vehicles doing this seem astronomical to me, but make me feel unsafe, very very unsafe. It moves the probability of having a catastropic failure very high.
    GM is changing my attitude to "NO MORE GD GM VEHICLES" and they are going to have to step up to improve my thinking.
    A big influence on this is that when they changed the column for a disfunctional lock, the replacement induced play in the steering, and that is not yet fixed. You know, that old axiom about a vehicle being mechaniced to death? I'm not sure of the fault, it may have been they received a defective column. It reminds me of a high mileage Taurus, 2nd & 3rd generation, not 1st, maybe last generation as well. They used a teflon/nylong device to take up slack and play in the sqaure tubes. Those vehicles had a strong enough power steering that the wheels would not move from road defects, but still play at the wheel would show up because those little fins on the device would crack off around 60K +. Yes, I changed a column for that.
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    e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Finally GM admits it.

    An improperly torqued wheel can cause brake
    rotor distortion, which leads to brake pedal pulsation.
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    lacrossesoakedlacrossesoaked Member Posts: 87
    crankeee: finally got around to ordering the BC-2 product you recommended and the BC-1 product AutoMagic said would enhance the performance of the BC-2. Just got the stuff today; tried a test area and the results are VERY good. Thanks again.
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