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Comments
Offham-Funny you should ask! I took it in for it's first oil change and the Jiffy Lube guys said "whoa! You have an oil leak! You might want to get it checked out before we do anything". I took it to Serra Chevrolet here in town, they put a UV dye in it (I have heard of this in the AC system to detect leaks, but never in oil!), and checked it a week later and said "Nope, no leak here. Oil seepage is normal". Had the oil changed at another "quick change" type of place in town, and guess what they said? "Whoa! You've got an oil leak here"! They said the filter was tight, so I am assuming that it is coming from somewhere else. I do have some seepage from the valve cover, but not enough to make it to the bottom of the engine. I am going to another dealer and have them check. Serra Chev. isn't known for their brain surgeon mechanics, so maybe I will have better luck with the other dealer.
mcdill-I would rate my motor power as a 9 compared to other minivans that I drove (I drove one, can't remember which, maybe a dodge) that I floored it going DOWNHILL on an interstate on-ramp, and was only going 50 by the time I hit traffic! A driver and one passenger, no others! I knew there was no point in looking at that one further! I rate it a 2 compared to the power from the 3.5 in my 300M!! Put that 261 HP in my Venture and then it will be a 10! Seriously, it's a good, strong motor and performs well (including MPG) considering the weight of the vehicle.
Other than this problem the van has performed well . The electric side door some times won't open but I'm wondering if it was related to the battery. It's a great van with good mpg.
Service Bulletin Number: 99048
Bulletin Sequence Number: 759
Date of Bulletin: 9908
NHTSA Item Number: SB607603
Make: CHEVROLET TRUCK
Model: VENTURE
Year: 2000
Component: EQUIPMENT:ELECTRIC POWER ACCESSORIES:WINDOWS
Summary: CONCERNS WITH A SOFTWARE ERROR IN THE POWER SLIDING DOOR CONTROL MODULE. *TT
I fell for it because of 8 pass. seating, built-in child seat above all approx. 6,500 below invoice pricing that we were getting due to various rebates.
However. I regret that decision.
in 8 years of owning a Honda and 9 years of Toyota, I did NOT have one surprise!!
Venture has been to dealer twice already and still has more problems.
Buy Honda O. or Toyota S.
Stay away from Big 3.
Or you can have my 2.5 moths/1200 miles LT for 2,000 below car-direct/car-order price.
There are mixed feelings in our household re the electric sliding door. My wife and I have no problems, but uncompromising children seem frustrated by it. I have a simple answer...get out the other side !
At the time we took $2000 rebate and ordered through carOrder.com and ended up at $24500 incl tax etc., for the 8 seater LT in Sapphire blue. Never to be repeated as they chipped in $2200 of their own.
I know people have posted problems, and earlier models tended to have more grief than the 2000.
I referred to the MPV problems and if you look at their van section under Mazda MPV Problems there are now over 370 postings.
Recalls on fraying seat belts, front bumper re enforcement, tire/steering problems. This excludes the 2.5 engine being underpowered for some, low gas mileage and often erratic gearbox function. These comments are from OWNERS posted on Edmunds Mazda MPV site.
Just look at all the posts on hoping for the 3.0 liter engine in the 2001 model year.
At the time of the purchase decision we needed a larger van. The MPV did not meet our hauling needs, so I do not consider my comments based on MPV owners irresponsible. Nevertheless I wish you good luck with your Mazda
I
After taking a test drive we found that for us the extended was the way to go after checking out the room between the back seat and rear hatch. The Interior is very plastic, but hey it serves the purpose for kids and will probably clean-up easily. I just had some reservations on the reliability since every other van on the road is a Chrysler/Dodge or Ford, I guess Chevy just does'nt have a big name in Mini Vans.
I have not found the best deal yet I am currently working with a few dealers , but I appreciate all the advise. We are hoping that the incoming 2001 inventory will work in our favor.
Thank you to all for your posts.
You can check the GM website or Edmunds for current rebates.
I have since read that the 2001 Ventures will have the rollaway rear seat ala Honda and dare I say it the Mazda MPV !! Ironically, the new 2001 Chrysler/Dodge van out very soon will not have this feature. Their rear seat is like lugging out the living room sofa. The current split bench on the Venture LT are OK, if a little heavier than the modular seats.
I read some production figures somewhere for first six months of 2000 and true that Chrysler first followed by Windstar at +/- 70000 units. The Venture was +/- 54000, but when you add in the the other two Pontiac and Oldsmobile, they are past Ford in #2 position. Essentially they are same underneath.
On the highway I seem to notice more GM vans due to the side running lights. There never will be a perfect van to suit everybody, we all have a budget and specific needs.
Thanks for the info on units produced, thats great information. I wish there was a number of units still on the dealers lots, it would be a huge negotiating tool...
Could someone kindly explain to me, how to disable this annoying light once oil change has been complete? I go to a garage (instead of the GM dealer) for oil changes, and they don't seem to know how to turn the warning light off. I read the manual and according to it, I am supposed to turn the key just short of starting, then press accelerator all the way 3 times within 5 secs. I tried it about 100 times without any success...
Oh, this is a 2000 Venture LS, short wheel base model.
Thank you.
-YH
As I understand it, the dealer has to tax the money that flows into the company. The only way you MIGHT be able to affect that would be to trade in a vehicle and, possibly, have them reclassify some of what you pay as a paperwork/documentation charge. (That's reclassify, NOT ADD a documentation charge.)
There is a website called www.carbuyingtips.com which shows you how dealers work you around by giving you a break here but padding up other stuff such as the doc fee and pinstripes to achieve their target revenue. Interesing site and must have written by a rogue dealer.
A dealer near us in Summit NJ has 4 or 5 on his lot which suspect have been there since we looked in Jan.
Similary in NJ when there is a rebate, the tax is calculated on amount BEFORE taking off the rebate.
The key here is that the warning light is not based mileage, but on the viscosity or temperature of the oil based on engine revolutions. So each time you reset it maybe getting a similar reading. Do you know what oil the garage is putting in and the filter they are using ?
You want to ensure that the correct oil 5-30W is used and a Delco PF47 filter as per handbook. I change my own oil every +/- 2750 miles.
Would worth money to take it into a GM dealer to get it fixed.
Actually, what happened was the following :
I received a new car. Around 5000km (I am in Canada), the light came on during the first two minutes of driving. I had the van change oil. Got the van, and the light wouldn't go away. I assumed that there must be a reset switch or something. Got lazy... Didn't do anything about it until 10000km. I tried that method to turn the warning light off. Didn't work. Got oil changed anyway. Since then, I haven't tried it again.
Perhaps if I try it now, it might work. I must have tried to reset it when the oil was dirty again near 10000km...
I'll try it tomorrow! Thanks offham!
(are you SURE, that it is not based on mileage or time?)
-YH
contacted numerous Chevy Dealers in the area via the 'net, and asked them to give me their best purchase price, (through GM Buy Power).
The results were astonishing!...For the 2000 Venture Plus-1SB which comes with cruise, remote key entry, power windows, and deep tinted glass...
the prices offered me ranged from $1,400. to
$6,500. below MSRP that came with also the option of taking an additional $2,000. off their quoted price or taking 5.9% APR...Needless to say I ended up with an acceptable price offering of
$18,500. plus TT&L. Tossing in $2,000. of my own, and taking the 5.9APR, my monthly notes are only $340. per...(the van also had the AM/FM stereo with CD and Cassette...a $470. option).
Just goes to show the power of the internet, and the reality that you can get an excellent value and deal if you don't settle for just any ol' quote given to ya!!!
Hope your re set works
Other question regarding the dealer math:
Is the GM card bonus(rebate) subjected to tax? i.e. does dealer subtract the GM card bonus before the tax? My bonus is expiring another 250.00 in august, should I wait for the 2001(rollaway rear seat) or any good suggestion?
Anyone know that Olds will come out short wheel base in 2001 Silhouette? Thanks for help!
The article noted that Chrysler had not gone for this Honda/Mazda feature and still have the full length bench which is a hassle to get out on your own. They will offer the Chevy split rear seats but no flip down.
Chryslers answer was to do with the noise created inside the cabin by the seat space well...
In the article it mentioned that the new 2001 Venture will have it which leaves Chrysler out of it.
The papers are in a stack still here, so will make sure got my info right. It surprised me as the only comments I had seen on the new Venture was related to the NY Auto Show in April.
Main features..new front grill (single colored bar), wireless headphones and two channels. Larger video screen on the Warner Bros and revised dash layout. Appears GM intend to stay up with the pack.
Edmunds 2001 Chevrolet does not have this posted yet.
Reverting.
Essentially what I said in previous post is correct. FYI I will re type the relevant text.
Quote:
G.M.'s Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana will offer fold-away seats beginning this fall. Unquote. Went on to say that Ford was working to develop a fold-away seat for the Windstar....
This is the place where it gave 6 month production figures and I was well off the mark in a previous post.
Dodge Caravan 163000
Windstar 134000
Odyssey 66700
Plymouth 57700
Sienna 54400
Venture 54400
Chrysler 46800
Montana 35200
Aggregated
Chrysler 267500
Ford 134800
GM 89600 (No Olds figures)
Honda 66700
Toyota 54400
Mazda Who cares
Thanks for the tip. Finally, I got rid of that annoying light...
-YH
Minivan sales figures posted in #521 appear to be similar here in Minnesota. Caravan/Voyager/T&C are everywhere here. If I had one of those, I'd have a heck of a time trying to find mine in a mall parking lot. Interesting, though, was on vacation in Arizona recently, and saw lots of Ventures/Silohuettes/Montanas, and, no I don't think many of 'em were rentals, unless they rent in colors other than white.
Glad GM is going to put that foldaway rear seat in the '01's. That's what I really envied about the Odyssey.
Also, I notice that Venture seems to ride higher off the ground than most other minivans, which I like, even without raising the drivers seat. Anyone else notice this?
Chrysler July fell by 12.2% but minivans down 29% despite rebates people seem to be holding off for the new 2001.
I very much like the high position and although I am 6ft1" usually have the seat up.
During a recent trip to Toronto the GM vans were everywhere,(it's those daytime orange lights!) but major percentage being the short wheelbase version.
Only once did it come on after 750 miles from an oil change, but we had been pushing it back from Toronto to NJ. It came on after a pit stop and I just reset not to be seen again. I find it interesting technology rather than mileage based.
If it is Venture you are looking for, then I would start with the www.GM.com and select Chevrolet. There you will see all rebates. $2000 off Venture thru 10/2 or financing. Doubt if manufacturer to dealer incentives are published Then go to GMBuy Power. There you can see what models the dealers in your area have in stock full specs and sticker.
We know from an earlier posting of mine GM have an overstock coming into the 2001 model year of 2000 as per NY Times this week.
I strongly recommend that you also visit www.carbuyingtips.com. You must read and absorb where the dealer will try and nail you. Doc fees/extended warranties/paint sealant/window etching.
Dealers who offer AARP/AAA deals are essentially offering 2.0 to 2.5% over their invoice price. They also get 3% dealer holdback so let's say they are getting $1300/$1400 overall, then they want you to get hooked on the other stuff.
If you lease they will definitely try and hit you up on the paint sealant...." when you turn in the car you will not be billed for tree sap stains or bird mess." This could add $20 per month to the lease.
Finally, do not be afraid to get up and walk out the showroom, even if it embarrasses family! If you should agree this as a possible plan of action PRIOR to going in.
Keep us posted.