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Yes you can get body roll, if you take road bends too fast, especially on/off ramps.
However you adjust your driving to cater and would believe putting stiffer shocks/struts would be worth the money.
Overall, we have found the ride to be very good especailly on long trips.
Yes you can get body roll, if you take road bends too fast, especially on/off ramps.
However you adjust your driving to cater and would believe putting stiffer shocks/struts would not be worth the money.
Overall, we have found the ride to be very good especailly on long trips.
-Dan
'01 Pontiac Montana (8 Passenger w/ Montanavision)
Lots of pick-up trucks have the same problem.
I agree with bcd99. The problem is that the gas pump flow is strong and the angle of the pump nozzle fully inserted rests towards the bottom of the filler pipe. That combination causes the gas to splash up from the bottom of the filler pipe surface creating just enough back flow pressure to fool the pump into thinking the tank is full. It's not a defect on your minivan, but a rather common occurrence. Happens on my wife's VW Cabrio as well. As bcd99 suggests, just pull the nozzle back a little bit from full insertion and you should be fine.
Had my doubts about Chevy product but couldn't pass on deal. Brother in-law works for GM.
We now have 17K on it after many trips back to Iowa from Colorado. And I must say I've been converted. Haven't had a single problem.
Runs like a champ, love the room, kids love the VCP.
Seating configuration, which I thought odd at first, is most handy and adaptable. The three across the middle is great on long trips because I or my wife can sit between the kids and entertain for a while. When we arrive in Iowa, take out load, fold down two rear seats and have room for other family to ride.
Rear heater/AC works just fine. Fuel milage, especially for how well V6 runs, is admirable. We get around 19-20 in town 22-23 on highway with full load. Load leveling works.
And it doesn't cost anymore to insure than the Honda Odessy, which tells me that in the real world the insurance companies haven't found the Venutre to be any greater liability than the "5 Star" vans.
Hows that for a positive note?
Apart from the door recall, nothing adverse to report. Fuel economy is great for such a large vehicle, the 8 seat configuration is very handy, and as you noted, insurance is dirt cheap!!! We actually pay less for this vehicle than for a 1997 Mazda 626!
I find it interesting that in this Van site, it is only the three GM vans that do not have a specific "problem" site. Just look at DC, Honda, Sienna, Mazda MPV.
I know that people do post these issues on the GM sites, but appear to be a lot less than the others.
Sounds like your fan switch or fan motor is kaput, which seems unusual in a new van. Could also be loose wiring given the intermittent nature of the problem. Have the dealer swap out the fan parts (under warranty of course!) and check the wiring. That should take care of your problem.
ps: I am not a mechanic - I just play one on TV!
Thanks for the suggestions, but they did not work. Note: the gas pump nozzle when fully inserted? rests at an angle that is more horizontal than verticle (ie not towards the bottom of the tank) as if something is obstructing the path through the filler pipe? A truck owner with a similar situation told me he had tried everything, and it ended up being a crimped filler pipe. I hate to be pushy, but I think the dealer really needs to look into this.
Is inspecting the gas tank, or even replacing the gas tank, or filler pipe, really that costly?
Thanks in advance.
I just purchaed my Montana (similar configuration, video system, etc). While I did go through GM Employee for it, I did some price shopping before hand, and found that prices were no more than $300 over invoice (before incentives).
You should be able to get it for that or less..
Good luck!
-Dan
Chances are your dealer/mechanic will not try to find the cause of your problem, but just replace the fuel filler and tank instead. It's actually cheaper all around, because finding the exact cause of your problem may entail removing the tank, slicing it open and inspecting for problems. Once they've done that, it takes less time and less resources to replace the tank and filler neck than try to fix your original tank/filler neck. The allegedly defective part may be sent back to Detroit for inspection (if safety-related and potentially a NHTSA issue), but more than likely, the mechanics will simply toss it in the trash. The general attitude in auto repair is if a part is defective or SUSPECTED defective, just replace it and who cares what caused it! If that doesn't fix the problem, find another part that may have caused the problem and replace that - repeat until problem goes away.
As for YOUR cost, since the van is relatively new, it should certainly be covered under warranty and cost you nothing more than time and inconvenience in having to have it serviced.
Good luck.
thanks a lot, i went to the web site and the search only came out the owner manuals so i called them and been told that the service manual is available for $120, i think that's what i am going to get one later. thanks again.
My wife and I got our '01 Silhouette Premiere about two months ago. With no connection to GM whatsoever (besides being GM fans), we paid $200 over invoice price. That price was offered by three different dealers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Silo Premiere is like the WB edition of the Venture (both GM minivans built on identical platforms with almost identical features). It came fully loaded with every conceivable feature (except engine block heater - definitely not needed in this climate!) and even the automatic driver's side sliding door. You should easily be able to do that unless GM vans are particularly hot sellers in your area. This price, BTW, was WITHOUT all the incentives currently offered by GM. After getting the $200 over invoice price, we opted for the 0.9% financing.
Good luck.
Thanks again
Might check that.
Although they are the factory FR680 Firestones and not the Wilderness, she demanded I replace them all with Michelins!
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Sorry to hear about your problems. Lemon laws vary with each state. Generally, a new vehicle is considered a lemon if there is a reoccurrence of the same problem on an ongoing basis despite dealer attempts to fix it. For example, if you ABS was continually malfunctioning despite numerous attempts by a dealer's maintenance department to fix it, you may have a lemon allowing you do demand the manufacturer buy back the vehicle. Again, each state's lemon law varies somewhat. You may want to check the laws of your home state. A useful guide to various lemon laws can be found at http://cartalk.cars.com/Got-A-Car/Lemon/index.html.
Good luck.
Grab handle on inside of lift gate broke. Not the mounts, but the "plasto-rubber". Just split.
Dealer fixed it under warranty in 20 minutes.
There doesn't seem to be much activity on the topic of Ventures. Either not many people buy them, or folks aren't having as many problems with them as with other makes as someone else pointed out.
Sister and her family just bought a new 2001 Venture LS or LT. They had taken a drive in ours and really liked the three-across seating. They have two kids also. They were looking at the Honda but couldn't wait...
#2. Re sliding door latch recall. Never got any advice from GM (Have 2000 LT)and wondered if it only applied to a certain batch in production. We have not had a problem.
#3. Agree this is not a over active site compared with Ody, MPV etc. As I mentioned previously all these other brands have definitive problem sites. Maybe we are all a little smarter.