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Comments
I love the truck. I have had the wandering mirror and tailgate gasket problems, but those are minor. I would order another one just like it if something happened to this one. I came out of a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab and just could not be happier. The biggest problem I have is that my wife now wants to trade her Chrysler Town & Country van for a new Envoy XL with the DVD system for the kids!!
Yeah, I know about all of the storge cubbies in back and the cargo cover/shade but I didn't know about the secret one until we went through the delivery process yesterday. The manual also made mention of a shelf that would fit right behind the seats with 2 height positions. My manual is for both the regular and XL versions, and maybe this one thing that is XL only that they forgot to mark that way. Not a big issue, because it is not like I am missing something I thought I was getting.
I will definitely try to give the headrests a good tug forward, and knowing that yours do articulate forward, IE, if they don't I will follow up with my salesman.
As far as the paint goes, I went and looked at the pictures Tim has posted on his website of his black TB LTZ and I see the same effects in his. It is only noticeable when you are right up on the paint but looks fine from a distance.
IE, good luck getting your hesitation problem resolved. I haven't noticed it yet (only one cold engine start this morning), but I may not as the car I traded was a 98 Civic that only made 120 or so horses. Obviously, there is plenty of get up and go for me. Plus, with it being so new (came off the truck Friday, did the deal Saturday), I am hoping that all modules have been updated.
Finally, I get the new vehicle in the house, instead of my wife!!
JAW
P.S. hardhawk, thanks for input as well, I was composing while you responded. Although, if I assume correctly by where you live and you user name, we are natural born enemies. You see, I graduated from Ol' Mizzou and I would venture a guess to say you are a Jayhawks fan in the least.
On the air conditioner issue with intermittent hot air blowing - does this effect only the triplets that have the electronic temp control? I have the manual sliders and have not experienced that. (Why I insisted on manual air temp controls? - had V E R Y expensive experience on another GM car with constant problems with the auto temp controller electronics. Never again.) I am in D-FW (Texas) and the temp yesterday was 93, very humid, and the air conditioner was blowing 41 - 43 degree air out of the center vents. Even idling in traffic! So far I LOVE the air conditioner capability of this vehicle. When the temp outside starts being consistently in the high 90's to low 100's I will report back.
Yes, the headrests are articulated and will tilt forward (they usually are in the full rear postion initally). If you raise it first, it's a little easier to tilt them forward.
As to the A/C problems being mentioned here, I swear I read a TSB, when we had free reign of the GM site a couple weeks ago, that addressed that issue. Tim doesn't have it posted on his site, maybe when he gets back from vacation he can check with his new source and see what they can find. Sorry I didn't pay closer attention or I could tell you more of what it said.
Guess I've been too lucky so far with my only problem being the gasket issue.
The equalizer reverts to the pre-set for that genre of music when search selecting stations by the type rather than the tuner or personal button settings.
Thanks,
rialbo
Having to use the Custom setting for all as the pre-sets are all muffled tones due to the "premium" speaker locations. Currently boosting the mid by +4db and the highs to +6db to make remotely realistic.
When I took the vehicle in, the temp here in Michigan was down into the 40's so I was a little concerned that they wouldn't be able to duplicate. My service adviser is pretty good and she noticed that the air blowing out of the vents was not as cold as it should be, even with the temp in the 40's.
They did the diagnostics and found the low pressure switch to be defective, so they replaced it. I haven't had the need to use the A/C since, so the first hot day will tell.
Hope this helps.
See you all in a week or so!
tim
http://www.timlauro.com/cars/trailblazer/hitch-step-mod.htm
(????????) and thanked me for making Oldsmobile my vehicle of choice. I won't print my response but it was a carefully worded work of art.
My black Bravada has a fair amount of orange peel from what I remember (but much better than my old exploder).
$4700 seems awfully expensive for a warranty. I'd go private party or put the money in the bank!
GAM2
-mike
Wind noise in Kansas is something we get used to. Most anything will howl with enough wind. My Bravada and my Lincolns before it all howl if the wind hits just right.
Something I found out the hard way, and it's gonna really bother the winers on this board, is the doors are not bolted or welded on. They are "bonded." Looks like superglue.
My wife allowed the 40+ mph wind to grab the door one day and it slammed full open. Pulled the hinge loose from the frame body. No bolts, no welds, thin steel.
Dealer rebonded and adjusted the door, was a litle messy with the glue, but it is holding. At some point I will probably have someone touch it with a mig welder to add some steel to the bond.
Take a close look, and hold that door on a windy day.
WichitaGreg
Just like fine art, even my Bravada has a few imperfections.
-mike
Thanks,
Mark
I also told him about my roof rack warping upward in the front. I think I have the TSB number, but not the printed copy. Can someone confirm the number: 818804?
I wanted him to check on the fan/cooler engagement on cool morning start-ups but could not find the TSB on that. Does anyone have that number?
Has anyone had any issues with the passenger side seat belt engaging the inertia/child seat lock? I saw a couple of posts on it & did some "experimenting" on my own. I buckled the passenger seat belt (empty) and while breaking hard, noticed the inertia brake holding the belt as it should. When belt tension was released, so did the inertia brake. However, if the belt is ever extended all the way to the limit, a child seat lock engages and does not release until the belt is almost all the way retracted back into the unit. I suppose this is normal however, I have had a couple of passengers engage this by adjusting the shoulder strap. This is uncomfortable as the more you try to release the tension, the tighter it gets. They had to unbuckle the belt, let it retract and buckle it back up. I suppose this is normal, but would like to know for sure. If it is, it may seem like the belt length could be designed too short. Any comments? Any TSB?
John
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=09432564
-mike
Gam2, I checked with my friend on what they did to fix his wheel binding/grinding sound on sharp turns. This is what he said: "They said it was the AWD kicking in. They had to adjust when the awd was supposed to go in and out". He said since those adjustments were made, no problems.
I haven't taken my vehicle in for this problem yet, as I have only heard it two times and don't make these sharp, slow turns very often.
It's no where near as bad as it was before, but I can feel it. My other parts still haven't come in, so I'm going to wait untill they do and see if the problem gets better/worse. I'll have the dealer look at the transfer case again when I bring my Bravada in to have the parts put on.
If it gets worse and all they do to fix it is flush out the fluid again, I have a feeling it will happen a third time, but we'll see!
I drive Nissan and Toyota, couldn't give me a GM product, last car was a 90 Regal that was murder.
Anyway, I'm searching for her in the hopes you guys can point us in the right direction. I surfed the last 500 posts and found mention of transfer case / AWD problem but can't find enough info. Somebody please enlighten.
Thanks
I have no idea how you adjust when the AWD kicks in like penny14 said. Maybe they made a computer update. I will not know if it is fixed until I get the vehicle back. Try another dealer if you have to. I'm beginning to think this is a bigger problem than anyone realizes. It may be time to report this to the national highway safety board.
GAM2
Frank
There are a lot of messages in here -- even thought there are three models covered, it's only for one model year (and predictions about next year).
We'll "unfreeze" the Oldsmobile Bravada discussion and maybe you can kickstart it.
And it's a good time to remind everyone that there are Owners Clubs for the Trailblazer, Envoy and Bravada.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
-mike
Just a thought.. :-)
As funny as it sounds, it's true.. He/She is in a secret place until needed, so from now on I think that we should summon our "little green martian" friend by starting out with "Question for Gazoo" in our subject line.. Hopefully our Gazoo will become more engaged in our forum! This could be quite beneficial to triplet owners!
Thanks!
IExplore2000@aol.com
Please let us know if that link doesn't work.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
-mike
I was reading--with great interest--the discussion on GM's service site, and the subsequent loss of the TSBs. In there, you'd mentioned that Audi posts their TSBs freely. Since my brother-in-law has a friend interested in a new Audi, I thought I'd cruise over there and see if there's any TSBs affecting his purchase, but I couldn't find them. Do you have the link? I'd appreciate it greatly.
FWIW, I think GM would do well to allow access: it helps both the buyer and the dealer (their real customer). Maybe they could give everyone access to the TSBs that have an active OnStar account (maybe that would help their subscriber base, too).
I wanted to drive an Envoy XL because I want to seat seven, and I prefer the styling (see previous comments), but they only had two--one sold to the folks just before me (I watched them drive it away!), and one in white (my wife nixed that one) on the showroom floor. So we went next door, and drove the Chevy.
It was a black LT with all the options, including DVD. The salesman insisted on driving the truck off the lot, so I sat in the front passenger seat for a short while, leaned down to pick the brochure off the floor, and got stuck by the seat belt ratcheting--annoying, but I think I could
"learn" not to activate it. Otherwise, no squeaks, no rattles, and none of the wind noise I've read so much about.
Despite the greater weight, the engine accelerated nicely onto the highway, and then accelerated nicely to pass. I didn't have any power lag, and I felt more confident in accelerating that I do with my wife's Tahoe with an 8--probably because the TB weighs less.
The interior is cavernous. There was plenty of leg room in all seats, and I spent about 20 minutes in the third row. I'm 5'11", and I had plenty of leg, head, and shoulder room. In fact, I had more "toe room" with the TB with the elevated seats than I did in the Yukon XL, which gives you foot space by leaving an opening in the rear of the second seats. The one drawback is that the cargo space in the back is slightly smaller than the regular TB, and I'm not sure I could fit my wife's and my daughters' bags in the back with all the seats up--I'll need to be prepared to use the luggage rack for long trips.
By the way, I didn't need to perform contortions to get into the backseats with the flip and fold middle seats.
I'm impressed, though I'll still wait for the Envoy XL with a DVD player. We also have a couple of months left on our current lease, so I'll have to be patient. I was feeling guilty driving away from the salesman after all his time until my older daughter laughed when she saw that same TB EXT driving off the lot with another couple.
Bottom line: GM took a great product, and made it better. GM's got a winner here.
Witchita Greg, not seeing your vehicle, but from what you described, either one of two things happened, maybe a combination of both. When the door was hyper-extended (fancy engineering word that means pushed open too far), it is possible that the door inner panel to which the hinge is WELDED to was deformed or bent , causing a poor fit, or excessive gap. The normal repair for this procedure would be to use a block of wood, or other type of lever to reform the deformed area to adjust the door back into position. If the door was pushed severely enough, I could see that some of the sealer was pulled away from the hinge to body joint, causing the dealer to want to reseal the area, for appearance and corrosion protection. He also may think that it is indeed some form of structural adhesive, but in reality it is not. To be perfectly frank, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is even called out as an adhesive in the parts book that he orders material from, things like that sometimes happen around here.
The other area that may have suffered damage is in the door inner to door outer panel interface.
That is a structural adhesive, we call it an"induction cured" joint. The purpose of this usage was to reduce the number of spot welds required to stitch the door together. This is done primarily for appearance, so that you do not see any weld dimples. The repair for that joint would be a similar type of repair for the door hinge area, bending the metal back into place, and repairing any surface breaks for corrosion protection.
Sorry for the long-winded explanation, I just want to make everyone aware of the construction. It is the least I can do for all of you loyal customers!
IEEXPLORE: No, I am not Gazoo, but I sure wish I was!! Maybe I could make some more significant contribution to the product/process. As it is, I try to do my job as though I am building my own vehicle, and I would have to say that at least 95% of my co-workers are doing the same. I am pretty proud of what "Generous" Motors has been doing in the last couple of years, for a time I thought that we were gonna go the way of the Titanic, but so far we have survived the collision with the iceberg, between Wagoner and Lutz, we may get this thing back on track yet!
We'll see.
Regards all,
Mark
Note you don't even have to be an owner!
I don't know what car companies are so afraid of in letting the consumer public know what TSB's are available for their vehicle. Yes it may put some stress on the dealer's service department, because people will run in saying that they have a particular problem... but isn't it the service department's job to determine what is wrong with your vehicle? They still have final say whether or not a TSB applies! Giving access only to the dealers promotes deceipt and refusal to acknowledge problems! Dealers HATE performing warranty work... because there's little to no money in it for them, and it ties up time they could have spent doing costly repairs. You tell me who has the conflict of interest here?
My TB LS seems to have a problem keeping the doors in the ductwork under the dash in the position that I want them. I can hear them move open and closed at random with a telltale vaccum hiss. Not long ago the car was pushing air through the defrost vents when I had it set for the dash vents. So far no problem with hot air when I want cold, but I suspect they are related. The same doors that direct air to one set of vents and away from the other vents are also used to pass air across the AC evaporator coil or across the heater core. I suspect your AC compressor is working fine, but air is flowing across the heater core instead of the AC evaporator coil.
I realize I do not have a solution here, but I do think I am on to the problem. Listen for the ductwork doors opening and closing, and try changin vent positions and setting the recirculation vents too. Just moving the doors around seems to get mine to behave.
I notice that GM has raised the roofline above the rear seats. The roofrack mounts in the same position as the standard length, but the side rails are taller to accomodate the higher roof.
I've had that happen twice in two days - will keep an eye on it and see whether it's just a random event.
tidester
Host
SUVs
What is the aftermarket brandname/type of rubber soft mudflaps available that are specifically sized for the TB? I don't want the solid plastic factory ones because I know I will brake them when 4-wheelin'. I also don't like to be a rolling billboard for Chevy. My TB is a LS with no running boards. I want to protect that very thin paint job. Thanks in advance!