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On a side note, our Venture has the 8 passenger option which my wife and I love. We have 2 kids, each one has an outer bucket, the middle seat is reserved for a removable toy bin. If we need to carry one more person we remove the bin temporarily and still have loads of storage space in back. Before we bought this Venture we test drove a 2001 Venture with the standard seating. We put both our kids in the middle seat, but the kids were too close to each other; constantly arguing. So it's nice to separate them. My two cents worth.
I have a 99 Venture which had a gasket leak which has been stopped by using GM cooling system tablets designed for the Cadillac aluminum block V8s. If I were to do it all over again, I'd put the tabs in the cooling system when I bought the car as a preventive measure.
First impression, was they were not much better, but adjusted the lamp upwards and gives a longer beam on main. Walmart are about the cheapest
I explained the circumstances to the service department including all details. When the vehicle was picked up, they stated that the Water Pump had failed, and that an Intake Manifold gasket was leaking. I disputed that the head gasket should have been checked and possibly changed because both the service shop and myself verified this as being a problem. It was explained that they had found no intrusions of water in the oil or leaks in that area, but the fact that there was stop leak placed into the vehicle as a stop gap measure would have hidden the leak, therefore, inspection should have taken place.
On Friday, 03 Jan, the low water indicator came on as well as the Service Engine light. Water level was checked and there was no loss of coolant or overheat indications. The next morning, I had a service department check the Service Engine light and the code identified Spark Plugs and Wires. While changing the plugs, I noticed that one of them was wet. I continued with the spark plug change and the Service Engine light remained on. Water levels were still good with no signs of leaking or overheating. All shops were closed so no further troubleshooting of the Service Engine light could be performed.
On Monday, 05 Jan, the vehicle was turned in for service with an explanation of the circumstances. It was discovered on Tuesday that the water pump had failed and the mechanic believed the head gasket had cracked as well and requested that the motor be changed because of residual damage that normally occurs when this happens. The Warranty company requested that this be verified by removing the head and checking for warpage and if it were, would refer to the abuse and neglect clause in the contract and void warranty service. The Service Dept requested approval of work in the amount of $887.00 and if the head was not warped, the warranty would cover it, otherwise it was my dime. With very little alternative, I approved the work knowing that odds were against the head not being warped with the history of the prior service work.
Now, the head is warped and they are estimating almost $5000.00 to replace the entire motor. My argument is as follows.
1. There were no signs of overheating during this incident; however, overheating was identified in the incident in October. A request was placed at that time to verify the Head Gasket was not damaged.
2. The failure of the Water Pump to supply coolant to the Cylinder Head, a warranty item that was replaced in October. This would easily cause the Low Coolant light to illuminate.
3. There were absolutely no signs of an overheat condition at any time during this incident. The only indications were the Low Coolant warning indicator and the Service Engine light illuminating. No coolant levels were low or showed any leakage/overheat signs. All cooling fans were and are operational and were running.
There has been no abuse of this vehicle by us and all measures were taken to prevent any serious damage.
After speaking the Warranty distributor, they explained that the information that they had received stated that the vehicle was making noise when it was delivered. This is not true. Reality is that the vehicle actually ran fine, it just had the indicator lights on. He also stated that there was no mention in the information presented to them that there had been another water pump failure, yet the service department had informed me that it had.
Does anyone have any idea how I can get some help on this matter.
It sounds like you are making progress by talking to the warranty company. Another possiblity would be a claim against the maker of the first water pump. Good luck, keep us posted.
GM extends warranty
Automotive News / February 17, 2003
DETROIT -- California regulators say General Motors must extend its warranty for fuel injection systems to 10 years/200,000 miles on about 700,000 1996-2001 model year SUVs, pickups and minivans sold in the state, Reuters reported.
GM says more than 75 percent of the vehicle owners may never experience a problem and most of the rest have had the problem fixed. The state says the faulty fuel injection systems were brought to GM's attention four years ago. The automaker agreed then to extend the warranty to clean the systems to 10 years/100,000 miles from the previous 3 years/50,000 miles.
GM will provide a free cleaning of the fuel injection system for any customer who experiences problems. It will cover the estimated $115 per vehicle cost. If customers have a second fuel injection system failure, GM will replace the parts at a cost ranging from $300 to $350 per vehicle.
The engine is the 4.3L, so the only minivan that uses it is the Chevrolet Astro or GMC Safari. Venture is not involved.
I just replaced the blades and put a 22" blade on the passenger side, instead of the 24". I did put a 24" on the drivers' side.
Now they don't hit, and I can't tell much of a difference in the wiper coverage on that side of the windshield.
Mikey
To add to this, it was explained to me by the Service Manager at that they could not perform a pressure check on the failed water pump until they could pressurize the system. However, being as the head was removed this could not be performed. Due to financial reasons, I chose to remove the vehicle from the department until I could afford to get it repaired.
Once I got the vehicle at home, I took a look under the hood. I noticed that they had removed the rear head for inspection even though I had explained to them that the number 2 piston is where I found the wetness on the spark plug, which is on the front head. The cost of this removal and inspection was roughly $887.00 whereas the front head would have been a cheaper removal according to the Mitchell Guide. I also took note that they did not remove any water spillage from the area, causing the piston walls to rust making it imperative that the motor be changed instead of the possibility of simply replacing the heads.
I went further and remove the front head and sure enough the number 2 piston was steam cleaned because of leakage to the head gasket that was damaged as well.
The thing that I still could not verify was whether the water pump had indeed failed. Therefore, I purchased a brand new Goodwrench motor and had it installed. This did not include accessories, therefore the old water pump, which was replaced by the dealer in October, was transferred to the new short block. A new thermostat was also installed to verify that this was not interfering with water flow.
The vehicle started, however, there was no water flow!! I attempted to perform a simple bleed of the system with the port beyond the thermostat to no avail because no water was being sent beyond the radiator, through the water pump, to the rest of the motor.
My question on this is can a Water Pump cause the heads to be damaged and how quickly can this happen? I feel like if the heads were getting water and then all of a sudden the supply ended, this would cause a vapor lock and who knows what other damage. Has anyone heard of this being a possibility?
first thing that occurs to me re. this fiasco is: any possibility there's another gm dealer you could work with? even if inconvenient & farther away, it might be worthwhile to find a dealer service dept. that is more competent and customer service oriented
I personally would change dealers, then write a letter detailing the experience, send it to a few high-level gm corporate offices, cc it to the "bad" dealer. couldn't hurt to try!
I just spoke with a GM customver service rep and he is going to refer this situation. I submitted essentially the same letter that I posted with the exception of dealer names and confidential stuff.
One thing I did not mention is the Limp Home Mode because I was unaware of this. I am also trying to deal with the BAVR. My intention is to take the van into the dealer where I bought the motor from and have them verify that the water pump is faulty. From that point, I will have verification from a "Certified GM Service Department" which should give me the ammunition to take it to GM Corporate and get some action on this.
I personally am getting to the point that this is the 3rd time, which also falls into Lemon Law since I purchased the vehicle from a GM Dealer in the first place. Don't know how all that works with a used vehicle but from what I understand it is no different than new.
Also, is there a way to find some Email addresses of the GM Corporate offices? The customer service departments are giving me the run around so it is hard to get anything resolved that way. I need to get with a big wig somewhere somehow.
General Motors Corporation
300 Renaissance Center
PO Box 300
Detroit, Michigan 48265-3000
Maybe try qwestdex.com for detroit? good luck
Steve, Host
Look also for a bad shock absorber.
Had to take it to Dealer within first 100 miles for lose hoses.
On our first trip to the city (less than 1000 miles on odometer), car went dead in the middle of the expressway!! Main computer was short-circuited. Dealer replaced it . But it happened again within 5 miles. It seems some of the wires were scratched by the A/C unit.
AT about 5,000 miles, they replaced rear seats as they stopped folding.
Front-passenger side door got stuck at less than 10,000 miles.
In first 3 years we have gone through 2 bad batteries. (manufacturing defects)
GM not had a recall on sliding door but we had a recell of recall!!! (and by the way our door worked perfectly till the second recall messed it up!!)
The worst was when at 22,000 miles the transmission gave away.
In owning about a dozen cars in my life, my score has been:
Performance of Honda/Toyota A++
Performance of any Big 3: F
Since the problems on our venture are not recurring, t cannot be classified as Lemon.
My advice to all thinking of buying Venture, not only stay away from Venture but stay away from any US manufacturer. (Note that there is nothing wrong with US made cars- Honda and Toyota are made in US)
VENTURE (of for that matter any Big 3 vehicle) stinks.
I, too, did a lot of research into various minivans before getting 01 silo...I also concluded that Honda is probably the best overall. But, when weighing the MUCH higher price I would've had to pay for a comparable honda, I decided that it was, for my budget anyway, a better "gamble" to get a gm and save a bundle up front. So far, its all good...we've put almost 15000 miles on it (its at 40000ish now) with nary a hitch, no problems, no malfunctions...knock on wood. The body/trim construction of my gm does seem to be rather like the plastic models I built as a kid, but the engine/chassis/transmission, and interior (for the most part) seem pretty sturdy.
Also, from my previous research its clear that while hondas are wonderful, they are certainly not all perfect and problem-free
Go figure.
My personal experience:
- the most trouble-free car I've ever had: Plymouth Acclaim, bought 1 yr old used for 8.5K, put $35 in for speed sensor and $60 for a muffler in over 60K miles, sold for $5K after 3.5 years
- the cars I had by far the most troubles with: Nissan Stanza (engine computer, breakes) and Mazda Millenia S (coolant leak - 4 times in the shop, other things)
You never know which car was built on Monday...
Good luck
Tomek
However, I did notice that reports of early tranny failures amoing the GM triplets seemed to me to be less common. (I did a lot!!!! of research). In the end I have my own belief as to why this is the case. My opinion is that minivans use front drive platforms designed for cars, and when placed in heavier minivans, these systems are slightly overtaxed and the less hardy built ones fail early. Because the GM triplets are the lightest minivans, by 500-1000 pounds, (excluding the Mazda MPV, see 9/10ths scale minvan), the daily wear on the trannies is decreased.
At any rate, the problems I found common to the GM triplets ie( failure of intake manifold gasket, power sliding door probs, and leaking rear windows) I judged as less severe and less expensive to fix needed than replacing the tranny.
At any rate I am so far vey pleased with my 01 Venture. I bought it used with 18K miles, I now have 46K miles, with only a couple of minor probs fixed under original warranty.
I wish I'd bought the Honda!!!
sawhneyv "Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems" Aug 27, 2002 2:10pm
Grass may not be greener....
The flipside of this issue is buying used. If you are buying used you can pick up a vehicle from any of the big 3 that is 1-3 years newer with 15-40K less miles for the same price as its counterpart from Honda or Toyota.
For me I am very happy that I bought a one year old Venture with 18K miles for the price that a 4 year old Ody with 65K miles was selling for. I have a great, reliable vehicle that gets great mileage, and someone else paid for the bulk of the depreciation.
We just traded in our 2000 IMPALA LS, paid the difference and bought a 2000 VENTURE LS. We chose it after having rented a VENTURE and a WINDSTAR on previous trips. Only complaint is that those windows in the rear are really dark - but they're even darker in the Dodge and Chrysler minivans.
The VENTURE has about 28,000 miles on it and I'm wondering what kind of mileage you folks are getting out of your original FIRESTONE tires?
Also, what product have any of you found that really restores the black color to the exterior black plastic handles and trim?
Hope you have many happy miles.
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/96026.htm
What a piece of crap!.
Apparently CARAVANS also have trans troubles. A friend replaced his trans at about 36000 miles on his 95 Dodge.
So far, we love the Venture. It rides smooth and quiet and has all the interior space we needed to haul the baby and bring in all the supplies needed to redo things in and around our house. And it's only one inch longer than the Impala.
Any suggestions from other posters are most welcome.
Anyone interested in his sales stats on vans might want to check this link:
http://www.autosite.com/editoria/asmr/svvan.asp
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl_wagon.htm
Also, the whole length of the exhaust pipe including the muffler appears to have a rusty coating on it. Is that normal?
also, using seat belts religously ups your odds tremendously in any car...just my 2 cents
Chevy replaced the shift solenoids on the tranny but that was about it.
Oh Yeah, the anti-freeze sort of sludged over at 5 years and 42K causing the engine to run hot. A power flush took care of the problem.
Mine gets 22mpg and better on the highway. I put new Michelins on it last fall before I started to boycott France.
You buy a venture because you need a venture, not much with this machice.
I'll keep it as long as it runs well, sometimes old reliable is better than a new potenial lemon.
Oh, to Marky1; the computer in mine said that 5 out of the 6 injectors were bad. I suspect it was because the computer was bad and kept on sending this message. Of course, GM's official response was that it was the gas I was buying! I always buy my gas from the corner Mobil station and my neighbors who also buy there have NEVER had any problems. After agreeing to take care of the cost of a new fuel filter, the dealer agreed to pay for the 5th injector which, by this time, was out of warranty. He's a neighbor of mine so, I suspect that's the only reason why he was nice to me and agreed to pay for it.
I do change the oil every 3000 miles and have always used a GM PF 47 oil filter. I put a transmission cooler on for $180 at 32000 and change the fluid at 30000 miles. Dex Cool every two, as this stuff is not as good as made out and can clog if left in for the 4/5 years.No visible leaks of any kind
I continue to find this van as a great long haul vehicle and eats up the miles combine in being highly flexible in terms of space (seats flip or take out).
In the overall context of things, this continues to be a great van and cannot be more pleased.
A great car.
The Venture is an LS extended, power door, rear air, CD/Cass stereo, 8 seat cloth, roof luggage carrier, theft alarm, 6-way power drivers seat, etc.
The car is in perfect condition and is selling for $14,700 (lower NY area).
I called Chevy with the VIN number, and they told me that the 1 recall was already fixed (power door) and the only other repair was a wiper motor replacement.
Any comments? Is the price reasonable?
Alina
Good luck
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/96026.htm
Plus CR has it rated "Fair" reliability. CR also states IIHS offset crash test is "Poor". It did fair pretty well on the Front crash test and side crash test. CR states "Subpar reliability and poor offset-crash test results take these essentially well-designed models out of contention."
I wouldn't put my kids in one. I even traded my Villager in because of poor IIHS offset ratings and poor side impact ratings. The way people drive today (faster is better, get out of my way, so what if I put you at risk) and all of the huge SUV's out there with the same human attitudes, then the "real world" statisitics must be based on the "dream world" statisitcs. This is the real world and more people are killed every day due to the careless driving of others. I would rather have a higher rated vehicle around my children then one that is subpar.
We went with the '03 Mazda MPV which is 5 star rated and has an "Excellent" reliability record. Oh and they are more affordable with better resale.
Causing trouble as usual!
Lsinc
I am happy you have a vehicle that you are happy and comfortable with. My point has always been that there is more to choosing a vehicle then two crash tests in a lab in the fall of 1996. And when the conflicting info comes from the same source, wouldn't the one with the most data points be more reliable? Hundreds of incidents vs 2. Which is more "real" and which is more "dream".
And as far as "I wouldn't put my kids in one", my kids are 8 and 5, so I will not have to worry for another 9 years, and I am sure my Voyager will be long gone by then. Those, such as yourself, with 17+ years olds at home, again will have to use different decission proccesses.
I do not care what you are driving, if you get hit the wrong way or by a larger vehicle you are going to suffer. Look at all the safeguards NASCAR mandates and look at how badly injured Jerry Nadeau was last Friday.
Turning on the ignition is a dangerous proposition no matter what you drive.