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Comments
I must admit, I think every vehicle I've ever purchased has had something wrong with it that I fixed myself rather than go through all the time and hassle of dealer fixes. They usually are minor issues. My other car is an '01 Acura TL which needed the driver door switch fixed. It was a simple matter of taking it off, fishing for the wire inside and pressing it on hard enough to hit the lock point on the catch. 10 minutes vs ???? at the dealer.
Paul
Frank
That is true of all dealers. Any warranty claim is either: "Could not duplicate" or "user has installed non-compliant yadda yadda yadda" I learned to install only items that could be removed with little or no trace in an hour or 2, so far so good though.
-mike
I've had the battery die three times with nothing left on. Naturally, the dealer couldn't duplicate the problem.
The dealer insisted there wasn't a fix for the mirrors, until I told them the dealer across town had a fix and was willing to schedule an appointment for me. I was finally told there was a fix, but there was a high probability that they would break the mirrors when implemented. They wanted to get extra mirror glass in stock before attempting the fix.
Last but not least, was a defective front passenger seat belt. They ordered the part. I took the vehicle in on Tuesday. I still don't have my vehicle back. They claim that there is a major problem with the replacement parts. They've tried multiple replacements with no results.
I'm starting to wonder if I have a problem with GM or the dealer. I'm leaning toward the dealer at the moment. I think that once I get it back, it will be the last time they'll see it.
I also had the right front rail cover of the roof rack warped. Look like a bad molding of that part. The dealer ordered new right rail (15067794) and a front cover (15005730) last month. The new rail and cover fit perfectly.
I don?t know if anybody else has had this problem, but the top windshield molding was loose on my Bravada. Every once and awhile it would come loose on the freeway and start to beat on the roof of the truck. Thought some one was throwing rocks at first J it was that loud. They resealed it down but it?s still a little wavy in some places. Might have them replace it the next time I?m back there. I hope it will be awhile for that (nock on fake wood)
Allen
As far as dyno results go, I seem to remember there is a 25-30% reduction in horsepower at the rear wheels compared to flywheel h.p. This account the drag and friction in the driveline. A 25% reduction in 270 h.p. results in approximately 200 h.p., so 193 h.p. is not out of line in my mind, especially on a new engine on a hot day.
GAM2
The brakes seem to work fine, but they will go to the floor if I press hard while I'm stopped. No other vehicle I've owned did this. Is this common?
GAM2
For awhile I thought I had more pedal travel than should be but after setting the parking brake a few times that condition has cleared up. Not sure whether parking brake action has anything to do with it, it just seems like that is all that could have had any effect.
Do you still carry the license? I got mine in '75 and am now ready to retire it and myself at the same time.
Just exactly what was the DISCLAIMER? Problems like these the triplets are having won't be solved for some time if ever. I just like being more cautious.
Frank
I am considering buying an Envoy XL or Bravada and have a few questions:
Has anyone heard of GMC offering Captain's chairs for the second row for the Envoy XL?
How many MPG has anyone been getting with XL?
Does the Bravada have a 3rd row seat?
If so, can you get Captain's chairs for the second row?
Thanks,
Tom
PS. Please cc any response to thfrazer@earthlink.net.
-mike
So far no problem, even at 50 and 35 watts VHF and UHF, and connected to the power outlet jack on the back of the console (which I know is a no-no but I am in the testing phase, nothing permanent no holes etc yet)
Yes still have both licenses. The old 1st class now General Radio-Telephone license as I recall became permanent in '86 or so, therefore no more renewals. Was every 5 years when I first got licensed. Amateur radio licenses still get renewed every 10 years. I maintain 2 repeaters in D-FW for one of the local ham clubs. Great hobby with people from every walk of life imaginable involved.
Dittos on the retirement- I am ready too!
Thanks to all who added input to my original question!!
Ed
There are no captain's chairs available and the second and third row are not removable. The Tahoe has a removable third row option, but it really is not as comfortable for adults as the EXT or XL. Hope that helps.
Ed, in reading the disclaimer, it sounds like G.M. is saying that they are not responsible for ANY malfunctions resulting from ANY interference, whether the interference comes from an onboard radio or radio outside of the vehicle. "Certain radio telephones or or land mobile radios or the way in which they are installed....". They make no mention of radios installed in G.M. vehicles. They state they are not responsible for expenses you will have to pay to shield your car from interference from any source. The responsibility is on the person or device causing the interference. Sounds like they designed a very wide band receiver with poor selectivity. Perhaps there is a job opportunity for someone with radio experience.
Frank
Again, for any who missed the part number, it is
P/N 15170981
And of course doesn't really exist according to GM. :>)
Paul
I've seen a couple in this area, and it's just what I've been waiting for: big enough to seat seven, but not so big to need a football field in which to park; comfortable and luxurious without the "import" price tag. The closest I'll get to an Avalanche is the picture on my DVD player!
oAnything in the bed gets the whole interior dirty.
oThe bed is very very narrow, can't fit stuff in there.
oA 4-door crew-cab with shortbed would be far more useful than it.
-mike
GAM2
Is there any purpose to the bars?
Thanks
Paul P
We bought the Av because it looked great (got it in Onyx Black too!), is huge and can haul just about anything, is built well, and is very refined. It's much better than the rattly, noisy, shaky, no-power 300M.
The local dealer has had the same fully-optioned white TB EXT for a week now with "1st EXT!" written on the window. They also have many other normal TB's that haven't sold yet either. I don't think they're dealing much on the EXT yet. I must say, it does look a lot better in person than I thought it would.
Two kids.
Ever travel cross country with two kids sitting in the back seat? I have, and it ain't pretty. When we did it the first time with a Mazda MPV, one in back row, one in the middle row, with their own space for stuff, it was heaven.
No more "He touched my whatever" or Jimmy won't move over."
It's not about carrying 7 pass or even 6. It's sure nice for a family of four to have that much room.
But you will need a roof top carier for the suitcases.
Why would you want to lose a seat in the second row and throw in an uncomfortable third row? I'll never understand this whole third row phenomenon... If you want a mass people mover, buy a minivan! More room is great, but at the expense of your passengers?
Did it right after a long 5hr drive.
The ride back was much quieter.
Check my pics and details out here:
http://www.timlauro.com/cars/trailblazer/roof-rack-detail-notes.html
Second.. third row seats.. My father finally made up his mind today and picked up a 02 GMC Denali in Garnet Red with Stone Gray leather to replace his Jeep Grand Cherokee.. He got a really good deal considering that he gets the GMS discount and took advantage of the 3.9%@ 60 mo's incentive. I must say.. I love my Envoy but I REALLY LOVE the Denali... I was thoroughly impressed with the overall quality of this vehicle! It's really nice, but all of this build quality does not come cheap ($48,819 fully loaded). The 320hp V-8 sounds realllly nice.. from my understanding, it's a de-tuned corvette engine! The 11 speaker Bose system sounds wonderful and the extra "electronic gizmos" are nice as well. I cannot even begin to explain the overall ride, handling and smoothness of the vehicle. It rounds the corners with ease and soaks up the bumps rather nicely with the auto-ride suspension and most important, it doesn't handle or feel like a larger vehicle at all!
In our own "family" opinion, we definitely came to the conclusion that the third row seats in the Denali are made strictly for the kiddies. As a matter of fact, I "tried" to sit back there today and it's not the most comfortable place to be for any trips longer than 5 minutes if you are more than likely 5'5" or taller. On the other hand, the dealership had a Denali XL on the showroom floor that came equipped with captains chairs and "elevated" third row seating areas for adults, does anyone know if the third row seats in the XL and EXT are elevated as well? Thfrazer may want to consider looking at a regular Yukon XL or Denali XL to get the second row captains?? Also, as a side note.. with the new Denali parked in the garage next to my Envoy, I noticed they are very comparable in terms of length.. but hands down, the Denali stands taller and a tad bit wider than the Envoy, but it was nice to see that the Denali wasn't that much longer in length as compared to my Envoy. I am quite sure that the new XL and EXT's are probably just about the same size in length as compared the the Denali.
Lastly.. I stopped by my local dealer yesterday and ordered the gasket and TODAY I received a call stating that the part was already shipped and at the dealership for me to pick up?? I was quite surprised to hear that, I am planning to pick up the seal on Monday and attempt installation on my own. Has anyone else ordered/received their parts so promptly? I guess this is not a "national backorder" item as of yet. Wish me luck and I will let you all know how everything irons out. In the mean time, I think that I am going to try to "borrow" the Denali from my dad tonite so I can have a SUPERSIZED luxury night on the town! Hopefully I will be able to give him the keys back tonite without shedding a few tears! Ha, ha..
Thanks!
IExplore2000@aol.com
purchase the GMPP extended warranty any time before
your 3/36 expires. I did so on a 97 at 35,496 miles.
Furthermore, the extended warranty is definately
marked up.
Walter
The body shop but that was only because the whole thing started out as a chipped paint problem. Future fixes will be done by the service department since there really isn't any body work. At least that's what my dealership said.
I watched part of it but had already taken it all apart myself last week checking everything out so I went off and BS'd with the body shop manager.
The gasket only covers a portion of the bottom - about 6 inches or so on both sides. If you look at your tailgate you'll see why. The contour of the tailgate kinda forces the issue. The factory is doing it the same way. Looks fine to me, however on lighter colors, it may not look as good. I have the Maroon Envoy - what color do you have?
"THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES. OPERATION IS SUBJECT
TO THE FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS: (1) THIS DEVICE MAY NOT CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE, AND (2) THIS DEVICE MUST ACCEPT ANY INTERFERENCE RECEIVED, INCLUDING INTERFERENCE THAT MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED OPERATION."
The part about "MUST accept interference" is interesting. That seems to imply to me that if there is a problem that causes misoperation resulting in a failure the burden to fix it is on the manufacturer of the equipment being interfered with. I suppose GM can say what they want as a disclaimer but they have to make things as RF-proof as possible and make an effort to do something about it if there is a legimitate problem. I noticed in the owners manual while looking for the maximum current rating on the console ACC outlet (has a 20A fuse btw) pg 2-62 "Accessory Power Outlets" they say you can plug in a CB radio as an example. Then in the next column they have the disclaimer about possible damage that might be caused by doing what they just said you can do! Hopefully nothing will ever fail and I won't have to deal with weird problems. Only computer glitch so far was with the airbag light staying on one time, have seen several replys about others doing the same thing, and that was before any transmitter was ever in my TrailBlazer. All OK so far.
Good work Ed. Thanks for the research. I guess one good thing about this forum, among others, is the way information is shared among interested readers.
One LAST observation on this matter, The Triplets are not like your 67 Chevy anymore. Consider the possible consequences when modifying or adding electronics to them.
Frank
1) Rear diff locking up on sharp turns.
2) Brakes go to the floor at idle
3) Squeeky pulley or belt at idle
4) Transmission shift problems
5) Fan clutch problems
6) Chipping paint on tailgate
7) Chipping paint on lower rear doors
8) Wandering mirrors
9) Wind noise between doors (roof racks removed)
10)Loose molding around windshield
11)Loose seals in front fenders
12)Creaking drivers seat
Maybe my expectations are too high for a $36000
vehicle. I like the truck but this scares the
#$%^&* out of me. If GM had a return policy it would be gone. I guess if you get a good one, you're lucky. If you don't........
GAM2
I have two kids, and I agree with noller2g about having a third seat. I took a pretty good look at the Envoy XL, and was VERY impressed. The ride is side and cushy, but then that is what makes it comfortable on long road trips. I sat in the third row (I'm 5'11") and had plenty of room--more, in fact than I had in the third row of the Tahoe with the third seat. The seats are elevated a bit, so added to the extra legroom, it feels even bigger. I would think these seats would be ideal for someone trying to watch the optional DVD player, though perhaps not as good as the second seat.
I've got to add to noller2g's reason for a third row, though, even with only two kids--grandparents! With my Tahoe, we still must take two cars to go out to eat when they visit--forget a road trip in one with more than five. With the Envoy XL (OK, and the TrailBlazer EXT--I just like the styling of the Envoy more), I can put the kids in the back and the grandparents in the middle and go. Can't do that in the Av--unless I put my mother-in-law in the truck bed--an idea that may have a little merit, now that I think about it.
So, at first, for quite a while she wanted a Yukon or Tahoe w/ a 3rd seat. Then she actually looked at them more and thought we really wouldn't need the seat since it's almost always just her or the 4 of us in the car at once. We probably would have got a Yukon, but they were just too expensive. After going to the Baltimore auto show back in February, we all looked at the Av's they had and started to like them more and more, along with the Trailblazer & Envoy. Actually, before we bought the Av, she sent me on an internet mission to find her a good deal on either an Avalanche or a TB.
With the availability of pretty big discounts on the Av and the fact of the somewhat common quality bugs with the triplets. Both are first year models, but the Av has had very few problems in its year on the market while the triplets have been a bit iffy.
So, we ended up getting a black 2wd Avalanche that stickered for $33,193 minus a $7,002 discount, for a final price of $26,191. We probably could have gotten a nicely equipped TB LT or Envoy SLE for the same price, but liked the Av's tougher build quality, loved the looks, and were hooked on its versatility. So far, we don't miss a 3rd seat yet at all, and are enjoying having quite roomy seating for 5 people.
Enough of that, back to the triplets!!
Are you actually paying for the seal? Dealer cost is $5.10 as I've been told. I believe list was $7.65. You should be getting it free and probably an allowance of .2 hours for install. Have you hit your dealer up for some kind of credit? They could still process it as a warranty claim as long as you sign off on it.
For your info, there are marks on the bottom inside of the plastic pocket that work perfectly for centering the seal and getting it on perfect your first try. There is an adhesive in the deepest part of the seal that helps it stick to the plastic pocket. Let us know how you do on your install.
Paul
I have an 02 bravada with the bose sound system. While the system is good it is not great. I used to compete in car audio shows and have about 15 grand worth of car audio and video equipment in my garage. The stock system in the bravada provides too much midbase and the system really needs a nice small sub for low end fill. I went to my local audio store who has done all of my custom work in the past and they are more than willing to put al my equipment back into my new bravada. However on this car I did not want to go that crazy. Just change the speakers, add a sub, replace the head unit with my clarion that has a six inch screen and my dvd player, and put in one of my amps for the highs because the stock amps will not provide enough power for my high quality MB Quart speakers. I know this sounds like a lot of work to some, but this would be one of my smaller systems.
I was shocked to find out that I can not remove the stock radio. If I remove it the airbags and DIC would not work. Apparently GM in all of its wisdom decided to install data cables through the back of the radio and the electronic goodies in the car will not work if they are not connected to the stock radio. We did come up with a solution for it though. You can purchase a cable that will extend all of those harneses to the rear of the car and place the radio in the small compartment on rear floor.
Audio junkies beware.
I will let everyone know how it turns out.
I drove my Envoy to lunch and the A/C worked fine and blew ice cold, and this was in 95 degree Florida heat. Then I went back to work and parked it for about 3-4 hours. Got back in the truck and the whole way home (about a 20 min drive) the A/C was blowing pure HOT air. I tried turning it off for a minute or two and I also tried leaving the system on and turning just the A/C compressor off for a minute and turing it back on. Still nothing but hot air. I also happened to notice a wierd smell inside the car when I got in.
Then I got home fuming (both literally and figuratively since it was 97 degrees according to the display) and let it sit in the garage for about 15-20 minutes. I went back out and started it up and after about a minute the A/C started blowing cold air. I let it sit about 30 minutes and tried again and it blows cold (but I don't think it's as cold as usual) but this time I noticed in the first minute or two the A/C compressor cycled on and off about 4 times.
So, has anyone had this problem? Also, is it normal for the compressor to cycle so much when first turned on? I was going to bring it in on Monday, but now that it is blowing cold again I am afraid they are just going to say "works fine, nothing wrong". I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I almost wish it had stayed not working so at least they could diagnose it...now I will worry about the A/C going out all the time and in Florida that is not a pleasant thought in the summer!
http://service.gm.com/servlets/LatestNewsSrv?lang=en&country=US&dbCd=en
Then go down the page to:
#02-08-64-008 Uncommanded Movement of Outside Rearview Mirrors (Replace Mirror Actuator)
Its about 1/4 of the way down the page.
Ironically, my Dad actually kind of likes the Envoy better. He is ticked off that my vehicle that was 10k cheaper has things his truck doesn't: Rain Sensing wipers, dual zone climate control with a digital display (he thinks the computer climate control with the rotary knobs in the Denali/Escalade looks really cheap), and he really can't believe my Envoy came with a trunk mat and the Denali didn't (especially when their '99 Denali DID come with a trunk mat!). Since he likes the Envoy so much, I told him we could trade
You can get Captain Chairs in 2nd row with a Denali, only a split bench in the Envoy.
The Denali has more room and is a proven design.... but I still like my Envoy SLT.
Mike
Great job gaining access to the GM Official service website! I printed off the documents and will take my vehicle first thing Monday morning to the local dealership to have both actuators replaced! Now if you can somehow sift through that website to see if you can find out a fix for my delayed acceleration problem during a cold start, I would be eternally grateful!! :-)
Thanks!
IExplore2000@aol.com
http://service.gm.com/servlets/BlobShtml?ShtmlFile=866611
Summary is that the manual is incorrect, the oil light doesn't flash - if the oil light doesn't come on after performing the reset procedure and restarting the vehicle, then it is reset.