Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

bobbies

To those not sure about triplets...I have a "02 Bravada. The truck is 1 1/2 yrs. old with 21,000. Love it. Mileage is 22-23 on trips and 18 in town. The mileage is calculated and around town is via the DIC. Had problems with the mirrors, real plate seal and wiper motor. Other than that no major issues. Although not sure yet on soft wheel studs...dealer says I over torque, I need to recheck my wrench and verify. The Bravada came standard with stuff optional on TB and Evnvoy. Granted the Olds name will be defunct but in 5 years at the end of warranty I doubt if that will make much differance at trade anyway. Mine is black w/gold package, gold stripe, and polished wheels. I continue to get comments on the looks everytime we go somewhere. I also use Zaino Bros. wax. I just wish the seats were a little more comfortabe on long trips, but it is a truck. My friend just bought an new Jeep Cherokee Limited. I did not realize how well my Bravada rode until I drove his Jeep. Wow, what a difference air shocks make. If it is an option, I sure would recommend getting it.

gokayak

Hope someone is listening...

I purchased my '03 Envoy SLT 2 months ago and so far a few minor hick-ups (rear panel gasket around lic plate replaced, ws wiper end cap replacement, brakes perfomring with a delay - breking delay - it was scarey -- they could not duplicate problem to identify cause???...) The main reason for seeking help is with wind noise...am I crazy of what. At exactly 40 mph - whooshing wind noise very obvious. The noise gets louder as the speed increases. I have had the vehicle back to dealer 2x, spoke with salesperson, service tec, service manager and GM Customer Service Representative - wait till you hear possible solution....

Placint a black silicone sealant in the seams of mirrors which will then make the joint of the collapseable mirror not functionable...not to mention probably look very good. I told the serv mgr that I could not believe GM could only suggest this. I have gotten the sense that they are aware of this problem but do not know what to do about it. Two days ago I went on my first long distance vaction and am very unhappy with the wind noise (remember the word wooooshing).

Sorry for the lengthy posting - it is probably my frustration coming out.....can anyone help or am I being unreasonable??

Thanks Much

cparise1

Thanks all for your thoughts on the kit. I looked at the web site and their photos of factory Vs. the kit are quite convincing.

Anyone out there savvy about this stuff know if I can purchase upgraded front bushings? My dealer parts department is pretty helpful, I can always call them too if no one knows.

Thanks much, Chris.

cparise1

There have been lots of posts about wind noise so use the search feature to find them. I believe the weather stripping on the driver door may be cause but use the search engine. I had my driver door weather stripping replaced because I noticed it sagging, but it did not cause a noise issue.

I have an '02 Envoy XL SLT build date 5/02 and don't have an issue with wind noise, as a matter of fact my Envoy is very quiet.

Chris

richardcoulson

Cparise1, the hochkiss kit comes with the front bushings. I would image that just upgrading the front and rear bushing on the factory bars would be an improvement and less than the $200 for the kit.

momstruck1

Has anyone had this problem went to use them this morning and poof they went on once and then just died . Not the fuse as hubby already tried to change it to see if that was it. I have a feeling it is the motor. This is the problem I have going away on friday for a weekend trip and was wondering if i got it in this week how long would the repair take ?? As for GM I will never purchase or lease from them again this is 2 for 2 with them first the venture and now the trailblazer .i am off and running somewhere else a year and 1/2 to go!

quickdtoo

The poly rear bushings would not work with the OEM bar, they are different diameter, the hotchkis bar being larger. tim

ficuss

Take your TB back to the dealer and have them change out the wiper motor. Mine started to act up some time ago. They would stop mid wipe. GM knows a problem exists. Apparantly the wiper motor is not water tight. Water leaks into the housing and shorts out the electronics. You are lucky they didn't quit during a rain as some have. This is yet another example of that quality GM engineering they keep telling us about. Keep in mind though, someone will chime in and tell us that at least GM is fixing the problem, and we should feel good about that.

Frank

johntr

I'm happy with my 2002 TB LT. It turn 50k over the weekend. After the initial fixes most people have experience from the first model year, I have not had any problems, also, only 3 of the recalls from the list of recalls were concerning my vehicle. I checked the mileage by calculator at my last fill & it was 18.22mpg. My driving involves rural (30-50mph) & interstate roads (55-80mph) and with my mix of driving, I'm quite pleased with the MPG - by the way, the DIC indicated 18.1 mpg. The last reset I did on the DIC was at least 3 months, so historically, imho, it's pretty close. I change the oil around 5k, nothing special, 10-30w. One of these days, I really must change the air filter - indicator still shows good, but it does have 50k miles on it. Would expect to see a slight MPG improvement, as well as performance.

mskay

Thanks for all the info and feedback regarding my concern with the 2002 trailblazer I was "going" to purchase, after reading over everyone's reply I just didn't feel comfortable with the possibiilty of having a lot of problems. Hopefully GM will work out all the kinks, but I will keep checking, hopefully the 2003/2004 models will have better reports because I still would prefer my first choice- the trailblazer versus the pathfinder.
Thanks again everyone,

seiford

Gokayak: You're not alone, I also am going crazy with the amount of wind noise on my Envoy.

Check out message #10826 to see how GAM eliminated wind noise on his Triplet. I hope to try his fixes this week.

momstruck1

I am going to the dealer today to my suprise they do work on columbus day !! hey what a shock right ? Well the time frame on my lease gets shortter by the day that is all I keep telling myself.I understand that sompeople have no problems but the small little problems are worse then one giant problem that is fixed and over with! I am looking to go into a mini-van after this and it won't be a GM !

ficuss

I've never owned a minivan, but the only minivans to ever pass me on the highway are the Chrysler town and country and the Honda Odyssey. Either they have great engines or their drivers are in as big a hurry as I am.

Frank

hardhawk

Our 1997 Chrysler Town & Country is still going strong after almost 7 years. Except for a transmission control module back in 97 have had no work done other than regular service and a fuel tank recall. The 2002 Envoy has been to the dealer more in 27 months, but most of those problems have been minor. Still, for $38,000 there really shouldn't that many problems. However, there is nothing on the road I would rather have than my Envoy.

bertman48

I have a 2003 TrailBlazer that is having the following problems.
1. When I fill up my gas tank, about a pint of gasoline backflows out of the fill tube right after the gas nozzle has shut off.
2. Whenever my TB is in 4th gear (Overdrive), it makes a humming noise whenever I am accelerating or putting a load on the motor. It sounds like it is emanating from the exhaust system. I can also feel a slight vibration through the gas pedal. Whenever, I am accelerating up an incline precisely at 58 MPH, the humming gets louder and occasionally makes a growling noise and the vibration through the gas pedal intensifies.

Any ideas what is causing these problems? I have taken the TB into 2 dealers and they have not been able to solve these problems yet.

ficuss

The hum problem you describe has been talked about for a long time. Do a search using words like hum, resonance and vibration and you wil get to read many renditions of the same problem. Some have had drive train work done to reduce the noise and feel of the vibration. Most of us have lived with it. Giving the car more gas when it hums at 58 mph will stop the hum.

Frank

kpp14

Check out the Honda Pilot. A friend of mine just purchased one. Its well appointed and costs less than the Envoy slt. I think its called a SUV but I beg to differ. Its a big a@# mini van with a whole lot of room. Quality is there as well. You will find it has less power if that matters and its not for off road like our trucks can be. Ive had three Chryslers and a Montana and have no major complaints there. By the way i'm on my third wiper motor. The last time the techy sealed it up really well.

gam2

Gokayak,

Yeah, see what I posted previously. It did not get rid of all the wind noise, but improved it quite a bit. It was especially helpful for noise close to your ears in the back of the front doors, and the front of the rear doors. Good luck.
Anyone drive a Buick to see if they are better?

FWIW, I would have never bought another triplet until GM traded my '02 Bravavda for an '03 Envoy.
I'm reasonably happy with my Envoy, but I still have some small problems that shouldn't be there
(squeeky seat, moaning brake pedal, wind noise, etc). Ask again in a couple of years to see if my confidence has improved.

GAM

momstruck1

went to the dealership for a simple oil change and wiper motor replacement . I will tell you all now they told us we needed to have the oil flushed and all kinds of filters changed. It would wind up costing us 300.00 after the work that needed to be done that is not including the wiper motor. We got that for free under the warrenty. I am so ready for the lease to end it can't come fast enough!! I must say though that we test drove the new toyota sienna and I loved it !!! can't wait to get rid of this POS!!!

aldan93

I'd say the drive shaft is in-tolerance, but slightly out of round!!! I've had the same problem, until they replaced it!

aldan93

Anyone get the Jet chip for the 4.2L? Wondering if its worth it?

m2iceman

I have a 02 LT and love it. I have had some of the problems, wipers, engine sleeve. All in all, I love the truck. I have approx 30K on it and it had been fine other than the casual recalls. It does seem alot of people here are posting more problems than positives, but there are those of us here that love the truck and me personally wont trade mine in. I know it may seem a bit disheartening to hear alot of the problems, but thats what is expected from any vehicle. Doesnt matter if its first gen or fourth gen, there will be problems. I have heard of complete lemons to slights problems like mine, oh well. I guess I would have a different outlook if I had alot of problems, but I havent and LOVE THE TRUCK!

stepha21

I have had my 2003 TB LT for under 1 week. It is already in the shop. I researched this vehicle and shopped for just the right deal for over a year. I did get a great deal, but not if it's some kind of lemon. Within 3 days, the A/C went out and blows warm air. The compass will not move from south and the keyless entry went out. I found out that searching for general problems with TB, as I did before I bought, won't return much but searching a specific prob like the A/C I find that pressure switch is a common problem. It makes me wonder what I have to look forward to. Hopefully not much more ..Anybody have any ideas or these problems? It had 64 miles onit when I drove it off the lot. Also, you all are mentioning a recall ... for what? Thanks.. Steph

tblazed

I can't help but ask- why did you authorize $300 worth of maintenance work if you question it? Go somewhere else. There are basically 4 filters to replace (oil, gas, transmission, and air), and possibly a transmission and engine oil change were needed. You didn't say. But, $300???

Can anyone recommend a perfect "0" defect, totally maintenance free vehicle for momstruck1?

Perusing a few other Edmunds discussions (Honda Pilot, Infiniti G35 for examples, just to check up on these supposedly "perfect" vehicles that get so much praise here) seems they have their share of problems and complaints.

ficuss

tblazed, Ed, once again you miss the point here. If G M triplets had the same 5 problems in every triplet produced, and G M found fixes for them, I would be a G M cheerleader too. The fact is that there are so many different problems with these trucks people may never feel totally confident driving them. It's like turning the crank on a jack in the box, you know jack will pop out, you just don't know when. You asked for a zero defect car, there is none. On June 20, 2003, I asked for a list of any one part in the triplets that has not been reported as defective. I still have not received a response.

Frank

tblazed

YOU just didn't catch it. I asked momstruck1 why she authorized $300 in maintenance, then complains about it when confronted with the bill as though other vehicles require none. I also advised her more than once to find another dealer since the one she uses seems determined to charge her something every time she comes into the service bay.

"I asked for a list of any one part in the triplets that has not been reported as defective. I still have not received a response."

Don't be ridiculous. There are hundreds of parts on triplets that have not or have never been reported as defective or failure prone. There have been mostly common problems with specific parts.

tblazed

1) Fuel filter clip, done as a recall.

That's it.

momstruck1

$300 dollars I thought he said about $100 dollars and I gave the phone to hubby who was told this HAD to be done. The problem with the trailblazer is it seems to be all little things that are a pain in the butt to go there for. The amazing thing is that this is the second GM this has happened to me on . All I am saying is that I will never get another GM again and since we are looking no w so at the end of our lease we can go right into something the sienna is where we are going with almost 100% better ratings then any gm I can see.

quickdtoo

But, Toyota reliability speaks for itself, in my experience, anyway. The fuel tank recall is a bit scary!

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/toyota/sienna/100257809/roadtesta- rticle.html?articleId=100603

quickdtoo

See message #12620.

kram18

I have a 2003 Trailblazer LS purchased in march, just broke 10,000 miles and have had 0 defects, no trips to the dealer what-so-ever. Been a great truck so far.

4156

At one time you could take a vehicle to the dealer for warranty work, they would fix the problem, and you would be on your way without further hassle. With the big three trying to cut the amount of warranty payments to the bone, the dealers must hustle for unnecessary profitable service work. So when you take your vehicle to the dealer for a specific problem covered under warranty, they are likely to tell you about, for example, "the free 32 point inspection" that we'll do while your vehicle is in for warranty work. And you can guess what that will lead to when you authorize it. See you at the Honda or Toyota dealer (In the sales department of course.)

jay_24

This is just a guess on my part....

If you have 30k or more miles ANY service shop will recomend or say you 'must' do the basic service. Tranny flush and fill, engine oil, maybe diffy and/or transfer case oil?
This basic service for parts and labor will be around $300. Most any car/truck will have this.

--jay

snaab

ordered the envoy today. does anyone know if i can track its build date and check the status on it? im guessing u cant but let me know. thanks. cant wait to replace my crap [non-permissible content removed] jimmy (when compared to the envoy that is)!

redline65

Remember also, there are some shady service departments out there. I quit going to one Cadillac/Olds dealer because they were going to charge my wife $120 to replace the engine and cabin air filters in our Intrigue. Try a dealership in another part of town, if there is one.

torontogrant

Its been a while since I logged in here. A couple of days ago I started to hear a noise coming from the back of my 2003 XL. Seems the wiper moter had started and hitting some resistance (the wiper was not moving but seemed to be "fighting"). This continued without the key in the ignition and me exiting as well. When turning the wiper on, it continued and could not be stopped except for slamming the rear hatch closed again. Anyone seen this one?

I recall others having problems with side view mirrors. At the time I was smug in that I did not have the same problems. Things have a way of coming around....my mirrors appear to have a mind of their own and NEVER return to where they were set (even seem to try to go "beyond" their limit and I hear the gears grating). Has this been addressed properly yet? Is there some service bulliten I should quote?

quickdtoo

After learning that Fram did have an application for the triplets I bought one, installed it today. In my opinion it's a disaster waiting to happen for anyone doing any semi-serious offroading. An impact on the plastic skid plate oil pan plug access plate could cause fracture/break the cast aluminum oil pan. The sure drain cap pushes the access panel open about 1/4". I removed it and would not recommend it for any offroaders. I'm seriously considering a metal skid plate, mine's got lot's of deep scratches in it already. tim

twinrotts

Be very leary about installing any of the aftermarket chips that work in line with original PCM's. After a short time the original PCM will attempt to retune to original performance specs.
This has been documented in an few places.
Unfortunately, I can not point you to a specific reference but believe others will support this concept.
I was hot on buying one of these but after reading a bit, dismissed it as a false performance benefit

hardhawk

There does not appear to be a fix for the wandering mirrors. I have my Envoy in for this service a number of times. Have had PCM reprograms, modules in the mirrors replaced, etc. Nothing seems to last for long. When they start going crazy, I just turn off that feature in the DIC (memory seat recall) and they stay put. I have them checked every time I go to the dealer. It just isn't a big enough deal to go just for that. My dealer is 35 miles away in a different town so I usually wait until I have several nagging items before I take it in. Dealer always is very nice about it. It just keeps happening. When warranty is out I will just turn it off for good. 27 months, 29,000 miles so far.

marspec

Took my 02 Envoy SLT to dealer for oil change at 28K. Use dealer since I consider it a royal pain to get under the car - $30 is worth it and the seventh is free. The service writer approached me and recommended the 30K scheduled maintenance since it was close. He then showed me $360 worth of work. When I asked how come the owners manual only listed checking axle fluid levels and CV joints, rotating tires, and fuel filter change all I got was "Well GM doesn't want you to realize how much maintenance is really needed" SURE!!! Since I use Goodyear to rotate and balance the tires - they have a lifetime plan so after the first time I only pay to have the spare broken down and put into rotation - and replacing the fuel filter can't be that much of a problem I didn't bite.

momstruck1

I was taken in for a fool. I just thank god that I will learn from this lesson!! I also wanted to say that I will be in that Toyota dealership ASAP !! I hope for all the people who didn't lease and are stuck with this truck and having problems you bought an extended warranty . I can't believe someone here said they were up to the 5th wiper motor . As i was looking into the paper work from the repair i saw that this dealer was charging $288.00 for that repair. I am covered but for someone who isn't wow !

kpp14

quickdtoo
"I'm seriously considering a metal skid plate, mine's got lot's of deep scratches in it already. tim"
Where exactly would you fasten such a plate? I checked mine out and there were no serious scratches where you described. I do get a lot of packed mud forward of that on the cross member. I'm pretty careful not to bottom out...but these things happen. The stock running boards are crappy for off road but seem to be fastened on well. They collect mud on top at the rear passenger doors and mud under cause their structural plastic. Snow in winter as well. Should have pipes for that. Actually the flat boards give you a nice audible warning when your in to deep.... How about that feature?

ylab

I purchased a Jet Chip (Stage 1) for my Envoy maybe 6 weeks back. Initially had some problems during the install and ended up having to RMA for a broken extender bolt. (Guys at Jet Chip are great by the way and replaced the module at no cost with a new one from a fresh batch...which had better drilled holes and installs much easier!).

My Envoy with 3.42 gears definitely gets off the line better with the chip and the shifts are quicker/firmer (but NOT harsh). There also seems to be better throttle response even at less than full throttle. I was skeptical after reading some other posts before the replacement showed up, however their module delivers as advertised. (btw: Martel Brothers was the cheapest vendor I found and they drop-shop directly from Jet, so you'll get a 'fresh' one).

Ray

quickdtoo

I plan on using the plastic plate as a pattern and bolting it on at the same location, plus adding a skid plate under the tranny pan. I've more than bottomed out under the front suspension too many times, fortunately it's usually just dirt/mud, no rocks, yet! tim

johntr

"Since I use Goodyear to rotate and balance the tires - they have a lifetime plan so after the first time I only pay to have the spare broken down and put into rotation"

If your spare is like mine, you will find that it does not match the other tires and would stand out as an odd tire, if you put it in the rotation. My spare is a complete blackwall tire, the other 4 tires are outlined, white letters.

spdmtr5

Mine have a few scratches but seem to protect well.I try to position rocks,trenches etc. so the tires go over them.This stratagey then is what causes the rear muffler to drag.On another TB site is a picture of one in Japan with a set of 2 in.lifted coil springs-has anyone seen these offered for sale?

kram18

I have the new set of coils in hand, just waiting to get some time in the shop to put them in (supposedly a 2" lift in the front and 1.5" in the rear allowing for a 265x75x16 tire with different offset wheel to fit with no rubbing.). I will post some photos when they are installed, also have a set of 265x75x16 mt/r's waiting to go on once the new coils are installed and I get my wheel spacers.

spdmtr5

Where did you purchace the springs?

spdmtr5

Thanks for the info.The price,plus shipping,is steep.Let's hope an American coompany will offer a similar kit.The saving grace is that the stock shocks can be used.

kram18

So far the only other company out there with a lift product for the triplets is these guys, http://www.suspensionmaxx.com/vtrailblazer.htm
They offer a front end lift kit (which I believe is just a spacer for the front coils), but nothing to lift the rear. I called or emailed all the big name suspension lift companies and they all have no plans to make a kit for the TB for a couple of reason; first off the oil pan is pierced by the front drive shaft, meaning if you want to lift more than 2" you need to relocate the oil pan, and secondly because they think there will be no demand for a kit for the triplets. So I wouldn't hold your breath for an American company to make anything.....