Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

1251252254256257352

Comments

  • mcuppsmcupps Member Posts: 4
    I was having trouble with the wandering mirrors issue over the past few months, but I finally reset the mirrors while in park with the engine running (I wasn't in a rush for once). For the past week or so the mirrors have been rock solid, always returning to the correct position even after my wife using the other remote to change the seat and mirrors to her memory position and then back to mine.

    Perhaps we're on to something here (fingers crossed at the same time)...
  • mgriff27mgriff27 Member Posts: 10
    Where did you buy the 2" lift setup. Also did you install this yourself?
  • envoyleeenvoylee Member Posts: 6
    Greetings, has anyone put studded snow tires on their Envoy, TB, or Bravada with 17" wheels. I'm thinking I will need them to cross the mountain passes (Cascade Mt. in Oregon) come winter time. I have found some snow tires in the OEM sizes, without or with studs, but would like some comments if anyone has done this. Pro's and con's.
    Thanks for your input. By the way, really like my 2003 Envoy, no problems yet.
  • 01_hoe01_hoe Member Posts: 273
    To remove the roof rack bars on my '03 Envoy, I just pulled on the end of the rack by the front door. Pull the plastic toward you. You should feel it pop out. The piece that pops out is about 5" long. Then release the pressure on the cross bars and slide them toward the front of the vehicle. Replace the plastic piece that you popped out. Make sure the piece is all the way popped back in to its slots.

    I didn't see any gas mileage improvement, but I do like the appearance without the crossbars.
  • kram18kram18 Member Posts: 45
    "Where did you buy the 2" lift setup. Also did you install this yourself?"

    I bought the new 2" lift coils from a company called meiwa corp in Japan (shoot me an email if you want to know how to contact them, my email is in my profile). They are the only company out there offering a lift solution for the TB. There is another product made by suspensionmaxx its a spacer for the front, but it will only lift the front leaving the rear stock height and it keeps the same soft OEM coils where as the lift coils are much stiffer and lift the truck on all 4 corners (The suspensionmaxx one is good if you are just looking to level out height, and not nessecarially put bigger tires on). I had a buddy who is a chevy mechanic help me with the coils and went to a tire place to have the spacer installed and new tires mounted. But I installed the brush guard and driving lights myself.
  • sildogsildog Member Posts: 50
    Hey Kram 18,

    I have a 2wd TB. Do you have any idea the largest tire size I can put on the 16" wheels with out spacers? I like the jacked up look, but it seems kind of lame on a 2wd!
  • jime1jime1 Member Posts: 3
    Sildog -- I can't answer your Trail Blazer question, but I can ask a favor. I've read your message #110 on the Nissan Murano (Topic: Problems) and posted one of my own (#178 or 179) about CVT. Any additional comments you have would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.
  • aldan93aldan93 Member Posts: 202
    I have around 16k on the Old TB, My OEM tires are ok, was wondering what everyone else has replaced them with? I was thinking of some Cooper Discoveries, or maybe the Big BFGoodriches, Aggressive tread!!! But was aware of the harshness etc.... Please fell free to comment!
  • kram18kram18 Member Posts: 45
    The largest tire size that I have heard of fitting on the stock 16" rim on a stock TB is 245x75x16 vs. the stock 245x70x16. If you get a spacer of a wheel with a different offset (+26mm or less) you can fit upto a 265x75x16.

    Mark
  • kram18kram18 Member Posts: 45
    That last post *should* read "If you get a spacer OR a wheel with a different offset."
  • funitsfunits Member Posts: 55
    My 2002 Envoy's wiper blades need to be replaced. I was considering having the dealer replace them at my next service, but wondered if I would get the same poor quality as the original blades. Therefore I was wondering if I should purchase better blades elsewhere. Suggestions, please!

    On tires, I have 28,000+ miles on the original Michelin Cross-Terrain tires, and still have a lot of tread left. The tires have been great in all driving conditions I have encountered (highway, easy off-road, ice, snow and deep snow). When the time comes to replace my tires, I will get Michelin Cross-Terrains again.

    At almost 2 years and 28,000+ miles, I have been very pleased with my Pewter 2002 Envoy SLT 4WD (sunroof, ECAS, Bose 6-CD, heated seats, rain-sense wipers).

    I had been a VW customer for a long time, but needed/wanted a SUV and VW did not have anything to offer at the time I was looking. I have since looked at the Touareg, but it is too small (back seat/cargo), too expensive, and uses too much gas. And, if it was like my Passat V6 GLX, they will be expensive to have serviced (compared to the Envoy).
  • mckeet1mckeet1 Member Posts: 2
    Just purchased an '04, notice a "whirring" sound coming from front end. Initiates at exactly 20 mph, and very noticeable with windows rolled up, although tends to blend with additional noise as I accelerate. Drop below 20 mph and the sound stops immediately. Fan clutch? Transmission? Any ideas?
  • perkolaterperkolater Member Posts: 7
    It sounds like you have the infamous front axle seal squeal. I had a similar problem a few months ago and was pointed toward the front axle seal. There is a TSB out for the problem.

    Search the forum for Front Axle seal for more info.

    I took my Bravada in and dealer performed Bulletin Number: 141101 and the problem was solved! (That line was shamelessly cut and pasted from my post after my front axle seal was replaced!)

    Good luck!
  • rctennis3811rctennis3811 Member Posts: 1,031
    Whats better??
    -Chevy Trailblazer EXT/GMC Envoy XL/Isuzu Ascender
     - - OR - -
    -Honda Pilot/Acura MDX
     - - OR - -
    -Toyota Highlander or Toyota 4RUNNER

    please give me some info. my cousin is deciding on which one to buy and he needs some help..all ur help is appreciated!! :)
  • discofeverdiscofever Member Posts: 34
    They are all nice and good choices... it comes down to personal preferences and needs... and lastly how much you're willing to spend!... so take your pick... choices choices choices....
  • cparise1cparise1 Member Posts: 109
    Observation: on occassion when either washing my Envoy or just walking by in the garage I might accidentally change the mirror angle by bumping it. With the initial starting position now incorrect, the mirror appears to wander.

    I've gone long periods of time without having to reset the passenger mirror. This week, its been misbehaving every day. I am going to try setting it while parked.

    The brother who tried to do the buy back over the mirror issue is reaching a little. An over-achiever to be commended. But, and maybe I've gotten lazy because I didn't crane my neck enough, I almost collided with an S10 driver going like he was at Indy the other morning on the freeway. Because my mirror was out of position and I didn't realize it, and I didn't see him coming from behind me. Extenuating factor was that he was doing about 90 mph.

    Lesson re visited from drivers ed 32 years ago--check mirrors before driving away!

    Still love my '02 Envoy XL SLT!!

    Chris
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Until Fuel Cells Arrive…

    GM's Advanced Engines
    image

    Steve, Host
  • pepper50pepper50 Member Posts: 195
    funits wrote:
    My 2002 Envoy's wiper blades need to be replaced. I was considering having the dealer replace them at my next service, but wondered if I would get the same poor quality as the original blades. Therefore I was wondering if I should purchase better blades elsewhere. Suggestions, please!

    If you have the dealer replace them, you will be paying way too much. You probably don't need the blades replaced but only the inserts. Some people, however, believe the blade refills should be the same brand as the blade assembly for the best fit; but I've never had any problem. You can buy the better quality blade refills (i.e., silicone). These are easy to replace. If you do need new blades, you can but the whole unit already containing the silicone inserts. Rubber blades don't last as long; they start cracking from extreme heat/cold. I just put some silicone refills on another vehicle; they cost about $7.00 for the pair. If you need the whole unit, you might consider something like the PIAA super silicone blade for about $18 each. Other brands of silicone blades include SilBlade, Havoline, etc. You might have to phone around to see who sells them in your area. Or search on PIAA, SilBlade, etc. online and locate a dealer that way. Good luck.
  • gokayakgokayak Member Posts: 5
    Good Morning -

    '03 Envoy - I am interested in upgrading my speaker system. I a not that familiar with sound systems and I have a two part question. Can I upgrade my speaker system without replacing my sterio dash unit (2) Has anyone upgraded their speakers and what would you recommend?

    Thanks for your feedback.
    Bucks County, PA
  • agentelevenagenteleven Member Posts: 95
    Be careful if you replace the entire blade! I've got a couple of (cheap) replacement blades on mine that don't fully contact the windshield at all locations during the arc sweep.

    They way they are constructed, they look as if they could only properly wipe a house window. There's hardly any articulation to them.

    I would go for high quality inserts, but not from the dealer... mine were $40... long story.
  • discofeverdiscofever Member Posts: 34
    1) Yes, You can upgrade & replace your speakers. Brands like, Infinity, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio.. One place to check and obtain tech support and to see what is available is http://www.crutchfield.com/

    2) If you decide to change the head unit, and your curent is a "Bose" head unit and if you have "On-Star", there is special adaptors required to by-pass the Head Unit so that "On-star" will continue to function (Go to a Professional Audio Shop for this). Crutchfield may offer these adaptors. good luck.
  • tblazedtblazed Member Posts: 945
    Trico and Anco brand refill wiper blades work quite well. Nothing special or exotic about them. They just work. And fit. And for the price, you can carry a spare set.

    Main thing to remember is, clean the wiper blades. Any time you clean the windshield, also go down each blade edge with your paper towel to keep the blades clean. That will make them work better and last longer.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------ - ---------------
  • sildogsildog Member Posts: 50
    I have done the entire sound system in my 02 TB LS. (In fact, part of it twice due to a breakin theft). I have put Infinity separate two way speakers in the front doors. They have a separate tweeter that I mounted in that little triangular piece of plastic that comes off with the door liner. I recommend this because if you just put a 2 way in the door, the high frequencies are aimed at your feet. They came with a crossover that you put in the door with them. The fronts and rears are the same size, but I can't remember if it was 5 or 6". I have Sony co-axials in the rear doors. Crutchfield.com has a good "what fits my car" thing that can help. There was a period of time where I had the stock head unit with the aftermarket speakers and it seemed to work well. Someone once told me that stock in dash units will run hot if using aftermarket speakers because factory speakers are higher impedence-but I didn't notice. Crutchfield advertises a lot that simply replacing factory speakers is a great way of upgrading. They have pretty good customer service reps that might know if you call. Also, if you order from them, they throw in wiring harnesses that plug into the factory wiring. Good Luck!
  • spdmtr5spdmtr5 Member Posts: 111
    Try the clean and treat with silicone spray.I'm at 26K on the TB and they work like new.
  • rj123456rj123456 Member Posts: 140
    The Envoy manual clearly states you should not use tire chains. Now California law states that occasionally even 4x4 vehicles need to carry or install chains(under "R2" or "R3" conditions, though lately I don't recally any R3 conditions - they close the road instead of declaring R3).

    Searching through this forum, one of the posters suggested using cables instead of chains. But SCC (a major manufacturer) claims that cables provide less traction control than chains. (http://www.scc-chain.com/NewFiles/Seasonal Pages/track_descrip- tion.html)

    Also SCC mentions there are different SAE categorizations for wheel well clearances. (http://www.scc-chain.com/NewFiles/Seasonal Pages/Questions/que- stion_13.html). Any one know what the Triplets rating is? Also, at least for SCC, the cables do NOT meet "Class S" (the tightest clearances).

    Does any one have recommendations for "chains" for the Triplets?

    GM MANUAL QUOTE: "Don’t use tire chains. There’s not enough clearance. Tire chains used on a vehicle without the proper amount of clearance can cause damage to the brakes, suspension or other vehicle parts. The area damaged by the tire chains could cause you to lose control of your vehicle and you or others may be injured in a crash."
  • kgbkahnkkgbkahnk Member Posts: 89
    Man, when it gets bad enought that my 4wd TB with locking rear diff and BFG Long Trail tires needs CHAINS, my wife won't let me go out playing in it anyway.

    Besides, here in KC, we havn't had enough snow in the last three winters *combined* to require chains. Dang the luck!!! :-)
  • ross1962_99ross1962_99 Member Posts: 48
    Drive them all! All have good points. It depends on what you want it for. The Highlander is more of a car, with front wheel or all wheel drive and it is built on a Camry chassis, but on the other hand, it looks great. I went with the TB for these reasons:
    I like rear wheel drive
    I like lots of power
    I prefer frame-on body design (in case I want to tow a boat)
    I get the GMS price (about $1000 below invoice in this case).
    My biggest issue with my TB is the softness of the suspension. But the thing is, most SUV's today are built that way to accomodate the rapidly growing female SUV market. The 4 Runner used to be THE offroad SUV, but now it's gone soft too with coil springs in the rear.
    Again, just drive them to see which you like best.
  • ross1962_99ross1962_99 Member Posts: 48
    I'd go for the cables. I have used them on both my Buick and my Blazer in Big Bear and Mammoth and on a rental mini van in Tahoe (in really bad conditions) and they worked fine. They're also easier to install than chains.
    FYI Snow Summit and Mammoth are opening this weekend!
  • leopardmechleopardmech Member Posts: 10
    I was just searching around and found this
    http://www.chevroletarabia.com/content_data/LAAM/AE/en/GBPAE/chev- rolet/models/trailblazer/trailblazer_overview.htm
    on the site there is a Trailblazer screen saver and a really funny commercial if you click on the fun and entertainment link. The 4.2 L in UAE is 294 horsepower and 292 lb-ft of torque stock I wonder what the difference is.
  • aldan93aldan93 Member Posts: 202
    LOL Being from the Buffalo NY area, Chains will not do you any good if you can't even get out of your own Driveway!!! TB's do churn through 3 feet of snow with no problem, I have done it when it was only 2 weeks old!!! Its the stupid Black Ice that will do you in!!!
  • aldan93aldan93 Member Posts: 202
    One thing I hate!!!! POP-UPS!!! edmunds.com is using a pop-up I can't block!!!! I hate surfing web sites with pop up adds. Please Stop It!!!!
  • 2002slt2002slt Member Posts: 228
    I haven't seen any pop-up ads on this site. I don't even use any blockers.
  • kram18kram18 Member Posts: 45
    I haven't had a single pop-up on edmunds.com, sounds to me like you have an adware/spyware problem. Did you or your children install Kazaa? That comes with spyware that launces ads based on sites you go to (one easy way to tell the difference between pop ups and adware, is adware will launch a window out of the blue with an ad, where as popups usally come up when you first load a site). One good tool to remove spyware/adware from your pc is spybot, its a free program (do a google search for spybot).

    -Mark
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    There's a Pathfinder Armada ad on the main edmunds.com page this week that hangs out for a few seconds that I think you are referring to. If it's not the Pathy ad, then I don't think it's our ad.

    Try bookmarking Town Hall instead. You shouldn't see any ads loading before the page with that link (at this time anyway - I guess we could go subscription to pay bills around here...)

    Steve, Host
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    I am not a fan of the engines GM is releasing.

    I am sure the engineering is waaay better than the caddy engine fiasco decades ago. I am still concerned about durability & real world function
  • tblazedtblazed Member Posts: 945
    I wonder if they are using the bhp gross HP specification rather than the SAE-net HP spec we use in the US? That could account for the difference. We used that gross-bhp spec here til the 1972 model year, then they went to SAE-net which accounts for the engine driven accessories. Knocked about 10% off the HP numbers.

    Pop-up ads?? Never happens here on Edmunds. Don't use any pop-up blocker either.
  • cparise1cparise1 Member Posts: 109
    If you have a fire wall its not effective. Get Norton Internet Security 2003. I bought it at Sam's for $55 with a $20 rebate. Pop-ups are gone, they are usually harmless but show you are open to attack. You don't want to have any of your personal information in Turbo Tax or any else like that stolen do you? Just protect your PC and yourself.

    Chris
  • cparise1cparise1 Member Posts: 109
    My suggestion is to get ECAS (rear suspension air bags with computer control) to firm up the suspension and ride. You can tow to heart's content and have a perfectly level ride.
    Should be available on TB EXT and Envoy XL (I have it on my XL). Don't know if its available on regular TB or Envoy but go to the GM website and try to build one with it.

    I would also suggest getting the limited slip differential and Bose stereo regardless of the other options you want.

    Good luck, I am very satisfied with my '02 Envoy XL SLT, with about 30K on the clock.

    Chris
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    If you're using Microsoft's Messenger it can cause popups like there's no tomorrow - try turning that off or get a good popup blocker!

    tidester, host
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That's Windows Messenger Service, not be confused with the Windows Messenger, Microsoft's instant messaging client (aka MSN Messenger).

    Steve, Host
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Thanks for the clarification! You'll find it on XP systems.

    tidester, host
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Give 'em time and the adsters will figure out how to spam MSN Messenger too. If you use AIM, there's a lot of good ad blocker programs out there for it.

    Steve, Host
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    How about sticking to the topics of SUV!!!!!!!

    Ken
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    If you have issues with the hosts or hosting please take it to email! ;-)

    (Just kidding!)

    tidester, host
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    I am only repeating what Steve usually says after three or four ramblings off subject!!!!!!!!!!! :=)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Tides and I will exchange off-topic form letters!

    (I did look for some triplet news but there wasn't anything worth linking to yesterday - there's supposed to be some show stuff from SEMA but I haven't seen it yet).

    Carry on :-)

    Steve, Host
  • dse1dse1 Member Posts: 22
    there's also this OS called linux...(and a browser called mozilla...anyone complaining about windows deserves what they get if they run it...)

    as for the tire chains, I've got the super z lt (I think) from SCC... and the sizing is slightly off... have the 17'' rims and the stock tires still (unfortunately), and the correct chain size is actually one size up from the P245/65R17 (WHY DO THEY PUT PASSENGER TIRES ON A TRUCK???? isn't this criminal since it is in fact classified as a truck!!!) nothing like 'rugged LOOKING tires' as BFGOODRICH calls them... 33k and no problems for the last 20k ... warranties are for suckers ...
  • mgriff27mgriff27 Member Posts: 10
    I would like to get running boards for my LS and am frightened by the GM price for OEM. Can you please suggest alternative online places to purchase running boards? Also has anyone installed the nerf style? Do you have any pics?

    Thanks, Matthew
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    SEMA.org has lists of aftermarket suppliers and link on their consumer pages.

    Steve, Host
  • 01_hoe01_hoe Member Posts: 273
    Might look on some internet auction sites. I've seen them there for very good prices below retail.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.