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Comments
--SUV's do have some roll. I came from a sport sedan and really noticed it at first. Even now, my wifes car feels like it's ice skating compared to my LTZ, but it's not that bad really. I read somewhere that the triplets were designed with a few degrees of roll but can't confirm that and forget why.
"for 270 HP, did not seem to accelerate well "
--the speed thing....really, the 270hp isn't what it appears. our SUV's have average torque in today's market, but the HP is what we are known for. Keep in mind the torque is what you will "feel" and what wins the stoplight race game. HP is what keeps you going and pulling strong.
Merge on the freeway and keep the pedal down. Not many people unless they are in a sports car and pushing it hard will be doing anything but following you.
As an avid weekend racer, I ran my TB at the track and never ran below a 15.8 in the quarter with 15.675 being my best. That's on par with many and better than more than a few cars on the market. Not that we're drag racing these things, but nice to have on tap.
Of comparable SUV's only the Jeep's new HO V8 is really going to be much better. Nice thing is they have 260hp but about 60lbs more torque, thus they will jump off the line and feel quicker around town.
Overall, I like the blend as without Jeeps 4WD/AWD system, we'd have some traction issues with that much torque.
tim
http://www.timlauro.com
2002 Trailblazer LTZ
Whenever the dashboard lights are on there is a faint buzz comming from the left dashboard tweeter. The dealer tried to fix it by changing the reostat (dashboard dimmer) but that didn't help.
I have seem some references to this problem on the board, but as the search facilities are not so good (or rather "are not"), I can't find any specific post about it.
Can someone help me with this, or does anyone else have the same problem?
First of all, let me mention that it's great to see such GREAT SPIRIT in this room! I cannot believe how many positive comments are posted on this board! Even though several individuals are experiencing problems with their triplets, NO ONE has seem to express an interest in "running away" from their vehicle. Fortunately for me, I use this tool quite a bit before purchasing cars. Edmunds has help me win a lemon law case with a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8 Quadra-Drive in addition to solving some minor problems with my 2000 Ford Explorer V-8 Limited.
After careful consideration (viewing these postings and monitoring the status of my aunts 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with the DVD player that she ordered in April 2001 and received in August 2001), I decided to purchase a 2002 GMC Envoy SLT LOADED to the GILLS with the 1SK pkg (incl. DVD, 4.10 rear axle, etc.) and the special order Magnetic Red Paint for a grand total of $38,415 on Wednesday, November 21st. Although I must admit, the delivery was a MAJOR TOOTH PULLING exercise (but I will humor you all on that a little later in this post so PLEASE stay tuned!!). Since I do a LOT of driving for work, I decided to purchase the GMP Major Guard coverage which will carry me for 5 yrs or 75,000 miles... the price wasn't too bad because my father works for GM so I am allowed to use his GM discount. I think the coverage ran me approximately $1200??
This is TRULY a WONDERFUL vehicle! Everyday I am driving it, the vehicle seems as if it is getting used to me and vice-versa! My tranny seems to be quite smooth and to be honest, the 4.10 axle DEFINITELY gives it a pleasant take off (compared to my aunts 3.42 axle on her TB which I thought was a little sluggish) with little expense of gas mileage! I tend to average approximately 17 to 19 mpg with mixed driving and that includes reaching speeds of 75 mph! Although, I must agree.. the gas tank could be a little larger. Prior to my Envoy, I had a Buick Regal GS (3.8L Supercharged) that had approximately the same size fuel tank, but of course the gas mileage was higher so I could see myself cruising to at least 400 miles highway driving. During my two trips from MI to OH, I find myself pretty much on EMPTY right when I break into the Columbus border.. I can usually make it to my destination, but the trip odometer indicated 280 - 300 miles? Oh well, that will be a new feature on the 2003 model eh?
The features that are included in this vehicle are so intelligent! Tonite, I took a ride to gas station and noticed that my DIC indicated that "ICE COULD BE POSSIBLE." I was amazed so I looked at the EXT temp and sure enough, it read 33 degrees outside! Little features like that can go a looonnng way. The DVD player is phenomenal! I am a single guy with NO children (age 27) and EVERY car/SUV that I have owned has always had a factory ordered sunroof, so this was a VERY tough decision for me, but my aunts Trail Blazer LTZ sold me on that option, so I purchased it. Oddly enough, It had the Dark Pewter interior and I haven't even missed my sunroofs! I thought that the interior would seem more like a cave without the sunroof, but boy was I wrong! So of course the first day that I took delivery of my SUV, I quickly ran over to Media Play and bought Shrek DVD, and 6 CD's to fill my wonderful BOSE audio system (IT ROCKS!). Well, I have gloated enough about my new ENVOY, so lets move on the the delivery experience and a few minor gripes.
Okkay.. I know that this is a book thus far, but could be quite entertaining to you all so enjoy! Well, like I had mentioned earlier, I do a LOT of driving for my job so prior to my GMC, I had a 2001 Buick Regal GS which quickly accumulated 23,000 miles within 6 months so I ran an ad on the internet and found a buyer for it. The dealership that sold me my Buick, also sold GMC's. I called my sales person and informed him that I wanted to purchase a 2002 GMC Envoy SLT with 1SK and the Magnetic Red paint... He says, "No problem.. we can handle the sell of your vehicle to the person who wants to buy it, then we can run a dealer locator to find the Envoy that you would want." Well, this is where the nightmare begins.. As the dealer attempts to located the vehicle I wanted, we spent several days over the phone (with me living in MI and the dealer located in OH) because it seemed that the availability of Envoy's with 1SK was indeed slim to none, so he requested another color choice, I gave him the Indigo Blue Metallic color with LT Pewter interior. He finds it! It's in Dayton, OH which is about 60 miles from Columbus. Yippee! I am happy! Blue is not my first choice but it was indeed my second. At this point, I am excited.. it's the middle of the week and I will meet the guy who's purchasing my Regal at the dealership on Saturday, take care of his paper work and THEN step into my new ENVOY to drive home for Saturday nite. WRONG! I arrived to Columbus late Friday and decided to take a spin over to the dealer to see if my dealer traded Envoy was on the lot or in the service drive? NO.. it wasn't there? Oh well.. Saturday morning, I receive a call from the dealership stating that the dealer trade did not go as expected because they didn't have a driver to get the vehicle in time on Friday and the dealership is closed on Saturdays.. the earliest I could have my Envoy would be Monday afternoon. Okay, I am thinking "no sweat.. I can still sell the Regal and just go car-less for the weekend, BUT I will have to take a day of vacation on Monday BUT I will have my new ENVOY!! Yippee" So.. after selling the Regal Saturday evening and the dealership handling all the necessary paper work for the new owner, I find myself getting dropped off at my destination basically CAR-LESS for the weekend? Hmm.. that's strange, they couldn't even lend me a used car off of their lot until Monday? After all... this is an expensive vehicle!
After conversating with an old friend of mine Saturday evening, he decided to swing by, pick me up and head to Dayton so that we could get a glimpse of my new Envoy on the other dealership lot. Around 11pm we arrived to the dealership in Dayton (60 miles from Columbus), THERE SHE WAS! CLEANED UP AND SITTING IN THE SERVICE DRIVE WITH A SOLD SIGN! After staring at the vehicle through the window for 20 minutes, we decided to head back to Columbus. I was satisfied at this point because I knew that I would be sitting in my vehicle come Monday afternoon.
Monday morning, I am excited as my dogs waiting for a doggie treat! I had a friend drop me off at the dealership and to my disappointment, I didn't see my vehicle. I went inside and was hit with more devastating news, "Unfortunately the dealer sold the car from us and we cannot seem to locate another one." My heart SANK but my blood was boiling because there were too many factors on the line here. (SEE NEXT POST!)
A week later I brought in my vehicle to have the bottom seat cushion replaced with the one that they ordered for me.. upon getting the vehicle back, I noticed that when they were removing the seat, they dragged it across the molding on the floor next to the power seat switches! Oh.. and the housing that holds the switches were also damaged! Additionally, I had found another flaw in the drivers bottom seat cushion that would need replaced. The dealership assured me that they would order the seat cushion in addition to the parts that the servicing technician destroyed!
This past Friday, I brought the vehicle back to the dealership so that they could perform the repairs. At this point, he informed me that the trim pieces were not in yet, but the bottom seat cushion was in. He apologized profusely for the damage that they had caused and said that he would assure that everything is taken care of.
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD! After sitting in the service department for 4 hours, my vehicle is returned back to me. Once I opened the door, I could see near the radio speaker grill that there was this white film on the door, like a residue that someone didn't wipe off. I bent down to take a closer look and OH MY GOD! When they removed the drivers seat cushion, they DRAGGED IT along the driver's door panel and scratched it approximately 8 inches! THEN to top it all off, they tried to cover it up by cleaning it with something! WRONG! SO at this point, my perfect vision comes into play! Upon inspecting the areas that the worked in, I noticed that the drivers BACK seat cushion had a scratch/cut next the the bolsters! Yes, another indication that they dragged the seat out of my vehicle in a hurry! The damage was horrible and intolerable in my eyes.
I quickly returned to the service drive and the service manager was "shocked" to know that damage had happened to my vehicle again and it wasn't my doing. He apologized again and said that they would order me a WHOLE drivers side door panel and the back cushion to replace what damage their servicing tech had caused. At this point, I am a little worried because what will assure me that after they replace this door panel (if done correctly), that I will not experience any door rattling, etc.?? The service manager stated that these components can be placed on the vehicle very easily and I should not experience any rattles. How depressing for me right? I am quite nervous to have this work done, but I know that it has to be done. I swear, If I could do it myself, I would prefer to do it!
I have decided that when I take the vehicle back in to have these parts repaired, I am going to BLUNTLY tell them that "I am not trying to be rude, but WHEN I get my vehicle back, I will THOROUGHLY inspect it for any damages. I want the vehicle back in the same condition that it was when it rolled off the assembly line, so your techs better use screwdrivers with felt or something because I do NOT want to see a single scratch, ding, etc." Hopefully I am not wrong for thinking this way, but I honestly know that when a person buys a BMW, LEXUS, etc. those techs treat each vehicle as royalty and with the notion that you are the person with the "white glove" to follow up behind their work. Heck.. for $38K +, I expect them to treat me and my vehicle that way as well.. if not, then maybe the next one will be an import? And last but not least.. NO GREASE ON THE STEERING WHEEL! Ha, ha! Well that was the lengthy version of my story, I apologize up front for taking up so much space on this board, but I just wanted to clear the air a little to see If I am the only one getting "kicked in the rear" a little.
Well, last but not least.. GRIPES! Oddly enough, I don't really have many.. but just a few.. Believe it or not, my friend was carrying a box outside and ran into the driver's side mirror and KNOCKED OFF the little yellow blinker indicator on the mirror? After examining the damage, I quickly learned that the bulb housed in the unit is not an LED (like the expensive imports) but a simple low watt bulb.. cool.. no biggee. The piece had seemed to crack and would not adhere to the mirror so I showed the dealer when I took it back on DAMAGES Round #2 day! He stated that you cannot simply order the yellow turn-signal piece, BUT you have to replace the WHOLE MIRROR! WOW! FYI for everyone! Thank god for warranty because that mirror is one expensive piece! Honestly, my friend did not hit the mirror that hard to begin with so that bothers me? Hmmmm??
Second, I (sometimes) seem to have a problem with the "wandering mirrors" that I read some place on this board before? I have the "Tilt Passenger Mirror in REVERSE," "Easy Exit Seat ON," "Automatic Seat Recall at KEY IN" options selected and it seems that at random, the mirrors will not go to their correct position? Also, I noticed that IF I exit the vehicle, run into the store and then come back.. place the key in the ignition, the mirrors seem to move a little? But they should not move correct?? I was the last person in/out of the car so they should be set to Driver #1 already? Could any of you shed some light on this problem? Is there any know TSB's on this yet? Also, I read that some TB's and Envoy owners were having trouble with the metal surface (of the doors or rear lift gate) scratching the paint? Can anyone of you enlighten me on this if you have any info? Additionally, has anyone tracked the activity of their ECAS (Electronically Controlled Air Suspension)? I read a post on Edmunds several months ago concerning this, and I just wanted to check with you all for piece of mind. I have noticed that mine is somewhat active, but I have the BOSE turned up a couple of notches once I get moving, so if it is an issue, I may not notice it.
LASTLY, WHY did they not put the "cool" High Intensity Discharge headlamps on the 2002 Envoy? I know that the 1999 & 2000 models had them? That would really give this vehicle a look of SUV superiority! Ha, ha.. Oh.. perhaps that will be a 2003 option! (NEXT POST)
Take Care,
Dennis D.
DDDDotCom@aol.com
Another Dennis D. (And DDD, by the way)
Hardhawk
And for those who have yet to drive there Envoy in snow,I got 9" here yesterday and went up my 800 ft. driveway(it's steep)in 4AWD also equiped with rear locker.I was very impressed,didn't even spin,quite supprised given the kind of tires on these.
Rick
'Just changed the oil for the first time on the T.Blazer (3720 miles). I looked in the manual and
it calls for a PF59 AC oil filter. 'Went to the local Checker Auto Parts store and all they had in AC was a PF58 so converted the PF59 number to a Fram. When I got home and drained the oil and removed the filter, it was a PF58 anyway. The PF58 was a little longer than the Fram (3/4 in.), but diameter seemed to be OK so went ahead and used it. The drain plug and filter were easy to get at once the cover was opened up. I was surprised to find that it took 6 3/4 quarts of oil. It prompted me to go with petroleum based oil rather than synthetic.
Otherwise, we still haven't taken it back to the dealer since driving it off the lot. Haven't got any recalls yet either. The automatic shift from first gear to second seems to be a little high, but not terrible. I've put on a bug shield, mud guards, Husky cargo mat (returned the floor liners as was expecting winter mats, which they don't make yet) and Weather Tech winter floor mats which don't fit very well. Also ordered Side Steps from GM Parts direct a week ago and haven't even been shipped yet. So far, so good! We're pretty happy!
I took it to a different dealer this weekend for an oil change... supposed to be a 20 to 30 minute job, right? I was there for almost 2 hours.
After about an hour in the waiting area, I asked where my truck was... turns out the ticket writer never entered my info in the service computer. They apologized and said there would be no charge and it would take only 30 minutes if I wanted to wait. I did, and finally could see them pull my truck into the service bay.
At this point, I could see everything they were doing to the truck. They actually checked EVERYTHING including the axle fluid, which I was happy about.
But then, the big greasy service tech climbs in my truck and from what I could tell, was trying to reset the Oil Life Monitor. He was mashing every button on the steering wheel with his big greasy ham hands. Finally, he leans over and OPENS THE GLOVE BOX AND RUMMAGES AROUND FOR THE MANUAL!!! At this point, I was on my way into the service bay!
Conclusion is, I've got some oily thumbprints preserved in my owner's manual of a Genuine Chevrolet Service Tech. Not sure that and the free oil change are worth 2 hours of my time.
Good Luck.
Hardhawk: I anxiously await your body control module replacement! Those darn mirrors are driving me a little batty!
This morning I hit the highway heading from Columbus, Ohio back to work in Lansing, Michigan and with my vehicle loaded down with stuff and a full tank of gas, I averaged 18.9 MPG (driving 280 miles) and sometimes in excess of 80 mph to keep up with traffic (smile). The vehicle handled exceptionally well as I just sank into a comfortable position in my seat and cranked up the BOSE stereo again! No complaints! I also noticed that the climate control seems to settle the temp better at highway speeds rather than regular city driving.. I locked her in at 75 degrees (with 32 degrees outside) and it kept everything comfortable and cozy. Good luck to you all and I cannot express how happy I am to be a part of this board, keep the topic running everyone!
Take Care,
Dennis D.
Happy motoring to all.
The only thing I wish would happen is this section would transition to a true bulletin board fashon like others I belong to. That would make things like this and other topics much easier to search and read through.
tim
Columbus (Dublin) Ohio
I stopped over to the auto parts store Monday evening and bought 7 quarts of Mobil One Synthetic oil (5w30) and the Mobil One Synthetic oil filter (M1-206) which ran me approximately $50 dollars for the oil and filter. The town that I moved to here in Michigan is relatively small and has one GMC dealership so I decided to take a trip over there PRAYING that everything would go okay.
Once I had arrived to the local dealership, I quickly noticed how the once small dealership (when I was a kid) had grown tremendous in size! The service department was phenomenal! They had a customer lounge, parts store, food court center, etc.! All of these areas were centered around several large TV viewing areas with very nice leather furniture in them! It was truly a "Lexus, BMW, Jaguar" type of an environment.
Once I pulled into the service tunnel, I was greeted promptly by the service advisor. I informed the service advisor that I needed to have my first 3,000 mile oil change and that I had supplied my own oil and filter for them to use. At this point, I decided to take a minute or two to let him know how "PARTICULAR" I am about my vehicles and that I didn't want any extra "surprises" once I had received my vehicle back from service. The service advisor politely acknowledged my request stating that "your vehicle is in good hands" and that my vehicle should be completed in "30 minutes or less." Additionally, after reading agenteleven's post about the "Oil Life Monitor Reset Fiasco," I told the advisor that I would handle resetting the system myself.
True to his word, my vehicle was done within 30 minutes. I almost hated to leave the customer lounge because it was so pleasant! Once I received my keys, I quickly went out to my vehicle to inspect it for any "possible damages." Hmmm.. too good to be true! Interior looks good.. Hood looks non-greasy.. WOW.. finally a pleasant experience! Once I returned home, I decided to look underneath the vehicle to see if they did use my oil filter. Upon viewing the underside, I noticed a lot of oil dripping on the ground.. I opened the hood to see if there were any damage and I noticed that the tech who serviced my vehicle decided NOT to use a funnel to put in the 7 quarts of oil! Ha, ha.. It was splattered all over the place.. kind of as if some could have possibly went on the fan blade and splattered over the engine while running? Anyhow, I grabbed a roll of Bounty paper towels and went to work. I noticed that where the oil filter was housed, there seemed to be a lot of oil around that area? I didn't open the two bolts to check on the oil filter, but I could see it from a distant and it look as if it was installed correctly and that it was indeed my Mobil One filter. Hmmm.. hopefully just a mistake on the tech's part? Just for piece of mind, I will monitor the vehicle closely for the next few days. Additionally, when GM sends out their customer service survey for this dealership, I will let them know that the dealership did a good job, but perhaps next time they should consider using a funnel when pouring oil into the engine or get a tech with 20/20 vision!
Just wanted to share this experience with everyone, but all in all, the vehicle is running great!
PS: I added the Auto Vent Shade -- Bug Flector II bug shield to my Envoy this past weekend to help preserve the vehicle from rock/stone chips, etc. Thus far I really like the added look that it gives the vehicle, but I noticed that there is more wind noise now? Has anyone else tried to add this product to their triplet?
Thanks!
Dennis D.
IExplore2000@aol.com
I agree about the bulletin board thing... reading back through all these non-threaded posts is cumbersome.
At the risk of stepping on Edmund's toes, do you know what's involved with setting up a bulletin board or forum? What are some ones you belong to that you like?
I'm hoping you didn't already sign a form saying nothing was wrong with the vehicle on delivery...
Regardless, on a 2-day old vehicle they should fix any of the problems you mentioned under warranty - the trick might be getting them to believe that they were there when you picked the vehicle up. A real pain-in-the-[non-permissible content removed] dealer may claim that the car was pristine when you picked it up and any marks, burns, scratches, etc were created by you.
-Jason
Didn't they have an odometer disclosure statement for you to sign when you purchased the car? Or at LEAST, didn't the sales person introduce the features of the car to you and show you the odometer, trip odometer, etc? They should have!
530 miles is a LOT of initial miles for a new car! I'd raise some heck. Let us know what happens!
if you purchased the car, I'm not sure what you can do if all the papers are signed and delivered by both parties.
personally, I feel it's an honest mistake...they probably grabbed the miles off the trip computer as what happened with mine. I caught it before signing and it was fine.
Overall, although laws do vary by state, vehicles can have up to 5,000 miles on them and sold as new. check with the local regulations on what the max miles are allowed without an in service date as a dealer demo but I know it's much greater than 500 miles.
No one is discounting your frustration that is only compounded by the finish damage that you mentioned.
Work with the sales manager owner to resolve the damage though.
There are costs and admin time that would be needed, unfortunately, I'm not making a business out of it, like Mike, my friend at the GP board, so the cost issue is a factor and with time limited as it is.....well, again, he has the ability I don't. I will market the heck out of it once it starts though. Personally, I've driven close to 1000 members to the GP board through word of mouth. Sign ups are tracked.
There are several other sites for the Triplets, but nothing like a true BB.
tim
waiting patiently
I'm familiar with UBB... it seems that's what most of the good sites use. I've been frequenting the jeepsunlimited.com forums, and that's what they use.
Let me see what I can figure out. I'll keep you posted.
Does anyone have the mudflaps installed on their Envoy and if so...do you have any pictures?
I have the GM molded flaps on my Envoy with running boards and they fit nicely and look good but I hve no pics yet.The nice thing is here in snow country GM warranty covers them 3/36 likw all accessories they install at the dealer.These were $59.95 a pair installed.You can get cheaper ones elsewhere but if they break or come off you have no warranty.
Yes my dealer had both pairs in stock.They are black (naturally)with the white GMC logo on them.I also had them install ventshades,hood deflector and a rear Husky liner for the cargo area.
Do your mirrors move at all when you start your vehicle?
I'm in the process of getting to the bottom of the mirror memory thing and found that not all vehicles move their mirrors upon starting up.
Mine seem to "stage" or move to a specific ground zero every time. There are coordinates shown on the tech II tool at the dealer, but the coords have a degree of error that GM is calling within the limits. However, I'm in a demo right now that doesn't move at all. Another one didn't either, but several others being drive by employees do move. All of them have the presets in place and are using them.
Thanks
tim
After two full days and testing 3 vehicles...mine at 4k miles, one brand new and another with 11k miles, mine seems to have a definite problem.
GM is saying there is a 10 variance in a perfect system. Bull #$#@ in my eyes. The demo I'm in keeps the vehicle perfectly at 77 and comfortable when set in auto mode. Mine....no where near accurate.
It's over compensating with too much cool air and the temps rise/fall big time. I'm constantly cold at anything lower than 87. Overall, the temp at the headrest is holding steady at 80 when set there, but cool air and hot air is mixing incorrectly.
I'll post more after all four computers are calibrated and reset in the morning.
FYI, there are four computers for the HVAC, three sensors on each seat/floor area one sun sensor in the dash and one temp sensor in each pillar between the front and rear doors. There is also an exterior sensor in the front behind the grill. So far all the sensors are accurately programed and calibrated.
Pretty much everything can be programed and reset through the tech II tool and computer connection. The good thing is nothing needs to be taken apart again.
tim
K&N Filters has FINALLY released an OFFICAL part number for the 2002 GM TRIO:
Model Engine Product Part No Comments
----------------------------------------------
Envoy 4.2L L6 F/I K&N Air Filter E-1009 All
TrailBlazer 4.2L L6 F/I K&N Air Filter E-1009 All
Bravada 4.2L L6 F/I K&N Air Filter E-1009 All
Checker, Autozone, Advance Auto parts doesn't have them in their computers yet, but they CAN be ordered online from MARTEL BROS PERFORMANCE for $56.30 plus $6.95 handling and FREE SHIPPING. http://www.martelbros.com
Tim
http://www.knfilters.com/facts.htm
Thanks for posting the K&N Air Filter information.