That plate should just practically fall off once the screws are removed; if it doesn't, I'd slip a screwdriver under the edge to slightly pry it. It should be simple. The plate is suppose to go in the recessed area once the cover has been removed. - As I state earlier, our problem was that the screw holes in the recessed area do not line up w/ our plate holder. Hence the dealer's recommendation to drill 2 new holes.
usmcmom John in post 150 seemed to have the same problem. I installed the plate in the recessed area. There was no cover or anything to remove. The dealer had his name plate mounted there when I picked up the car. When my plate came in I simply removed his name plate and mounted my new plate. Maybe the dealer did something when they were prepping the car for delivery. I honestly never gave it a thought until you brought it up. When you asked if I mounted it in the flush or recessed area I had to go look. I am sorry I wasn't any help.
By the way John it is the BROWNS next year not the 9ers or Raiders! Remember you read it here first.
I think R5 would definitely have a different view point. Are you still out there r5??
I'm sure your dealer had drilled the extra holes for the plate to fix. If you look closely, there should be an extra hole or two that are not being used. Those would be the one Buick had originally drilled which don't seem to line up w/ any plates. Not a horendous problem... just a minor nuisance.
I always back into my driveway, which is on an upward slope. I noticed that the parking brake was not holding the vehicle and that the transmission's parking pin was actually holding it for coasting downhill. I found that the parking brake held the vehicle if I put it into reverse and stepped on the accelerator, but it didn't hold it at all if I did the same thing in forward gear. The dealership adjusted the parking brake cable but it didn't help solve the problem. They tested a couple other Rendezvous in their lot and they all had the same problem. I called Buick and they called the Service Manager and told him what to do. The rear wheels had to be removed and adjustments made to two special parking brake drum and shoe sets. The situation has been resolved and the brakes hold perfectly now. I suggest that other people test their parking brakes by trying to move forward with a little engine power.
To snuzone66 : If the radio switch on the rear console is set to "on" for using the headsets, it will turn off the rear bass speakers altogether. - Mel
Thanks for the tip but I don't have that feature. We have the Versatility Package with an upgraded stereo (cassette/cd with 8 speakers) but we don't have the second row "extras". My daughter was not happy about our decision on that particular item! LOL
And I will check the parking brake tomorrow. Our driveway is also an upward slope - but I park in the garage so I have not had an occasion to test or notice this.
I was driving down a residential street when I heard a loud bang on my right side, also felt a strong impact, as if we were jolted. I looked to my side, wondering if a car or large object hit us. I then noticed that my right rear view mirror was shattered, but had not fallen out.
I contacted the PD, who came out promptly and examined the mirror, as I worried it had been shot out. There was no clear point of impact, and no bullet or be-be hole or other indication of being shot. There was also no indication of rock or road debris injury. The PD filed a report of unknown cause of impact.
I had read a posting on the NHTSA problems site of a new Mountaineer whoose back window imploded with no warning or cause, but do not know of any other similar problems. If anyone else had this happen, please share any info - Thanks!
When I took one for an extended test drive (a Saturday afternoon till the following Monday evening), I immediately noticed a pretty much constant electrical humming type of noise. It's hard to describe other than to say it sounded electrical in nature...almost like very faint static on a radio station yet the radio wasn't on.
When I returned the RDV to the dealer at the end of my test drive I mentioned the problem. At first the salesman didn't hear it. But I asked if we could get in a couple other RDVs and see if they made the same noise. They did. It comes out of the speakers in the front doors, perhaps from other speakers as well, but it's the front door ones that I noticed. Since two or three others made the same noise I chalked it up to normal behavior. It hasn't gotten any worse and it's not noticable unless it's pretty silent. Anyone else notice this?
Secondly, I, too, have noticed a vibration in the gas pedal that sometimes occurs when I'm accelerating from a stop. It doesn't always happen and it's not terribly violent. It usually lasts only 2 seconds or so. I'm not too concerned about it but it sounds like the same issue that "snuzone66" mentioned in message #146. I mentioned it to the Buick service dept. when I took my RDV for its first oil change last week and he didn't think it was anything to worry about. I'll take a wait and see approach to this.
Speaking of oil changes, my dealership put a sticker in the window when I bought it and after this recent oil change that indicates when to bring it in for the next change. They use a 3000 mile interval, but my DIC (Driver's Information Center) computer has the oil life gauge and I waited till it hit 10% life left before my first change and that was at about 5300 miles. For the record, right about when it hit 10%, a Change Engine Oil light lit up in the gauge cluster.
My RDV doesn't seem to have the tilting passenger mirror option although I believe I got ever option available except for the towing package.
I also thought I read in the owner's manual (don't have it with me to check) that the RDV had heated outside mirrors. Yes? No? Anyone?
I also had the Reverse Parking Assist chimes sound repeatedly after putting the car in drive. I think I had backed up first (I live in the city and always have to parallel park) and it probably detected something behind me. I, too, had to shut off the car and restart it to get them to stop. But this only happened one time. I know the owner's manual (I read every page!) says to keep the sensors in the rear bumper clean. Perhaps that could be related to the problem (although I'd doubt it based on the sporadic occurences others have reported).
My tailgate doesn't seem unusually difficult to close/latch. I'm a big guy, though, so perhaps a normal shutting to me seems excessive to others.
I'll check with Buick regarding the valve spring issue.
Glad I found this place! Really, really glad. I love my car. It's my first new car ever and I plan to take very good care of it and make it last for a long time. I was looking for a place online where owners could share their thoughts on the RDV and finally found this place. Woohoo!
I believe that what you're experiencing is feedback coming through the gas pedal as the Versatrak goes through a self-test upon start-up. Gamera does it as well as does Brian F.'s Rendezvous and I presume all other versatrak equiped vehicles. People noticed and commented upon this fairly early in the posts so perhaps you haven't seen it. Nothing to worry about.
Also, check into how your D.I.C. is programmed to see if the tilt feature is on or off. You can then reset it manually if you want this feature along with a whole slew of other items.
I just got a '02 Rendezvous and I love it! I have a question about the 3rd row speakers though. If I seat in the third row, the only thing I can hear is noise from these speakers. Are they subwoofers?
It is VERY annoying for the third row passengers. Can they be changed with full frequency speakers? Do I have to rewire them? I wonder if there is a frequency filter at the radio which would mean that I have to rewire them.
I figured, too, that the vibration was not of the problematic variety. Glad to hear others have noticed it. I have read all the messages in the various discussion boards in our owners' club except for the big one with 1500 messages so maybe that's where you all discussed it. I'm gonna start reading those today.
Theo. I answered your question in the Accessories and Modifications board where you also posted your question.
I checked in the DIC and there is an option for Tilt mirrors. I had seen it before, but when I turned it on (previously) it didn't seem to do anything and since I didn't remember it being a listed option when I purchased the car I assumed it was an option I didn't get.
But I remembered a possible fix that I read about here yesterday (from an old post) to turn the feature off, shut the car off, restart the car, and turn the mirror feature on. I tried it and it WORKS! I couldn't believe it! I didn't think mine had that feature and I was thrilled to see that it does.
I did notice that it doesn't seem like it tilts a lot. Is the amount of tilt customizable? Or does it always tilt a specific amount from where I have it set when driving? Or does it always tilt to a certain position regardless of my driving setting?
I would swear that I never read about the RDV having tilt mirrors. Is it a part of a package of options or was it a standard feature?
Thanks for making my Rendezvous feel brand new again!
I was wondering if anyone else noticed this... When my son is listening to "his" music in the back and then front audio is off there is some "leaking" of sound through the front speakers. At first I thought it was from his headphones but he listens to stuff so low when I sit beside him I can't hear anything from the headphones (he's only 2).
My two day old car thought that it was always in Reverse and had the Park Assist ON all the time... In addition, the "Park Lamp Out" warning would come out.
It turns out that there was a short in the park lamp circuitry. According to the mechanic, it is common...
Anyway, the car is now fixed and it seems to know which direction it is going.
After reading about the problems some owners here were having with bad valve springs and how they had to have them replaced, I called Buick yesterday to see if mine might need the service.
The woman at Buick, Emma, took my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checked some database, and then told me that I should take my Buick to my dealer's service dept. She called and made the arrangements for me. This morning I dropped my Rondy off at the Service center and was told that not all Rendezvouses that fall within a certain spectrum of VINs need the replacements and that they'd check mine and see. A couple hours later they called me and told me it did NOT need the replacement. They gave me copies of the info from GM that states this.
I thought some of you might want to see the info so I put it online.
One of the documents shows the possibly affected VINs. Another shows the actual alert from GM, and the third shows that mine doesn't need the service.
I'm surprised that if mine could have needed the replacement (after all, they wanted me to bring it in to be checked) that they aren't calling owners to notify them.
I wonder if they don't want the news to get out that there is a problem with some of the brand new Rondies.
The pages I scanned are pretty large so they may take a while to download over a modem. If they appear too small to read, save them to your desktop and open them in an image editing program and you should be able to bring them to 100% size.
Yes , this is the only problem that I have seen with my RDV, that if the rear sound system is on , you hear very very low volume music in the front speakers....so low you could only notice when you are stopped.
Yes, I have a CXL w/ versatility pkg, and I have heated mirrors. I did not know I had them, and found out by accident. I started up the car and turned on the rear defrost, then went back in the house. Came out a couple of minutes later and the ice was gone from the mirrors. I touched them and they were warm. It appears that they heat up when the rear defrost is on.
Thanks, boondocks, for responding about the heated mirrors. I'll have to check the next time we have some good frost or ice. The winter has been so mild here in Philadelphia that I have only had one or two mornings when I've run the rear defrost.
Any guess as to how the mirrors are heated? Electrical wiring or just hot air routed behind them?
They are heated in the same way that your rear window is. A silkscreened grid on the back of the glass haselectric current passed throug it. You can't see the grid because it is behind the reflective coating on the back of the glass. Sometimes, if you have ice on the glass, when you first turn them on and watch the mirror face, you can see the pattern. The heated feature also works well to dry the mirror faces after going through the car wash in the winter.
I am not at my Rondy at the moment, so I can't check to be sure, but I know that a orangish wire grid on the windshield is the radio antenna. I thought it was a little to the passenger side of the rearview mirror as opposed to being directly behind the mirror, but as I said, I'm not at my Rondy to check.
The square piece of plastic on the driver's side that you refer to may be a GPS transmitter that GM uses to locate your vehicle. I never looked at it on mine, but from other messages I read here they referred to a black plastic thing up there.
We have had our first real snow of the season (which is fine with me), but it has been pretty wet and sloppy lately. I have noticed a burning smell, almost like wires or installation burning after I close the garage door. The odder will last about three or four minuets. I felt the wheels and they are not hot so I don't think its the breaks. I really don't have a clue to what it is, but I am kind of concerned about it. Has anyone else ever noticed a burning smell after driving in wet or sloppy road conditions?
Have had a similar odor you have described, even on dry days when pulling the RDV into the garage. Checked the brakes also and they were ok. Keep in mind the RDV is still new and I think it is a combination of new hoses, insulation, painted surfaces etc.that are subjected to high temperatures.That,s the only time the odor is noticeable. You will get this with any new vehicle. Our RDV has 3500 mi and you have to love it :-)
Thanks islandpete, but I don't think that is it. We have had our RDV since July just about seven months now and have just over 10,000 miles on it, and this burning odor just recently started. I am sure that I never noticed the odor or anything like this before. Like I said before I am a little concerned about it. I had a 1995 S10 Blazer and some how the wiring harness shorted out and caught fire causing a lot of damage and a lot of inconvenience for us along with the fact it scared the hell out of me.
I guess you should take it in just to be safe. Some times your own gut feelings should not go ignored ,If just for peace of mind. Had my RDV since May , a bit longer then yours. The Wife drives it mostly which can account for only having 3500 mi :-)Keep us posted on the odor problem. I can understand your apprehension since having a problem with your '95 S10. Good Luck ~~
Hi! New here, but read over the posts in this section and wanted to share our "Rendezvous story". We purchased our 2002 Rendezvous (Pewter, CX) in mid-November and, overall, are satisfied, but have run into two issues that concern us (in addition to several minor annoyances!)
We had no problems at all until mid-January, when the engine stalled in stop-and-go traffic early one morning; started right back and I continued on to work; it was a very cold morning, but the engine was warm as this was the last leg of my morning commute. My husband took the car to our dealer, who hooked it up to the computer and no specific problem was identified. About two weeks later, the engine stalled again, this time in the afternoon, once again while going very slowly (pulling into a parking space); again restarted without problem. My husband visited the dealership again; a "valve" was replaced (??? valve springs mentioned here -- don't know, but we plan to find out on Monday!) and a computer recording device was hooked up to the car with instructions to press the button to make a computer recording if this happened again.
This was late January and the stalling has not recurred, so we are hopeful that this is taken care of.
But...while the recording device was still in place, I noticed that the temperature gauge was registering beyond the "half way" mark each afternoon when waiting in line to pick up our daughter after school with the car idling for 2-3 minutes. It reaches a point about mid-way between the "half" and "three-fourths" slash marks any time the car is left idling. This does not happen in the mornings when warming up the car -- but does at any other times it is allowed to idle, and is a daily occurrence in the pick-up line. Anyway, we made a "picture" with the recorder set-up, dealership downloaded info which they said indicated that the temperature never went above 200 degrees. They have watched this happen and have told us that this is "apparently normal" for the Rendezvous. So...we patiently wait to see what happens when spring/summer gets here! This happens when the outside temp is 40 degrees; I'm sort of curious about what will happen when its 95! They have advised us to bring it straight back if the gauge registers past the three-fourths mark. This has not happened.
We, too, have noticed the clock losing time, maladjustment of the front passenger door, and are patiently waiting (since December!) for a new cargo cover to arrive, since the hooks fell off in our hands when we tried to use the cover the first time. Like I noted, these are minor annoyances. The stalling and temp gauge readings are definitely worrisome.
Overall, we do like the vehicle. Gas mileage averages around 20-21 mpg and the ride and drive are very smooth and comfortable. I love that the tether anchors for our youngest's child restraint are built into the center seat itself. Cargo space with the 3rd row seat up rots but we finally found a decent stroller that fits! Am a little disconcerted about that USA Today article, but we seldom have passengers in the 3rd row seat; I do like having it there if we need it, though. Hopefully, GM did their "safety homework"; it does have better head restraint back there than the minivan we traded had...
Sorry for the novel, but wanted to share our experiences thus far! Any input, ideas, and advice appreciated!
I was wondering if anyone has had the problem of their engine shutting down while they were driving? This has happened three times to me. All three times was when I was slowing down getting ready to stop and the engine would suddenly die.
I don't remember all of the details, but I believe there was a woman here in the owner's club who said that her engine would die when she was waiting to pick up her child at school. It's somewhere here in the messages. Hopefully someone else will post with more info for you.
Hi folks, Bought my RDV CXL with SD package on Feb 28 after looking at several other SUV's with 3rd seats. My wife and I love the ride, though some might say its 'soft'. The stereo system was also a pleasant surprise compared to my 2000 Maxima.
Well, this RDV was made in this calendar year and therefore I had to pay about $150 more (invoice price has gone up), but I figured that most of the small problems must have been fixed, so it was worth it. I haven't checked my radio clock time, but I have no problem with the rear hatch closing properly. We have noticed the "radio leaking" issue this weekend and will get it fixed.
I'm writing is this is to find out if any of you noticed the following problem with their automatic transmissions. My driveway has a slight incline and yesterday while in Drive, I let go the brake and the RDV started slowly rolling back! This has never happened to me on the Maxima or other vehicles I'ves used, even on very steep slopes (think San Francisco streets with stop signs on 30-45 degree inclines). I will be taking it to the dealer to get it fixed (and the radio leakage problem), but I wanted to share this information and see if anyone else had noticed it too.
Besides this issue, love the RDV and hope this is the last time I've to visit the dealer for a warranty repair.
#1) What exactly is the radio "leakage" problem you mentioned? I don't recall reading about that.
#2) My RDV definitely rolls a little if I'm stopped on an incline and then take my foot off the brake to begin accelerating. I don't think it's a problem. I believe the transmission will/does catch it after a foot or so. If yours seemed like it wasn't going to stop rolling that sounds like a problem, but mine definitely rolls a little in the way I described.
Check your owners manual. I recall reading an advisory about not letting it do that because it could damage the Versatrac. That would imply to me that to roll back is normal for this vehicle, but don't let it.
Let me clarify the two issues/problems I mentioned. Most vehicles do roll back a little if your foot is off the brake on an incline. The difference is that RDV doesn't seem to stop rolling even after a few feet. I'd be very surprised if this has anything to do with the Versatrak, but I'll check the owner's manual.
I did do a search on the government website link that was posted earlier here and found a customer complaint for this precise issue under the confusing heading:
FUEL: Throttle linkages and control
Summary:
Vehicle rolls rearward when accelerating on a slight incline. Dealer has been contacted, please provide further information.
FYI: There was a news article I read recently but don't remember who the manufacturer was, about how when some vehicles were put into park, the automatic transmission was not in Neutral, but in between Reverse and Neutral, causing the vehicles to roll back and causing quite a few accidents. I doubt this is the case with the RDV, but I still feel that this is serious enough to be investigated further.
Radio Leakage problem:
YOu can hear this only when the vehicle is stopped as the sound is quite low. Do the following:
Put a CD or tape in the stereo. The tape or CD should automatically start playing. Now in the second row seats audio controls, power it on and choose any FM station. Turn off the main unit. You will then hear the FM station through the front speakers. On the second row audio unit, it doesn't matter
1. if you connect the headphones or not
2. choose another source (tape/cd/radio)
3. turn the volumne down to the minimum
as long as the power is on in the second row unit, you will hear whatever source is selected through the front row speakers. That's what someone referred to as 'radio leakage' in this forum.
Will keep you folks updated of any new information I find out after the dealer visit.
Thanks for clarifying the radio leakage issue. I'll see if I have that problem in mine.
An issue I mentioned a while back is that in my RDV if the stereo is off there's an electrical hum/buzz that comes from the stereo speakers pretty much at all times. Anyone else notice this?
Well it's been ages since I've posted a message in here, I had to change my username it's been so long! Let me try to help though...
First of all, the "rolling" problems... This is common in heavier cars with weaker engines... at idle speeds the engine does not produce enough power to overcome the force of gravity pushing the weight of the car back... so the vehicle has a natural tendancy to roll w/ the force of gravity. There isn't anything to "fix" the problem, unless to put in a more powerful engine, so you're just going to have to get a good workout w/ your foot on the brake to correct it.
Second, the radio "leaking" problems... This is simply due to a lack of quality in the components used by GM for the radio. Basically, the tuner has poor channel seperation and picks up the signal coming from the CD which uses the same amplification path as the signal from the CD... most lower end aftermarket CD players experieince this too... sounds from the tuner "leak" into the cd signal. Again, there isn't a real way to fix it beyond upgrading your sound system.
Let me know if you guys have any questions, I've become pretty close with these cars since I've had mine, I've taken most parts of the car apart and I very familiar w/ the inner workings of the RDV so I'm here to help... abuse me! Take care...
Hi there, just wondering if anyone has had the same experience I have when I went thru a car wash with my Rendezvous a couple of days ago and when the blowers went on the roof was making extremely loud noises like echoing and the headliner was shaking like the rood was about to cave in. Anyone experienced anything like that. I checked the roof (stood up on the drivers side step) and you can literaly push in the roof and it touches the headliner like there is nothing in between.
I've had my RDV for about 3 weeks now and park it in my driveway that has a slight slant. I've never had the RDV roll back while in Drive, not even an inch. Once I put the gear in Park, then it would roll backwards like slightly - estimating 0 - 3 inches, it's always varies. If I put it in reverse in my driveway, it rolls out without any gas. It doesn't move unless I take my foot off. I've stopped on more slanted asphalt at red lights and never experienced a roll-back when accelerating. My RDV build date is Jan 2002.
I think that people are talking about here is, let's say, when you're driving through a city and you come to a stop light that is on a hill and you stop, but then let off the gas... most cars have a tendency to roll forward because they are producing enough horsepower to continue pushing the weight of the car foward... however since the RDV is only making something like 20-50 hp at idle RPM's, it doesn't have the power to push all 5000 or so pounds forward, so the car will roll back, as iff you had a manual transmission car in neutral, until you hit the brake to catch it...
I have had my RDV for about seven months and have 10,000 plus miles on it. We went from Ohio to the Florida Key's this past summer on vacation. I did notice a drop in my MPG in the mountain's, but never did it roll backwards while stopped on an incline with my foot off the gas.
I have had it roll a little backward or forward depending on the incline when I put it in park. But where in blue blazes did you come up with that 20-50 hp at idle RPM's crapola. It has the power to do the speed limit or pass anything I wanted to pass in any state I was in and provided better than average gas mileage for this size and weight vechicle.
The RDV is a luxury SUV that rides and handles like a luxury sedan. If you need something to race or burn out in every gear like the old Chevy's or GTO's this isn't the car for you. But if you want a great riding and handling luxury SUV then this IS THE CAR for you
I don't know if everyone has been experiencing the rolling, but in my RDV I have... it's nothing serious thought, almost every day does it... even my old 99 Trans Am WS6 w/ almost 400 hp rolled back in my drive way if I played w/ it correctly...
The 20-50 hp is for real, and for real in ANY car at idle. The 185-bhp of the 3.4 liter V6 engine comes on at peak RPM, which I believe is 5200 RPM. THe engine doesn't have that full horsepower all the way through the RPM range, this is why when you do those smokey burn outs nad drag racing you've got to hold your RPM's up before you let out the clutch, that way you're lauching the car with the best mix of horsepower and traction (one is usually greater than the other :-). If you were to look a the dynamometer graph of the engine (which I haven't...) you'd see that at idle the HP is WELL below 185. 20-50 hp was my best guesstimate, but I doubt it's over 50. The only engines I know of that produce huge amounts of power at such low RPM's are deisel engines or anything with a turbo or supercharger that kicks in at low RPM's.
I'd be surious to see if the "Tour" edition RDV has this same problem, or if bolting on the supercharger eliminated all the problems with the vehicle being underpowered... hopefully we'll get to see that model soon!
Hopefully there's no ill will, Ken, I'm just trying to help :-)
The RDV's 4000 lb. curb weight is the culprit here. Any car that weighs two tons is going to be more attractive to Mr. Gravity than a Geo Metro.
Power is not the problem either. The RDV and RX300 have very similar weight and torque measurements, and nobody complains about the Lexus being underpowered. Likewise the ML320. The ML320 has a slight power advantage but outweighs the RDV by 750 lbs!
So, just adjust your driving technique to prevent it from happening. When stopped on a hill, hold the brake with your left foot. When the light turns green, accelerate with your right foot as you release the brake. Voila, no roll!
No ill will here. It just gets a little thin hearing how underpowered the RDV is all the time. When in reality it is like fedlawman said about the same as the rest of the field out there.
I honestly never experienced any rollback at the traffic lights. Maybe it is the way I drive. I have had a standard transmission in most of my cars. So maybe I just got use to keeping my foot on the break when I stop. But it does annoy me the way the RDV does roll when you put it in park.
I think that's about the way most cars are though... if you put the parking brake on before you take your foot off the brake when you put the car into park it won't roll at all. But when you disengage the brake make sure your foot is on the actualy brake otherwise you'll get that few inches of roll...
A lot of people think the car is underpowered... I wouldn't say it's under powered, in fact it has ideal power for it's application and primary purpose, which is a family hauler. But for a guy like me who's 19, I'd like to see a little more umph from it. I think you would agree though, that the car would have GREATLY benefited from the 3.8 liter v6, or even the new 4.2 I6 used in the GMT360 platform (envoy, trailblazer and others). I heard that the new Envoy XL and Trailblazer XL (or whatever they're calling it) are in fact getting either the 5.3 or 4.8L V8's...
The other thing I've noticed about my RDV is that the fuel economy isn't that great... over 9000 miles I've averaged about 16.5 MPG, it was all highway driving too, back and forth from school 100 miles away... and I'm not lead foot in this thing... so think it may have gotten better mileage with an engine that's just a little more gutsy... but I guess you never know. I heard the GMT360's average 15 mpg so I guess we're doing alright...
I realize things change over the years, but I never realized just how much. When I was in school way back when ( about the time someone invented electricity ) my insurance cost more than my car and I spent more time trying to keep it running than I did on my studies. ( I guess you can tell that from my postings ) .
You seem like a very intelligent young man who is going to do very well for himself, and I wish you all the luck in the world.
Comments
By the way John it is the BROWNS next year not the
9ers or Raiders! Remember you read it here first.
Ken
I'm sure your dealer had drilled the extra holes for the plate to fix. If you look closely, there should be an extra hole or two that are not being used. Those would be the one Buick had originally drilled which don't seem to line up w/ any plates. Not a horendous problem... just a minor nuisance.
The dealership adjusted the parking brake cable but it didn't help solve the problem. They tested a couple other Rendezvous in their lot and they all had the same problem. I called Buick and they called the Service Manager and told him what to do. The rear wheels had to be removed and adjustments made to two special parking brake drum and shoe sets.
The situation has been resolved and the brakes hold perfectly now. I suggest that other people test their parking brakes by trying to move forward with a little engine power.
Mel
And I will check the parking brake tomorrow. Our driveway is also an upward slope - but I park in the garage so I have not had an occasion to test or notice this.
Thank you again Mel.
Susan
I contacted the PD, who came out promptly and examined the mirror, as I worried it had been shot out. There was no clear point of impact, and no bullet or be-be hole or other indication of being shot. There was also no indication of rock or road debris injury. The PD filed a report of unknown cause of impact.
I had read a posting on the NHTSA problems site of a new Mountaineer whoose back window imploded with no warning or cause, but do not know of any other similar problems. If anyone else had this happen, please share any info -
Thanks!
When I took one for an extended test drive (a Saturday afternoon till the following Monday evening), I immediately noticed a pretty much constant electrical humming type of noise. It's hard to describe other than to say it sounded electrical in nature...almost like very faint static on a radio station yet the radio wasn't on.
When I returned the RDV to the dealer at the end of my test drive I mentioned the problem. At first the salesman didn't hear it. But I asked if we could get in a couple other RDVs and see if they made the same noise. They did. It comes out of the speakers in the front doors, perhaps from other speakers as well, but it's the front door ones that I noticed. Since two or three others made the same noise I chalked it up to normal behavior. It hasn't gotten any worse and it's not noticable unless it's pretty silent. Anyone else notice this?
Secondly, I, too, have noticed a vibration in the gas pedal that sometimes occurs when I'm accelerating from a stop. It doesn't always happen and it's not terribly violent. It usually lasts only 2 seconds or so. I'm not too concerned about it but it sounds like the same issue that "snuzone66" mentioned in message #146. I mentioned it to the Buick service dept. when I took my RDV for its first oil change last week and he didn't think it was anything to worry about. I'll take a wait and see approach to this.
Speaking of oil changes, my dealership put a sticker in the window when I bought it and after this recent oil change that indicates when to bring it in for the next change. They use a 3000 mile interval, but my DIC (Driver's Information Center) computer has the oil life gauge and I waited till it hit 10% life left before my first change and that was at about 5300 miles. For the record, right about when it hit 10%, a Change Engine Oil light lit up in the gauge cluster.
My RDV doesn't seem to have the tilting passenger mirror option although I believe I got ever option available except for the towing package.
I also thought I read in the owner's manual (don't have it with me to check) that the RDV had heated outside mirrors. Yes? No? Anyone?
I also had the Reverse Parking Assist chimes sound repeatedly after putting the car in drive. I think I had backed up first (I live in the city and always have to parallel park) and it probably detected something behind me. I, too, had to shut off the car and restart it to get them to stop. But this only happened one time. I know the owner's manual (I read every page!) says to keep the sensors in the rear bumper clean. Perhaps that could be related to the problem (although I'd doubt it based on the sporadic occurences others have reported).
My tailgate doesn't seem unusually difficult to close/latch. I'm a big guy, though, so perhaps a normal shutting to me seems excessive to others.
I'll check with Buick regarding the valve spring issue.
Glad I found this place! Really, really glad. I love my car. It's my first new car ever and I plan to take very good care of it and make it last for a long time. I was looking for a place online where owners could share their thoughts on the RDV and finally found this place. Woohoo!
Also, check into how your D.I.C. is programmed to see if the tilt feature is on or off. You can then reset it manually if you want this feature along with a whole slew of other items.
CWJ
I just got a '02 Rendezvous and I love it! I have a question about the 3rd row speakers though. If I seat in the third row, the only thing I can hear is noise from these speakers. Are they subwoofers?
It is VERY annoying for the third row passengers. Can they be changed with full frequency speakers? Do I have to rewire them?
I wonder if there is a frequency filter at the radio which would mean that I have to rewire them.
Thank you for any input,
Theo.
Theo. I answered your question in the Accessories and Modifications board where you also posted your question.
I checked in the DIC and there is an option for Tilt mirrors. I had seen it before, but when I turned it on (previously) it didn't seem to do anything and since I didn't remember it being a listed option when I purchased the car I assumed it was an option I didn't get.
But I remembered a possible fix that I read about here yesterday (from an old post) to turn the feature off, shut the car off, restart the car, and turn the mirror feature on. I tried it and it WORKS! I couldn't believe it! I didn't think mine had that feature and I was thrilled to see that it does.
I did notice that it doesn't seem like it tilts a lot. Is the amount of tilt customizable? Or does it always tilt a specific amount from where I have it set when driving? Or does it always tilt to a certain position regardless of my driving setting?
I would swear that I never read about the RDV having tilt mirrors. Is it a part of a package of options or was it a standard feature?
Thanks for making my Rendezvous feel brand new again!
Any help would be great!
Mark
My two day old car thought that it was always in Reverse and had the Park Assist ON all the time... In addition, the "Park Lamp Out" warning would come out.
It turns out that there was a short in the park lamp circuitry. According to the mechanic, it is common...
Anyway, the car is now fixed and it seems to know which direction it is going.
Theo.
Douglas
After reading about the problems some owners here were having with bad valve springs and how they had to have them replaced, I called Buick yesterday to see if mine might need the service.
The woman at Buick, Emma, took my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checked some database, and then told me that I should take my Buick to my dealer's service dept. She called and made the arrangements for me. This morning I dropped my Rondy off at the Service center and was told that not all Rendezvouses that fall within a certain spectrum of VINs need the replacements and that they'd check mine and see. A couple hours later they called me and told me it did NOT need the replacement. They gave me copies of the info from GM that states this.
I thought some of you might want to see the info so I put it online.
One of the documents shows the possibly affected VINs. Another shows the actual alert from GM, and the third shows that mine doesn't need the service.
I'm surprised that if mine could have needed the replacement (after all, they wanted me to bring it in to be checked) that they aren't calling owners to notify them.
I wonder if they don't want the news to get out that there is a problem with some of the brand new Rondies.
Here's a link to the documents:
<http://www.haverford.edu/dsdavis_test/rdv/valvesprings.html>
The pages I scanned are pretty large so they may take a while to download over a modem. If they appear too small to read, save them to your desktop and open them in an image editing program and you should be able to bring them to 100% size.
Spiritman
Any guess as to how the mirrors are heated? Electrical wiring or just hot air routed behind them?
mark
also what is the function of the small square piece of plastic attached to the inside of the windshield at the top on the driver's side?
The square piece of plastic on the driver's side that you refer to may be a GPS transmitter that GM uses to locate your vehicle. I never looked at it on mine, but from other messages I read here they referred to a black plastic thing up there.
Ken
Ken
We had no problems at all until mid-January, when the engine stalled in stop-and-go traffic early one morning; started right back and I continued on to work; it was a very cold morning, but the engine was warm as this was the last leg of my morning commute. My husband took the car to our dealer, who hooked it up to the computer and no specific problem was identified. About two weeks later, the engine stalled again, this time in the afternoon, once again while going very slowly (pulling into a parking space); again restarted without problem. My husband visited the dealership again; a "valve" was replaced (??? valve springs mentioned here -- don't know, but we plan to find out on Monday!) and a computer recording device was hooked up to the car with instructions to press the button to make a computer recording if this happened again.
This was late January and the stalling has not recurred, so we are hopeful that this is taken care of.
But...while the recording device was still in place, I noticed that the temperature gauge was registering beyond the "half way" mark each afternoon when waiting in line to pick up our daughter after school with the car idling for 2-3 minutes. It reaches a point about mid-way between the "half" and "three-fourths" slash marks any time the car is left idling. This does not happen in the mornings when warming up the car -- but does at any other times it is allowed to idle, and is a daily occurrence in the pick-up line. Anyway, we made a "picture" with the recorder set-up, dealership downloaded info which they said indicated that the temperature never went above 200 degrees. They have watched this happen and have told us that this is "apparently normal" for the Rendezvous. So...we patiently wait to see what happens when spring/summer gets here! This happens when the outside temp is 40 degrees; I'm sort of curious about what will happen when its 95! They have advised us to bring it straight back if the gauge registers past the three-fourths mark. This has not happened.
We, too, have noticed the clock losing time, maladjustment of the front passenger door, and are patiently waiting (since December!) for a new cargo cover to arrive, since the hooks fell off in our hands when we tried to use the cover the first time. Like I noted, these are minor annoyances. The stalling and temp gauge readings are definitely worrisome.
Overall, we do like the vehicle. Gas mileage averages around 20-21 mpg and the ride and drive are very smooth and comfortable. I love that the tether anchors for our youngest's child restraint are built into the center seat itself. Cargo space with the 3rd row seat up rots but we finally found a decent stroller that fits! Am a little disconcerted about that USA Today article, but we seldom have passengers in the 3rd row seat; I do like having it there if we need it, though. Hopefully, GM did their "safety homework"; it does have better head restraint back there than the minivan we traded had...
Sorry for the novel, but wanted to share our experiences thus far! Any input, ideas, and advice appreciated!
JL
I hope things work out for you with your various concerns. Keep us posted.
three times was when I was slowing down getting ready to stop and the engine would suddenly die.
Ken
Bought my RDV CXL with SD package on Feb 28 after looking at several other SUV's with 3rd seats. My wife and I love the ride, though some might say its 'soft'. The stereo system was also a pleasant surprise compared to my 2000 Maxima.
Well, this RDV was made in this calendar year and therefore I had to pay about $150 more (invoice price has gone up), but I figured that most of the small problems must have been fixed, so it was worth it. I haven't checked my radio clock time, but I have no problem with the rear hatch closing properly. We have noticed the "radio leaking" issue this weekend and will get it fixed.
I'm writing is this is to find out if any of you noticed the following problem with their automatic transmissions. My driveway has a slight incline and yesterday while in Drive, I let go the brake and the RDV started slowly rolling back! This has never happened to me on the Maxima or other vehicles I'ves used, even on very steep slopes (think San Francisco streets with stop signs on 30-45 degree inclines). I will be taking it to the dealer to get it fixed (and the radio leakage problem), but I wanted to share this information and see if anyone else had noticed it too.
Besides this issue, love the RDV and hope this is the last time I've to visit the dealer for a warranty repair.
Prakash
#2) My RDV definitely rolls a little if I'm stopped on an incline and then take my foot off the brake to begin accelerating. I don't think it's a problem. I believe the transmission will/does catch it after a foot or so. If yours seemed like it wasn't going to stop rolling that sounds like a problem, but mine definitely rolls a little in the way I described.
I did do a search on the government website link that was posted earlier here and found a customer complaint for this precise issue under the confusing heading:
FUEL: Throttle linkages and control
Summary:
Vehicle rolls rearward when accelerating on a slight incline. Dealer has been contacted, please provide further information.
Link:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/central2.cfm
FYI: There was a news article I read recently but don't remember who the manufacturer was, about how when some vehicles were put into park, the automatic transmission was not in Neutral, but in between Reverse and Neutral, causing the vehicles to roll back and causing quite a few accidents. I doubt this is the case with the RDV, but I still feel that this is serious enough to be investigated further.
Radio Leakage problem:
YOu can hear this only when the vehicle is stopped as the sound is quite low. Do the following:
Put a CD or tape in the stereo. The tape or CD should automatically start playing. Now in the second row seats audio controls, power it on and choose any FM station. Turn off the main unit. You will then hear the FM station through the front speakers. On the second row audio unit, it doesn't matter
1. if you connect the headphones or not
2. choose another source (tape/cd/radio)
3. turn the volumne down to the minimum
as long as the power is on in the second row unit, you will hear whatever source is selected through the front row speakers. That's what someone referred to as 'radio leakage' in this forum.
Will keep you folks updated of any new information I find out after the dealer visit.
Prakash
An issue I mentioned a while back is that in my RDV if the stereo is off there's an electrical hum/buzz that comes from the stereo speakers pretty much at all times. Anyone else notice this?
First of all, the "rolling" problems...
This is common in heavier cars with weaker engines... at idle speeds the engine does not produce enough power to overcome the force of gravity pushing the weight of the car back... so the vehicle has a natural tendancy to roll w/ the force of gravity. There isn't anything to "fix" the problem, unless to put in a more powerful engine, so you're just going to have to get a good workout w/ your foot on the brake to correct it.
Second, the radio "leaking" problems...
This is simply due to a lack of quality in the components used by GM for the radio. Basically, the tuner has poor channel seperation and picks up the signal coming from the CD which uses the same amplification path as the signal from the CD... most lower end aftermarket CD players experieince this too... sounds from the tuner "leak" into the cd signal. Again, there isn't a real way to fix it beyond upgrading your sound system.
Let me know if you guys have any questions, I've become pretty close with these cars since I've had mine, I've taken most parts of the car apart and I very familiar w/ the inner workings of the RDV so I'm here to help... abuse me! Take care...
~Lance
~Lance
I have had it roll a little backward or forward depending on the incline when I put it in park. But where in blue blazes did you come up with that 20-50 hp at idle RPM's crapola. It has the power to do the speed limit or pass anything I wanted to pass in any state I was in and provided better than average gas mileage for this size and weight vechicle.
The RDV is a luxury SUV that rides and handles like a luxury sedan. If you need something to race or burn out in every gear like the old Chevy's or GTO's this isn't the car for you. But if you want a great riding and handling luxury SUV then this IS THE CAR for you
Ken
I don't know if everyone has been experiencing the rolling, but in my RDV I have... it's nothing serious thought, almost every day does it... even my old 99 Trans Am WS6 w/ almost 400 hp rolled back in my drive way if I played w/ it correctly...
The 20-50 hp is for real, and for real in ANY car at idle. The 185-bhp of the 3.4 liter V6 engine comes on at peak RPM, which I believe is 5200 RPM. THe engine doesn't have that full horsepower all the way through the RPM range, this is why when you do those smokey burn outs nad drag racing you've got to hold your RPM's up before you let out the clutch, that way you're lauching the car with the best mix of horsepower and traction (one is usually greater than the other :-). If you were to look a the dynamometer graph of the engine (which I haven't...) you'd see that at idle the HP is WELL below 185. 20-50 hp was my best guesstimate, but I doubt it's over 50. The only engines I know of that produce huge amounts of power at such low RPM's are deisel engines or anything with a turbo or supercharger that kicks in at low RPM's.
I'd be surious to see if the "Tour" edition RDV has this same problem, or if bolting on the supercharger eliminated all the problems with the vehicle being underpowered... hopefully we'll get to see that model soon!
Hopefully there's no ill will, Ken, I'm just trying to help :-)
~Lance
Power is not the problem either. The RDV and RX300 have very similar weight and torque measurements, and nobody complains about the Lexus being underpowered. Likewise the ML320. The ML320 has a slight power advantage but outweighs the RDV by 750 lbs!
So, just adjust your driving technique to prevent it from happening. When stopped on a hill, hold the brake with your left foot. When the light turns green, accelerate with your right foot as you release the brake. Voila, no roll!
No ill will here. It just gets a little thin hearing how underpowered the RDV is all the time. When in reality it is like fedlawman said about the same as the rest of the field out there.
I honestly never experienced any rollback at the traffic lights. Maybe it is the way I drive. I have had a standard transmission in most of my cars. So maybe I just got use to keeping my foot on the break when I stop. But it does annoy me the way the RDV does roll when you put it in park.
Ken
A lot of people think the car is underpowered... I wouldn't say it's under powered, in fact it has ideal power for it's application and primary purpose, which is a family hauler. But for a guy like me who's 19, I'd like to see a little more umph from it. I think you would agree though, that the car would have GREATLY benefited from the 3.8 liter v6, or even the new 4.2 I6 used in the GMT360 platform (envoy, trailblazer and others). I heard that the new Envoy XL and Trailblazer XL (or whatever they're calling it) are in fact getting either the 5.3 or 4.8L V8's...
The other thing I've noticed about my RDV is that the fuel economy isn't that great... over 9000 miles I've averaged about 16.5 MPG, it was all highway driving too, back and forth from school 100 miles away... and I'm not lead foot in this thing... so think it may have gotten better mileage with an engine that's just a little more gutsy... but I guess you never know. I heard the GMT360's average 15 mpg so I guess we're doing alright...
~Lance
I realize things change over the years, but I never realized just how much. When I was in school way back when ( about the time someone invented electricity ) my insurance cost more than my car and I spent more time trying to keep it running than I did on my studies. ( I guess you can tell that from my postings ) .
You seem like a very intelligent young man who is going to do very well for himself, and I wish you all the luck in the world.
Ken