Chevy Uplander/Pontiac Montana SV6/Saturn Relay/Buick Terraza

new2vans

Can anyone please tell me what TSB stands for? My Uplander is one of the vans on this board that is having problems with no sound from anything at times. I was suppose to bring it in last week but a snow storm kept me from getting out. I was wondering if the altenator issue would be reponsible for this. I would like to contact my dealer regarding the replacement but would like to sound as if I have some clue as to what I'm talking about :confuse: Thanks for any assistance.

montanafan

TSB stands for Technical Service Bulletin. All manufacturers issued bulletins to dealers for many different issues, and under many different names. Policy updates, recall, service manual updates/corrections, revised service procedures, etc. TSB has become the generic shorthand for them.

If you are having radio issues, there stands a chance the radio may have be to be replaced with an exchange radio. You may what to see if the dealer will pre-order the exchange, so when you do go in, it can be done then, instead or requiring a second trip. Post back with more info, results to help others.

hammy233

TSB(Technical Service Bulletin)..better to ask a silly question than make a dumb mistake I always say.. The TSB # is TSB 05-06-03-003 you require part # 15251756 assuming you have the 105amp alternator, 125amp used with towing packages..had mine replaced the other day solves the Flickering ,and the Static in speakers while listening to DVD`s s as for the Radio?..don`t know...I have a 6disc radio, had no problems with it so far....seen some posts in regards to Onstar/radio issues, and XM(us only)radio issues..prior to getting my Alternator upgrade I disconnected one of the headlight harnesses and hooked up a voltage meter, it was steady at 12.6v, started van and it went from 13.1 13.6 13.9 back to 13..also noticed the the DIC would show the "Battery Voltage" to fluctuate while driving anywhere from 12.6 to 15v..up and down.....after the Upgrade the DIC remains in the 14.4-14.6v range while Engine is running, and checked voltages at harness they where consistant with DIC readings....seems to be okay so far..we`ll see if this has any effect on my fuel gauge going all over the place.....you`ll see back in the posts that Daimler-Benz is recalling 1.3 millons vehicles due to alternator issues, alternators built by Bosch, the builder of the alternators in our U-Vans....hmmm :confuse:

new2vans

Thank you for the explanations. My van has the 6-disc cd also and the towing package. You see, there are times when I cannot hear the radio, cd player, dvd player, onstar and the delay door lock chime. The display on the radio works but no sound. When I turn the van off, go into a store, and return to start it, it all works perfectly. Is there something in the van that controls sound to speakers or something? Sorry, I know I sound clueless. It seems weird that this would be intermittent and then work perfectly most of the time. The initial check at the dealers resulted in an inability to find anything wrong. I'm not really familiar with alternators but it doesn't sound like it would be an alternator problem but then again I could be wrong. Anyway, thanks for any info. I will be contacting my dealer next week and will update.

danno

I had my Uplander LT in 2 weeks after I bought it to get the steel wheels and winter tires installed. I borrowed the car salesman's Uplander for the morning and it had the "radio on but no sound' issue. I thought it was because I was doing something wrong. Seems to be a problem with the radio system. Next time I see him, I will ask what he might have done to correct the issue.

hammy233

I want to install an aftermarket hitch on my 2005 Relay...any ideas, brands....I tow a small Tent trailer(1400lbs) and a 4 x 8 Utility trailer..I`d like something "Hidden" below the rear fascia....how about the wiring anyone found a wiring spot..are the new vans using the same underside as the 2005 Venture Montana`s would Hitch serial number be the same?" :confuse:

uplander_ls

Hitch can be purchased here: http://chevrolet.autowebaccessories.com/store/cat691_790.php . The wiring can be found in a harness behind the driver's side rear "side panel" Take one phillips screw out of the mesh net clip - it's round, and remove that piece. Pull the panel out, and there is a harness taped back. It will have the turn signal, parking lights, and ground in it. As of right GM does not have a harness "pigtail" that will plug into that and run it underneath the car. Everything that they have requires you to have the factory to package. With that package you get an extra plug beside the load leveling compressor.

new2vans

I have a couple of questions. The simplest first: where do you all store your head phones? Our Uplander came with 2 extra sets for a total of 4 and they don't seem to fit in the flip out storage "bins" on the back of the seats. I have a couple in my glove box but they take up room in there and I'd rather have them in the back so the passengers can access them by themselves. O.K., second question: does anyone think the road noise on their Uplander is a bit excessive; especially beyond 40 or 45 miles per hour? I use to drive a Tahoe and my husband has a Silverado and it seems like my van is much "noisier" than those two. I suppose I didn't notice it too much until I had to drive my husbands truck for a few days. I was thinking about going in and asking to drive another Uplander on the lot to compare but wanted to see what you all thought. Thanks!

danno

Headphone storage - good questions as I would like to know why they weren't designed to fit in the seat backs. I too would like to hear of "best practise" on storage.
Road noise is higher than my old 1997 Venture. I attribute it to the low profile, more aggressive tires (60 series) and higher SUV style nose which has probably messed up the aerodynamics vs. previous Venture.

hammy233

my headphones fit neatly in the backs of my seats....the remote goes behind me the driver as well....are there different styles of headphones......silly question..you took them out of the box..right?

danno

LOL :P

Do you have the LT or a different trim level?
The LT has a hard fold out tray type storage and the headphones do not fit. (no box)

hammy233

I have a Relay2 "uplevel"....the big puffy capt`s seat in back, I`ll mention this though....originally my First Relay"exchanged due to issues" had different plastic on the seat backs, first thing I noticed on my second Relay was the different texture of plastic..perhaps mid way through production they changed things, like size of compartment.....only kidding about the box , the headphones don`t work very well in the front seats though...guess they don`t want the driver wearing them

hammy233

I am still having issues with the Door mouldings..been back 3 times...there seems to be a stubborn one..passenger slider.....noticed , cause of how far its deformed that there is a "Centering Post/Clip" at the leading edge.....just wondering if that was changed to expanding clip would it assist the double sided tape in its job, just walk round the dealerships a look at the "Vans" with this curling issue..any input is appreciated...at 95 cents a liter (app$4.10 a gal) these trips are getting ..... :mad:

vanman1

I got gas for .83.7 / liter last night. Scary that I was excited about that.

new2vans

I have the LT model and within the hard plastic storage bin, it looks like it is molded to accept head phones but the bin won't close with them in there. Inside the battery compartment of the headphones, a "serial no" reads M-GMCWA973-AXXX. Maybe I could find some individual cloth cases for each and then stick them under the 3rd row seats as there seems to be ample space for them there.

I do like that the bins are plastic.....easier to clean when the kids use them as a brace to push themselves back in their seats .

new2vans

I sent an e-mail to the customer service dept. on the chevy.com website regarding my issues with experiencing no sound from my radio, dvd player, onstar, and delay door lock chimes. They actually called me back and also contacted my dealer and have routed my situation up through the technical dept.'s at GM. My dealer then called me and we set up an appt. on Thurs. to have my Uplander checked again. The dealer stated that they received some additional information regarding this issue that they would like to try out to remedy the situation.

I will keep you updated with the results.

new2vans

Well, I just picked up my Uplander from the dealer's shop and they told me the problem was with the radio so they want to replace it. Unfortunately, there are none in stock at this time so I will be notified of when one becomes available. Delco makes them and apparently there have been other Uplanders across the country whose radio's have required replacement so this seems to be an issue that has been addressed by Chevy before.
If anyone is having these problems with their radio, contact your dealer and have them remedy it as there now seems to be a fix. Of course you may have to wait for an available radio.
I'm just satisfied that they were able to find the problem. Well, I will keep you updated as to how this ultimately turns out.

hammy233

Dropped my van off for the third try at keeping the mouldings on, only to find out they ordered the wrong colored mouldings after removing the ones from my van leaving me with four gapping holes from the centering posts(gave me a CourtesyCar)..so I said well why you have could you check the brakes(3500kms), I asked what ABS should feel like, I made an abrupt emergency hard stop the other day on the highway, the steering wheel shook and wobbled, :surprise: they said hmmm doesn`t sound right....felt like warped rotors.....been awhile since I have driven abs..any input? :confuse:

holzwarthp

I took my Relay to the dealer and they said that there was no software installed for the theft system. They installed the theft software and then the aftermarket remote start would not work. They sent me to that installer and they had to change some codes to turn off the thieft system before the remote start. Everything has operated ok since then. The dealer also replaced the OnStar module because it didn't work. I am keeping my fingers crossed now that something else doesn't stop working. The dealer says that everything is so new to them and they don't have any experience with the car.

uplander_ls

13,770 Miles, and had had my alt. done finally on Friday, while it was in there I had the rotors machined because of the wobbling steering wheel. I still have a whine on my left front speaker though, especially when I'm playing a DVD. I wonder if the radio needs to go next

gmhellman

The insurance institute has released it's crash test ratings for this new line of models and they rated them better than previous generations (They gave it a rating of good).

vanman1

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7454743/

new2vans

Thanks for this post. I recall a couple of days ago just catching the end of a similar report on a radio station and all I really heard was something about GM van's poor frontal crash test and how the crash test dummies foot broke off! :surprise: I've been kinda disturbed by it since and have meant to do some further investigating. Whew! I'm relieved they were not talking about this new line of GM vans.

O.K., on a lighter note....does anyone else think the onstar telephone is as cool as I do! :shades: I love it!

sundevil99

Here's a link to the results of minivan tests from the IIHS for the Frontal Offset Crash test.
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summaries/vans_front_c.htm

Hooray, GM is finally competing with Honda and Toyota.

Re: Onstar Phone... yes, this is one of my favorite new toys. My wife and I are not big cell phone users, so the pre-pay deal is perfect for us.
I'm not sure if other automakers will come out with competitive products, but I think GM has a winner with this OnStar system. Our first year is free, but I suspect we will pay the monthly fee when it comes time to sign up.

kosmos

Came home tonight with my new SV6 RWB w/17" alloys, Traction Control, and Sport Suspension. I must say this thing handles better than my Acura did and is a dream to drive. My question is, what accessories are out there and at what $? How is the usefulness and quality of these items? (e.g. 2nd row utility box) :shades:

dan165

Just came home with an Imperial Blue Extended Wheel Base Uplander LT. We were going to get an SUV but this was cheaper to buy, on gas and on insurance. I think it has an SUV like presence anyway with the big 17" alloys and the SUV like nose. Its really nice to look at all polished and new for the spring.

So far may favorite features are the remote start and the MP3 player. MP3 was a big selling point as I have hundreds on my computer and now I can burn and play them in my van!!

Anyway, hopefully all goes well. The dealer knew about the alternator TSB and said they would order one for my first oil change if there was a problem. So far I have not noticed an power issues.

jwflorida

After 3 months of shopping and comparing, we bought our Terraza this weekend the first neighbor said "I thought you were buying a Minivan" we thought she was joking later in the day she said "oh it is a minivan". Our Terraza is awsome, the dealer started with $2K off and we worked from there add in the $2K rebate and we got a sweet deal. We bought the CXL pacakge with list of $32,060. We were in in out of the dealer with the new vehicle in 2 hours. One of my neigbors bought the base Sienna this weekend when we compared bottom line cost the difference of less than $3K we got 2 power doors( he got none), leather (he got cloth), dvd, (he got none), backup alarm, onstar, and a superior dressed out interior. The Buick has a great ride and we are very very pleased with our purchase. We had looked at the Relay first but as I did the research the Buick with all the features built in was by far the best value for us. We traded in our Honda Element and goat a fair value.

wheelz4

How much did they give you for your goat!!! ;-)

hammy233

Well its been a week now...they phoned me to advise me the mouldings came in but were the wrong colour, they weren`t sure when the right colour might come in..said I could have my van back, arrived at the dealership to find the mouldings removed and 4 holes, I said no friggn way...you have to be kidding...I am not driving a $36000 van with holes in the doors and risk water getting in.....so the service department set me up with a courtesy car(Saturn Ion), a week ago, the correct parts have still not arrived, an I advised them I was going on a road trip..with another couple and there daughter, they said no problem we`ll give you a Relay Loaner enjoy.....I go pick it up...cool full tank of gas, and oh my mouldings on all sides coming off......... :sick: ">

vanman1

Which mouldings are you having issues with? What happened?

danno

I saw an Imperial Blue yesterday for the first time all shiny and clean. Looked awesome. Good choice in colours.

I have the Granite Blue.

beach15

Curious, for those of you who own one of these new GM vans, if you've experienced any problems with rattles, creaks, squeaks, etc.? I only ask because the last-gen ('97-'05) were infamous for having a very light, but also very loose and rattly feel. The new vans have a much stiffer structure and completely different interior, so anyone having any "bad noises" like this?

uplander_ls

Mine were the middle ones that run down both driver and passenger side doors. They simply started to peel off...

danno

A little too early to tell on body stiffness and structure but so far no issues on mine (about 4,000 miles)
GM improved the front chassis stiffness (2005 crash data is much improved) and made the sliding door windows fixed - 2 previous sources of annoying rattles.

vanman1

After a year with out 2004 Montana we do have an intermitant faint rattle in the driver's side sliding door. It's annoying when it happens and I hope the dealer can fix it. Otherwise, ours has been pretty tight so far.

New vans should be much better. They feel more solid to me.

danno

I found that door rattled on my Venture. 2 possible sources - the side glass hinge, or the top door slider guide made a racket when going over bumps such as railroad tracks.

dan165

Took our Uplander up to cottage country this weekend to visit some friends. We averaged 21 MPG (USG) for our first tank which was about 60% highway. Not bad, hoping for better.

The remote start wowed our friends who though it was quite unbelievable that no car maker had factory installed this before. GM should advertise this feature more!

Anyway, no rattles or issues with the radio like some here. So far we love out Uplander.

kab

headphone storage.

Headphones should be placed in the bin Ear Piece end up. (If it does not fit try turning them around keeping ear piece up.) Ear piece down, they will not fit.

Kurt

kab

Be aware that GM is using a new technology with that charging system. It is called Regulated Voltage Control or RVC for short. It is designed for the alternator to only put out as much voltage as needed. This actually accomplishes a couple of items. Improved fuel economy - less parasitic hp loss = better mpg and longer battery life - less overcharging of the battery = longer life. Both of these are probably minimal but still worth noting. If you look in the owners manual (at least the one that I looked at) it states that voltage fluctuation is normal. So you still might see fluctuation but it should be not be a problem unless a warning message of a charging issue is present. There are to many variables to how it works for me remember them all.

This is not to say there cannot be other issues with an alternator that causes strange problems to happen. :mad:

Kurt

scott14

My radio does not display artist and song title information. It can still search by category, but no other text info. The text info does show up on my other cars radio, so the station is still broadcasting it. Is there a setting somewhere that I am missing?

Scott

mitzij

Try pressing the round "DISP" button, to the right of the 1-6 buttons. Music info should pop up when available. I'm out in the boonies where RDS is useless or I'd go try it to be sure.

jeff1961

Hi
I have a new Saturn Relay that had the same problem with flickering lights, a fix is ready and now can be repaired, the fix was reported to me by my Saturn dealer back in Feb. all the new GM crossover vans have bad altinators, they installed the updated one and the problem was gone. Dont let them tell you that GM engineering is working on it, they have found the fix. If your dealer tells you they are not aware of a fix, have them call Saturn of Trevose, in Trevose PA. thier service dept. really stayed on top of Saturns engineers, along with my great displeasure. Good Luck

dan165

Love that feature. Many of the local stations use the tech now.

That said, I listen to my MP3 player all the time now that I have burned some discs. Awesome!!

tamu2002

this past weekend just to see what everybody is raving about. Man, now I finally know what "refinement" means. I've always been a supporter of domestic auto makers and still am, but one has to admit the Odyssey is indeed much better than the Uplander. I drove on the same route where I testdrove the Uplander. The Odyssey was MUCH quieter. You can hardly hear the engine even at redline, while the Uplander I drove really surprised me by how loud it was. I still think though, depending on the pricing, the uplander could still prove to be a better value. Based on the quality difference between these two vans, I would only consider buying the Uplander if the price is $7or 8K less, comparably equipped. Unfortunately all the domestic vans as of right now are unreasonably expensive, when equipped at the same level. We're looking to buy within the next month or two. We'll see what happens.

vanman1

Oddysey is a very nice van but we could not afford one. Fact of the matter is, we were looking at C$7000+ more vs. our 2004 Montana after incentives. The Oddy's are nice but you pay for it.

I have not tried a 2005 (Oddy or Uplander), but comparing the 2004's, the only thing that was more refined about the Oddy was the engine. In terms of ride quality, they were about the same.

tamu2002

Same situation here. We have a tight budget which makes our choice even harder. We prefer a barebone domestic model. But it has to be a screaming deal (under $15K?). If we have to shell out close to $20K for it, we'd rather bite the bullet and get a base Quest (for about $22K) or Odyssey which have pretty much everything standard. The irony is the domestic vans are way over priced and the current rebates are not big enough to make them a good value. Plus if you add a few things on the domestic vans to bring them to the same equipment level then they are even pricier than the Odessey and Sienna! Like I said, unless for $7 or 8K less, I can't imagine myself buy the Uplander.

vanman1

A decently midlevel equipped Oyddy is about C$36000. A midlevel Uplander LS lists for just over C$29,000. On list alone, it's C$7000 less than the Oyddy.. Not
sure what U.S. prices are like but I'll bet the MSRPs are at least U$5000 apart.

Stay away from the Quest. Our neighbor has one and it's been all problems. If you go for a premium van, go Honda.

new2vans

Just wanted to provide an update. The radio came in and my dealer replaced the original in my Uplander a couple of days ago. So far, all is working perfectly now.

For a full description of the problem I was having, the following link should direct you to my original post:
new2vans, "Chevrolet Uplander/Pontiac Montana SV6/Saturn Relay/Buick Terraza" #1908, 23 Mar 2005 7:08 pm

dirkwork

IMHO - Due to the steep depreciation on domestic vans, a van that is traded in, or coming off a lease could be decent value. With the rebates on new ones, its hammering the resale of older vans. Given the DVD's and what not have been around for few years, it shouldn't be a problem getting a fully loaded one at a used car price - if that is attractive to you. A base model should be very affordable. The rental car places sell them too. A good extended warranty might be a good idea if you can get it cheap enough - prices are flexible, and good idea to compare policies if not a GM warranty, some aftermarket ones are not so good, search on topic for info.

But if you're looking for the new design, be prepared to buy new.

I've had some repairs done to my '98, but its paid for years ago and does what we need to do.

tamu2002

That was a very good suggestion. I was thinking the same thing. But the problem is used vans don't seem to be that cheap at all, at least around here (Seattle). And it's not easy to find a late base model with low mileage. The used ones tend to come fairly loaded up and are pricier than a new base model. I'm a bit leery to buy an older van with high mileage for fear of imminent repairs. Ahh, dilemma :confuse: ! We'll probably end up spending more than we have planned (as always) on a midlevel Honda. We'll see. Thanks again.