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Comments
A/C is on all the time when needed (can be overridden), you're simply using it to dehumdify the air and then reheating it when necessary in the case when one person is cold and another is hot. One thing to remember is that I believe the RDZ is not auto-climate control.
However, the dual climate control on the Jeep GCL is pretty cool because it is a fully auto system with dual infra-red sensors that monitiors the driver's and passengers surrounding air temperatures, and makes auto adjustments as necessary.
I don't think you get to choose tires...every RDV I have seen had the Firestones.
Buzzbo - Hey congratulations man you finally got it and I'm glad there's no remorse. By the way, I'm 49 so I guess we're the old men on this board, though I prefer "the voices of experience and reason."
Tony - Congratulations to you too. I also have my issues about the Firestones on which I'll expand below.
For those trying to put leather on a CX. R5 has suggested getting after-market leather. Good idea. But I also remember someone posting that aftermarket installers didn't want to touch the Rendezvous for fear of messing up or setting off the side air bags that are built into the front seats. So my advice since this is a new model with which the aftermarket people might not be familiar is to make 100% certain that they know about the side air bags and still want to do the job before you order the vehicle and find out that they won't touch it after you've taken delivery.
bjk - The reason the AWD's are priced the same for both the CX and CXL is that you have to select one of the CXL option packages in order to buy one. This brings the price up from $28,027 to $31,652 for a base CXL. Perhaps 20% of all the posts on this topic have dealt with the contradictions and changing package contents among both the websites and also Buick itself. I don't think anyone can or wants to try to reconstruct all of that, so please review and reread. In my opinion, the most credible website is caranddriver.com. (I think R5 turned me on to this site originally). Go there and build your vehicle various ways and compare invoice prices and MSRP. This site won't let you build the vehicle "incorrectly" and clearly illustrates whats included and excluded with each choice you make. Is it 100% correct? Who knows. But it's better than the others. As far as asking us questions about "leather trim with cloth inserts," do yourself a favor and go to your dealer to get a brochure. It has a nice picture on page 42. Good luck.
Tires - Now for the rant. #1 Firestone Affinity - I'd like to hear Tony expand on the subject, but regardless of whether or not the tire is any good, who wants the latest PR problem installed on his vehicle. A very good friend of mine who is an executive at our local Goodrich plant confided to me some time ago that Firestone would someday have a scandal on their hands because of relentless cost cutting in their tire designs and shoddy build quality on top of that. Well now we have one. #2 Luxury Package - In spite of its name, the Luxury package on the CXL (1SE) actually includes only a very few items for the extra money it costs, and to rub salt in the wound, that package as far as I can tell actually costs more than those items ordered separately. Among them are chrome rims and uprated tires. Now I'm hearing the chrome rim on hold story again, and Brian says he saw Firestone Affinity's on a CXL with the Luxury package. This may sound silly, and perhaps the Firestone Affinitys are just as good a tire as the Uniroyal Touring SR's that I've seen installed on other Rendezvous's with the luxury package, but if the package you're buying supposedly includes different tires, don't you think the tires ought to be different? #3 What are these tires really - Perhaps the most interesting thing about the tire saga is what you find out when you visit the Firestone and Uniroyal web sites. Go to Firestone and bring up the Affinity. Now look for the Rendezvous' tire size. You won't find it. OK, now go over to Uniroyal and look for the Touring SR. Can't find it? Then bring up the Touring TR and look for the Rendezvous' tire size. You'll find that it's a special "orignial equipment" specification. So Uniroyal did something to design the itre down from a "T" to an "S" rating and Firestone is making Affinitys in a non-standard size to fit the Rendezvous with who knows what other modifications, if any. Hardly gives me any cause to sleep well with either tire. I scribbled rants #4 and #5 since this post got to be entirely too long.
Anyone having actually taken delivery on a Rendezvous CXL with the luxury package (1SE), please let me know what you received in both rims and tires. thanks, All.
CWJ
Looks like AWD CXL is a better buy if you want Leather and 3rd seat. Plus you get Dual Climate control and .....
Question 1: How does RDV's AWD work? Is it full time AWD or part time on demand? How about the extra hardware reliability and maintenance? Does it mean more $$$ to keep it up? Never owned a AWD or 4WD before I have limited knowledge (could be dangeous). Can some one give some more information regarding this AWD? I am in So Calif. no snow, very little rain here in winter.
Q 2. Maybe I get caught in the this so called Engine power thingy too. I just came back a camping trip last night. 2 adults and 2 teens with all the sleeping bags, tent, ice chest ... On our way home, my 93 Villager with 3.0L V6 150 HP rating (with 173k miles on it) had a hard time to get up the Interstate 5 at Grapevine area. Speed dropped from 75->70->65->60->55->... I almost had to change to the right side lane. Since RDV has 35 more hp to my Villager. I think it will be ok. Just wondering has anyone taken full load of people and take a steep hill up?
Q 3. Has anyone ordered a running board? I can't find it anywhere? Does Buick offer factory running board or side step tube?
Q 4. Towing package: Does towing package come with trailer hitch? Web site only list heavy duty oil and tran cooler and hardness no hitch. I think fedlawman posted some posts ago that he doesn't seem to find a place for hitch. How will I tow anything with just hardness without hitch, using bungee cord or I have to get aftermarket hitch? Not that I have anything to tow now but could be handy to go camping and tow a jetski.
Thanks!
What are the complete benefits of the pre-sell program? I've heard lower interest rate, anything else? For those who ordered through the program, was there much bargaining room as far as features, or were you stuck with one of the packages? For example, I need those captain's chairs, and they aren't part of any of the pre-sell packages.
cwj: I ordered the RDV brochure thru GM website.
buzzbo: Let me know about your dealer installed hitch. How much extra do you have to pay on top of towing package?
BY
As for extra maintenance costs, that potential is there as it is another level of complexity in the system, but I've not heard of any problems with this system so far. However, I believe the only other vehicle its on in the Aztek, so there really aren't any long term reliability numbers yet. Any body heard of any problems? Any of you Aztek lurkers know of any?
BY
CWJ
Everything else from the CX on up through the CXL Versatility package appears to come with the Firestone Affinity's. I've only become concerned with the most recent group of postings where one poster suggested that Buick was shipping out luxury package CXL's with the alloy rather than chrome rims, and where Brian (aka "Fedlawman") said he had seen one or more luxury package CXL's with the Firestone tires. Obviously, I can neither confirm nor deny these comments so I'm searching for others who have taken delivery on luxury package CXL's to ask what they've received. Unfortunately (for me only), I think nearly all of my fellow pre-orderers other than BY have opted for versatility package CXL's.
CWJ
Also, mmeehan wasn't sure about getting Uniroyals on a CXL; does anyone know if they come on the CXL w/ versatility Pkg., or do you need to ask for them? If you do need to ask for them, what's the cost differential, if any?
Hey Ra1der5, isn't that what you have? Pewter CXL w/ versatility? - If so, what cladding did you go with? Do you know about the tires? Thanks again for your help.
John B.
CWJ
Ours is a white CXL with light sandrift lower cladding. We also chose the versatility package and added the trailer/tow... not that we are going to tow anything, I just wanted the added protection the tow package gives engine.
R5
If it wasn't for my current car being Seattle Silver (identicle to Pewter), I definately would have gone with the Pewter.
Boondocks: I can feel your pain re: your "Pre-sell program frustrations". As Bertoli said quite a while ago, we may not be able to participate in the program; there was a pre-designated list of folks that received info via mail or internet; seems they're the only ones that can participate, unless...
Ire: Lance, tell me/us, when you got involved in the pre-sell program & made your purchase, had you already been "pre-designated" for the program? i.e, Were you already signed up w/ a PIN number. I know you mentioned the fact that no dealer had the car you wanted, and there were none in-transit. Was this the "loophole" that got you in the program??? I'm grasping for an angle - I'm sure boondocks is as well. - - If worst comes to worst, I'll have to do like Bertoli said long ago and negotiate a good/great deal without the program. Thanks for any help you can provide.
John B.
In the RDV however, the passenger can't actually set their own desired temperature. Instead, what you get is a gauge showing whether the passenger temp is offset higher or lower than the driver's set temperature. So, in essence, only the driver can set a temperature, and the passenger must then decide whether they want to be warmer than or colder than the driver. So, while it doesn't appear to be a true dual zone automatic climate control, it still works pretty good for us, as we both like it at different temps.
This then leads me to one of my little pet peeves with the RDV. Has anyone else noticed that the two center vents on the RDV are a little too limited in range of motion? I can never seem to get them pointed exactly the way I want them, as they just don't move enough side to side for me.
(I tend to like having the air blowing on me, and I just can't quite get it set right with those center vents.)
BY
2002 Rendezvous CX FWD in Pewter
CWJ
chipperrrr: We looked at the Highlander as well; we were going to get it until re realized there just wasn't enough space for family/friends/kids, etc... The 5 seating limit as well as the small cargo space just wouldn't have made it for us; We've looked at, and practically test drove just about everything out there. For us, and obviously most of the folks on this forum, the rendezvous is the "Best Choice", even w/ it's weaknesses, i.e., power, cladding, etc...
ire/boondocks: where are you guys? I need to hear, boondocks, if you had any luck at all today w/ the pre-sell program. Also Lance, I hope you're on the forum tonite & reply to my earlier post. Thanks.
CWJ
Justified or not Firestone has one heck of a PR problem at the moment and even if I don't think that every tire they make is a rolling accident waiting to happen, what husband in the world wants to give their wife another excuse/reason to carp at 'em. Sorry Firestone, I won't be buying a second set anytime soon.
On another note, when we first test drove our RDV both the wife and I noticed both front side doors made creaking noises as we drove around town but we didn't hear the noise at all on the highway. When we brought it to the service managers attention, he took it into the shop and siliconed inside the door panels, which took care of the problem. I just wanted to mention this in case someone else has a similar occurance.
We're still enjoying our RDV, though it looks like my wife and in-laws may be taking it on another long trip next week. This time from southwest FL to central IL, about 1200 miles one way. I'm glad I'll be to sitting that one out.
Tony
On a related topic, I was figuring the ratios out the other day (no more comparison shopping to keep me sharp) and I figure that I could go with a 235/65-16 and get the same rolling diameter with a wider, beefier tread. It should improve handling and add a little more muscle to the RDV's looks.
I must be getting anxious waiting for my RDV to arrive. In my mind, I've already re-painted the cladding and upgraded the tires. Please, let it arrive before I start thinking of mud flaps and bug shields, and what about underbody neon...
John B.
We had a full load of seven people a couple times. 3rd row passengers (one 12 y.o., one adult, 5'10'') were pleased with the amount of space. We needed two baby seats in the second row, also, which was a hassle because one had to be removed at each stop to allow second row to fold forward for third row access. Extremely difficult to get tethers to work for child seat in the third row (there is a single anchor behind the right third row seat, but it was impossible to access it with the black plastic "junk tray" back there).
We love the steering wheel audio controls and the programmable driver preferences, and love the BLACK (but washed it four times so far). Longest drive was about 2 1/2 hours.. Very comfortable and beats the heck out of our old Mazda 626. We have the air pump, which isn't very powerful but was fine for swimming pool toys; I couldn't get any of the adapters to work with a bicycle tire... anyone else tried this? Small warning...the whole family has now been smacked by the doors as they swing back quite easily. We've learned to open them to their full open position and make sure they stay there before proceeding. Other small complaint is that rear window wiper is quite loud.
You know, I really wanted to get black but my wife said no (she knows I would only clean it once a month, LOL).
Can you tell me more about the driver preferences? I have read about it but don't know what it is. Is it related to the programable remote entry (which I also know nothing about).
Was the noise of the rear wiper a moaning sound? The RDV I drove had a silent rear wiper, but my in-laws '98 Venture started moaning recently (and it's pretty noisy). It is not normal.
Steve
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As for the size of the seats I thought the size and room was decent. Very comparable to my LC which supposedly can fit 3.
If you want easier access and larger 3rd row seats I think you will be looking at a mini-van.
I do agree that for everyday use the 3rd row seats access and size will probably wear on you but that goes for just about all SUV's. I truly beleive that 3rd row seats in SUV's are mostly intended for kids or occasional use by adults.
Sorry I haven't answered you. I've been occupied with the kids and in training at work (limited interet time). This may not be what you want to hear, but I got involved in the pre-sell program months ago. I looked for the RDV I wanted at local dealerships and went with the pre-sell program when I couldn't find one. Also, I don't need the car for another month or so because of a unique situation with my current vehicle which I won't get into. So waiting 6-8 weeks didn't bother me and allows me to earn more money on my GM card.
If you can't get a PIN# I would suggest contacting a credit union or seeing if you have access to the United Buying Service. I don't know where you live, but in the DC area the UBS dealer was the same dealer I placed my order with. I may have been able to save another $100 or $200 in hindsight.
As far as the color I chose, my wife and I liked the Pewter and Black colors the best. However, the first car I ever bought was the Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo in 1990 when it came out and I loved it, but it was such a pain to keep clean and hide any scratches. We decided on the Pewter with the Light Graymist. We liked the Gray leather interior better than the Oak and I think you get the Oak interior with the Bronzemist unless I'm mistaken. Hope this helps. I'll try to respond later tonight if you have other questions.
Lance
Brian
Second, does anyone who has a RDV noticed if the tire inflation monitor is installed? I don't think it's on mine and I'm wondering if its a luxury pkg. option or if its just not ready yet...?
Our dealer called. We pick up our RDV tomorrow! Why is it I feel like I did when I learned my wife was pregnant for the first time?
R5
Brian
BY