Buick Rendezvous

nosuvyet

I'm due to pick up ours in a couple of weeks on a factory order. You mentioned springs. Can you elaborate? Anything else I should be aware of when taking delivery?

Thanks in advance.

cwjacobsen

General point of info for readers of this thread. If you think your Rendezvous has rattles and if you think they're coming from behind you, check the seat belts first before taking it in to your dealer. Not saying that this will always be the source, just saying that it has turned out to be the case with a number of Rendezvouses (Gamera included), and that I would check it out before I jumped to the conclusion that my Rendezvous had a defect.

CWJ

nescovin

I tied down the seat belts to the clips, but to no avail. The rattle is evident only at arnd 50-60 mi/hr on freeways that are a lil rough. I have an appt tomorrow with the dealers, though as with all rattle issues I've had in the past with my old cars, I don't think dealers ever have a nice answer for rattles.
The rattle seems to be from the rear leftside.
Anyway shall let you know as soon I hear something.

islandpete

The only rattle I have had to date was from the little antenna on the rear passenger side. I tried putting a little american flag on it and it was just flapping like crazy and hitting the body. It is sping loaded and does not take much to make it vibrate. It should be angled with enough clearance to avoid contact with the body. Just a thought in case anyone else may run into this scenario.BTW, I had to remove the flag and settle for some in the windows.

vascarth

Following intermittent electronic problems all electronics failed at one time.After two
weeks in the dealer's shop we finally got the Rendezvous back. Parts are not
available it seems and the technicians at Kellog Motors in Harlingen, TX did little more than guess. They
replaced alternator. They sent the "cluster" back three times. They finally
talked with GM tech and they told them to replace the computer. When one
finally arrived it seemed all should be fine. I got into the vehicle to
drive it away from the dealership and I turned the key on and NOTHING
HAPPENED! I got back out of the vehicle. Went for the service desk and they
asked me what was wrong. I told them and in disbelief they went back to the
vehicle. After some electronic tricks it responded properly. They gave me
the key and went back inside. I put the key into the ignition and wonder of
wonders, it started. I looked at the message center and everything was in
French. I left it running and went back to the service desk. It took four
technicians over half an hour to get it into English. I drove away with
sounds the Buick Rendezvous had never had before and a roughness to the
motor running it hadn't had before. Perhaps at this point the noises and
rough running were in my mind. I don't know. I know I was afraid to drive it
out of the parking lot. I took it straight to a Nissan dealer and traded it
in. It cost us $5500 and $56.88 tax on the rental vehicle. The salesman at
the dealership told us we should trade it in since we had so much trouble.
Lots of sympathy there. HA!.

dorene1

not to worry, nosuvyet - only early production RDV's are in recall. At last posting we had just purchased a Sedona Bronze RDV that had a recall vin#, which service tried to retrofit with new springs. Several hours out of the dealership, I was driving up a grade when the 'service engine soon' light started flashing, followed by loud banging sounds- recalled past postings about rods blowing, and realized what was happenning- I tried to pull over to shoulder and stop, but was followed by a large semi, also having emergency flashers on, that didn't want to stop. I slowly manuevered to an exit and partially coasted down a main road that was close to the dealership - finally stopped in front of the Stanford Linear Accelerator, which nuked my cell phone for awhile. I was finally able to call the dealership, and service staff came to
get me and take the RDV to their shop.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the dealership - they immediately recognized the level of problem, and proceeded to get another dealer trade for us, despite losing DMV etc. fees.

We asked for a recent production RDV, and today we drove home a fabulous light sandrift with moss green accents D package RDV that was 17 days old. It seems to have enhanced shock absorbers over the early production RDV's, and drove beautifully in all ways.

All dealers have lists of vin#s for the recalled RDV's. We know have two SUV's, and highly recommend the Rendevouz, despite our complicated buying experience!

kenym

"My wife's name is Judy and my name is Ken, we live in Northeast Ohio. We enjoy the comments in the Town Hall very much and found them to be very helpful. We purchased our RDV in July and have a little over 6000 miles on it. I enjoyed my (our) RDV so much I decided to make a web page featuring it. I am retired and since the golf season is coming to an end have a lot of time on my hands. This is a personal web page. The web page is not affiliated with anyone or anything. I am not trying to sell anything or offend anyone. I would really appreciate any feedback on the content or anything else anyone would like to comment on. I would prefer constructive criticism/comments and please don't call my mother names and yes my parents were married. That being said let me thank you in advance. Ken

My page is at www.geocities.com/myersworld2001."

nescovin

The Light Driftwood looks good. Wish you had more pics out there.
And yes a link to all problems/solutions would be nice.
Better still share it out here.

lawman1967

Don't listen to that fedlawman guy, after knowing him for 34 years I can honestly say that he is lying.

Hey Brian, how's the car/van/truck/whatever-it-is?

See you next week!

stever

Check out the Helpful Links box for a link to the recent Road Test on the Rendezvous.

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

fedlawman

Did you get your RDV back yet? How did it turn out?

nextmoon

Are there any features/content changes anticipated with the new model year of Rendezvous? Or is any price adjustments possibiliies?

jwsmith

Put it in on a Monday afternoon and picked it up Tuesday evening - they did a beautiful job! Wife has a real "critical eye" for color, and after a very detailed exam expressed her total satisfaction with it. The Buick shop said there were actually three variations of that color in the GM lineup - but they were easy to blend, especially when in the center of a panel like this one was. It's got a four year warranty since it was done by a Buick shop and the manager encouraged us to bring it back any time during that period that we're not completely satisfied with the work.
#1963 - I see you have "fan" - it is amazing to see how immature and disruptive some people can act when they have an little cover through hidden identifications on the information highway!

lawman1967

I'm no fan, I'm his younger brother

fedlawman

I'm glad everything turned out well...I guess you're lucky the damage occurred in a manner that made it easy to repair.

Did the body shop tell you which paint code they used? I'm curious to know why the shop found three variations of the color and had to do a blend (I still haven't taken mine back for attempt #4).

fedlawman

A happy and safe Holiday Season to all.

Brian

fedlawman

We had a great Xmas, made even better by our RDV.

We spent Xmas eve at home (thank goodness). Xmas day, we loaded up the extended family (4 grown ups and 2 kids), remaining presents, and some food and drove down to Olympia for dinner with family. The RDV handled people and cargo very well and comfortably (I'm getting spoiled by this car).

This morning, I flipped the right middle seat forward and loaded up the RDV with all the empty boxes (there were many, and some bigger than me). My son sat in the left middle row seat and we went to the dump (recycling bins, of course). The large tailgate made loading and unloading the trash easy.

We're taking it skiing later this week! I can't wait to get it in the snow.

Luxury family hauler by night...cargo/utility truck by day. I love this car!

boondocks

Winter has arrived in Michigan, finally, so I thought I'd share my experiences with the Versatrak. I was quite cautious the first night of sleet; since the ride is "pillowy", I didn't have the same feel for the road that I had in my truck. But as the week wore on, I became more adventurous, driving closer to normal speed and even confidently tackling icy hills while accelerating. The versatrak seems to work quite well, no slipping or veering at all, and the RDV brakes nicely. It's every bit as safe and capable as my previous AWD Bravada.

"Luxury family hauler by night...cargo/utility truck by day. I love this car! "

Ditto here!

rwisem

Only have 700 miles so far, no initial problems that I can see. Had to do airport limo service for visiting relatives. The RDV handled 5 adults and baggage fine. Averaging 18.8 mpg in all around driving. Hope to do better when winter formula gas is gone.

Now I have too much time on my hands and thought I would research 0-60 times as there is some concern that the RDV is short on power. To put this into perspective, The RDV has been tested at 9.9 sec. to 60. Vehicles that the RDV is equal to or faster than includes:

1980 Porsche 924
1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL
Toyota 4-Runner
Nissan X-Terra
Range Rover
Land Rover Discovery
Lexus LX 450,470
2002 Explorer Eddie Bauer
Ford Excursion
Ford Expedition
Mitsubishi Montero, Montero Sport
Grand Cherokee 6 cyl
Jeep Liberty, Base
Hyundai Sante Fe
97-98 Lincoln Navigator

Obviously there are a ton of older and economy vehicles that are slower, I tried to pick ones that would provide the best perspective.

dorene1

Having some wonderful discoveries with our RDV. Being a mom of 3 fast food travelers, am thrilled that the pull down trays in the middle row are perfectly configured for a fast food bag, and the drink holders expand for the 'supersize'!
With skill, the third fast food meal can be squeezed in too!

Also love the laptop compartment, which can double for work memos, etc.., and CD holder is awesome.

Defoggers are the best of any car we've had -it's been very rainy with unusual humidity, and am delighted at how quickly we can start driving despite fully fogged windows! So nice to discover these well-designed features!

fedlawman

Don't worry CWJ, I'm keeping my mouth shut.

Brian

venetta

My husband and I have been researching the Rendezvous and Mazda Tribute for the past 9 months and finally bought a Rendezvous yesterday. We purchased a CX Pewter with Versatility for $500 below invoice and the 3.9% financing for 60 months. All of the negotiating was done over the internet and completely hassle free! Thank you to all of the people in the forum who swayed us towards the RDV. We are very happy with our purchase and plan to pick it up today!:-) We are hoping to put in a wood dash kit and entertainment system. Has anyone installed either of these options on the RDV and do you have any suggestions on color of the wood with the gray interior? Also, the CX doesn't have a luggage rack although we did notice it does have the track running on the top. Can you just purchase the cross bars or has anyone installed this on their RDV? If so, what was the cost and where did you locate the rack. Thanks for the help and Happy New Year to everyone.

cwjacobsen

Loved your and "Boon's" trip reports. Fort Wayne only received a dusting of the snow Michigan got so I've not yet tested Gamera to the extent that Boon has done. However, it has been very cold and slick in some places. Last Friday Laurie and I were coming home from dinner downtown fortunately late enough that the streets were pretty empty. A Ford SUV pulled out of a side street onto my street behind us and I watched in horror in my mirror as his rear end slid to the right then back to the left as he overcorrected, then back right then left again and finally right one more time over the curb. Gamera gave no hint whatsoever that conditions were that slick, though I have to believe that the driver had to have played a factor as well. I'm just thankful that he pulled out behind us rather than in front of us.

CWJ

fedlawman

Congrats on your purchase venetta, you got a terrific deal!

I don't know about the roof rack but I'm certain they are available as an aftermarket add-on.

As to the wood trim, I personally have done some research there and, although I haven't installed anything yet, I think that a "brushed aluminum" kit would look best. If you want wood, try darker woods like "cherry" or "mahagony".

Check out:

for a photo of the grey interior with trim. Just press the "view photo" button.

fedlawman

Venetta, you also asked about an entertainment system...funny you should ask.

I don't have one installed but I've been thinking about my options for a few months (I don't make these decisions lightly). I've been considering getting a portable DVD player. They look like a small laptop computer but are only a little bit bigger than the DVD itself.

I think a little velcro towards the rear of the center armrest would be the perfect spot to mount a 6" widescreen DVD player. They go for about $400 and you can take it with you when you fly or stay in a hotel! The only thing I'm not sure about is how much elbow room it will rob.

What do you think?

jwsmith

Winter is here, with a fair measure of snow and ice to challenge the driving skills. While my 00 Ranger needs careful attention to slick highways (4X4, limited-slip, off-road equipped), the Rendezvous is a marvel in the environment! We've felt the pumping of ABS approaching a few back road intersections, but no slipping when starting from a stop and rock solid feel driving. It is better than we hoped it would be in these conditions.

nextmoon

I don't have pics but the lighting of switches are in blue and easy to read. There are no lights on some switches like the door handles and stalks on the steering columns.

ewalter

Just returned from a 1500 mile trip from SF to Eugene Ore and back via every kind of road and based on miles driven divided by gas filled we got approx 23 mpg on our CX. It was loaded with baggage. Present milage 2500 so it should improve. I bought some cables as they have better clearance than chains in case of snow on road but did not use them. Cost about $45. My wife and I very much like the RDV. Some issues: it is quite bumpy on a rough road surface. Engine is rough running at idle but I assume this is an adjustment only. When first driven cold in D, there is a noticeable clunk when the accelerator is used. It only happens in this situation. We have ISD package that came minus seat memory and leather seat trim. I would have paid the money for the trim but seat memory is not high on priority list. I can recommend McCloud Inn and BB at Mt Shasta, Campbell Inn at Eugene and Abigails Victorian BB in Eureka. Eric

venetta

Good thought fedlawmen on the portable dvd player. I hadn't thought of that. We are actually looking at an entertainment system at costco.com. It is an in dash DVD player with 2 wireless headphones and 5.6" flip down LCD screen for $599.00. I thought that was a pretty good price considering it is an in dash DVD player instead of VHS and it comes with everything you need.

We ordered the roof rails through the dealer for $48.00 per bar ($96.00 total) for anyone who is interested.

Well it's been less than 24 hours and we're already completely in love with the RDV. After looking at and researching SUV's for over a year I would have to say this is a great vehicle for the price! Thanks again for all of your help! This forum is a wonderful information center! Happy New Year to Everyone! :-)

beach15

Just read on the Aztek board that in a recetn news article, Buikc is said to be considering a new option to improve the power of the RDV. What they may do is offer the supercharger for the 3.4 V6 already available at dealers for the Grand Am as an aftermarket option. Any opinions?

amorales

What about the tranny? Will they beef up the trans to handle the power and greater torque?

I will get in line to purchase the Blower if this is not an issue.

buzzbo99

My wife drives a Regal GS. The only misgiving I have about the supercharger is that it requires premium gas.

wlo98

Just wondering where can I get this information about the supercharger for RDV ? I am interested ..

Thanks.

amorales

Wayne, try your local Pontiac dealer. Am going to do same and make inquiries.

Good luck.

Imagine a Buick Gran National Rendezvoux or Pontiac Aztek GTO??

wlo98

The dealer in here doesn't seems to know a lot. I asked them about my RDV is missing the tire inflation monitor feature and they said they don't know. They sell me whatever they have from GM but they don't ask why this option is not available.. They are pretty stupid.

dorene1

We purchased our RDV over one month ago, then found out that upromise.com, a college savings online site, had signed on with GM for rebates. Even though our purchase was dated, and we didn't use our registered credit card at the time, we did receive $300. credit into our college fund with verification of our VIN# and dealership. The representative I talked with thought new upromise subscribers might be able to take advantage of this as well. This made our ownership even sweeter!
Upromise is a great site, for anyone interested in college savings...Happy New Year all!

rob222

I have loved reading this group's forum very much over the last four months and the very positive feedback on the Rendezvous. My question is, is the RDV a closer relative to the Montana AWD or say a 4wd Bravada? Are there any significant differences in the RDV that makes it an SUV rather a AWD hybrid minivan? I have heard lots of great things about the Montana, too.

Not quite ready to buy yet. Just done a lot of internet surfing. Since '84, I've owned a Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee since 1984, but am ready for a little change.
Thanks gang for your input.
Rob from Virginia.

fedlawman

It's definately closer to the Montana since it shares a platform and drivetrain with it.

The RDV does offer significantly tighter body structure and refinement (much smoother and quieter ride), as well as SUVish looks. The Montana, on the other hand, is just as capable in low traction conditions and somewhat more roomy and versatile.

Test drive them and see for yourself...I guarantee you'll fall for the RDV if you drive it!

meanolddad

Greetings all,

I've been lurking here for about a week or so, and was wondering about some things regarding the Rendezvous (or RDV as its affectionately called, I guess).

My spouse and I like to do a lot of research on vehicles before we jump, and since we're about a year out from completing our lease on our Impala, its about time. I'm finding out some information through reviews and such, but there are just some things that can't be determined by a single drive.

1. How reliable are your RDV's? Many problems? Consistent problems? For instance, there are several issues with the Impala that seem to be consistent across many cars, are there problems like that with the RDV?

2. Consumer Reports did a review on the RDV, neither panning nor raving over it, but one thing that was pointed out was mileage. They only got 11 MPG in the city, highway was more along EPA estimates. How is actual your city and highway mileage?

3. I also test-drove an Aztek. Went up a somewhat bumpy road and felt like I was being bounced all over the place. What's the ride like in the Buick? I hate to test-drive one when we are so far out, but just might have to do it.

4. The biggest issues the reviewers seem to have are with the engine and the ground clearance. Now, I also have a Montana, which has the same engine, and it can really get up and go. I'm not sure what the weight difference is between the Montana and the RDV, but do any of you feel that it is underpowered? Any problems heading up hills/mountains?

5. Anyone hauling trailers? I don't have one now, but may someday get a camper, and was wondering if there were any power issues when hauling?

6. Any problems putting in car seats? I've got a 2 and a 4 year old, so will have to contend with car seats/booster seats for quite a while.

Guess thats enough for now. I appreciate any input you folks can provide. At this point, both myself and my wife like the RDV, but we've been burned by 'looks' before, and are considerably smarter now than in our youth.

Thanks,

Bruce

tidester

Welcome to the Town Hall, meanolddad! I am confident those with experience will gladly provide the answers to your questions.

tidester
Host
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raven17

can someone please help me figure out what the dealer invoice price AND MSRP is for (1) base of a RDV CXL and (2) the Luxury Pacakge with 3rd row seat --- edmunds numbers and my dealer numbers are way off ---also, thanks for your many comments -- I am close to buying

meanolddad

Greetings all,

Ok, so now I have some more questions, if you don't mind! My wife and I spent an evening at a car show here in Omaha, looking at replacements for our Chevy Impala (Great car, love it, just too hard to carry stuff with two kids under 5) when the lease comes up, and found that there were two vehicles, the Liberty and the Rendezvous, that would fit the bill.

Since this is our first look at an SUV, I was wondering whether anyone had compared the Rendezvous and the Liberty and what their reactions were to each. Here is what I know so far...

The RDV will carry seven, while the Liberty will only carry 5 (course, if we need to carry more than 5, there is always our Montana...)

The cargo capacity of the RDV is almost 1/2 the cargo capacity of the Liberty.

The Liberty, comparably equipped to the RDV, is several thousand cheaper.

The RDV is not really adept at off-roading, which we don't do today, but might in the future.

The towing capacity of the Liberty is up to 5K, the RDV is 3500.

So, there we have it. Anyone care to share their opinions comparing the two?

Thanks,

Bruce

fedlawman

The Liberty compares with the Mazda Tribute, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.

You're comparing apples and oranges here. I think the scope of your search is still too wide and you shouldn't try to directly compare vehicles that are worlds apart in price, luxury, size, and capabilities.

I think you should decide exactly what your vehicle needs are and then focus on vehicles that meet your needs.

If you like, tell us what your priorities/needs are and maybe we can help steer you in the right direction.

kenym

A friend of mine bought the Jeep Liberty. I think you have it backwards when you said the RDV has 1/2 the cargo capacity of the Liberty. His Liberty is getting about 17 miles per gallon, I am getting about 21 with twice the ride. His will pull out a tree stump and mine wont, but heck how often do you want to pull out a tree stump. It is like fedlawman said you are comparing apples to oranges. Remember the Jeep is a Chrysler product. The resale value of the RDV will be more than the price difference of the Liberty when you sell it. When you start the engine on the Liberty you hear the quality difference right a way. If you are looking for that type of vehicle you should check out the Toyota RAV4

msadams

Is it true that the roof rack only comes with the higher end trims and NOT on the CX AWD? Can anyone confirm this for me? The Buick website shows the roofrack as a no-can-have on the CX.

Thanks.

fedlawman

CX doesn't come with the cross bars but the side rails are installed. I'm certain you can purchase cross bars through any Buick dealer.

raven17

no answer to my earlier message - hope it is not a stupid one but I am still trying to figure out dealer invoice and MSRP for a CXL with LUXURY and TOW package --- also, after reading most of the entries it seem more recently made RDV have the tire sensor and may have had other problems fixed like the tailgate door problem (hard to close) -- is this true?

stever

Try the New Buick Vehicles page, drill down to your model and click on the "Price This Vehicle With Options" button. I found a number with those options ....

Don't know about the tire sensor or tailgate - anyone?

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

venetta

We just purchased a CX last week and bought the cross bars for $48.00 each from the dealer. We haven't received them yet, but from what I hear they are pretty easy to install.

fedlawman

I have found the Edmunds invoice and MSRP quotes to be accurate.