Buick Rendezvous

antony

I am a Jeep owner who is quite interested in the RDV.
However, I can't stand those miserable daytime running
lights. Is there any way to disable them (pull a breaker,
pull a fuse, remove a bulb) etc. ??????????

cfocfo

antony, I agree, it was one of the features of RDV that I was going to have to look past or disable.

Someone on this board, (Iswazdz?) was working on disconnecting his daytime running lights, maybe he had some luck.

jk27

Just out of curiousity, what is so "annoying" or "miserable" about daytime running lights. From a driver's perspective, I do not mind DRL on other vehicles one iota. Care to shed any "light" on the subject? Thanks.

imidazol97

I'd rather have a driver at an intersection see
me coming more quickly because there are lights on the front of my car than have him/her overlook me and pull out in front of me.

I think DRL are an advantage... just the same as motorcyclists are to have headlights on in our state so they don't get overlooked.

nextmoon

fencesitter2 - I'm thinking that the tent over the rear would NOT fit on the Rendevous for numerous reasons. Aztek's rear opening splits in half with upper glass and tailgate on the bottom which RDV does not (it's all one piece). So there won't be an extended tailgate to support say your head and the one piece RDV tailgate extends farther back than the Aztek's. Plus the Aztek has various anchor points to attach the draw cords of the tent to both under the tailgate and inside the cabin which the RDV doesn't have at all. So the tent will not stay on properly and will not keep the wet weather out. That's the two major reasons I can think of right now.

dindak

I was always against them and was very upset when the CDN government mandated them up here. After living with them for 10 years + now, I can honestly say I have changed my mind. No matter the conditions being driven in, another car is always easier to see with DRLs than without. I think I have better avoided cars and perhaps even an accident because of them and I think they should be standard on every car in the U.S. also. GM has taken leadership in this area and I think that's a good thing.

cfocfo

It's just another (bell/whistle) car part that I don't need and don't need to replace when it goes out. Lights on in broad day light ? O-K

The annoying part to me is, there are a gazillion lights, bulbs, sensors on cars today. (I dare someone to count them all, from bumper to bumper). Well as a person who keeps his car past 3 -4 years, it then becomes a pain in the butt to find the special tools and "methods" to avoid breaking the plastic panels, etc as these gazillion lights quit working. I had no problem changing a headlamp or tail light, or dome bulb once in awhile, but this is getting ridiculous. Pep Boys loves it, I hate it. Or how about the ones that go out, but don't seem worth taking in to fix or replace, (ie the bulb on the "seek" button on the radio), no big deal, but annoying.

BUT .... the area that gets worse, are the dash sensors. When the SENSOR malfunctions ON when the underlying operation is still functioning FINE. I paid too much money to have someone tell me my ABS was fine, but you need a new ABS sensor, (it happened 3 times, the third time I just covered the light).

So I apoligize for the rambling of my pet peave, but there's the law of averages on "parts", and if it's going to increase my trips to the service dept under warranty or Pep Boys or annoy me until it's fixed, that part better have a meaningful purpose.

Or put another way, KIS (Keep It Simple).

So ...... what else are you curious about ? I apoligize again.

jk27

As I understand it, the DRL's are simply the high beams on a lower intensity setting. Therefore, DRL is not actually another "bell or whistle" or even an additional part. It's just using the existing high beam bulbs on a lower setting. No more additional parts for you to replace

antony

they are "miserable" because:

1) I don't like high-beams from the vehicle behind
   me reflecting in my rear-view mirror, even if
   they are low-itensity. If the vehicle behind me
   has DRL's, I end up turning my rear-view mirror
   to the "night" setting which reduces my
   visibility to the rear.

2) I'm simply fed up with federal government
    overregulation of EVERYTHING!

   antony

zapcat

I always thought that if you wanted to be seen you could just turn on your 'parking' lights and all four corners are lit up. DRL's are overkill.

imidazol97

Most people don't remember to turn on their parking lights. If they came on automatically, that would be good. Headlights with DRL are automatic as they should be.

Only negative is on most cars, rest of running lights don't come on automatically with them.

Let's get back to Rendevouz discussion?

antony

I'm not going to belabor this topic anymore, but
could someone with a RDZ tell me if there IS a
separate breaker, fuse, etc. that can be easily pulled to disable the DRL's?

antony

dindak

The arguments and misinformation against DRLs are the same sort of arguments I used to use ( more regulation, a gimmick ect.). Fact is, DRLs have been shown to save lives and having lived with them for 10 years+ I have been converted. They add almost no cost to a car price and if they save your butt once, they have paid for them selves 100x over.

For those against them, I understand where you are coming from (I used to feel the same way). If you really hate them, they can be disabled, I know a guy who did it to his Accord.

lswaidz

There really isn't a specific way to just remove a fuse or breaker to get rid of them... There is a fuse labeled "DRL" but when you pull, it doesn't turn them off and most of the time it can lead to a "Service Engine Soon" light coming on, which is a little disconcerting. If you pull the fuse for the brights, you get the same thing. I'm sure there's a way to bypass them, but I haven't put enough effort into it as of yet. I'd rather just drive w/ my fog lights on than my brights at 30% and my fogs, but hey, whatever man. It's better than shorting out the car, right?

~Lance

moosie

I have read many of your posts and have enjoyed each one. I appreciate the integrity of the post. I am writing this post to see if anyone else has been annoyed by the inconsiderate way that Buick deleted the monitor. There was no disclaimer on the window sticker or addendum to it. I simply found out about it when I went to put the zero pressure tires on the vehicle. A monitor is needed to detect the possibility of a flat. I purchased the CXL model because the brochure stated that the monitor was standard equipment with the driver information center. I have not read displeasure with other owner's of the Rendezvous. Just checking to see if I was the only one. I contacted Buick about my concern and was basically told that they were sorry but there was nothing they could do. I asked what the cost of the monitor was and if it was deleted from the sticker and was told they didn't know. Other than the monitor I like my Rendezvous. I am not displeased with the power. I looked up the literature on my 1961 Chevrolet Impala and found that the 283 had 185 horsepower as well. Thanks for reading

bace61

Why are so many people moaning about DRLs? They are a good safety feature as far as visibility of your vehicle. I live in NY, and the insurance companies give a reduction in my insurance premiums for having them!

dminger

First, I would like to say how fantastic Edmunds.com is!! I have learned so much from reading the different discussion boards!! I have a question I'm hoping you guys can help me with. I hope I'm in the right section. I'm getting very close to buying my RDV CXL. I've done a lot of homework and I think it's one of the best values out there. Here's my question. I can't seem to find the exact configuration I want on any dealer's lot. One of the dealers I spoke to today says he can order it for me and that it would cost me $30,500. The MSRP is $32,755. Edmunds says the TMV for this configuration is $29,555. Should I try to get the Edmunds TMV or would that be unreasonable since he's ordering it directly from the factory? Does TMV still hold true in a situation where the car is being ordered? Any thoughts/help on this would be great. Thanks!!

fedlawman

A factory order should be cheaper since the dealer won't have to keep the car on the lot. He gets to pocket all of the holdback, and doesn't have to pay interest and lot fees for weeks and weeks.

Try to get it for a few hundred over invoice.

cfocfo

I'm saving your post in the event my wife buys a RDV. Where did you get such a clear step-by-step fix ?

BTW, I have NO problem disabling the auto-on headlights either ! After 30+ years of training myself to not walk away from a car with it's headlights on, I'd rather just pop them on/off myself. As mentioned before, some of the timer/sensor parts I can do without.

montreid

Agree with Fed. Hold out on a better deal. Mention that you're doing THEM a favor by waiting and taking the car immediately off their hands to prevent inventory.

Have you tried Powerbuy on GMs site to look around nearby dealers? Also, the dealer should be able to do the same and swap the vehicles on the lot. Don't despair!

Oh, BTW, if you guys don't have a GM card, get one. They've been offering a $2003 rebate in addition to the current incentives! ....until 1/31/02 currently, but they may extend that one.

imidazol97

I have done well with taking the invoice cost per edmunds or kbb for the car..., subtracting about 2% of the 3% thatis in the holdback (kickback to dealer below invoice) and then taking off the "real" value of my trade-in (often just at the sale price quoted on kbb as between two people -- maybe half between retail and wholesale, trade-in price). Offered pricing within that range at first. Salesman came down and I came up to $200-400 above that price for ordering a car.

A friend just bought a car by telephone from a Cincinnati dealer. Using internet and suggestions on how to negotiate without face-to-face (consumer usually loses against the professional trader) she had her price. Dealer came within $100 above that price. She said no.
Dealer called back within the week to offer to sell car at that price (no trade-in involved).

This time I traded for a car where dealer had to get car from other dealer. That increased the pricing slightly. But dealer checked screen of cars in front of me for the 100 or so of that model and color within 125 mile range. He negotiated down to a price that evening. He had to call for that car and another for someone who bought the same eveing and he called the next afternoon saying he had the car coming from a dealer trade.

I would have dealer look for a car to do dealer trade. Use GMbuypower.com to look for cars in zip codes of larger city dealers around you for your model. You can put in zipcode 00000 and gmbuypower will give you a box to put in city and state. IF your nearby dealer won't trade and work with you, I'll be the next one will. Try telephone. Most dealers here have lots of RDZ to sell on their lot.

Sorry about length of post.

dminger

Thanks so much for the help! Let me make sure I understand. If the sticker price is $32755 and invoice is $29419, then you're saying to subtract %2 of the holdback from the invoice. Is that %2 of the MSRP, in this case %2 of $32755, which equals to $655.10? Then we're talking $655.10 below invoice? That would equal $29419 - $655.10 = $28763.90. Is that correct? For an order from the factory? I'm not trading in anything...Thanks!!

fuzz6

Has anyone ever checked or knew they had an in- cab air filter?
I just checked mine (it`s in the back of glove box), and it was forgoten at the factory!!!!!
Later
Fuzzman

garyw

Please provide more details on the extra $2003 rebate for GM Card owners. I am not aware of this.

I have $4000 to use plus they sent out a notice for an additional $750 if used by 1/31/03. Where did you hear about the $2003 and how can I confirm this. Is it Buick only?

garyw

Are there any owners w/the front wheel drive and traction control system (not AWD) who can share their experience in adverse weather.

I really would appreciate those who have driven in snow.

Thank you.

montreid

Sorry about the confusion. It's for people who have <2003 credit on the GM Card. GM will increase the balance to equal $2003. This is open to all GM cars (sans Saturn and Saab).

Garyw, in your case, you've already hit the $2003, thus their offer of the additional $750 for being such a dedicated GM card user....$4K pretty good there!

Dminger, you should be able to check mighty close to Invoice without too much trouble. Utilize GMpowerbuy. I did this, got invoice, plus the incentives at that time (leather rebate and 0%).
     Negotiate on the phone/internet prior to meeting them (yeah, you'll usually lose face-to-face do them, they do this everyday!). My local dealer didn't have the car or trade, and I actually travelled 80 miles for it. Signed and setup and out the door in 1 hour flat. No hassles. Love this internet stuff...especially GM makes it easy.

....now only if the home buying process/refi can be so easy

dragontamer

I believe that only auto dual climate controls with the digital display come from the factory with the in cabin filters. If you have the manual hvac system there is provisions for such filters to be installed, but for cost I suppose they don't include them.

After reading your post I decided to check mine, and both filters were totally clogged with all kinds of debris. I'll have to swing by the dealer tommorow and purchase new ones.

Fuzzman, thanks for a reminder as I forgot all about the filters.

So all RDV owners should probably check the filters at each service interval.

Happy motoring.

cigar95

Yesterday I tried to installed the cargo cover on my CX - this is the $25 dealer add-on that is basically a leather cover for the area behind the second row of seats.

Following the directions, it hangs with a lot of slack - the cover sags by about 9 inches in the middle. Not very attractive or useful. The directions show it as being nearly taut. Dealer looked at it and had no idea - said he had never seen this before. There are only two places to attach it - one in front and one in back, so I don't think I missed anything obvious.

And yes, it's definitely a RDV cover. Might there be two sizes? (that doesn't make a lot of sense - the car is only one size.)

Anyone else ever go through this? Thanx.

stever

My factory manual has a blurb at the front of every chapter warning you not to use test equipment or perform "improper maintenance" on any circuit related to the air bag system.

Jeremy's how-to message is very clear, but you wouldn't want to accidentally set off the airbag (or unknowingly disable it) so be careful poking and probing around the wiring harnesses and junctions under the dash. Usually the wires to watch out for are bright yellow.

Steve, Host

imidazol97

I've found the DRLs make cars easier to see at intersections and in parking lots where the car itself may blend into the background as well as on the highway.

If I am in an accident with a car with DRLs and I wondered why I didn't see it, I would have my
attorney arranging for a check on the car that should have had DRLs. If the DRLs were not working as designed my manufacturer, I would be looking for negligence money from the owner as contributing to the cause of the accident, whether it were my fault or theirs. If the DRLs work,
they make the car more visible. If the other driver were at fault, DRLs might have allowed me to avoid or mitigate the damage from the accident; same if I were at fault.

The same tenet holds if a motorcyclist in my state state is not as visible as they should have been because they do not have their headlights on ( state law). I would be of the belief they helped cause their accident with negligence.

fedlawman

It used to be, you could defeat the DRL's by simply pressing the parking brake to the 1st detent...enough to turn off the lights, but not enough to engage the brake.

Over the years, our company has purchased a lot of GM cars and SUV's for us, and that's a trick we used to use to disable the DRL's when we needed to.

Well, someone at GM got wind of what people were doing and they moved the DRL switch from the parking brake to the gear selector.

Don't waste your time...the DRL's do not turn off with the parking brake.

Why worry about it? You'll never look cool driving a RDV anyways...so pimpin' in the hood with your fogs on won't improve matters.

stever

No kidding? That's a bummer. Lots of people used the parking brake trick to join "star parties" or to check in on military bases, etc. so they wouldn't mess up other's night vision.

Guess too many people were driving 24/7 with the parking brake on a notch.

Steve, Host

dragontamer

Your right. Not only do they have a switch on the parking brake, there is one on the steering column as well. My 97 GMC p/up had drls that could be defeated by the parking brake trick. But now they got wise to it.

So now the only way to disable is to just turn on your parking lights.

Happy motoring.

gmginsfo

Speaking of silly electonic defaults, here are the two that get my goat:

1. AC comes on in blend, defog or defrost mode - this is a REAL gas guzzler! Can a toggle be installed ahead of the selector switch to give the driver complete control over when the AC comes on - which won't be very often in my car!

2. Headlights must be on for fog lights to work - HELLO? Is there a physicist in the house? What part about self-defeating don't these guys get?

Lemmeno know if I'm off-base on any of these, but these things are real aggravations for me and I don't want to be saddled with them in whatever car I end up buying.

fedlawman

You're off base with both:

1. By pressing the "vent" button, you can leave the HVAC in manual mode and manually control fan speed, airflow mix, and A/C compressor on or off. These settings remain where you left them until you change them...day after day. And if you have 2-driver memory, it remembers where each driver left the HVAC and switches back and forth depending on who's driving.

2. You can run the fog lights with just the parking lights if you want to.

nextmoon

cigar95 - My cargo cover for my '02 CX is made of cloth material. If your cover is similar to mines, then the length is longer than the width and may explain why yours is drooping in the middle. Mines has 6 attachment hooks - 4 that are off the cargo floor in each corner and then 2 more near the floor closests to the hatch.

john325

As many of you know, we've been without our RDV for nearly a month due to Tranny & transfer case replacement and now, "rack & Pinion steering" replacement. During this period we've used 3 rent-cars that they've provided us. Our most recent rental is a brand new Chevy Astro Van (GM).

As I've been driving it lately, I noticed that the
Remote Key Lock (FOB) operates at about 70 yards away from the car. I mentioned before, at my original link about the tranny going out, that our RDV Key Fob operating distance is about 8 cars or, I'm guessing, 15-20 yards or so. My Bonneville (Also GM) works at a distance equal to or greater than the Chevy Astro.

john325 "Rendezvous Owners: Problems & Solutions" Jan 3, 2003 1:47am"

I don't remember anyone commenting on their FOB operating distances. It seems something should be able to be adjusted in order to attain a "normal" operating distance w/ the RDV remote FOBs.

I'd be interested in hearing what distance others here are getting and if you've considered it to be unusually short range reception. If I didn't have 2 other GM products to compare to (99 Bonneville & 2003 Astro Van), I suppose I would think that 15-20 yards is normal. ymmv

John B

garyw

John - are you going to enact the lemon law on your RDV. A whole month is ridiculous to say the least. My impression is that you are being very calm and rational given the circumstances.

cfocfo

When I looked at the 03 RDV, I tested the FOB having read some comments here about their lack of operating distance. It worked quite a ways away and the salesman mentioned that Buick corrected that "Fob problem". Maybe you can get the corrected Fob ? I know it helps finding the car in a big lot using the long-haul Fob. I know I've walked around holding the remote head high looking for the car with the interior lights on and/or the trunk hood popped open, and if I'm out of town - on desparate occasions, I'm not afraid to use the horn button either.

Distance matters - kind of like a good TV remote with brand new batteries.

cigar95

Thanks, nextmoon, for the input.

My 03 CX has eight attachment loops - four in each corner off the floor, and four in each corner near the floor. The six you mentioned, plus two more.

If I attach the rear two straps on the cover to the upper loops just behind the rear seats and the front two straps ("front" meaning nearest me as I stand in front of the hatch) to the lower loops just inside the hatch, then the cover is angled but taut. This isn't what the instructions picture, but it may be what's intended.

garyw

Just came back from a test drive for a CX. Very nice indeed.

Salesman showed me the invoice and said that new incentives are in.

An additional $1000 for vehicles built within a certain date (probably 120 days old).

$500 Auto show bonus dollars here in Portland, OR

For me that is $4750 GM Card money plus $4500 dollar factory money. Sweet, it is deal time for me.

john325

Gary: Someone brought up the lemon law idea over on the RDV Problems & Solutions Forum. Although we've had some recent hassles & inefficiencies w/ the "service" dept., we don't think we really have a lemon. But thanks for the idea.

cfocfo: Yes, I agree w/ you about finding your car. With a "normal" key fob, you can be a great distance away and have it sound your car's horn. But with our RDV unfortunately, you better be no more than about 8 cars away, or it won't transmit.

Once again, I'd like to hear from some 2002 RDV owners. Are you getting the same lousy transmitting distance that I am? Has anyone heard of GM providing a fix for this? You hate to think you plop down $30k and have a car w/ a keyfob that barely transmits.

I can put up w/ the transmission, transfer case, and now rack & pinion steering problems, because I know they're fixed and/or getting fixed. But after all that, I'm stuck w/ an inferior key Fob. I hope there's some fix for it.

John B.

paulmlac

I have an '03 RDV. I currently have about 3,000 miles on it. The driver info center oil life remaining number is about 75%.

In other words, it says I won't need an oil change until 10,000 - 12,000 miles (unless the number starts going down more rapidly as time goes on).

Does anyone do their oil changes based on this number?!?!

I've historically done the 1st oil change at 3,000 miles and then subsequent ones every 5,000 miles (and will probably do that for the RDV too despite what the driver info center says).

Anyone have any comments?

Thanks!

paulmlac

John -

I've noticed the same thing with my RDV key fob. That is, that it has to be so close to the car to work, that I might as well just use the key to unlock the door. It's gotten far worse in the past month or so as the Midwest weather has gotten colder. I now need to be within approx 8 feet for it to work. My wife's Honda CRV key fob works from a distance at least 5x greater than the RDV. My old Ford Taurus worked from an even greater distance than that.

Any other people having this problem too?

Don't take this the wrong way but I hope I don't have your same bad luck on the tranny! Good luck!

dindak

I think there is now a cap on how much GM Card dollars you can apply to any given vehicle.

jk27

I have a 2002 CXL. I waited on my first oil change until my oil life remaining was close to 0. It was around 6,000 miles. The owner's manual states that this calculation is not based on mileage, but on temperature and rpm. When I changed my oil, I went with full synthetic (Mobil 1) and I'm on track for a second oil change at about 13,000 miles. Hope this helps.

garyw

Not for those on the original program (7+ years). We are grandfathered in. Only the new cards, up to a few years back, are limited to rebates amounts per vehicle.

cfocfo

It almost sounds like you can drive off the lot with a CX for $15k or 16k, taxes included ?

dindak

The Canadian card has been cut back to 3% for everyone and limits are now in place for each car. The program is run by a different bank up here though. I heard on another thread that the limit applied to all cards in the US also, but I guess he was wrong.

Good thing is at least we can use our earning on Saturn Saab and Isuzus also.

nextmoon

cigar95-
This is a 3-dimensional attempt to show what my cargo cover hook arrangments look like. Everywhere you see a "H" is a hook attachment.

H1 ------ H2 -> Top of cargo hold (2nd row seats)
      \      \
       \      \
        \      \
       H3 ------ H4 -> Top of cargo hold (tailgate)
           |      |
       H5 ------ H6 -> Bottom of cargo hold
         You

This is how I'm picturing your cargo cover?:

H1 ------ H2 -> Top of cargo hold (2nd row seats)
      \      \
       \      \
        \      \
         \      \
          \      \
      H3 ------ H4 -> Bottom of cargo hold
         You