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The Honda Pilot is just a bit wider. According to spec the TB is 58 inches but I remember measuring about 54inches on the seat. (58 door to door) The Pilot measured 56.
We opted for a Tahoe. All three fit in the 2nd row fairly easily.
Any other voices on this?
In searching the archives, I found that for some folks, just a "reboot" of the transfer case was needed. So I removed the ATC fuse in the underhood fuse panel for a minute and replaced it. Viola!
4wd and the lights are now active again.
Deano
You asked some time ago, "why go to Baskin Robins for ice cream when you can go to Rite Aid for a similar treat." why? because you KNOW it is better.
I find it hard to imagine what someone can do wrong to cause a brake light socket to burn up, or what I did to cause my wiper motor to short out due to a water leak. I guess I stressed the instrument cluster and made it go blank. Not eating enough bran for breakfast surely caused the myriad recalls we've had to endure. I won't even guess what might cause piston slap and roaring fans, hint, garbage in garbage out.
I agree, taking care of a machine is absolutely necessary for longevity, My TB LTZ was cared for for 3.5 years. A poorly designed but well maintained machine will still fail . The problems it (and many others BTW) had had nothing to do with care, they were all design defects.
Tailgates falling off? (see above)
Say what you will. I have the same exact TB LTZ!!. SAME ONE built by the same company. I replaced the brake light bulb myself. What a job that was, took me almost 5 minutes, phew. Maybe my instrument cluster was built using alien technology that's why it STILL WORKS. All I'm saying is for years I have read and heard of many an ailment people suffer with their vehicles.Yet to this day I haven't experienced one single issue that I couldn't either fix myself (see bulb) or that was caused from simple wear and tear. Now I'd agree that I just might have the one TB that is issue free but, as I have stated, I have owned lots of different cars from different manufactures. If that's just dumb luck I think my neighbor has a Ford Pinto for sale.
I skimmed through a couple of messages but I wanna know if there is a fix to this GM A/C issue. I believe, after checking what I read, its something with the ducting system. Maybe the vents arent opening, I cant even get outside air to flow. IS THERE A QUICK, CHEAP FIX?
Now you answer me, how many assembly lines have you worked on to get such first hand knowledge? :P
Let me see if I understand your logic/point. (a) You have taken good care of your vehicle and have had no problems with it. (b) You see people doing stupid things. Therefore, (c) anyone who discusses their vehicle problems must be doing something stupid?
Aside from the faulty logic (if I understand it correctly) you must realize that an automotive forum tends to attract people who are seeking solutions to problems. Any inference based solely on nonrepresentative or skewed sampling is questionable. And, by the way, a sample of 1 doesn't even qualify as statistics.
Everyone is welcome to participate in these forums including both those seeking information or help with problems and those who just like to discuss automotive issues.
tidester, host
So the problem is the diminishing numbers of vehicles sold, not wages, not health care costs. If G.M. were to start building high quality high mileage cars and if G.M. were to convince people like me that these cars were indeed dependable enough to drive without learning our mechanics first and last names, then they would indeed sell enough cars. It's the "Build a Better Mousetrap" theory. Build a better car and they will flock to buy it.
Why can't they see it?
R.M.
I just bought the following on Ebay last night.
GM Factory Navigation Part # 15204335
Map disk version 2.0 part # 15105609
Antenna GM Part # 15135178
While I'm waiting for this to arrive I was wondering if I will need any other parts to complete this system. I've heard about a few people having sound problems after install. Or is a trip to the dealer for a vin reprogram all I need to do. If worse comes to worse I'm sure I could resell the parts on Ebay.
Consider yourself lucky! That's all I can say. I maintain my vehicles. I don't drive like a maniac. My '97 Explorer had numerous problems, the worst being that it was damaged before it was shipped from the factory, repaired and sold as new!
GM took back my '02 Bravada because of 19 different problem! I suppose I caused them all in the 9 months I had the vehicle. My '03 Envoy has numerous problems too, all caused by me I'm sure.
FWIW, GM annouced they are pushing up the schedule for the next gen Triplets by 6 months. Pushing up, not back. Who want to be first in line?
GAM
You tell us. You're the one that can see the simple economics here. If they didn't have to waste all their money paying overpaid babies ridiculous wages and benefits, they could spend that money improving the quality of their vehicles. They would sell a lot more if they could shed their poor quality reputation. How can you expect them to compete with all these other plants that use non-UAW workers?
I'm not advocating sweat shops, but the UAW is ridiculous. It's like a parasite that is killing its host.
tidester, host
If a manufacturer sells 10 times the number of vehicles with the same defect rate, you will have 10 times the number of unhappy people, and some will post on Edmunds. You can't fairly judge quality and customer satisfaction simply by the number of messages posted without considering the number of vehicles sold.
ficuss 4-19-05
"They would sell a lot more if they could shed their poor quality reputation."
scottc454 4-20-05
DUH
JR
Thanks
No worries - you'll be whining on the Mitsubishi forum soon enough. The under/over in Vegas is 2 weeks. Bwa ha ha ha ha!
Next, the seals with the door and the top of the roof create a wind noise. Buying some weather stripping and placing that under neath the stripping on the SUV helps eliminate the noise.
Next, I am not sure what they are called, but there are plastic inserts you can buy that guy into the top part of your windows. This helps eliminate wind noise as well.
Finally, moving your roof rack bars behind the "B" pillar on the SUV or removing them all together helps reduce wind noise that they make.
I had problems with me door seals, and once I put in the weather stripping, my wind noise reduced greatly. It sounded like a window or door was not closed all the way.
Hope that helps.
That leaves Chevrolet and Ford. I try to buy American when ever I can, but most Japenese cars are now made in the United States. I have owned only one Ford. It drove well, but seemed cheaply put together and I never felt safe driving it. My mother owned a couple Fords and they did a good job for her. Chevrolet however, seems to be the "Lucky" brand for my family. My Dad drove a van and pickup into the ground. Both he and I drove seperate Nova's to near 200,000 miles. We did the same thing with the Caprice we each owned.
I also own a 2000 Prizm, and yes I know it hasd Toyota stuff, but the car has been great to own. My trunk lid broke on it, but besides normal wear, it is one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. My TB has had similar luck. After a year, no problems except wind noise. If I had test driven the truck over 55 mph I would have known the issue before leaving the lot. I still would have bought it. The price was just to good. I hope five years from now I will still be signing GM's praises.
The problem I have with GM is this. Their customer service is very poor. I should not have to wait almost two months to have wind noise issues looked at. I have read other persons writing about similar stuff happening to them trying to get warrantied repairs done. Speaking of warranty, why doesn't GM give you a 5 year 60,000 mile warranty? I see Kia, and Hyundai offering better warranties, and I get intrigued about buying their vehicles. Most vehicles are financed for 5 years, so why not up the warranty? I think this would help GM sales. Finally, quality. Those who are not loyal to the brand, jump ship as soon as they can. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and other companies are stealing away business because they have a reputable quality. GM does not.
If GM cannot find a way to bring a new vehicle to the market without needing two or three years to work out the hiccups, they will continue to lose business. I do not like to buy a new model in it's first year(s) of production. Why? Because the vehicle could be crap. I want to hear what others say. Chevrolet loses a lot of sales by word of mouth. I think the TB is a great vehicle. However, a lot of people that bought the first couple years of it's introduction are complaining here, scarring off business.
I have read a lot about the Honda Pilot and it's shortcomings. Honda has a good rep on quality. I will not buy this SUV, because of what I have read. It is scary to think a lot of people feel the same way I do. A friend of mine had the transmission drop out of the bottom of her 2001 Honda minivan. I would never buy a new one if that happened to me, but she shrugged it off and bought the same model in a 2005. GM owners don't do that. ficuss, you did not do that. Who is to say you just got a lemon, and a new one would have zero problems.
I know people who will never buy a Ford. I know people who will only buy a GM (I am one of them) and I know people that will only buy Japanese brands. GM needs to hit a home run with some model they have coming out. If they don't, GM will become a lot smaller player in the automotive world.
What we are talking about here is ownership experience, good or bad. My experience with Chevy Trailblazers has been bad.
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I have been putting about 2 quarts of oil in per week. It is not dripping. I brought it in again and they said I have poor compression in all 6 cylinders.
The dealer said that GM agreed to pay half the cost of replacing the motor, (V6 4200), and the total cost is $7800, my half is $3900.
Does this seem like a lot of money?
Has anyone else had a similar problem. I did not buy a extended warranty, and the dealer keeps reminding me of this.
Also, does anyone know of a recall or have info that would help me persuade the dealer to help me out more.
Thanks, Alex
You sure it is an '03 and not one of the '02's that had the problems?
I have tried to find the number to the local zone office to get a hold of the area zone rep, but they wont give it to me for "security purposes", and the manager of the dealership will not return any calls either. :mad:
I asked the service manager why the engine replacement cost so much, he told me his cost from GM for the 4200 is $5200, and the rest is labor. He said the front drive shaft runs through the motor, and they have to drop the drive shaft to remove the motor, so there is a lot of labor involved. I don't know enough to know if he's full of it, but it does seem expensive.
Thanks for your reply.
Alex
The front axle goes thru the oil pan, but should not require that much more labor.
You are 100% sure this is a 2003? What was the build date? It will be on the drivers door on a sticker, unless someone removed it.
The front bushings went in no problem, but I ran into a major issue working on the back. I was able to detatch the end link off the passenger side but could not get the nut off the drivers side. I did get it 75% or more off but things froze up toward the end. I soaked it with WD-40 and built a make shift extension for my open end wrench to get some more leverage but still no luck. I put some heat to it and melted out what was either lock tight or a plastic insert that is used to make a lock nut. I ended up spinning the 6mm allen wrench in the end link bolt. Was a new Craftsman wrench but the corners are now showing signs of rounding. Not sure if I destroyed the end link or not but I'll have my local mech deal with it on Monday.
Did think about removing the end link from its other connect point but figured it was pointless as I likely still would not be able to remove the end from the sway bar.
BTW: Once I decided to give up the farm I tried to tighten it back up. Was able to get the A wrench to hold but could not budge the nut. I'm wondering if my heat trick melted and refroze some remaining tighener sealing my fate??? Passenger side went together OK so I have one side tight and the other side floating. I am assuming it is not a safety issue driving it to the shop.
Oh well, I get an "A" for effort and a D- for execution.
If you are wondering why not an "F", I'm taking some credit for the front.
Seems that every time I try to remove fasteners on this truck I can break them loose ok but they just never seem to get easy to spin until they are just about out.
Are they designed this way to prevent becoming loose, or are they treated with locktite when installed? :sick:
After having these on the truck for 2 years and 2 north east winters, I must say I am rather disappointed in how they are NOT holding up.
Lots of finish failures both rust through and chipping. Problem is not isolated to the front where you might expect it, but the rear components as well.
They look so poor that I removed them today and brought them to my local autobody shop for a bead blast and repaint. They are going to be painted in a material that has some texture and is typically used as a chip guard paint on the bottom of cars.
The rear is especially gross on the bar ends where the caps are inserted. I never expected this type performance as WAAG taughts the advantages of their powder coad finish on both interior and exterior surface. Add the that the dozens of coats of Zaino I put on.
I shared feedback with them today just to let them know how their products are doing in th real world.
I did ask them to mail me some replacement tape to reattach the tail guards to the lens
Not sure what exactly that means.
Thanks again, Alex
I would be hesitant to drop $4 large in an engine, just from the stanpoint that the vehicle has so many miles on it. There are other things that may go wrong, and just could be a start of an expensive situation. Might try to trade a couple of places, just to get some numbers for comparison. Perhaps the next owner will buy an extended warranty and get it fixed. Doubt if someone is losing sleep because they traded in the vehicle you now have.
You can almost hear your vehicle rust.
I likely do not help things either by garaging the vehicle. Seems I read somewhere that you are really better off leaving a vehicle outside where it stays colder as that will retard the corrosive factors in play. I'm just too lazy to brush snow and scrape ice at 0530 each day.
I guess I pay in the end
Possibly for used cars but,
Aren't we talking about buying new cars ? What test driving technique do you know of that would have predicted the types of problems the tripletts have had. The only accurate indicator of performance of a new car is ownership. Nothing that happens during a short or long test drive of a new car could predict future component failure.