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Buick Rendezvous Accessories and Modifications
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Some have the front door glass tinted, some have the window vent guards, some stereo upgrades, etc. BTW, Yesterday evening I bought a Sears 20V hard shell luggage carrier. It looks great since it is aero and is v-dark gray like my lower accent color. Only $154 on sale, installation kit included and it holds a lot of luggage. http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/search_results.pl?make=Buic- k&model=Rendezvous
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=6144&item=2428555434
The pictures will be there for a few days only.
Regards,
Taras
I always wondered how the RDV would look with a solid paint job instead of the plastice lower trim on the sides. Those e-bay pix pretty much showed me.
I installed one of them today and I really like the way it looks. They Make the car look much more substantial and right. I will install the other one tomorrow. These are Aerotec brand with the built in mud flap ends. The only modifying needed it to round off the pointy corner ends of the lower side plastic. I will try to get pics some day but believe you me they look right. I also recently bought a dash pad in charcoal color which looks good but has a sparkely shine to it which is distracting in bright sunshine.
And only $30 shipping / I paid $90 shipping.
Doesn't have mounting hdwr but mine just had 2 adjustable Z shaped brackets which could very easily be fabricated.
BTW. Doesn't anyone like my running board pics ?
I am REALLY liking the looks of our Vous since these few mods. Feedback requested.
How much did it cost you to get the running boards painted? Those ebay ones are Rendezvous specific. Are they better than your retrofitted Montana ones? Your RDV looks awesome!
Any thoughts on this? Does anyone know of any possible modifications or upgrades to improve the handling?
Stated above is the installation issues which are very few. The visable difference between the 2 is mine have end flares which mount to the fender which looks slightly better in my opinion but both styles look real decent.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Andre
thx
where'd U found such wonderful junk yard?
thx
Hope that helps!
Wish we had a dedicated forum on the net for the Rendezvous...
I have a heavy foot and have no complaints about power.
I wonder How long did it take you to change bulbs and what is a good price to pay for those Sylvanias? Know good source for them?
thank you
I wonder what is available out there: wider tires, arms, shocks etc?...
I got the Kleenwheels dust shields from autobarn.com, although they may be cheaper at bestdarnparts.com. However, for my Tek I've found that just replacing the OEM front pads with a set of Wagner Thermoquiets killed ALL the squeeling AND they barely dust at all...
I got the Sylvania Silverstars from Advance Auto Parts -most auto parts stores carry them. I paid $30 for a set of two after the $10 mail in rebate. I got the rebate form from the store, but don't know if they are still doing that. I believe the price has come down though since I bought them.
The rear wheelwheel plugs I got off of ebaymotors.com. Search "Rendezvous" or "Aztek" and they will pop up. They were like $7 shipped, but I think the guy that sells them raised his price a dollar or two.
Hope that helps!
Tires were also much wider than stock and because of the decrease offset, fit no problem and no rubbing. Looked a heck of alot better too!
Handling was GREATLY improved. Steering feel was also noticably increased as well. Road noise was also DOWN vs the original Firestone Affinity's. Ride was a little more taught, but by no means harsh or jittery.
I paid around $950 shipped to my door for both wheels AND tires. The tires were on special at tirerack.com and I ordered the wheels (polished version) from americaneaglewheels.com. If you decide to order the wheels, be sure to order the 5x115mm bolt pattern version to match the OEM lug pattern.
I don't know of any aftermarket suspension mods to improve handling. I was thinkin that the AWD vs FWD stabilizer bars might be different. If the AWD STBs are larger/thicker a FWD owner could order them and install the bigger bars to improve handling.
I've heard rumors that Rancho is going to come out with beefier rear shocks some time next year.
Heh, now that I'm thinking more about it, the "Rally" package Aztek has a lowered front suspension, (ie shorter front springs). I'd be willing to bet money that they will fit the RDV. You would just have to crosscheck part numbers to be sure.
Hope that helps!
Thanks.
The problem is that the hitch design does not allow enough clearance for when the exhaust system vibrates while hitting bumps etc allowing the exhaust pipe to contact the trailer hitch.
One solution is to get an 8" metal hose clamp and tighten it down around the rubber exhaust hangar furthest back on the exhaust system.
The other is to buy a different hitch. No problems with the exhaust hitting my Putnam hitch and that includes bouncing around offroad.
In every case, I managed to get rid of the rattle by adjusting the
hanger pins that attach the suspension rubbers.
Not just the back one, but the one just ahead of the muffler and the
pair of opposing hangers that are about midships on the vehicle around
the rear transaxle area.
All these pins need to have their shape adjusted to allow the exhaust to
be centered in the muffler loop. If just the back one is adjusted, the
exhaust is straining at the other rubbers and will move easily and cause
the rattle. So far I have had good luck modifying the pin shape. I have
had only one lady return not satisfied, but I fixed it by adjusting a
little more.
We do have a Drawtite branded product, but it will be neccessary to
remove the rear bumper fascia and inner impact bar to get access to the
hitch mounting points on the vehicle. Not the easiest install, there are
LOTS of fasteners that have to be removed and then replaced.
Its design though does let the exhaust move around a lot more than ours
without contacting the hitch because the crosstube is formed to pass
over the top of the exhaust.
Some hitches (including Putnam) are suspect in that they attach to an
area of the vehicle which is designated an impact crumple zone. The
metal that they mount to is designed to bend and compress in an impact.
If the hitch is overloaded, it will bend the frame. Customers usualy
notice this when they start to see a gap between the bumper and body
panels, but by then, too late. 87003 is mounted right to a structural
area where the rear sub-frame mounts. Without doubt, it is the most
durable in the industry.
Are you a vendor for trailer hitches?
I've had my Putnam hitch loaded to near max capacity (3400 lbs) and driven across hundreds of miles of rough Texas highways with absolutely no signs of structural damage... The 4 main bolts of the Putnam hitch mount to the "structural" area just aft of where the rear subframe mounts, just like the Drawtite/Hidden hitches. The main difference is that the other bolts do not mount behind the 8 bolt impact absorber. You have to drill holes for the 2 other bolts below that area to secure the Putnam hitch. I like the way the Hidden/Drawtite hitches mount better than the way the Putnam does. But is it worth nearly double the price of the Putnam? In my opinion, no. Also, the RDV has no "frame", it is of unibody construction.
If you overload any hitch, particularly one attached to a carlike unibody, you are asking for trouble.
http://www.geocities.com/prismark/installing_hitch.html
Thanks in advance. Nidge
JUST NOT SURE IF I HAVE AN EXPERTISE AND FACILITIES TO remove the rear bumper. Can I ask somebody else do it for me? othervise , great sourse info.
Which size is better, anybody?
Is the hitch heavy? Does it address the problem Re impact crumple zones mentioned by cmccull message #150.
thx
thx.
In addition, the "projector" for the HUD is located almost directly behind the speedometer. So, I am guessing the dashboard itself is also completely different. Plus, there's got to be lots of wiring as the HUD displays: speed, radio station, CD track, turn signals, bright beams, and "Check Gages".
Good luck!
P.S. I rarely use the speedometer on the dashboard -- I typically only use the HUD now for speed.