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is the RDV for 07 going to be a new design? has anyone heard what it will be like?
i like the rdv over the nox. we are going from a 98 olds intrigue(we love this car) to a suv/crossover. we want a comfortable,quiet,reliable ride. wish the rdv had side curtain airbags. any comments?
It seems that the struts are not counter balanced to the weight of the tailgate. The dealer has no solutions. Has anyone had this problem and found a fix?
While I am in this posting I would like to say my RDV Ultra is almost a year old and I have had no problems that the dealer has had to fix.
(I did buy a GM warranty).
I waited until GM allowed me to buy the RDV in one color—but you can get it only on the Ultra. I did not want a two-toned car. I got it in black and it is quite a striking car. I gets lots of complements—they say “is that really a Buick?”
The other big plus is that GM is now putting their new state-of-art V6
in the Ultra. Unfortunately they mated it with the old 4- speed transmission. I feel certain that that a 5-speed would be quieter and get more MPG. I do not feel the muffler was tuned to the new engine. It sounds like the engine is straining when it really is not.
Still on the plus side is the great ride. It has one of the tightest turning radiuses that I have seen in a large car. The fit-and- finish is excellent. The all- leather seats are very comfortable but the second row seats lack enough legroom. A longer seat track would be nice so you can pick either more legroom or more cargo room. On the subject of seats,
when they say power-seats they mean just that . The seat is powered but the seatback is not.
I feel the biggest design problem is the lack of visibility out of the rear. The large second row headrests block most of what you can see in the rear view mirror. Thank goodness for the rear parking assist beeps.
GM under-sized the tires on the RDV by one if not two sizes when compared to all other mid-sized SUVs. Even a few smaller SUVs have larger tires. I have replaced my tires with a larger sedan tires vice the OEM SUV/Light truck tires. The ride is smoother and less noisy.
Just two more things come to mind—the XM radio is a stripped down feature version and the sweet spot to blow the horn is just the size of my thumbnail.
Notwithstanding the above I still like the car very much. I have been a GM person my entire life. Until just recently it appeared to me that GM would build new models from the GM parts locker and just bolt them together rather than do a real design integration. They also appeared to bring a new model out underpowered for the first year.
I am sorry this is so long. Once I started I just kept thinking of just one more thing. Again I do like my RDV, but the little things do start to add up
.
Just saw GM’s CEO Wagoner announcement regarding closing five plants and a force reduction of 30,000 workers. Wow!
Any thoughts before I get it towed in the morning?
Thanks in advance.
1. Electrical wiring to run fuel pump. cost 400 bucks to get it fixed at dealer.
2. anti-lock brake and AWD disable lights come on. Dealer said it was a loose wire. Cost 88 bucks
3. AWD disable light again. Dealer said it was a loose clip. cost 75 bucks
4. Random LOUD clicking noise from drivers side front. Sounds like a fan hitting something or possible a gear grinding. Has been to the dealer 3 times and they can't find a problem. It happens even when the engine is not started, but the key is "on"
5. When on A/C it works well, but when on Heat it bearly blows anything out the vents (not even cold air).
6. Oil Loss. This is very disturbing. after an oil change it can be down 2 quarts. has happened 3 times. Dealer can't find a problem. Dealer says it is not leakeing and they find no signs of burning. Where did it go?
I am ready to ditch the vechical
Any advice?
thanks
Chris
Chris
Sorry to hear of your problems.I'll bet the former owner was having problems too and dumped it.Did you talk to him before your purchase?
More than one 2002 RDV has been a complete lemon including the 2002 CXL AWD that we once owned.We liked the ride and handling but the reliability wasnt there.Ours turned in to a 2004 Toyota Highlander which has done great so far.
My advice is send it down the road as when you get a bad one it seems like theres no end to the problems.
Read all 1286 posts on here and you will see what I'm talking about.The 2003 and up RDV's seem to have less problems.
In many groups the ones who have had few if any problems are very vocal putting down those who do have problems. In other groups the negatives are louder.
Ask your friends who have RDZ if they have had problems at a great level. I have a friend who's had her second one for 2 years now. She hasn't had problems.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Chris
Chris
Question on the engine: the car has the 3.6 vvt engine. I opened the hood and it was missing that nice plastic fuel rail cover shown on the website. The one that says "3.6 VVT" and has the Buick logo on it. Isn't this cover supposed to come with the car?? Just wondering if anyone else had the same experience.
Thanks!
I've seen the posts regarding fuel mileage. Mine (CX FWD) averages 25 mpg combined. Got up to 32 mpg with 5 people in the car on a trip last summer. Should be interesting to see what fuel mileage I get this winter. Bought it used spring 2005. So far other than a very few annoyances it looks and runs great! Now has 70000 + miles on it.
I've replaced 1 frt wheel bearing (35k), and have the worn paint on the radio buttons and broken lumbar knob. Other than these things, it has been a great vehicle. I would keep it longer, but our lease is coming up, and we need a bigger vehicle for our 2nd child. Will probably get a Pontiac SV6 van next.
But that's the only break I've gotten: We bought our RDV new in 2001. The engine threw a valve spring at 200 miles, got it repaired, then threw another one at 500 miles! Demanded and got a new engine. They even offered us a 100,000 mile warranty, for all our troubles! We had already purchased a 100,000 mile total plus warranty, so they refunded that amount. Didn't have any more problems for the next year or so, then had the A/C fail. It wasn't until then that we discovered they only gave us a "basic" warranty (major engine, drivetrain). And wouldn't give us our total coverage back!!!
Fast forward to now... my latest problem is that the car overheats when it's idling. Coolant level is fine. Any advice or suggestions (I bought a new thermostat, but after examining the engine, thought I'd wait for some advice).
One way is to turn on the air conditioning and see if the fans run while idling. Another test is if this does work is to kick the airconditioning on when the temp starts to creep up if the outside temperature is above 45. Taht should start the fans running even if the other relay circuit is not kicking them in. The temperature should stabilize and gradually go back down. Yous hould be able to hear the fans running from inside the car with the driver window down.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
OK, a bit of history so hopefully others can avoid this disastrous scenario. If you don't have the AWD model you can skip this post. Last year I started hearing noises (like a steering noise when you turn a power steering wheel all the way to one side and hold it there - so I reported it as a steering noise) when turning slowly and sharply (like a U-turn). It seemed random so of course whenever I reported it, the dealer couldn't reproduce it so it continued. It finally struck me that it only happened to make that sound when it was raining or EXTREMELY humid, before or after a rain. The next rainy day I brought it in and they heard the noise and figured out it was coming from that module. They changed the oil and the noise went away. It obviously didn't fix the problem, just put a bandaid over it, so to speak, but it was still under warranty at the time.
A couple weeks ago I heard a sound coming from under the car. Not while turning, but a moaning whenever the vehicle was in motion, whether the engine was on or not. The noise increased in pitch with speed but still faint. It sounded like the dreaded wheel bearing noise, so since both front ones had been done I assumed it was the back. That night was the first snowfall of the year and when I hit some snow and the unit engaged, it "crunched" and I knew something major was wrong. It sounded like I was trailing tin cans on a string after that.
Anyhow, the moral of the story is if you hear a noise that sounds like the rear bearings are going, don't assume that. Drive straight to the dealer with this post in mind. Especially if you're out of warranty. If there hadn't been a prior problem, they may have stuck me with the whole disgustingly bull**** bill.
There's no way this unit should ever fail. I am so pissed off. If they don't end up picking up more of this tab (I'm still fighting with them), it could very well be the last GM I ever get into, and with another 40 years of car buying ahead of me, it's their loss. No wonder they're going bankrupt.
Our Rdv got bit by the intake gaskets. It wouldn't start last weekend, and after reading about the BCM problems, I just had it towed to the dealer. Turned out to be a bad cell in the battery ($140 - ouch!). However, they just happened to notice that the intake gaskets are leaking. Estimated charge was $750, so I declined. I have < 3 months left on the lease, so I don't want to pay to fix for the next owner. I feel kind of bad about it, but I can't afford to pay this for someone else's benefit.
I got a call the same day to tell me that the early lease turn-in is back. We're working now to get an AWD Pontiac SV6. I just hope the Rear Drive Module problem has been fixed. I read someone's post that the new 3.5L has no intake problems. I hope so.
Out of curiosity, when you next speak to your brother would you ask him if he knows what GM's cost on that part is. Their list is about 4000 US, but we all know the markups are enormous. I would be very interested in knowing what their real cost is. My guess is about $500. If you can find out, I (as well as other list members I'm sure) would be interested.
Thanks,
Andre
PLEASE HELP!!!!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Good Luck! :lemon:
Ken
DexCool, in my cars, is changed every two years just like other abrasive green type antifreeze is. I treat it just the same. I drain at home, refill with distilled water and ciruclate by warming up, twice, then I fill with appropriate amount of Dexcool.
IF you are losing coolant check the radiator not just the overflow tank. Check the oil on dipstick for milky look with froth. BAD if you find it. Tow to repair shop; do not drive.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I an in Toronto, Canada.
I do not own a Rendezvous, but my sister has. Big issues with this vehicle.
First, manifold gasket systemic problem with GM Pontiacs and Buicks. My 2000 Pontiac Montana had a gasket failure in 2005, caught it early and got dealer to fix and pay - under the goodwill - it sure helped that I printed off pages from these boards. It intimidated the dealer and empowered me.
This same issue happens to the Rend - so DON'T PAY FOR IT.
Second, my sisters 2003 Rend has had the 2 front wheel bearings fail within the last month. This is also a systemic problem - as my sister is very forceful - she did not pay the $500 cost X 2. Yesterday when the 2nd bearing was being replaced - she spoke to 4 of the folks in the waiting room - all Rend owners and all in for wheel bearings. Interesting. She also got them together with her and none of them paid - WOW
I am quite fed up with the crap vehicles made today - I have a 1988, yes 88, Mazda MX6 standard with 320,000 miles on it and not a moments trouble - ever. Just routine maintenance - that is what I expect.
Fight for your entitlement to a reasonable vehicle
NascarQueen24