Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Buick Rendezvous Maintenance and Repair

1…3435373940…50

Comments

  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    I have the same issue. Dealer said it was a part that costs $250 cdn & they would have to remove the gas tank to fix (Labour) total about $600. Ive decided to just leave it & use my trip computer to gauge the amount of fuel used.
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Ive had the same issue. GM told me I was out of luck. Ended up paying a independent body shop $50. this was 2yrs ago & seems to be holding up well. The body shop told me that the engine is running too hot thus the bubbling. said it will continue.
  • lindeezylindeezy Member Posts: 6
    Hey, exhausted, thank you for the info, I started doing that to, but then I did a step better. I sold my RDV ;) .
  • wormburnerwormburner Member Posts: 14
    The following is a message I posted in the Pontiac Aztek forums, which has a forum dedicated to the ongoing problem of Traction Control and ABS lights going off, along with random activation of the ABS system... hope it helps....

    After much research, here and on other forums, I took my Rendezvous back to the dealership and told them to check all the wiring harnesses going from the front wheel hubs to the engine computers. TOLD THEM DONT BOTHER RUNNING A SCAN - just check the harnesses carefully. Got a call a short time later... the casing on one of the harnesses had dried up and cracked, and at least one wire had corroded enough to split. We then argued about whether or not they advised me to replace a wheel hub and sensor for no reason. End result - they covered the labour cost for replacing the harness. It's been 3 days, and so far the problem has not recurred. Fingers crossed. LESSON HERE - DON'T TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT THAT HUBS ARE FAULTY... HAVE THEM CHECK THE WIRING HARNESSES, AND TEST THE BCM. IF THEY REFUSE, OR TELL YOU YOU'RE NUTS, GO TO ANOTHER SHOP. Good luck!
  • razmumrazmum Member Posts: 1
    I read other posts about problems with the ABS acting up. Recently I have felt like ABS was kicking in while braking on dry roads but the ABS light did NOT come on. Of course nothing happened when I took it to the mechanic and they said my brakes still look almost new. Has anyone else had a similar problem, especially without the ABS light coming on? Thanks.
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Front wipers have been moving slowly for some time... Today they stopped about 1/4 way up the windshield & would not move without some help from me. I have already replaced the wiper motor & assembly about a year ago. Any suggestions??? :confuse:
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Update:

    took my '02 in to dealer & it seems the wiper transmission seized. Had to replace again. $596 cad. looks like this has been a prob with aztek as well. Now at 250K & just about everything was replaced under warranty (except tranny)... touch wood. Although Im told the coolant is leaking slowly thru the manifold again. (gasket replaced @ 96k) going to try some "stop leak" product & see what happens. :lemon:
  • alman72alman72 Member Posts: 3
    same problem with traction control. what is the fix? is it the wire harness, corrosion on the harness, the EBCM, or EBTCM? has anyone had this problem resolved?
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Hi, Usually just the harness where it plugs into the hub. If it's the sensor itself you will prob have to change the bearing.

    Good Luck
  • alman72alman72 Member Posts: 3
    please explain in more detail. Is the problem the harness connection at the hub, or the whole harness?
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    With me, it was the connector had fallen and rubbed against the wheel. Need a new connector & abs wire repair approx. $120 cad labour & part.
  • onebriteladyonebritelady Member Posts: 5
    UPDATE: :lemon: My Car was ruled a Lemon and I still can't get GM to do what's right :lemon:

    My car was deemed a lemon by the Better Business Bureau in a hearing against GM in June of 2007. They were ordered to buy back my vehicle as they never notified me of the fix and "supposedly" there has been a fix for this problem since Nov 2006. The arbitrator of the case sighted that this issue could cause "Serious Injury or Death" and even ordered GM to pay my attorney fees. I could not afford to park my vehicle and buy something else to drive while I waited for GM to make things right.

    I notified my dealer of the fuel gauge problem when I bought my vehicle (within 2 weeks). After fighting for a year to get something done with it they now tell me there was a fix for the past 10 months (Nov 2006)!!!! Bull crap! My service rep checked for a new bulletin on this issue at least every 2 weeks and there was not a fix for my car during that time. I seriously believe that they backdated that bulletin to make it appear the fix was available long before it ever was. It wasn't until I hired an attorney that GM decided to respond to my complaints. Other than that they kept losing my records and saying that they had not talked to me previously.

    GM had my Onstar number, my cell number, my home number and my address they could have sent me certified mail to tell me there was a fix to my car.. but they didn't. They continued to put my life, my husbands life and my 3 children's lives in danger every time we used our vehicle. Now, almost 3 months after they were ordered to buy back my car, I still had not received my buy back offer. Then today as I am at the dealership looking for a replacement vehicle, I get a settlement offer thousands off from what I was expecting..to be honest it is a slap in the face and not even half of my payments in the past year.

    When talking with the buy back rep she informed me that she was going to try to talk to her superior because it wasn't right and they deducted parts of my loan that they are not allowed to in my state and she would call me back. She then called me back and stated that(off the record of course) that they were sorry to have to even present me with the settlement offer and that she was in disagreement with her superior and that she felt I should seek further legal action as others were getting far more fair decisions by choosing not to go through the buyback and suing GM.

    My families lives have been endangered every time I take the road unless my tank is full. What if I pulled out to pass a car on the highway and I stall out in oncoming traffic with no where to go? GM has left me drive this car 3 months after it was ruled a lemon and more than a year after I reported the problem, never notifying me there was a fix NOR posting a bulletin to the correct place the service manager at my dealership could have located it to see if there was a fix available. I personally watched her check the computer for updates of a fix on numerous occasions all with the same result, "no fix available, engineers are working on the issue." I wasn't even asking for damages or inconvenience at this point, all I ever wanted was a fix and when that wasn't available I wanted them to buy it back and refund what I have paid.

    GM was supposed to buy it back in 30 days. I think I am going to take her advice and tell the buy back division to close the case and just plain outright sue GM. I am tired of big business walking on the little guy (or girl in this case).

    This car soured me on the Rendezvous.. but GM's blatant neglect or concern for my family in this issue has soured me on the company itself and my brother is GM employed. I had 7 years brand loyalty and a lot of car buying years ahead of me. They just blew that out the window.

    Anyone else feel the same on this or have the same issue with GM not following what's right or ordered? I am not happy about going back to court but with already winning the other issues and it being declared a lemon I feel I am being forced to stand up for my family on this one. Sad thing is... had they come across with the right settlement amount and just refunded what I paid in full, I would have signed for a new Buick Onclave today. I was actually at the dealership when the settlement letter came to their sales manager. Darn it, I liked that Onclave too.. but certainly my dollars won't go there now. I am so disappointed in GM. Looks like I'll be a Ford or foreign car girl from now on. ick BOOOOOO HISSSSSS!! :lemon:
  • spike99spike99 Member Posts: 239
    .

    onebritelady,

    Many thanks for posting your long history with GM and the details with your Rendezvous. I can't comment on what GM didn't or should have done for you, and your "lemon" RDV. I do know that your story isn't alone. I hear "sloppy service" reports from GM many times over. Much more compared to 70s, 80s and 90 models (and GM's attitude of servicing what they sell). It's sad that over seas auto makers (like Honda, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, etc. etc.) are taking MORE the North American market share - every year. Not because they have a better product (that has more gadgets, has better MPGs, is more comfortable, etc. etc.) but because "they" (the over seas folks) focus on customer service. Customer service that is better then their competition. When our 2003 RDV goes and when our 2001 Safari van goes, I too am looking at a non-GM replacement. Currently, I have my eyes set on Kia & Hyundai. One of these companies will build our next vehicle replacement. No more GM for me either....

    Hope this helps - some how....

    .
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Did you go back to the BBB and ask them for help in enforcing the arbitrator's decision?
  • onebriteladyonebritelady Member Posts: 5
    This all happened today.. I will let my attorney take it from here. I am burnt out on the whole situation. :cry:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Ah, everyone will defer to the attorney then. The good part is that the attorney can take some of the load off you. Good luck!
  • onebadputteronebadputter Member Posts: 1
    I have experienced the same issue with the fuel guage in my 2005. We took it in to get fixed under the warranty and they replaced the tank sensor saying that was what they thought it was. It still did not work correctly after that and all we were told was same thing about Buick knowing about the problem and were working on it. Now we are without warranty so it seems like we are going to have to live with it until we can get rid of it. Are there any other avenues we can persue to get this problem fixed?
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Depends... whether the dealership manager will do anything for you. Explain your situation & maybe....you might get somewhere.
    My experience was basically: "SOL!".

    Good luck!
  • gogettagogetta Member Posts: 2
    first the service engine was one and off again so was the check oil after i changed oil . then all of a sudden the engine started to sounded like it just wanted to take off like it was taken speed then if i am at a red light then take off it pushes force with alot of tourque. the brake fluid light is on and its killin my gas like crazy a mechanic said it could be the computer or the sensor it driven me crazy couse i dont know how much it gonna be but if any body can help and give me advice i would need it this buick is so nice but the make of it is horrible it is not reliable at all :mad:
  • spike99spike99 Member Posts: 239
    .

    My wife has a 2003 RDV FWD model and this morning, I took her in for its usual QTRLY engine oil change, max 3 year Rad flush / DexCool anti-freeze replacement and also asked them to investigate a "louder then usual" howling in her front end. Some vibration on the steering wheel at high speeds but the louder then usual howling was becoming a concern. They discoved front left wheel bearing on our 2003 RDV (with only 80K kms / 50K miles) is too worn out. They plan to replace its front left wheel bearing. However, they said the front right wheel bearing is still ok.

    Should I ask them to replace the front right wheel bearing as well (while she's still on the hoist) or see how long its right side wheel bearing lasts? When replacing a front wheel bearing, "should" both be replaced at the same time (for tension balance across entire front end) or does it really matter if one replace now and the other side replace 1+ years later?

    thanks.

    .
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    I don't think I would replace it (right one I mean). From what I have seen here and other places, they just seem to go whenever they want to, meaning just because one is bad it doesn't mean the other is going to go bad soon. Plus the cost of the bearing hub assembly would cause me to not replace until (or if) needed at some time down the road.
  • cruzakcruzak Member Posts: 11
    Just for additional info for those who experienced engine stall. I have '05 RDV, and experienced engine stall several times when I drove slowly (5-10mph) in parking space. Since it is under warranty I always go to GMgoodwrench for checking every time the engine stall. They cannot duplicate the problem and said there is no error codes registered in its own computer. Same problem same result for more than a year until one mechanic from GMgoodwrench did change the key ignition, he said he will just try but no guarantee with result to fix the problem. Its been 7mons now and didn't experienced engine stall even once.
  • spike99spike99 Member Posts: 239
    .

    Thanks for your reply.

    My mechanic replaced one front wheel bearing last night and took for a test drive this morning. He didn't like what he still felt and heard. He did some more checking and discovered the other wheel bearing was within spec but starting to go as well. He recommned it would need to be replaced before this Christmas. With this in mind, we told him to replace the other wheel bearing as well. Thus, done and over with...

    If wondering, this same mechanic worked on our previous vehicle. He inspected its muffler system and stated the muffler system will make it to Christmas and that's it. We told him to leave until then. On Dec 26th afternoon, its muffler let go. Thus, proving he was right. The within spec part would only last until Christmas and that's it.

    When he told us about the other front wheel bearing on our 2003 RDV only lasting until this Christmas, I knew he wasn't BSing me. It was starting to go as well... Thus, both got replaced.

    Thanks for your reply.

    .
  • jpiercejpierce Member Posts: 49
    I hope you did not have to pay for the bearings. GM is doing a good will program on bearings 100,000 km or 5 year on front bearings. Received a letter in the mail from GM. So if you did pay you can get reimbursed through GM. Look into it.

    JP ;)
  • adlermomadlermom Member Posts: 1
    I'm hoping someone can help me.......My control panel where spedomotor and gages are keep turning off and on like a short circuit or something. This happens after about 15 minutes of driving, no necessarily when the car is hot. All the lights/symbols on the panel will flicker off and on and I hear a clicking noise on the passenger side in a little box area. Does that make sense?? When I took my car in it wasn't doing this and they said nothing was wrong with my car??? :confuse:
    If anyone has any suggestions or ideas please let me know. :)
  • bkhollowbkhollow Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone had problems with their 2005 Rendezvous? At 50,000 miles my camshaft and lifters have to be replaced. I have already had the A/C worked on at 38,000 miles.
  • onebriteladyonebritelady Member Posts: 5
    FINALLY... GM was forced to buy back my car and I turned it in at the dealer. I am officially DONE with the Buick Rendezvous. Thanks everyone here for support and advice.... Now I get to delete this tracking and move on! WooHoo!! :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That's good to hear - then your attorney got it wrapped up in about 3 weeks. That's pretty fast (not counting the year or two you had to deal with the whole thing!). Having the BBB decision in your favor must have helped.

    For those arriving late, here's Onebrightlady's summary post about her problems:

    onebritelady, "Buick Rendezvous Maintenance and Repair" #1854, 12 Sep 2007 5:43 pm
  • jpiercejpierce Member Posts: 49
    Hi just wondering if anyone had this problem on a 2002 RDV. My AWD Disable indicator comes on for a second or two then turns off. My buick just had a trany replacement in January 2007 and rear differential fuild change was done 3 months pervious to this (this was all done at 90,000 km) and know I have 112,000 km. I am wondering if an anti-lock brake sensor is corroded a little. Any thoughts would be great.

    Thanks

    James
    Another dis-satified Buick owner. :cry:
  • jpiercejpierce Member Posts: 49
    Just a side bar this was huge problem on 2002 buick RDV. The fuel was corroding the sending unit and resulted in court case between GM and Petro-Canada. Eventually there was a fix for this by GM (total swap out with new sending unit free of charge) and Petro Can provide GM owners with a 100 buck gift card.

    I am very surprised that GM was still having this problem in the later model years

    JP ;)
  • intrepidcubintrepidcub Member Posts: 60
    another sore spot that causes the fuel gage porblem is there is a connector that goes through the floor board on the driver side rear passenger area. i think its connector C305 it carries the speed sensor, and fuel guage wires from outside to the inside. and these are common for corrosion. its on my aztek fan club website this guy disected it and replaced wires pugged it back in and cured his fuel gauge level problem.its a pice that attaches to the car and i think a harness junction which has harnesses that plug into it from the outside and the inside .
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    In general I would think a bad sensor would be more consistant with the light staying on. I think I would check tire pressures first, then be thinking about possible loose/corroded connection to wheel sensor (as opposed to sensor itself)
  • jpiercejpierce Member Posts: 49
    Thanks Ray - I pumped the tires up the first I say the indicator. This did not help. However, I did notice one thing upon start-up the engine lagged (battery power low). And the indicator only came on when this engine lag took place. I am thinking it may have something to do with that. The car has been sitting for a bit and the battery is getting old (6 years) and the static vottage is 12.5 did not have anyone around to help me see what it is under load, but I do know a good static battery reads 13 volts or a little higher. After taking the car for a run the indicator never came on and the car never lagged at start-up (battery charged up from running). I will keep the corroded leads under consideration though since this appears to be problem when a car starts getting on in years. I will taking the car in soon for service so I will have the mechanic have a look at the leads. :D

    Thanks

    JP
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Hhmm well it may have something to do with battery charge also. The electronics can be pretty sensitive to voltage problems (can cause other troubles also).
  • moveemovee Member Posts: 1
    2 Days ago on my way into work I noticed my AWD Diabled Indicator light came on, not sure what the heck it meant I asked my husband & he took it to the dealership we purchased it from the next day. The dealership told us something about a valve leaking or sticking effecting the rear differential something & it is costing me $600 to get fixed! They told me that I shouldn't be driving it until it's fixed or I'll make the problem worse, but really can't afford to have it fixed at this time. I have been searching the web for any kind of advice/help & found your message on this & couldn't help but to ask - did you get your problem corrected? Did it cost you that much to fix? Do you have any suggestions for me before I turn it loose to the dealership to fix? Thank you!
  • dounojcdounojc Member Posts: 3
    Is there any printed procedure on changing the rear 3 spark plugs that can be emailed or linked to? Or, can somebody explain the procedure if they have done it on an '04 RDV CXL.
    Could Buick have made it any more difficult to get to them??

    Thanks
    Joe
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    Sorry, I dont have intsructions. This is the whole reason a simple tune up @ GM is $450. Apparently you have to remove all the items above the plugs to get to them.

    Good Luck!
  • mcclearybmcclearyb Member Posts: 1
    I just replaced the spark plugs on my '03 RDV CXL. The trick is to remove the plugs from underneath the vehicle. Before you start, make sure the engine is cold. If the engine is hot/warm, you will burn your arm and could damage the spark plug threads.

    Jack the vehicle up, crawl underneath and access the rear plugs by sticking your hand up next to exhaust pipe. Since your hand will be in the vicinity of the oxygen sensor, be careful not to damage the oxygen sensor wires. Next, twist the spark plug boot to loosen it before removal. I used spark plug boot pliers (OEM #25542) I picked up at AutoZone to remove the boots. Try to clean the spark plug recess area as best you can with compressed air before removing the plug. Then, use a flex-head ratchet with a long handle to remove the old plug. I used a Craftsman #42794 fine-tooth ratchet with a 5/8" spark plug socket on a 3-inch extension. When installing the new plug, hand tighten the plug with the socket and extension first before tightening 1/16" turn with the ratchet. Be careful when tightening the plug since the cylinder heads are aluminum. The service manual says to tighten the plugs 15 N-m (11 ft-lb), but good luck getting a torque wrench in there.

    Note that the service manual has you take the top engine struts off and rotate the engine forward to access the rear plugs. I tried this, but still could not access the rear plugs from the top.
  • grammy1grammy1 Member Posts: 6
    Our car is at dealer and mechanic can't understand what is causing our mirrors to move while the car's motor is turned off. First the passenger mirror began acting up, moving back and forth and making a noise until someone noticed it and came into a restaurant to tell us about it and then three weeks later the driver side mirror did the same thing. We are concerned that we may park it at night and have a dead battery the next morning. When we started the car both times the mirror "settled down". Also, from time to time the gas gauge goes a little crazy but eventually quits and is okay. The mechanic says if we can find any info on the mirrors it would help as they have never had the problem before with the rendezvousand of course, they can't get the mirrors to do anything. Any suggestions? They will have the car until Fri. evening.
  • jablonsajablonsa Member Posts: 13
    Sounds like your in need of an exorcism. Other than that i dont have a clue.
  • hammeringhammering Member Posts: 3
    When I try to start the car, it makes a strange noise and the gauges and messages flash and click on and off. Sometimes the car starts, and sometimes it acts like a bad battery. I replaced the battery and it still does it. The clock on the radio occasionally resets to 12:00 after turning the key back on. A few days ago, it stalled in traffic with the overheating message coming on. The temp gauge went way up to hot then back down to normal within seconds. Any ideas or similarities? It's a 2003. Also have ABS and AWD lights on when I hit bumps.
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Sounds like battery cable connection problem, either corroded or broken. If it turns over slowly I would tend to suspect connection at battery. If it turns over ok but has trouble starting, I would look at connection to underhood fuse box (loose or corroded). For the ABS and AWD warning lights, I would try to correct the other electrical problem first to see if they go away then if they don't I would be looking at connections to wheel sensors for loose/ corroded/ or broken wires. If you were to get it scanned for those light, it will most likely point to sensor problem and first suggestion would be to replace hub assembly, but I would really be taking a close look at wiring first.
  • hammeringhammering Member Posts: 3
    It wouldn't be the body control module like everyone else is talking about?
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Well it could be, but from what you are describing it doesn't sound like it to me. For one thing the BCM doesn't have any direct connection to starting vehicle.

    Oh, and for the overheating trouble the fact that it did stall would make me think it was really hot (not false indicaters), perhaps the thermostat got stuck closed for a bit.
  • whattheheckwhattheheck Member Posts: 1
    I also have an 05 RDV I have the same problem with mine stalling or completely dying when coming to a slow speed or making a slow turn .I've taken my to the dealer 3 or 4 times thay cant find any codes or have no Idea what is wrong with it. I loose all power it just dies on me that is a very bad safety hazard because I had a semi behind me at one time when I was turning it was all i could do to try and steer it out of the way,thank goodness it was a slope that i had turned onto,and no one got hurt it was early morning traffic.The dealer does not think that mine is the ignition they have no idea.I told them that if I have a wreck because of this the blame would be put on their shoulders.Mind dosent do it every day it just happens out of the blue with no warning.Im scared to death everytime i get into : it ive had mine for 1 1/2 yrs. now.needless to say i want to trade it in but i dont want the next person to have this problem, I would like to know if anyone else is having this problem
  • cruzakcruzak Member Posts: 11
    I want to try tire rotation myself but Im not sure where to place my jack stand, front and back. Can anyone share illustrations on the proper place. Thank you
  • kristerskristers Member Posts: 2
    I recently purchased a 2002 Buick Rendezvous CX AWD. Now that it is getting colder, it has started making a small thumping noise (seemingly from the front passenger side). It happened once when I started it (I think) and a few times when I put it into gear.

    I'm not too familiar with AWD vehicles, so my question is... is this the sound an AWD makes as it locks the hubs (does it lock the hubs)? Or, is this something worse?

    Thanks!
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    The VERSATRAK system shouldn't make any noise at all and ONLY gets engaged when moving and system detects slippage on one or both front wheels. You only hear the noise when at standstill?
  • kristerskristers Member Posts: 2
    I'm going to have to pay more attention again. I think it has only been at a standstill. Also, it doesn't happen every time. I'll add to this ASAP.
  • exhaustedexhausted Member Posts: 21
    I have 02 CXL 267K. Just about everything replaced. The only noise I get when I start is the compressor for the inflation pump in the rear compartment. Thumping when switching into gear sounds tranny related.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles