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http://mediawurks.com/images/issues/cnt_mo/TLcme.html
How did you get yours fixed?? what was the cost.
thanks,
RG :mad:
Regards,
Taras
I have posted my situation with a 2002 RDV CX. I'm going to post the details here and I would love to know if anyone has any thoughts. My RDV has 29,500 miles on it and I will have had it for 3 years in Sept of '05. Prior to 3/15/05 the car had stalled while moving once and wouldn't start on 3 occasions. After waiting about an hour the car would start as if nothing were wrong.
3/15/05 While driving the car the service engine light comes on then a temp light then the car stalled. The car wouldn't start. I had it towed to the dealership.
3/17/05 I called dealership to see if my car was ready. Service department stated that the car was out being test driven and that they had replaced something having to do with the coolant. They said they would call as soon as the car was back. They didn't call so I called them and was told that while the car was out it stalled and wouldn't start. It was close to closing time so the arranged for me to have a rental car.
3/23/05 The service department says that they can't "recreate" the problem and they have driven the car everyday and put 100 miles on it. No "codes" come up and they don't know why the car stalled and wouldn't start but it has been running and I should come get it. I speak to the service manager to tell him that I don't feel the car is safe and since they didn't do anything to correct the problem I don't think it is fixed. Service manager gets very aggressive, raises his voice and uses swear words, tells me I have to return the rental, "we're not paying for another day" and to "come get your car". I ask for the name of the mechanic who was driving my car when it stalled. I am told I cannot have his name and I cannot speak to him. I contacted a friend who has experience dealing with cars and we called Buick Customer Service and told them the situation. I was told that they needed to do some research and talk to the service manager and would call me back on 3/29/05 between 12-2.
3/24/05 First thing in the morning I return the rental (I didn't have a ride the previous night and arranged with the rental company to return it that morning). I do not pick up my car. I receive a call from an assistant service manager who wants to know if I'm coming to pick up the car. I tell him no. He tells me that they have called various different technical service people to try to figure out what was wrong with my car and have done all that they can do. I ask him if he would feel comfortable driving the car or with a member of his family driving the car and he admits that he wouldn't want his wife and kids driving the car.
3/24/05 I begin doing my own research and find 10 other cars exactly like mine have been reported to NHTSA and that most of them were never able to determine why the car was stalling or not starting.
3/29/05 The Buick Customer Service agent does not call me like she said between 12-2 and I call them at 3. They can't seem to find the woman I originally spoke to but someone else talks to me and says that she always calls her customers back and she will take over my case but she needs to speak with the dealership and gather some information. She gives me a 2 hour window that she will call me on 3/30/05.
3/30/05 Buick Customer Service Agent calls me to say that the Service Manager at the dealership is working on a solution a "goodwill trade assist" and he will be calling me the same day to discuss it.
He calls and I arrange to go to the dealership to go over details with a salesperson.
I bring my friend who has experience with this sort of thing and we go to talk to the salesperson. The deal called for me to have to take another RDV ('05) off their lot (there was only one that had AWD and parking assist which my car had and are things I didn't want to lose) I would have to pay the difference between my car and the '05 (which has lots of things on it that I didn't want or need) and $.30 a mile for the miles on my car. Plus I would lose the 0% financing that I had on my car even though it was being offered on the '05 and I qualify for it.
We are at the dealership for 3 hours. Working with the sales rep and calling the customer service number because the sales rep says that he's just going by what the customer service people say he can offer. When we get Customer Service on the phone they say that the dealer is the one setting the limits. I don't feel like it is a fair deal and feel that $.30 a mile is too much. I'm very unhappy that the 0% financing is off the table. Much bickering back and forth with sales rep. At time the "goodwill trade assist" is referred to as a "buy back". We ask to speak to the owner, who the sales rep is going off to speak to every 15 minutes or so. The owner comes out and makes it clear that he doesn't want to deal with this. He is condescending and when we say we just want to know who is setting the prices and limits so we can speak the them directly he tells us that when we speak to Buick Customer Service we aren't even speaking to anyone at GM and they can't do anything for us. We want to know who can do something for us and he says it is the zone manager but we can't have his phone number or contact info. He also tries to talk me into a "smart buy" which after we go over everything seem like the stupidest thing in the world to me but he says it would take dealing with GM out of the picture and I would just be dealing with him. I say no way to the "smart buy" and that I would like him to give my info to the zone manager. I'm told that the zone manager is very busy and doesn't have time to call me but he will give my info to him.
I leave feeling like nothing has been accomplished.
3/31/05 The dealership owner calls me to say that they will go to $.25 a mile but no 0% financing and I should go find my own financing.
4/1/05 I spend that day boiling mad at the whole situation. I call Buick Customer Service and tell them what has gone on and ask if they are actually in a position to do anything for me or not as the dealer claims. I'm told they are going to contact the zone manager and call me back, again I'm given a 2 hour window to expect their call on 4/4/05.
4/2/05 I go out and find a loan at a rate I can almost afford. I'm prepared to throw in the towel. Not having a car is taking a toll on me, my job, my boss, my husband and my husband's boss. I'm not completely giving up but I've got to get things moving to where I have a car.
I call the sales rep to say I've got a loan and can he fax over the info to them. He says he will but "You do realize you can't take the new car today?" No, I did not realize I couldn't take the car that day. Fine I say what about Monday. Nope, there's "all sorts of paper work that has to be done before you can take the car."
4/4/05 I call sales rep to find out how long paper work will take. I am told they have to mail things to Detroit and then Detroit
4/4/05 I call sales rep to find out how long paper work will take. I am told they have to mail things to Detroit and then Detroit mails them back and then I have to sign them and then they are mailed back to Detroit. This seems insane considering all the technology available I tell him. I ask can’t these papers be faxed? He doesn’t know if they can be processed that way. Now I feel like they are just playing games.
4/5/05 The Customer Service department calls me to tell me that the person who was supposed to call me isn’t in the office that day but she will call me on 4/6/05.
4/6/05 “My” Customer Service Agent calls to say she just left a message with the zone manager but hasn’t heard from him. I tell her I thought she was calling him back on 4///. She can’t really give a reason why she didn’t call him then. She says she will call me that evening whether she has heard from the zone manager or not. She never calls.
4/8/05 I call the dealership to see where we are with the paper work. They don’t feel like there’s any concern and not that much time has passed. I tell them I have been quite a while without a car and I want to know how things can be moved along faster. I’m told there’s nothing that can be done to make things go any faster.
4/11/05 I’m called by the GM Business Resource Center and Customer Assistance department. I’m informed that I’m speaking to the person who will be handling my paper work. I ask how long this process is going to take. She tells me that from the time they receive my paper work back from me signed by me it will take 7 days. She just needs some info from me and then she will call the dealership and get some info from them. Then she will FAX me papers to sign and I can FAX them back to her and then the 7 days will start. I tell her I’ve really been in a bind with out a car and by the time this all goes on I will have been with out a car for over a month. She says “No, just a week” I say no this all started back in the middle of March. She says “Oh, I don’t know anything about that I just got your case today.” Fine I’m so fed up with all of this. I ask can the papers be faxed to me today so we can get this moving. She says she will fax them as soon as she has the info from the dealership. I do not receive the papers on 4/11/05.
4/12/05 I call “my paper work person” to find out why I didn’t get the papers. She says she is still waiting for info from the dealership.
I call back in the afternoon and she still doesn’t have the info from the dealership.
So here I sit. No car, no paper work frustrated beyond words.
Mileage for city driving (commute) is about 20 mpg, which is better than I expected. I have the AWD VersaTrack model.
Now have 40,000 miles on my Rendezvous ... still going strong.
I am shocked by how unprofessionally this situation has been handled.
is offering $6000. off 2005's I thought I would trade for a new one, but after reading
of all the problems I would like to hear from any 2005 RDV owners if there is still as many problems before going to the dealer.
My advice to anyone having problems with any car is DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Every phone call, every visit to the service department, note how you were treated, how many times the car was in for the same problem. GET NAMES, of the service manager, mechanics, anyone you talk to. Don't wait to contact the customer service department. Time is your enemy if you want to pursue a lemon law case.
Don't back down and don't accept any offer until you've had time to completely check it out. They (the dealership, the car manufacturer) are counting on people to give in, get fed up, give up. DON'T DO IT. Be persistent, stick with it, and get what's fair for you.
It sure doesnt sound like your local Buick dealer really cares much about their customers after what you went thru.Any service manager that swears at a customer should be fired.My local Buick dealer would probably be just about like yours to deal with on a buy back.Its easy to see why sales are way down and that GM is in serious financial trouble.We reluctantly left GM and Buick a year ago after being loyal customers for nearly 30 years.
It sounds like cyndy1 that posted right above you is having the same problems you had with an 04 RDV.Good luck with your new 05 RDV.So far I havent heard much bad about the 05 RDV's but they havent been out very long yet.My local Buick dealer hasnt even gotten in a new 05 RDV yet so there are none around here.Several of the 02-03 RDV's he sold are having lots of problems so guess he kind of gave up on them.One was recently traded in to our local Ford dealer.
As you said document everything from day one when you are having problems and promptly get ahold of Buick customer service.You have to have your ducks in a row to get a dealer buy back.
BUT gas milage consistently 9-9.7mi/gallon! Went to the local Beltway Buick -told me nothing wrong with it, just reset your Computer/DIC(!).
I did that many times which is meaningless, and calculated economy again and again. Same numbers..
Any suggestions? I'm going to another dealer soon(but not soon enough)
I think if Buick cannot guaranty their window sticker numbers (18/24mi/g) they should fork up the difference with current gas prices.
In my estimate they owe me ~$620 so far and of course same in the future, unless they fix the gas consumption.
Anybody who knows anything about it, pls reply.
thx
ps. Never ever use Beltway Buick in Brooklyn, NY what a bunch of unprofessional crap!
Also, if you have the CXL with auto climate control, you might try turning off your AC (which is normally on all the time, unless the temp dips below 40 degrees).
I have a 2002 CXL and on this particular tank of gas my Rendezvous is getting 19.4 mpg (and that's for a 13 mile commute into the city, including bad traffic). You should definitely be getting higher mileage than your DIC is reporting. :shades:
JP
JP :lemon:
http://www.gmtechlink.com/images/issues/feb05/TLFeb05e.html
Outside of this issue, I really like the vehicle.
:mad:
If you truly are freaked out about driving the car, then sell it -- or trade it. However, all cars have gas tanks on the bottom of the vehicle -- and can be punctured.
We have a 2002 Rendezvous CX and, up until a month ago, this vehicle lived its whole life outdoors in Central Florida (so sun is definitely a factor, I'm sure). The amber colored plastic lenses that cover the upper, turn signal portion of the whole light cluster are quite weathered. They almost looked like they've "dried out." I almost want to say it's cracking, except for I can't seen anything that would indicate it has gone all the way through the plastic...so whatever "cracking" it might be, it appears to be superficial. But, in any case, it looks pretty cloudy now. And I'm sure it's in part due to the fact that these particular covers, due to the fact that they lie in a plane with the hood, pretty much face up and into the sun and the weather.
I have no expectation that this situation is reversable...the plastic seems quite permanently altered. I'm just wondering if the best strategy here is to go find a pair of these lenses at an auto salvage yard....because I'm sure that new ones are a small fortune. Has anyone had this problem and, if so, what did you do to rectify it?
By the way, I've noticed on some newer RDVs that these lenses are clear, not amber. Was that a change in later model years? Or is it tied to a particular level of trim?
I told him I wasn't Goodwrench trained but even I could see what the actual problem was. He told me he didn't manufacture them and his responsibility ended at 39, 000 miles. Needless to say, I will not patronize that dealership again.
Before I could pick up the '05 I had to get the paperwork from where I was getting the loan (I'm still pissed at having to roll what was left on my '02 at 0% into a loan where I have to pay interest). The dealership had changed the tax amount by $600 but that wasn't the worst of it. They sent 2 faxes where they had the value of the car different by $4,00.00. I spent over an hour at the loan office trying to get everything straightened out.
As for the '05, I'm not impressed. The sleek dash, silver with the blue backlighting is gone and replaced with your standard black with white numbers. The dual temp controls are flimsy (the temp controls in my husbands chevy truck are nicer). There's only one adapter outlet up front where the '02 had 2. I have half an electric seat which makes no sense to me. The fabric seems to have been downgraded. I never would have chosen this car. I had to take the only car on the dealers lot that had AWD and rear parking assist which were 2 things I didn't want to give up. I will never do business with that deal again and I'm starting to think GM will have folded by the time I go to buy a new car.
Carol
I have a '02 RDV and get excellent gas mileage compared to yours of course. I average between 22-24 mpg. I only have a front-wheel drive however, not the four-wheel drive. I've had problems with two front wheel bearings going bad at a horrible expense but I've been very happy with the gas mileage. Hope yours improves.
Carol
I took it to one place and spent the $75.00 diagnostic and basically they said it had to be replaced will be $500.00 or more
What happened in your case, are they going to recall, i love the car but all these electrical problems are bothersome Can we pull together to get something done
Kerry
Cost $550.00 to repair, and oh yea! had 38,000 miles on her, Buick how did they respond, They said they could not help because it was over warranty, then I saw all the 961 postings on bad BCM. Wrong move GM. Now the air conditioner is out. !!!!
Contact the Better Business Bureau in the city your dealership is in and in Detroit. Be prepared for a ton of paperwork. Also it won't happen overnight. You're looking at months.
I'm in no way trying to talk you out of it. I would love for every unhappy customer to fight and win. Maybe then GM will look at how they treat customers as a direct link to their profits being in the toilet.
This time I was excited because the attendant said I can have an answer for you in 10 minutes just please hold.....20 minutes later walah... NO can't help you. They even ask me how many GM vehichles I owned in my life. Heck I've had sububans tahoes , park ave, My Grandfather, God rest his soul is the person that turned me owned to the smooth ride and customer service, Don't roll over anymore Granddad, This is unreal, now I have to deal with the AC out at 38000 miles and the instrument panel can't read and doesnt' work proper
So sorry to hear of all your RDV problems.The (3) most common problems with the 2002-03 RDV's are bad BCM's,wheel bearing failure,and AC condensor failure.Just start at page one post # 1 right here and read all 965 of them and you will see that you arent alone.I have (15) other car sites bookmarked where RDV owners are on there complaining about the same problems you guys are.I sent these to ckinny that posts on here.I recently was at a very large Buick dealer and got them to admit the RDV's had far too many AC condensor failures.
When our 02 RDV's BCM's started going bad in Feb 2004 we called GM customer service about this problem.They acted like we were the first ones to ever have this problem even though lots of RDV owners here on Edmunds had already been having the same problem for over a year.You will have to hound GM to death to get anything out of them.GM will never recall anything until the govt makes them do it.10's of thousands of intake gaskets have failed on the 1995-2003 GM 3100-3400 V-6 engines and they still havent been recalled.
All I can say is good luck.
mnyhats1
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'd file a complaint with the NHTSA.Here is a link to them.If its not OK to use this link then the moderator can delete my post.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm
Find the Buick RDV section.There are alot of complaints there.Wheel bearings should never go bad until well over 100,000 miles,maybe even 200,000 miles.Bad bearings are deffinitely a safety hazard.I just cant understand why the RDV's and Azteks are having so much trouble with wheel bearings.I farm and have a total of 10 vehicles on the place and havent lost a wheel bearing in over 30 years.I also have 6 tractors and 2 combines.
We got tired of our 02 RDV CXL AWD being at the GM dealer all the time so got rid of it.There were many things we liked about it but the reliability just wasnt there.I see GM has recalled the 04 RDV's for intermintent stalling but not the 02's and 03's which have the same problem.
verdi942,
It sounds to me like your front wheel bearings are going bad.One way to find out is jack the front end up and block the rear wheels to keep it from rolling.With the tranny in neutral roll the wheels over by hand listening for a grinding sound.Then shake in and out on them to see if they are loose.If they are get it to a dealer immediately.
Yes, the noise is quite obvious, especially after you've had one go bad. Now I'm paranoid every time I hear a noise. It is quite distinctive and I would call it a low roar, under the front seat area, if that makes sense. The independent that fixed mine, got in the car, we rode one block and he diagnosed it immediately. The Buick dealer, on the other hand, charged me a $36 diagnostic fee to tell me the same thing. Not sure if you have a Muffler Man in the area but that's who fixed mine at $330 rather than the $454 plus $36 diagnostic fee. You might want to check around. Good luck!
mnyhats