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Comments
(Factory service manuals are too expensive and complicated).
The main problem for bringing it in was that it blows cold then will blow warm, then cold, then warm. This repeats the entire time I drive it, and recently there has been a chemical like smell that comes out the vents when I come to a stop at lights.
What model Equinox do you have? I have a problem that has plagued mine since I bought it. I have an LS and when accelerating, when the car is cold, there is a low bang/thump coming from the front drivers side once you get to 15 mph. It only does it once cause when I stop after it happens and then accelerate again up to 15 it does not repeat until the car is once again cold.
Can you help?
At 4,400 miles I had to go to the dealer because I had bad vibrations occurring everytime I touched the brakes. They machined my front rotors because they we're warped. Then at 11,200 miles the same story... machined again and now at 21,800 miles here I go again with the same problem but this time the dealer tells me that they have to install new rotors because they're to thin to be machined. The problem here is that the dealer tells me that I have to pay for the new rotors because its part of the brake system and they're not covered by the warranty because it's of normal usage. My warranty ends in 3 weeks. My point of vue is that having to machine twice the front rotors and then tell me to change them with only 21,800 miles is not normal at all and this should be passed on my warranty.
Dealers are so stupid,,, my front brakes are 20 % used but my rotors have been machined twice and I'm having the same problem?
Rotors go bad before the brakes? Jezzz!
TSB 00-05-22-002F June 2005 outlines in detail the brake warranty service and procedures the dealers should follow per GM. Brake pulsation is to be corrected first by machining the rotors. However, if doing this would cause them to be below minimum thickness, the rotors should be replaced and covered under warranty.
Here is the text from that part of the bulletin. (the entire bulletin is over 10 pages)
BRAKE WARRANTY
Brake Rotors:
• Brake rotor warranty is covered under the terms of the New Vehicle Bumper-to-Bumper warranty. Reference the vehicle’s warranty guide for verification.
• Rotors should be refinished NOT replaced for Customer Pulsation complaints. This condition is a result of rotor thickness variation, usually caused by LRO (wear induced over time and miles) or corrosion (Lot Rot).
• When rotor refinishing, only remove the necessary amount of material from each side of the rotor and note that equal amounts of material do not have to be removed from both sides on any brake system using a floating caliper.
• Rotors should be refinished for severe scoring — depth in excess of 1.5 mm (0.060 in).
Important: If the scoring depth is more than 1.5 mm (0.060 in) after the rotor is refinished, it should be replaced.
• Never reuse rotors that measure under the Minimum Thickness specification. In this instance, the rotor should be replaced.
I went back to the dealer yesterday and he is obsessed and he's still telling me that it will NOT pass on my warranty. I'm going back today and the fight is on. I'm not leaving the place until he tells me "it's on warranty" (now that I'm sure it is) and then make sure that the lug nuts are at a correct torque everytime the wheels come off. I'm buying a torque wrench in the weeks to come.
I'll keep you post with the results.
The Dealer should replace your rotors and also check or turn the rear.
Usually car companies have at least two different source suppliers for high volume parts during manufacturing. My Nox might have better rotors .? who knows?
It's a good idea to get yourself a torque wrench. I've owned one for over 25years, and I do re-torques if a shop rotates my tires. Most shops have torque sticks.
I have found my lug nuts torqued 20 ft/lb over spec!
Nox nut spec is 92 ft/lb.
I do most of my own brake work and tire rotations myself.
With 35Kmiles, (original tires, brakes & rotors), our Equinox still stops smooth, and thats with my wife driving, stop and go, town driving with kids.
Awhile back, I had one car with a rotor warp problem where I had the front rotors turned, and after replacing the front rotors, the problem came back. Came to find out that it was the back rotors that were the problem. I also had cars with drums that also needed to be turned.
jd
Today the dealer changed my two front rotors and it did pass on warranty (had to call G.M.'s 1-800) and they called the dealer and the dealer called me back and told me that I had won.
Thank to you guys "sgr5516" and "jim dandy" for your reply. And I bought myself a torque wrench this afternoon and I'll be checking my wheel lug nuts from now on.
Thanks again.
Try this little test.... drive your truck and put it in neutral and let it roll. If it's a bearing problem you'll still hear the noise. What I did to be sure, I put the transmission on neutral, turned the engine off and let the truck roll and I could hear the sound and that sound went lower and lower as the truck lost speed.
Had to go to the dealer 3 times to rebuild the transmission and the problem was still there even after the third time. They never wanted to change the transmission, I decided to trade the Van 1½ year latter with only 18,000 milles on it. (still on warranty).
Any experiencing a rattle/vibration in the front drive's side? I had it in the shop today and they said they corrected the problem and it was the fuse box rattling. Needless to say it is still doing it. It doesn't have 2k miles on it yet.
GM Warranty Items Covered
Prolong starting crank - They replaced fuel pump module - 382 mls
Popping noise in the front - They had to replace both front struts - 8,130 mls
Steering grinds on sharp turns - They had to replace both sway bars - 15,752 mls
Rear growling like noise - They had to replace rear differential - 17,115 mls
ABS light came on - They had to replace the right rear speed sensor - 24,236 mls
ABS light came on - They had to replace left front speed sensor - 32,115
ABS light came on - They had to replace the left front speed sensor wire harness - 32,815
The whirring noise - They had to replace the right rear bearing.- 32,079 mls
Dont ever lease four years, I happened to get a major discount on the extended warranty with no deductible, thank God. Even though the SUV only had 32,079 mls, it was in the fourth year when the the rear bearing went, so the extended warranty paid for itself and then some.
Brakes 32,100 mls normal these days for brakes to be replaced - I replaced the rotors and brake pads myself, you should never cut the rotors in a lot of these newer cars, they are to thin, and are fairly cheap to replace.
Tires 34,350 mls they were bad had to change them I was getting to many flats and some sliding in the rain.
Dead battery 35,963 not normal (thats a Delco battery for ya) I replaced it with an Interstate Battery.
That the only thing I can figure out. Exactly what I was thinking to... Why trade-in a Equinox for a Torrent?.
One is a Chevrolet the other a Pontiac, that's all.
Ahhh! Maybe a little gadget here and there not quite the same but the "platform" and all the mechanical things are identical.
( she has to live with it )and the Torreant lease price was just right $1000 down plus $600 in GM credit points $315. mthly 12,000 mls 36 mths. The Torreant is a lot sharper looking in and out. I know they are the same but the Pontiac for some reason a little tighter than the Equ. ( which I test drove for the heck of it ) and a lot cheaper and by doing some research the Torreant is a little less injury prone.
My self I had leased the 04 Malibu and learned and that I had enough, so I ended up leasing the ( I know ouch ) 08 Honda Accord LX-P alot also had to do with the cost, $1,000 down $265. mthly 12,000 mls. 36 mths and a lot cheaper than the new 08 BU.
Help!
Didn't want to push them to far because the C.D. would have been stuck inside the player.
Didn't have any problems for 3 yrs and now like it would knew, everything's breaking.
Good timing G.M.
My wife had my Nox over the weekend (camping with the Girl Scouts) and brought it back with the ABS and also the TC lights on. Depressing the traction control on/off switch has no effect. 2006 LT1 with 45k miles.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Doug
I sure would like to be able to read/interpret those codes myself. Has anyone purchased and used a diagnostic meter that works well on a Nox?
If so, for how long does a warranty last on a repair ?
The dealer said that the only time you have a really "brand new" radio is when the vehicule is "right off the assembly line". If it's replaced along the way... it's a rebuilt.
Maybe that's why it's the third radio going in my Nox.
Hope it works longer than a month like the second one.
I thought that the sound came from my tires to because it seemed to increase and decrease with the speed, checked the air pressior, rotated the tires but no it was not the tires... it was a wheel hub bearing doing all that noise.
Have your dealer check this.
On my 05 Equniox I just turned in that I leased (I now have the 08 Pontiac Torreant instead), the following things happened to it,some of the following may sound familiar:
GM Warranty Items Covered
Prolong starting crank - They replaced fuel pump module - 382 mls
Popping noise in the front - They had to replace both front struts - 8,130 mls
Steering grinds on sharp turns - They had to replace both sway bars - 15,752 mls
Rear growling like noise - They had to replace rear differential - 17,115 mls
ABS light came on - They had to replace the right rear speed sensor - 24,236 mls
ABS light came on - They had to replace left front speed sensor - 32,115
ABS light came on - They had to replace the left front speed sensor wire harness - 32,815
The whirring noise - They had to replace the right rear bearing.- 32,079 mls
Dont ever lease four years, I happened to get a major discount on the extended warranty with no deductible, thank God. Even though the SUV only had 32,079 mls, it was in the fourth year when the the rear bearing went, so the extended warranty paid for itself and then some.
Brakes 32,100 mls normal these days for brakes to be replaced - I replaced the rotors and brake pads myself, you should never cut the rotors in a lot of these newer cars, they are to thin, and are fairly cheap to replace.
Tires 34,350 mls they were bad had to change them I was getting to many flats and some sliding in the rain.
Dead battery 35,963 not normal (thats a Delco battery for ya) I replaced it with an Interstate Battery.
We bought this as a family cruiser and as a universal work horse.
I also have two boys 7 & 13yrs, that ride in it all the time with my wife. She loves the Equinox.
We had no problems. We get advertised fuel economy, no problems with fit & finish, interior noise, or drivability problems. Our equinox still has the orignal brakes and tires.
We find the ride and brakes to be excellent.
Knowing that the Equinox is 5 star rated is also a bonus.
Since the Equinox is as hi-tech as any other foreign car, it's "main brain" is the computer. There are alot of sensors from which it receives engine data, safety data, and vehicle data.
So with that information, the computer has to then make proper engine control adjustments to start.
With the correct & proper mixture it will start right away, unless there are clogged fuel injectors, which will cause poor starting, or "starter run-on".
Cheap low grade gasoline will slowly clog your fuel injectors even with 10,000 miles on a new vehicle. This is true with all newer vehicles, foreign and domestic, due to stricter emission standards. Cheap or bad gas can cause deposits and "totally" clog fuel injectors. (Very Expensive Repair!)
The solution to your starting problems are to use quality gasoline with detergent additives and high quality Fuel Injector cleaner like "Chevron Techron Injector cleaner" at every oil change.
I used one bottle of Chevron Techron Injector, my starting issue was Gone!
Now I use it as regular maintenance with oil change.
If your problem is bad, try two treatments.
Check out this link for high quality Gasoline Retailers:
-Top Tier Gas- www.toptiergas.com
I use only regular "Top Tier Gas" in my newer vehicles. At my location,little difference in price.
jd
Now on the other hand each gas company uses different additives, which can make a difference in cleaning properties if anything.
Using High Test is a waste if your car doesn't call for it.
At the station I worked at over the years, I leased new cars and bought old cars and none of my cars ever had any problems.
The main key was that we changed the filters in the gas pumps once a month, and pumped out residual water build up in the tanks once a month.
One thing I highly recommend is is to never, never, get gas at a station if you see a tank wagon unloading fuel, that can be the beginning of some of your problems to come.
Most important change your fuel filter every 20,000 miles no questions asked and use the Chevron Techron that J Dandy recommended it's the best.
Unfortunately, even the more expensive gas may not have the appropriate additives.
Gasoline quality is an issue few people think about.
The formation of harmful deposits can be controlled by adding detergent-dispersants to gasoline, the most common of which is polybutene succinimide. Used with a petroleum carrier oil, detergent-dispersants help keep the intake manifold and ports clean. These chemicals are more effective than the carburetor detergents that were once used in gasoline, but they must be used at concentrations that are three to five times higher than the older carburetor detergents.
At the "High" end of the fuel quality spectrum are "Top Tier" gasolines. These fuels are recognized by the vehicle manufacturers as having the most effective additives and in the highest concentrations. Gasoline retailers must meet the high Top Tier standards with all their grades of gasoline (not just premium) to be designed as a Top Tier supplier. In addition, all the gasoline outlets carrying the brand of approved gasoline must also meet the same standards. Gasoline retailers who are currently on the Top Tier list include Chevron, Chevron-Canada (B.C. only), Texaco (Chevron supplied only), Conoco, Entec Stations, Kwik Trip/Kwik Star, MFA Oil Company, Phillips, QuikTrip, Shell, The Somerset Refinery and 76.
Unfortunately, fuel quality isn't something that is easily policed. Many states have programs in place to monitor fuel quality on either an ongoing basis or "incident specific" basis. Most are run by the state's "Department of Weights and Measures". Even so, the focus of most of these programs is to make sure consumers aren't being cheated at the pump and get the full gallon they pay for. Some programs also check fuels to make sure they do not contain too much alcohol. The specific density of gasoline can be field tested to determine its volatility and alcohol content. But testing octane and the amount and type of additives in the fuel requires expensive laboratory testing. So this type of quality testing is rarely done.
Most gasoline refiners don't want to sell the public bad gas because they obviously want repeat customers. Even so, they also know that deposit formation is a gradual thing that occurs over time. So if they cut back on the additive package to save a few cents per gallon, nobody is the wiser -- and least not right away.
The problem occurs when people buy the lowest priced LAC gas they can find every time they fill their tank. The low level of additives (or low quality additives) in the fuel will not be adequate to keep their engine clean, and sooner or later they'll start to experience driveability problems.
Worse yet, if a bad batch of fuel leaves a refinery and ends up in people's vehicles, it can cause even more serious problems. There have been instances where too much residual sulfur in a bad batch of gasoline has caused a rash of fuel pump failures.
Here are some resources:
Gasoline quality
Techron
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
jd