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By the way, I've only seen 1 RDV on the road in my neck of the woods - and that was about a month ago. I guess they haven't caught on here yet....
Actually, it seems to me that, whenever I get in the car, the passenger mirror is always somewhere other than where I last set it.
Maybe there is an online support group for internet addicts?
I don't recall our mirrors doing as you indicated. My wife drives the car every day, but I only drive it once in a while. Next time she lets me drive it, I'll check it out.
I abandoned Ekzur & The Aztecs (sounds like a band). Too much of a waste of time... They've probably had 250 posts since you've been gone. I had thrown a couple Bingo posts there in your absence.
Hope you come off your internet withdrawals okay.
Steve
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I did manage to visit the Law Enforcement Memorial and the Holocaust Museum, two sites that I have not previously seen during past visits. They were both moving (especially the latter).
Also for the first time, I used the metro system extensively, and am very impressed! It is the model of efficiency and practicality.
Oh yeah, I didn't see any RDV's during my trip.
regards,
Brian
P.S. I will catch up on the lawnmower posts...they are great! As for the Aztek forum, it ran away from me...and it can keep running for all I care. I'm not going back.
Speaking of carseat installation, anyone know if the RDV is LATCH-ready? Apparently, by Sept of 2002, the lower anchorage part will be required in all cars, minivans, and light trucks.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/csr2001/flyer/latchFlyer.html
Also, unlike my Accord which requires a metal clip to "lock" the shoulder/lap belt for a car seat, the RDV seat belts "lock" by themselves and restrain a car seat VERY securely.
We have one front facing car seat and one booster seat in our middle row bench and there is still room for an adult to sit in between!
I haven't heard of any carseats marketing themselves as LATCH-ready yet either.
I don't blame anyone for choosing a vehicle that suits family needs.
Hey, I drive a car that A LOT of people think is DAWG U G L Y (an Xterra). But I love it. So don't take me too seriously.
If I sketch up what I think would improve the RDV, you'll be the first to see it.
Have fun drivin'
Anyway, all-in-all, it's a pretty good (Not fabulous) looking car w/ lots of nice attributes.
btw, it was spiritman1 who made the suggestion for a sketch, which I think was a good idea; If you come up w/ something, we'd all love to see it. Thanks for dropping in on the RDV forum.
We attended a "customer appreciation" night at our dealership. Dinner, sodas, cookies, and oh yea... info about our new purchase. I'd say maybe 70 people were there. They talked about service, new car road-side assistance, vehicle maintenance and safety. They blew off an airbag to show what we can expect in the event of a water landing. Overall, it was pretty informative. They washed our car and sent us on our way with a car polishing cloth. Our dealership now has 3 RDVs on the lot and they aren't moving very quickly.
With 1,100 miles on the car we are averaging 22 mpg mixed city and hwy (calculated at the pump... not using the computer). Anyone else calculate mileage at the pump?
Thanks to my son learning to throw, we have a broken part to replace. A mere $230 for a broken switch on the rear audio controls. We can't replace the $2 switch, we have to replace the whole control panel (or so I'm told... still looking into this). Oh well, once the Rangers call for a new pitcher, my son can pay for the damages through his earnings. In the mean while, I'm putting up a plexi-glass shield to protect myself and the car from future projectiles.
Boondocks - I can confirm Fedlaw's comments about securing the child seat. Very easy and very secure (aside from the projectiles)! And the RDV is equiped with the child seat anchors.
Fedlaw - "Addicted"? Waking up late? Missing meetings? All signs of a SERIOUS problem. In your field, this sounds like a reportable issue. ; )
J325 - Hey! Training camp is here! We're comin' to get ya... we'll see the 49ers in a few weeks.
Go Raiders!
R5
Are only complaint, which is quite minor, is that you have to slam the tailgate pretty hard so that it doesn't register as "tailgate ajar". However, there was at least one poster here, cwj or Tony B. who said they didn't have to slam their tailgate. BTW, where are you guys Tony and cwj; seems like you guys have been gone quite a while?
Ra1der5: Nice to hear you're alive-and-well; sorry to hear about your son making a "strike-zone" out of the rear stereo controls. Hope you can find a reasonable fix for it. - - Look forward to the bay-to-bay game: hopefully the 9ers will be up to the task. Don't be such a lurker, get back to your normal postings!
Go 9er's
John B.
The feel and quality of interior knobs and trim is very good. Tactile feel is very nice and the controls are of high quality (even GM's notorious left side all-in-one stalk feels just right).
I don't have to slam the tail gate to close it, it feels the same as any minivan tail gate I've ever used.
tallmanswife-I'm 6'4" tall and the RDV is quite comfortable. The tilt mechanism on the steering wheel has a good range allowing for lots of room between the bottom of the steering wheel and the seat. Also the seat adjustment allows for a good amount of room for my legs, but I'm no 42" inseam that's for sure. That is a lot of leg!!
Regarding the LATCH system - the only carseat I have heard of is the Britax carseat. I believe it's the Britax Expressway version that has the LATCH system. Also, I've heard Century and Fischer Price (Safe Embrace II?) may have one as well.
By the way, I saw my first RDV out in public and up close at a pizza place in southern Illinois. When we walked in to the restaurant, we tried to pick out who we thought the RDV owners were - we never did find out for sure though! Yes, I know, we need to get a life if we are "stalking" RDV owners on Saturday nights now! :-)
(I remember seing a note in this forum where someone got a French-Canadian manual, I would have taken it since I'm French-Canadian!!!)
By the way, I still like my RDV although I find it makes a boomy sound every time I hit small bumps on the highway (lots of them in the province of Quebec!). My other car is a Grand Cherokee which does not suffer as much from the same bumps. I wonder if this has something to do with the Firestone tires on my RDV.
Other than that, I really think the RDV is "all good". Some will say it's a bit underpowered. At 2$ a gallon, I think 185 HPs is an excellent compromize...
Thanks
If I can be of some help let me know, I might be able to send one to you.Regards
I just wanted to be sure I'm not missing anything else.
Put the 6 & 7 year old girls in the 3rd seat and the 3 year old in the middle bench on the side. (Though I had to use a &*% clip. Obviously I didn't figure out the right way to get that belt to lock.) We then stacked suitcases on the seat next to him. This way everyone got his/her own cupholders (!) and "Personal space" (less opportunity for "Mommy, he/she's hitting me!).
Getting the girls in and out of the third seat was interesting. Either lifted them through the tailgate opening and over the back of the seat. Or they climbed in stepping on their brother's car seat to get over the 2nd seat. They didn't seem to mind and I think they enjoyed the novelty of it. The lack of cargo space when the third seat is up is a bit of a challenge, but putting luggage on the middle seat worked out find.
We averaged 22.7 mpg (using computer) on highway driving and didn't have any problem keeping up with traffic. The stereo system volume that goes up as the car goes faster was really nifty, noticed it when I slowed down to 25 mph on a highway interchange and the stereo suddently got softer. And the auto climate control was great as the temperature changed 20 degrees during one drive and we didn't have to do a bit of fiddling with the controls.
The girls complained that the rear stereo speakers weren't working so we'll have that checked out when we take it in for its first LOF.
My husband and I had fun setting/playing with the On-star system while cruising the interstate. VERY cool the way the stereo is turns off as soon as On-star is activated and that the incoming calls come in through ALL the stereo speakers--very clear sound. Also fun to get the weather as we drove along the road. The On-star people (the live ones, not the "recorded lady")were VERY solicitious. I don't think my husband had ever dealt with anybody who apparently cared so much about his welfare and happiness!
In our neck of the woods, only two RDV have been sold, but both ours and the other one were sold pretty much sight unseen. The dealer won't get another one until September and he's unhappy 'cause this is SUV country (Severe winter weather.) I saw one in the Adirondack Park. And a couple while we were on vacation.
We've definitely gotten favorable reactions to it. In the Chicago-area we were staying in a upscale suburban area (loaded with MB, Lexus, Jags, etc.). I came out of the store and there was a guy standing looking at my RDV. Told him about all the bells and whistles and he said that he was thinking about buying a MB, but that the RDV sounded good. (He'd seen it advertised on TV the night before.) Also, in Gary, IN we were stopped at a stop light, a guy honked at us, and asked if our car "was one of those new Buicks!" Kinda cool.
One complaint--The lower part of the center console (where, I think, you're supposed to be able to put your purse)is not really accessible once you're in your seat. There's not enough room down by your legs to maneuver something in and out. It does work for storing CD and Kleenex though.
Today I spent the day vacuuming out mucho debris (Pringles, Skittles, etc.) and it was really quite easy. The way the seats are configured, I could pretty much reach every nook and cranny to get out the gunk.
All in all, we're very pleased.
BTW, I too have noticed a sort of "hollow booming" sound when driving over lane divider "bumps" on the highway. The tires may well be the culprit but personally, I think it has more to do with the large interior volume of the RDV.
Queenbee - Great trip report! It sounds like your packaging solution worked very well. BTW, regarding the sound of the rear speakers; I believe that they are woofers only and are not designed to reproduce the 20Hz - 20KHz spectrum of a full-range speaker.
As for the rear row speakers: Someone here had said that the woofers are in the rear row, and hence the reason that the 3rd row can't hear everything. I guess all they're getting is base. ?? I don't now how we'd cure that. I believe Lance is an audiophile and could assist us all. One idea might be to route the headsets back to the 3rd row. (would require a lengthy cord though).
If you get a chance, sign in at the Owners' forum. Slowly, but surely, the posts there are gaining activity. You might even beat Ra1der5 if you post soon.
R5: sounds like you had a great time at the dealer party. I'm sure your kids enjoyed it too. Are you boycotting the owners' forum??
BTW. Don't agree with that USA today review, but it's one guy's opinion so whatever.
Also, anyone tried to carry a couple bikes in the back without removing the front wheels?
Wonder if Buick has any plans to drop the 3.8L in this, even better the supercharged version...
While testing an RDV (way more than once ), it appeared that it is very difficult to see other vehicles while backing up. The rear window is very high, and the sensors did not always sound or blink as we approached a lower vehicle (making parallel parking "interesting"). Has anyone had a problem (boinked a car or bicycle) while trying to use the "parking assist"? I hadn't noticed the "failure to return to previous setting" of the tilt-down side mirror but maybe I wasn't paying attention.
We are also considering the trailer towing package (not that we tow anything!) because of its extra cooling capabilities. However, it also comes with the auto leveling shocks. When we test drove a Bravada (for the third time!) we heard a hissing noise and a rapid "chit-chit-chit-chit-chit" while we were simply changing drivers on a semi-level parking lot. On the Bravada page they are talking about leaking levelers and cars that are lower in the morning than at night and so on.
Does anyone have experience with the load leveler shock system on the RDV? Is it as noisy or come on regularly to compensate for shifting terrain?
We think that we might go with the Sedona Bronze Mist with oak cloth/leather trim interior. Anyone have trouble keeping the light floor mats clean?
Linda
Been at bit busy in these parts lately, so I haven't had time to post much, but I have been checking in and reading when I had the chance. Now that things are finally calming down, I wanted to toss up a couple of posts.
First off, read the USA today review and can't say I agree with it. I agree with some of the items mentioned, but to me the reviewer really seemed to be a "Glass is Half Empty" kinda guy, and the little things that bugged him seemed to overwhelm everything else. If you'd like to read a different opinion, try here:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3921&sid=181&n=157
There was also a more positive review from the NY Times posted on the internal GM network today (titled "A Glorified Van or a Grand Slam?") however, you can't get to it on the NY Times site without a user ID, and I don't think its kosher for me to repost it here in its entirety, but I could summarize it if people are interested.
In other RDV news, is it just me or is there some good interest in this vehicle out there. So far we've had 4 surveys related to this vehicle, 3 by mail and 1 by phone. We've gotten the typical survey about "how was your buying experience?" to the J.D. Power intial quality survey. Pretty interesting, and pretty unusual for me as I've never gotten this many surveys on a vehicle before. And to be honest, I haven't had much of anything bad to say about it. Mostly just the doors not unlocking all of the time when you pull the key from the IGN. That and the ocassional "booming" noise I hear when driving. Other than that, our opinion has been very positive. Has anyone else been getting a lot of surveys on the RDV?
Great to hear all those real world RDV exploits too! Keep em coming!
BY
BY
OK, just venting, back to normal business...
BY
I too have the problem with the pass. side mirror not returning to the correct position after it tilts down and am going to disable it, at least until I get it looked at. I also was disappointed that I didn't get the tire pressure monitor (I don't even know if they're making it yet; Buick was very frustrating to try and get any answers from before I bought it). And my car was delivered w/no compressor hose for the tow package (but the dealer has ordered it). I also don't like that the only way to adjust the vent louvers open/close is to change their direction; why is there not a separate open/close lever like on most vehicles?
However, my major source of frustration that I have not seen addressed here could be a possible major problem for many I think -- and I'm guessing others just aren't aware of it yet. I asked my dealer to go over how to handle changing the tire if I got a flat, and we both then discovered in reading the owner's manual that (at least if you don't have the 3rd row seat) that you need an extension for the wrench to unscrew and release the compact spare (due to the "cargo management system" preventing the wrench from turning freely). The manual shows the extension in the diagram, and tells you where you should find it in the RDV (it's not there nor a place for it). We finally figured out there's a slot for it on the right side of the same compartment where you unscrew the spare (but no extension still). Finally, to make a long story short, I've learned after numerous conversations w/the dealer and various people @ Buick, they haven't yet made this part, but do have a vendor "lined up" even though they can still give me no date as to when I can expect it.
I'm very disappointed in my dealer's and Buick's failure to address this problem, especially since no one seemed aware of it or that concerned about it until I kept pressing the matter. And based on my experience, I still wouldn't know I needed this vital part until I was stranded! I thought I should alert others so they're aware of it also (or does anyone else know something I don't or already have this extension?!) Has anyone had to use the spare yet? I've been waiting a month already and this has unfortunately really soured me on my new Buick (I've driven mainly Oldsmobiles before this but felt the new Bravada was too big, had no rear parking assist and the cupholders were useless).
Check it our for yourselves before you have the need to see if you're also in the same situation (and please let me know what response you get!). Also, my dealer told me there was no "knock out plug" for the keys, just a code -- is this right?
Finally (sorry this is so long), I just want to say how much I've enjoyed learning from everyone's posts here -- it seems like a nice group of intelligent people who like to help out others, and also have a good sense of humor! Thanks for all of your comments!
Seriously though...you're right, I don't think anyone has even bothered to look and see what's in there (I know I haven't). BTW, since the key has a chip in it for the security system, the code is all you need because Home Depot can't cut you a new one, you have to go to the dealer for a new one.
BTW, welcome to the group. I think you'll find that we are all really pleased with our RDV's. Even though the road to ownership was a little bumpy, it was actually a pretty fun ride!
thanks
Spiritman
I wonder if there will be a "2002.5" model that would coincide with plant changeover to the 2002 Aztek? If there are to be any second-year/ running changes to RDV that might be the time they come.
The review bym shared w/ us is obviously much more positive, but he leaves out some of the negatives. btw, thanks Brian for sharing that add'l review.
The one annoyance to me (I've mentioned before) is that the tailgate has to be slammed so hard to get it to close properly. Who knows, in time GM may have a fix for it.
Landerson3: You're correct in saying one cannot see below the rear tailgate window for parking. After we get close using the side mirrors and initial rear window view, my wife and I use and depend on the "rear-park-assist", which so far has worked 100% of the time. We think its not only a cool feature, but an essential given the rear window configuration.
In regards to "rear-park-assist", the manual says, the sonar will not work above tailgate height. Does anyone know what this means? I'm assuming above the top of tailgate (i.e., near roor area).
However, two or three questions seem to be more or less ongoing, so here's the view from the heartland.
Fed - My mirrors are rock steady as they go from position to position.
Booming - Not that I've noticed, in fact Gamera has been the quietest most solid domestic I've purchased.
Wind deflector - There's a built in wind deflector that flips up when the sun roof retracts. I'd never have noticed it if I hadn't absent mindedly reached up to grab the front rim of the opening one day while tooling down the road.
Tailgate slam - BYM, I've noticed that Gamera's tailgate is getting easier to close over time. Either the lock is loosening up, or my muscle memory is getting more used to the slam.
Back up sonar - Mine has worked without flaw, but you've got to keep your speed way down, otherwise it can't read distance accurately and shuts down. Maybe that's the problem.
Nice to see the board carrying on so well.
CWJ
The park assist does not provide a reading if something is on the ground within a foot of the rear bumber, however it will pick up a reading within 3 to 4 feet.
Finally, I have had the same experience as CWJ. If you back-up too quickly, the system will give you a audio signal. Usually it's not a problem, but it's really obnoxious while your trying to and keep up with traffic on the freeway.
Raiders are in camp!
R5
P.S. A friend, who is a service manager at the local chevy dealership, is saving me $100 on the rear audio controls that my wonderful son broke.
Also was showing off the REV to some friends, and he showed me how the 2nd row seats tilt all the way forward. Until last week, we were only flipping the seat backs down and having the kids scramble over them to get to the 3rd row. You learn something new everyday.
USA Review--I understand where this guy is coming from on the souped up minivan angle. But some people don't want a mini-van OR a REAL SUV. We as a family needed more room for long family car trips (NY to Florida in the winter, for instance). However we're too cheap to buy a new car ourselves so my husband leases them for 3 years through his law firm and then we buy them at the end of the lease if the price is right. So the RDV is really my husband's car (and he drives about 20,000 miles a year for work). The RDV looks sufficiently lawyerly and macho (the whole SUV-thing)now, but will make a great mom-mobile for me in 3 years (the mini-van thing).
Currently, I drive his old Nissan Altima that we bought at the end of the lease. It works find for puttering around town (no real soccer mom duties in rural America) and then we have the RDV when we need to take a more lenghty trip. Pure SUVs really weren't an option (I looked briefly at the GMC Tahoe and Denali) because they were simply too much truck. We don't tow anything and since my husband drives so much for work the poor gas mileage of a big SUV would have been very costly--both monetarily and for the environment. So the RDV seemed like a good compromise.
r5: Are you saying that you're backing up at great speeds down the freeway?? I sure hope its not Hwy 17 (One of most dangereous in Bay Area; goes by r5's community). Thanks for your insights on Rear-park-assist. btw, did you say the Raiders were going camping?
ustraveler: Like you, I found out that the extender wrench was not in the car, although it is illustrated in the manual. Also, you have to be a contortionist to get the jack out from and into the rear compartment. It's a real tight squeeze. Of course, If you do as fedlawman suggests, all you need to do is make a call to road service of push the OnStar button.