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Buick Enclave

easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
edited April 2014 in Buick
Does anyone know if GM is planning to put a diesel engine on their enclave?

Comments

  • bobelewbobelew Member Posts: 17
    I heard that they were considering a diesel for 2010 or 2111. That is only rumor at this time. I have not heard or seen anything official on this yet.
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Thank you bobelew, this is very dissapointing, we now have a clean diesel fuel and GM have been selling a lot of diesel cars in Europe...why not North America, don't they see the potential? I bet you that whoever starts offering diesels on their all their cars will capture a large market.
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Please change the title from Buick Enclave to Diesel Buick Enclave. I made a mistake.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Your original title was "Diesel Enclave." I changed it to Buick Enclave because I noticed we didn't have a general Enclave discussion and thought we could use one! Since your question concerned speculation about future Enclave product lines it fit nicely into the general discussion.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Thanks tidester...for a while, I thought I made an error.
  • beach15beach15 Member Posts: 1,305
    Really no plans or anything even hinted at for the Lambda.

    One diesel coming, and testing right now, is in the new Cadillac CTS, and then maybe at one point a variation in the new Saturn Astra. And they also have a new "light duty" 4.5L diesel slated for 1/2 trucks and SUV's soon.

    But nothing in regards to the GM Lambda crossovers. Maybe a Hybrid in time, or a possible V8 intro as was rumored initially, but I wouldn't expect a diesel.
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    I don't understand why anyone would want a diesel. The fuel is higher (reg.gas is $2.77 vs diesel @ $3.23...Linden, New Jersey). And try to get a diesel fixed, especially on the road. There's few enough good mechanics to work on gas engines, but diesel...? Oh sure, Mercedes may have "good" mechanics, but who can afford their prices? ($800. for a tune-up...get real!!)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Diesel engine will give you more mileage and that's why Europeans like it. Regarding the fuel price, it's a matter of supply and demand. Diesel engines historically outlast their regular gas engine counterparts. Once all car companies start offering diesel engine on all their cars, it only make sense for them to have trained technicians/mechanics to work on it.
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    I don't plan I willing my car to lmy grandchildren...4 years is long enough. I'm sure that almost any car (even an import) will last for 4 years. Considering that a diesel would probably cost about $3,000 more (comparing it to what trucks run) it just doesn't make any sense.
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    I have been looking at the Enclave for almost a year now and I really like all the features and it seems to be a good fit for our family. What gives me pause about buying this vehicle is that it lacks a cabin air particulate filter for fresh air drawn into the cabin. I'm afraid it is going to drive us to purchase another vehicle as my son has allergies.

    Can you believe that in a $40K + CUV they fail to put in a cabin air filter? Makes you wonder what else they left out.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Can you believe that in a $40K + CUV they fail to put in a cabin air filter?

    I can believe that no production process is absolutely 100% error free - regardless of price. What I find more difficult to believe is that someone would pass on a great vehicle over a minor issue that is trivially rectifiable? :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    I can believe that no production process is absolutely 100% error free - regardless of price. What I find more difficult to believe is that someone would pass on a great vehicle over a minor issue that is trivially rectifiable?

    I'm not sure you understand. The Buick Enclave doesn't have a filter for the air that it draws into the cabin. I'm not saying that it just isn't there and you can just slide one in - NO. I'm pointing out that it isn't even possible to put it in. It doesn't exist - there is no place FOR THE FILTER, because they LEFT IT OUT of the design.

    If it was just as simple as buying a $20 filter and sliding it in I could see the point of your comment. As the design is now - this simply isn't a possibility.

    No big deal as long as you never drive through dusty conditions, or don't suffer from allergies I suppose. Perhaps you are suggesting that people just never drive in dust, or in the spring time?
  • zman3zman3 Member Posts: 857
    My early build 08 (April 07) has one, although it is nothing more than window screen material.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    I'm not sure you understand.

    Perhaps, but zman3 appears to have a different experience. Can anyone else chime in on this?

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • zman3zman3 Member Posts: 857
    I believe there was a mid-year 08 MY design change. I was under the impression that the mounting features on the filter box changed and that there was a "real" filter material incorporated. Mine is accessible by removing the glove compartment, which is fairly easy to do.
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    Zman is correct in saying that early model Enclaves (those built before about mid year 2008) had a "filter" of sorts. That is to say it is nothing more than corse screen (not window screen - that is much too fine) that has approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch holes. THAT is NO filter. The only thing that would catch might be a leaf.

    Enclaves that rolled off the line after that - including the 09's that are showing up now don't even have that. They have NOTHING. You can't access this area anymore without going to great pains because it wasn't meant to be opened up. This comes from the owners themselves who've tried at another forum.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Thanks, tourguide and zman, for the clarification! :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • barbara16barbara16 Member Posts: 15
    Hi everyone,
    I am driving a 03 XC90, a turd on wheels. At less than 48,000 the second replacement transmission has been put in, only this time it decided its time to go was on the Triborough Bridge heading into Manhattan. Just about coasted into our destination and had to be towed home. We have also replaced the fuel pump,
    r & p steering, front end work and two sets of tires. Looking for something more reliable and we like the Enclave. It seems there have been problems with leaks and engines.
    Does anyone know if the 09's have the same problems? Are there other problems out there? Exactly where should we be checking for rust?
    Is the car worth the price. It would kill us to spend that kind of money again for a repeat of unreliability and aggravation!
    Any thoughts?
    Thanks
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    The Enclave has had the two issues you described. The engine problems affected a limited number of VIN numbers from production and most of those have been fixed satisfactorily once the repair has been done properly. The 09s have a new direct injection motor with more power and similar fuel economy. No issues have been reported with that motor. In fact by those who have driven both, it has more pep than the previous motor. I would expect NO issues at all from the motor.

    The leaks, yes there was that too. That has affected the models with the sunroof, so if you can do without that, you will have no problems there. There has been a recall issued to repair those that currently have the sunroof. So far, no 09s have been reported to have problems with leaking. I'm going to pass on the sunroof in this vehicle anyhow because I don't like the execution - it looks cheap to me.

    This vehcile offers some serious value for the money.
  • medema7medema7 Member Posts: 19
    Does anyone know if the second row console is removable on the 2009 model between the captains chairs?
    The salesman that I spoke with did not know the answer.
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    No, it is bolted to the floor.
  • barbara16barbara16 Member Posts: 15
    Thanks tourguide! Do you happen to know exactly where we should check for leaksand or rust? It has been pretty dry in the northeast lately so we will have to check it very closely.
  • jack118jack118 Member Posts: 4
    I would have made this a new discussion item but I cannot find how to do that so I apologise if this is not the correct thread.

    We have a 2008 Buick Enclave and are experiencing a problem with the Nav/Radio system. On occaision, when we return to the vehicle and unlock it (using the same keyless entry fob) we find that the radio will go to a different station then the one playing when we stopped the car. We generally have an XM station playing and it goes to a FM station but I cannot tell you if that is the case all of the time. And, it is not the same FM station that it changes to, either. The new station is not one that was playing when we set the user preferences for either driver 1 or driver 2, either.

    In order for us to tell if we are having a problem we need some clarification as to what is suppose to happen between stopping and starting the vehicle.

    1. Is there a way to set a favorite station by either driver 1 or driver settings?

    2. Is there a way to set a favorite station by keyless fob?

    3. Is the radio suppose to stay on the same station it was playing between stopping and starting the vehicle? Regardless of key fob?

    We have found the manual to be mostly silent on this subject so it is difficult for us to know what to do.I talked to a service advisor without turning the car in for service because I didn't feel it would be useful if we didn't know what it was SUPPOSE to do. She suggested labling the fobs first, then changing settings and then seeing what happened.

    What happened was the same thing. I sent an e-mail to Buick customer service and they called me to suggest I contact XM since it seemed to always happen when XM was playing. They (XM) did a refresh but the same thing happened with my first trip to the store following the refresh and resetting of preferences.

    So.... anyone had this problem? If so how was it solved. There doesn't seem to be anything in the data base that the advisor could find. Does anyone out there know how it is SUPPOSE to work?

    Thanks in advance;

    Jack
  • mzilismzilis Member Posts: 3
    I have the same problem Jack. I haven't asked the dealer or service department about it because it's not that big a deal - and like you - I'm not sure how it's supposed to work in the first place.

    The only theory I've come up with is this: If you shut off the car while XM is playing and you are parked near a building or in a garage my guess is that when you start the car back up, the radio can't immediately find the XM satellite signal and automatically switches to FM radio.

    Take this theory with a grain of salt as I haven't really tested it. This is just what occurs to me as the most logical reason the issue happens.

    -Mike
  • jack118jack118 Member Posts: 4
    I like the theory because it does happen in the garage. But it also happened right there in the driveway which is where it was when XM did the refresh. One of the XM techies thought perhaps a contact was loose wich caused it to loose it's memory from time to time.

    Interesting that someone else has the problem. We (us, I) probably need to keep a log as best we can to see if it is random, set number of on and off, always the same station it goes to, that kind of thing.

    Regardless, we need someone to tell us how it is suppose to work so we can better describe the problem. Heck, it could be the random problem is actually random correct and the rest of the time is wrong. How would we know?

    Where is our resident power user?

    Jack

    Jack
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    XM radio, being satellite doesn't work the same way FM radio does. Satellites, like NAV satellites take time to acquire (I presume here), in the same way your NAV is not instantly FULLY functional until it acquires satellite signal. It would seem reasonable then that until the satellites are detected, the radio would default to playing a signal it CAN acquire, the ever present FM radio signal.

    Just my thoughts - but no satellite NAV system I've ever used has EVER been instantly functional.
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    People who have reported the leaks have noted moisture in the headliner (near the dome light), seatbelts, and carpeting. These are the places to check for moisture. Of course this would be after a good rain.
  • jack118jack118 Member Posts: 4
    I would buy that except for the random nature of the changing. It is almost impossible to get an XM signal in my garage therefore it should default to FM everytime it didn't get a signal on start-up, but it doesn't. This only happens on occaision. The other times it just displays "no signal" until we back out and it acquires the signal.

    Jack
  • tourguidetourguide Member Posts: 190
    That is strange indeed. Perhaps a head unit warranty claim? Seems to me if it were normal behavior it would be repeatable. Of course you realize the problem you're going to have getting the service department to recognize and acknowledge this don't you? Unless they are VERY customer service oriented, they'll likely play thick-headed about this problem. Sheesh - I wish you luck on this.

    My personal solution to the general complaints about NAV radio quality (my plan at least) is to install an aftermarket sound system. Better quality for less money.
  • jack118jack118 Member Posts: 4
    I think they will scratch their heads, especially when they can't get anything from the repair database. I don't know what the solution will be and it is troublesome since we still don't know what it should do although we suspect it is suppose to stay with what was playing when shutoff.

    Jack
This discussion has been closed.