2010-2011 Buick LaCrosse

e_net_rider · October 2011

As you know, reception has been a big issue for me with dropouts.
Yesterday I stopped at light. Rear shade was down and I raised. As it neared top, signal dropped. I lowered and as soon as it started moving down, signal dropped untill nearly half way down. I repeated this several times to verify.
It was purely by accident that I discovered this quirk. I was likely in an area of an already weak signal, but the shade interferring is likely something GM overlooked.
Does anyone know where the diplexing unit is located. There are some where the antenna cables were hooked up backwards, a simple swap.
Diplexer funtions for mixing the different signals through the antenna, both transmit and receive. XM would use it and possibly OnStar. FM uses rear window as I recall.

e_net_rider · October 2011

One last thing I will be checking carefully as a first item. The "SEAT!" for comfort.
One vehicle they were considering putting me in as a loaner was a JEEP cherokee. The comfort level of the seats was many times better, particularly in padding and support. Even the Malibu has better seats in my opinion, in suede. They are extremely firm, but quite supportive, and no feeling of a hard pan under the padding.

ntpro · October 2011

Mine have the Michelen's. I saw on several other forums too complaints on the Goodyears so I was happy to see I wouldn't have to worry about it. I really wanted the AWS version as I live in Ohio, but it was very hard to find in the config I wanted. I couldn't go to the more plentiful 2012 models as I wanted the 0% financing. I hated buying a 2011 when the 2012 was out, but I couldn't pass up 0%. Even 1.9% adds a lot more money to the term.

ntpro · October 2011

Although I have only had the car for a week, I use the rear shade all the time (and of course, it gets forced down when in reverse) and I have had no antenna issues. I would be very surprised if it interfered. It is inside the car and the FM antenna, if integrated in to the rear window would get the signal from the outside of the car. Same goes for the top antenna, which is above the shade on the top of the car. Doesn't seem likely. I think with all of the issues you are having, you would just move on to another car? :shades:

e_net_rider · October 2011

I can't say for sure how it is happening, but suspect metal parts in it are acting as a reflector/director as in antennae technology. Note, it only showed up when the signal was likely marginal yet still strong enough to gather.
But with so many dropouts as I have, that could be a large number of the times that it is reducing signal beyond an acceptable level. One thing for sure, I know a lot of people who have reception issues, ie dropouts, with GM products. Which I find surprising because it was no issue with the Malibu, which was the first XM I had.
One GM person said, "that is just the way it is". They get complaints frequently that signals dropout all through the Everglades. Duh?, It is likely cell phones and OnStar working on cell service would. How many people live in that area making it wise to put towers up every few miles. Maybe none?
For sure, I won't be buying anything relatively new in GM line. I'd be stupid to chance 3 in a row. I'd bet that would never happen, and bet it would never happen 2 in a row. Surprise! There are a couple of older models I might consider in the GM line, ones that have a good reputation. My son-in-law has a Tahoe with way over 100K. Other than routine maintenance, gas, oil, tires, brakes, it has never had anything done except two new windshields. Limbs fell from the same tree twice. But truthfully, he has been ignoring a broken electric lock on passenger and the tailgate will not lock, at all. Still not bad and he uses it for pulling a boat long distance a few times a year.

tjc78 · October 2011

Hi all, if you don't read some of the other forums here I did decide on the LaCrosse. I ended up with a Black/Titanium Premium III w/ NAV, Sunroof, and Driver Confidence.

It is a really nice ride. Only have a little over 100 miles on it at this point, so lots of learning to do.

Its comfortable, fairly quick and the features are pretty nice. The system accepted my 16GB thumb stick full of music with no problem and my Droid Incredible paired up nicely. My phone #s came over too even though the GM bluetooth site said it wouldn't.

I'm sure I'll have some questions with the NAV unit, etc. Thanks for all the comments.

Pics and Sales Story here: Click Me

bwia · October 2011

Congrats on the purchase/lease of your brand new 2012 LaCrosse. Black is a terrific color and the grey interior is a good choice to keep down the heat during the summer. But though matter how hot it is outside the AC is powerful enough to cool you down rapidly.

BTW, there are several GM produced Youtube videos to help navigate through some of the tech gizmos.

Enjoy the ride and drive safely.

e_net_rider · October 2011

Just for curiosity, what type of files did you put on the stick?
If GM actually tested your Droid model, possibly it has had updates since then. Glad it worked.

tjc78 · October 2011

They are all 256 or above MP3 on a San Disk 16gb thumb drive .

Thanks, BWIA. I will do some searching

dodgeman07 · October 2011

Congrats tjc78, I'm sure you'll love your Lacrosse. I bought a new 2011 last month and love it. I've averaged close to 26mpg through 1300 miles (4-cyl engine) and it is a flawless machine in every respect.

e_net_rider · October 2011

Thanks for the reply. I too had no problems with MP3 being read.
If you get the other types as written in manual to play, please post.
There are several types listed and I had tried the M4A, both flavors, AAC type with Nero encoder (lossy but better than MP3 according to many) and the Apple type (ALAC - Apple "lossless" audio codec). Neither worked from the same stick I had the MP3's on.
Since you might like MP3, I will pass some knowledge on. I used Foobar mostly with plugins. However since getting the iPod I was getting to like iTunes. It has lots of features, but something popped up that has been in general discussion for years concerning MP3. That is, "Which codec is better?" It approached a boil when MS introduced WME. Prior OS used a Franhoffer CODEC that was near the top of the list for quality. But MS, in an effort to push its format, WMA (windows media), replaced that with a dumbed down Franhoffer version. It was locked so it would not encode or decode to a rate better than 128kbs. That way MS could claim there built-in WMA was better than the (built-in) MP3. With a bit of trickery, you could get the old one to install in WME, but nothing later. So, many switched to other MP3 CODEC widely available on internet.
Here is the rub. Manufacturers can use any CODEC they want for MP3, some licensed maybe. And I've recently been finding posts that in the back of my mind I might have suspected. The posts report that the CODEC for MP3 in iTunes produces inferior quality. To that I must say there is a distinguishable difference between iTunes and Foobar. Which begs the question, "Is Apple playing the same game as MS, favoring it's ALAC CODEC, usually acquired by purchasing songs from their store?"
"And finally, which CODEC is installed in this system for decoding your portable music?"
The answer to that became easy for me since GM is not even able to say which portable HDD's work, use lossless whenever possible.
My first choice was the ALAC and to acquire a codec/transcoder that would do the job. That way I could easily still make use of functions in iTunes which readily recognizes M4A, both types. (So far, it is the best I've used for cataloging over 30,000 songs) Many are MP3, 180kbs and above, but I also have a large number, maybe 4000, on computer that are lossless. They are APE (monkey's audio), FLAC (free lossless audio codec), WAV, and ALAC. There is also WMA-lossless available, but I have none, and don't know about compatibility with iTunes. APE and FLAC are not. Easily transcoded to WAV, but that makes the hugest file. ALAC, APE, & FLAC are approximately half that size and identical quality.
My first choice for making my music, jukebox style, available in the car was the portable HDD. That worked out so well (sarcasm).
Other choices then became, burn all of it to CD's, a mountain of CD's, oops I dropped them.
Burn all of them to DVD but I'm not certain they would play from a DVD.
Use thumb drives. Doable with MP3 but it appears not so with lossless type. And even so, with close to 300GB of music files, it would get rather cumbersome and expensive to put them all on thumb drives. No way to load more than one stick.
The only way I've found that works for different CODEC, lossless and a high number of songs is iPod. But it has size limitations limiting the size of your library.
Good Luck.

e_net_rider · October 2011

First, fix the portable HDD issue.
Second, make the system smarter. Those who have been able to get a portable HDD to work (not on this vehicle) have run into an issue. Each time you plug your portable device or shut off your vehicle, none of the info is retained. And the larger the volume, the longer it takes for the system to reload and categorize the music. That is just plain dumb and frankly stupid for a company that claims to know enough about computers to intall them in automobiles.
Plug your portable device into your computer. Put a shortcut to a file from it to your desktop. Unplug it, restart computer, plug device back in, click on shortcut. How long did it take to access the file?
Those shortcuts (file links) with tag info should be stored on built-in HDD until you choose to rebuild the catalog. Seconds to see or choose what you want to play versus many minutes to rebuild the information. One user claimed it took about five minutes every morning to build his catalog, a small fraction of what I have and many have ten times more than me.
(Ricky Ricardo voice. "GM {Lucy}, you got alot of fixin tu do!")

dj2006 · October 2011

Hi
Does anyone know if the upgraded Navigation system with the IntelliLink apps is available on 2012 models now? I had one salesman say yes and another say it won't be added till early 2012.
Thanks

e_net_rider · October 2011

Ain't that a hoot!
Adding the missing voice commands sounds like a fix to me. Making use of Nuance's software for voice recognition may be a step in the right direction.
Really they need to fix the issue of being able to use a HDD as in my earlier posting.
Pandora, I have on my iPod, is just another lossy format. You can pay for a higher quality stream, 192 kbs, but I have no idea if that is MP3 or some other lossy format. But I guess it might give you an alternative to XM.
If you like CD quality music, radio that is, give this link a try.
http://network.absoluteradio.co.uk/core/audio/oggflac/live.pls?service=a8
I use it in Foobar, but it works in several players including WMP.
You have got to have a fast connection because it typically is over 1100 kbs in lossless codec, ogg-flac.
If the above did not work in your player, try this one. Same place.
http://icecast.as34763.net/a8flac.ogg
They have different streams depending upon your choice of genre.

bwia · October 2011

Buick has done it again but much better this time.

I was perusing the 2012 LaCrosse brochure and I was blown away by layout and high quality of interior photos in the brochure. Not sure who the target audience is but it has quite a few pictures of young attractive women either as potential buyers or eye candy for the unsuspecting gent.

What's new for 2012? Other than the horsepower bump, the NAV interface looks different from the 2011 and the brochure mentions that the HDD is now 80GB with 30GD devoted to music. It also mentions Buick IntelliLink interactive radio (late availability). It goes on to say that with the ease of voice commands you can choose from Pandora Internet radio, Stitcher SmartRadio and available SiriusXM.

Wow! that's fantastic but I was wondering if I could upgrade my 2011 infotainment system to this new and improve system? And yes, that 2012 brochure again, it is of the highest quality and the best such marketing promotion I have ever seen from GM, ever. Pick up a copy and see and feel for yourself.

gmcustsvc · October 2011

dj2006,
It wont be available until early 2012. I would recommend working with the sales person who gave you the accurate information. If you have any other questions about the new Lacrosse, and would like a more intimidate answer, I would definitely recommend utilizing the web chat tool on the web sites. GM has agents available to chat on GM sites. They can assist with incentives, feature availability, locating a specific vehicle or even a dealer. You can find this "floating button" on the current offers page of www.buick.com. Hope this helps! Thank you for your interest in the new Lacrosse!
Christina
GM Customer Service

bobad · October 2011

Congrats buddy. I'm jealous, got to go drive one!

bwia · October 2011

Thought I'd share a GM produced video demo on the new IntelliLink system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0pxtaTcaKw&feature=relmfu

Enoy!

bwia · November 2011

This forum is dead so I am hoping this post will ignite some discussion.

Hyundai has targeted its 2012 Azera directly at potential LaCrosse buyers. The elegantly dressed Azera comes with standard leather, navigation, and V-6 delivering 293 hp with better mileage than even the Avalon. No pricing details yet but it will probably sell at a significantly lower price than the Lacrosse Premium I.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGEyqgU-JXw

bobad · November 2011

I had great hopes for the Lacrosse. It's a handsome car, and GM gave it their best shot at building in quality and reliability. Unfortunately, the Azera (and V6 Genny) make it irrelevant.

tjc78 · November 2011

I wouldn't say that. I've driven an Azera (not new upcoming model) and I've owned and Avalon and a V6 Genesis. All of the cars have their strongpoints. The Avalon is the roomiest,has the best engine, and has a very soft ride. The Genesis is the best handling machine of the group and has a slight edge in interior materials, but the ride is awful (jittery and unsettled on all but perfect roads). The LaCrosse seems to blend everything together pretty well. The premium III I have (think previous CXS w/o the adaptive ride) is just firm enough to allow decent handling but still deliver a very comfortable compliant ride. All the technology works as well as the other cars and it's roomy and comfortable. The revised 3.6 is a sweet engine, but the car could use a diet to make up some mpg. The Lacrosse is behind the others slightly in that category.

crankeee · November 2011

The Hyundai boys have been trying to break into the near lux market for some years IMO. The Sonata and Elantra models have opened up the small and midsized market with GREAT products and price points. We have a 2010 CXL( 3.0L V-6) and could not be happier. Intersting that GM offers Premium models w/o the adjustable ride and other problem features.
Now considering a new Sonata to fill out the garage with warranteed vehicles. Gotta keep an open mind on changes in the car market.
Agree with your comment the forum is dead - Esp. w/o the bashers.

tjc78 · November 2011

Intersting that GM offers Premium models w/o the adjustable ride and other problem features.

They really changed the way the cars are optioned up. There are no trim lines, only packages w/ some additional standalone options.

For example, the 2012 I just got was a "Premium III" w/ NAV, Roof, and Driver Confidence. The "Touring" is the new package that gets you the adjustable suspension and 19" wheels (PIII has 18" chrome)

I would guess the closest 2011 would have been a CXL V6 w/ additional options. I believe the CXS came standard with the adaptive suspension, or was that a package that you could add to the CXS?

crankeee · November 2011

Very interesting post. By letting the consumer order ONLY the options he/she wants they end up with a happier post sale feeling. Your PIII with 18" wheels lets you get the Michelin tires and NOT the adaptive suspension that has been problematic along with the 19" Goodyears that used to come with. We got the 18" with Michelin Pilots - great tires IMO and the 18" allows for less of the low profile approach that we wanted. I like the change to individual options - like the old days before the "packs" where you had to buy Nav to get leather etc. Enjoy the new car.

bwia · November 2011

The sunroof is a sour point though. In all packages the sunroof is a high price option. I believe it should be standard in the Premium III and Touring packages. For example in the Avalon Limited (and I believe the Genesis) the sunroof is standard.

Moving unto another topic. After 16 months I have finally passed the 10,000 miles threshold on my 2011 CXS. The car has been trouble-free and performs the same as it did on the first day of ownership. In that time I've had four oil changes (one free) and one tire rotation. I use Shell V-Power 93 octane and I am very happy with the performance I am getting from the very spirited V-6.

All I can say is that I am very happy with my LaCrosse and I have no regrets except that if it were possible I would welcome the opportunity to upgrade to the Interlink system. Does anyone know if that is technically possible and if so at what price?

cooleydd · November 2011

I have the 19" tires and hate them. They ride hard and damage easily. Can I go down to a smaller tire like 18" or even 16"? I know I would have to buy new rims. Can this be done and what difference would it cause on the adaptive suspension, etc.

cooleydd · November 2011

I have some 4GB of CD's on my computer using Windows Media Player. How can I get these to the hard disk on my Lacrosse. Windows Media shows the title, disk, etc. - will these transfer if I copy over to the HD.

tjc78 · November 2011

It should show title, etc. What I would do is, transfer the music to a DVD, USB stick or multiple data CDs and then load it up into the car. However the titles show up while the disk is playing is how the HDD will store them.

I recently burned about a 100 MP3s onto a DVD and loaded them onto the hard drive. I was suprised how quickly the system copied them.

ab348 · November 2011

Irrelevant? Don't be absurd. They're still Hyundais, for good and bad. The Genesis has hardly been the second coming the Hyundai cheerleaders claim it would be and I expect the Azera to be widely praised by the so-called automotive journalists but have its own set of issues in the real world.

One thing Hyundai does better than everyone else, without question, is the ability to get automotive websites and others to tout their products by whatever means possible. Perhaps the rumors that they pay cash are true.

The Buick remains in a class that is several cuts above Hyundai.

bwia · November 2011

cooleydd,

I had the same questions concerns about the 19" wheels and tires but alas it would not be a good idea to move down to smaller tires. I spoke with my service manager and a GM engineer and they both said the same thing...don't do it.

Since the CXS with the Touring package and adaptive suspension was designed to work exclusively with the 19" wheels and tires any change to smaller tires would degrade ride and handling to unacceptable levels.

e_net_rider · November 2011

I agree that there may be some concerns relating to tire size change. But I'm unsure that GM figured that much out.
According to build it site, Buick offered the H-arm suspension on all except the bottom one near the end of 2010's, maybe early 2011. I know because I was very interested in the special suspension.
It was listed for awhile that way on the top three models, maybe even standard. I assumed it was needed for the AWD setup.
Note, at that time it did not include 19" wheels or the full time monitoring of suspension system.
By the build it site, it totally disappeared as an option for awhile. Not listed with any level.
After a couple of months passed, it was back on the build it site, but only available on the CXS. This is the first I recall it being an option, that is part of an option package as well.
So, when I ordered I was aware it included the H-arm, 19" wheel, and full time adaptive suspension with sport mode.
But no one said anything about the horrible Goodyear tires being part of it.
With my experience, I can not think of any good reason to make them part of the package.
Except maybe you drive too fast all of the time. I noticed that at 100 the roughness went away and the noise was less noticeable because of increased other noises. Steering was very crisp at those speeds and faster.
Perhaps the Michelin would degrade a little at those speeds, but who really drives that fast all the time.
It would seem the advantages of the Michelin would be far greater than the Goodyear.
Either tire would benefit from a little fine tuning of that suspension system.
What I noticed on some surfaces was the poor planning of the articulation of the H-arm. A slight bump in the road would cause a rear tire to move in and out and induce sway on the rear of the vehicle. Likely the stiffness of the Goodyear and the low profile contributed to the degree of this bad handling. By going to sport mode, which stiffened suspension, it eliminated that sway in all but the worst cases. And that road was rough to the point that the stiffness made for a hard ride.

So, when the H-arm was on CXL FWD and CXL AWD and CXS with the 18" wheels, the higher profile likely made that action less objectionable, allowing more give to sidewall.
In all, I'd say GM could have designed better. Initially to chose better pivot points to reduce the in and out action of the wheel. Add load leveling so no matter your load, the rear behaved the same way. Also by not allowing those big height changes on the rear, you don't effect the steering angles on the front. Nor headlight aiming.
It is almost as if they chose to make a worse vehicle.

cooleydd · November 2011

I have had the dealer look at the delay twice and they could not reproduce. Contacted GM Customer Service. The outcome of that contact was "If the dealer can not reproduce - there is nothing we can do". So I live with the shifting delay and compensate in the way I drive.

cooleydd · November 2011

I have a 2010 Lacrosse (6 cyl) and a Chev Cobalt and a Pontiac Vibe. I need to make these so they do not run and want to do so without disconnecting the batteries. Any easy way to do this or any gadget that I could add. Have a problem child that will steal them if she finds a key (we try to hide).

Suggestions please - something easy to do but she would never know.

tjc78 · November 2011

Find out which fuse is the fuel pump and pull it out.

joelippard3 · November 2011

I just got a 2010 White Diamond LaCrosse CXS with 16k on it about a month ago, and I am absolutely in love. Mine is completely loaded including HID & HUD. I recently had the chance to drive a CXL 4cyl while mine was in to have the tires re-balanced. I must say there is quite a difference in those two cars. I don't think I'd pay good money for the lesser model. I don't mean this snobbishly but I kind of wish they had not produced those lesser versions thus cheapening the model line with them.
The seats were no where near as comfortable as the perforated ones in the CXS also, the ride was not as soft or quiet either, not to mention the lack of power. It felt like a completely different car, more like a Camry. Did I mention that I'm in love with this car!

bwia · November 2011

joelippard3,

Welcome and congrats on purchasing your CXS. And welcome to the growing number of satisfied LaCrosse owners. For a moment there I thought you quoted a purchase price of $16k, which would have been be a phenomenal deal, but on further review it was the odometer reading. Nonetheless, enjoy your LaCrosse and Happy Thanksgiving.

bobad · November 2011

Really? And just what are the Hyundai's mysterious "set of issues"? Do you have evidence that Hyundai is paying automotive journalists to praise their products, or is that something you made up? Instead of being grumpy, you need to get out and drive the new Azera and Genny V6. Nothing is "several cuts" above them.

Granted Buick is improving, and I'm very happy about that. I wish I could justify buying American. However when I plunk down $35K, I have to get the best car for the money. IMHO, that's not a Buick right now.

tjc78 · November 2011

I had an 09 Genesis and now a 12 LaCrosse PIII. The LaCrosse is the better car in most every way. The Genny handles better at the limits at the major expense of ride quality, and has a slight edge in interior materials. The Lacrosse ride blows away the Gen, the 3.6 is smoother than the 3.8 and equal to the 4.6. GMs HiPer struts practically eliminate torque steer and the car has a great balance of ride/handling not floaty but not harsh either.

cooterbfd · November 2011

As a proud owner of a '10 Lacrosse CXS as well as 3 other Buicks, I'll STILL say Hundee is the official car of the underemployed!!!!

dodgeman07 · November 2011

I agree the new Azera looks good. Hyundai hit the mark targeting Honda with their Elantra and Sonata. The problem is many Americans don't look to Honda as a benchmark any longer.

The 2012 Azera needs to come in under $30K to make a big impact. It looks good and has specs to attract the baby boomers that want refinement. Price will be key. At $35K the new Azera won't do a lot of damage. At $29K it could be a home run.

gmcustsvcsarah · November 2011

Congratulations on your new vehicle, joelippard3! I'm glad you love it so much, and I hope it serves you and your friends and family well!

All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

e_net_rider · November 2011

Lacrosse CXS with Touring is HARSH on quite a few surfaces, especially if you opt for sport mode to take the sway out of the rear.
Much discussion, thinking is that the 19" Goodyear are responsible for much of it. I personally would agree with that, but since I have not driven any equipped the same without the Goodyear, I cannot testify to that or if something would be lost in the handling with different tires.
The hyper strut is claimed to be eliminating torque steer, but I'm not sure on that. I had a 96 Olds Aurora, with the Aurora/Northstar engine, and it had absolutely no torque steer. It's suspension was very different and because of the quality of ride I wish GM had continued it.
I do agree that the hyper strut is much better than without for handling. But I'm not sure of the reason for an item. That is if cornering, or turning even a little, from a dead stop it was easy to break the tires loose, squealing. Not exactly confidence building as to what might happen in other cornering situations, but it never broke loose other than from a dead stop or unless there was a little fresh snow. That and the Goodyears has been discussed at length, and it seems to be an absolute that you don't want those tires with any amount of snow.

e_net_rider · November 2011

kCongrats. hope all stays well. Can you give a bit more detail as to equipment? There were many changes, even mid-year. There were a number of complaints involving the Nav system and it's function involving 2010 models. Also changes in suspension. That is you may have gotten H-arm without 19" Goodyear or the electronic suspension control. Also it seems the side mirror puddle lamps were added late and then the SBZA a bit later.
You mention seating being better. What did the 4 cylinder have? Cloth or non-perforated leather? Comparing the perforated leather and cooled, I found them very uncomfortable for the distance compared to other vehicles in both leather and cloth. Even a several year old Jeep, high end, had superior seating for distance.
Does yours have the high end HK audio? I found CXL to be quieter and I contribute that to the quieter Michelin tire and because they had the low end audio which does not have speakers in the rear deck. Because of poor sound deadening material in the trunk and the lack of a speaker enclosure to isolate the trunk from the interior via the speaker, noise entered that way as well.
Also some noise likely because the seals at the front door edge were not making contact with the fender, as observed from outside the vehicle.

I am in total agreement regarding the articulating HID and the HUD. They make such a difference in driving safety that they should be added to almost all vehicles. It is something I include in my wish list from now on. I'm pretty sure you don't have SBZA, but that is something I really liked until it got messed up. When it was working as designed, it eliminated much of the time needed to thoroughly check surroundings. That extra time can lead to a serious rear-ending of vehicles that suddenly stop ahead of you.
Happy motoring.

joelippard3 · November 2011

Mine is a late 2010. I havent' had any trouble with the NAV system, or any other components for that matter. I do have the Hyper-Strut Electronic suspension which is what I wanted, combined with those beautiful 19" wheels. I also have the puddle lamps but not the SBZA.

The 4cyl had the non perforated leather and they definetly were not as comfortable as the seats in my CXS. I also have the Harmon Kardon system and it's miles better than the standard.

I'm not sure those Goodyears are the best choice for a car of this caliber and I highly doubt that I'll replace them with the same. I tend to buy Continentals and will likely replace the Goodyears with their DWS tire when they are worn out. They have assured me they have balanced them as best as they can but they still are not 100% perfect, hopefully they'll wear in a bit if I don't rotate too frequently.

e_net_rider · November 2011

kGood to hear everything is working.
I once got a "Service Suspension System" on the DIC. I know the dealer replaced nothing. They said they could find nothing wrong and just reset it. In retrospect, I wonder if they just turned the system off.
You are so right about the audio system. The standard is like something that came from the 60's as the base radio.
I doubt the Goodyears will last long enough to wear the tread off. Note! They have full coverage till about 13000miles and then it drops drastically. I had two go bad in that time. And unfortunately they were not on the same axle. The first one around 9K and the first thing I noticed with the new tire is you could tell you had a new one and one with some use on the same axle. It seems that with these tires, the Goodyear anyway, perhaps sizing too, that they really should be handled like shocks or any other tire purchase. Always in pairs, whether one axle or two.
I had done some shopping and it seems the Continental and Michelin would both be wise choices. Note, I had tried to get rid of these Goodyear from day one. Less than 50 miles on rubber and two major tire dealers told me they give me for the tires, $50 and $0.
Not just on this vehicle, GM has been having major issues with Goodyear tires. Hard to keep balanced and abnormal wear patterns. The Chev dealer was trying to overcome some of it by recommending frequent rotations. Along with quality of tire, they were blaming low air for the cupping that was occuring and hence frequent rotation. And on air, it seems to be a known problem, that GM aluminum alloy wheels leak air. I found myself adding air as often as twice a month to maintain recommended pressure. That sucks, having to do that much maintenance for tires.
You'd wish you had the SBZA if you had experience with it. That is assuming you don't have malfunction issues with it. Then it is junk.

Good Luck.

bwia · November 2011

Not sure if this article is an insult or a compliment but here goes.

TrueCar.com compiled a list of the top brands purchased by seniors in 2009 and 2010, by percentage of buyers.

Topping the list of brands were Buick, Lincoln and Cadillac.The survey shows that 58.9% of LaCrosse buyers were seniors.

Although it has been gaining buyers in all segments, Buick leads all brands in the percentage of senior buyers, with 57.5%. For the first seven months, Buick sales rose 27.2%, leading all GM brands, while the average age of the brand's buyers is falling. Read more at
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11230364/1/10-top-cars-old-folks-buy.html?cm_ven=- outbrain&psv=outbraintopstories&tools=

ab348 · November 2011

I have had Goodyear Eagle tires as OEM equipment on several cars and would never buy them as replacements. They tend to be lousy tires in my experience. I suspect they are sold to manufacturers on the basis of some MBA's spreadsheet of best price/performance, which means they are a compromise. I tend to be a Michelin man when it comes time to replace tires and have had very good luck with every Michelin tire I have ever owned.

cooleydd · November 2011

I just did a search on a Nav Upgrade disk and found out the price is $190 - WOW - I can buy a new Garmin for half that amount (and for a little more have free lifetime upgrades).

I suppose this is excluded from either the initial warranty of an extended warranty.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, WHEN YOU PAY THIS MUCH FOR THE CAR AND THE SYSTEM - UPGRADES SHOULD BE FREE OR SOMEPLACE WITHIN A RESONABLE PRICE. WOULD NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT AGAIN WITHOUT AT LEAST FREE UPGRADES DURING ANY WARRANTY.

bobinor · November 2011

Which is one of the reasons I opted to NOT buy the NAV pkg. I reasoned I could buy over 3 years of OnStar turn-by-turn directions service and still not come close to what the NAV would have cost new on my 2011 CXS. I also have a Garmin that I carry in the car to use when all else fails. Sure, I don't have the whatever GB hard drive but my iPhone works great for my musical enjoyment. Why should I take the time to download music to my car when it's all in the iPhone? I don't see a downside to not being able to record from the radio. I canceled XM after the free period. I just don't spend my life in the car so all these entertainment options don't really matter to me.

bobinor · November 2011

I have never experienced "sway" in my 2011 CXS with the 19" and GYs. Just returned yesterday from a 1500 mile round trip to Calif. from Oregon and the car still rides like a dream. If you recall, we have a bit of rain in Oregon and the first half of our trip was in rainy conditions.

I'm at about 8700 miles on the CXS and this is the 2nd trip to Calif. Yes, different road surfaces make the tires ride quieter or noisier but that's the pavement as much as the tire. Even on the noisiest surface, aggregated concrete, the sound is nowhere near as objectionable as the noise from my 2010 Equinox with 18" Michelins on asphalt. YMMV

2010-2011 Buick LaCrosse

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