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Another post in that topic (Fog lights versus traction control(?)) cautioned that one should evaluate how much electrical load they're adding to their vehicle to insure they did not over stress (my words) their alternator and battery's charging ability.
Hope that helps. I have found that the fog lights on our '99 regular wheelbase Silhouette do not illuminate very much ground, even after asking that they be adjusted by the dealer. I uderstand your desire to install the equipment from a sister vehicle, but, because of these recommendations, and my experience, though limited, I would go with something else. Also, I'm not sure the opening at the base of the Venture's bumper would accept a Silhouette fog light; but, maybe it's the other way around. It is my off the top recollection that the Venture's foglights are round and fit in the bumper with no extra room, while the Silhouette's are horizontal at the outside edge of a much larger horizontal opening.
Good luck.
KarenS
Edmunds.com Town Hall Host
Has anyone ever looked into this?? Is a switch such as this possible or are there issues here such as location of floor mounts and/or seat belts?? I noticed in posting #443 that someone went to 8 passenger from the split bench - what about captain's chairs to 8 passenger? Would this be a fair swap financially if I found someone who really wanted the captain's chairs?
Any insight from the town hall would be so greatly appreciated!
Mike
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada
A good idea would be to remove the two Captains chairs and see how many floor fittings are underneath, as some maybe covered by the seats themselves.
Then comes the cost aspect of buying the three second row seats....
Let us know and if you measure, please no metrics here.!
Good luck,
Greg
Thanks
Melissa
I called the dealer and they would hear nothing of this - stating liability as the issue. Combing all the scrap yards came up with one set of 3 buckets - unfortunately they were grey while my interior is the taupe. Have also posted a swap ad in the local newspaper. Will let the group know if and when my search ends.
BTW, does anyone know where one could find GM brochures for the 97 vans??
Mike
Have you tried using the internet to look for junk yards to search for seats? Thats how I found my seats in Petersburg, VA. Most of the web sites have 800 numbers you can call directly to ask if they have the seats.
I may have my old 97 venture GM brochure. What did you want to know from it?
Cheers,
Greg
They work great, improve visibility substantially, they do not blind oncoming traffic, and Competition Limited guarantees their bulbs and wiring for 90 days. I sound like a commercial for them, but I have been very happy with a new found ability to see at night. I have put the higher wattage bulbs on my 2000 Montana (the same as the Venture and Silhouette) and they work great. Slight glitch with the fog lights and the high beams, but the fog lights are worthless anyway. I leave off the fog lights and the headlights work perfectly.
The next stop was the Chevy dealer. They had 2 leftover 2000 Ventures on the lot. They offer a $3000 rebate off the $22,831 sticker. That brings the price down to $19,831. It's an LS model with a CD player. They let us borrow it for the weekend to see how we like it. My question is, do you guys think it's a good deal? We are going to drive it around tomorrow and see how it is. Thanks for your help.
They put the LS and Quest at tied fourth, and usual niggles by the writers about interior switches etc. However it is the fastest in its class.
We have the 2000 LT 8 seater, and after 15,000 miles it has been mechanically fautless and good MPG (upto 32) on long trips. The 3.4 V6 engine can be a little noisy at first, but a silent highway cruiser on long trips.
If you are into home maintenance, changing the oil is about it, even the airfilter is like wrestling with the devil.
Good luck
If our dealers would have come up with that sort of price for us, we would have jumped at it [ central Fl ]the best offer they would do for a venture lx with cd was $26,100 & that was not including tax & title [ but did include the $3000 or 0% apr ]I told my husband if we could get one at that price it would be worth travelling to get it at that price.
We have been looking at the venture & like it very much, would love to hear from anyone who has one, good or bad comments !
We were loking at a dodge durango but read a lot of negatives about it so we are looking at vans again !!
Any help/comments much appreciated.
Thanks
14K for a car with 17K miles doesn't sound too bad. You lose several grand the minute you drive off the lot!
Water accumulates in the rear quarter panel where the jack is stored. During heavy rainfalls the water also leaks at the joints in the paneling of the inside rear storage area. Purchased in March noticed large quantity of water in storage area in July. Since August Van has been back to dealer five (5) times. Forth (4th) time area representative present during fix. Fifth (5th) time was by Chevy Engineer as service representative identified him. Car Still leaks.
Recommend anyone buying a Venture perform a water leak test on vehicle before acceptance of vehicle.
Run water for approximately 15 minutes over top of vehicle. Vehicle should be on slight angle to allow water to run off the Right Hand Side of the car by the Automatic Door. Check inside paneling for water drops and jack storage area. Other cars returned to my dealer also have leaks in the overhead console information center.
Anyone else have water problems. Please post if you do and if fix was found.
I have a 1998 Pontiac Transport, but since it was a Venture clone and there seem to be more folks here...
My driver's side wiper blade comes all the way past the windshield and wraps around slightly to the top of the drivers door. It tends to wear out the blades more quickly, and it makes an annoying "thump" when the blade slides off the glass and over the edge
I have mentioned this multiple times to the dealer when I am in for an oil change, but they haven't done anything. It doesn't seem to me that the blade arm can be easily calibrated; I tried by loosening the nut and moving the arm down. Didn't work.
Anybody else had this problem, or am I just lucky?
Trev
The rubber boots for the 2000 models are a clip style that relies on the geometric gap to create the seal. The 1999 models have a design like the side door hoses where there the rubber boot ends are threaded and make a better seal.
The fix was to apply a silicone sealant to all four ends of both hoses... I hope this helps...
Nothing is odd in Europe, just European. They use parking lights when they stop in the road, or double park (I live in Paris). They do not show parking lights when the vehicle is moving.
To the Sintra driver, I see lots of Sintras here. Lots of the panels look the same. The Opel dealer does my routine maintenance.
The insurance company thought I was crazy, but I consulted with my eye doctor, who confirmed the deformity (in the windshield, not me!!!) and explained that people with astigmatism (me) are very sensitive to distortion.
My advice, if you see a problem in the windshield, keep looking!! I do own a Pontiac Montana (similar to the Venture) and haven't seen anything in my windshield, so maybe the one you're looking at comes from a bad batch of glass. Look for vehicles manufactured weeks or months apart to see if they all share the same flaw.
What you describe is probably normal, but you can do the following to make sure:
1. Check the owners manual for a description of the normal limits. If the gauge doesn't go above the maximum specified in the manual, you're probably okay.
2. Next time you're in traffic, roll down your window a little and watch the gauge and listen for the electric radiator fan. As the temperature gauge rises, the fan should kick on, and then you'll see the temp. fall a little.
If these two tests check out okay, I'd say you're fine, but a trip to a mechanic might give you more peace of mind.....
why do GM use the "turn signal" as its DRL when almost everyone else uses the headlights????
does anyone know if you can use a brighter bulb in the Ventures headlight, the beam is so dark I thought I was going blind!
My only other complaint is getting the dam change oil light to reset. I change my oil every 3-4K, not the 7,500 recommended. Therefore I can't use the oil life monitoring system because I change the oil more frequently. Its a fight every time.
Other than these issues, my wife would never give up the van and my kids love it.
I got the plus value - extended with the upgraded cd radio system and rear air conditioning. I've had the van now for 10 months have have put 15,000 miles on it.
I took a close look at the Ford Winstar and Dodge Caravan and clearly found the Venture a better buy.
In reading the handbook, 7500 is the top mileage for an oil change and cannot imagine there is much integrity left in the oil. The value/cost of an oil change versus potential engine damage is a compelling reason for me to stick to the 3000.
I reset the oil change light each time and have not had a problem. The handbook is clear that the system measures other criteria - heat/engine revs and not mileage based.
We are close to 18000 on an LT since March and we love the long haul/distance capability - college, ice hockey etc.
I'm in no hurry to do this, though....I kind of go with the "unless its broken, don't fix it" rule.
the leading bottom corner of all four side popout windows was leaking (the wife felt a draft and I told her she was imaging things and then the next day in the rain it let water in the next day!)
and I found good couple of inches of water in jack area (due to previous posts regarding this problem)
I got the service manager at the dealership to talk with GM technical support before he got the vehicle...
solution to side popout windows... they put some silicone spray on the side windows and mentioned this has to do with less body stiffness due to the dual sliding doors... my response (being an engineer) was that they should have put more stiffness in the frame / floor and/or the roof... I can't wait till it does it again... I don't think GM is the only one is this design situation... if that is the case, what happens to the new quad door full-size pickups with a good load in the rear?
solution to the jack area... they sealed the jack area front the inside and outside and then sprayed an undercoating on the outside area... they found one of the body seals was not fully welded...
alvin_ruffle@urmc.rochester.edu Have a great holiday everyone.