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SUVs Buick Rainier Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy
18277 messages, Last post on Nov 18, 2009 at 6:43 AM
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| The comments from the CR article sound like the same complaints they make about any truck or truck based SUV. My Envoy handles well, brakes well, and gets decent fuel economy compared to the competition. Lets face it, CR wants all of us to be driving little econoboxes with hybrid fuel systems. I'm sorry, but they just don't cut it for me. If I want a washer or dryer, I will consult CR. For a car, truck, or SUV, I will consult the automotive press, and it continues to have nothing but good things to say about the Envoy. My ownership and driving experience confirms the positive press reviews. | |
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I too have mirror issues -- anjin_nav my passenger one just started clunking in reverse when tilting downward. I'll try your fix and see what happens. I still feel there is a bug somewhere in the design as I all too often note they don't line back up just perfect afterwards.
hotshot7 Could be just me, but I've listened to both Bose and non-bose and I'd get the Bose if I were you. I did it on my GTP and loved it and with the TB...it's 10x better than my Pontiac was. Much richer than stock, better lows and real clear. I love music and would hate each drive if I didn't get the Bose System. I can live without the changer though.
tim |
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flyguy5 any conclusion on the rise in temps while at idle? My guess is it's normal and something to live with, but I do wish it wouldn't raise up in temp like that. Odd design IMO. Flaw actually. the door Rattle...I had it too on washboard roads. The dealer adjusted the rear drivers door and now it's, well....Like a Rock as Chevy states. tim http://www.iwaynet.net/~tlauro/go-cars/trailblazer/1-main-page.html |
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Am I alone on this?
Not big deal as the dealer fixed it right away and even gave me a demo LTZ to drive but:
A week or so ago, according to the dealer, the linkage connecting the shifter to the tranny came loose, thus I found myself unable to get the car in Park, reverse or Overdrive. Just D3, 2, 1.
Pretty scary considering I was parked head first! Had to push her out of the spot.
Anyway, anyone else have this happen?
tim |
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A problem with these trucks is that they're pretty complicated. GM does a decent enough job recording operation of the features in the Owner's Manual, but who wants to read that? I want to get out and DRIVE! Anyway, I wrestled with the mirrors a lot myself, especially when I thought the mirrors weren't adjusting properly. After some experimentation, I found that the greatest source of variation in the mirrors was ME. I would get in and sit in a different position almost every time I drove. It's a fact that after sleeping we're all a little taller, so your mirrors might appear aimed downward in the morning. Then after slouching all day over a computer's keyboard, I found myself slouching while driving home, making the mirrors appear adjusted too high. After a couple of long drives (240 miles), I even found my posture changed over time. That's not to say something couldn't be wrong with your mirrors, but get them adjusted and tweak them to meet YOUR changes in posture. That revelation sure helped my state of mind. As for the Bose system, hotshot7, I'm not much of an audiophile, so I make a pretty poor judge. The regular speakers seem pretty good to me. However, Bose has a decent reputation out there, and a lot of my friends who CAN tell the difference in sound quality between a CD and an MP3 file tell me the Bose is a much better speaker. Also, with the Bose system, you'll get the adaptive sound that "listens" to the vehicle and adds the appropriate frequencies as your driving environment changes. For example, as your speed increases and you get more tire noise, the Bose system is supposed to increase amplitude of the appropriate frequencies in your music that would normally be drowned out by the tires. I've read a number of comments in these forums from those who said they couldn't hear the difference, but that is exactly the point! Finally, (and forgive the long post) in their 2001 Death Valley Torture Test, September issue, Motor Trend gave the Envoy A/C a pretty good review for cooling the vehicle from 120 to 88.4 (degrees F) at idle after five minutes. That's not too bad, especially when you consider the engine is producing the least power at idle. You may notice your fan blowing a little slower (remember, the electrical power is drawn off the engine, too), and maybe the air blown is a little warmer (the compressor gets its power straight off the engine), but remember, at idle is just when the engine has the least power to spare. Also, you might have the auto A/C, and it may simply be decreasing its cooling intensity automatically. Unfortunately, that's just when we, the driver, seem to want the most from our A/C! Just some food for thought.... |
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Thanks for your insights, but I promise, the mirror problem is not related to posture. The dealer acknowledged the problem and reprogrammed the key fobs. The mirrors worked for one day, then started going haywire again. This is what happens: 1. Reset mirrors and program driver 1 position according to the instructions in the owners manual on page 1-3. 2. Get out of car and lock it. 3. Open all doors by pressing unlock button on driver 1 key fob twice. 4. Mirrors move to random position 5. Get in car and press button for driver 1 seat on door panel. Mirrors will sometimes return to original position, but most of the time move to yet another random position. 6. Press driver 2 button on door panel, then immediately press driver 1 button - Mirrors return to original positions programmed in step 1. All this happens with car in park. To make matters worse, the mirrors will move while the vehicle is in motion if Seat Position Recall is turned on in the DIC. The driver mirror will micro-adjust to an extreme inward position so I can no longer see the lane next me. All I see is truck body. The passenger mirror micro-adjusts to an extreme outward and upward position so I can no longer see any portion of my truck body in the mirror, only sky. With the setting turned off, the mirrors remain fixed. |
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| Interestingly enough, I have the same problem with the memory mirrors on my STS. When the passenger-side mirror has tilted down when in reverse, sometimes instead of returning to the normal position, it aims all the way up to the sky. My dealership is aware and has been unable to fix it--they seem to recognize it's a problem. I suspect that these SUVs and the STS use similar electronics for the memory systems, since the features are all pretty much the same, so I bet it's a similar problem. As such, based on my experience, don't hold out too much hope for a permanent fix. At least with mine, it's an intermittent problem, corrected by putting the car in park and hitting the memory button again. | |
| Hotshot7 - I have had several vehicles (including 2 Corvettes) in the past with Bose soundsystems. They all sounded terrible. However, I have to say that I was shocked at the level of sound quality in my TB Bose system. The highs are high and the lows are low. The old systems sounded very flat and almost muffled. I have not had the opportunity to listen to the stock TB system, but I highly recommend the Bose system. | |
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For some time now, I have been following these three new vehicles and still continue to be very impressed with them. I'm not really in the market for a vehicle, but maybe I will be sometime. I like all of them for different reasons but maybe you all could help me by explaining why you bought which one you did. Here's what I think of each so far: CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER -Great, muscular, eye-catching good looks, especially a black LTZ. -Very good features for dollar, and best value of bunch. -Availability of LT w/ cloth, Bose, and Auto air. -From what I have read and seen, very cheap, downmarket plastic interior parts, especially dash. -Can't get an LTZ with cloth; I've read about other's mentioning here too. Wonder if it could be special ordered or if dealer would swap seats with an LT for either a discount or a slight charge? GMC ENVOY -Nice, Euro-like styling. -Availability of air suspension. -Nicest looking interior with chrome and carbon fiber or wood trim. -Standard 17" wheels & Michelin tires. -Can't get an SLE with Bose or Auto Air. OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA -Elegant, Old's car-like styling. -Standard air suspension & many other features that are optional on others. -Comfy looking interior, and from what I hear, higher quality materials inside than the others. -Great 5-year/60,000 mile warranty, even though the Old's brand will be no more. -Can't get cloth as an option. I was just about to ask if the Bose was worth getting over the base stereo, and it seems that it is. Too bad you can't get it in an Envoy SLE though. Also, what are some of your thoughts on both the coil and air-spring rear suspensions? I've read that the air springs ride even smoother than the coils and I like the air hose in back that comes with it. However, I've been reading different reviews, and while some say the air suspension is a great feature that makes the ride incredible, others say they'd stick with the coils do to the sloppy handling and roll with the air springs. Any thoughts? What made you pick which of the three new ute's from GM that you did? |
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| I have had the exact same thing happen with the passenger mirror on my STS also! Never on my Bravada though. Since it has only happened on my passenger side and, on the Cadillac, that is the only one with the curb setting, you must be correct that it is an electronic gremlin. | |
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