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Chevy Uplander/Pontiac Montana SV6/Saturn Relay/Buick Terraza

2925 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2012 at 12:26 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana, Saturn Relay, Buick Terraza, Pontiac Montana SV6, Van

Messages Page 229 of 293

#2278 of 2925 Crossover Sport Vans by jchan2

Oct 09, 2005 (5:56 pm)

I see they've added Navigation to the 2006 Buick Terraza CXL and Saturn Relay 3. Is it worth a look? Or should I pony up the extra $$$ for the Odyssey or Sienna?
 
I drive many miles in a year, and the low price (the sticker's high, but nobody buys a Buick at sticker), long warranty, and availability of the navigation system in the Terraza appeals to me. (And those second row bucket seats look comfortable.)

#2279 of 2925 Re: Crossover Sport Vans [jchan2] by kcorey

Oct 10, 2005 (2:05 pm)

Replying to: jchan2 (Oct 09, 2005 5:56 pm)
Before I bought my Terraza, I was ready to buy a Mercury Premier. Then I looked at the Town & Country, and about a dozen more makes. It seems that all cars are comfortable in the front seats, so I climbed into the middle and back. With 5 grandchildren (and 3 grown children) I wanted plenty of room for them. I was very impressed (and still am), have 9700. miles on it, and any problems have been cheerfully taken care of by my dealer. I'll buy another one.

#2280 of 2925 Re: Crossover Sport Vans [kcorey] by jchan2

Oct 10, 2005 (2:11 pm)

Replying to: kcorey (Oct 10, 2005 2:05 pm)
I'm pretty much set for an Odyssey EX-L NAV-RES.
 
The high price and skimpy warranty is giving me second thoughts though.
 
And my current Odyssey is still going, with 80K on the odometer.
 
Perhaps by 2006 year end closeout I can swipe a deal on a van. (any van)
 
Will GM roll out employee pricing again as a way to clean house? Its an effective method and if not used too often, will swing buyers on the fence towards GM.

#2281 of 2925 Uplander pulls hard to the right on acceleration. by 1964

Oct 14, 2005 (6:05 pm)

Hello All,
 
My wife and I are interested in taking advantage of the 0% on '05 Uplanders. We test drove a '05 demo with a 3/05 delivery date (an early build date). The Van has 7,500 miles on it. It is a base model with only three options. Climate package, cruise, and keyless remote entry. We loved the van and cut a great deal. Took it for a test drive only to find that it pulls hard to the right on acceleration. Told salesman, but he did not believe until he test drove it himself and confirmed problem. He took it immediately to service to have an alignment done. (second one i might add according to service records.) We both took it for a follow up test drive only to find that it did not correct problem. I did notice that the front tires were quite worn for 7K miles!
My question is, after reading up on this very helpful forum, and finding others with the same problem, has anyone found a true fix or recall notice? Obviously this is not an alignment issue as some of you may already know. The van drives arrow straight. It only shows up during heavy acceleration situations. I did take a '06 for a ride (same style base van with same options with only 24 miles on it) to do a comparison and it did not torque steer to the right. Is this a chronic problem with these '05 models?
 
Thanks
Bob R.

#2282 of 2925 Re: Uplander pulls hard to the right on acceleration. [1964] by genmtrfan

Oct 15, 2005 (11:05 am)

Replying to: 1964 (Oct 14, 2005 6:05 pm)
Bob, We've had our Uplander since May 31, although it was built in Dec. '04. I have not have the problem with the van pulling in either direction during acceleration. I aslo haven't had some of the other problems listed on this site. The only work I've had done is to have the alternator replaced to head off any light flickering problems and had the harmonic balancer torqued per the recall. Occasionally, we do hear some high pitched sounds from the sound sytem, but they are usually brief. It's nothing I would bother to have checked out. I'm really hoping that this vehicle doesn't have intake manifold issues like so many of the earlier Ventures did (mine included).

#2283 of 2925 Re: Where is the inside fuse box? [ponsv6] by ridgeman4

Oct 15, 2005 (1:17 pm)

Replying to: ponsv6 (Sep 09, 2005 8:14 am)
It is just inside of the passenger door. Open the door and look at the far right hand side of the dash. There is an access door that you have to remove.

#2284 of 2925 Re: Uplander pulls hard to the right on acceleration. [genmtrfan] by 1964

Oct 15, 2005 (3:28 pm)

Replying to: genmtrfan (Oct 15, 2005 11:05 am)
Glad to hear your van doesn't have the pulling problem. (or am I ) seriously, I wonder why it seems to be so hit or miss on this issue. I am a GM family guy and really am bummed out about this problem. I don't believe you will have the intake gasket problem that plagued the 3.4 engine. GM redesigned the new 3.5 intake passages and does not use the intake to flow coolant like the earlier 3.4 venture motor did. It's funny and a shame that the problem was caused from a "cheap" inferior plastic gasket. I hear that GM now uses aluminum which was what should have been done from the beginning. Does your Uplander have a lot of options that seem to draw a lot of power from the alternator prompting a replacement? Did you have the whistling PCV valve as well?

#2285 of 2925 Re: Uplander pulls hard to the right on acceleration. [1964] by genmtrfan

Oct 17, 2005 (3:53 pm)

Replying to: 1964 (Oct 15, 2005 3:28 pm)
That's good news about the redesigned intake manifold. I do have several electrical options, it's an LT. I do not have the automatic leveling system, so no air pump to pull power. I got the alternator changed per the TSB just as a precaution. I have noticed a little flickering of the interior lights, but not the headlights, it's really a minimal issue for us. I assume it has something to do with the re-design of the charging system. From what I've read, it's a new concept that is supposed to make the alternator last longer. Perhaps some of the tech guys on this site could explain it. We have not noticed the whistling PCV valve. I'm not sure how obvious it is, but I am pretty perceptive about strange noises and rattles. The best feature continues to be the DVD system. It was a life saver on our trip to Florida. We have 3 small kids. I just wish I could keep the carpet clean!

#2286 of 2925 Re: Crossover Sport Vans [jchan2] by matthewg

Oct 17, 2005 (6:36 pm)

Replying to: jchan2 (Oct 09, 2005 5:56 pm)
I love my 2005 Terraza. Most of the bugs were worked out on mine so it should be a safe bet. One change I would reccomend is a larger motor. If I would have known the 3.8 was going to be offered in 06 I would have waited. If you are going to haul any weight (well it is a minivan right) get the bigger motor. The 3.5 is really slow and must constantly downshift to accelerate. Good luck...Matt

#2287 of 2925 Re: Crossover Sport Vans [matthewg] by genmtrfan

Oct 18, 2005 (7:56 am)

Replying to: matthewg (Oct 17, 2005 6:36 pm)
My take on the motor is that is has plenty of power as long as you really put your foot into it. I have a theory that GM tuned the engine to react slowly to the accelerator to conserve gas. The 3.5 is rated at 200hp, which should be enough. The Venture only had 185 (it was also lighter) and no one complained about power. The Uplander's throttle is controlled electronically, meaning there is no direct cable from the accelerator to the engine, but rather a computer senses pedal position and rate of increase or decrease and feeds this information to the throttle. This may also have something to do with the reason it seems to accelerate slowly. Once you learn to put your foot into it, at a faster rate, it performs adequately. That said, I also wish I had the 3.9, but really couldn't wait for it.

Messages Page 229 of 293

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