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

2926 messages,  Last post on Jun 07, 2013 at 2:14 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Uplander Forum.

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

Messages Page 250 of 293

#2486 of 2926 Owner’s Manual Error - Heads up on oil changes by morewasabi

Feb 25, 2006 (10:06 am)

In the 2005 Buick Terraza Owner’s Manual Page 5-95 there is an error. In the capacity grid it shows 4 qts for Oil change with filter. If you go online and down load the owner’s manual it is corrected to 4.5 qts. Found this out when the dealer was changing my oil. I bring my own Mobile 1 oil and only had 4 qts with me. Came up 1/2 qt shy. They advised me of my error and I researched and found the correction on line. Not sure if this error is in Saturn, Chevrolet, or Pontiac too?
 
Capacities and Specifications
The following approximate capacities are given in English and metric measurements. See Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 6-11 for more information.
Application
Capacities
English Metric
Air Conditioning Refrigerant Systems
Front A/C 1.7 lbs 0.8 kg
Front and Rear A/C 2.2 lbs 1.0 kg
Automatic Transaxle — Pan Removal and Replacement 7.4 quarts 7.0 L
AWD Automatic Transaxle — Pan Removal and
Replacement 8.7 quarts 8.3 L
Cooling System
Front A/C 11.3 quarts 10.7 L
Front and Rear A/C 12.8 quarts 12.2 L
Engine Oil with Filter 4.5 quarts 4.3 L
Fuel Capacity
Regular 20.0 gallons 75.7 L
Extended 25.1 gallons 95.0 L
Wheel Nut Torque 100 ft lb 140Y
All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this
manual. Recheck fluid level after filling.
Engine VIN Code Transaxle Spark Plug Gap
3.5L V6 8 Automatic 0.060 inches (1.52 mm)

#2487 of 2926 Re: End of the CSV"s??? [morewasabi] by haditwithmyvan

Feb 25, 2006 (10:33 am)

Replying to: morewasabi (Feb 24, 2006 11:24 pm)
I do NOT want another van. The problems with these vans are obviously not going to go away and I do not trust the doors at all. GM is buying mine back and I am picking a different vehicle out. I am thinking about hiring a lawyer though because I have not had my van in 3 months although I have been making the payments on it. And GM is not doing anything about all the money that I have already paid on this vehicle and it has been having problems since it only had 500 miles on it. SO I never got any good use out of it. Not sure what to do....any suggestions?

#2488 of 2926 Re: End of the CSV"s??? [haditwithmyvan] by morewasabi

Feb 25, 2006 (9:23 pm)

Replying to: haditwithmyvan (Feb 25, 2006 10:33 am)
Maybe you could negotiate with them for a free extended warranty on the new vehicle for your extended hardship and fear of having problems with another GM product. Also research the Edmunds forums, the www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ and the JD Powers web sites on the potential new vehicle that you pick out so that you won’t get any surprises. Good luck to you and maybe we will see you on another forum.

#2489 of 2926 Re: Owner’s Manual Error - Heads up on oil changes [morewasabi] by pelinaca1

Feb 26, 2006 (1:06 pm)

Replying to: morewasabi (Feb 25, 2006 10:06 am)
Thank's for the heads up! I just checked the owner's manual on my Saturn Relay and it reads correctly. Page 5-103 under Capacities and Specifications reads "Engine Oil with Filter" 4.5 quarts/ 4.3L. All the capacities and specs. you reference above are exactly the same as in my Saturn Relay owner's manual. My manual is copyrighted 2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Litho in USA Part No. 05RELAY A First Edition. You should check your manual to see what it says about the print version, maybe it is an old version? Anyway, thanks for the heads up and thankfully my Saturn Relay owner's manual has the correct information.

#2490 of 2926 Re: End of the CSV"s??? [haditwithmyvan] by blessingsx4

Feb 26, 2006 (4:21 pm)

Replying to: haditwithmyvan (Feb 25, 2006 10:33 am)
HIRE THE LAWYER!!! I did and I got my lein payed off and all the money I had put into the vehicle (minus a small fee for depreciation) AND they (GM) paid for my lawyer. I now am driving a 03 Windstar that I couldn't be happier with. I was afraid to buy a new model like the Freestar for fear it would have similar "new model" issues.

#2491 of 2926 Re: And I thought I was overreactin.......... [haditwithmyvan] by karlbr

Feb 26, 2006 (4:41 pm)

Replying to: haditwithmyvan (Feb 05, 2006 4:15 pm)
I also would like some tips on the buyback process... We have an Uplander LT with the flickering lights. Its on about its 4th alternator, and had the radio die before. The shop has basically told us they wont do anything more with the flickering problems, although they continue. They actually told us this was "normal operation" and handed us a service bulletin for 1990 to 2002 GM cars, that had been "updated" to apply to 2003-2005, talking about how it was typical for lights to dim when the alternator was not providing enough electricity to power lights, etc at idle... in any case, any help would be appreciated

#2492 of 2926 My Montana Story... by islandgirl2006

Feb 27, 2006 (3:06 pm)

First- Thank you to all the owners who post here- I have made a couple little posts over time, but it has helped me a lot reading about the troubles others have had and possible solutions to my van's troubles. Here is my Montana's story. I bought my 05 Montana SV6 in October 2005, slightly used- about 21,000kms on it, from my local dealer as a 'rental return'. We had not been planning on buying a van quite that new, but since it was an 05 with full warranty, etc, we decided to put out the extra few thousand over the 03 Windstar we were considering, Grand Caravan, etc. We really liked the look of the front end, the fact that it didn't quite look like a 'soccer mom' van, and many of the other nice features. First off the dealership messed up bigtime- only one key/keyfob, no safety inspection, and many other issues, but since that only concerns the local dealership I will stick to the van issue. I took it in for a service 2 weeks after I bought it (it came with the 'oil life' left at 23%)and told them there were a few issues- I hope I get all of this in the right order- the door mouldings were peeling off, there was a vibration in the front end, it had a bad alignment, the 3rd row passenger side seat belt kept retracting and tightening up on my 8 year old, there was a 'knocking' in the front end, the driver's seat would not lock in to place- we had to give it a hard wiggle to get it to lock in most of the time, and the starter would keep turning over after the vehicle had already started, or it would turn over for a few seconds and completely die. I would have to start it 3-5 times before it would finally go. I think that was all for the first time. They told me we were starting it wrong- just give the key a quick flick over and it would start on it's own because it's all electronic, and they told me the seat belt was made to retract because it was for car seats, so we were also doing that wrong- we had to only pull it out as far as we needed it, not all the way to the end to engage the retractor feature (my 55 pound skinny 8 year old doesn't have to pull the seat belt out far to do it up, but they are the experts....). They ordered the mouldings, took it for a test drive, said the 'knocking' was a broken strut, fixed the drivers seat, and ordered a brand new tire because the 'tire was gone', although they didn't tell me what 'gone' meant to them. When I took it back in after the parts came in, they decided it was the link from the sway bar (I don't know much about cars so I hope this all makes sense) and ordered yet another part, it wasn't the other problem they thought it was. I told them we tried the seat belt 'properly' and it still tightened up- they test drove it and discovered it really did do it, and ordered a new seat belt. The 4 months I have had this vehicle have been a never-ending series of events just like this. So far the vehicle has been in the shop every 2 weeks at the most- sometimes every week, since I have had it. I have been in 5 different rental vehicles (each time detaching 3 car seats and moving them to the next vehicle, arranging a sitter to come so I can go pick it up without 4 children in tow, driving the rental back, getting the shuttle to the dealership, etc, etc...)It has had the link replaced to the sway bar, a tire replaced and re-alignment done, the seat belt replaced, the mouldings replaced, the PCV (PVC??? whichever) valve replaced (Thanks to this sight- I thought it was just me), the middle seats that had been recalled hadn't ever been fixed, and it has been in 5 times in an attempt to find the problem with the starter. Thank goodness it actually didn't start once for them so they know the problem really does exist, it's not just my imagination. They thought they had it once when they found a tube that the vacuum seal was gone on and was putting the wrong amount of fuel to it when it started, too much air, not enough gas... something like that (again, not so good with car stuff.... forgive me). I have had them check the horn- they can't find a problem with the fact that I have to push so hard my arm hurts when a person is backing up in a parking lot and not checking their rear view and almost hits me, or something runs out in to the middle of the road when I'm driving... they say the customer complaint can't be duplicated, another clunking showed up a couple weeks ago and they had to put in some insulators in the wheel wells or something like that, the valve that was whistling at 2200 rpm was replaced and now whistles quieter at 2400 rpm, the seat does not lock in anymore- lasted about 2 months before it went again. I haven't complained about the lump in the drivers seat, the speaker that's blown (I don't listen to loud music with 3 or 4 kids in the car pretty much all the time so it wasn't from me), the gauge that says how far I can go on the remaining gas has fluctuated up to 170 km under the exact same driving conditions, from one day to the next (gone up, not down... driving my usual home, school, work routine) and I honestly don't even know if I got all the problems listed, it has all just blended together. The service department fully admits there is something seriously wrong with the vehicle but they don't know what, and that the vehicle is honestly a lemon because it has new problems cropping up all the time, the same constant problems they can't fix, and some plain old weird stuff going on with it. They said it has nothing to do with the way it has been treated or driven, the fact that it was an ex-rental, it is just a problem car. I finally phoned the salesman last week and told him I was done with it. It was really hard because I love my Montana- I went from a very old Mazda MPV- this was my first 'new-ish' car. After back and forth phone calls a bunch of times and a couple trips to the dealer, they have agreed to give me back the purchase price in full towards a new 2006 model. So here I wait for the dealership to call and tell me my new one is in (they didn't have the color I like so I had to pay an extra $200 to bring one in), praying that this one does not have the issues- that it was only pure bad luck that I had a lemon. I love the vehicle and I am willing to give it another try. I started this 'adventure' planning on spending about $18,000 for a used vehicle, spent $23,000 including tax for a slightly used one, and today I have to put out another $9,200 including tax for a new one. Not so easy with 3 small kids, but I don't see another option- next year when the warranty is up I won't be able to get a new one without putting up $15,000 +, and I have lost all faith in this one and wouldn't chance keeping it without a warranty on it. No one else would give me the full value I paid as a trade-in. I am happy to get a new vehicle- I've never had anything brand new, but it's going to be hard to pay out that much more than we had planned. We had intended on keeping this one for at least 5 years, so hopefully we will be able

#2493 of 2926 Re: And I thought I was overreactin.......... [karlbr] by odie6l

Feb 27, 2006 (5:27 pm)

Replying to: karlbr (Feb 26, 2006 4:41 pm)
But I'm wondering if the added Sport Package* (that seems to be very hard to find) that gives you the bigger engine (3.9ltr) would remedy the situation. Also the Towing Package* gives you a Heavy Duty alternator, that may also remove the problem.
 
Odie
 
*both of these options are for the Pontiac SV6.

#2494 of 2926 Re: And I thought I was overreactin.......... [odie6l] by karlbr

Feb 27, 2006 (8:52 pm)

Replying to: odie6l (Feb 27, 2006 5:27 pm)
I believe the towing package with the larger alternator would fix it... but it doesnt justify it being "optional" to have a vehicle free of distracting/dangerous "kinks." And I'm not sure the dealer would add a better alternator to solve the problem...

#2495 of 2926 Re: And I thought I was overreactin.......... [karlbr] by morewasabi

Feb 27, 2006 (10:54 pm)

Replying to: karlbr (Feb 27, 2006 8:52 pm)
I have the tow package with the heavy-duty alternator and have not had any of the electrical issues. Had the horn issue and resolved it by pushing it a bunch of times, and now it works normally. Had the PVC value replaced to stop the whistling. Had a coupling on the rear heater hose replace in the engine compartment due to a small leak that I found.

Messages Page 250 of 293

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