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Problems common to the AV; new owner update

Hound

SM 2006
SM 2005
Full Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2004
Messages
708
Location
Miami
It's pretty interesting to me actually. I've had my AV 2 weeks now. I'm really enjoying it.

Steering creeks and clunks in idle speed full turns; vibration at idle; exhaust pings when truck is shut off. All fairly minor but interesting to me because I read about these three things even before I took delivery. Waiting to see what else crops up.

DIC is fairly accurate in terms of fuel used and mileage. Not on the money exactly but pretty close. I'm doing city driving mostly and being a real featherfoot. Mileage is about 12 in stop and go. In all green lights, the DIC registers up to about 16 if I can go for a stretch of a few miles.

As compared to the 03, I don't really care too much about the lack of an engine or extra bed light. But the absence of the lights in the rear doors bother me. I am wondering whether the harness is still in there and I can just add the lights.

Hound
 
The creaks and clunks are because they didn't lube one of the rods enough, do a search here on turning and you can find it.
 
That may well be but I had read here that the problem could be the crossmember. Might need shimming and might need routing out of one of the bolt holes - something to that effect.
 
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Fixed under warranty:
Right side suspension 2" higher than left side
Cracked plastic surrounding rear window
Tailgate strap broke 2 months ago
Right side mirror light broke

Not Covered under Warranty
Lumbar support filled full after each start
Engine Knock
Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain
Rusting under bed matt
Faded Cladding (esp over rear bed)
Rattles: Steering Column, engine, sunroof

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.
 
slargent said:
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Fixed under warranty:
Right side suspension 2" higher than left side
Cracked plastic surrounding rear window
Tailgate strap broke 2 months ago
Right side mirror light broke

Not Covered under Warranty
Lumbar support filled full after each start
Engine Knock
Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain
Rusting under bed matt
Faded Cladding (esp over rear bed)
Rattles: Steering Column, engine, sunroof

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.

Truly I'm sorry you are disenchanted with your Av...
reading through your post history, you obviously became
disenchanted around October 2003...prior to that it seems
they would have had to "rip it from your cold dead hands".
At the same time it seems now that nothing and no one could
change your feelings even if your issues were addressed.
This sometimes happens to things we own and had high
expectations for...it is also a painfull that the Av has actually
gotten better with age as is often the case with vehicles...
I personally would never buy a new model until the third production year and have predicted this to be the BIG
YEAR for the Av...having said that...there are countless
satisfied '02 Av owners whom you would have to pry their
Avs from their "cold dead hands". You don't say how many
miles are on your Av but it seems to be an early '02 which
had more "teething problems"...I wish you better luck
with your next ride...
 
Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.

I'm a little suprised with your "bad luck"

My experience with Chevy has had some ups and downs but that was due to a dealer. :E:

HOWEVER... overall it has been fantastic! especially considering how many we've had through the years :-[

Isn't there a 100k -10 year rust warranty?

Sometimes things just don't go well
Hope whatever you decide... it works out well for you. (y)
 
My wife and I own two Avalanches, and we love them. We have only had minor problems with ours. I wouldn't own anything but and Avalanche. The only problem is they don't make the North Face anymore.
 
slargent said:
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Fixed under warranty:
Right side suspension 2" higher than left side
Cracked plastic surrounding rear window
Tailgate strap broke 2 months ago
Right side mirror light broke

Not Covered under Warranty
Lumbar support filled full after each start
Engine Knock
Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain
Rusting under bed matt
Faded Cladding (esp over rear bed)
Rattles: Steering Column, engine, sunroof

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.

The warrantable items are widely known to have been problems. In fact, there was a recall on the straps and there ought to have been one on the window frame. I've not heard of the puddle light going out, but I've had a friend experience a problem with one of the lock actuators binding on the unlock and making a horrible grinding sound. That was warrantied. The suspension problem is curious. Do you have self-leveling suspension?

There is NO excuse for any of the items mentioned in your non-warranty list. Buddy of mine has an 02 and his cladding is horribly faded and weathered. I don't think that the armor-dillo application can bring it back.

I felt exactly like you do when I had my 87 Pontiac Grand Am. I was excited when I bought it and disgusted soon thereafter. That was a "buy American" experiment after having owned near-flawless Jap cars. I went back to Jap after that, including Lexus, Nissan, the BMW and Audi. The BMW is a great car but its issues and problems are inexplicable. The Audi has some minor issues but is, so far, a great car.

When the kids came along we bought the Ford Expedition and friends bought the Suburban. I was never disappointed with the Ford but liked the Suburban. Few friends picked up the AV and raved and so I gave it a go.

My issues now, at 3 mos. and 2500 miles haven't changed from my earlier post. Just came off a 500 mile highway trip and the AV was beautiful at 85.

There is seemingly nothing more frustrating than an ongoing problem and so I understand how you feel.

 
slargent said:
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.

Man, that's a little scary. I've had my Av for three weeks and it only has 700 miles on the clock but I've already decided that my next vehicle will be another Av.....I'm hooked.

This truck impresses me more every time I drive it and is by far the most comfortable, practical and enjoyable vehicle I have ever owned, and I've owned quite a few for someone that is 33 years old.

Last weekend I went turkey hunting. We had 5 rednecks with our collective 700 lbs of crap on a two hour trip and the Av was flawless. Everyone was perfectly comfortable, our gear was secure and dry and I only used 1/2 a tank of gas there and back. The other night I went to dinner at a world class steak house here in Tampa (Bern's) and my Av looked just fine in a sea of Mercede's, BMW's and such. In fact, the guy that valeted in front of me was driving a Porsche and I felt sorry for him. All that money.....for what? Yeah, they're fun to go fast but try getting a sheet of plywood in the back.

Anyway, sorry you've had bad luck with yours but I really like my Av. In fact, I truly lucked out since I bought it without even having driven one. I just had a hunch that it would suit my lifestyle well. Turns out I was right.

Joe Pollick
 
slargent said:
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Fixed under warranty:
Right side suspension 2" higher than left side
Cracked plastic surrounding rear window
Tailgate strap broke 2 months ago
Right side mirror light broke

Not Covered under Warranty
Lumbar support filled full after each start
Engine Knock
Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain
Rusting under bed matt
Faded Cladding (esp over rear bed)
Rattles: Steering Column, engine, sunroof

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.

Sorry you have had bad luck with your AV. One question though.......why would you buy a AV or anything for that matter that sets 2" higher on one side than the other? I see no way that this could change after you bought it so I am assuming that it was that way from day one?

Butch
 
My Av is an '02. Born 8/02. It has 26000 miles on it and has not been to the dealer once for any problems, warranty or otherwise. My '02 has been the best vehicle I have ever owned and I have had 12 - 15 new vehicles in my lifetime. The cladding is faded, especially on the bed covers. That's ok with me - if it was perfect then everybody that owns a car or truck would want one and I would have to settle for a ricer, or even worse, a F*%D. I am taking delivery of my new '04 today!!! I hope it is a good as the '02.
 
I have an 02 with 30,000 miles and it has been the most trouble free ride I have ever owned. :love: :love:My bead covers are faded but I use STP conditioner on them and cleared that up. I would not take anything for my AV, not even looking to trade up :cool:
 
Just out of curiosity, which Lexus are you getting that is going to come close to the utility the the Avalanche offers, or did you not really want/need a truck to begin with? ???

I would understand your gripe if you said you were going to try an F150, Ram, Tundra, or whatever, but switching to a Lexus just sounds to me like you want something (argueably) more reliable...and (definitely) more expensive.

My Avalanche hasn't been 100% perfect, but it certainly is better than anything IN ITS CLASS, IMHO.
 
I have had very minor issues within my 37,000 miles on my 02.

1. Back window crack - fixed under warranty
2. Warped 3rd bed panel - fixed under warranty
3. Squeek in back seat ;) - fixed under warranty
4. Washer Fluid level sensor bad - fixed under warranty

Definately can't complain. All was fixed in 2 different days of shop time for free. I love my Avalanche still.
 
For those asking:

'02 Z66 w/ 50k miles.

I purchased the AV for the smooth ride, which is has, and ability to tow and store. I am now looking to purchase the Lexas LX470 or Toyota Sequoia to replace, both of which are rated to tow up to 6500lb. I have owned both makes in the past with no issues...esp int/ext fit and finish.

As far as the suspension, it was off when delivered, but who in their right mind would even look for that. Didnt notice for a couple days, until i was returning to a parking lot looking directly at the rear of the AV. They said it was caused in shipping and fixed under warranty.

Belv me guys, I loved this thang up until all these issues have added up and the worse are not acknowledged or fixed...Completely unacceptible for a $38k truck. Much of my issues are not found on my truck alone, you guys are either richer than me to care or you are blinded by luv.
 
Over 6,000 miles on my 04 z66 delivered December 03. There has been absolutely no reason to return this vehicle to the dealer. My change oil light came on this morning, will take care of it this weekend. Hauled 1,500 pounds of coiled, galvanized steel in the bed yesterday and acceleration, braking felt just as good as empty.

No regrets on my purchase.
 
slargent: A friend at a local dealership looked at your list and, except for the engine knock issue, which he wouldn't touch, said that all of your issues would have been dealt with at his dealership until you were satisfied....seems luck of the draw...sorry for your bad luck; however, I disagree that that any 'luv' for our AVs blinds us to problems. My impression of this forum is that we have a quite demanding membership, myself included, and we won't back down until we get our due. Hope your luck with the Toyota/Lexus is better. My past experience hasn't been any different with them that with a decent GM dealership.

My .02
 
I drove to Glendora, Ca, from Michigan. And got into a rain storm, snow storm, ice storm, and then a wind storm. My Avalanche done really good in all of the storms. In Arizona the ice storm was really bad, alot of other cars and SUVs, trucks was turned over. My Avalanche, got me through all of the crap. I think my small problems are nothing to what I put my Avalanche through. Like I said before I will only own an Avalanche.
 
I had a Toyota - Once - "Oh what a feeling" ...To keep returning to the dealer that couldn't fix three problems. Out of round brakes: "That's normal, it'll go away at 6000 miles"; `never did until I had the drums turned way out of warranty.
A Dr. side window that needed a breaker-bar to roll it up; "They all do that - it's the seals". Howcome the pass side was ok? (Shrugged shoulders). I can't remember the 3rd one, but when I tried another dealer, I received sympathy but "since there's a history, you should have that dealer repair it" -- Sorry, no more Toyota's for this guy. Enjoy yours!
 
Avalanche44 said:
I drove to Glendora, Ca, from Michigan. And got into a rain storm, snow storm, ice storm, and then a wind storm. My Avalanche done really good in all of the storms. In Arizona the ice storm was really bad, alot of other cars and SUVs, trucks was turned over. My Avalanche, got me through all of the crap. I think my small problems are nothing to what I put my Avalanche through. Like I said before I will only own an Avalanche.

Hey, I was wondering where you have been! We are going back up to MI this Sat 4/17 for a GTG at Dundee at Cabela's. If you can get there or close, I will bring your Swing 'N Loads up with me!

Butch
 
This is Mikes wife, We drove my North Face to California. My husband only has 1,200 miles on his 2500. I think he just like to drive mine to put the extra miles on it. But that is ok with me. He let me have the North Face.
 
slargent said:
...or you are blinded by luv.
hmmmmm...

I don"t want you to take this wrong because it REALLY IS
more of a "just kidding" thingy...but speaking of blind...how could you possibly miss 2 inches...
I honestly think you are exaggerating or approximating
the ride height difference...and not necessarily with intent...
 
:B: I had a similar problem with the rear window frame cracking. I was out of warranty and the dealer wasn't going to do anything about it. I could not tell when it happened as i do not usually convert the back end of my av but just happened to notice it. I got pictures done at the dealership and had them sent to Chevrolet showing that the window had not been dropped or damaged in anyway and called their customer service center. After some time of research, which showed that the cracking was due to a defect (which by the way they said has happened before) the window was replaced by Chevy without cost to me, and believe you me that it is an expensive window. :love: I still love my av and have had it since Sept. 2001. 70,000 miles and going strong. Love it :love:
 
slargent said:
:mad:

Where do i start the bitching.....

Fixed under warranty:
Right side suspension 2" higher than left side
Cracked plastic surrounding rear window
Tailgate strap broke 2 months ago
Right side mirror light broke

Not Covered under Warranty
Lumbar support filled full after each start
Engine Knock
Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain
Rusting under bed matt
Faded Cladding (esp over rear bed)
Rattles: Steering Column, engine, sunroof

Looks like I am going to get a Lexus before the F'en wheels fall off.
I will never own another Chevy.

okay I this realy sucks for you.

but, F.Y.I. I got the following things completely fixed under warranty Lumbar support filled full after each start. aux switch installed for both seats under warranty! Moisture in left light lense after wash/rain both replaced under warranty! Rusting under bed matt this need some explanation because the metal is supose to be galvanized which does not rust!!!

RE: Engine Knock! I have not had the problem but I do get a little click from the engine at first start. each engine usually has it's own little tell but if this was something that was causing damage I would have pushed to at least get the engine rebuilt!

Sorry about your issues!

Best of luck with the Lexus. from personal experience they SUCK!
 
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