I couldn't disagree more with the title of this review.
I'm a mechanic, and I just gave our 2003 GMC Envoy a 100,000 mile bumper-bumper-inspection a few months back. The car was purchased new in 2003, and so far has had absolutely nothing but one set of tires and two batteries (which I change when the warranty is out to avoid getting stuck).
Every part on this vehicle from the front bumper to the back bumper is just like brand new. All hoses, the drive belt, suspension and exhaust are all perfect.
The engine (which still has not had a tune-up) runs flawlessly, and the smooth GM 4-speed automatic still shifts silky smooth. It has never had a drop of transmission fluid added or had freon put in the A/C. I have never changed the transmission fluid (GM doesn't recommend it), nor even flushed the cooling system. We are both very busy people, and I let the car go nearly 14,000 miles between oil changes last time because I was too busy to get to it. I never check the oil between changes, because new domestics don't use any. When I changed it, it was right on the full mark.
The original brake pads on this vehicle are still good for another 15,000 miles or more. I virtually never replace brake pads in even small domestics before 100,000 miles. Most people who do are doing it because some shop scared them into spending money unnecessarily.
We owned three Ford Explorers before the Envoy. They were all flawless as well (we never have any repairs on any domestic vehicle in a mere 100,000 miles). What sold us on the Envoy was the smoothness, power (more than a V-8 Explorer) and very solid feel. I took it on a trip this weekend, and was amazed at how it still drives and feels brand new. We plan to keep it another 100,000 miles. I suspect that by then it may at most have required a brake job, but nothing else.
23rd Aug 2011, 18:50
I couldn't disagree more with the title of this review.
I'm a mechanic, and I just gave our 2003 GMC Envoy a 100,000 mile bumper-bumper-inspection a few months back. The car was purchased new in 2003, and so far has had absolutely nothing but one set of tires and two batteries (which I change when the warranty is out to avoid getting stuck).
Every part on this vehicle from the front bumper to the back bumper is just like brand new. All hoses, the drive belt, suspension and exhaust are all perfect.
The engine (which still has not had a tune-up) runs flawlessly, and the smooth GM 4-speed automatic still shifts silky smooth. It has never had a drop of transmission fluid added or had freon put in the A/C. I have never changed the transmission fluid (GM doesn't recommend it), nor even flushed the cooling system. We are both very busy people, and I let the car go nearly 14,000 miles between oil changes last time because I was too busy to get to it. I never check the oil between changes, because new domestics don't use any. When I changed it, it was right on the full mark.
The original brake pads on this vehicle are still good for another 15,000 miles or more. I virtually never replace brake pads in even small domestics before 100,000 miles. Most people who do are doing it because some shop scared them into spending money unnecessarily.
We owned three Ford Explorers before the Envoy. They were all flawless as well (we never have any repairs on any domestic vehicle in a mere 100,000 miles). What sold us on the Envoy was the smoothness, power (more than a V-8 Explorer) and very solid feel. I took it on a trip this weekend, and was amazed at how it still drives and feels brand new. We plan to keep it another 100,000 miles. I suspect that by then it may at most have required a brake job, but nothing else.