2nd Jun 2011, 11:50

You won't be disappointing me, trust me. Buy all the GM cars you like. I have spent enough on repairing them for me to ever venture down that road again. The only thing that disappoints me is the fact that I bought more than one GM vehicle, and didn't learn quickly enough just how poorly they are made.

Like I said, if the Toyota fails me I will post about it. So far I haven't had the need to post too much about failing imports. I am not thinking the Toyota will be any different.

2nd Jun 2011, 12:22

NOW I begin to understand!! You have, my friend, been a victim not of GM, but of a con-artist service manager!! The clue is "The front end on my first TB was so bad the DEALER wouldn't let me leave with the car". AHA!! No WONDER you are so angry!! However it is NOT GM but an unscrupulous DEALER that is worthy of your anger!!

My brother, who was one of the best mechanics in the area, once sent his teen-aged son to take his Pontiac in for servicing. The son called from the dealership and said "Dad, they tell me the whole front end is falling apart and it needs $2000 worth of work!!" My brother just laughed and said "Tell them no thanks and drive it home... NOW!" There was NOTHING wrong with the Pontiac. It ran another 100,000+ miles with no front end repairs.

As a mechanic myself, I see this constantly. People are given scare stories about brakes, front ends or other systems in order to scare them into forking over thousands of dollars in unnecessary repair work. Not knowing anything about cars, most gullible owners believe these stories and get taken big time. The worst rip-off is brakes. I've seen actual comments on here from people who have been duped into believing that ALL FOUR of their brake calipers went bad AT THE SAME TIME. That is about as likely as getting hit on the head by a meteor. It just does not happen... EVER.

I have worked on the Trailblazer/Envoy vehicles, and can assure you NOTHING "falls apart" on these vehicles. The structural members are over-engineered and very solidly built. The brakes, steering and suspension components on these cars are good for 100,000 miles + under anything but the very worst abuse. Try looking underneath a Toyota Highlander or Honda Pilot and compare the structural members and suspension components. The GM vehicles are twice as strong and beefy. I am sorry that you have apparently been a victim of a greedy service department, but please, stop blaming GM for something totally beyond their control... and look for an HONEST dealership!!

2nd Jun 2011, 17:08

Um, did you notice the whole part I wrote about FEELING EVERY BUMP IN THE STEERING WHEEL?? The wheel was shaking so violently, and so much was rattling around under the front of the truck, it was ridiculous. I am not an idiot, thank you. I had two different trucks from two different dealers, and my uncle had an Envoy that had the same issue, and he was obviously going to a different dealer as it was a GMC.

Try reading the posts on here thoroughly BEFORE commenting next time. I researched EVERY LAST problem I had on both vehicles, and found countless others on the web with the same issues. The dealer and the private mechanic I took them to would nail the problem perfectly every time, right down to the cost of the parts. Believe me, I wouldn't have taken it to a dealer without full knowledge of what the potential problems were!

I just love domestic fans that ALWAYS think it is the fault of the owner or a dishonest dealer that is the reason for their vehicles being the junk they are. Give me a break! I have had many GM vehicles in different areas with private mechanics and dealers, and they all are problematic except for the one car I mentioned.

Even on the way outside chance you were correct... then that makes me even happier to have my trouble free Toyota now. Why would I support a company that has such a network of dishonest dealers? I guess you would though, but then again you are already supporting the lame company GM is aren't you? Funny how I NEVER have any issues with the imports I own. I never even have to take them into the dealer for anything, other than free oil changes and stuff like that.

Sorry, but multiple dealers in different states don't rack up over $8K in repairs on ANY vehicles. If GM is that bad, why would anyone buy one? I surely won't ever buy one again. You sir are entirely wrong though. It ain't the dealers in my case, trust me. Trailblazers are the poorest excuse for an SUV GM ever created. Of course the previous Blazers and S-10 Blazers were trash too. I was hopeful that they were much better, and that they maybe had learned from their past shortcomings on their trucks, but I was sadly mistaken. I'm glad you are one of the 1 in 10,000 of these vehicles that is trouble free. Good for you. Do a search on Trailblazer problem areas though, and maybe you'll get a clearer picture of just how poorly made these trucks are.

The sad part is the Toyota RAV 4 I now own, which is a small SUV with no full frame, feels more solid and sturdier then the TB ever did. Domestics just will never be able to compete in the real world with imports. I don't care what the ratings companies say about that either.

3rd Jun 2011, 11:36

It's sad to see bad service departments causing people to mistakenly blame the manufacturers for mis-diagnosed or non-existent problems. The sad fact is that many dealerships routinely make a ton of money by telling customers they urgently need work that they don't need. On the flip side, there are many very good and honest dealerships that go out of their way to take care of their customers. My recommendation is rather than settle for an inferior imported vehicle, try to find a good domestic dealership. In our area Toyota has a horrible reputation for poor service, Ford is one of the worst, and GM is tops. It all depends on the management. There are good dealerships out there. I drive past a very bad Ford dealership, and go an extra 20 miles to get my Ford serviced at a reputable, honest dealership. It makes a lot of difference.

3rd Jun 2011, 11:58

"The wheel was shaking so violently, and so much was rattling around under the front of the truck"

This is caused by one minor part (a stabilizer bar fitting) in the front suspension on the Trailblazer/Envoy/Rainier. It is a very minor and well-known problem. The "so much" rattling around was simply the end of the stabilizer bar flexing in the fitting. Yes, it makes noises, and yes, you can feel it in the steering wheel. It often occurs in these vehicles after 80,000-120,000 miles, or possibly sooner under cases of major abuse. It is not dangerous, just annoying, but should be fixed. Even my GM dealer warned me that I might have this problem at some point. We take good care of our vehicles, and it has never been a problem.