Logic86
05-16-09, 06:45 PM
Durability
"Solid as a stone, reliable as the sunrise, comfortable as a couch, quiet as a mime." So goes a classic advertising description of Buick. Unfortunately we didn't enjoy the same perfect reliability.
As the logbook entry from Senior Road Test Editor Josh Jacquot reads, "Yesterday, just as I made the left turn off of California's Highway 33 onto Cerro Noroeste road, our Buick Enclave's power steering began to show the first signs of failure. This is not good." Though he was in the Los Padres National Forest and about as far away from civilization as you can get, Jacquot managed to get back home.
The power assist worked with the steering on-center, but trickled away to nothing at full lock. The Buick dealer replaced the power-steering pump, which kept the vehicle out of service for a couple of days. When it was returned, though, the system had not been bled properly — the dealer actually told us that it let the consumer do that — so we had to constantly monitor the level and health of the fluid in the system.
Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Magrath removed the plastic engine cover and kept it off to help us keep track of this: "After only a few minutes of driving, the cover gets far too hot to touch. Well, that's not a problem, right? I mean, with the oil filler and dipstick available without removing the cover, what's the problem?" The problem is, an ugly plastic cover might seem like a way to shroud engine messiness for a car designer, but it isn't a replacement for a properly laid-out scheme for routing hoses and wiring — something that's perfectly clear when you're trying to do some service.
Yet once the fluid was air-free and at a proper level, the steering assist still didn't return to normal. Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds' past life as an automotive engineer led him to believe that when the first pump failed it had probably contaminated the fluid with pump parts that were now lodged in the rack. Turns out he was correct, as GM diagnosed this and installed yet another new power steering pump, a new steering rack and new hoses. The Enclave was out of service for eight days. This issue was not isolated, as forums for owners of GM's Lambda crossovers report other accounts of similar experiences.
Aside from a catastrophic lack of steering, our 2008 Buick Enclave CX proved to be a paragon of reliability and predictability. Two routine services totaled $166.44 (a $101.03 service that included a charge for just an oil change and a tire rotation seemed a bit steep to us).
After 20,000 miles, the Buick's interior looked the same as it did on Day One. And perhaps surprising to those GM doubters out there, the interior had the same squeaks and rattles as it did on day one. That is to say there were none. Not a busted switch, blown fuse, sticky button or creaky window to speak of. The only minor complaint from some was the lack of support from the cloth seats compared to when they were new.
At the same time, many of us disliked the Enclave interior's traditional-style chrome accents and fake wood. Dan Edmunds noted, "The 'wood' on the dash is particularly shiny and plastic-looking; the 'wood' on the steering wheel rim looks more authentic, but is too hard and slick. And they aren't even the same species of simu-wood! On the steering, we've got Fauxhogany, while the dash is trimmed with Bird's Eye Fakle." Fortunately it was all screwed together well, but it wasn't quite the Lexus presentation we had hoped for.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=123254#8
US automakers staying true to form Hmph
"Solid as a stone, reliable as the sunrise, comfortable as a couch, quiet as a mime." So goes a classic advertising description of Buick. Unfortunately we didn't enjoy the same perfect reliability.
As the logbook entry from Senior Road Test Editor Josh Jacquot reads, "Yesterday, just as I made the left turn off of California's Highway 33 onto Cerro Noroeste road, our Buick Enclave's power steering began to show the first signs of failure. This is not good." Though he was in the Los Padres National Forest and about as far away from civilization as you can get, Jacquot managed to get back home.
The power assist worked with the steering on-center, but trickled away to nothing at full lock. The Buick dealer replaced the power-steering pump, which kept the vehicle out of service for a couple of days. When it was returned, though, the system had not been bled properly — the dealer actually told us that it let the consumer do that — so we had to constantly monitor the level and health of the fluid in the system.
Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Magrath removed the plastic engine cover and kept it off to help us keep track of this: "After only a few minutes of driving, the cover gets far too hot to touch. Well, that's not a problem, right? I mean, with the oil filler and dipstick available without removing the cover, what's the problem?" The problem is, an ugly plastic cover might seem like a way to shroud engine messiness for a car designer, but it isn't a replacement for a properly laid-out scheme for routing hoses and wiring — something that's perfectly clear when you're trying to do some service.
Yet once the fluid was air-free and at a proper level, the steering assist still didn't return to normal. Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds' past life as an automotive engineer led him to believe that when the first pump failed it had probably contaminated the fluid with pump parts that were now lodged in the rack. Turns out he was correct, as GM diagnosed this and installed yet another new power steering pump, a new steering rack and new hoses. The Enclave was out of service for eight days. This issue was not isolated, as forums for owners of GM's Lambda crossovers report other accounts of similar experiences.
Aside from a catastrophic lack of steering, our 2008 Buick Enclave CX proved to be a paragon of reliability and predictability. Two routine services totaled $166.44 (a $101.03 service that included a charge for just an oil change and a tire rotation seemed a bit steep to us).
After 20,000 miles, the Buick's interior looked the same as it did on Day One. And perhaps surprising to those GM doubters out there, the interior had the same squeaks and rattles as it did on day one. That is to say there were none. Not a busted switch, blown fuse, sticky button or creaky window to speak of. The only minor complaint from some was the lack of support from the cloth seats compared to when they were new.
At the same time, many of us disliked the Enclave interior's traditional-style chrome accents and fake wood. Dan Edmunds noted, "The 'wood' on the dash is particularly shiny and plastic-looking; the 'wood' on the steering wheel rim looks more authentic, but is too hard and slick. And they aren't even the same species of simu-wood! On the steering, we've got Fauxhogany, while the dash is trimmed with Bird's Eye Fakle." Fortunately it was all screwed together well, but it wasn't quite the Lexus presentation we had hoped for.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=123254#8
US automakers staying true to form Hmph