Vue Maintenance

Well I did some pre-winter maintenance on my 2003 4 cylinder/CVT Vue today.
I changed the front brake pads and have to say it was the easiest brake pad
replacement I've ever had to do. I purchased replacement GM pads and they
came with the proper clips. The original pads were not actually worn out
(39k miles - maybe 40% left), but I had already purchased the replacements
and figured it was better to do it now than next February, especially since
my 16 year old son will be driving the car to high school starting next
month. I also replaced the serpentine accessory belt. The old one was OK,
but I figured I would put on a new one, and keep the old one for a spare.
I've had the new belt for a few months, but couldn't figure out now to
change it. With the right front wheel off to change the brake pads, I
realized the belt was much easier to change from below. I also replaced both
the cabin and engine air filters. The cabin air filter was far dirtier than
the engine filter. So in the last few weeks I've done the following:

- New front brake pads
- New engine air filter
- New cabin air filter
- New serpentine belt
- Four new Michelin tires
- Changed the engine oil

Any suggestion on what else I ought to take care of before I let my Son
start driving the car (and nasty weather arrives)?

Regards,

Ed White

 

Auto Trans or Manual? If auto, and you have not already done so at least
once previously, I'd change the trans fluid and filter. Also, I'm not sure
of this vehicle's maintenance schedule, but the potential "normal
maintenance" replacement items to check in the table in the owner's manual
are: fuel filter, spark plugs, and PCV. Not sure about GM OEM batteries,
but if it is not permanently sealed, make sure it is full (do not overfill)
and the posts and cable connectors are clean and tight. Also, most
vehicle's today have throttle bodies that get pretty gummed up and cause low
RPM/idle issues. Cleaning the TB as preventive measure makes good sense now
before it gets really cold.

Bob

 

He said CVT, Constant velocity transmission. Not sure what the service
was on those. The TB on Ecotecs isnt apt to gum up. The Ecotecs run
pretty clean.

I would clean and coat the battery terminals with a protectant. Teens
and suv's dont really mix but the 140hp Ecotec helps balance that
equation. If you can, when the weather first turns bad, get him out on a
slick empty parking lot and have him practice in bad conditions. That
should help him know an suvs limitations.

 

The GM maintenance schedule calls for having more of the "magic" friction
modifier added to the transmission at 50K miles. My plan is to just have the
fluid changed at that point (with the magic ingredients added of course). At
least so far, the car has led a pretty stress free existence (no towing,
very little high speed driving, mostly medium length trips at 45 to 65 mph).

This is a very nice engine. Easy to work on. Runs smoothly. Stays clean. It
is probably the nicest 4 cylinder I've owned. BTW, in the Vue, the Ecotec is
rated a mighty 143 HP - I don't want to loose those 3 extra horses. The new
2.4L VVT Ecotec might be really nice - as much as 167 hp. Or the
supercharged 2L Ecotec - 205 Hp. But probably, the CVT transmission would be
toast with much more power. The Vue's CVT is probably the most worrisome
feature of the car. When I bought it, I really liked the idea.
Unfortunately, I've read too many negative things about it to be completely
satisfied. Plus, after driving my Father's Ford Freestyle with a CVT, I am
really disappointed with how much less refined the GM CVT is than Ford's
implementation. The Freestyle's CVT hardly seems any different than a normal
automatic. If you are looking for it, you realize there are no shift points.
On the other hand, the Vue's CVT is obviously different. The results are OK,
it just seems to be far less refined.

I don't really think of the Vue as an SUV (no matter what Saturn claims). It
is more like a station wagon. I am not sure what limitations I should be
worried about. The vehicle has very good sight lines, decent brakes, a
relatively low center of gravity, and is fast enough to keep up with
traffic, but not so fast to encourage high performance driving. Mine has
side air bags, and the rear suspension upgrade has been completed. I feel it
is a much safer car than the sort of third hand compact cars I see a lot of
kids driving. Winter weather around here is not really that bad (central
NC). We will probably have a couple of "snow days." When that happens, he
will just need to stay home - or I'll take him to school. And he hates the
car - no "cool" factor at all. He keeps saying he would rather drive my 14
year old F150. Hard to believe a teenager would rather drive a 14 year beat
up truck than a 3 year old Vue in good condition, but that is what he keeps
saying. If the F150 wasn't just an old vehicle with no safety features, I'd
probably let him drive it. I'll bet after a month or so of 12 mpg, the Vue's
23 mpg would start to look good.

Ed

 

The GM maintenance schedule calls for having more of the "magic" friction

I just wonder how it would react to new fluid. No towing is good though,
I dont think the CVT is rated handle more than 5 adults in the cab.

The 2.2 has so many various ratings I just estimate... Yes a 2.4 would
be good in a vue if it can get the same MPG.

Yeah I dont completely trust something under a constant state of
friction. When a conventional automatic is in a gear the friction
surfaces are no longer in a state of friction. I was thinking of putting
a shift kit in my Pontiac just so the delay in engagement would be cut
in half. Everytime it shifts when I'm punching it I think, eh there goes
some more clutch material... You should get 200k out of that CVT with
"your" driving though.

I forgot the fact that its FWD, that helps because a RWD suv's butt end
likes to get into a swinging motion that's difficult to recover from on
bad roads. If you have traction control thats even better. The Vue is
the only SUV I consider pratical. No Saturns in my family right now but
I wish I could replace my mothers blazer with a Vue. Every SUV is a pain
in the ass to service or work on except for that little Ecotec equiped
Vue.