neighbor wises up-dumps his 2012 equinox

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I've seen this type of behavior from Toyota and Honda owners as well.


This type of behavior is easily recognizable, and comes from fans and owners of all brands. Nobody likes for their choices to be "wrong" and, whether they bought a Honda or a Toyota that needs too much work, or a Chrysler or Ford that needs too much work, folks who feel defensive about what they bought will justify it until they're blue in the face. Folks who are not defensive about it will openly admit if there's a problem.

This isn't driven by the brand of vehicle, but by individual personality.

Example: I felt like I had to replace the radiator in our Acura MDX pre-emptively because Honda muffed up the design of the ATF heat exchanger fittings, allowing for the potential of cross-contamination of fluid. Shame, Honda! We still enjoy the car immensely, but it's not perfect -- I've yet to find anything that is.

 

[Blinker]

I love GM, all my cars are GM except for the occassional Honda. But the 2.4 SIDI is a mess. There are manufacturer TSB's explaining the problems with the pistons and rings. If you have one of theses engines good news is GM is so aware of the problem theres almost no questions asked. New engine is required.

When does the 2.5 ecotec start going into the equinox? It needa to happen soon, thats a nice motor.

 

[gabriel9766]

Originally Posted By: stower17


When does the 2.5 ecotec start going into the equinox? It needa to happen soon, thats a nice motor.

don't know but the 2.5 ecotec is a very nice motor in my Malibu.

 

[Blinker]

Yes it is. I drove a 2014 malibu and that engine was powerful, quiet and super refined. It was as if you didnt know the engine was runningthe whole time driving it. Wasnt a huge fan of the auto start/stop but an otherwise fantastic motor.

I think the equinox gets a total redesign for 2017 model, 2.5 should be in it by then, if not sometime 2016 model year.

 

[gabriel9766]

Originally Posted By: stower17
Yes it is. I drove a 2014 malibu and that engine was powerful, quiet and super refined. It was as if you didnt know the engine was runningthe whole time driving it. Wasnt a huge fan of the auto start/stop but an otherwise fantastic motor.

I think the equinox gets a total redesign for 2017 model, 2.5 should be in it by then, if not sometime 2016 model year.

auto stop took some getting use 2. 3,900 miles later i'm use 2 it.

 

[Tzu]

My dad bought new a '12 Malibu LT with the 2.4 liter and his is not DI (thankfully). 3 co-workers have the new Equinoxs and they don't really sound that great starting up. I'm sure it has to do with DI, but my old Impala LS is SO much quieter than those new SUVs. Is that good or bad....for them?

When the 2013 Malibu first came out, GM hyped up the brand new 2.5 DI as the next greatest thing ever. Quieter, more power, smoother, and more efficient, etc. etc. Three years later, the 2016 Malibu only comes with either a 1.5L Turbo or a 2.0L turbo for the options. A recent magazine article mentioned GM ditching the "old" 2.5L DI for turbo ones. Maybe they stuck it in the Colorado or cheap Impala versions, IDK. It was easy for GM to go the tiny turbo route, since Ford did that to the Fusion years ago.
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
It is the LAF, LEA and LUK.
All are 2.4 DI engines. The LEA being the E85 compliant version.
Which is what your neighbors Equinox would have had.

LAF is Equinox, Lacrosse, Regal, Terrain. DI

LUK(think ECO) is used in the Malibu and Impala. DI

The LE9 was used in 2010-2012 FLEET Malibus. It was not direct inject but was the same engine without it.

 

[lubricatosaurus]

About the posts above on the 2.4L GM engine getting out of round cylinders, I could see how that might happen if the cooling jackets don't cool evenly all the way around the bores, causing slight oval warping for high thermal gradients and excess wear at times.

I can't see how that affects the timing chains, unless wear particles get loose from the cylinder walls and rings and abrade the timing chain pins. Anybody know?

Timing chain problems in GM cars (and maybe other makes) have usually had to do with poor supplier quality in the consistency & thoroughness of surface heat treating hardening. Corroborates what GMBoy said above about supplier issues sometimes creeping in.

 

[Blinker]

Originally Posted By: lubricatosaurus
About the posts above on the 2.4L GM engine getting out of round cylinders, I could see how that might happen if the cooling jackets don't cool evenly all the way around the bores, causing slight oval warping for high thermal gradients and excess wear at times.

I can't see how that affects the timing chains, unless wear particles get loose from the cylinder walls and rings and abrade the timing chain pins. Anybody know?

Timing chain problems in GM cars (and maybe other makes) have usually had to do with poor supplier quality in the consistency & thoroughness of surface heat treating hardening. Corroborates what GMBoy said above about supplier issues sometimes creeping in.


Thank you for picking up where i left off, i was beginning to lose my brain. The piston rings often wear oddly in the bore and create what GM called "zebra lines or stripes"?? The lines, or deep scratches contribute to oil burning and the wear metal does get trapped in the timing chain tensioner, causing failure. I for the life of me cannot remember why the rings get messed up. There is a TSB on it. It was either from cooling issues or the DI combustion process creating hot spots in the bore.

 

[Blinker]

The 2.4 SIDI was definitely a bit under developed. Remember the condition of auto industry when the 2010 Equinox came out? It came out in the spring of 2009, GM just asked for a bailout and they just announced the axing of some of its brands. The equinox was GM's first new redesign since the fiasco. Fuel economy was on the minds of nearly every car buyer and the 2010 got 32 mph highway and something like 22 mpg city. That was slightly worse than the cobalt and nearly equal with the malibu. Impressive!

But because of the current condition of the auto industry then,especially for GM, this engine was just under developed. The 2.4 ecotec LE5 used in malibu, cobalts, hhr was not DI and it was actually GM's most reliable engine based on warranty claims out of all of the engines in GM's lineup at the time. The equinox was definitely a step in the right direction for GM, it had every cutting edge at the time. I think GM is trying to keep customers happy and if you have the oil burning problem they will more than likely get you a new motor. My brother worked at a chevy dealer until recently in the shop. They replace plenty of these.

 

[asand1]

Originally Posted By: super20dan
what a pile this car has been. he bought it with out doing any reasearch and was a blind long time gm customer. its started rapid oil use around 20k . at 29k the timming chain went. oil use got worse even after switching to 10w30 as a test. at 60 k the second timming chain started making noise and the ac went out. he took my advice and traded it in (on a jeep Cherokee with the trouble prone 9 speed auto) the jeep was against my advice. i of course recommended a toyota


So how many times had he changed the oil at 60K?

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Funny how half of the OP's posts are anti-GM rants.


Yes, and of course it HAS TO BE A GIVEN on here that the Toy he suggested is 200% perfect/infallible, correct?

 

[pottymouth]

My previous employer had a ton of 4 cyl Equinoxes in the fleet, it was probably the most popular choice for salespeople. I had a 2014 for about 45K miles. It was a great vehicle and averaged a solid 25mpg in mixed driving with my heavy foot. I was impressed.

No issues to speak of and I can guarantee that if there were high rates of engine failures the company would have dropped it from the plan. We were allowed to order a new one after we hit 85K miles, but most ended up over 100K by the time the replacement was delivered. Perhaps part of the success with these was the fact that the fleet management people made sure we performed scheduled maintenance on time.

 

[super20dan]

he has changed the oil every 3k after the tsb on the reflash of the computer . the fact that he is too lazy to check the oil level between changes is his mistake. main reason he decided to dump it as it had been run low on oil too many times. just a matter of time. he waited till the warrnty was out. gm never offered to extend his powertrain warrenty as others have claimed here. i am far from the only subaru basher here and yes my toyotas are amazingly free from trouble. my 04 highlander just hit 200k with only repairs are powerwindow motor and switch and starter motor. my 03 tundra has only needed a new radio. few cars if any except another toyota can match this. this is a fact. a new car shouldnt use a qt of oil every 1000k the 2.4 di is just a poor desighn.go look on equinox forms-his isnt the only one with this problem.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: super20dan
my 04 highlander just hit 200k with only repairs are powerwindow motor and switch and starter motor. my 03 tundra has only needed a new radio. few cars if any except another toyota can match this. this is a fact.


The wife's previous 03 Escape went 160k and only needed an AC compressor and seal all covered under warranty. Only reason she got rid of it was because she got tired of it. I wanted to run it until it died but we traded it as we don't need 4 vehicles.

IMHO Toyotas (and Honda too) are nothing special.

 

[Rand]

The 2013 Nox that I change the oil on seems decent. Only issue so far heavily rusted undercarriage.

I try to use the best oil and filters and its been getting 1.5-2 oil changes per year based on the OLM.

 

[sciphi]

This thread is like a trainwreck. I just can't stop watching...

Yep, poor maintenance will kill anything. Top Gear has discovered that very well with the vehicles they purchased on their "specials". FJ40 Land Cruiser turning into FWD thanks to a hard life and abuse, anybody?

 

[Nick R]

The OP was pretty amusing. I liked this "Of course _I_ recommended a Toyota" You can feel the superiority and arrogance dripping from that sentence.

Anyway, I can't comment on the 2.4DI, haven't had one. I can confirm I've heard a few rattling at startup in random places. FWIW though, my dad's work car in NC is a 2015 Malibu with the 2.5, and he has I think 45k miles on it since last october? (He drives a lot for work) and it hasn't been back to the dealership once. Just regular oil changes and tire rotations.

Haven't heard much else about the 2.5s

 

[Silverado12]

My wife's 2012 Equinox 2.4 has been flawless and gets 25 mpg average. It hits over 30 on a trip, which is amazing for a car its size. However, I change the oil every 3,000 to 3,500 miles and use 10W-30 with a new filter every time. Not taking any chances.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: super20dan
few cars if any except another toyota can match this. this is a fact. a new car shouldnt use a qt of oil every 1000k the 2.4 di is just a poor desighn.


There are too many trouble-free vehicles from other brands to make your statement correct. GM trucks didn't suffer from frame rot-out like Toyotas did, and I'm not sure there's been an engine out there that sludged oil as easily as an old MZ V-6. Toyota makes great cars today, just as General Motors does. You can get a bad Toyota just as you can get a bad GM. Just the luck of the draw for mass-produced machines like this, unfortunately.

And if his Equinox was using oil at a rate of 1 qt every million miles (1000k), then good on GM -- that's incredibly low oil consumption!

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Funny how half of the OP's posts are anti-GM rants.


I can't count for others, but for me most of my dislike for GM is based upon my experience as a supplier to them. Several years ago I had an epiphany that if GM held their customers in as much contempt as they do their suppliers, then I would be a fool to ever buy another GM car. When the ignition switch fiasco hit, all it did is provide me solid evidence that my reasoning was not only sound, but also very wise. This is coming from a guy that has owned nine GM cars over the years. I still drive one, but once it is gone, it will be the last.

The real reason why GM cannot compete has and will always be the UAW and it's onerous work rules.

You may find anti-GM rants stupid, or even comical. I find dyed in the wool loyal GM customers humorously entertaining, but mostly naive.



Being that I work for GM and my main role is monitoring quality from our suppliers all I can say is most of our warranty and other troubles come from poor supplier quality. Very few issues are engineering or assembly caused.I see constant defects and other issues from most of our suppliers and I write as many PRR's (paperwork that effects their PPM and makes them pay for the defects) as I can to keep the best parts coming in. Now I do agree with you that GM as a whole treats suppliers a little bad and cuts them to the bone, but that is not my department.


GM has to compete with the import competition (who IMO should have been tariffed out of the market); they are funded by their own governments in an attempt to corner the market.


Yeah right. If anyone if being subsidized by their government it is the Detroit 3.....or did you forget about the 2009 fiasco already. I have been hearing about so called subsidies for the Japanese automakers since the 80's. I ask you, where do you suppose those "subsidies" come from. It would be a countries tax dollars. So in effect, if there are in fact subsidies by the Japanese government, they would have to come out of the hides of the other Japanese corporations or its residents. Either way, not every industry in Japan can be subsidzed as money doesn't grow on trees (has to come from somewhere).