Looking at other examples like the Civic in the same weight range with the 1.5T or even the Accord, and how weak the internal parts of those engines are, and then looking at the construction of this engine, it seems much better built. And so far we've had it in the Trailblazer since 2021 with no huge reports of issues, and in Opels for a while longer with no huge reports of issues. Comparing the construction of this engine to the 1.4T is like comparing an old Ford Cosworth engine to the 1.0 Ecoboost. Included are some of the few pictures of parts and complete engines I could find from Europe and the US, as well as the engine in the engine bay. Considering the 2.7 which is built on the same architecture as well, has been out for a while, I figured it was a reasonable choice. Not like there are a huge amount of choices in the sub-25k range and she wanted new, as well as non CVT and relatively easy parts availability. It remains to be seen if any issues will show up but based on the design I am more confident in this engine than most of the previous generation DI turbo engines.
2024 Buick Envista: Best oil for GM 1.2 LIH and Continental Belt In Oil compatibility.
- Thread starter 79Subaru
- Start date
I'm intrigued and I suppose time will tell. I love that it does not have a CVT transmission. Aren't 3cyl engines naturally balanced also?
What's also nice is how quite Buick makes their vehicles. (Usually). The car looks really good too. Honestly, I'm all for it and just have some concerns about the engine.
What's also nice is how quite Buick makes their vehicles. (Usually). The car looks really good too. Honestly, I'm all for it and just have some concerns about the engine.
I was kinda skeptical the difference between the Envista and the Trailblazer weight was 1000 lbs until I went searching on the Buick website. If I am correct, this is the Buick version of the FWD only Trax, not a head to head comparison with the AWD Trailblazer. Not saying that you were doing anything but comparing weight to the motor available, it's just how my mind works since I see a Trailblazer in my future to replace the Trax in house. And I might be all wrong, so correct away!
3 cylinder engines have natural primary balance. The crank throws are 120deg apart. However they do not have natural secondary balance like an I6. They have a tendency to rock back and forth especially at low RPM. So most either have a balancing shaft, which unlike a 4cyl, is only a single shaft rotating along with the crank, or an unbalanced flywheel and harmonic damper. This one has a balance shaft. The car is very nice, when I sent pictures of it to my friend, he guessed $45,000, not $25,000. The interior is very comfortable, the car has a lot of space, and it's just very nicely set up in comparison to the Trax for example, which is built on the same platform. I went with her to look at both the Trax and Envista. Trax was nearly impossible to find, they were selling so quickly. Every one being shipped in was allocated to someone. We couldn't even take a test drive in one. Envista we went to a dealer and they had it right on the lot. I didn't even get to sit in a Trax but from looking at it, it seemed a lot cheaper than the Envista. The Buick interior is still obviously GM, but it's that much nicer that it could almost compete with a lower end Audi or BMW, or a higher trim VW. She certainly likes the interior better than the one on her old Sportwagen, which I thought was a pretty good interior, but she likes the Buick seats better. The infotainment setup is better than most I have seen. While most cars are doing the Ipad glued to the dashboard type of thing, this one reminds me more of a futuristic rendition of a 70s Chevy C10 gauge cluster. Oriented more towards the driver. I haven't gotten to play around with anything yet, at this point all I have to say is that the backup camera is excellent.
One benefit of the 3 cylinder engine, it leaves plenty of space on the engine bay.
Turbo cars LOVE clean oil so do not do the crazy 10k oil changes.
Turbo cars LOVE clean oil so do not do the crazy 10k oil changes.
Yes, the Envista is FWD only. Based on the same platform as the Trax. The Trailblazer I saw that was FWD with the 1.2 and CVT was around 4000 lb. The AWD ones weight even more. The Buick version of the Trailblazer is the Encore GX and weighs about the same. Both the Trax and Envista weight around 3000lb even, with the Envista being slightly less by maybe 30lb. Comparison to the FWD Trailblazer is because it was out since 2021, with the 1.2l engine. So in the US, that is the longest running application of the LIH/CSS1.2 engine. And is heavier to boot, so it was a good example to prove a point about the engine not being as heavily loaded in the Envista/Trax.
That is one of the things that I liked about it, servicing looked very easy. Oil changes listed in the manual is 7500 max, follow the OLM but if it gets to 7500, change it. Lists 5000 for severe service but says that the OLM should adjust. Will remain to be seen. I think I will advise her to change it around 5K miles.
In that case I'd go for Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, or Castrol Edge EP.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
Why in God's name would you want to drive anything to 400K, if you have the resources to replace it at 200k
That's the way it works in my family. My mom still has her 400K mile 2013 Sportwagen TDI. She is not trading it in, she is not getting rid of it. She will keep it alongside the new Buick and use it for some of the shorter trips and carrying dirty items from Home Depot or the garden center or whatever. It's her equivalent of a pickup truck. The only reason she doesn't have her previous car is because it was totalled in a crash. Personally I drive a 1979 Subaru DL with who knows how many miles are on it. The engine and transmission are not original, I put them in. But the pedals for example, the pad on the gas pedal is completely missing, the brake is worn through almost to the metal, and the clutch is in similar condition. I drive it sometimes up to 1500 miles in a week, usually more like 500-800. I have replaced all of the uncommon and unreliable parts with more common ones. For example the Hitachi external reg alternator with a Denso from a Suzuki Samurai. Or the antique ignition system with GM HEI and a Ford TFI coil. Holley 1904 carburetor mounted on a modified single carb intake. I added a Ford Racing 90 degree oil filter adapter to fit a more common and larger PH2 style filter. I can carry every tool to fix it right in my cargo area, it can fit 4 people, it can fit an average size V8 engine in the back, or alternatively an arc or tig welder. Gets 45-50 mpg on the highway, weighs about 1800 lb in it's current configuration, and the engine is tuned for about 115 HP or so with many modifications and special parts. I have it oil undercoated yearly and do not plan to get rid of it. I would like to get a Cosworth Vega at some point to keep alongside it, have previously worked on one of those engines swapped into a Chevette and I really liked it. My friend does the same thing, he drives an 82 Toronado, 5.7 diesel with over 600,000 miles on the original engine. ARP head studs of course.
Here are some pictures of my Subaru. Outside, inside, pedals, digital dash, engine, oil filter setup. And a picture of the oil that keeps it running in the colder season, as well as the seat for interior color reference. One of the first cars I ever bought and the only one I didn't sell, I have had it for many years at this point.
Attachments
So this engine uses a "belt" instead of a "chain"? Do we know what the service interval is for a belt change on this engine?
Thanks for the information on this.
I really like what GM has done here and the car looks great IMHO. I actually like the base trim and would venture to say if a competitor was responsible for this car, many critics would be all over it with kudos. Buick is not a brand for old fogies. My only concern is the engine. I also like keeping cars for a long time as I don't like dealing with dealerships and new products that are actually worse than the originals. (Look at the new iPhone 15 for example.) Keeping cars on the road and not jumping on a bandwagon makes sense to me.
And.. I really dislike the whole "iPad on the dash" look that so many car makers have adopted. The Buick (Corvette also) seem to be implementing a better cohesive design when it comes to this feature. Again... the car is well designed, but I am still wondering about this engine. GM's track record and commitment to keeping new technology updated is very poor. Yes, there is a price-point here.... But really, no one wants to buy a vehicle that starts to degrade just outside of warranty.
I'm still pessimistic on the engine.
It’s been many years that manufacturers have learned to deal with LSPI, and between ECM changes and oil changes, LSPI is more boogeyman under your bed than terrorist in your living room. We’ve seen only a very tiny smattering (less than 5 that I’ve seen) engines damaged by LSPI, so that’s kinda proof that LSPI hoopla is overblown.
Buy any d1G3 and change at severe service schedule, as DXG formulation has changed wildly, and my personal experience documented here on the board leaves me with the solid opinion that it never was the best Dexos oil. It was simply the best marketed to people.
150,000 miles/15 years.
because some people view automobiles as an appliance for transportation and not something to spend money on just because they can.
She did get the warranty extension, 100,000 miles, and will probably get to that mileage in 3 years or so, so we will see. I figured that if the engine blows up within warranty, it will get replaced for free, and if it blows up outside of warranty, it looks very easy to change and low mileage 1.2s from crashed Trailblazers are fairly cheap and common even now. Around $1000 is the average price for one without a turbo, $1500-1800 for one with everything included. And the engine looks quite easy to remove and swap. Certainly easier than doing a timing belt or HPFP on her current TDI, of which the timing belt is a $2700 job. So we will see how reliable it ends up being, and if there are problems, we will see if they get fixed. At this point I am more confident than I have been in other GM GDIs like the 1.4 or 1.5T. Just based on design of the parts I can find pictures of, and comparisons to other TGDIs, and the fact that currently used engines are cheap, for a newly released engine, and widely available. That tells me there aren't many failures, because the only ones broken down into parts are from flood cars. Compare that to the 1.0 Ecoboost for example where it is impossible to find a used engine and they are extremely expensive. I will post pictures when the car arrives, probably a few UOAs because this is a new engine design so I am curious, and will post if there are any issues. So far the only widespread issue I have heard about is the Evap purge pump and that may have been fixed at this point. Not a big deal. And it's an issue shared on all of the new CSS architecture GM engines. 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.7. If it breaks it gets replaced under warranty, no big deal. I am recommending that once she is out of warranty she only run premium fuel, and try midgrade or premium if she hears any knocking noises on acceleration. Oil at this point will probably be Mobil 1 EP, I may still try the Ravenol at some point just to see how it works, this engine does like a thinner side 5w30/0w30 from what I have heard, and there are no timing chain wear concerns or shearing from the timing chain. So it might work OK in this engine. But Mobil 1 EP is easy to find, not very expensive, and available at the same stores as the FE12060 filter, so that works out. Easy enough to run an oil analysis and see how it does. The new engine I expect to see problems with is the 1.3 in the Trailblazer. The pistons are a much less robust design than the 1.2 ones. They look like the 1.4 pistons. I think that engine was designed first, and the 1.2 came after. GM also got outside engineering help with the 1.2, not sure about the 1.3. The only thing that worries me about this one really is the timing belt, but if it ends up being problematic it will probably be pretty fast like the PSA engines that had the issues at around 40k miles, and will be replaced under warranty. I seriously doubt it though given this engine is using the expensive German made Continental belt, same as the 3.0 Duramax oil pump belt with an even higher interval. Attached is a picture of the actual replacement belt.Thanks for the information on this.
My only concern is the engine. I also like keeping cars for a long time as I don't like dealing with dealerships and new products that are actually worse than the originals. (Look at the new iPhone 15 for example.) Keeping cars on the road and not jumping on a bandwagon makes sense to me.
And.. I really dislike the whole "iPad on the dash" look that so many car makers have adopted. The Buick (Corvette also) seem to be implementing a better cohesive design when it comes to this feature. Again... the car is well designed, but I am still wondering about this engine. GM's track record and commitment to keeping new technology updated is very poor. Yes, there is a price-point here.... But really, no one wants to buy a vehicle that starts to degrade just outside of warranty.
I'm still pessimistic on the engine.
Or like me they spend money on upgrading the same car and making it better, rather than just buying a new one. My car hasn't stayed the same over the years I have had it. It's evolved, become more powerful, faster, better handling. It has nearly double the stock horsepower. I would like to add a second car, but I wouldn't get rid of the Subaru either, I quite like that car and selling it to someone else it would probably end up in a junkyard within a year, because the new owner lacks the knowledge of what parts were used to replace what, what was custom made or modified, and even what cars the parts came from. I know how everything on that car works, but it's all in my head, there is no manual or parts list. There is no wiring diagram, no written specs for that engine the way it is configured. Essentially I am the manufacturer, the warranty provider, the engineer, the mechanic, and the parts supplier.
Similar threads
