So... What is wrong with your NEW SRX?

[Jake's SRX]

Just did the torque converter, luckily we have GMPP 2005 N* AWD 62000 miles. Now a hum has started. Not the radio, not the Load Level compressor. Think it is a fuel pump issue, sound like a tuning fork (constant tone pitch) sometimes louder, we hear it when we are stopped moving and when I hear it and shut off the ignition it goes away. Wife claims she hears it lower and behind her. going to wait until it is more consistent then we will bring it in.

[Professor Wizard]

Robersch... It is the Factory Visor Universal. Yes, I am thinking something is wrong with it because others state theirs works fine - and the fact that all other remotes in my household work fine opening these doors.

I can't use it on "My" door because my door is a brand that doesn't have a "Learn" feature. To add remotes you physically plug them into the head unit with a special plug and that syncs them so they work. My "HomeLink" in my mustang was perfectly happy copying my hand unit to open that door. But since GM decided to go with cheaper Generic Universal remotes, there is no "copy" feature like with HomeLink. Now - The Generics aren't bad remotes, they just don't work with as many head units, and can't copy a transmitter.

To that note :: My old Craftsman Head unit that I programmed to work from my SRX, only will remember 6 remotes. All 6 were being used (Family)... I removed my daughters hand held from the group, so I could program the SRX into the head unit. That didn't make my daughter very happy, but she doesn't live at home anymore anyway.

Also : My SRX did NOT come with that sexy lady that is driving in the SRX Commercial on TV. I am thinking about calling customer service and letting them know she is missing. I mean, if they included her in the car on the commercial, then she must be part of the deal! I wonder if she is an after market accessory!

[robhersch]

Originally Posted by Professor Wizard

Robersch... It is the Factory Visor Universal. Yes, I am thinking something is wrong with it because others state theirs works fine - and the fact that all other remotes in my household work fine opening these doors....... But since GM decided to go with cheaper Generic Universal remotes, there is no "copy" feature like with HomeLink. Now - The Generics aren't bad remotes, they just don't work with as many head units, and can't copy a transmitter.......!

Interesting that GM changed for 2009. Our SRX is a 2005 and a friend has a 2008 SRX and both appear to be ~ identical; their SRX unit operates their garage door (genie), their community access gate (??), and their sons garage door (??); and all were programmed by the SRX controller learning from each of the separate remotes being activated.

Wish I could offer better info, but ....

[Professor Wizard]

Well... Here is an UPDATE!

I dropped my SRX off at the dealership (Elco Cadillac - great people!) on Monday - they kept it for a couple of days. They gave me a DTS with 750miles on it to drive. I learned that I didn't care for the DTS.

Below is a detail list... It upsets me a bit that with the two biggest things I took it in for, they are telling me can not be fixed - and that is the Nav Screen not turning OFF, and the transmission shifting like a mad hatter when in cruise on the highway.

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NAV/RADIO WILL NOT TURN OFF:

Tech says this is normal, and they can not make it go off. No TSB's or write ups about it. ((Does yours turn off when you hit the power button, or just turn into a big blue lightbulb like mine? Has anyone gotten a dealer to fix it?))

End of issue - GM will not repair.

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DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR:

Dealer ordered a replacement mirror to fix ripple in glass and heating problem... YEA!

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TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROGRAMMING

Tech says this is normal - no TSB's or Write Ups about it. ((Does anyone else's car do this "crazy shift" crap when in cruise on trips? Has anyone gotten their dealership to fix it?))

End of Issue... GM will not repair.

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DRIVERS DOOR DROPS:

Dealer re-aligned all doors.. NICE! Closes with gentle push now.

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WATER DRIPS:

Dealer could not reduplicate - blew out all drain tubes. (Considering it is much cooler and lower humidity lately, I figured they would not get it to drip - glad they at least tried. So we wait until next summer on this one.)

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DOOR HANDLE CHROME COMING OFF:

Dealership ordered replacement handle - YEA!

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GARAGE DOOR OPENER:

Dealership ordered replacement unit - YEA! This actually surprised me! I figured they would try to say it works how it works.

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SEXY LADY MISSING.

Tech stated Sexy Lady only comes with certain V series and XLR Models. So I'm out of luck. But he did say I might be able pick up an after market girl at some of the high class clubs! He also indicated that used models were available online!

[Professor Wizard]

Another Update....

So, I have my daughter and her baby in my SRX, and it is 50 degrees and she is cold... so I set the Air Temp to 75 degrees... after a while I notice it is not getting any warmer... so I set the temp to 88 degrees.... 10 minutes later it is about 60 degrees.

Bummer.. my heater isn't heating - - well.. actually the automatic temp control is not doing anything UNLESS you set it to MAX.. THEN the defrost kicks in and starts putting heat.

So.. if I switch Fan and Vent to Manual.. then heat to MAX, I get heat. If I don't do those things.. I get outside air temp.

NICE!

So, I received my note in the mail that the other parts are ready, so I guess I'll have them look at the heater control while they are fixing the other stuff.

I am ever so slowly thinking I should not have bought an American car!

[The Wrench]

Wizard, regarding the visor remote unit: I have the Lear Universal on my '08 (three buttons/three lights), and it just would not talk to my Linear-brand garage openers. We tried everything, just wouldn't work. I had to go to the Lear website and buy a $25 adapter for my garage opener, that will talk to the Caddy unit.
Now it works, but I threatened to send GM the bill for the adapter.

DG

[Professor Wizard]

Wrench... yes... the 09' openers are NOT the same as prior years... GM saved some bucks by getting away from the HomeLink brand and going with the cheapo Chinese one. This unit will only work with openers that let you "sync" to them - and then not all brands are supported. You should send GM a bill for the adapter - but considering they are bankrupt, and not paying the people they already owe money to - don't' hold your breath waiting for the check!

Now - back to my subject at hand... I FINALLY got my SRX back.

First.. dropped it off with heater complaint... they returned it saying nothing was wrong.. no codes, no TSB's... I returned it with same complaint - plus some diagnostic details of my own... They returned it to me saying nothing was wrong - again.... again I returned to to them saying fix the damn thing and making quite a stink about it... they called me at my work telling me yet again that there was nothing wrong with it.. so I cut out for lunch and went to the dealership.. had them start the car in their parking lot and let it run while I listened to the Tech explain to me how the computer could not find nothing wrong - - and while I told him maybe it was probably something the computer wasn't hooked too, and maybe he should start being a mechanic instead of a computer operator! (Stupid Techs today don't fix things, they just let computers tell them what to replace!) Anyway - My car sat there for 20minutes while we talked, and the tech accidentally left the temp setting on 83 degrees. Well - when I got ready to get into car I noticed the setting.. however temp was actually around 60 degrees.. I had Tech sit in passenger seat and explain to me how setting of 83 but real temp of 60 was NORMAL.. of course.. he could not explain that... I made a lot more noise and started my own assessments right there on the parking lot... looking under dash, I noticed an unusual brilliant red plug on a hose!.. it looked very out of place because everything else under there was rather benign in color.

Bottom line.... I had complained about dripping water on accelerator foot from AC... The tech that worked on that, put a plug in a hose he found under dash... that particular hose happen to be part of the sensing system for the heater (not the AC.. just the Heat)... and of course, with plug in hose, heater could not tell what cabin temp was, so it went with factory safety default of - you guessed it.. 60 degrees!

So... A total week of work, several sensor replacements and excuses they sort of finally fixed my car, but they would NOT have done so if it were not for my insistence that they were WRONG and my heater was NOT acting normal. And all the Mechanic had to do was stop looking at the computer screen and start looking under the dash!

As for the other stuff on my list...
- They replaced the garage opener - I haven't had time to test it.
- They replaced the mirror - - I'm sorry they did, because the new one is more rippled then the original one.. oh well... back to the drawing board.
- They replaced my door pull handle.. good job.
- Sexy lady - - I got to flirt with the Rental Car lady..that was as close as that got!

My transmission still shifts hard and erratic when on cruise control.
The screen still turns bright blue when I turn off the Nav Unit.

BUT.. I have HEAT now.. a very handy thing to have as we approach winter!

[Professor Wizard]

Having the dealership replace the Garage Remote was the right thing to do. It works from a least 100 feet away now.. and opens the door every time I hit the button on a single hit. Before it would only worked if you were within 25 feet, and sometimes you had to hit the button as many as 4 times before it actually opened the door.

I still wish Cadillac used a HomeLink branded unit, like the ones that are/were in ALL my other cars - - because "My" garage door doesn't have a Sears opener.. and it doesn't allow you to "learn/Add" openers like the sears one does. It is really SAD that GM decided to save a few pennies per Caddy by going with a cheap Chinese unit, instead of sticking with the HomeLink brand. I could see them doing that on a Chevy.. but not a Caddy.

I think I found a Sears "Add On" garage door controller that will let me rig it so I can open my door with my Caddy opener.. we shall see.