Hello everyone! New to the H2 in general...and wondering if anyone can give me the "must look at" list or things to watch for? I have a 2004 Adventure and it's got 89k miles on it. I had a pre-purchase done and not much was really found...small things but otherwise it was clean and clear. Assuming you don't have every document, where would you start and what would you look for? What service is a MUST vs what is a "if needed". Advice is always appreciated

 

Here's a few things to be mindful of:

Mirrors: make sure you tell every person who services or has it in their care.
DO NOT push the mirrors in manually. I've had two of mine broken. One was even after I mentioned it.

License plate tray- your tailgate is going to want to slam once you get it 3/4's the way closed. If you let it slam eventually the plastic studs holding the tray in will snap and the whole tray will pull out of the gate. Especially in cold climates.

Door interior panels- don't slam the doors. They are light ( and one of my favourite things about the h2) is how nice they close. If slammed a crack will appear just below and towards the dash of the handle.

Map pockets- try not to catch your foot on these. Fragile. Expensive hard to find.

Service

Whenever I buy a used vehicle I like to slowly and systematically pick away at changing all the fluids and filters. As budget allows. People's perception of great maintenance varies widely.

I would do the fluids in this order.

Oil,filter , air filter
Coolant- flush the rad and motor. I personally get rid of the dexcool in all my vehicles. I've had three that suffered intake leaks . Which I believe was caused by the dexcool. Apparently it is better these days. Research it and decide for yourself.

Transmission- weak link on these. The internal trans cooler can let go inside the rad and flood the trans destroying it. Another reason to flush the rad and keep the coolant good. Your cooler may be bypassed and mounted externally.

Transfer case- I still haven't done this yet.

Differentials- at minimum check the levels and colour. Especially if there is any undercarriage scrapes. This would indicate that it was wheeled and the axles could have been submerged and there could be water in there.

Spark plugs , wires, belts.

You may want to change your belt tensioners while changing belts.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks MadM.

So right off the bat I realize a few fixes then. Folding mirrors don't fold. Hmmph. I did find the OEM GM parts site that seem to have everything I could imagine...looks like I will be bouncing some part quotes off of them.

I noticed the tailgate right away. Is there a fix to the slamming?

What coolant do you recommend? I live in a cooler environment and the H2 runs like a champ in it so far...

I also read about the roof light bezels leaking. I noticed there is some aftermarket clear sealant on them. Maybe I'll stay vigilant on keeping those sealed.

When I had it inspected, one wheel bearing and assembly needed to go...the dealership did it for me.

I agree on all of the fluids...I want it to run for a long time, and plan to tick away at every fluid.

 

I just posted up the fix for "signal 25" last week, it will be on the second or third page of this forum. Sorry don't know how to post links.

You can switch to whatever coolant you prefer. Just make sure the motor and cooling system is flushed of all dexcool.

Check eBay, wreckers, Craigslist for mirrors.

The o3-05 mirrors are junk. The 06 mirrors are good but are a different style so you will have to replace both. They are pricey....

 

"must look at" the gas prices . If increase 20 cents get rid of it ..
just kidding I couldn't resist

Shocks and steering damper are weak @ 90k miles should had be replaced already

Also the whole front end should be checked among with the front hubs .

My truck ride changed 180 degrees after replacing shocks and some frontend parts