Okay I just bought a used H1 from a dealership in scottsdale with quite a few problems. I am aware of most of the car's issues because I took it to another dealership for an independent inspection, etc and they test over 100 things (used car buyers inspection) but honestly I've never experienced something quite like dealing with the VANS Chevy dealership in Scottsdale in my life. I think they gave me like 4 quotes and every time I acted like I had to leave they would shave $1k off the price "if you bring it in here today for the work because we are conveniently slow at the moment." Totally shady.

I happen to be a girl with blonde hair so no one is taking me seriously with this car and they have no idea that I intend to become an expert on every aspect of this vehicle (&work on it as much myself as i possibly can - or closely assist!) and I've honestly done several hundreds of hours of research about this car before I finally (at least 1.5 years later!) found the one I wanted and had the cash to buy it - CASH!

I supposedly got it for like $12-15k below retail not counting the "extras” which we all know can be a bundle but are worth almost jack in resale unless you find the perfect buyer who wants just what you've got installed. This is the first time ive ever posted on a blogsite, so sorry for the verbosity but I will post pics and all sorts of other info regarding this beast because I really love these vehicles and regardless of the many things that are said about them in the negative, I dont believe there actually exists "A LEMON".....

All that being said, to the point on the tire issue, I just realized that the four tires (which were one of the things mentioned by "VANS CHEVY DEALER" as needing to replace) are different sizes!!! The front tires seem almost new and still have the little rubber spikes all over them, but they are an SS-M16 size 37x13.50x17LH and the back tires are 37x12.50x17LH and obviously not the newer!

I'm just wondering if any of you know if having driven this car about 500 miles myself (and god knows how many miles driven before I bought it, or wether this was a last minute dealership flub/bandaid) could have done any damage to the shocks or ANY NUMBER of other aspects to the handling of the vehicle - or maybe nothing at all? The car has been driven at speeds of up to 70 MPH and as ive read on other sites is a cause for concern if the car starts to shake around 70mph, which it does at almost EXACTLY 70mph. Basically the Vans dealership just wrote on their "estimate" new tires "but we can't tell you about wether the CTIS works without taking them apart and then we can't put them back together."

The CTIS is working fine - I've had to inflate the tires a few times, but the warning buzzer works and then I inflate "both" and then all is good. I've had to inflate a few times in the week I've had it though, but since there is a MASSIVE DRIPPING OIL LEAK I read that would be the situation.

I will post in the oil leak section because that is the main "high dollar" thing the dealership found (or MAYBE CAUSED?, with their weird creepy shiesty used car salesman-ish manner of trying to sell me the services thinking I'm just a dumb girl!). Basically the oil is at a now very steady drip and is right under the center of the engine where you put the oil in and according to VANS the whole engine needed to be resealed because of this leak ($2500!).....for that matter I can go to the military auction and buy a new engine! The engine is a 6.5L Turbo Diesel.

Thanks for reading and I really owe you guys if you can give any insight. I live in vegas and this place is the ripoff capital of the world. I hardly want to let this baby out of MY SIGHT FOR A SECOND to even get a tire rotation or oil change or anything! :-/

 

Probably should post in the H1 section, it will get noticed more. I would probably replace the rear tires with whatever is on the front since the front tires are new. Many places can't balance H1 wheels if they have the runflats in them or can't balance them well. Some people swear by the Centramatics, which are supposed to balance the wheel without weights. I took the set I had off. The CTIS systems seem to almost always have small leaks and adding air a couple of times a week is normal ( if you are losing a few pounds each time.) The oil leak sounds like the most serious issue and one that should be looked into right away. I assume that you are checking the oil level and adding as needed. I'll have to see if I can find another H1 owner in the Vegas area that could check out the leak for you. What did the dealership that did the inspection say about the leak?

 

Hey 3Hummers! You're a hero and thanks for the advice! I've still got some quirky things going on, but thankfully I had my biker/mechanic friend check out the oil leak and as I had intuited I DID NOT GET A LEMON but the VANS CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER IN SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA had punctured my oil fllter with a wrench in order for me to lose enough oil so hopefully I wouldn't have been able to even leave Scottsdale without letting THEM do the repairs! Wow! The last time this happened to me was 14 years ago when I went to simoniz car wash for a wash and oil change in my honda prelude. The car was smoking like a house fire going Down I-95 in miami and when I got it to a repair shop they showed me the filter and it looked like someone shot it with buckshot 2 or 3 times! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!?! Just because you drive a hummer they think you SHOULD HAVE TO spend $ on it like it's a mercedes JUST BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY CAN! well, SCREW THEM! Ive also got an antifreeze leak in the shaft just to the left of where the oil filter is. Wonder what they did there, too! I kept the filter and made a video of my friend taking it out - anyone have advice on what I can do to Vans to make them pay? I know the answer is probably nothing - just feel lucky I've still got a functional engine. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Glad I didnt call the dealership I bought it from and cursed out the owner! He and I were considering collaborating on a luxury dealership here in vegas, so wow!

Ttytytytytyt, 3Hummers! If you come to vegas you must come to my bar for a few free drinks!

 

Oh yeah, pretty nice SCAM they have going on at Vans Chevrolet! $2500 for a $25 part!!!! WOW! EVEN CASINOS DONT RAPE PEOPLE THAT BADLY!!!!

 

Should be passing through Vegas around October 8th on my way to Moab. Depending on when we roll through( usually early AM ) I would like to stop by. As it gets closer I'll let you know what the timing looks like. Glad your issues have been minor so far and for the heads up on Vans.

 

Oh man! So much going on here with this new baby (truck!)!!! I hope I didn't miss you when you came through! Sooooooooo many crazy things with this truck - I talked to Dave at HummerPartsGuy for two hours about a month ago, though, and it was really great and informative and let's hope at this point I didn't get a lemon! So far besides the tires issues and a few things I think we are looking good!

Basically, however, I do need to get some tires and ones that are on there are, as I said, two different sizes.

Any opinions about the best tire for a 2002 wagon? The tread was worn unevenly because of the 12.5 vs 13.5 on front and back, which is a shame because the front tires are brand new but totally screwed with insane diagonal internal wear on the tread.

Also, from what I've heard, you don't get a free alignment with these types of tires, so I was wondering just how "expensive" (according to flash-off-road article on tires) the alignment is or if any of you knew.

I live in vegas and I hate feeling like I'm constantly getting ripped off. I don't mind doing right by my new "baby" - I insist, but dont wanna get screwed. Any advice or insight would be SOOOO greatly appreciated.

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about the tires right now. Yes they are different widths but more importantly they are the same diameter, 37".
It's the diameter that's important. Mismatched diameters can cause damage but mismatched widths should be OK for now.
I would concentrate on the oil issue. New tires can wait.

 

Thanks, Bunger! Oh my god! Like I said I have been though so much and not been on this forum so so much has happened since my last post! The oil was ABOUT AS INSANE as those dumba$$es @ dealership topping my baby off with gas when she is a diesel! It turns out the oil thing was totally either the dealership, the second opinion I got at vans chevy in scottsdale or possibly some jealous person around town here but it turns out someone tampered with the oil filter and poked a million holes in it! It was insane and spewing everywhere! I assume it may be the vans chevy people just trying to make it bad enough so that I couldn't get from Scottsdale to vegas but they underestimated what badasses these vehicles are! I ordered the dual system filter from HummerPartsGuy & my biker buddy who works as pit guy often on top gear USA installed it! He was the one who discovered the bad filter when I was just dumping like a gallon a day in there until I could find someone trustworthy to work on her! I don't know if you could read the post I wrote to the guy earlier tonight who is looking for a Wagon, but seriously I have a thriller/drama/tragic comedy from just the first week of owning this beast! I am seriously dedicated to her now, though! I'm H1 for life now! I just wish I had a trunk or cargo space in my back seat instead of a 4k watt stereo and some of the craziest custom speakers in the back I've ever seen! I didn't know they were there when I bought it - then I was going to rip it all out, then I was told by EVERYONE that it's a crime to tear out the equipment, so I need to find another hummer so I can have trunk space! Thanks so much for advice on tires though because that will cost a pretty penny and I Need to prioritize here. I've kinda got a crazy show-car type of car on my hands and I dont know what to do. many thanks for all of your support!

 

Perantes, you get to SoCal periodically. You might want to call and schedule your truck in with Mike S at Tustin. He can check your truck out and let you know what it needs. He is also extremely fair on pricing stuff. He even gets trucks in from Canada to work on. He is the best H1 mechanic out there. He can everything from getting and mounting your tires to complete restorations. He could take care of your stereo equipment removal for you also.