2010 Equinox Owners: Post Feedback!!

[CyberNox]

Originally Posted by snawdjj

It’s the trial account, when I called to activate it, I asked for a trial of the traffic and weather, they said no problem.

Really? Man, I think I got screwed. I didn't activate my XM account, my salesman did it before I arrived. I had to call once I got home and ask for Weather to be added, and they said there would be a charge. Once I figured out that Weather wouldn't work without Traffic, I had them add that too. When they did that, they made it a package deal which supposedely includes a price discount. But still, no trial Weather/Traffic for me. Dang.
I wish my salesman would not have set up my account in advance of my arrival.

[cdp326]

Originally Posted by snawdjj

• Windows down from remote. You can hold the unlock button down on the key fob and all the windows roll down. Very nice when used with the remote start to quickly cool off on a hot day.

Good write-up. Just singled out the remote-operated windows feature to remark that I'm very pleased GM is implementing this feature in new models.

[snawdjj]

Originally Posted by CyberNox

I wish my salesman would not have set up my account in advance of my arrival.

Not sure exactly what XM service it had on it when I picked it up. I was told the dealer we traded from had their GM trial account activated on it, and I would need to call XM to get my three month trial going. I called, and when I was on the phone I told them I was not sure I wanted the service, etc, (playing it up a little) and that the weather and traffic might be neat. They said they would include it on my three month trial.

But I think everyone is supposed to get traffic and weather for the three month trial. See: http://www.gm.com/vehicles/services/...rials-pricing/

• Here’s what you get with your XM three-month trial
• Commercial-free music channels
• Your favorite sports, all season long
• News, talk and entertainment
• Kids programming
• Traffic and Weather in 22 major metropolitan markets

I would call XM and check with them, they might give you a credit for 3 months of service.

[CyberNox]

Thanks! I just called XM about the Weather and Traffic trial, which they didn't offer me last month when I initially contacted them about it, and instead just charged me for right away, and they are now going to skip my next scheduled quartlery billing to make up for it. It's billed quarterly at $21 per quarter. This is $1.50 more than what I was told last week, but you'll have that. Honestly, XM customer support and billing is probably THE single most screwed up outfit I've ever dealt with. Completely inept, incompetent, and utterly pathetic. I've never been given more of a runaround by any company before in my life. Not even Microsoft or Dell is that bad.

[n2ic]

Thanks, snawdjj, for the great writeup.

I have had my 2010 Equinox LS for a few days now. I bought it in Albuquerque, 240 miles from home. The local, small town, Chevy dealer isn't likely to see one in the near future. That's probably bad.

It's a wonderful car - drives and rides great. All of the dashboard controls work as advertised. However, I do have some observations...

The fuel economy on this first trip home was disappointing. I know, give it a chance to break-in, but, even so, it seems low. As I said earlier, the drive home was 240 miles. 200 of those miles were highway. I never exceeded 69 MPH, and for 75 of those miles I was on a little-used road, going a steady 55 MPH. I ran entirely on the ECO setting. The DIC said 28.4 MPG; when I refilled it at the gas station, the actual value was 28.1 MPG. I don't drive with a lead foot - every other car I have owned has exceeded it's EPA highway mileage. I will certainly keep y'all posted on what I see ongoing.

The TPMS seems suspect. When I took possession of the car, all 4 tires showed 31 PSI. I didn't think anything of it until I got home, and saw that the recommended pressure was 35 PSI. Dealer screwup ? I thought so until I put what I considered an accurate gauge on it, and it read 36 PSI. So, I'm guessing the dealer used their own gauge, inflated to 35 PSI, and never saw that the TPMS said 31 PSI. Anyone else compare their TPMS to another gauge ?

There were a few other dealer issues that I didn't notice until I got home. The dealer forgot to screw in the antenna. XM worked great without it. The dealer forgot to attach the front license plate holder (not required in NM). Also, I would have expected the dealer to set the clock.

[snawdjj]

Originally Posted by n2ic

The TPMS seems suspect. When I took possession of the car, all 4 tires showed 31 PSI. I didn't think anything of it until I got home, and saw that the recommended pressure was 35 PSI. Dealer screwup ? I thought so until I put what I considered an accurate gauge on it, and it read 36 PSI. So, I'm guessing the dealer used their own gauge, inflated to 35 PSI, and never saw that the TPMS said 31 PSI. Anyone else compare their TPMS to another gauge ?

When I took delivery the tries were at 35/36psi on the TPMS display. After the 100 mile drive home they were up to 36/37psi (heated up a bit). I have an Accu-Gage EZ-Air tire gauge (http://www.getagauge.com/ItemDetail.cfm?ModelNo=EZ-AIR), checked it and the readings were spot on. Then I proceeded to put the tires to 50psi, and the TPMS shows 49/50psi on all of them. Wow the Nox rolls much easier on coasts with the tries up. Note: This is above the max sidewall psi of 44, proceed at your own risk. One other thing, I know the TPMS has a “relearn” function in the DIC. Not sure if that will help recalibrate the pressures.

Originally Posted by n2ic

The fuel economy on this first trip home was disaappointing. I know, give it a chance to break-in, but, even so, it seems low. As I said earlier, the drive home was 240 miles. 200 of those miles were highway. I never exceeded 69 MPH, and for 75 of those miles I was on a little-used road, going a steady 55 MPH. I ran entirely on the ECO setting. The DIC said 28.4 MPG; when I refilled it at the gas station, the actual value was 28.1 MPG. I don't drive with a lead foot - every other car I have owned has exceeded it's EPA highway mileage. I will certainly keep y'all posted on what I see ongoing.

I’m sure driving with the tires set at 30psi would hurt your fuel economy a bit, but you did say they were checked to 35psi. My 100 mile drive home was on a parkway cruise at 70 w/eco but it had many hills, I saw 30.5mpg on the DIC with the tires at 35/36psi. I would say 28mpg is reasonable with the motor still in break-in. I expect to get highway FE in the 35mpg’s with the tires at 50psi and the motor broke in. I’ve got a trip to Louisville soon, about 110 miles. I’m going to be watching the FE closely.

Originally Posted by n2ic

There were a few other dealer issues that I didn't notice until I got home. The dealer forgot to screw in the antenna. XM worked great without it. The dealer forgot to attach the front license plate holder (not required in NM). Also, I would have expected the dealer to set the clock.

Sorry you had a couple issues with delivery. My XM antenna was attached properly, and my clock with set right for where the dealership was, but I live in a different time zone and had to reset it. I thought it was strange that I had to call to activate the XM, as I think that should have been part of the delivery service. I know my dealer did submit my OnStar registration, as when I pressed the blue OnStar button for the first time setup the operator knew who I was.

[CyberNox]

My salesman activated both my XM and my OnStar accounts. I was fine with him activating OnStar, a GM service, but actually, since XM is not a GM service and since it has the Weather and Traffic options, I wish he would've either had those activated on the account, or else I wish he would've just let me do it myself. Also, there's a suffix in my name, and I always use it with any of those types of accounts that I sign up for. He didn't include it. Just another minor reason I wish he wouldn't have activated it, but had let me do it myself instead.

Is it safe to drive on the tires inflated to 50 psi?

[nsap]

Originally Posted by CyberNox

My salesman activated both my XM and my OnStar accounts. I was fine with him activating OnStar, a GM service, but actually, since XM is not a GM service and since it has the Weather and Traffic options, I wish he would've either had those activated on the account, or else I wish he would've just let me do it myself. Also, there's a suffix in my name, and I always use it with any of those types of accounts that I sign up for. He didn't include it. Just another minor reason I wish he wouldn't have activated it, but had let me do it myself instead.

Is it safe to drive on the tires inflated to 50 psi?

Actually, XM can be dealt with through OnStar. All you need to do is hit the Blue Button and ask the adviser to transfer you to XM Radio. They can transfer you right then and you get through quicker. If you do this after you activate OnStar, then XM already has your radio ID and other information...as they get it from OnStar.

[Voice-O-Reason]

It is NOT SAFE to have the pressure set at 50 PSI. Please do yourself a favour and lower it back down to the 35 PSI that it came with.

The 44 PSI on the side wall is the MAX Cold Inflation pressure, not the MAX driving pressure. 50 PSI is way too high. You risk a blow out once the tires start to heat up as you drive and your handling and stopping distances will go to pot.

This is very dangerous.

[snawdjj]

As I said earlier proceed at your own risk, especially if you venture above the max sidewall. However anything up to max sidewall is fair game if you’re looking for the best fuel economy and are concerned about safety.

Voice-O-Reason, have you experienced a blow out because of over pressure? I would love to hear about it. I’ve driven over 50,000 miles in multiple vehicles on tires at or above max sidewall, never had a reliability/safety problem. I make sure the tires are properly maintained and rotated. Checking for any signs of damage and excess wear at each service interval. Tire manufactures place large safety margins in a tires design, I trust that my ~10% over inflation above max sidewall is safe, you may not. I would be more worried about overloading a tire with weight, or under inflation causing the belts to wear and blowout (see Ford Explorer/Firestone).

There are advantages and disadvantages to higher than OEM pressures. With the tires up the ride can be harsher as the sidewall does not have as much give. It gives the tires less rolling resistance, which is good and bad. Good for fuel economy, bad for traction. However it’s a compromise I’m willing to make, as in my experience the change in driving dynamics are almost non distinguishable. You do get some other advantages such as increased cornering stability, as the tires have much less of a tendency to roll onto the sidewalls. In my experience I see increased tread life as well.

I did not want to start a flame war over this, I’m just stating my experiences. If you are in any way concerned about safety please use the OEM recommended pressures!! If you want to try and wring the best fuel economy out of your vehicle experiment with higher than OEM pressures.

[Voice-O-Reason]

Originally Posted by snawdjj

As I said earlier proceed at your own risk, especially if you venture above the max sidewall. However anything up to max sidewall is fair game if you’re looking for the best fuel economy and are concerned about safety.

Voice-O-Reason, have you experienced a blow out because of over pressure? I would love to hear about it. I’ve driven over 50,000 miles in multiple vehicles on tires at or above max sidewall, never had a reliability/safety problem. I make sure the tires are properly maintained and rotated. Checking for any signs of damage and excess wear at each service interval. Tire manufactures place large safety margins in a tires design, I trust that my ~10% over inflation above max sidewall is safe, you may not. I would be more worried about overloading a tire with weight, or under inflation causing the belts to wear and blowout (see Ford Explorer/Firestone).

There are advantages and disadvantages to higher than OEM pressures. With the tires up the ride can be harsher as the sidewall does not have as much give. It gives the tires less rolling resistance, which is good and bad. Good for fuel economy, bad for traction. However it’s a compromise I’m willing to make, as in my experience the change in driving dynamics are almost non distinguishable. You do get some other advantages such as increased cornering stability, as the tires have much less of a tendency to roll onto the sidewalls. In my experience I see increased tread life as well.

I did not want to start a flame war over this, I’m just stating my experiences. If you are in any way concerned about safety please use the OEM recommended pressures!! If you want to try and wring the best fuel economy our of your vehicle experiment with higher than OEM pressures.

Trust me, I'm not trying to start a flame war. I'm just trying to look out for your safety. I've worked in the field of braking and chassis controls for over 10-years and know about tire pressures and the effects on handling. You are correct that too low is worse but recommended pressures are selected for a reason.

Feel free to do what you want, I just wanted to give you more information in case you were unaware.

Regards!

[n2ic]

I'm continuing to be a little suspicious about the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) on my 2010 Equinox LS. I went out and bought a digital pressure gauge, spec'd at +- 1 PSI accuracy. Here's the comparison with cold tires:

Tire TPMS Digital Gauge
Front/Driver 32 35.5
Front/Passenger 31 34.5
Rear/Driver 34 36.5
Rear/Passenger 32 36.5

These are the standard 225/65R17 LS tires, rated for no more than 40 PSI cold. Seems to me that if an owner was to inflate them to the recommended 35 PSI, using the TPMS, they would actually end up very close to 40 PSI on the digital gauge. Is this something that should be brought to Chevy's attention ?

[nsap]

Originally Posted by n2ic

I'm continuing to be a little suspicious about the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) on my 2010 Equinox LS. I went out and bought a digital pressure gauge, spec'd at +- 1 PSI accuracy. Here's the comparison with cold tires:

Tire TPMS Digital Gauge
Front/Driver 32 35.5
Front/Passenger 31 34.5
Rear/Driver 34 36.5
Rear/Passenger 32 36.5

These are the standard 225/65R17 LS tires, rated for no more than 40 PSI cold. Seems to me that if an owner was to inflate them to the recommended 35 PSI, using the TPMS, they would actually end up very close to 40 PSI on the digital gauge. Is this something that should be brought to Chevy's attention ?

My 2009 G8 GT does the same thing. I put 40 PSI in each tire the other day and the DIC is saying about 37-38 PSI for each. My Dad's 2007 Silverado is the same way. I think it is just a hazard of it.

[n2ic]

Thought of one other possibly relevant detail...

I live at an elevation of 7000 ft. The digital gauge is measuring relative to ambient air pressure. What's the TPMS measuring relative to ? Could there be an elevation bias ?

Originally Posted by n2ic

I'm continuing to be a little suspicious about the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) on my 2010 Equinox LS. I went out and bought a digital pressure gauge, spec'd at +- 1 PSI accuracy. Here's the comparison with cold tires:

Tire TPMS Digital Gauge
Front/Driver 32 35.5
Front/Passenger 31 34.5
Rear/Driver 34 36.5
Rear/Passenger 32 36.5

These are the standard 225/65R17 LS tires, rated for no more than 40 PSI cold. Seems to me that if an owner was to inflate them to the recommended 35 PSI, using the TPMS, they would actually end up very close to 40 PSI on the digital gauge. Is this something that should be brought to Chevy's attention ?

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

I spoke to my Chevrolet dealer about a 2010 Equinox. I really like the styling, interior, and size of the vehicle.

Heated seats are only available with leather seating (like my 2008 Impala LTZ). Heated seats with the cloth-like (UltraLux) seating area inserts (like the Malibu 2LT) are not available.

I do not like the all leather seats on my Impala and would never purchase a vehicle again with them. I was surprised that the Equinox requires leather seating to obtain heated seats.

Based upon this feature, it was a no-sale for me.