Front end problems?

by **Vosborg** » Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:10 pm

I just bought an 05 TB and a friend of mine is telling me they have massive front end problems, has anyone here experienced this?

by **djthumper** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:36 am

Read around, you won't find much on it... Does your friend own one?

by **v7guy** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:04 am

Maybe after 100k with a good bit of offroading. Then you'll need to rebuild a lot of the front end. But I think that goes for any vehicle. Since you're here (this is a offroad centered site, hence "offroad Trail Blazer") I would take for granted you're going to lift it and be replacing a lot of the parts during the lift anyways.
After it's lifted you'll have an increased rate of wear due to the stresses of the higher operating angles of the suspension and the larger heavier wheels and tires. That's also par for the course for any lifted vehicle, as is higher rates of breakage due to how crazy you get while offroading/lifting
I don't think your friend knows what they're talking about.

by **HARDTRAILZ** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:43 am

Wow. Stupid people trying to inflict views on someone. Is your friend a politician?

by **The Roadie** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:58 am

Vosborg wrote:... a friend of mine is telling me they have massive front end problems, ...

Entirely dependent on how hard you wheel it.

Would love to see references from your friend's research on the platform. Links from trailvoy.com, gmtnation.com, and here would carry the most weight. As would experience in a GM dealership or a high volume independent shop. Listening to folks in line at the parts store or other non-owners....not so much.

In general, there are some very subtle issues to be aware of, including the throttle body needing a cheap but very specific cleaning process, thermostats that love to stick open, undergreased front axle disconnect assemblies, and issues with aging motor mounts giving a 10 Hz rotational vibration at idle when you're in DRIVE, not so much in NEUTRAL.

For new owners who may need to catch up on deferred (neglected) maintenance from previous abuse, I highly recommend also joining gmtnation.com. You might find trailvoy.com in a Google search for trailblazer issues, but that site's been a ghost town since last December, when a group of us started gmtnation. It's a very tight community for all GMT360s, like this one is for offroading enthusiasts. Trailvoy is great for the archives of historical problem discussions, but it's not worth posting questions there - the answers are often lame nowadays.

by **Vosborg** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:08 am

He doesn't own one, only claims to have friends that do. He works at a meineke.
I plan on using my TB for a daily driver with some wheeling to get to the good fishing / hunting spots. So I will be doing a 2inch suspension lift and 32's with a good brush guard... at least to start

by **dvanbramer88** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:12 am

Josh spent ~1200 bucks on a whole new front end, (end links, ball joints, tie rods, a wheel hub bearing, alignment and inspection)Right before Tecore VII. 100k miles and a lot of good offroading after the lift, so it was believable. He had it back at that shop for something a little after Tecore and the MECH said it all needed to be replaced again and warranty wouldn't cover it because of the wheel spacers and offroad use. Josh called me, I told him think about it, the parts are MOOG and are ~1000 miles old. He's full of shit. Had Josh's neighbor look at it, (he works at/manages a Meineke), and the front end is fine, the parts are broken in, obviously, but they're nowhere near the failing point. So that being said, be careful who you let tell you you have "major front end problems."

by **Moots1288** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:21 am

An 1200$ is on the high side of things

by **HARDTRAILZ** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:24 am

Real high...I can do more to the front end for under half that. Easily.

by **dvanbramer88** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:34 am

HARDTRAILZ wrote:Real high...I can do more to the front end for under half that. Easily.

We know. My neighbor offered to do it in his driveway for ~400. But Josh just likes spending money i guess... :happy whip:

I was in my treestand when all this went down, So I wasn't around to persuade the situation.

by **bdp1978** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:37 am

Hahaha, the key to this whole thread started with "Meineke" - those places and ones like them "Tuffy" etc. are fuc*in' Hack Shops. Weld on a muffler, sure thing, beyond that, NO WAY.

by **Moots1288** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:56 pm

HARDTRAILZ wrote:Real high...I can do more to the front end for under half that. Easily.

And quality parts.

by **v7guy** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:06 am

yeah, I'm with Moots and HARDTRAILZ. I replaced my whole front end for significantly less than that.
Granted, I spent an entire day doing it... and doing it the real hard way. But still.

Josh still needs to replace that damned radiator cap, it's going to go at THE WORST possible time if his luck is anything like mine. Every time I think about it I cringe a little. lol

by **bore_pig** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:26 am

It is amazing how the TB's get such a bad rep for being so unreliable. :facepalm:

by **navigator** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:46 am

I think the thing is there are so many of them on the road that more of them will make their way into a shop even if it is a low percentage.

by **NC_IslandRunner** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:24 am

v7guy wrote:Granted, I spent an entire day doing it... and doing it the real hard way.

$1200 is the hard way! I'll give up a day before I give up a grand!

by **Moots1288** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:31 am

NC_IslandRunner wrote:
v7guy wrote:Granted, I spent an entire day doing it... and doing it the real hard way.

$1200 is the hard way! I'll give up a day before I give up a grand!

I agree!

by **fishsticks** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:59 am

Give me 1200 bucks and I'll rebuild the front end and install a locker.... and still feel like I ripped you off.

by **Moots1288** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:20 pm

fishsticks wrote:Give me 1200 bucks and I'll rebuild the front end and install a locker.... and still feel like I ripped you off.

Wish I lived near you

by **v7guy** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:14 pm

Moots1288 wrote:
fishsticks wrote:Give me 1200 bucks and I'll rebuild the front end and install a locker.... and still feel like I ripped you off.

Wish I lived near you

Don't be a girl, get to work. :raspberry:

Offroad Trailblazers and Envoys