I've got an '08 Vue that appears to have the camshaft problem that many others have seemed to have. Not 100% sure that is it (taking it in on Monday to get diagnosed) but based on the descriptions of others... bucking/hiccuping... ESP/TCS & check engine lights coming on. Yadda yadda... it seems pretty well documented out there. The only thing is I've never seen anyone mention how much it costs to have that fixed (probably because most people were lucky enough to have it covered under warranty). Lucky me [sarcasm] our 3-year / 36,000 mile warranty expired 3 months / 4,000 miles ago. So I'm pretty sure this is gonna be a costly (time consuming) fix. Anyone with experience on this that can give me a rough cost I might expect? I don't see it coming out under $2,500 but was just curious.

Thanks in advance for the response(s).

-brobar

 

i think I heard from a saturn tech a few years back this was due to a bad batch which actually found its way into multiple vehicles that share the powerplant -- though I don't know which engine it was....

I would hope there is a Tech service bulletin (TSB) out there for this.
Wouldn't this be covered under the 5/100k powertrain warranty?

Which engine do you have? I ask b/c I have an 08 Vue XR with a V6and have not read up on the subject.....

As for cost -- not sure but 2500 sounds steep.....

Be sure to interrogate the dealer regarding powertrain warranty coverage and TSB

 

It is an XE with 40,000 miles. I always thought "power train" would be considered transmission, axles, stuff like that. I never thought power train would include engine but *fingers crossed* hopefully I'm wrong and it does include the engine. I'll make sure and research that before taking it in on Monday. That would be so nice if it were the case!

Yeah if you google ESP/TCS for saturn you'll find lots of posts regarding an issue with the camshaft (I guess a bad batch was manufactured) having an incorrect size or too much play. It appears to have happened in the 3.6 engines in the Vue, Outlook, Enclave, Acadia... pretty much the entire GM line that used the 3.6. Not every car was affected. A lot of those who experienced it seemed to experience it within the first 12,000 to 28,000 miles. We didn't start experiencing it 'till around mile 40,000 so I'm not 100% sure this is the same thing... but it SURE sounds like it.

 

Take it to your GM dealer .... it's under powertrain warranty unless it's not a power train issue.

 

+1 for sw2cam ... In my mind, this is a warranty issue for sure

 

Come to find out I was way off (thankfully I'm not a mechanic). While it sounded a lot like the camshaft issue that others were having (especially with the ESP/TCS lights coming on with the bucking)... come to find out it was just a faulty spark plug wire. They said they were surprised at how much it was bucking due to that one wire. And I'm still not sure why it would cause the ESP & TCS lights to come on but if that fixed it then great! That was covered under the 8 year / 80,000 mile emissions warranty... so that is cool.

 

plug wire under an emissions warranty?

someone did you a favor

 

That may be so. I just figured if one of the 6 cylinders wasn't firing because of that faulty plug wire... then the unburned hydrocarbons because of the misfire would be exhausted from the cylinder to the catalytic converter and then converted to excessive carbon dioxide thus making it an emissions issue however indirect that may or may not be.

But even if it was just someone throwing me a solid... I'll take it.