New H3 Owner in Richmond Hill (Ontario)

[waqder]

HI all



I just got (last week) a hummmer H3 (2006) from a Toyota dealer--Brampton Toyota (I think it was a fair deal--- for 10.75K + taxes + plates ), 213K Kilometers, (most must be highway kilometers as this looks like high milage for a 2006 vehicle). It is dark blue exterior, pretty much stock, black cloth interior, no mods or enhancements done, but very clean inside and out (no dents/scrathes etc). It does have a cigarret smells that I noticed when I brought it home. The previous owner must have smoked in the car. It was a single owner Canadian vehicle with a Roy Foss logo. What you guys think of the price/deal?



when I test drove it on Tuesday last week for the first time, I noticed two things, one was with the 4WD low function. When I enables the 4W low, and push the gas, it sounded somewhat like a heavy machine/plane taking off with a low pitch noise that increased the further the gas was pressed. Also when I drove on curved roads (off ramps etc , I heard a subtle woo woo woo noise coming from the front wheels. The sales guy had their mechanics look at it and he said that they will take care of this and will do saftey/inspection. For the 4WD low, they said that they will change some module and that nothing else is wrong, these trucks are supposed to be like that



when I did pick up the vehicle on last Friday, I test drove it again and find that the 4WD low noise is somewhat better, The turning noise from the tires was still the same. The guy said that the mechanic had done all that was necesary for safty and there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.Being a big dealer , they wouldn't put their name on a vehicle, if there were some big problems with it. So I didn't press it further and brought it home.



Today I see the check engine light came on. I checked the manual and will see if it corrects itself in a short time. It has to do with the exhaust system. Since the dealr has just done a emissions, it should be O.K., otherwise I will have to call them for that. They do have a 30 days warranty on saftely related items. Also there is a occasional message (serive TPM that will come on and off). Any ideas ?



I also want to ask what is the easiest way to get rid of the cigarrete smell from the cabin. How hard is it to change the cabin air filter and how much is it ?



I have been reading the forums/posts for a couple of days now, but I couldn't find any posts on locations of scenic off road places to go in southern ontario



Any places in winter ??

[JL]

Hello Waqder!



I think that sounds like a fair price for the vehicle. The sound in 4-Lo, these H3s do make some noise when low is engaged and the noise will get louder as your speed increases. If it seems especially loud making like a grinding sound, or a squeak then you might have a problem.. the normal sound is a bit like a mechanical hum, not sure the best way to describe it but the sound shouldn't be overly alarming, and it does get louder as your speed increases. If they're replacing a module though then something must be up?



What kind of tires are on the vehicle? The woo woo woo sound strikes me as tire noise.. Some tires develop road noise as they wear down, also bad alignment can cause a similar noise in some circumstances.. hard to say though and it's definitely worth getting checked out since it could be a safety problem, not a problem to just guess at.



The TPM light I believe has to do with the tire pressure monitors, these are modules on the wheels that run off batteries and read the tire pressure. As far as I know the batteries in the modules are not replaceable, so you would need new pressure monitors to correct that. Also you do get a light on the dash when one or more of your tires are low, so maybe even just double-check they have the correct pressure and see if that eliminates the error.



The check engine light is not normal though and should definitely be checked out... Do you have a scan tool or just wondering how you know it's related to the exhaust system?



Cigarette smell is a tough one.. coming from a smoker who tries to keep his vehicles smelling half decent... Best I've found is to park the vehicle in the garage with the windows down at night and just let it air out. It takes some time but eventually the smell will go away. Also give the whole vehicle a GOOOOD clean, steam clean the seats and roof liner, soapy water on the dash and doors, windows, floor mats... the smell lingers on everything so you gotta clean every surface and that will help incredibly. The one thing that's difficult is the air vents though, the smell will blow out of vents and I don't know what to do there... I tried the spray that is supposed to get rid of smoke smell (from Canadian Tire or wherever) and don't find that it works.



I'm from Alberta so no ideas on good, local off-road areas!!!



Welcome to the Club!!!!

[waqder]

HI JL



Thanks for the detailed answer to my long winded e-mail and the warm welcome from west <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... /smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



Yes, one of my friends at work has the diagnostic tool that I will ask him to bring to read the codes. I mentioned exhaust because the user manual lists possible causes mostly due to exhaust system problems.



The tires are little worn out. I will check the tires size tomorrow and will have one of my friends who knows a good bit about tires take a look as well. Aligment doesn't look bad as the vehicle is not swerving to sides much when I let go of steering.



One of my friends told me that there is a cabin air filter and on most vehicles, it is behind the glove compartment. I will search on-line later for how to change that. Smoke particles might have been stuck there.



I am familiar with the TPM light as I have the same on my mini-van.

The TPM warning on H3 will come and go---Service TPM-- ( I have only seen it twice), but I didn't see the low tire pressure light on dash so far. Does that mean the batteries in the TPM units are low?



Actually, I am already trying the roll down windows and parking indoor thing starting this afternoon. Lets see what happens. I am suspicious of some possible mouse activity in the garage so that's why I didn't try it before, but I will take my chances <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... /smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



I was also told that feebreze odor eating spray may help as well.



One other thing is there is the air vent control knob that is not lit. This control is besides the other two round knobs. At night, it is anoying to change the air direction (from feet to windows etc). Do you know if that's a easy bulb change or does it require removal of entire panel ?



The dealer also had the windshield replaced as it has a couple of chips on it. when driving above 60 or 80KM, there is some wind noise, but I am not sure if it is normal for H3s (this is my first 4 x 4 truck)



Thanks and best regards



Hyder

[JL]

To fix the light you'd definitely need to remove the center section of the dash, and I believe all 3 knobs are actually part of a sealed unit (there's LEDs soldered to a circuit board producing the light so they're not really replaceable) and I got nooo idea where to find a reasonably priced replacement... I've found some good deals on Ebay but you gotta keep an eye out and check every day to snap up the stuff you want as it goes quick!!



I don't really notice any wind noise in mine, but I've got these big mud tires on mine and they sing pretty good on the highway, so over the tire noise and the stereo I can't say I've ever really noticed!

[waqder]

HI JL thanks again for the info.



Over the past few days the check engine light was yellow and on, I read the OBD code and it was P0455 (Large EVAP Leak (reposition Fuel filler Housing seal # 05-06-04-055). I got this info from gmhummer.com/forums and although it says that it applies to VIN numbers builr prior to 68104782, mine is after this break point, I have this error code. Also there was a message in the speedometer cluster (Fuel Cap).



I checked the fuel cap many times and opened and re-tightened it but to no avail. Finally I reset the codes and only drove the car once after doing that (about 10km). I am waiting to see if this messages/engine light comes on again. I plan to write an e-mail to the dealer who sold it to see if he is willing to do anything about it.



Also my friend at work checked the windshield and we saw that the platic moulding around the windshiled is not snug with the glass so there are air gaps and may be that's where the sound is coming from. Could you also check your H3 to see if these platic casings that surrounds and encloses the glass is supposed to be flush and tight with the glass ?



I am also going to post these questions on the different mechanic forum on this web site.



Thanks again



Hyder