2006 Buick Terraza

This is my elderly mother's car, so I try to keep it in good condition for her. However, it seems lately that there has been one failure after another with this car. I want to get her a different vehicle, but for some reason she's attached to this one.

Here is a list of what I have going on:
1. Front console fan and back over head fans for heating and cooling work intermittently. Every now and then, they start to blow air.

2. Cigarette lighter / power plugin doesn't work

3. Doors don't all lock or unlock with the toggling of the door lock button. I have to manually unlock or lock each door. The option of simply hitting the unlock or lock button to engage or disengage the locks no longer works. Also, I might add the Key Fobs stopped working.

4. Air conditioning doesn't blow out as cold as I believe it should. Wondering if this is something I can fix and avoid the high cost of a mechanic?

5. OBD scan tool says I've got a bad thermostat. Engine doesn't heat up to proper temperature. I cold winter temps, it never really warms up.

6. Now Ive got a check engine light showing that I need to check the gas cap. Works fine when I fill the car up. Once gas tank begins to empty, then it shows up again.

7. Sliding doors on both sides are slow to respond to opening. I have to hit the inside open button multiple times to get them to respond and open. Sometimes I have to reach behind the seats and use the manual latch to get the darn thing to respond.

These are the things I'm working on, before having an expensive mechanic work on it, and possibly costing more than the car is worth. Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

I would suggest you search around for a good electrical shop. You may have to pay for a good tech to get rid of the problems, but without the equip and info (Diagram and ability to utilize it) you are shooting in the dark. There are multiple problems and they need to be corrected one at a time.
You can replace the thermostat if you choose and save some $$ there.

 

[QUOTE=hanky;18843]I would suggest you " do not" search around for a good electrical shop. Steel wool or scotch Brite pad, on the door latch contacts brass contacts on the door poat and doors need to be cleaned. Intermittent fan issues. The rear fan may have bad brushes or bushings. Replacement motor and fan assembly from ebay or pick n pull. Both the rear one and dash one probably need replacement. First check out the climate control switches on the dash. When not working hammer the switches with your hand. There is a rotary switch.. also check to see if your vehicle has upgraded temperature controls. Just thinking things through should solve a lot of these small issues. Gas cap issue may be a vacuum leak or an overfill issue. Do not overfill, top up" I did and was about a month getting things back to normal. If these are your only problems you still have a good vehicle. Also have your transmission fluid changes about 45,000 miles, 80,000 miles and so on. If you haven't done it before get it done very soon it is a complex mechanism that needs maintenance. I see most of the vehicles at Pick&pull have never had their transmission fluid changed. Your buick should last about 400,000 miles with proper maintenance. The thermostat change on these engines is a real pain as one bolt is behind the exhaust crossover . I managed with a special racheting 13 mm wrench, but was a painfully long job. Didnt solve the problem though. It was the outside air control act- tuator, intermittently sticking open in our Canadian winters. Goodluck.