Lagging HP in early '03 VINs

This is my first post and I wanted to see if anyone has had similar problems or any thoughts about an issue we have with our H2 that we bought in Dec. We've always felt that the engine power was not well matched to the transmission shift points because our H2 really struggles to accelerate or climb even tiny inclines. Also, our mileage runs from 9.5 to 10.5 max, while most other owners seem to be getting 11.5 to 12.5 from what we've heard. We asked our dealer to look at the PCM programming or anything else that might be causing our concerns. Twice we've had loaner H2s from the dealer and the difference in power and milage was IMMEDIATELY noticable (no test data here, but feels like in the order of 30-40hp difference!). The dealer didn't find any error codes and spent a lot of time troubleshooting and even talked with GM to see if there were any bulletins about these kinds of problems. They were told by GM that the earlier VINs had these power issues and that's just the way they were. All three of the techs at the dealership agreed that there is a noticable difference in power, but needless to say the dealer couldn't do much more at that point, but we are not happy with that answer. We've talked with lots of other early H2 owners (personally I didn't think our Dec H2 was all that early) but no one has ever mentioned these kinds of issues to us, but then not everyone has had the chance to drive another H2 to notice the difference either. Before we engage again with our dealer and/or GM, wanted to get some inputs/thoughts from fellow H2 owners. Thanks in advance for any help!

I would have to think that if they are admitting there is a problem and a noticable difference that they should do something for you.

I would demand some terms fast. I think they will do everything in their power to remedy the problem. Did they say anything about your aftermarket perfom. upgrades? BTW hat to go off topic, but could you post a pic of your navigation system installed and possibly give some details of it. I want to install GPS and would love some ideas. Good luck with the power issue

Now you've got me parinoid !!!

I bought my humer in November,... so maybe it's also considered an early model ???

How do I know if it's as strong as the next one ???

It "ROARS" pretty good from 1st to 2nd ??? !!!

Nielsen

I don't think it has anything to do with early or late models. Dec 02 is pretty late. Surprised that it has been 7-8 months and it has not been solved, I wonder if there is time limit when dealing with defects they cannot fix. Isn't there some kind of rule regarding something major they cannot fix in 3 tries? Maybe it is time to get into battle station mode, before it is too late.

I never driven another Hummer besides my own and the original demo back in July 02, but I know my Hummer power is right, it has no problem handling any hills.

Just wanted to update those of you who replied to my original post. As I mentioned earlier, the dealer did flash an upgrade to the PCM, but they didn't feel that it had helped. Immediately after we got it back, we hooked up out boat and moved to RI. Of course we used tow mode, so between that and the trailer weight, we couldn't tell if there was a difference ourselves. We have now been in RI for about a month and I feel that there has been a marked change in the shifting, and throttle response. Things are MUCH smoother now. I don't know if the change occoured right away and we just couldn't tell because of the tow, or if it's taken some time for the change to fully take effect (kinda like a breaking I guess?) Anyway, we are pleased with the results and our milage has jumped by nearly 2 MPG. Nielson, if your H2 seems to shift at the wrong times and is sluggish on the acceleration, I would ask your dealer to check the PCM program. As SFO pointed out, Dec '02 isn't that late as far as we were concerned, but that's when we bought it, I don't know when the mfg date is, but it can't bo too much earlier considering the demand at that time! Can't hurt. Polaknuts, I'll post a pic of the nav system soon, but we are in temp housing right now and I am technology challenged (no dig camera). We love the Nav system, but encountered significant challenges (read "cost") trying to install and keep OnStar, but I understand some of those issues can be worked around now that installers have learned how. Let me know if you would like our lessons learned!

Thanks, I would love to learn from your lessons. Tell me everything there is. I am kind of a research freak. I like to know what I am talking about when it is time to hire and install the system. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am sure there are many others who use this forum who would also be interested in the trials and trib. of inst. new gps.

Thanks
:thumbs