by eamarquardt » Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:07 pm
I got a new Traverse last June. I bought a Magellan wireless back up camera with a compatible GPS. I had to get three replacements before I got one that is reliable.
It's a bit of work to wire a vehicle for a brake controller but you can put a plug on the controller and easily move it from one vehicle to another. I got a Tekonsha Brake Boss for a third the price of the wireless one. I suspect You can get extra brackets for em so you can move it from one vehicle to the next. The bracket has double sticky tape on it but I hate the residue it leaves if you ever want to remove the bracket. Sooooooo, I opted to drill two holes in the plastic trim under the dash and mounted a thin piece of aluminum and stuck the bracket to the aluminum. If I ever decide to remove the bracket I'll just pull the aluminum plate off, paint two #8 screws to match the trim, and plug the holes. No one but me will ever notice.
I bought my Traverse with a tow package so it was easy to install the controller after I located a cable to plug into the Traverse's connector. GM doesn't make the required cables, sell em, or know where to get em, or even that they're required. Customer "non-service" from corporate headquarters was slightly less than useless. I figured out how to call the factory (their phone numbers are closely guarded secrets). I simply asked myself who would know the # and called the UNION. I got the president of the Union. Within an hour I had a fellow from the factory floor calling me. We figured out that GM doesn't sell the cable and he sent me one he got from an engineer! The Union guys were the only ones at GM that seemed to care. They have my support now. The representatives for "Managment" were useless. One fellow, after I bought the vehicle for its 5,200# tow capacity (and the $525 tow package) told me that the Traverse wasn't suitable for towing because it is front wheel drive. The folks at the factory were not happy to hear what customer service was saying about the vehicle they were building, ha.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Gus
The opinions in this post are my own. My comments are directed to those that might like an alternative approach to those already espoused.There is the right way,the wrong way,the USMC way, your way, my way, and the highway.
"I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it." Klaatu-"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"You can't handle the truth!"-Jack Nicholson "A Few Good Men"
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem"-Ronald Reagan
