That irritating rumble in my SUV

In 2007 I decided I would buy my first newer vehicle (one with less than 100K miles).  I went to the auto lot at the end of the main road and began talking with the owner.  Being a salesman at the time, I was more than a little frustrating to deal with as a customer.  I spent several days looking over all the cars, trucks and SUV's on the lot.  I really never found one that really caught my attention for more than a few minutes.  After the third day of stopping on my way home from work at Dell, Mr. Wright had acquired a 2003 Buick Rendezvous.  I was immediately taken with it.  It was a beautiful dark blue with a dark gray two-tone lower panel section.  The inside of it lit up like a cockpit at night and I felt safe and self-important in the tall SUV with leather seats (LEATHER SEATS - wow!) as I drove down the road.  I took the family for an ice cream at McDonald's that evening and everyone seemed to like it as much as I did.  After two or three more days of haggling, I was driving home in my newly purchased Buick.  I felt as though I had arrived.  I had searched for, haggled for, financed and driven home a vehicle I had decided on all by myself.  No one had to loan me money to make a down-payment.  I didn't have to talk to my father.  I had done it.  I felt so mature and successful. 

As time went on, I continued to enjoy my purchase as much as I thought I would.  Most people talk about buying a car and then it becoming just something else they were excited about at one time and now just find boring and dull.  Not me.  I have a special relationship with my cars, past and present.  I baby them.  I clean them meticulously.  I love to drive them.  I pick parking spots where only one door is in danger of being dented by a neighboring vehicle.  I fill in paint chips on the hood.  It has always been a source of personal pride to me to be able to keep my cars in good condition.

About two years ago I began to notice a strange rumbling when I accelerated to a speed of 35-45 mph.  It was similar to the the sensation when the wheels are off balance.  So I took the car to Wal-Mart and had it aligned and balanced.  When I left, my prized possession was still rumbling at the same speed.  I decided it must be the tires.  I replaced the tires.  The new tires proved no better than the old.  I had Goodyear replace the tires, even though they promised nothing was wrong with them.  I took the Buick to the dealership and had them look at it.  They also proclaimed I had cheap tires and they needed to be replaced.  AHH-HAAA!  I was right all along.  I had not driven a mile when I realized the problem was still present and I was out $800.  After some coaxing from my father to the Buick dealership, the shop took the tires back and I was back on the old tires. 

It is now two years later.  I just drove home with the car rumbling along at 35-45 mph.  You never know how much you drive at that speed until something is off-kilter.  For the past two years I have expected the rumble, waited for it, and then rolled my eyes, pounded the steering wheel, complained to my wife, asked everyone who rides with me if they feel it, and driven myself crazy feeling it on every ride.  So why, you may ask, don't I go get it fixed?  The truth is, I believe in my heart-of-hearts the fix will be the source of a bill from Buick that would make a grown man cry himself to sleep.  It's not that I don't want to fix it, it's just that I would rather continue to try inexpensive, simple and inefectuous solutions that I want to believe will mask the true problem that probably requires more of me than I am willing to promise.  The truth is I don't know what the real problem is.  I am afraid to even take my car in to have it looked at because living with the problem is easier than committing to the solution.

Unfortunately I have found life to be very similar to my Buick rumble.  Often times I am so satisfied with everything in my life except one little annoying rumble that presents itself consistently.  I know the problem is there.  I know when to expect it.  I know how frustrating it is going to be when I experience it.  I have tried countless times to fix the problem on my own and have blamed the problem on issues that I have convinced myself must be contributing factors knowing deep down they will not solve my root issue.  The only answer is to take my problem to the manufacturer who understands all the known issues for my model and can get to the heart of the matter and ultimately resolve my frustration.  But that requires willingness to commit to the cost.  Something as of yet I have been unwilling to do. 

So I continue to wash and detail, change the oil, dress the leather, and try to cover up the fact that in an unseen place there is a problem.  It probably will never be noticed by anyone but me and those who are closest to me, but nonetheless, it is there causing me discomfort and the inability to enjoy my SUV the way I was meant to - the way the manufacturer wanted me to in the beginning.  Will it cause a major problem that will someday cause the Rendezvous to stop operating altogether?  I choose to believe it won't because it hasn't happened yet.  If it does, I am sure the cost will be much higher, and by that time the rumbling may have caused many other unseen problems that will have to be dealt with too.  Maybe one day I will head out for work and the problem will just worked itself out over time.  Makes sense to me.

Peace