Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Buick Enclave is an all-new large crossover SUV capable of seating up to eight passengers. Power comes courtesy of a 275-horsepower V6.

• Attractive interior design, kid- and adult-friendly seating in all three rows, huge cargo capacity, supple ride quality.

• A few cut-rate materials, some controls are hard to find and use, transmission can be hesitant to downshift.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 256.00

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  Run away from this car! - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By nanax4 - September 18 - 3:50 pm

  Bought used as a GM Certified with very low miles and a clean service history, but have since been in the shop for steering issue, Nav failure., air conditioning stopped working in back, electrical issues, and complaints about the transmission. Now its sitting in the shop needing a new transmission with no warranty coverage. It only has 73K miles and has been well maintained...I just dont understand how GM can ignore the transmission issues. Just google it and see complaint after complaint about wave plate failure. I plan on giving GM the chance to make it right, but will take additional action if necessary!

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  Buick Enclave Lemon - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By bird30 - August 27 - 2:36 pm

  I purchased the 2008 Buick Enclave loaded in 2008 as I wanted a Luxury SUV and wanted to support the American Car Makers in time of crisis. I made a huge mistake! My car has had every seal replaced since I purchased it and barely has 60,000 miles on it. The car has been serviced and taken care of since I purchased and babied since 2008. The engine seals went out at 30,000 miles, numerous times the airconditioning system has been fixed over and over for problems (4+ times), steering gear/drive problems, water pump seals, rear tail gate pistons replaced, etc., etc. etc. The care is beautiful and comfortable but the biggest lemon and disappointment I have ever purchased.

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  BAD TRANSMISSION!!!! - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By msgoodie - April 10 - 3:13 pm

  Buyer Beware! I absolutely love the design of the vehicle. Its perfect for my family. As previous posts mention, the wave plate is a problem. The service engine light kept coming on and it kept losing power. I had to keep bringing it in and they said it was fixed and wouldnt have the problem again. Unfortunately, the problem persisted and after having my transmission rebuilt at only 48,000 miles, I just had it rebuilt again at 56,000 miles. Crazy right!! Unfortunately, Im now out of warranty. I have to figure out how to get rid of this vehicle that has a carfax report with multiple transmission issues.

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  Buyer Beware, Extremely Unhappy Customer… - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By smithe2 - April 10 - 1:32 pm

  I am joining this discussion, as we are also having an issue with our 2008 Buick Enclave. We need a new transmission. We have a 3/5/R wave plate fracture. It appears that this is a very common issue with the 2008 Buick Enclave, yet GM does not see a need to do a recall. I see unsatisfied Enclave consumers, on these forums, that are having issues with their transmission. We brought it to the service department, expecting it was still under warranty. To our surprise it was not, due to the in service date of the vehicle. Due to this date, we had missed the warranty coverage by six months. The service department quoted us $4900 to replace the transmission. We had a friend recommend calling GM direct and see if they had any cost assistance they could offer, let our frustration continue. I would like to cover the pain in detail, but there is not enough time. Basically after countless phone calls and two and half weeks later, I was told that they would not offer any help and per our case rep 70,000 miles for a vehicle, was a lot of miles. Imagine my shock that you could by a $50,000 vehicle and only expect to get 70,000 miles out of it. The woman who handled my case was rude and even suggested that maybe I should have bought a different brand vehicle. I did not expect GM to absorb the full cost, but I was hoping they would split the cost of the repair. I have owned GM vehicles for over ten years and after this experience, I am not sure I will ever buy or recommend another GM product. Any thoughts or help out there, I am open to suggestions.

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  so far so good... - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By dpgull - March 22 - 10:38 pm

  well dispite all the horror stories I read about a few major issues, I decided to take the plunge and buy a very well equipped 2008 CXL (everything but the folding mirrors, 110volt outlet and articulating headlights). It was a 1 owner car that was dealer maintained and I had access to all the service records. It seems the original owner had already addressed the steering (full replacement) and strut issue, and at 80,000 miles it runs tighter and quieter than the Mercedes M Class it replaced. Also I got an excellent price for the car well below book value. I did purchase a 3/36,000 extended warranty through my credit union which covers all major component, so if that wave plate goes...

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  Honeymoon is over. Still working on the marriage - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By grnmama - March 21 - 9:00 pm

  Bought 2008 Enclave CLX new. Have since had warranty replacement/repair of GPS (twice), water pump, sunroof leak, and various small things. Many interior trim pieces broke, were glued on in service, only to fall off later. When the warranty was up we started to have steering problems. Found out it was the rack and pinion steering failing at 75,000 miles, a known design flaw for this platform. I have tried to contact our service rep at the dealership and have not had a return call twice. Had it repaired elsewhere. Too bad this didnt happen before we bought the 2013 Buick LaCrosse 3 months ago!!! Would like a GM representative to contact us.

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  So sad this is happening to a vehicle I have loved to drive - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By grits18 - January 27 - 11:32 am

  Mar 2011 power steering whine and locking up repaired under warrenty. Nov 2011 check engine light on, replaced solenoid under warrenty. Feb 2012 check engine light on, service stabilitrack, service traction control, traction control goes on and off, engine loses power, replaced throttle body covered under warrenty. Jan 2013 check engine light, service stabilitrak, service traction control, traction control goes on and off. No longer under warrenty repair is to replace valve cover and seal as the original is a flawed design and has been re-designed. Cost near $1000.00. GM takes NO responsiblity and no recall as not a "safety" issue. No but it is a flaw GM is well aware of!!!

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  A bad investment I still want to love - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By fortiter - December 16 - 9:14 pm

  The Enclave is a great car and I do not like speaking ill about it, but our vehicle has been very disappointing in terms of reliability. We thankfully purchased it under warranty at 30K and it required a new power steering pump, rack and pinion, a radio, and other minor repairs all covered under warranty. Since then, several issues have come up which were not under warranty. The moonroof was leaking and require an $800+ repair for a new seal and replacement of some of the drainage channels. The heating actuator failed to the tune of $400+ in repairs. I was quoted a cost of $200 to replace the key FOB which went bad. Overall, not what I expect from a "luxury vehicle" in terms of quality.

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  Leaking Sunroofs and Whinning Steering - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By kcosom - September 10 - 5:53 pm

  This vehicle is very attractive. "Certified" hah. I purchased it last summer, which it rarely rains in the summer. Unfortunately one rainy day my passenger notice rain coming in mainly from the sunroof and rear interior lights housing, I noticed it in the front, dripping from the visors housing. Apparently the design of this vehicle was not thought out regarding leaks. To top it off the warranty states that leaks are not covered, as if the maker knew it would leak. Not only the leaking the steering in now whinning each time I turn. This vehicle has been one dissapointment after another. My first Buick and possibly my last, sad to say. Mechanic states need inner/outer tie rods:(

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  Nice Car, But One BIG Issue People Need To Know About - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By falconeddy - July 27 - 8:03 pm

  There is a part in the transmission known as the 3-5-R clutch wave plate, or just the wave plate. It has been discussed in depth on many forums for those of us that own an earlier GM, Lambda-designed based vehicle. Outlook, Acadia, Enclave, Traverse not all model years are affected. The wave plate has an exceptionally high rate of failure, and weve speculated the possibly of reverse installation (its a large toothed ring). Theyre covered under warranty up until 100,000 miles or 5 years. After that, you get to pay the $3000.00 (or more) bill yourself. So far, GM has refused to acknowledge the problem, but were still trying to get them to do something about it. BEWARE OF THIS ISSUE!!!