[Hummer eh!]

got it fixed. it seems that due to the cold the sensors went a little wacky and they ended up rhaving to reprogramm the engine control module, which there is a service bulletin for. they also replaced an onstar battery, not sure what that is but apparently that's why i got so many diagnostic codes and error display messages. that made sense, as my check engine light came on and off quite frequently over the past 6 months. they also had to replace the throttle body and associated connectors, which i have read dysfunction due to vibration (driving through snow drifts/banks like a teenager) and due to extreme temperature changes. anyway, once they did all of that, she's good as new. and apparently should have a better idle.
as far as the loaner car, not up here. they use rental car agencies instead of having their own loaners and they'll only pay for the rental car when they're actually turning wrenches on your vehicle. so for me that meant my car was out for 8 days, but since they only worked on it for one day, they only cover one day of the rental.
since they are the only hummer approved service center in our city, the h3 will be replaced this summer. now comes the tough decision of what to drive next. my choices won't prob be popular on this site, but i'll let you know anyway. tahoe/yukon, cayenne s, range rover sport.

thanks for all your help