GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

charlesw

I get a metallic noise ... sounding like metal on metal ... when I first start my 2001 Suburban after leaving the vehicle parked on a slight incline for several days.

Long ago, on a another vehicle, I had a similar problem, which I was told was because some check valve was allowing all the oil to drain back out of the engine's upper compartment.

When I tried to explain the situation to my service advisor, he said he'd never heard of such a thing.

The noise only happens after not starting the vehicle for several days, after it's been parked on a slight incline.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

beach15

Very, very common thing on these vehicles. I thought it was weird too, the first time I rode in our Avalanche, until I was told by several people that it's just the locking rear end making the noise. Don't know why it does it, but it isn't hurting anything.

03tahoe

are available NOW - at helminc.com - for the usual $120.00. Of course shipping is extra.

beach15

Considering that the rebates are now up to $5,000 and that my local dealer will also throw in one of the $500 Instant Value coupons GM gave them to use on SUV's & trucks, we can now get a 2wd Yukon XL SLE like we want for over $10k off. We have a '02 Avalanche 2wd Z66, so we're pretty familiar with everything, but I have a few questions still.

1) What are the cloth bucket seats in a new '04 Yukon like--squishy or firm? I only ask because our Av has awesome cloth buckets that have a very firm feel, but I sat in a new '03 Silverado last year that had seats that felt like a crappy sponge. Are the Yukon's firm?

2) What are the Firestone Wilderness LE tires really like? Noisy? Bad riding? Anything? I've read a few reviews, but I'd like an opinion from someone who actually has them on a new Yukon or Suburban.

3) Anyone else have their dealer locate them a Yukon and then get it from another dealer? We've only ever bought from what was on the lot before, so it's kind of new to me. Any problems or things to watch for when it arrives?

I'll probably think of more, but that's all for now. We're going to go down to the dealer tomorrow afternoon to get a trade-in price on the Avalanche and then see what they can figure out as far as payments. Either of the two I found are a few hours away, so either way they'd have to go get them.

cmeng

Also cross Posted:

Considering that the rebates are now up to $5,000 and that my local dealer will also throw in one of the $500 Instant Value coupons GM gave them to use on SUV's & trucks, we can now get a 2wd Yukon XL SLE like we want for over $10k off. We have a '02 Avalanche 2wd Z66, so we're pretty familiar with everything, but I have a few questions still.
<snip>

3) Anyone else have their dealer locate them a Yukon and then get it from another dealer? We've only ever bought from what was on the lot before, so it's kind of new to me. Any problems or things to watch for when it arrives?

+-+-+-+-+
Easy part first:

Yes, I have had the dealer use the locator and do a swap. Depending upon how things work out, they can do a vehicle swap for you and you don't have to wait for the build. The vehicle will have some miles on it though - unless yu insist on them trailering it - which may cost you. It really does not bother me if the truck has 200 miles from the transfer - warranty will be extended. Not the same as buying a Demo.

But, can you explain the comment of the $5,000 Rebate. Is it this:
0% or $3,000 plus
$1,000 for Truckfest
$1,000 for GM Card Bonus Cash

I just got the email about the GM Card $1,000 Bonus today. So, I'm wondering if there was something in addition to that from an earlier offer.

As to general pricing - The Chevy Dealer here is advertising $10,000 off of MSRP for ALL New Tahoes. Which ammounts to very close to MSRP minus the $6,000 dealer markup (taking the price down to about invoice) and then adding the $4,000 in Rebates. I wanted another yukon, or I would have tried to work out something and have more info. But, the deal on the Yukon is very much the same.

cmeng

http://www.gmcard.com/greatdeal/

This seems to be in addition to the $3,000 or zero, Truckfest $1,000, and "normal" GM Card limit of $2,000. So the new discount deal would be for a total of $7,000 below whatever you agree to with the dealer.

Eyeball deal for window shopping and back of napkin estimate could be:

MSRP before delivery
Minus about 15%
Minus another $7,000

beach15

GM just increased the rebates on Suburbans and Yukon XL's from $3,000 plus the $1,000 Truckfest bonus, to $4,000 plus the bonus--for a total of $5,000 if you take all the rebates. GM also gave all dealers a few $500 "coupons" each for them to apply to full-size SUV's & truck's as wish.

beach15

...we found a new Yukon XL 2wd we really, really like at another dealer about 2 hours away, with one problem: it was built around May 11 and has been sitting in Mexico ever since. The dealer here who would be getting it for us said that it is scheduled to ship on June 1st, but has no real idea of when it might arrive at the other dealer. Price and options wise, it's a winner. Only issue is, making the deal now but not knowing exactly when it might come in. At first, our salesperson said that they usually just would do the paper work on May 31st to keep May's rebates, but she now seems kind of reluctant to do so because of not knowing when it really might get to the other dealer before being transferred.

Anyone have experience with a similar situation? It would probably be easier just to wait until we know for sure that it has shipped and arrived, but that won't be until June, and who knows what will happen to the rebates. Suggestions?

Also have another question. Most of the Yukons we had located had a "3" vin #, meaning they were from Mexico. On the other hand, most of the Suburbans had a "1" vin #, which I'm pretty sure means it's from Wisconsin. Does either plant seem to produce vehicles with any specific issues commonly (i.e., fit & finish, paint quality, rattles, etc.)? Our Avalanche is from the Mexico plant and is flawless, as is any other Av I've seen.

rand01

I can't speak for the transfer situation between dealers. but I remember my dealer telling me that as long as he had a VIN, he could do the paperwork and ensure any rebates or bonus money are received. It wouldn't surprise me if they extend those offers beyond June, but who wants to take the chance!

As much as I hate the fact that my american vehicle was not assembled in the USA, both of my Suburbans were built in Mexico and I have had no issues with either.

beach15

That's basically what I thought, I just can't figure out why the salesperson doesn't seem to interested in figuring it out. At first she was ready and willing to locate and transfer any vehicle we wanted, but now she isn't as certain about it because we want a vehicle from another dealer that hasn't even been shipped from the factory yet.

Don't know what's so hard, though. It's available to them, so just do all the paperwork now, wait for it to arrive, and then transfer it. The price is pretty good too, because I got a GM in the Driveway discount for Supplier Pricing, and they quoted us that price minus $5,500 in rebates. I just wish GM would give us the $1,000 bonus on our card--it would really seal the deal!

The past day or so, we've been going back and forth over Yukon XL vs. Suburban. No question the Yukon's fully painted moldings and chrome look the best, but there's a white Suburban I located that's optioned right, we just aren't sure about the cheap, black side moldings & handles on an LS. Sometimes it's "not so bad" and other times it's "ugly".

We need to get things rolling soon, though. They quoted us an awesome trade-in price for our Avalanche (actually over book value) and the rebates may change on 6/1.

Oh, and another question. What's the BOSE stereo like? The one we want has the CD/Cassette BOSE system, but I've read before that it doesn't even sound as good as the base stereos in '02 and before models. Any comments?

rand01

I guess it's too late or too much trouble to change the shipping destination to your local dealer? My 2000 Suburban was ordered through a dealer in Texas (a deal through my bank at the time) and shipped out to my local dealer here in California.

Yukon XL or Suburban? Obviously I am a Suburban fan. I personally don't care for the big grill or that big chunk of molding back behind the rear wheel opening(they do still have that?), but to each his own! Some may like the contrast of the black trim, which looks worse on some colors than others. Of course if you have to go with the LS, the trim pieces can be painted for not a large amount of money, or even removed. The factory flares on my white 2000 were black. My paint shop painted them to match the body perfectly and they look just as good as the rest of the vehicle paint four years later. You could even go as far as to change the door handles, some install the Escalade's or even chrome or polished billet are available from the aftermarket.

I love the 6 disc CD and XM radio on my 2004. I've never associated the "Bose" tag as an indicator of a top notch system and this is no exception. While it produces acceptable sound, good aftermarket speakers and amps are hard to beat! Yes, I do believe the sound from my 2000 factory system with the rear mounted sub woofer was actually a bit better.

beach15

I actually thought of this too. I've read of more than one person doing this, even sometimes finding a new GM they wanted when it was "in transit" and just having it's destination switched.

The Yukon XL we want is supposedly still sitting in Mexico, so I don't see why it would be a problem at all. Just need to get on our saleslady a little more this next week and ask her if she can get this done. She already said she could do the paperwork on May 31 to keep the rebates and they already gave us the right trade-in price for our Avalanche, so that's already figured out.

We're still not sure about the whole black plastic vs. painted moldings thing, but kind of still prefer the GMC look. Oh, and that molding behind the wheel you mentioned, they stopped using that on the '03s I think, and it's still gone. Doesn't look any different to me, with or without.

I have a question to ask, though. These SUV's have rear air with controls on the ceiling, which seems pretty straightforward. But when you get bucket seats, you also get a 3rd rear fan/air control on the back of the console. What do you use that for--anything? We didn't look at them that closely, but I still can't figure it out!

jay_24

The controls are on the ceiling and on the back of the consol for bucket and bench seats. Both controls work fo rthe back seat heat/air. The ceiling controls do the rear air/heat unless you set it to the 'aux.' setting then the rear controls work.

--Jay
2003 Tahoe with rear air/heat and bench seat.

beach15

Finally spoke to our salesperson today and she said the Yukon looked like it was on it's way, along with a Suburban they had ordered themselves not long ago.

If everything goes as planned, we should have a new '04 Yukon XL in a couple of weeks!

beach15

Is the driveshaft vibration issue something that was cured in later builds? Our '02 Av is basically the same vehicle and we've had 0 issues, but I read about this in a few posts. How about any other common '04 issues? Just a note, this is a Mexico-built one.

Everything's looking good with the deal, especially the fact that we'll be getting a factory fresh 2004, with a build date from earlier this month. Usually any issues in a model year are cleared up by then.

Sure it'll technically be a year old already when the '05s come out in a few months, but the $10k off more than makes up for that!

buynow?

I'm considering taking advantage of what appears to be a great price on a loaded 2004 Suburban LT at $12K off MSRP. I'd like to put the purchase off a bit longer, but am afraid incentives etc. that expire June 1 will disappear. Any thoughts?

beach15

If you've been thinking about it, and you can get a new one for $12k off, why wait? We would have had a new Yukon XL by now ourselves for a little over $10k off, but we're still waiting for it to arrive from being built.

I'm really wondering about the June incentives too. I don't think they'll go down and the chance of them going up is pretty slim, but you just never know until they annouce them. Kind of iffy for us, because the Yukon we want isn't going to hit the lot until the 1st or 2nd of June and the dealer has said they will back date the paper work so we can get the May rebates, but June's may be better--or they might not.

Regardless, if you can get a deal like that now (the most common seems to be $10k off), especially for $12k off, I'd just go for it. It's really not going to get any better than that, and why wait?!

dawnkam

We have a 2003 Suburban that was manufactured in Janesville. Long story short... TONS of assembly problems. ie: paint debris, things coming loose, scratches inside speedometer/tachometer area, steering wheel clunking, etc. We are in the process of doing a GM buy back. This is the 3rd Suburban that we have owned and have never had any problems before and absolutely LOVE Suburbans. We are trading out for a new Suburban and are making sure that it is not from Janesville. In my research on all the issues and the plant in Janesville these are not common problems as far as I can tell, but we are just not sure we want to retake that risk.

beach15

Thanks! That was just the info. I was looking for. As I said, our Avalanche came from Mexico and it's been flawless. I've looked at several Janesville built Tahoes & Suburbans lately (just from the outside) and nothing looked incorrect or poorly put together, but it was only a quick look over.

I remember several people making comments like yours on this board quite a while ago...I just couldn't find them. Now we'll wait for sure to get the Mexico-built Yukon instead of one of the Suburbans!

beach15

....because sales of the big guys (Suburban, Expedition, etc.) are massively down again this month, with more and more people switching to smaller "cute utes" like the Equinox, Escape, and VUE.

Bad for automakers, but good for those of us in the market for these "unwanted" vehicles.

Take a look:
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0405/29/autos-167622.htm

letsgo

I am buying an '04 Suburban LT. I like the idea of full-time all wheel drive vs. Autotrac, but I would like to know more about the system. I used to have an '01 GMC C3 (Denali), and I did not like the drive system as it has a rear axle bias, and allowed uncontrolled wheel-spin on the front axle, making it basically useless in deep snow or off-road. Is the stabilitrak system any different? what is the drive distribution; front vs. rear? Does anyone have experience with it and if so do you recommend it?
In the autotrac system can you feel it engage and disengage on slippery surfaces?
Thanks & am grateful for any advice.

huma2

hi i was looking to buy a used suburban and came across a 2002 K2500 LT loaded with everything including autoride and a tv/dvd. it has 57000 miles, body is in great shape. It also has the 8 liter engine. i dont really tow anything do i need this or should i look for a 5.3l one? the price is $27,900. let me know your thoughts, thanks in advance. is the gas mileage that much worse then the smaller engine? thanks
ps this car is at carmax so there is no neogiating price, they are giving more then i thought for my car plus a tax credit of $1100 towards the car i buy.
do i need to buy an extended warranty?

beach15

Unless you tow anything or really need a big, heavy duty truck, I really don't think you'd need a 2500 with the big block engine. Not sure what the mileage is exactly, but it isn't as good as models with the 5.3 engine (which has best in clss fuel economy, in my opinion).

Plus, $28,000 sounds high for a 2 year old car with 60k miles. You could get a loaded used '03 1500 LT with less miles and just as many options right now for that price.

huma2

thanks for the help. a s for the price , edmunds and kelly blue book appraise it at about $1000 more then they are asking. i will look around for a 1500lt and see what i find.

will the K2500 last longer because it is a heavy duty built truck

huma2

what is the difference btw a C1500 and a K1500

beach15

"C" means 2wd and "K" means 4wd--most of the time. Sometimes people get them confused in ads.

There should be a ton of worthwhile 1500's out there. As far as lasting longer, it's really no different, I would think, except for the 2500 being able to take a little more abuse--but the 1500 is no toy either.

rand01

The Stabilitrak system has a 40/60 split in power between front/rear wheels. Part of Stabilitrak is a traction control system which uses an engine speed management and brake-traction control system to limit wheel spin (gee-whiz computer controlled stuff). When Stabiltrak is turned off, only the brake-traction control system is enabled. When placing the transfer case in 4 low, the Stabilitrak system is automatically disabled, leaving the Stabiltrak button to function only as an on/off for the traction control system.

I can not speak as to how well the whole system works, on paper it sounds great. Since taking delivery of my Suburban, there has hardly been a drop of rain here in central California and I have yet to get it off road.

A lot of 4 wheel drives are like your old Denali. Full time or part time four wheel drive can be no wheel drive without a locking rear end or some type of traction control system if you get a wheel spinning on the front and rear!

msmith3

Just purchased a 1500 4WD LT this weekend. With Stabilitrak, does it only come on when needed? It doesn't seem to be on but I've only driven on the highway with no adverse conditions. How do I know for sure that it works??

beach15

Couple of quick questions about an '04 Yukon XL SLE. Still isn't here yet, but regardless:

-Does the driver's side mirror dim on an '04 SLE? Also, does it have the puddle lights underneath or not?
-Is the tint on the top of the windshield there anymore on '04s or was it deleted?

Anyone have an '04 SLE that can answer these questions?

lobsenza

Only comes on when the vehicle slides i.e. when it starts going in a direction that it is not supposed to. It may come on and you may not realize it is on. The only way to demonstrate this is run the same course on a wet track with and without stabilitrac. Then you will realize how much it can do.

beach15

...not the Yukon XL we had intended, but still just as nice. Wanted the white Yukon XL SLE 2wd with a beige cloth interior but the dealer who had it, wouldn't give it up for transfer to anyone else. So instead, we decided on a white Suburban LS 2wd with the light gray cloth interior that had a few more options for the same price.

It breaks down like this:
-2004 Chevrolet Suburban LS 2wd
-Summit White with Gray cloth
-Driver Convenience Package
-Cargo Package
-6CD Bose Stereo
-Locking Rear Differential
-WOL tires
-Front Bucket Seats
-Trailering Package
-Liftgate/Liftglass

Only thing we were weary of was the white paint against all the black plastic moldings on the Chevy, but with the WOL tires and full roof rack, it actually looks pretty cool. Got a pretty good price from our local dealer, minus the $5,000 rebate, plus an awesome trade-in value for our current '02 Avalanche, so it all worked out well.

They just have to go get it now, since it's at a dealer about 2+ hours away in Newport News, VA and we're in Delaware.

I've also been leary about it being a Janesville-built one, but the spread between there and Mexico ones seems about even and problems still seem to be very minimal.

This truck seems to have been built earlier in the model year also, so anything specific to look out for on earlier '04 models?

beach15

Anyone have any comments on our new Suburban? Things to watch for?

I'll have pics up as soon as we get it. Just waiting for it to get to our dealer now.

integrity

I am in the place of choosing between the new Yukon XL and Suburban LT. Not that I really want to. What&#146;s the difference, dose anyone see it? The pricing I have puts the Yukon higher. Are the tranny issues the same on both? I have a 2000 Sub LT now it&#146;s been in for service 3 times to get the 4wd fixed the differential was replaced 2 twice, among a few other nagging problems. Thankfully we did get the extended warranty. Right now the motor for the front passenger side window is corroded and the window does&#146;not work. Another trip the shop. I have to stay with the Sub/Yukon its the only thing that fits my family of 7. Is the realiabilty really any better now than in 2000?

beach15

More likely than not, 2004 models will have improved a lot over first year 2000 models as far as defects--they just get better as more and more are built.

And as far as Yukon XL vs. Suburban, we had the same dilemma recently. Virtually the only difference is styling, and even then, there isn't much difference. The differences in price are also very minute, so that shouldn't matter.

I'd suggest just searching for a new one either at the dealer or at home with GMBuypower, get some quotes, and then go from there. Right now, you should still be able to get around $10k off sticker--we just got about $9.5k off of a new Suburban LS 2wd with no haggling whatsoever.

integrity

Thanks I thought it was close I think I will have better luck pricing the Suburban. I did just test drive the Yukon, it deffinetly felt tighter and better handling

glsable2

integrity: when you say the Yukon "felt tighter and better handling", I presume you mean compared to your 2000 model?

As beach15 noted, the Yukon XL and Suburban are identical mechanically and so they will feel exactly the same. There are minor cosmetic differences on the outside (grille, headlights, front bumpers), identical interiors, and slight differences in the packaging of options. Not to say that you couldn't pick some options, such as Autoride, that might feel better. And you would find the 2500s ("3/4 ton") ride differently than the 1500s ("half ton"). But these are things that can be selected on either Chevys or GMCs. We found pricing essentially equal. So pick the one you think looks better!
glsable

beach15

We just got our '04 Suburban LS 2wd tonight and we're loving it so far. I'll post some more details later, but here's a few pics:

glsable2

beach15: Nice wheels! These wheels were available on some 2003 Silverados and Avalanches and I tried to get the dealer to swap them onto our 2003 Suburban, but no deal. I love our Suburban but it does need new wheels to set it apart from the two million other late-model Suburbans out there! :-)
glsable

rand01

Hey, mine didn't have that fancy blue money holding device installed in the cup holder tray! Congratulations Derek, looks great and makes me miss my white 2000.

beach15

...noticed this once last night, but it's getting really bad already! Anytime you go over any kind of slight bump or crack in the road (or any other time the frame/body might flex), there's a very bad creaking noise around the front bottom edge of the driver's side rear window. Seemed like a one time thing last night, but I rode in the back on that side tonight and it sounded terrible.

Also, strangely, you can hear the creaking noise from the outside when you step on the running board back there. I'm wondering if one of the bolts for the running board is loose or there's something wrong up in the quarter panel.

Otherwise, all else is very well, and we love it. I just wish it didn't already have a loud creak on day 2!

beach15

I keep thinking the creek must be from the running board on the driver's side, because it makes the noise when the frame flexes (over bumps, etc.) and when you step on it. Maybe if I check it over very closely and tighten the bolts tomorrow, I can fix it. I hope that's all it is, because it really looks and feels very tightly built.

cstewa

I am looking at purchasing a loaded xl slt 04' with 1sd package, fun $ sun and couple of extras...it is a demo with 5000 miles....how much should i deduct for the 5000 miles and what would you pay...

beach15

Well, you should be able to get a new one with 0 miles for $10k+ off sticker, so deduct from that point for it being a demo, maybe another $2-3k.

beach15

Anyone else have a creaking noise over bumps coming from the 3rd side window bottom area? I don't know if it's the sheetmetal flexing against the window, the interior plastic rubbing against the metal, or what, but it doesn't sound very becoming for a truck with 300 miles.

I thought it might be running board related (you can make the creaking sound by stepping on the running board in that rearmost position), but haven't checked that. Checked the jack and tools, and that doesn't seem to be it either, but I have to check again.

rand01

Creaks, rattles or whatever should not be present in your new Sub. Mine is as solid as a rock and very quiet inside.

The running boards seem a likely candidate for the source of the noise. I think most of the boards are shipped inside the truck and then installed at the dealer (at least this was true in my case, because I had them leave the boards off). You seem to be doing the right thing, try to isolate the noise and make sure you can duplicate the conditions that causes it so that when you take it to the dealer, they will be able to find and fix the culprit causing that creak.

cstewa

they quoted me a price of 38k and some change for the demo(5500 miles)...it is a loaded slt with the 1sd with a sticker msrp of approx. 47k...I told them I would take an out the door price of 38k including tt&l...the said no...so I left...I thought I was being reasonable...

glsable2

cstewa: As beach15 said, you can get new ones at $10k to $12k off MSRP (ads are still running for "10k off any Suburban in stock" in many places). Being a demo is like it being a used vehicle, so check the web for pricing of a used 2003 or 2004 with 5000 miles to give an idea of the discount for it being a demo. $38k for a $47k MSRP sounds very high. It should be $36 less the demo discount. If they won't deal, go somewhere else. Or buy a new one cheaper than their demo!
Good luck!

beach15

Thanks. I'm still trying to isolate it. I took the jack and tools out today, because I wanted to see if anything was loose or put in there wrong, and that wasn't the problem. Still, though, when you step on the running board, you hear the noise up above in the fender, right near the window. This is what's baffling me.

Then again, maybe it is still the running board, just making noise against the frame rail. I'm going out to check again right now.

traym

2003 sub 2500 8.1 my stock tires are firestone they are wearing fast and cupping I have only 22000 miles I cannot understand why they call for diff pressure on front tires and back tires 50 psi frt. 80 psi bk on door label.
Firestone would not tell me what psi I should run or the dealer. I only had about 30 psi when I brought it home . Anyways I need new tires already any recomends on mich and correct psi thank

rand01

You didn't say whether you had a 2wd or 4wd, but either way, Michelin will have a load range E tire for you. I had the LTX M/S on my last Suburban and it was a great performer! I had almost 40K miles on the tires when I got rid of the truck and those tires probably could have easily gone another 20K.

I can't speak for the tire pressure setting on your 2500. My 2004 4wd 1500 calls for 33 psi front and rear, and of course, yours will be higher, but I don't understand why such a difference between the front and rear?!