GMC Yukon / Yukon Denali

obyone · March 2003

by all means get a Yukon XL 2wd with an open differential. You'll also be able to choose between the 5.3 and 4.8. Forget the 6.0 cause it isn't offered. Living in SCal you probably won't need it. If the Denali is anything, it is excessive with many items that one could do without. Same for the Escalade.

These items are of your own personal choosing. If its not important to you...then you've already answered your question. For me I did a side by side comparison between the Denali and the Yukon. After one quick look I had my answer and drive the Denali today.

larry91 · March 2003

I agree, go with the Denali..I checked them both out and the Denali won. I love the vehicle, mine is a 2001, and I would definitely buy another one.
Larry

cornellpinoy · March 2003

My '02 Denali is making a fast clicking noise from the front left wheel. I checked my tire tread and i don't have any stones, nails or screws imbedded. The sound is only present when the truck is moving and is very noticeable when its still cold. Has anyone had the same problem with theirs?

larry91 · March 2003

I am getting the same sound on my 2001. It comes and goes, right now It's Backkk. I think it could be a noisy caliper. IF i remember, and it is still noisy, i will mention it when i go for my oil change. If you get it diagnosed please let me know what they found.

avolvofan · March 2003

Can either of you (cornellpinoy or larry91) provide more information about the clicking noise? Does the clicking occur when the brakes are applied (or, conversely, does it cease when the brakes are applied...)? Does the noise occur at certain speeds? And, and, and. The information will be needed when you discuss the matter with the service technician.

cornellpinoy · March 2003

The clicking is audible at speeds over 15 mph and it clicks faster as the speed increases. It does not go away when the brakes are depressed. After 30 minutes of driving it does get quieter. I do remember that I hit the left front brake caliper with a wash mitt the last time I washed the truck but I don't know if that is what caused the noise. The truck only has 12,900 miles.

cornellpinoy · March 2003

The noise I'm hearing is similar to the noise you'd hear by putting a stick against the spokes of a moving bicycle wheel.

avolvofan · March 2003

Based on what you have described, I would stop in at the dealer and see if the service advisor has any information on the clicking. I had a barely audible "rumbling" (more felt than heard) in the steering wheel recently. When I asked the service advisor about the noise, he mentioned that it could be a bearing in the steering column that needed re-packing. We scheduled a service appointment and everything was fine after the re-packing. Two points about my experience: 1.) When properly trained, service advisors can be a great source of information related to whether service is needed or not; 2.) If the condition is not one which needs immediate attention, you can have some peace of mind before the repair is performed.

pmaggan · March 2003

I am seriously considering buying a Denali, but am deciding on whether or not to get the navigation system. I know I don't NEED it, but I'm a gadget person so I think I'd like to have it. However, I can't find any details on the system on the GMC web site or anywhere else for that matter. Does anyone know if the system is CD-based or DVD based? Any other details would be appreciated. Unfortunately, there aren't any vehicles with navigation in my local area for me to "test drive." Thanks.

obyone · March 2003

I think its more audio based and is called OnStar.

pmaggan · March 2003

A quick search in this forum and I found my answers. The GM navigation system is completely separate from the Onstar system. See message 1573 for details on the system. See message 1554 for a picture of the navigation system.

larry91 · March 2003

Checked more closely and found out the clicking noise was not my caliper, but my fan belt. Will have it checked when i go for an oil change
Larry

jbuhac · March 2003

I have a '03 denali xl, and recently after returning to the vehicle the information center informed me that I was an "unknown driver." the ignition shutoff was activated, and i could not lock or unlock the doors, use the radio, nothing. I called onstar (on my cellphone, as the vehicle wouldn't let me use the onstar button) and I was told to (introduce myself to the car and maybe it will start) After the humor I was told that they had never heard of this and suggested that I turn the key to position 2, wait 20 minutes and then try again. Needless to say, it didn't work. I called my dealer, also never heard of this. I had to flatbed the vehicle in for service (saturday afternoon now) When they got to the vehicle monday am, the battery was dead. after they jumped it, both of my keys worked fine. Of course, the "black box" was erased, and so no information on saturdays problem was evident. Has anyone had anything like this happen? btw, onstar couln't even lock the vehicle remotely.

Other than this, we love this suv. we had a ML430 before this, and the quality of the GMC seems superior to me (have had 5MBs in household, never owned an American car before) Not eager to give money to Germans (or French) anytime soon again.

csi35 · March 2003

How did you see anything on the Information Center with a dead battery?

sschmidt2 · March 2003

I have an 03 Denali. Have had numerous creeks/rattles. Dealer does not seem to be able to resolve these. They seem to come and go. Anyone else had similar problems?

keithdenalixl · March 2003

the all wheel drive system on Chevy's Astro AWD or the Pontiac Aztec's AWD.

What is the difference. My friend advised me that the All wheel drive system on the DXL is not as advanced as that on other vehicles. How does it work?

ilaned · March 2003

Anyone have a '03 Denali that appears to apply the left front brake on gentle right hand turns? This happens on dry sunny days and is most easily noticed at about 30 mph. Also, anyone notice their headlights blinking off repeatedly while driving at night?

mjwills · March 2003

I have an 02 and am finding all sorts of creaks and rattles. I have one that is between 1100 - 1500 rpm when the fan motor is on. Sounds like a clicking (like plastic rapidly moving up and down) until I pass 1500 rpm - non temperature dependant. Also at 50 mph to maintain speed there is a loud howl type noise (found in other posts on this site) that is louder than the radio. IMO a lot of the rattles come from the center counsol. Let us know what you find out.

pilko · March 2003

I have an 03 Denali XL. I haven't had any problems with the Stabilitrak. The only time I have noticed it activate without me deliberately provoking it was when I drove down a road with frozen tracks about 3 inches high.

I have noticed my headlights blinking. If I go around a bend at speed, especially one with a bump, I see a flicker from the lights. The lights also go dim if the ABS activatres. I was wondering if it had something to do with the brakes being powered from the Power Steering Pump instead of inlet vacuum. GM probably switch off the alternator to prevent excessive engine load. I guess the Stabilitrak could be activating very briefly in the corner and hence switch off the alternator. I will try switching off the Stabilitrak next time I go around a corner that I know makes the lights flicker.

ilaned · March 2003

The blinking of the lights on a Denali is from the Precharging of the Stability System. Everytime the computer thinks it might have to apply brakes it starts a large hydraulic motor that puts a large drain on all the electrical system. My complaint is that it starts this motor an excessive amount of times on dry roads with nothing major happening. Turning off the Stability I am told only removes the computer's ability to limit throttle. So your lights will still blink....but mine blink alot less for some reason.

larry91 · March 2003

I took the 2001 Denali XL to the dealer and it was as i suspected, a bad serpentine belt. The service writer also told me there were a few service bulletins that affected my vehicle.
1...A shim is required on the A/C compressor and
2...the throttle body has a tendency to stick, causing a lurching at very low speeds.
The vehicle would idle roughly when it was started with the A/C on.

Both items were done and the car is running smoothly again. I am Happy.

jbuhac · March 2003

it said unknown driver before the battery drained.

orwoody · March 2003

I had the same after 20k or so on my 2001 Denali. I mentioned it to my dealer when I was in for an oil change. The service consultant told me it was likely the tension pulley needed a slight adjustment.(typical of this engine he said). They did the adjustment without keeping me more than 5-10 minutes longer than the oil change. So far 36k and no more click/chirp.
I LOVE my 2001 Denali. Never has another vehicle treated me so well.
(We've owned 10 brand new vehicles, foreign and domestic over the last 20 years)

avolvofan · March 2003

Amen! I completely argee with your assessment of the 2001 Denali. It is only opinion, for what it is worth, but GM got everything right with the 2001 Denali. Two years into my ownership experience and I am completely satisfied. The truck rides better than some of the best higher-end sedans. And, and, and....

orwoody · April 2003

Many of the dealers have an advertising fee they have to pay to GM for regional advertising. I ran into the same issue on my last rig - a Pontiac. I did some internet shopping and although most of the local dealers were willing to give me invoice + license fee, all had the "Ad fee" tacked on. I bought from a dealer I've used several times who doesn't participate in this advertising(it is voluntary for the dealers) and saved $500 extra.
You might try a broker also - check with your credit union or bank and see if they are affiliated with any. Often they do not have to pay the ad fee.
I haven't driven a 2003 with the quadrasteer but I LOVE my 2001 Denali

rontam · April 2003

My local dealer is charging over 1k for advertising. I feel reluctact to pay, but after shopping around, they have given me the best price with my trade-in.
I just ordered a new dxl - my X5 is getting too small.

? regarding the gmc website. They are tacking on a $820 option fee to the base msrp. $695 for on-star seems to be mandatory. The other change I noticed was the third seat was gonna be leather - not vinyl.
Anyone know when these will go into effect?
I don't know my invoice price yet, but this new site states my config is +700 on what I see here (on edmunds). Perhaps this is a midyear adjustment that will offset the new $3k rebate.

Ron

xchicagoan5 · April 2003

We are expecting our third child in November and I have been debating the Denali versus waiting for the new infiniti QX56 in the fall. I have not owned an american car since 1994. I too have an X5 2000, 4.4i. Everything is starting to go wrong on it - not to mention us out growing the size as well. What year is your X5 and are you trading it in on the DXL? Any insight as to why you are not considering the Ford Expedition or the Toyota Sequoia would be greatly appreciated.

lobsenza · April 2003

I think the Denali is more comparable to the Navigator than the Expedition. The Sequoia is an excellent choice as well, but it is underpowered for towning (and somewhat for driving). The Ford products have the roomiest third row 9unless you are considering the Denali XL).

rontam · April 2003

Congrats on #3!
We are expecting #2 in November.
Feeling cramped already with one in our 01 x5 4.4. Will be trading the superior handling and power for a roomier dxl.
We went with the dxl because of the xtra space behind the 3rd row as compared to the others. Otherwise the expedition would have been my choice. We drove one from ma to tx and found it very comfortable and handled better than expected. No cargo space though (well, not enough).

We didnt even consider the seq because it didn't look good, plus it was underpowered.

We feel with the deep discounts and rebates the dxl offers a lot of car for the money. It had everything our x5 had and more (Nav, entertainment, 3rd row, heated seats, etc). Just wished they offered a rear sensor - needed for a vehicle of this size.

Hope this helps.

lobsenza · April 2003

Is available on the Escalade....the ESV model is about the same as the Denali....

pmaggan · April 2003

I picked it up last week. It's Carbon Metallic with the Pewter interior. So far so good... I think. It seems to pull to the left when accelerating, so I will have that checked out. It looks like I should have waited until April to buy, but hindsight is 20/20. In any case, I got the GM Supplier price through work so I paid $42,574 including the $2,000 rebate. The only option I got was the sunroof. I also bought the Majorguard 5/75k warranty for an additional $1,020, which is supposedly the GM employee price. This is my first American vehicle after owning 3 BMWs. We'll see how it goes.

k2rider · April 2003

We're seriously looking into getting a Denali in the next few weeks. We looked at them before butthe quad bucket seats (new for 2003) are what finally made us take a more serious look.

What can I expect to get one for in relation to the "Invoice" price of about $44,200...? Should I pay invoice? invoice +$500? or what???? Looking at the TMV on Edmunds, it looks like Invoice + $900 is acceptable. None of that includes the $3K rebate or the $$ I can use off the card...

Thanks for your help

stever · April 2003

TMV is based on what people are paying, including people who aren't reading the shopping tips here - with a bit of negotiation, you should be able to beat TMV.

Any other new owners who'd like to report on what they paid?

Steve, Host

rontam · April 2003

I have one on order - paying $200 over invoice (invoice includes a $1000 adv fee). So I'm really paying $1200 over invoice price on edmunds.

rontam · April 2003

How long did you have to wait, from signing the p&s to delivery day, on a factory order?

Ron

erinsquared · April 2003

After much searching, I finally picked up a nice used '01 Denali. The best features I like about this vehicle are the off-line torque (6.0 can really move this beast), handling, and the autoride suspension. There is very little dive, squat, or lean during quick maneauvers, yet the ride is extremely plush. Trip computer says fuel avg. is 14.8 mpg for 50/50 hwy/city driving, which is not too bad considering my 3.5L Isuzu Trooper used to average around 15.5 mpg for the same drive. I've got two questions that I need help with: 1. How do you tighten the parking brake? I've adjusted the adjustment nut which is underneath the center of the vehicle to the max and it still does not engage. Are there any other areas to adjust or are there separate emergency brake discs that are worn out and need replacement? 2. How do I convince my wife to give me a turn driving the new Denali?

larry91 · April 2003

but for question 2 you're on your own.
You can't adjust it yourself, at least not unless you are a pretty good mechanic. It involves a complete disasembly of the calipers and some brake components,and cost me around $145.00. I couldn't get them to do it under warranty, they said it's a maintenance item. I have "NEVER" had to adjust the emergency brake on any vehicle i've owned. After the fix, it works fine again.

Perhaps the answer to question #2, is too get yourself one. :-)
Larry

orwoody · April 2003

I love my 2001 D also. I had the soft parking brake and my dealer fixed it under warranty. Basically they told me 36/36, bumper to bumper included just about everything except tires. They've replaced a headlamp, tail light bulb at no charge.... If yours is under 36 miles & months and if you bought it through a dealership I'd think they would want to make you happy since they sold it to you. Besides they should have checked it out closer before selling.
I've been very pleased getting upwards of 20mpg highway (at 65-75mph) and reliably getting 14-16 in my work commute which is about 75% hwy/25% city.
As for your wife - well the only suggestion I have is to buy a chauffeur's cap and offer to drive her around.

donahues · April 2003

20mpg- is that downhill in a hurricane? I can not even squeak out 15mpg @ 75mph with cruise, proper inflation, etc. I only have 8k miles on my '02, but I cannot imagine that I would get 5 mpg more. What is the secret?

orwoody · April 2003

honestly getting that mileage, I use the cruise control on road trips. I'm not much of a lead foot but I do notice headwinds, crosswinds do tax the mileage. I've taken a number of trips from Oregon to Washhington-Idaho-Montana where the freeway speeds are posted at 70mph or 75mph and consistently get 18 to 20mpg. I've got ~34500 miles on the Denali and my last tank was 15.3mpg in mixed driving ~ 70% hwy and 30% city running 87 octane with 10% ethanol(which we are forced to run during the winter here).

erinsquared · April 2003

Garnet red, 37,000 miles. I bought it outside of warranty, but I felt that this should be a solid truck and with so many of these vehicles on the road, repair costs should not be too bad. I'll take a look at the brakes and see if I can adjust the shoes, otherwise, I'll have the dealer address it at the next oil change.

Does anyone have any comments on a cold air intake system like the Volant or K&N? How about Hypertech PowerProgrammer III experiences?

avolvofan · April 2003

20 mpg is better than I have been able to get at 70 mph. However, I reliably get 18 mpg at 70 mph. Some considerations regarding mileage: How many miles do you have on your Denali? (The engine is not really completely broken in until around 7,000 miles.) Is it a standard Denali, or the LX (lengthened)? (If the LX, then you are carrying around an additional 500ish pounds, which will affect mileage.) Lastly, are you using Mobil 1 5w30 oil? (The oil does make a difference, which is why GM specified Mobil 1 5w30.)

obyone · April 2003

No single component as an air intake or HPIII will give you a seat of the pants increase in performance if that's what you're looking for. Combined, air intake (K&N), HPIII, and a good catback system will move your torque curve up a bit and the less restrictive exhaust will allow your vehicle to rev higher giving you a seat of the pants type of increase that you may be looking for.

There has been a lot of controversy as to what the actual HP increase with these mods. I've pretty much done all of them. If I had to do it all over again, I'd get a supercharger and forget about all the other bolt ons.

orwoody · April 2003

Garnet Red was my #2 choice - I took the Polo Green. It's treated me better than any rig we've owned, it's still quiet and solid even on rough pavement.
I'll be negligent and admit I'm not sure what oil the dealer is running in my Denali. As part of my deal, I got a 10 oil Change package where I only pay $14.95 for oil change w/filter. I have the oil changed ~ every 5k miles and keep the tires at 32psi.
I went looking for my road trip logs but couldn't find them all. But here are some examples where the mileage is calculated(but was close to the DIC estimates. note amph = avg miles per hour)
- PDX to Post Falls ID; 355m, 63.5 amph with some head and cross winds = 18.4mpg
- Post Falls to Helena MT; 257m, 3 Mtn passes, 69.6 amph = 18.8mpg
- Helena to Great Falls and back 244m, 71.1 amph = 19.6mpg
- Superior MT to Post Falls; 225m, 3 Mtn passes, 69.8amph = 19.2mpg
- PDX to Lake Stevens, WA back to Centralia WA; 325m, 68.4amph = 19.7mpg
- PDX to Aurora to Salem to Eugene to Salem to PDX; 232m, 60.5amph = 18.8mpg

on several other road stretches we've gotten 19+mpg and one tank I recall, the DIC estimate 20.2mpg and I calculated just under 20.

erinsquared · April 2003

Driving style has a big influence on mileage with a big SUV like this. If you drive as if you have an egg between the gas pedal and your foot (i.e. gently), one should be able to return the best mileage possible. The 6.0 has so much torque, you don't really a lot of throttle to move around in normal traffic. Of course, with all of the power available, it is sometimes hard to keep your foot out of it

.

I'll be switching over to Moblil 1 10w-30 on my next oil change. Not really sure about the increase in mileage, but I like the extra security and feel comfortable with a 5k-7k oil change interval.

Obyone, I read an interesting FAQ from Kenne Belle on the Vortec 6.0 and he basically came to the same conclusion that a supercharger was the way to go w.r.t. price-for-performance. I'll try to find the link and let you guys know. As for intake systems, he said the GM unit flows fine, but the best improvements are obtained by guaranteeing cool intake air. The intake on the Denali pulls air from a cutout on the right fender well with a pourus foam seal bridging the gap between the filter housing and the fender. It is not clear if this causes intake restrictions or if the foam seal allows warm underhood air to be drawn in. Volant has a cool air intake with a "ram-air" scoop that looks like it would guarantee cool air, but it is $$$.

pmaggan · April 2003

After doing some research, I went ahead and ordered the volant Air intake with scoop as well as a Granatelli MAF. I ordered from Tbyrne who currently has these items on sale. It looks like the Volant is very well contructed and I especially like the air scoop to get cold air into the engine. My truck is probably too new to get accurate mileage readings since the engine is not fully broken in yet, but I'll see what happens. I will also switch to Mobil 1 after a few thousand miles.

obyone · April 2003

There are two types available. One for those running the stock boxes and one for a free flow intake. Granatelli has tuned the latter for the added and more "turbulent" airflow. Just thought I'd mention it cause should you order the incorrect one, Granatelli would be more than happy to "upgrade" it to the correct one for $150.

There's been mixed reactions from people who have installed one ranging from comments like the MAF causes the engine to run lean causing a false feeling of acceleration when throttle is applied.

I've had one on my Silverado for over two years and don't think I'll be installing one on the Denali. Just my opinion.

erinsquared · April 2003

The tough thing about performance upgrades with modern engines is that there is little confirmation that the change will improve performance unless the change has been designed to work with your exact configuration and you can see (and trust) empirical data that demonstrates the benefit. For example, the highest flow intake and exhaust system will do nothing for your performance if the heads are causing the restriction in the airflow. If you are able to increase airflow significantly to your engine, now you need to add more fuel and this means new fuel/ignition timing and possibly upgrading the fuel delivery (new injectors, pump?). My guess is that the Denali 6.0 has a little room for improvement since GM managed 345hp/380ft-lbs in the Escalade. Since the Escalade is designed to run on premium, my guess is at least the fuel/ignition timing is a little more agressive over the Denali. It may be realistic to obtain the same numbers with a Powerprogrammer. Anyone know of what the engine differences are? My guess is that they are minimal, since GM likes to use the same off-the-shelf parts on everything they build.

obyone · April 2003

is attributed to ported intake/exhaust and aluminum heads.

orwoody · April 2003

Today's motors have a lot of the upgrades we used to add 20-30 years ago. The exhaust manifolds were yanked and replaced by headers; today's motors exhaust "manifolds" ARE headers. Fuel injection, free breathing air intakes plus multiple valves and cam shafts balanced and counter balanced so they don't lope like the "radical" cams of yesteryear. Personally, I'm pretty happy with the 325 ponies and torque of the 6L...

GMC Yukon / Yukon Denali

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