GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

circutmann · April 2003

I am glad that your CSK problem is gone at this time. Mine is much worse than yours, as mine was knocking on cold start over this past weekend, when the outside temperature was in the 60's & 70's here in upstate NY. Removing the carbon did nothing to reduce, or stop my knock that would last up to 1-2 minutes. How long did your CSK last? Mine was much louder when it was in drive, under a light load, as I slowly drove it, lasting up to (1) minute, (up to 2 minutes if it just idled under no load in "Park"). I dropped mine off at the dealer late yesterday, to have all the pistons & rods replaced, w/ the special ordered parts for this problem, under the 3/36,000 warranty. I've got a rental 2002 4x4 GMC Sonoma, at GM's expense, while mine is being repaired. They are expecting to have it 2-3 days. I'll keep you posted. Dave

boone6 · April 2003

My knock lasted anywhere from 10 - 30 seconds and I never heard it while driving. I am beginning to believe from reading threads here and on other boards about this that we may be experiencing two different problems that mimic each other at start up. After the carbon was removed not only did my knock stop but my idle leveled out and the response from the throttle is much better. The truck runs like it did new. I am already looking into how I can take care of the removal of the carbon myself in the future. Good luck with the new pistons. Other boards I have read have indicated that fix did not last.

circutmann · April 2003

I totally agree, that we are each expiencing two different problems. When my dealer did the carbon removal, he was expecting the problem to be a carbon knock, created by carbon on the pistons, & indicated that if the procedure did work, that it would be a temporary solution.

Since it did not correct my CSK, the dealer & GM are looking at my problem as being the piston slap problem that is being reported on some 5.3L, 6.0L, & 8.1L engines. GM stated that it was "normal" and would not damage the engine, but as I stated above, that was not acceptable to me.

Within two days of trying unsuccessfully to correct the problem with the carbon removal procedure, my dealer had worked w/ the GM rep. and received authorization to order special parts, & replace the pistons & rods to fix my problem.

Any vehicle can have problems. One measure of a good vehicle, is how well the manufacturer and your dealer take care of those problems. I'll keep you posted on the progress, and hopeful success in fixing my CSK problem.

What other boards are you reading? I regularly read the Edmunds boards, & the Delphi Forum board, all of which have a large number of good, talented individuals, such as yourself, who are willing to take the time to post messages, & help others.

Thanks again, and good luck with your truck. I trully love my 01 YXL, & feel it is one of the best SUVs on the road. Dave

psheward · April 2003

Well after 50K miles of some of the strangest items sticking in the tires of the Burb (Brake Pins, one nail that left two holes, a long sliver of metal and the most recent a bushing mount that must of come off of the trash truck, that left an 1/8 hole in a tire. It's time for new rubber.

Details - 01 LT 1500 4x4 - Mostly around town Mom driving to and from school, sports, scouts, etc, with an about two trips from Balt, to Phila every month. Twice a year we hit the open road and travel anywhere from ME to GA.
Not pleased with the wear on the Firestones.
Had Goodyears on my Bonneville; Bridgestones on my Troopers.

Thinking about Michelins, Bridgestones need some opinions. Good or bad. Thanks

boone6 · April 2003

I do frequent other sites and they are www.pickuptruck.com and www.gm-trucks.com. There is also the infamous www.gmpistonslap.tripod.com for the one man and others crusade to get the cold start piston slap issue solved through GMC. I am now using Chevron with Techron to try and keep the engine in better shape or adding Techron to the fill up when I do not use a Chevron station. May be just useless BS but who knows.

jlp8885 · April 2003

I-17 from Loop 101 to End (Flagstaff) and back
75-80 mph both ways
going up, locked out of o/d multiple times
min rpm- 2500 (cruise)
max rpm- 4100 (long climb)
going down, locked out of o/d once
min rpm- 2200 (descent)
max rpm- 4000 (brief climb)

going up- 22 mpg
going down- 32 mpg

400lb of passengers
150lb of cargo (trunk)
Altima 2.5S

engine has 7500 miles on it

check out coming back
hows your mileage?

kentmoon · April 2003

I went to both dealers over the weekend...Chevy salesperson said that both are exactly same, but Yukon is about $1200 more expensive. GMC salerperson said that Yukon is better with only about $300 in prices difference. What shall I buy?

Also, I am considering leasing for about 3 years, but salesperson said that Suburban has only about 35% residual after three years which makes lease very expensive compare to other imports (BMW & Merc) I had. Is this true? I really don't want to buy it because I like to have a new car every 3-4 years. Anyone gotten a good lease deal??

Thank you.

dfwk2500 · April 2003

Have never leased so can't speak much to that issue. In '94 we went with the Chevy because I did not want the painted nose that came with GMC. In '01 I went with GMC because GMC dealer gave me a better deal than the Chevy dealer (I also liked the look of the GMC better, but would have gone with Chevy if their price had been better). In my opinion go with the better deal unless the appearance of one over the other matters to you (ie. side moldings, front clip, etc.)

As far as residual. Both in '94 and '01 we custom ordered a 3/4 ton 4x4 with most of the options. We paid $29k in 5/94 and sold it in 12/00 for $12,500 cash. It had been through a significant accident in '99 (it had been repaired) and had 92k miles. If someone is telling you there is only 35% value left in 3 years, it differs from my experience.

lobsenza · April 2003

The difference in price should be around $300 for comparably equipped vehicles. So, one of 2 things is happening: one of the dealers is not giving you nearly as good a deal or (more likely) one vehicle has more equipment than the other. One way to analyze it is to look at the difference in MSRP of the 2 vehicles. If it isn't around $300-$400, than there is an equipment difference between the 2.

woodpecka · April 2003

Just picked up 3/4 ton with second row buckets.While going over,I noticed the third row seat does not have leather seating surfaces like the first and second rows.What gives, is this GM trying to save a buck, or is this a mistake?

kentmoon · April 2003

I've noticed that, too, on Suburban. They mention on catalog that leather seating is just for 1st and 2nd row seats, so it is not a mistake.

How much did you pay for your vehicle? Any recent purchases anyone?

It seems like about $1,000 below invoice plus $3000 incentive is a good price.

resque84 · April 2003

My 2000 Yukon XL lease is up in July(last payment in June)and my new 2003 Suburban which I special ordered is in by the dealer already.Should I take it by April 30 and get 0% financing and have one month of both trucks ? or will the 0% stick aroung another month ?

resque84 · April 2003

I can't end the lease early , it is not through GMAC, it is a bank, so I am stuck in it till Mid July.

woodpecka · April 2003

If you can get that price without paying advertising,go for it. Heck thats a good price even whith advertising.

namser · April 2003

I'm planning to buy a 2003 Suburban and was trying to decide whether to get leather or cloth seating. I've heard many great things about he leather. I've seen some older cars with leather and it is cracked. Also, does the leather get hot in the summer/cold in the winter?

I'm thinking about getting the bench seat in the front and leather is not available in that version.

Can anyone tell me their experiences with and without leather seating?

Thanks Alot!

lobsenza · April 2003

We love Leather. It doesn't get too hot or cold and it cleans easily. Heated seats are great.

kent25 · April 2003

kentmoon, you stated good price is $1000 under invoice. Can you elaborate on that level? How are the dealers compensated currently? We are seriously looking and am not sure what our opening offer should be. Anybody else bidding on XLs around Philadelphia area?

bulldogman1 · April 2003

We recently purchased a used 2002 Yukon XL. While shopping, I noticed that there were many Yukons, with a minimum of 14k miles, that were showing some inner tire wear on the Firestone factory installed front tires. There were a few vehicles that we found with 30K plus miles, where all four tires showed this wear pattern, in varrying degrees of severity. I assumed that the tires had been rotated. Test driving most of these vehicles showed a front end shimmy present. When we finally arrived at our decison on the Yukon to purchase, we had the dealer install Michellin tires. I have freinds that have 60-70K miles on Yukons, Yukon XL's, and Suburbans w/Michelins.The ride is great, no shimmy and I expect much better tire wear. Based on my observations, you are lucky to get 50K on the original Firestone tires.

GO WITH MICHELINS!!!

03tahoe · April 2003

Two local Chevy dealers has advised my neighbor that "At Invoice" and no Advertising cost is the best he can get for a 2003 Sub.
Something else that rings rotten is that he claims they added the delivery charge to the base cost and option cost before calculating the local Sales Tax. I may be wrong but I don`t think they should charge sales tax on the delivery charge.
Strong agreement with the above comment. Michelins are a great tire.
Used them on all four of my previous Subs.

xloaded1 · April 2003

To anyone who may know: I have a 2000 Yukon XL and would like to know how to disengage or disconnect the automatic headlight sensor so that I will have to manually turn the headlights on and off with the switch. (I have added some aftermarket lighting that doesn't always function properly with the "twilight sentinel" feature.)
Thanks in advance.

cnnj · April 2003

We are looking at purchasing either a Suburban or Yukon XL. Couple of questions: Is the autoride option something we should try and get and is installed DVD system worth the price? Should I start the purchase price discussions at the invoice amount or can I expect to go slighltly below or above invoice? Should I lean towards a Suburban or Yukon XL.

Would like to wait a couple of months before purchasing but I'm not sure if they will keep the 0% going. Any advice would be welcome.

kent25 · May 2003

Can't speak to the DVD issue - personal preference. With respect to pricing, we just bought a loaded Yukon XL at $300 under invoice before rebate. (That's a regional thing, by the way. We are in Philadelphhia area.) As for Yukon vs. Suburban, we simply liked the grill and trim features of the Yukon better. Again, personal preference. By the way, at this very early stage we are really pleased with the truck. It has excellent road manners, great radio, very comfortable seats. My only concern is that once we get used to having that much room, we'll never be able to downsize. Only real complaint is that the carpeting is incredibly cheap for a vehicle of this price range.

tonkadave · May 2003

Kent, I live in the area as well. Can you tell me where you bought the vehicle? Thanks.

fievel · May 2003

An earlier post asked about which options to consider when purchasing. From my experience after doing several test rides, I purchased my Yukon with Autoride and StabiliTrak. After all, these are trucks, and any options that increase the ride quality or safety seem valueable to me. Many other brands now have a stability system either standard or as an option, and the autoride seems to make sense to me as I also pull a trailer. Even during the test rides not towing anything over different type of roads, the Autoride seemed marginally better. I know Consumer Reports said that it was not worth the money, but since I plan on keeping this truck about 10 years, the extra did not seem like a big deal. Also, I would have gotten the rear bucket seats, but my wife thought that the standard bench was more useful.

suburbank2500 · May 2003

I'm about to purchase a 1996 K2500 with 454/4.10.
A dealer told my seller that the front brakes perform about 95% of the stopping power, ergo, front brake pads go through quite a bit. Has anyone else experienced this, AND are there aftermarket(s) or TSB that can address this?
thanks

ric1035 · May 2003

Build locations? Vins that start with "3" was built in Mexico and "1" in the US. Is either better than the other? Quality,engine,trim? I have a choice between the 2 and would greatly appreciate any advice.

lovemynewf · May 2003

Looking at a Yukon XL. Dealer has one on the lot with everything we wanted except autoride. Would have to order or find one from another dealer to get that option. Haven't seen 1 vehicle on a lot with autoride. Is it worth the 1K extra for it? Will eventually be used for towing a pop up camper in the summertime.

lobsenza · May 2003

I have it and like it. The auto leveling system is better than the auto leveling on the non auto ride vehicles. The best way to decide is to drive one with autoride and one without. If you are having trouble finding one with autoride, try a Yukon Denali or Cadillac Escalade. Autoride is standard on these vehicles. It is on both the standard length and extended length trucks.

One downside is that repair costs would be higher.

joebas · May 2003

About 4 weeks ago, I tested the 1500 4wd LT, both with autoride and without, and I was able to feel a difference. The autoride was smoother. I also tested the Z71 and that was a stiffer ride as it has the off-road package/suspension. I ended ordering the LT with the autoride and they called me last week to let me know my truck should be in on Monday 5/12.

lovemynewf · May 2003

Okay, so I should try for the autoride, how's about the stabilitrak? Any pros? Any cons? The dealer I am talking to has located an XL in another nearby state that has both the autoride and stabilitrak, also has sunroof, captains chairs, etc. I have a copy of the pricing info. MSRP before destination charge is $48977.00, Invoice is $42721.80, they were quoting me $43776.19 as the supplier price. Destination is $815.00, there is also two entries for $489.77 each listed as LAM Dealer Contribution and LAM Group Contribution, not sure what they are. No way I can afford more than 42K and that is dependant on trade in. Vehicle has been on the lot there since 02/17/03 so that is already eating into the play with holdback, however, that dealer has 30 yukon XL and denali XL's on their lot.

Think I stand a chance with the low balling the vehicle? Will my dealer play with price since it would have to be brought over from a different dealership? Am I better off to shoot for a vehicle ordered to my specs? ARGH!!! I want one soooo bad, but unless I can get some major dealing, I am looking at driving my minivan for some time.

Thanks!

woody555 · May 2003

I just picked up a used electronic brake controller for my 99 Chevy suburban. The truck has the towing package and the wiring harness under the back bumper,but it has never been used. Can anyone tell me how to wire up the brake controller?

burbinlondon · May 2003

I just ordered a '03 burb with the factory-installed Panasonic DVD player. It only comes with 2 wireless headphones. Anyone know of places to order extra headphones. Want to avoid getting gouged by the dealer. Thanks.

lobsenza · May 2003

Call Panasonic or one of the dealers that sell over the internet.

lovemynewf · May 2003

Okay, so we found a buyer for our Chrysler T & C mini van. Settled on the options we wanted sunroof, captains chairs, autoride, stabilitrak, will have aftermarket DVD installed later. I thought the only hold up was choosing a color we have ones available in Pewter (easier to keep clean), white or garnet red. (Any help here?) Now hubby is getting cold feet about 100 extra it will cost a month for the loan and thinking we should keep the van. I am not concerned about gas so much since our van only averages out at 16 - 17 with a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving, nowhere close to the mileage we got in our old van. I am hoping in the long haul, this will be a more reliable vehicle than the van. Am I so far out on this? I could forego the extended warranty, but it will only cost more later. He likes the automatic doors on the van, I think he will miss them tremendously. Not that he drives it a lot, it is my vehicle and I need more room for the kids and currently have no room for cargo with all of them in the van. So quiet around here now. Please, any help?

joebas · May 2003

Agree, it's been very quite lately..... My 1500 LT 4wd did not come in today, but should be in any day now. I order mine in White, with autoride, dvd, flares/skid plate, hitch option, front and center bukets seats, and rear locking differential, instead of the Stablitrack. But as I have continue to research, I wish I had gone with the Stabilitrack over the Differential option. Living in NY, I figure I could use the locking feature for the snow, But would change it if I could. In any case, I'm very excited to get the call this week. My wife is more so then I am. She's been asking all day, have they called yet. I also wish I had gone with the sunroof as well, as my dealer let me take home a z71 suburban for a test ride for 3 days. Suppose to be for 24 hours, but my salesman was going to be out the next day, so he told me to bring it back the following day. In any case, my kids loved the sunroof and told me, they rather have that then the dvd player. Again too late for that....well, I'll stop rambling on and hope this helps you out a bit.

lovemynewf · May 2003

Hubby said yes so I put a deposit in today! It's on it's way here tomorrow being transferred in from another dealer. Getting a 2003 XL 1500 4WD SLT - 1SD pkg with sunroof, stabilitrak, autoride, captain's chairs, tow pkg.

Numbers are:
MSRP 49344.00
GMS 43,167.00
Final Cost 40,167.00 thanks to the 3K rebate.

It's Pewter/Pewter, which is all too common but at lest the color is being dropped next year so no more on the road after 2003. Couldn't quite get myself to opt for the dark red, besides this one I won't have to clean as often to look good. It had been my first choice, but then I stumbled across the red, went back to the conservative color though!

Also, thanks to stumbling across this forum, I checked out extended warranties all over the place and got a 5 yr/75K mile GMPP for 999.00, dealer originally quoted me 1590.00 on it, then a gms price of 1200.00 when I pushed it finally came down to 999.00 when I got a better offer elsewhere. Off to order my window deflectors, hood protector and cargo liner. Yipee!!! Having a DVD video player installed aftermarket, still trying to decide on an 8" all in one Audiovox or some other unit.

Can you tell I am excited!!!!

joebas · May 2003

No word on mine yet, hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. Your msrp, gms, 3k rebate and total are just about identical to mine. I do have another 1k off, 500 for having GM points and 500 for taking one home for a test drive. As I write this message, my salesmen just called and said, it just rolled of the trasnsport truck a few minute ago. I asked, I thought you were off today and he said he is, but had asked that he be called if this truck would come in today. He will call us in the morning to let us know when we can come over and pick it up.....yipieeeee, hoooray......:)....my first truck...after 10 years worth of minivans......

lovemynewf · May 2003

Wish I had read up on the 500 test drive rebate! Oh well! Hope you enjoy your new vehicle. Please come back and post your thoughts on it. I'll be checking for some news! I won't have mine till Friday if all works out well.

I am coming from owning 2 Town & Country Ltd minivans in the past 5 years. My husband is NOT into this at all, he loves all the bells and whistles on the van, sliding doors, etc. But, I am the one who drives it everywhere, has to unpack and repack the van just to do something simple like take a trip to the grocery store (van won't hold my kids, strollers, etc. and groceries at the same time).

Now, to figure out if it will fit in my side of the garage which is packed with kids toys, bikes, etc. Hubby doesn't know yet that we need to do some rearranging in there. Guess I'd better get cracking at it!

Enjoy!!

joebas · May 2003

That's excatly what I ended up doing last night after the call that the truck was in. I cleaned the Oldsmobile minivan that I'm trading in and cleared out the bikes and kids toys out of the way. And I sure will post some thoughts on it.

namser · May 2003

I haven't heard anything about the $500 test drive rebate. Is this something official within GM?

Also, how do you know that the Pewter color is being discontinued? Do you know what new colors are coming for 2004? Are there any changes for the 2004 vehicles?

How did you select the GMPP 5yr/75K plan?

Thanks alot in advance!

lovemynewf · May 2003

Not sure about the 500.00, wish I had known about that as well. As far as the colors, I ran across a web site in my readings of this forum that provided a listing of changes for 2004. Garnet Red, Pewter and Blue Indigo were being cancelled and replaced with a new silver, red and blue. Can't recall the website nor can I recall the names of the new colors. Another change for 2004 was the available option for both DVD and sunroof, guess GMC decided if the aftermarket people can do it, they wanted to be in on the money as well.

Not sure I follow you with the question on the extended warranty plan. I chose it based on my average annual mileage. Would have loved the 7/100, but it was 4x's the cost of the 5/75.

joebas · May 2003

I do not know the details on the 500 rebate for the test drive....My salesman called me a couple of weeks after I had place my order on my truck and said, how would you like another 500 dollars off?? He said, all you have to do is take a 24 hour test drive and fill out the survey afterwards, but of course you would have to buy the truck to get the 500 rebate. I said sure and ended up with this z71 for 3 days. I'll ask my guy tonight when I pick up my truck for more details and let you know.

UPDATE: Actually, he did say, you must have a none GM automobile to leave with them to qualify.

lovemynewf · May 2003

My Yukon will come with Firestone tires I believe which I am not too comfortable with considering their history. Has anyone switched tires? I was looking at Yokohomas (not sure if they come in the right size) or Michelins. Live in the NE, deal with snow, ice, rain, mountains. Want a tire with it all. Quiet, decent ride, good tread life and traction. Anotehr thought would be to drive the Firestones through the summer and then switch them out to a better tire for the winter. Ideas? Suggestions?

joebas · May 2003

I picked up my White Suburban 1500 LT with autoride tonight, all I can say is that it's just totally AWESOME. What a beautiful truck. The ride is just amazing. My wife and I both agreed that the ride is better then our minivan we just traded in(2000 Oldsmobile).
By the way, the details on the $500 24hr test drive rebates is for participating GM dealers and you must leave a none gm automobile with them and be very serios about buy an automobile from them. And my truck came with Firestone tires as well. I guess I'll start researching that at some point as well, but for now I'm going back to reading the my manual.....Take care.....

lovemynewf · May 2003

So, I suppose you are off driving around and enjoying your new truck! Enjoy! Went to see ours at the dealership today, drove it before I go up tomorrow (hopefully) to sign the papers. The autoride truly makes a difference in the feel of the truck. Got stabilitrak on it after the harsh winter we just had in the NE (I am in CT), figured it wouldn't hurt. It changes around the 2WD, 4WD buttons a bit from the other 4WD I had driven. Am swapping the Firestones with Michelin Cross Terrains. I actually think the Yukon XL feels better, has a better ride than our van that we are geting rid of.

joebas · May 2003

Yes, drove around in it all morning and stop at a place for lunch and now my wife has it out grocery shopping with the kids. She loves it, but is so affraid of driving it. But she had the same feeling when we first went to a minivan, so she'll come around. She makes me drive it into the garage, as she wont do it just yet. Take care, and lets us know when you have yours home....

namser · May 2003

My dealer told me that they will begin building the 2004 in July. Orders taken in June. Does anyone know any of the changes that will be included? I've heard about some color changes and also the DVD system that can be ordered with the sunroof. Any other rumors?

refereeguy · May 2003

I am picking up my new Z71 tomorrow. I have taken the 24hr test drive for an additional $500. Easy money. Awesome vehicle.

I am thinking about some type of extended warranty. I need a 7/100,000. I was quoted $3,500 premium with $200 ded for the GMPP plan. Way too much $$ for me to justify it. Basically that would be $875 per year plus deductible for the added 4 years of warranty after the factory expired. My question is whether there is a better deal out there through GM or another reputable company.

Any suggestions?

twatts · May 2003

Arghh! One of the latches on my factory-stock luggage rack crossbar isn't latching securely.

The latch shuts, but fails to engage in the notch to hold the crossbar in place.

It's the first time I've tried to adjust the crossbars ... getting ready for a trip, and purchased a Thule cargo box (ordered one, actually, it isn't in).

I was attempting to adjust the crossbars in anticipation of the cargo box's arrival.

Is there some way to tighten or adjust the latching mechanism?

Help! 3 of the 4 latches hold securely. The 4th just flops in place!

lovemynewf · May 2003

Deletions
  Exterior color (11U) Pewter Metallic
  Exterior color (39U) Indigo Blue Metallic
  Exterior color (72U) Garnet Red Metallic
  Front passenger door lock cylinder
  16" Polished aluminum wheel (QC3)

New Features
  Front passenger seat belt reminder
  Tire inflation monitor (UJ6) on 1/2 ton models
  Exterior color (25U) Deep Blue Metallic
  Exterior color (59U) Silver Birch Metallic
  Exterior color (63U) Sport Red Metallic
  17" 5-spoke premium aluminum wheels (P27), includes 16" steel spare
  17" On-/off-road, blackwall tires (QJP) P265/70R17
  17" All-season, blackwall tires (QAN) P265/70R17
  17" All-season, white outlined-letter tires (QAS) P265/70R17
  Hydroboost brakes on 1/2 ton models

Changes
  XM satellite radio antenna is smaller for a better appearance
  Vortec 8100 V8 (L18) engine horsepower and torque decrease. Was 340 hp @ 4200 and 455 lb.-ft. @ 3200. Now is 320 hp @ 4200 and 440 lb.-ft. @ 3200
  (CF5) Sunroof and (U42) Rear seat entertainment system can now be combined

GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

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