danbouck Posted January 2, 2009 Report Posted January 2, 2009 (edited) I'm looking at upgrading from my 95 Suburban 4x4 to an 02 Suburban 4x4. Does anyone know of any issues or typical problems they had? I took it out for a test drive today and it drove better than the 08 Z71 sierra that I had last year. Thanks in advance Dan Edited January 2, 2009 by Dan Bouck
BUSTER Posted January 2, 2009 Report Posted January 2, 2009 (edited) 4l60e trans have problems and 5.3 motor has what they call piston slap...or goto pistonslap.com mine has done it since day one sounds like a blown motor on first start up for a half min. or so then goes usually goes away ive being using royal purple oil hasnt changes, my trans went at 107,000k thats when i did some research and found loads of tranny stories,,,power window regulator is common,front wheel bearings 1 pc hub around 350 for the part common,...try this link for more owners stories! http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/...play.php?f=1090 ive being a member here for some time. Edited January 2, 2009 by BUSTER
sonny Posted January 2, 2009 Report Posted January 2, 2009 Gm had some isues with the pcm's and connectors corroding,,just look at the pcm and if it's all white and starting to seperate,,it'll be an issue.
Whitespinnerbait Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 Ditto to what Buster said......... Piston slap / wheel bearings/ window regulators/waterpump/ rear rotors/ apart from that they ride nice
Bernie Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 Ditto to what Buster said......... Piston slap / wheel bearings/ window regulators/waterpump/ rear rotors/ apart from that they ride nice Add a couple more. Tie rod ends, clunking steering columns (they still haven't fixed this), blower motor resistors come to mind as well. Ha ......ya they do ride nice.
BUSTER Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 they really do ride nice .... on those 5hr trips the couch on wheels is a real treat to lounge in!
Clampet Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 I am no mechanic, but found that adding some Lucas oil additive got rid of the noises associated with older engines, quieted them out real nice.
Terry Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 so, it sounds like it's a typical GM vehicle just kidding it can't be as bad as my dodge LOL
danbouck Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Posted January 3, 2009 so, it sounds like it's a typical GM vehicle just kidding it can't be as bad as my dodge LOL haha those are common issues that I've had on other GM trucks. I havn't read anything really bad yet, I know there are issues with EVERY vehicle out there and the comfort and luxury part is a must for me. That's why I want to stick to the suburban.
maybe Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 For a slightly less "doom & gloom" perspective, you might want to look at TahoeForum.com We've had some issues with our '04 Yukon XL, but by and large they come down to a lying car salesman (whatta surprise!) and dealership ineptitude. Nothing to warn people off the trucks for. Shining example: the front edge of the driver's seat base stopped working. No big deal - you take it in for an afternoon, they slap in a new part, and you're back on the road. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. Round 1: they put the replacement part in BACKWARDS. You press "down" on the control, the seat moves UP. Round 2: they got the seat moving in the right direction - but unplugged the airbag mounted in the side of the seat back. Truck dash uses plain english to tell you what happened - this isn't a subtle problem. Round 3: they plugged the airbag back in, and then hosed something else that caused heated seats to shut down after a few seconds. Round 4: seat heaters fixed, but now there's a big odd trim piece floating around the 2nd row floor. Round 5: no more spare parts rolling around, and nothing else broke while they were reinstalling the trim. Glory halleflippinlujah. Much as I still love my stiff little Saturn, I gotta say the big beast's finally won me over. I just wish he'd fit inside a parallel parking spot!
danbouck Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Posted January 3, 2009 Also now looking at an 03 Yukon XL Denali. Anyone know the pros and cons with 4x4 vs AWD? I rarely go off road but would like to have the option.
Muskieman Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 EH!! Suburban....same truck as the silverado/sierra..same problems. This is what i see from behind the parts counter.. #1 Brakes front and rear..they're too small for the weight of the truck especially a fully loaded suburban. #2 Wheel Bearings...I sell at least 1 a day. Keep this in mind "THERE ARE NO MORE LIFETIME UNITS" A/C Delco , SKF , Fenco, good dresser, Timken, no longer offer a "LIFETIME" warranty 1 year at best. #3 FUEL PUMPS...sending unit assembly...I sell 4-6 a week.. the population here is 13.000 #4 Ball joints and front end... all these parts are available at "Lifetime". #5 A/C Controls and Compressors... Blower Motors and Resistors. #6 Transmissions. As for the All Wheel Drive option vs 2WD, 4H and 4L.... AWD is the way to go... I have this option on my Ford Expedition.. and I love it Just be sure to run all the gears in and out forward and reverse at least 2 X a month to prevent a costly repair.. those trucks are also known for their transfer case motors. Did you consider an Expedition or is to short? or are ya just a Chevy guy? I've had my EX for 4 years now and have put 120.00 k's on it .... she's cost me less than 2000.00 of repairs... front end and wheel bearings here too...but SHE"S A PIG ON GAS 9.5 city 15 hwy. Good Luck on the purchase! Randy
Muskieman Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 good dresser ??? what the heck??? I had Written down...........F.........A........G it's a company that makes bearings
Bernie Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 Geez Randy, forgot to add the fuel pump. But that's OK, it's just a "normal" repair too.
Muskieman Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 Geez Randy, forgot to add the fuel pump. But that's OK, it's just a "normal" repair too. Eh! Bernie... that's #3 on my list...
Bernie Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) Just to clarify things here I am certainly not anti GM. Actually the other way around. Brought up on GM stuff and nothing was as good as them in my young eyes. I would love to see a strong General again! Maybe I am critical because maybe by chance by stating my concerns they may "pull up their socks". One of the most reliable, best running and simplest trucks they ever produced were built in the early 90's, in my opinion. And don't come back and tell me carburetors were best either. They were not! Hard starting in winter, black smoke out the tailpipes, screwdrivers down the throat to start, valve jobs, no-power engines, worn engines etc......are almost forgotten because of fuel injection. If you did a wheel bearing back a few years ago it was usually your own fault for poor maintainence, now you have no choice, bad design. Fuel pump issues can partly be to blame in some cases due to not changing your fuel filter but they are still a weak component. I shouldn't complain, it's my business to repair this stuff and it keeps me busy. It just hurts sometimes to hand over a repair bill, especially when I see a young family spend big bucks on a car and end up with a big repair bill just after warranty expires. Edited January 3, 2009 by Bernie
Tybo Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 Don't forget to add, Lack of maintenance or no maintenance. Also the ill operational use.
Big Cliff Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 I just finished an 8 week course with 18 other mechanics, some were pro Ford, some GMC, some Chev. They all had their stories, issues, complaints. I felt so out of place because all I owned was a Nissan and couldn't participate in their gripe sessions. Truth be told most of my life I was a Ford or Chev guy until one day Chev told me that at 80,000 km I should expect some little things to go wrong. That was right after I explained to them that in 80 K it had been in 9 times for major repairs. 2 transmissions, new 2 AC compressors, 3 times for head gaskets, 2 times replace the motor. When I explained that in 80 k they hadn't been able to get the darn thing to run right she hung up on me. (Ok, maybe I was yelling a bit at that point). In the 8 years I have been driving a Nissan I have only ever had one frustrating problem and they bent over backwards to make it right and me happy. They gave me a far superior vehicle to drive while mine was tied up, gave me all my lease payments back on top of that, and didn't charge me a cent for maintainance of the loaner or count the milage toward my lease. My wife drives a Mazda 626, it is 11 years old and it hasn't even had a tune up yet. So far all it has cost us in "non maintainance repairs" is $414.00 for an intake manifold gasket. Start it and stand beside it, you can't even hear it running, windows all work and don't rattle, car is still solid what 11 year old big 3 can stand up to that? When the Big 3 start treating customers like people, when they realize that Quality really is #1 then I will be looking at their products but after reading some of the reports on here I think I'll be sticking with the "so called" imports for a long time to come!
DRIFTER_016 Posted January 3, 2009 Report Posted January 3, 2009 I owned a Chevy once and that was enough to turn me off them for good. I have owned several Fords and they were a little better but not a whole lot. And I have had 2 Dodges and they were the worst of the bunch. My last 4 vehicles have been Japanese/American and between the four I have put on over 3/4 million km and had less than $2000 in repairs between the lot. An added bonus is they don't start to fall appart as soon as you drive them off the lot. In a full size SUV I would take a Nissan Armada or Toyota Sequoia, I would even take a VW Toureg over any North American made vehicle.
corvette1 Posted January 5, 2009 Report Posted January 5, 2009 just hit 300,000 miles on my 97 tahoe what more could you ask for
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