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Chevy Suburban

944 messages,  Last post on Nov 20, 2009 at 6:44 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Suburban, SUV


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#899 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [tsf7] by aggie10
Jan 13, 2009 (11:25 am)
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Replying to: tsf7 (Jan 13, 2009 8:34 am)

Thanks, ahightower (and others). I guess I'm probably being paranoid. I love Suburbans. I guess I've just heard horror stories about repairs. Actually, I'm ready for some new tires, but other than that....I don't have any reason to think I'm about to have any issues. In June, we're driving to Florida (from Texas), so it makes me a little nervous long drive. Based on yours and your family's success with Suburbans, I guess I should just chill out and enjoy it. Thanks a lot for alleviating my concerns/fears. You can probably tell that I'm definitely not mechanically inclined. Ha!
#900 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [aggie10] by arrie
Jan 13, 2009 (7:40 pm)
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Replying to: aggie10 (Jan 12, 2009 1:40 pm)

I have a '04 Tahoe with 102 000 miles on it and I intend to keep it another 3 years. That is when it will be 7 years old and I have to buy something newer because of the policy company I work for has.
 
In the same company another guy has a Sub with over 250 000 miles and all he had to fix on it was intake "carburetor" assembly and the drive shaft went out just last week...$139 fix at dealer.
 
Buying a new vehicle involves using a lot of money. Your sub has almost zero trade in value or trying to sell it is very difficult other than when some people hear about it having only 60 000 miles they will get it. It just is hard to get a good pay for it.
 
Another way to think about all this is to replace the engine and transmission on it both for 36 000 miles warranty and it can be done for $7000 - 8000 with factory parts. You will spend way more for any new car with trade in.
 
If your truck is in good condition inside and out don't worry. If it breaks you can get it back to almost as new condition for much less than buying anything new.
 
But there always is that "new car bug bite"...
 
Arrie
#901 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [arrie] by aggie10
Jan 13, 2009 (9:31 pm)
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Replying to: arrie (Jan 13, 2009 7:40 pm)

Thanks so much, arrie. That really puts everything in perspective! I'm convinced-I'm totally going to keep what I have. Thanks again to everyone.
#902 of 944
Re: Thinking of a Suburban. [ahightower] by murphy4
Jan 14, 2009 (8:50 am)
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Replying to: ahightower (Jan 12, 2009 6:01 pm)

Thanks for all the input. We are seriously heading toward buying either. As I do more research I see the differences between Suburban and Yukon XL is mostly packaging and options. I personally like the way the Suburban looks.
 
Now it just about getting the best deal. Leaning towards 2009 because of the 6 speed and few other items, although the 2008 are hard to pass up because of the deals.
 
Anyone have feedback on what a 2009 LT2 should be costing?
#903 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [aggie10] by tsf7
Jan 14, 2009 (9:27 am)
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Replying to: aggie10 (Jan 13, 2009 9:31 pm)

Good luck. I think odds of several more years of trouble-free use are highly in your favor. In my opinion, virtually every car on the road will run to 150k miles without major problems. I and my family drive a lot (as you can see from the high mileage vehicles I identified above), so nearly every vehicle I've ever had has quickly gotten into the "high mileage" category. My first car, an 83 Ford Escort, ran until about 200k (died as a hand-me-down when my brother didn't put the oil plug back in properly after a change). Three subsequent jeeps all above 150k. My daily current daily driver, an '02 VW Passat, currently has 123k. I name the vehicles b/c some of those are rated lower on the reliability scale by a lot of car people. But I've maintained them religiously, and never had a drivetrain-related problem with any of them. Same goes for pretty much all the vehicles my family has owned. Incidentially, the only car I've had any drivetrain problems with was an '01 Acura TL, made by Honda. It went through 2 transmissions in 50k miles, due to an engineering defect that Honda has admitted to. Of course, freak problems sometimes arise, but I think generally speaking, a Sub w/ 60k miles is just getting started!
#904 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [tsf7] by aggie10
Jan 14, 2009 (9:35 am)
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Replying to: tsf7 (Jan 14, 2009 9:27 am)

Thank you so much! Honestly, I don't know a ton about vehicle maintenance. I can follow directions, and I know when to get my oil changed, etc... However, is there anything special that you do to get this type of longevity out of your vehicles? When you say "maintenance," is there something specific you do besides regular oil changes, etc...? This is incredible. Unfortunately, as you can tell from my posts, I get a little nervous when the mileage gets up there. We have traditionally traded our cars in (which makes me feel like a fool now). Thanks for any advice. I really, really appreciate it. I'm excited because we love our Suburban. I was just afraid of having to spend a ton of cash in the near future. Again, I don't have any reason to anticipate any problems...just the mileage. Thanks so much!
#905 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [aggie10] by arrie
Jan 15, 2009 (8:08 am)
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Replying to: aggie10 (Jan 14, 2009 9:35 am)

aggie10,
 
For my '04 Tahoe I do nothing special other than I closely watch engine coolant level. I change my oil between every 3000-4000 miles, closer to 3000 miles even though my oil life indicator says I have 70% oil life left at change. My driving is almost all highway so I really should not need to change oil at 3000 miles but I do it anyway.
 
About the engine coolant level. I don't want to make you nervous about this but if you read on this Edmunds or other forums you will learn that GM had some issues with some cylinder head castings. The problem sounds to be porous castings that cause engine coolant to leak inside the engine, which can be very bad for the engine and lead to engine failure.
 
I have posted about this but I write it here so you do not need to go find for it. What happened to me is that on July 4th last year my engine temperature suddenly went close to the maximum reading on the meter and I got the "Engine Coolant High Temperature" warning message. My engine coolant had leaked but I never saw it because it was not leaking outside the engine. I also had some level in the coolant expansion reservoir under the hood but it was not at half way as it should be and it was a false indication too. I added almost 2 gallons of coolant to bring the level back so I was very dry. For some reason (probably vapor pressure) the expansion reservoir never went completely empty.
 
After reading about this under the "Engine Cooling" topic I went and bought a $3.50 bottle of Bar's radiator sealant and poured it in the coolant expansion reservoir. I have not lost any coolant since so I am quite sure I had one of those porosity leak issues and the radiator sealant fixed it.
 
Because of the issue with this I weekly look at the coolant level under the hood. If it drops any I will use another sealant bottle but as I said so far I have not lost any.
 
As your Sub is also an '04 this would be the only "special" point of attention for you, i.e. keep an eye on the engine coolant level so you can act before it gets too low. Mine was so low that I am just amazed that I did not have my engine burn.
 
It also is that not all Tahoe / Suburban engines have these cylinder heads with possible problem. It pertains only to heads from a specific manufacturer at a specific time.
 
Other than this change oil and just drive.
 
Arrie
#906 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [aggie10] by tsf7
Jan 15, 2009 (9:04 am)
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Replying to: aggie10 (Jan 14, 2009 9:35 am)

No special tricks to maintenance. Other people will have different ideas (ie, change oil every 3000 miles), but I just follow the recommendations/requirements in the owners manual as far as intervals for changing fluids, filters, ect. On the Chevy, I change the engine oil when the indicator tells me to. On my VW, I change every 5k miles like the manual says. Don't forget to maintain things like transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids as the manual directs, whether the dealership does it or an independent. Opinions will vary, but I use high quality synthetic engine oil (Mobile 1) and transmission fluid -- adds a little money to services, but it isn't much in the long run.
 
Beyond maintenance, I go through and check my fluids about once a month -- check transmission, engine oil, coolant level, power steering fluid, refill wiper fluid bottle. Your owners manual explains how to properly check these (especially the transmission). Takes about 2 minutes. Also, pay attention to noises, changes in operation, ect. Drive with the radio off on occasion and listen.
 
As far as coolant leak problems, I haven't had any problems. The coolant level on my '04 hasn't changed since I've owned the vehicle. The temp gauge never goes above the center point on the gauge, either, even towing the 6000 lb travel trailer in hot summer temps and steep highway grades we have out here in the West. Again, good luck.
#907 of 944
Replace 2001 Chevy Suburban Foglight Assembly by AB_aka_BeeZZie
Jan 19, 2009 (12:57 pm)
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Anyone know how to replace a foglight assembly on a 2001 Chevy Suburban 4WD 2500?
 
I found that the driver side foglight lens on my Suburban is missing; I've already purchased a new assembly, but now can't figure out how to replace without removing the whole front bumper....Haven't been able to find an answer anywhere online.......... ...... is there an easier way to do this?
#908 of 944
Re: Wanting to replace our Suburban [aggie10] by sbatncpl
Jan 28, 2009 (4:01 pm)
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Replying to: aggie10 (Jan 12, 2009 1:40 pm)

I to am at the contemplation stage of trading in my Suburban. BUT. Mine is a 1995 model with only 95,000 miles. Excellent shape, kept in the garage and everything works. The answer why do I want another one is simple, I've got a bug for another Suburban! The only years I'm interested in are 07 and 08. I like the body styles better. Trade-in for mine is $3,000 max! and an 07 will easily cost 28,900 and an 08 I can work on for about 35k. But is it worth it? I do plan to keep it for 13 years, but will the new one last as long as the one I have? Dealers are not dealing like I wish they would on 07 and 08 models, they have the price up there and they aren't moving. So. Should I trade or stay with what I have?

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