2003 Yukon XL tailgate

[PLP]

I am a newbie having just purchased a 2003 100,000 miles.There is a fair bit of under paint bubbling going on around the rear wiper ( 3" in diameter)
Any advice on what I am up against in fixing this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sub]

I thought the back hatch was made out of aluminum?

 

[NathanJax]

I thought the back hatch was made out of aluminum?

some are, some aren't. I don't know if anyone has discovered how/why, but I know for sure some come in aluminum and some aren't.

 

[Sub]

That's weird.

I would think that if it isn't aluminum, then it is an aftermarket part. Prolly from China somewhere.

Doesn't NHTSA and the Feds require GM to crash test every vehicle model they make? The structural deformation characteristics between steel and aluminum are different enough to effect those results. It wouldn't seem to be worth the engineering and validation costs to produce two different versions of the same rear lift panel.

GM didn't even want to produce two versions of rear door when the version were entirely different... barn doors versus lift panel. GM dropped the barn doors. It seems doubtful that GM would even entertain the idea of two different lift panels.

Wouldn't GM have to arrange two different types of gas lift cylinders in production, because the steel version of the door would be substantially heavier than the aluminum version of the door, even if the steel door was thinner?

For the rear lift panels that are reported to be steel... I wonder if they are aftermarket body shop fixes with the lowest cost parts that insurance would pay for.

 

[Vette66]

Here is how to check. Use a magnet if it sticks it's steel if it don't it's aluminum. Mine is for sure steel because I have a Autism Awareness magnetic decal on the back for my 5 year old.

 

[Sub]

That's very strange. My liftgate is aluminum, of course, just like the GM sales media advertised from 2000 through 2006. I wonder why yours is steel? Strange.

 

[Yukongk]

Mine must be steel as well. My paint is bubbling up around the push button for the window.

 

[Vette66]

Haha I was WRONG. My Yukon has an aluminum lift gate. My wife failed to tell me the decal on the back of the truck is a peel and stick not a magnet based decal. That's going to be a pain in the arse when its time to remove and replace.

 

[SC88]

Had the same problem on my burb. I was told its because they use steel framing with a aluminum outer shell to cut down the weight and the different metals are causing the corrosion.

It wasent expensive for the body shop to repair.