First year ownership and 5K miles 2011 Yukon Denali

[j91z28d1]

I’m about to roll over 240k in my 2011 Tahoe and my AFM is still active. One of the lucky ones I guess.

this is so interested to me.

I'd love to know what the difference is. I mean can it just be luck? any details on oil/filter you use and how often?

 

[vcode]

this is so interested to me.

I'd love to know what the difference is. I mean can it just be luck? any details on oil/filter you use and how often?

I guess the question that needs to be asked is what is the real % of engines with DOD issues? There are millions of engines out there and I would guess 90% of them have no issues. Now 10% is still a big number, but is that what the real % is? Even if every person on this forum had a DOD issue, it would be just a small % of the number of engines out there.

 

[j91z28d1]

that is true, most normal. people don't start researching till the shop gives them a $6k estimate, and the amount of vehicles that end up in the junk yard long before 130-150k is very high and even less that still have the first owner. so they could be repaired while passed around auctions and stuff



but my take and I base this off nothing but my gut feeling is say of the 100% that make it to say 250k miles, which may be a lot or may be normal depending on your experiences with cars and life style in general. I would be surprised if more than 1%. make it there without lifter issues of some kind if you follow manufacturer recommendes service.

but I have been called a salty old man for being negative lol

 

[vcode]

that is true, most normal. people don't start researching till the shop gives them a $6k estimate, and the amount of vehicles that end up in the junk yard long before 130-150k is very high and even less that still have the first owner. so they could be repaired while passed around auctions and stuff



but my take and I base this off nothing but my gut feeling is say of the 100% that make it to say 250k miles, which may be a lot or may be normal depending on your experiences with cars and life style in general. I would be surprised if more than 1%. make it there without lifter issues of some kind if you follow manufacturer recommendes service.

but I have been called a salty old man for being negative lol

So 99% of trucks that get to 250K miles have lifter issues? No way......

 

[j91z28d1]

So 99% of trucks that get to 250K miles have lifter issues? No way......

sounds about right to me... one thing I've learned since getting mine and being on this board. the stuff that commonly breaks at a certain time or mileage, breaks like clock work. pop it's done. my first thought was nah, I bet it's just the unlucky but nope. mine has hit every milestone just about on time.

the amount of people that have new engines thrown in the trucks by the local shops is crazy. if you ever get bored, check youtube videos about afm, and scroll thru literally 1000s and 1000s of comments. i just don't see any evidence of afm going 250k plus with any consistency. if I thought mine had a any chance I would never have shut it down.

 

[vcode]

sounds about right to me... one thing I've learned since getting mine and being on this board. the stuff that commonly breaks at a certain time or mileage, breaks like clock work. pop it's done. my first thought was nah, I bet it's just the unlucky but nope. mine has hit every milestone just about on time.

the amount of people that have new engines thrown in the trucks by the local shops is crazy. if you ever get bored, check youtube videos about afm, and scroll thru literally 1000s and 1000s of comments. i just don't see any evidence of afm going 250k plus with any consistency. if I thought mine had a any chance I would never have shut it dow

You don't see evidence because only those with issues report them. 1000's and 1000's of comments is a blip on the radar when there are millions and millions of engines out there. Besides, 250K on an engine is pretty good life no matter what!

 

[petethepug]

I just noticed the BTR trunnion bearing upgrade. That’s pretty slick. My L9H is worthy of that at 190k now.

You’re literally following in the footsteps of my past 08 Denali maint records and have successfully met, headed off or overcome every known hurdle.

When your in the path of LS predictability like that it’s kinda cool to think ahead 5-8 years from now about adding a s/c or dropping it off at the limo shop to add the 3rd set of doors because it’s a cheaper and better alternative for a replacement vehicle they don’t even make yet.

 

[Geotrash]

I just noticed the BTR trunnion bearing upgrade. That’s pretty slick. My L9H is worthy of that at 190k now.

I installed these in my 2012 when I did the cam swap based on old information about factory rockers spitting out their bearings. But apparently that was only happening on very early LS engines (~'99-'00 IIRC) and GM has long since corrected the flaw. These days they're more of a gimmick, IMHO.

 

[Geotrash]

You don't see evidence because only those with issues report them. 1000's and 1000's of comments is a blip on the radar when there are millions and millions of engines out there. Besides, 250K on an engine is pretty good life no matter what!

This is all true. Perhaps the best way to frame it is as a risk factor for reliability and longevity, nothing more. How much of a risk, probably only GM can say. And it's one that can be mitigated completely for a reasonable cost (for a DIY'er). But we also have at least 6 model years of the previous generation of non-dod engines to compare our perceptions against. The sheer number of those still on the road with 400K+ miles, is testament to their durability.

For me it was never about the cost of fixing it if it breaks, but rather the price of potentially having to deal with a breakdown miles away from home. We use our 2012 (cam swapped and dod-deleted) almost exclusively for long trips pulling a camper, so for me it was worth the investment of time and money to mitigate the risk, plus I got a power boost from the cam as well.

 

[tkdgirl]

My 2011 Denali XL, other than an engine rebuild due to sticky lifters (yes, it's deleted and tuned!), has been wonderful. It's basically brand new. Picked it up with 113k in 2021 and now at 160k. The body is flawless (Cali car) and just saw its 1st winter with a complete Krown coating and removed the boards for the winter to prevent trapped snow. We've hardly had any snow here this year so added bonus. The dash, OTOH, cracked in multiple places and needs to be replaced.

Replacing a cheap knock off hood chrome piece this weekend with OEM part. Need to replace both mirrors soon. Anyone have the right part number for full featured DL3 mirrors? Can't seem to find one with all the bells and whistles. Also wondering if the Denali had chrome caps?