Fix and Keep My 2015 GMC Yukon SLT or Get Rid of It?

[EducatorDan]

BringTheNoise - I was going to tease you about being so worried about a 200K Yukon when you work at a BMW dealership and the great reputation that BMW has for aging well... All kidding aside...

As others have said it looks like you're on the right path. The only thing that came to mind is whether the trucks computer might store things like that "hill start assist" light coming on and if a code reader could pull information about it. Although as others have said, start by checking the condition of the brake fluid.

 

[fozzi58]

Your buddy that is a BMW mechanic and does work on the side - let him do the "all mechanics" stuff. The "all mechanic stuff" is stuff every mechanic should be able to do. Changing oil. Antifreeze flush. etc.

Even flushing the brake fluid (even you can do that with a $30 pump from Amazon) for example. That should definitely make the pedal feel better

He should also be able to check and replace basic suspension components like sway bar bushings and sway bar links if they need it. Check bearings on wheels.

The AFM\DOD delete (4 cylinder deactivation) can be done with a $50 device off amazon.

Lots of good advice in this thread to get you started.

Keep the truck. You will be happy.

 

[BringTheNoise]

I never did see or read, what engine is in this XL, a 5.3 or 6.2?

Sorry for the delay it’s a 5.3

 

[Loki223]

if it makes you feel better about debating to fix a 2015 or not, i just finished going through a 2015 that i bought for cheap because it had problems. 160k on the clock and it needed work, but was otherwise in fantastic shape. Couple thousand into it, and i'm still cheaper then buying one in perfect shape that likely needs work that they just don't know about yet. Any 10 year old 200k mile vehicle will need work. But in terms of lifespan, these GM rigs are some of the better ones out there. When we started our search for a cheap 2015+ my wife started complaining about the number of people that drive the crap out of these things. So many for over 20k with 300k or more on them. And no CELs or known issues (per the sellers) I wanted something around 150k miles to get the right mix of has issues, but still lower miles. And whilei didn't realize we'd have to go as far into the thing as we did, i'm still very happy with the end results. Take care of your rig and she'll take care of you. This isn't a german product built for the first owner to have for 50k miles. It also wasn't built in the 70s where 150k miles was starting to get up there. These things can easily run 3-400k miles without major overhauls, but as with anything, there will always be things that wear out and need replaced. ID them early and be happy with the comforts of these burbs

 

[BringTheNoise]

if it makes you feel better about debating to fix a 2015 or not, i just finished going through a 2015 that i bought for cheap because it had problems. 160k on the clock and it needed work, but was otherwise in fantastic shape. Couple thousand into it, and i'm still cheaper then buying one in perfect shape that likely needs work that they just don't know about yet. Any 10 year old 200k mile vehicle will need work. But in terms of lifespan, these GM rigs are some of the better ones out there. When we started our search for a cheap 2015+ my wife started complaining about the number of people that drive the crap out of these things. So many for over 20k with 300k or more on them. And no CELs or known issues (per the sellers) I wanted something around 150k miles to get the right mix of has issues, but still lower miles. And whilei didn't realize we'd have to go as far into the thing as we did, i'm still very happy with the end results. Take care of your rig and she'll take care of you. This isn't a german product built for the first owner to have for 50k miles. It also wasn't built in the 70s where 150k miles was starting to get up there. These things can easily run 3-400k miles without major overhauls, but as with anything, there will always be things that wear out and need replaced. ID them early and be happy with the comforts of these burbs

Thank You For Your Reply. I bought all the suspension components, Fluids (Diff, Transfer case, coolant, brake fluid), spark plugs and wires. I also bought a parking brake cable. So I had everything ready to go but my friend can’t do all the work I need until next Friday and Saturday. Last night I suddenly realized I never had tried to really check out the acceleration. I gently acceloand there was a real bogged down feeling on the power so I mashed the throttle and the check engine light started flashing and the power was diminished from the engine. I pulled over and into a gas station. I had half a tank left so I thought while I was there I’d fill it up. I started the car and no check engine flashing. Typical light shake at idle but I decided I should get it ba k to the shop. On my way back it started pouring and then then when I was pulling back into the dealership the car was sputtering and shaking. I plugged in my scab took and it said I had a misfire in cylinder 7.

I’m hoping the spark plugs and wires fix this but I’m worried I’m digging s big old money hole.

 

[BringTheNoise]

BringTheNoise - I was going to tease you about being so worried about a 200K Yukon when you work at a BMW dealership and the great reputation that BMW has for aging well... All kidding aside...

As others have said it looks like you're on the right path. The only thing that came to mind is whether the trucks computer might store things like that "hill start assist" light coming on and if a code reader could pull information about it. Although as others have said, start by checking the condition of the brake fluid.

Thank You for your reply

 

[Loki223]

Thank You For Your Reply. I bought all the suspension components, Fluids (Diff, Transfer case, coolant, brake fluid), spark plugs and wires. I also bought a parking brake cable. So I had everything ready to go but my friend can’t do all the work I need until next Friday and Saturday. Last night I suddenly realized I never had tried to really check out the acceleration. I gently acceloand there was a real bogged down feeling on the power so I mashed the throttle and the check engine light started flashing and the power was diminished from the engine. I pulled over and into a gas station. I had half a tank left so I thought while I was there I’d fill it up. I started the car and no check engine flashing. Typical light shake at idle but I decided I should get it ba k to the shop. On my way back it started pouring and then then when I was pulling back into the dealership the car was sputtering and shaking. I plugged in my scab took and it said I had a misfire in cylinder 7.

I’m hoping the spark plugs and wires fix this but I’m worried I’m digging s big old money hole.

Could possibly be the fuel pump depending on the code. Your mechanic buddy should be able to diagnose it. When we replaced our fuel pump the tapet that runs teh fuel pump had failed. Wasn't a big job, just pull the intake plenum and get down to the V and you are right there. Could've been a better design but i'm sure GM had a reason to no longer be the easiest engine to work on like they used to be.

 

[RogerK]

I bought a 2015 Yukon XL SLT with 206k miles last week because I’ve been wanting to buy a cheap suv and this came in on trade at the dealership I work for last Saturday. I thought about it for a while and asked my boss if I could buy it for anywhere near what we paid on trade in. He sold it to me for $9000. Before I bought it I just paid one of our techs whose wife had same car and he Put it on a lift and said I’d need to buy shocks and struts for sure and should change spark plugs, oil, and flush all the fluids. It has the 22” wheels with brand new Michelin tires they just bought a couple months ago. He said the brakes were pretty new in front and rear. It wasn’t filthy but definitely looked like it had been driven a lot. I spent $1000 on detailing it, refinishing the wheels, matching front window tint, and fixing the tear in the seat and wear on console. It looks like a $30,000 to $40,000 truck. We have a 2020 with 89k mikes and is $40,980 and I think mines cosmetically in better shape.

Tonight I drove it home for the third time and was parking it and I was hitting the brakes a lot as I wanted to make sure I didn’t hit the mailbox as I’m not used to driving a 226” SUV. The Hill Assist light kept popping up and I hit the brake pedal pretty firmly and it depressed halfway. I know that can’t be good. Right now I have about 10k plus tax in it. I imagine shocks and struts installed will be at least $1200 to $1500 if I do a reputable brand. I was going to get the Billstein 5100 as I was told those are good but I don’t know anything about Shocks and struts to be honest the guy that checked it out won’t do any “side” work as he has a family and doesn’t want to spend anymore time at work then necessary (Can’t Blame him) so my choices are have a guy that’s worked in my BMWs and Infiniti work on it or take it to the dealer. So I was planning on having about $12000 in this truck.

However I know that won’t be the case with the new brake pedal issue. I’m worried I’m about to go down a rabbit hole I can’t afford to reAlly go down. I have a perfectly god running car and more or less bought this to appease my son as he wanted me to get something that didn’t look so dated (other car is 2006 Infiniti M35x) so I thought this would be a good solution as it looked pretty newish.

My questions are:

1. Any Idea About Brake Pedal being halfway depressed. (It didn’t appear to be leaking anything on the ground). I popped the hood and checked brake fluid reservoir and it was full.
2. Is It Worth taking it to the GMC dealership for repairs?
3. Is this just a bad idea spending money on fixing up a 200k mile 2015 GMC Yukon XL? Is this car well past its life span and not worth dumping money into it? I’ll be at 12k+ in the car with struts, shocks, spark plugs, fluids, and I’m assuming doing the spongy brake pedal could be an expensive fix.

I am worried this thing will be unGodly expensive to keep running. Anyone with experience on 200k plus ownership of a 2015 body style with 5.3?

I’ve attached some photos. It’s a good looking car but I don’t know if this is a good idea.

Most likely a caliper is stuck.

 

[GMCChevy]

At the end of the day you get what you pay for. You saved money by buying one with higher miles but you're that much closer to having to do more work to it. But it looks like you got a good deal on it. And one with less miles can still need brake and suspension work.