New 2016 Yukon XL Denali

[bmwman3241]

Hi Everyone,

Purchased a 2016 Yukon XL Denali loaded about 2 weeks ago. My dealer traded for it so it was driven almost 300 miles the day I purchased it. I love the truck and the fact that it is up to date with technology found on other SUV's.

I had all the chrome blacked out (except the door handles) and wrapped the interior wood trim. I also installed VLed fogs, backup and license plate lights and drilled out the front license plate mount. Taking it tomorrow to get tinted.

In the next month or 2 I'm hoping to do the following:
Corsa Exhaust
Radar detector hardwired
Tune (not sure which one yet)
Navigation lockpick

 

[bmwman3241]

I wanted to keep the first post short, but do have a couple concerns regarding my vehicle:

1. When I switch the vehicle to AUTO/4WD there is a static noise coming from the dash somewhere. When I switch it back to 2WD the noise goes away. Took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't hear it, but everyone else I ask hears it. I remember reading something about this a couple months ago, but I can't find it and don't know what to do.

2. I find the ride to be stiff and can feel/hear all the road noise compared to the Denali I test drove. Again for this the dealer said it seems normal.

3. This is my second black vehicle I have owned, but compared to our black 2015 X5 this gets scratched so fast. It rained on and off since I bought it so I just got a chance to wash the truck over the weekend, but it already has so many scratches on it. Any recommendations? ( I can go 2-3 weeks without washing the X5, but when I do it looks new again). My dealer tried to talk me into getting a Dupont exterior protection for $500 when signing and I've read good things about opticoat for $1500. Any suggestions to avoid or fix this?

4. Does the trunk storage lid close flat? When I close it, it seems like it's a little too big and either the front or middle lift up. My dealer says it's supposed to be like that.

Here's a couple pictures of the interior wrap.

 

[FamilyTruckster]

nice truck man

 

[DjJayFrree]

how easy was the wrap of the wood and Vled swap?

 

[PinkAle]

My suggestion for the paint depends on you If you want to do it yourself I would recommend waxing it with a good wax but put at least 3 coats on Black paint is very soft so it will scratch very easy which is why I would never buy a black vehicle it looks great but it's hard as hell to keep it that way also are these scratches or swirl marks there's a difference

 

[thebishman]

Opticoat it for sure. I have my Z06 treated with it and its been a great investment. Other option is to protect it with Xpel Ultimate. I am going to have the front of mine done soon, along with getting the windscreen covered with Clearplex.

Did you remove the interior trim pieces to wrap them?

What kind of place did the black exterior treatments?

Truck looks great!!
Bish

 

[bmwman3241]

how easy was the wrap of the wood and Vled swap?

The VLED swap was fairly easy. The fogs took about 5 minutes, tail lights took about 10 minutes each, and plate lights less than a minute. I did try to remove the VLED fogs to rotate them but can't seem to get the back out. Will try again over the weekend but don't want to end up breaking the bulb.

Opticoat it for sure. I have my Z06 treated with it and its been a great investment. Other option is to protect it with Xpel Ultimate. I am going to have the front of mine done soon, along with getting the windscreen covered with Clearplex.

Did you remove the interior trim pieces to wrap them?

What kind of place did the black exterior treatments?

Truck looks great!!
Bish

I have read good things about both Opticoat and Xpel. Which is better, or better for my specific truck?
Also, do you mind telling me how much you paid for the Opticoat on your Z06? I called the shop in SoCal that does it and they said about $900 for the treatment and $500 for prep.

I had a shop do the wood trim wrap, but I insisted they don't remove the trim to wrap it. My dealer service foreman said they hadn't removed the wood trim on any 2015s or 2016s but said they think it is screwed in from behind and not just clips you pull out.

I had a local shop do all the wrap/plastidip work.

 

[thebishman]

I had the whole front end of my Z06 protected with XPel Ultimate along with rocker panels and the CF pieces. Cost about $1200. Worth every penny.

I then had the whole car covered in Opticoat, including prep for panels not covered by the Xpel, which cost me $900. The Xpel was also covered with the Opticoat btw.

I lastly had Clearplex placed on the windshield for $350 which has already saved me from a crack I'm positive. Since it has an HUD windscreen
Ike the Denali, hence more cost, again the $350 for the Clearplex is a bargain IMHO.

Bish

 

[jokerdev]

The scratches you are seeing are most likely swirl marks. I also think the clear coat on my 16 Denali XL is very soft and easy to scratch.
$4-500 for prep (clay bar/1-2 stage polish) sounds about right, but $900 for opticoat seems high. Unless it's the professional version, there are a lot of other good coatings available, some of which you could do yourself (pinnacle, blackfire, cquartz etc)
The xpel film is different than a coating. A coating is sort of an extra clear coat that is very hard, so it's harder to scratch, makes washing easier and water will bead right off. The xpel is a clear wrap that will protect against rock chips and protect the paint, but you will still need to maintain the film. Many people get xpel to protect the front end, and put a coating on top of the film to give it everything I mentioned above.
I plan on getting xpel on the front end and a coating.

The blacked out look looks great. That's something else I plan on doing. Are the wheels and grill blacked out with plastidip?

 

[yahtzee]

Be sure to pay attention to any pressure/buffeting sounds you may hear above 40mph and vibrations between 70-80mph...i'd hate for you to do all of that work to your truck only to have to go through the buyback process.