Wife hates my new 2006 Yukon XL Denali

[Stimpy911]

Well the Yukon was eventually going to be my replacement for my 2000 burb. Once we bought our new home then we were going to look for a newer Suburban but in the meantime it would have been our winter vehicle. At least I'll get a couple months enjoyment out of her lol.


Sent from my moto g(7) supra using Tapatalk

 

[Pops946]

So I bought a 2006 Yukon XL Denali sight unseen. I did a pretty good job of talking to the dealer and requesting photos, vin checks etc... I even spoke with the mechanic who checks over the vehicles before selling. Main reason I bought it was the mileage, price and most important, no rust! I live in Michigan and the salt tears through our vehicles.

After I bought it, Covid 19 hit and the Yukon sat 8 hours away from me for almost 2 months. Finally, I was able to get my mechanic to transport it. When it got to the shop it needed a new starter and we also replaced the rear air shocks.

It had a smell inside. Not smoke. Not really sure but the inside is very clean so I'm trying to figure it out.

I had to fix the AC. The back lines had a leak so we just capped them off.

My wife thinks she is going to veer off the road at speeds over 60. She has PTSD from a bad rollover we had in 2019 with our 2010 Yukon Denali so driving it brought her to years because she said it felt like we were going off the road.

I'll admit, I was not happy that first ride either. Something was wrong. It felt like it was swaying side to side. It was windy but I am used to driving a Suburban in the wind. I had my mechanic check underneath when doing an oil change and everything was good.

I had an alignment done. It was adjusted just a tiny bit. I also had my tires rotated. No signs of wear. That mechanic said everything underneath looked great.

I thought it drove better after that. I still can't figure out where the smell is coming from. My wife does not think it drives any better.

There are only 2 things left for me to check.

1. Service Ride Control warning is on.

2. It's an 06 so the steering wheel is not as tight as a newer vehicle. It has a little play in it. Could that cause problems? Do I have to adjust the steering box or replace it?

I'm at a loss. She wants me to sell it. I told her the reason I got it was because there was no rust and that anything is fixable.

Any thoughts?

Very frustrates husband...


Sent from my moto g(7) supra using Tapatalk

Dude- Advice from someone married for almost 53 years, dump the Tahoe. She’s never gonna be comfortable in that car. Not worth it. You know the saying - If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. If Daddy ain’t happy, ain’t nobody cares.

 

[adventurenali92]

FWIW: if I were in the op’s situation, I would not attempt any more changes to the car, and just look for something more stable for the family, and less traumatizing for his wife. To me, this is more important than a nicer house.

With that being said, I have a 2003 YD with ~105k miles, and have gradually begun dreading driving it due to its instability on freeways. The bouncing and swaying is something that I had assumed was just part of owning an SUV, and maybe I’m just getting more agitated as my reflexes/reaction time/driving skills wane with age.

Well, a few months ago, I had my shocks replaced with these: Monroe 90012. ~$120 shipped from rockauto. My primary motivation was actually to disable my air shocks because I noticed they occasionally didn’t seem to shut off (as if the bladder had a leak).

With my new shocks, I am in incredibly surprised with the apparent handling improvement! The vehicle obviously still has more vertical travel than a typical sedan, but at least it no longer twists left and right when taking turns/changing lanes on the freeways. It actually stays true to my steering wheel position, if that makes any sense. (I’ve never replaced my idler/pitman/intermediate steering shaft...yet.)

just thought I’d share my pleasant surprise. We’ll see how it handles this winter, though. I won’t be 100% convinced with the handling improvements until I make the annual trip to the mountains.

You will notice a big difference with new shocks especially up in the mountains. Which CA mountains are your annual trip to?

 

[Mr. Krispy]

I've had to take weird smells out of cars and I find that a good detailed cleaning of the interior generally takes out anything. Scrub everything, shampoo the carpet, and if there are any lingering smells then get some odor eliminator such as Maguire's Whole Car Re-Fresher Odor Eliminator, or Clorox Odor Defense, but there are many other brands available.

 

[Agent WD-40]

This is likely the best advice. You probably have an excellent trade in candidate or a good truck to flip for a down payment on something she likes better. IMHO the GMT900 drives worlds better than my previous GMT800.

I agree that the steering (and ride/handling) got better with each generation. Been a while since I've driven the GMT800 but do recall it all improved notably in the GMT900 and again in K2. All of this will improve the sense of stability on the highway.

I also distinctly recall the accuracy of the steering took a big leap forward on the K2 (vs GMT900). The K2 generation that had enough stability and steering accuracy that it felt truly like driving a car on the freeway (~75 MPH). The improvement became more pronounced as the speed increased. Probably a mix of steering, ride and overall handling that provided the greater comfort at speed. But definitely recall that stood out to me for the new generation.

 

[chadw]

Ya i feel like you REALLY shoulda talked this purchase over and drove the thing before this.

 

[YukonXLDenaliZ71]

the smell should be coming underneath the floor mats. my floor sweats a lot due to the hot exhaust and the cold air conditioning. its the reason why it has "that smell" the next day and the day after.

 

[GreyStone]

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[GreyStone]

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[Rayyy]

Even though cabin filters weren’t installed into our trucks after 02, there is a Dorman and an AC Delco retrofit, which easily allows you to install a cabin filter... So, perhaps check that out to rule it out.

It’s located below the glove box to the left underneath that lower panel (couple 7mm bolts holding it up).