WTB 2009-2014 Yukon Denali, help with best year/engine

[swathdiver]

Is the 5.3L worth considering. I will not be towing anything, but do go into the Colorado mountains a fair amount. I am more concerned about reliability and longevity than power.

Well, there are no 5.3 Denalis and all 5.3s in SUVs in those years have AFM. If you're that concerned with AFM, budget to delete it. Many of us have it turned off in the tune but the parts are still there. Some have deleted it entirely, usually after failure.

You can get a nice SLT with a 5.3 in the later models and save quite a bit over a Denali. Most Denalis are AWD, a very few are 2WD. Have you driven both the Denali with the 6.2 and anything else with the 5.3?

 

[jason80919]

I should have mentioned I am OK with a Tahoe. I would just look at a LTZ.

 

[mikeyss]

I should have mentioned I am OK with a Tahoe. I would just look at a LTZ.

2009 Tahoe LTZ could be had with a 6.2 and 2 speed transfer case, but they are hard to find. I got real lucky finding mine.

 

[PatDTN]

I got lucky and the LTZ Tahoe I found was a 2009. One thing that bugs me is they didn't allow for bluetooth streaming until 2012. I know I could replace the stereo but it's got nav and all the various controls that work through it just not worth it.

For me the two speed transfer case is a must so Denalis and the Caddys are out.

As for AFM my truck has nearly 200k on it and I still have AFM working. I rarely get less than an average of 18 mpg. The 5.3 can definitely feel the difference between me driving alone or carrying a carload of people but it finds enough power to not be a problem.

I live and drive in the mountains of East Tennessee.

 

[muncie21]

I just traded m '09 Denali for a '14. The '09 was a work horse and had zero engine issues when I traded it at 137K miles. Had it not been for some minor body rust, I would not have thought twice about keeping it for another 50K miles. Time will tell if the '14 I purchased has AFM related oil burning issues; fingers crossed.

 

[kev92gt]

I got 281,000 on my 5.3 4x4 slt yukon. Tires, brakes, a H2O pump and a few sets of plugs. I think my insurance will be totaling it out tomoerow time to shop for a replacment.

 

[swathdiver]

I got 281,000 on my 5.3 4x4 slt yukon. Tires, brakes, a H2O pump and a few sets of plugs. I think my insurance will be totaling it out tomoerow time to shop for a replacment.

Sorry to hear this Kevin, did someone hit it?

 

[97audia4]

I got lucky and the LTZ Tahoe I found was a 2009. One thing that bugs me is they didn't allow for bluetooth streaming until 2012. I know I could replace the stereo but it's got nav and all the various controls that work through it just not worth it.

For me the two speed transfer case is a must so Denalis and the Caddys are out.

As for AFM my truck has nearly 200k on it and I still have AFM working. I rarely get less than an average of 18 mpg. The 5.3 can definitely feel the difference between me driving alone or carrying a carload of people but it finds enough power to not be a problem.

I live and drive in the mountains of East Tennessee.

If it has the sirus radio option they make a $70 module that you can turn yours into wireless bluetooth

 

[PatDTN]

If it has the sirus radio option they make a $70 module that you can turn yours into wireless bluetooth

I got one from Crutchfield and did a write up in the audio section. It mostly works great but there are a few gotchas. Biggest for people buying the same thing for newer vehicles found that the external xm box behind the glove box was incorporated into the radio and they couldn't use the device at all.

For me it works if I remember to turn on bluetooth on my phone and bring up Pandora or some source before I start the truck. If I don't the streaming module will time out and stop searching before I'm ready. I can restart it with the seek button and also tell my phone to search.

If I walk away with the radio on and get out of range it drops out and I have to do the same dance.

My phone heats up and eats the battery because it's paired to 2 bluetooth devices at once - hands free and streaming.

Pat in Tennessee

 

[mikeyss]

If it has the sirus radio option they make a $70 module that you can turn yours into wireless bluetooth

What is this module you speak of?! I have an 09 and I'd love to have wireless Bluetooth... Right now I use this thing that plugs into the headphone jack on the radio. It recently died and I'm back to using a cable from the radio to my phone, lol.