Hey guys,
New-ish to the forum. Not really going to be outlining any "build" here, just showcasing maintenance, repair and upgrades to my truck.
Back-story:
I bought the truck in October 2015, I had been borrowing my parent's Suburban to drive Uber and was loving it, so I decided to trade in my beloved G8 GT to buy a truck to make the big bucks with. I drove Uber for another 6 mos or so, and then managed to exceed Uber's limits for how many speeding tickets you can get, and got bounced. Oops. So then it was back to the regular life, but driving the Denali. It worked out OK, I switched jobs in August and was going to get a company truck, had that from November to February, then got "promoted" within the company to a job that doesn't get a company truck (internal politics, wooo). So back to the Denali I go.
Bought it with 78k, sight unseen, dealer had it shipped in from Arizona (will never do that again):
It's not that it was a bad truck, but buying it sight unseen it had a lot of little stuff wrong with it that I wasn't aware of, like flaking paint on the rear "spoiler" above the rear glass, the front door handles were peeling chrome, the keyed-lock was missing, etc. My dealer was pretty good about splitting the cost, but it was still annoying.
Anyways, the first upgrades I made were useful ones for driving uber, and to make use of some parts lying around. I installed a Mike Norris Motorsports catch-can that I had from my G8, along with the Airaid MIT and an AEM Dryflow filter in the stock box. I also removed the Denali console insert for the open one, like a Tahoe or Suburban would have had, just an open cubby with the cupholders that pop in (GM PN: 22860866, if you're wondering). Much more useful room in that than the stupid ashtray setup of the Denali. I also changed all the lubricating oils (Engine, Trans, T-Case, both differentials) to Amsoil for maximum efficiency and protection.
My pictures of it:
Last February or March I was taking some stuff to my dad's friend's cabin for him (toilets and tubs he'd bought from our company at the time), and managed to find a cut-off stump. Pushed the front bumper in good right at the foglight. I don't have any current pics, but I still haven't fixed it. I did find a good clean bumper cover for $200, I just haven't put it on yet because I know Murphy is going to bite me in the ass once I do and damage that one too...
So I've had it back for a while, fixed the flaky door handles, replaced the passenger side exterior handle as it was loose and wobbly, put in new spark plugs, a new MAF and a new TPS chasing a weird startup quirk (it would skip a beat before firing up on cold startup, TPS solved it). Just gave it an oil change, I scored some Pennzoil Platinum for $.99/qt after rebate, so I figured I'd use that for a change with a Wix XP before going back to Amsoil. Dad had had the oil changed at a dealer with whatever Dexos flavor of the month they use, so this is at least as good as that.
I just bought a Motive Products Power Bleeder, so the next time I'm home, my plan is to flush the brake fluid (it's pretty gross). I need a new windshield, just haven't had time to call Safelite and arrange that.
My 3 other nagging issues are:
The brushed coating is coming off of the spoke trim on the steering wheel,
The chrome trim on the shifter rattles over small bumps and rough roads
and the front splash shield disintegrated and was making noise going down the highway.
The last one is easy, I removed it, will order a new one and bolt it back in, but I really don't want to spend $70 on steering wheel trim and $100 on a new shifter if I don't have to. Anyone got them any cheaper? lol
Anyways, that's my story for now, thanks for reading.
TL;DR version: It's been a good truck, just has 128k and is showing its wear. lol
New-ish to the forum. Not really going to be outlining any "build" here, just showcasing maintenance, repair and upgrades to my truck.
Back-story:
I bought the truck in October 2015, I had been borrowing my parent's Suburban to drive Uber and was loving it, so I decided to trade in my beloved G8 GT to buy a truck to make the big bucks with. I drove Uber for another 6 mos or so, and then managed to exceed Uber's limits for how many speeding tickets you can get, and got bounced. Oops. So then it was back to the regular life, but driving the Denali. It worked out OK, I switched jobs in August and was going to get a company truck, had that from November to February, then got "promoted" within the company to a job that doesn't get a company truck (internal politics, wooo). So back to the Denali I go.
Bought it with 78k, sight unseen, dealer had it shipped in from Arizona (will never do that again):
It's not that it was a bad truck, but buying it sight unseen it had a lot of little stuff wrong with it that I wasn't aware of, like flaking paint on the rear "spoiler" above the rear glass, the front door handles were peeling chrome, the keyed-lock was missing, etc. My dealer was pretty good about splitting the cost, but it was still annoying.
Anyways, the first upgrades I made were useful ones for driving uber, and to make use of some parts lying around. I installed a Mike Norris Motorsports catch-can that I had from my G8, along with the Airaid MIT and an AEM Dryflow filter in the stock box. I also removed the Denali console insert for the open one, like a Tahoe or Suburban would have had, just an open cubby with the cupholders that pop in (GM PN: 22860866, if you're wondering). Much more useful room in that than the stupid ashtray setup of the Denali. I also changed all the lubricating oils (Engine, Trans, T-Case, both differentials) to Amsoil for maximum efficiency and protection.
My pictures of it:
Last February or March I was taking some stuff to my dad's friend's cabin for him (toilets and tubs he'd bought from our company at the time), and managed to find a cut-off stump. Pushed the front bumper in good right at the foglight. I don't have any current pics, but I still haven't fixed it. I did find a good clean bumper cover for $200, I just haven't put it on yet because I know Murphy is going to bite me in the ass once I do and damage that one too...
So I've had it back for a while, fixed the flaky door handles, replaced the passenger side exterior handle as it was loose and wobbly, put in new spark plugs, a new MAF and a new TPS chasing a weird startup quirk (it would skip a beat before firing up on cold startup, TPS solved it). Just gave it an oil change, I scored some Pennzoil Platinum for $.99/qt after rebate, so I figured I'd use that for a change with a Wix XP before going back to Amsoil. Dad had had the oil changed at a dealer with whatever Dexos flavor of the month they use, so this is at least as good as that.
I just bought a Motive Products Power Bleeder, so the next time I'm home, my plan is to flush the brake fluid (it's pretty gross). I need a new windshield, just haven't had time to call Safelite and arrange that.
My 3 other nagging issues are:
The brushed coating is coming off of the spoke trim on the steering wheel,
The chrome trim on the shifter rattles over small bumps and rough roads
and the front splash shield disintegrated and was making noise going down the highway.
The last one is easy, I removed it, will order a new one and bolt it back in, but I really don't want to spend $70 on steering wheel trim and $100 on a new shifter if I don't have to. Anyone got them any cheaper? lol
Anyways, that's my story for now, thanks for reading.
TL;DR version: It's been a good truck, just has 128k and is showing its wear. lol
