Back in an Escalade.

[denalianyone]

I try to keep my car looking like new but kids in the back will spill drinks in the back.

I found that the captain's chairs come out easily with 4x 3/4" or 19mm bolts.

When I worked dealerships in college I noticed the detailers would remove the carpet and hit it with tire cleaner and heavy soap. Decided to try that. Wasn't able to remove it but hit it regardless. Followed up with a wet vac several times. Carpet should be clean with no gunk.

This job took about 45 minutes.

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My 02 Denali had tan interior and I told myself I would never get a light interior color again especially with my kids still riding in it. I'm so happy with my black interior now. Great job on the cleaning nonetheless.

 

[denalianyone]

Just wrapped it up. Took it on a test drive. I still have a clunking noise on hard accelerations. I thought I had eliminated the motor mounts. I don't get the clunk when pressing gas and brake in F or R. Maybe the front left motor mount is failing but not yet broken?

None of my bushings looked shot. Nothing had play. I guess I'm back to square one. At least I don't need to worry about shocks or air compressors for another 100K.

I'm not sure what to think of the new shocks as I've only driven 1 mile now. I'll update after I drive it more. The truck rode awesome before. I wasn't expecting much improvement.

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It may be your slip yoke or u joints you can check.

 

[mattluttrell]

My 02 Denali had tan interior and I told myself I would never get a light interior color again especially with my kids still riding in it. I'm so happy with my black interior now. Great job on the cleaning nonetheless.

Black was my first choice for sure. After 4 months waiting to find a good deal with the backup camera, <100k I expanded my search to Maroon and White.

My yellow lab rides a lot. So beige hasn't been too bad. Black is definitely the best interior.

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[Speck]

Looks good so far!

 

[JML07denali]

How does it ride with the new shocks. My pump just took a dump and think it my be time for shocks and struts all the way around.


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[mattluttrell]

How does it ride with the new shocks. My pump just took a dump and think it my be time for shocks and struts all the way around.


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I'm happy with them. I drove around OKC, up to 80mph on the highway and in stop and go traffic.

They are nice. They are not a downgrade and did very well. The cornering is firm. Speed bumps are alright. Potholes aren't too noticeable.

I prefer to drive a little fast and one of my other cars is an M sport BMW if that tells you my preferences. These make the Escalade ride like I expect.

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[JML07denali]

Thanks for the update. I also share your love for speed. I have a Mercedes E63 which is fun to drive on nice days.


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[mattluttrell]

Looks like it's been 2 years since I've updated my little thread. Looks like I've had this truck for 3 or 4 years and ~70,000 miles.


People make fun of American cars and say they're unreliable. I've had an amazingly cheap and easy 70,000 miles. No dealership or mechanics visits. Everything still works. I quickly replaced the shocks, brakes, etc at 90,000 miles. Now it's been extremely eay.

In the last 2 years I've only had to do ~2 things to the truck:

1) Left sway bar bushing ($8).
2) Replace bumper with a $300 pre-painted ebay bumper. This took ~1 hour and was amazingly cheap. Insurance gave me ~$1200 for it. (Someone hit me.) I guess I paid myself $900/hr labor.


Now that I'm at ~160,000 miles (and many cross country trips) I need to go ahead and do the filters, fluids, etc again.

I wish I'd pasted the quantities and types of fluids I used here last time. Not sure if I'll do the rear end or not. It was amazingly easy. My 14 bolt rear end has a drain plug. The brake pads should be getting low after 70,000 miles.

Guess I'll post an update with the fluids and quantities I use this time.

 

[denalianyone]

How was the quality of paintwork on that bumper? I need a paint job on my bumper but may be cheaper to replace it.


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[mattluttrell]

How was the quality of paintwork on that bumper? I need a paint job on my bumper but may be cheaper to replace it.


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It looked perfect. The paint was thinner than OEM though. I did get a scuff I had to patch.

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[mattluttrell]

Not sure anyone cares about a 14 year old truck. Man I've had this a long time and decided to keep it yet again. I can get a comparable newer body style for ~$45K. No thanks!

Remember, I'm the guy who had the new Tahoe in 2015 and didn't like it at all. This truck has been great for me and I need to keep it.

Side rant: The new ones are so much slower than this one. It's surprising. I don't have a spare tire, the rear seats are removed, the transmission and engine have a tune, etc. A new Escalade is probably a second or so slower in 0-60. This is quicker than my little Porsche Boxster. It's fun.

Anyhow -- It's now at 180,000 miles. Has never needed a major repair. A new seat cover is ordered for the driver's side ($220). New door pulls are ordered for the passenger side. I put the new Denali wheels and new tires on it. The transmission fluid needs to be replaced. That 15 year old belt on the engine should go any day too.

This truck has just been unbelievably reliable. More to come.

 

[TollKeeper]

You mention in this thread the only thing I regret about my 06 Esky.. That 6 speed would be awesome! 8 speed would be cool too!

Why the Denali wheels over your Esky wheels?

 

[mattluttrell]

Why the Denali wheels over your Esky wheels?

Heh. This one is sad actually. I was about to go on a trip and the chrome was peeling on my old wheels and I needed tires. I called them and asked for a new version of my wheels with tires. They were out of Esky wheels but had Denali. I said to do those instead.

Then I checked Facebook marketplace and saw new Esky wheels/tire takeoffs for ~40% of what I paid. Sigh...

 

[adventurenali92]

Not sure anyone cares about a 14 year old truck. Man I've had this a long time and decided to keep it yet again. I can get a comparable newer body style for ~$45K. No thanks!

Remember, I'm the guy who had the new Tahoe in 2015 and didn't like it at all. This truck has been great for me and I need to keep it.

Side rant: The new ones are so much slower than this one. It's surprising. I don't have a spare tire, the rear seats are removed, the transmission and engine have a tune, etc. A new Escalade is probably a second or so slower in 0-60. This is quicker than my little Porsche Boxster. It's fun.

Anyhow -- It's now at 180,000 miles. Has never needed a major repair. A new seat cover is ordered for the driver's side ($220). New door pulls are ordered for the passenger side. I put the new Denali wheels and new tires on it. The transmission fluid needs to be replaced. That 15 year old belt on the engine should go any day too.

This truck has just been unbelievably reliable. More to come.



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Glad to hear you’re still enjoying your Escalade! She looks fantastic with the new denali wheels! I love those wheels! And they look good on your caddy! I agree that these are a lot better than the newer ones! Great to here she’s still rollin!