Help Please: 2015 Yukon XL Test Drive

[GTNator]

So My friend asked me to help him with a possible purchase of a 2015 Yukon XL, SLT he found today. It has 45k miles, clean carfax report. I'm going with him on the test drive today. Here are some possible issues that I've learned to look for from the forum but want to make sure I have everything covered. I apologize if someone else has already answered this question, if so please paste the link. Thanks!

1- drive 38mph- 45mph over rough roads to determine buffeting/vibration issues

2- drive 75mph+ to check suspension issues

Anything else specific to the 2015 Yukon XL SLT?




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[PivotalRex]

For the buffeting, I believe I read that another way to check is to drive 45 mph and put the rear windows down so that you get the buffeting effect then roll them up and see if there's any hint of it still being there.

 

[15YUKON]

Look at the running boards and make sure they work and if you feel the transmission slap or shift hard when you put it in forward or reverse or if it hunts for gears RUN.

 

[GTNator]

Thanks!


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[ajs800]

the hwy buffeting (basically ear pressure) typically starts around 45-50mph and then again around 60mph. booming is at low speeds.

 

[GTNator]

Thank you everyone. I was able to help out my friend avoid the painful buffeting gremlins. Sure enough, it had the buffet bug. It took a while of driving and maintaining speeds of 40-50, but then it happened. Bullet dodged.


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[cardude2000]

Thank you everyone. I was able to help out my friend avoid the painful buffeting gremlins. Sure enough, it had the buffet bug. It took a while of driving and maintaining speeds of 40-50, but then it happened. Bullet dodged.


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Nice.

What year vehicle?

 

[GTNator]

Nice.

What year vehicle?

It was a 2015 Yukon XL SLT. It looked great! Engine sounded great too from the outside. But oh that buffeting will sober anyone up quick.


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[Shadow17]

I don't think I would recommend a 2015(+) to anyone. I am not sure if the 2016 models are any better with the buffeting, tranny issues, electronic glitches, suspension squeaks and harshness over choppy roads.
I know the issues can be resolved with some work. But mine has all kinds of little issues that I have learned to deal with mostly because it is a leased vehicle and I will be giving it back next year.
Although I would rather buy my XL used at $40k than $80k new.

 

[15YUKON]

Does anyone know what exactly causes the buffeting? It hasn't gone away the new ones still have it. Someone told me that it is actually a faulty roof/headliner design and that the roof flexes too much and causes it between it and the headliner and that their is no fix until they come out with a new body. It only happens in suburbans and XLs from what I understand.

 

[ajs800]

Does anyone know what exactly causes the buffeting? It hasn't gone away the new ones still have it. Someone told me that it is actually a faulty roof/headliner design and that the roof flexes too much and causes it between it and the headliner and that their is no fix until they come out with a new body. It only happens in suburbans and XLs from what I understand.

It think it's still an unknown, however, I haven't heard many complaints with the 17s. It's more common with the burbs and XLs but the tahoe & yukon have the issue as well.

 

[GTNator]

I'm traveling and decided to rent a 2017 Yukon SLT (only 3,000 miles). Been driving it around a lot for the past day and no buffeting or vibration issues at all. It's so smooth. I love it. But who knows what quality demons lie underneath.

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[Rdr854]

I'm traveling and decided to rent a 2017 Yukon SLT (only 3,000 miles). Been driving it around a lot for the past day and no buffeting or vibration issues at all. It's so smooth. I love it. But who knows what quality demons lie underneath.

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On any vehicle, you never know what gremlins lie ahead. With my 17 Hybrid, I was shocked when the windows would not close due to a software glitch that had to be corrected a few times. Who would have thought, considering this was year 5 of the platform.

 

[UrbanSuburban]

I have a 17 Sub and I do not have that Buffetting, I also had a 04 and it also did not have it, but one vehicle I did rent was a 17 Acadia, and boy did it buffet, I thought the windows were going to fall out due to the flex.

 

[BMPNUGLS]

Vibration at 70+ mph is also a major concern/issue to watch for. I have a 21016 Denali XL and it didn't start showing vibration issues until after the 6K mark. Have been to dealer half a dozen times looking for cure and nothing has helped. Road force balance the wheel/tire assemblies and it calms down (doesn't completely go away) for a thousand miles or so then right back to a 'rattle box' at 70+ mph!

 

[acainindy]

Does anyone know what exactly causes the buffeting? It hasn't gone away the new ones still have it. Someone told me that it is actually a faulty roof/headliner design and that the roof flexes too much and causes it between it and the headliner and that their is no fix until they come out with a new body. It only happens in suburbans and XLs from what I understand.

It is not isolated to Suburban/XL. I have a 2015 Yukon and That feeling in your ears is a harmonic that creates pressure in the cabin. Here is what my dealer did to solve mine:

1. Re-attach the roof cross members
2. Replace 20inch tires with Michelin LTX2 tires
3. Roadforce balance and align the vehicle
4. Replace all 4 shocks
5. Replace rear ring and pinion (original had abnormal wear on edges of teeth)

The pressure booming in my ears was reduced after 1-4 but not completely gone.
It all went away after the ring and pinion replacement.....

 

[WTSHARK]

I bought my 2015 Yukon XL, SLE new in 2015. I got a great deal on it, and have never experienced so much as a hiccup with ANYTHING- It's only got 8000 miles on it (being retired is nice, by the way) and love it-
I had a 1993 Chevy C3500 Crew Cab dually that I drove for 20+ years. If I had the back windows down, without the front, I'd get the air pressure "buffering" I hear so many discuss, it was increased when I put a "1/4" shell and removed the back window. I found that if I cracked the front windows, or rolled up the back, the buffering stopped. Ambient pressure in a vehicle, should remain consistent with the atmosphere, when you start to "funnel" air, you can create "higher/lower" pressure zones, which may cause a "buffering" effect on your eardrums and other air spaces within your body- This is all pure speculation and there is no science to this at all, just sharing an opinion. It is also not my intent to "dispute" any other opinions on this, but offer the observations in that someone may find them useful... or just keep scrollin' on.

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[mt.davis]

I have a 2015 Yukon. Are yall saying that the buffeting noise starts around 45-50 mph even when the windows remain UP or when the windows are rolled down and then back up at those speeds?

 

[ajs800]

it's when truck is all closed up...and I don't believe it's an actual air leak as much as it's a very similar sound/feeling has having a rear(only) window down. Ours did/does it in the 40mph range and then again around 60mph-65mph. A deep ear pressure feeling. And it seems to not affect all while some get sick from it.

 

[WTSHARK]

it's when truck is all closed up...and I don't believe it's an actual air leak as much as it's a very similar sound/feeling has having a rear(only) window down. Ours did/does it in the 40mph range and then again around 60mph-65mph. A deep ear pressure feeling. And it seems to not affect all while some get sick from it.

Eeesh, that sucks. Lots of "open" cubic space, something vibrating, causing a low frequency vibration in the cabin air pressure- Some people are more sensitive to it, than others (why some get miserably sea sick while others have never so much as felt the least bit ill). I don't know how to control that air pressure "vibration", aside from what most do to combat air pressure frequency changes; baffles. How you'd go about doing that is something I'm not sure about, aside from installing ply wood "bulkheads" between the rows of seats, but some may think that "impractical"... ;-)