New member/new Tahoe owner here (2010 LTZ)! Loving it so far, but getting the runaround on a repair quote and also have a few questions in general.

[DamThatRiver24]

Yea, like I said I've lurked here for the short while I've owned it and this forum has been a blessing...with an answer to pretty much every stupid little question or curiosity I've had without even having to post (until now, lol).

In my experience most major chassis gens from the major manufacturers have pretty helpful forums. I had a GMT 400 that I had to lean on the forums quite a bit for and they were quite helpful (I'd imagine there's probably some crossover here). I've also owned several Ford Fusions and those forums were hopping for a few years, but have died down recently (fortunately for me, my last Fusion standing just blew up and I don't forsee owning another one).

Well, Tahoe is in the shop this morning getting the trans taken care of; GM dealership wanted almost $500 (lmao) but the new local AAMCO is $270 and I'm looking for a new shop for stuff I can't/don't want to do anyway...so we're giving them a shot.

Was gonna do the compressor/shocks this weekend but y'all scared me into doing the tranny first, lol. Guess I'll do those next week or so. Speaking of the shocks, I think I'm gonna try that Vigor company; they seem to have good reviews (including a couple from folks here) and they're like 1/3 of the price of the Arnotts. Even if they don't last terribly long they're dirt cheap and look pretty easy to swap, so I figure I'll give it a go. They make a compressor too, but I'm gonna stick with the Dorman just to avoid any issues.

Side question: what kind of overall mileage do you guys tend to get with these things? Mine seems to range from 12-16 MPG (city) depending on how cold it is, if I have to use 4x4, etc. Seems about in the ballpark for a 5.3L V8, yea? My 2003 F150 XLT (5.4L V8) gets about 10-12 city, 8 mpg if I have to use 4x4 for any length of time lol.

I do need to do the plugs and wires and probably slap a new air filter in it, but yea.

 

[swathdiver]

Side question: what kind of overall mileage do you guys tend to get with these things? Mine seems to range from 12-16 MPG (city)

My Yukon XL weighs about a 1,000 pounds more than yours and gets 12.6 MPG with 100% city driving and averages 15.6 mpg with 50/50 city/hwy driving. That's 1.3 to 2.2 gallons per hour running around town and such.

2010s seemed to have unique tuning and got better mileage than all the other years.

 

[norcalboon]

I installed the Vigor air shocks and new Dorman compressor about a year ago and they've been great.

 

[DamThatRiver24]

My Yukon XL weighs about a 1,000 pounds more than yours and gets 12.6 MPG with 100% city driving and averages 15.6 mpg with 50/50 city/hwy driving. That's 1.3 to 2.2 gallons per hour running around town and such.

2010s seemed to have unique tuning and got better mileage than all the other years.

Fair. After I do the plugs/wires/air filter/shocks etc. I'll pay a bit closer attention. Doesn't seem like I'm too far off; the lower end of the range I gave has usually been in colder weather with a fair amount of idle time and all of the aforementioned parts needing replaced (as well as being prior to the trans service today).

I do live at 7200 feet elevation fwiw, though I suppose elevation's effect on gas mileage is highly debated. Lol.

I installed the Vigor air shocks and new Dorman compressor about a year ago and they've been great.

Good to know; pretty much solidifies that decision.

In other news, the shop today did catch a very small leak from the rack that I hadn't noticed; hopefully it stays manageable for a while until I can deal with that this summer.

For those of you who use 4x4 quite a bit, how often are y'all doing your transfer case?

 

[petethepug]

Confucius say lifetime guarantee can be one month, one year or one lifetime. I’ve had no feedback on Vigor products.

Recent feedback is here …

Thread 'Vigor air ride shocks?'
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/vigor-air-ride-shocks.132540/

 

[petethepug]

2010s seemed to have unique tuning and got better mileage than all the other years.

I’m telling ya, that XFE aluminum option package makes a difference lol

 

[DamThatRiver24]

Shop raised a red flag about my oil levels while doing their "complimentary inspection" yesterday, said that I was close to 2 quarts low.

Changed the oil about 2000 miles ago (first oil change under our ownership) and I know for a fact I put 6 qts in it. However, I admittedly forgot to check the level on the dipstick afterwards (usually routine for me but I think I was in a rush, my fault entirely).

There are no visible leaks underneath the vehicle or in the engine bay, and there's no obvious burnoff in the exhaust (don't see or smell anything unusual). I also seem to recall reading that we have a low oil level warning that kicks on at 1.5 or 2 qts low, which hasn't happened.

This is what the dipstick reads after sitting for 24 hours in 25°F weather. Seem like a major concern to y'all?

Gonna change the oil again this week and of course keep a hawk's eye on levels, but just figured I'd toss this out here in the meantime. I do understand that there's some consumption to be expected with the AFM, correct?

 

[DamThatRiver24]

Also not really happy with how dirty the oil is after only 2k miles; not sure how well the oil was maintained under previous ownership but I'm going to give it a couple more cycles to flush crap out of it and if it's still getting dirty prematurely I'll send a sample off for testing.

 

[Geotrash]

Shop raised a red flag about my oil levels while doing their "complimentary inspection" yesterday, said that I was close to 2 quarts low.

Changed the oil about 2000 miles ago (first oil change under our ownership) and I know for a fact I put 6 qts in it. However, I admittedly forgot to check the level on the dipstick afterwards (usually routine for me but I think I was in a rush, my fault entirely).

There are no visible leaks underneath the vehicle or in the engine bay, and there's no obvious burnoff in the exhaust (don't see or smell anything unusual). I also seem to recall reading that we have a low oil level warning that kicks on at 1.5 or 2 qts low, which hasn't happened.

This is what the dipstick reads after sitting for 24 hours in 25°F weather. Seem like a major concern to y'all?

Gonna change the oil again this week and of course keep a hawk's eye on levels, but just figured I'd toss this out here in the meantime. I do understand that there's some consumption to be expected with the AFM, correct?

View attachment 425314

That would be considered normal by GM but not the rest of us. Mine both use maybe half a quart between 4-5K mile changes. Oil consumption on these usually comes from stuck rings due to the bypass valve in the oil pan spraying the underside of the a couple of the pistons, but yours should have the deflector installed already being a 2010. Another common reason is the PCV system. There's a revised drivers side valve cover that has a different baffle design that solves most of the problem, but again I think a 2010 SHOULD have that already. You might consider installing a catch can. Lots of examples on here and people swear by them.

 

[DamThatRiver24]

So I changed the oil today and a touch over 5.5 qts came out, so a) the guys at the new shop (who claimed it was almost two quarts low) might not be the brightest, and b) the dipstick is definitely "approximate". Lol. Not too worried.

Was definitely darker than I wanted to see after only 2k, but it wasn't abnormally thick and fwiw there's no glitter or anything alarming in the old oil, so meh. Maybe just getting a bit more blow-by than expected, or there's still a tad bit of old sludge in there from a previous lack of maintenance. Idk.

 

[mikez71]

My Yukon XL weighs about a 1,000 pounds more than yours and gets 12.6 MPG with 100% city driving and averages 15.6 mpg with 50/50 city/hwy driving. That's 1.3 to 2.2 gallons per hour running around town and such.

2010s seemed to have unique tuning and got better mileage than all the other years.

VERY interesting!

I just looked at a stock 2010 tune vs my 2012 and there are some differences!

The engine side has a few seemingly small changes, O2 rich/lean vs airflow and some stoichiometry settings...

For the transmission, there are MANY small differences! Shift patterns have some small tweaks, but it also has an extra map that says eco mode. I don't know if that map is even used, I have 4WD maps instead. The torque converter clutch apply/release maps, apply ramp and slip tables.. Shift times and inertia profiles.. many small differences..

 

[petethepug]

The milage question from earlier … This will make you feel good about your economy w/ the 5.3 Tahoe. Our 09 Esky gets 11-13 & 8-9 city. On e85 which is what I usually run it’s 10-12 & 7-8 city.

I have a lot of hills and idle time that accounts for the low numbers. The e85 benefit is crazy clean oil, lower rpm shifts & longer oil change intervals. Here’s a comparison tool so you can plug in local gas & e85 prices to calculate savings.

We saved enough in 3 years to pay off the $14k price of the truck. Damn, the cool e85 vs gas price comparison tool is yanked off the internet. I was going to post it.

 

[Doubeleive]

Shop raised a red flag about my oil levels while doing their "complimentary inspection" yesterday, said that I was close to 2 quarts low.

Changed the oil about 2000 miles ago (first oil change under our ownership) and I know for a fact I put 6 qts in it. However, I admittedly forgot to check the level on the dipstick afterwards (usually routine for me but I think I was in a rush, my fault entirely).

There are no visible leaks underneath the vehicle or in the engine bay, and there's no obvious burnoff in the exhaust (don't see or smell anything unusual). I also seem to recall reading that we have a low oil level warning that kicks on at 1.5 or 2 qts low, which hasn't happened.

This is what the dipstick reads after sitting for 24 hours in 25°F weather. Seem like a major concern to y'all?

Gonna change the oil again this week and of course keep a hawk's eye on levels, but just figured I'd toss this out here in the meantime. I do understand that there's some consumption to be expected with the AFM, correct?

View attachment 425314

that level right there is right about 3/4's of a quart low, if 5.5 came out then that would make sense these usually take a hair over 6 quarts, I know spec say's 6
2qrt's low would be bottom of the stick