Reliability

[IEATZ28]

Hey everyone,

In a couple months we are taking a trip that’s about 2000 miles in total. The thing I have been worried about is taking our family vehicle versus dropping a grand on a rental SUV. Our vehicle is a 2011 Suburban with 141k miles on it. We have kept up the maintenance on it (oil, plugs, tranny fluid, etc.). There are no warning lights on the dash. The thing that makes me nervous is that it is a higher mileage vehicle, and it has a fair amount of lifter tap when it’s cold. It smoothes out as it warms up, and it runs good down the highway. I have an 06 Tahoe that actually runs better than the Suburban and doesn’t have the cold lifter tap. It’s a very quiet, smooth running vehicle, but it’s not really suitable to haul 2 adults, 4 kids and all the luggage. I guess my question is: would you drive the Suburban given all the possible issues with the AFM or would you drop a grand on a rental for the peace of mind?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

Based upon your description, I'd take the Suburban.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum.

You have pretty much talked yourself into a rental. If you take Suburban, will it be a guarantee that you will have no problems, no. But neither is there a guarantee with a rental. I just did 5500 miles in my 05 Tahoe with 150k miles in 15 days.

 

[Doubeleive]

141k is not high miles, I have driven half this country with twice the.mileage, never broke down once, ooh I got a good sized screw in a tire once that I had patched at a Les Schwab in the middle of nowhere for free.

 

[swathdiver]

Hey everyone,

In a couple months we are taking a trip that’s about 2000 miles in total. The thing I have been worried about is taking our family vehicle versus dropping a grand on a rental SUV. Our vehicle is a 2011 Suburban with 141k miles on it. We have kept up the maintenance on it (oil, plugs, tranny fluid, etc.). There are no warning lights on the dash. The thing that makes me nervous is that it is a higher mileage vehicle, and it has a fair amount of lifter tap when it’s cold. It smoothes out as it warms up, and it runs good down the highway. I have an 06 Tahoe that actually runs better than the Suburban and doesn’t have the cold lifter tap. It’s a very quiet, smooth running vehicle, but it’s not really suitable to haul 2 adults, 4 kids and all the luggage. I guess my question is: would you drive the Suburban given all the possible issues with the AFM or would you drop a grand on a rental for the peace of mind?

Thanks in advance!

What engine oil are you running?

My 2009 has 184K or so on it now and have no qualms about taking it across country. In fact, we're planning a 5K to 6K mile vacation with it later this year or early next. We'll be taking it off road and on mountain trails 13,000 feet up. If it breaks it breaks, we'll have a local GMC dealer fix it or one of you guys here on the forum if we're close enough!

 

[IEATZ28]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I think you’ve given me the encouragement I needed to just drive the Burb. I’ve read too many stories of lifter failure, and I’m afraid of that. I will just rely on the consistent oil changes and maintenance serving us well. Thanks!

 

[Geotrash]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I think you’ve given me the encouragement I needed to just drive the Burb. I’ve read too many stories of lifter failure, and I’m afraid of that. I will just rely on the consistent oil changes and maintenance serving us well. Thanks!

Good choice. It’s gonna be just fine. Leaving tomorrow for a 1700 mile trip in our ‘07 with 231K on the clock.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I’d say unless you have a problem with it right now you will be fine. Highway driving is very easy on the vehicle. It’s the stop and go and cold starts that put more wear on it.

BMW did a test, they put a brand new sedan on a dyno and “drove” it for 1 million miles changing the fluids at the recommended service intervals. After the 1 millions miles they tore the motor apart and found all of the clearances within factory spec.

Highway driving is the easiest task a vehicle can have.

 

[Fless]

141k is not high miles, I have driven half this country with twice the.mileage, never broke down once, ooh I got a good sized screw in a tire once that I had patched at a Charles Schwab in the middle of nowhere for free.

Probably mean Les Schwab, unless you were "retiring."

 

[Doubeleive]

Probably mean Les Schwab, unless you were "retiring."

Yep, brain fart lol

 

[IEATZ28]

I would probably be about at the point of trading ours off based on the mileage, but I looked at SUV’s for a month or two before giving up. Vehicle prices are still ridic and interest rates are high. I can’t swallow spending $50k on a vehicle, let alone a used one. Lots of people out there with $1k+ monthly payments. I can’t/won’t bring myself to join them.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I don’t think you are giving your vehicle enough credit. Most people drive their Tahoes for 250,000-300,000 miles before they get ride of them because they just keep running, they aren’t cheap like an American economy car. I’m at 186,000 miles and wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the United States tomorrow if I wanted to.

 

[Geotrash]

I would probably be about at the point of trading ours off based on the mileage, but I looked at SUV’s for a month or two before giving up. Vehicle prices are still ridic and interest rates are high. I can’t swallow spending $50k on a vehicle, let alone a used one. Lots of people out there with $1k+ monthly payments. I can’t/won’t bring myself to join them.

Yup. This is the same way I think about too. If I buy a new one I’ll be able to haul the family and all of our stuff anywhere we want to go. If I keep the ones we have, I’ll be able to haul the family and all of our stuff anywhere we want to go and keep $80K in the bank.

The key to this plan is using these pages to understand what the probable failure points are as the truck ages and staying ahead of it. For example, I replaced the charcoal canister on both trucks to avoid the hassle and expense of dealing with plugged evap lines. Swapped in a billet torque converter on our 2012 to avoid the most common cause of transmission failure, etc.

Through this learning comes the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you have and that it’s in tip top condition at any given time. I’d drive either of our Yukons to Alaska tomorrow.

 

[Grandpalecea]

141k is not high miles, I have driven half this country with twice the.mileage, never broke down once, ooh I got a good sized screw in a tire once that I had patched at a Charles Schwab in the middle of nowhere for free.

Charles Schwab investment office?

 

[Doubeleive]

Charles Schwab investment office?

ya, those suit and tie guys were on it. lol

 

[BigDogYJ]

Yeah mileage really has nothing to do with reliability on a road trip. If you have maintained it according to the owners manual and take care of issues when they arise instead of pushing things off till it becomes a more serious problem you’ll more than likely be fine. Ive mentioned in another thread that both my rigs have 200k+ miles and really wouldnt hesitate to leave tomorrow for a cross country trip. Im religious with maintenance and repairs and trust my vehicle over most any others including rentals. New doesn’t mean reliable or without issues. Make sure tires are in good shape, proper pressure, brakes in good order, battery in good health, fluids all proper levels and changed according to schedule (yes power steering fluid needs to be replaced, its not a lifetime fluid as many seem to treat it like ). Fresh wipers, Wash your windows etc. its amazing how pleasant a road trip can be with a little vehicle prep. Keep a small hand tool kit with you and some jumper cables or jump pack.

Ive done countless cross country trips and my vehicle is usually the least of my worries because i maintain it constantly and know the current condition of everything so its always ready to go.

So base your decision off of maintenance behavior, general day to day reliability (doesn’t leave you stranded every few weeks, etc). In the end its what you feel most comfortable with.

 

[IEATZ28]

Just to tie this thread up in a bow…we got back from our trip today. The suburban rolled over 145k on the way back, but it performed flawlessly for the whole 1800 mile trip. I was happy to not spend over a grand on a rental! Lesson learned.

 

[Scott in AZ]

Congrats on your successful family trip!

Maybe use some of the grand you saved on your truck now? Take in to a trusted local mechanic for an oil change, 4-wheel alignment, and diagnostic checkup. Plus test the battery (or proactively replace if more than 4 years old). That’s about $250 but would reinforce the decision for next trip!

 

[IEATZ28]

Congrats on your successful family trip!

Maybe use some of the grand you saved on your truck now? Take in to a trusted local mechanic for an oil change, 4-wheel alignment, and diagnostic checkup. Plus test the battery (or proactively replace if more than 4 years old). That’s about $250 but would reinforce the decision for next trip!

Yeah, I actually had it checked before I left!

 

[Geotrash]

Just to tie this thread up in a bow…we got back from our trip today. The suburban rolled over 145k on the way back, but it performed flawlessly for the whole 1800 mile trip. I was happy to not spend over a grand on a rental! Lesson learned.

Awesome! Thanks for following up. Our 1700 mile trip went well in our ‘07 also and now we’re in the middle of another 1200 miler. Such great road trip vehicles.