(Ed. Note: Connor’s new COAL series starts today, please welcome him!) In the mid 2000’s Chevrolet attempted to “dress up” their line of trucks and SUV’s, markedly starting in 2007. Now, what GM or any auto maker didn’t know was a recession was coming for the U.S that would have an impact on gas guzzler sales. Prior to 2007, Americans loved their big, V8 mall shoppers, and my family was not immune to this love. For as far back as I can remember my dad always had a Tahoe or Suburban. I am not really sure why since I was an only child and it was just me and my parents driving around, but hey, I wasn’t paying the bills back then.
When I turned 16 my parents had a 2004 Volvo S40 which my mom drove every day (and refused to give up), a 2009 Mazda CX-7, and a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. Both my mom and dad had long commutes every day so they decided to get something with AWD but decent gas mileage, hence the Mazda purchase, and keep the Tahoe that my dad had driven for a few years. By this time the recession had hit hard across the U.S and gas prices were through the roof. My dad knew that I was going to start driving soon, so he used the Mazda for commuting and the plan was to let me drive the Tahoe the three miles to high school every day. I was naturally over the moon. I thought I would be the coolest kid at school with a Tahoe.
However, let me first explain my high school culture. I grew up in the Northwest corner of Arkansas, in a town called Bentonville. Bentonville was the birthplace of Sam Walton’s Walmart. Walmart requires all of its vendors that sell products in their stores to have an office within 50 miles of the Home Office. So, with that being said there is a tremendous amount of wealth in this small corner of the state, and it only keeps growing.
Kids at my school drove Mercedes, BMW’s, Lexus’s, and Audi’s. My Tahoe fit well into the vast landscape of upscale cars that parents somehow trusted their inexperienced, 16 year olds to drive. My parents were a little different though – my dad found the only occupation in NWA that didn’t involve Walmart and worked really hard for his money. If I did anything that put a scratch on that car, it would be gone, and I would be destined to the Volvo.
The Tahoe was black with a grey interior. It was the top of the line LTZ model, outfitted with the most plastic chrome one could buy at the time. My parents bought the car used from George Nunnally Chevrolet in Bentonville with a mere 20,000 miles on it. George just so happened to be my parents’ neighbor at the time, and I think cut my parents a good deal on this demo. It had just about every option at the time including navigation, back up camera, power trunk, and self leveling suspension. I can remember my dad not being so fond of the car, but couldn’t pass up the deal.
By the time my dad passed the car to me, it had upwards of 50,000 miles on it and was still used as our family car that we took on trips. I remember we took it to Arizona where my grandparents lived, San Antonio, the Grand Canyon, Washington DC, Buffalo, NY, and Canada. The DVD player in the back seat helped the time go by on many of these trips, and I can even remember plugging in my Xbox and playing a few games.
It was a very nice car to have as my first car and I was very fortunate to have it. I remember it being a massive feat for me to have to try and park, but once I got the hang of it I was a pro. It was great practice. It was fun to have all my friends pile into it since it had the third row seat and could fit up to 8, no problem. For me, I was just so happy to have a car I really wasn’t paying attention to the problems that were soon to become more frequent.
My dad still claims this was the worst car that he has ever owned. It gave us so many problems that he has not and will not own another GM product again. First, the little things – like the handle falling off the driver side door. Then once when we were on the way to Dallas to the auto show I felt a drip of water while we were driving in the rain. My dad looked up and the entire headliner was soaked with water, front to back. Somehow the rear hatch started to leak and since it was pouring outside the water just kept coming in with no way to stop it. The problem that really did the car in was when it started to consume oil. Now, I am not sure the direct cause of this issue, but I have read and talked to several 5.3 owners that said theirs did the same thing. It would not burn the oil or show visible signs of leaking. It would just consume fast and disappear. The 5.3 Vortec V8 that was placed in this car had a system that would deactivate 4 cylinders when you were coasting or not under acceleration. The thing that comes to mind with this is the Cadillac’s 4-6-8 system (no replacement for displacement, right?), but it ran fine unlike that motor. Just consumed oil like it was going out of style.
Somewhere around 80,000 miles and several trips to the dealer for them to do a dye test, they called me out to the car. One of the techs called me over to the front of the car where he said that the front struts were starting to leak. He asked me if I had hit anything that might have caused this premature wear. I told him I couldn’t recall anything, knowing full well what had happened. A few weeks prior I was driving through some tall grass out on a friend’s property, when a sudden jolt made me think the entire dash was going to fall down. I stopped and got out, observing that there was a trench in the field that had been dug, but because of the grass I couldn’t see it. I walked back to the car only to find the front bumper popped a few screws around the wheel well and was pushed up around the sides of the car. Having a minor panic attack, I popped everything back into place and it all seemed good as new. Once my dad was made aware of the leaking struts he threw the towel in with the car and told me to start looking for something I wanted to take with me to college. A car that would be all mine, without my parents name on the title. What he didn’t know about the Tahoe incident wouldn’t hurt him. Let the search begin.
You mean you had an accident with your car that you didn’t tell your parents about?
I’m shocked….but not nearly as shocked as my sister was when I managed to spin my dad’s car one night and ended up by going 40 yards or so into a corn field….backwards…. and got away with it. She only knew about it because I ran out of money at the all-night coin car wash and had to call her to bring me some more. Took a freakin’ ton of quarter to get all the mud off that car….
Like your writing style by the way. Well done.
Welcome to the club, Connor! Well done!
Welcome to CC and COAL, Connor!
I own a 2002 Tahoe with the Gen III, pre-DOD (Displacement On Demand) 5.3 and 4L60E. It has 243,000 miles on it. We just drove it on vacation from Pittsburgh to Wilmington, NC and back with not so much as a hiccup. 70-90 MPH all the way.
Sounds like the DOD lifters were failing in your Tahoe. Common fix and well-known among those who own this generation Suburban/Tahoe/Silverado and its GMS/Cadillac equivalents.
I learned last week they used two different brands of lifters in these but don’t remember where I read that. But I think the Delphi lifters are better than the other brand.
Failing DOD lifters usually caused a noise issue as they failed, oil consumption not so much. Yes, there were multiple manufacturers of those lifters, and one was a problem. I seem to remember a service bulletin for DOD 5.3″s with excessive oil consumption. The fix was a new valve cover with a redesigned baffle that prevented excess oil from being drawn into the PCV system.
Ah this could be the reason why I have had issues, and others have no issues. We have friends with a Yukon with over 200,000 miles and not one engine problem.
Coincidentally CC’s former home had an article about that recently https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/10/piston-slap-delphi-lifters-make-the-sale/
Welcome, Connor!
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: The first post of a COAL series is usually my favorite, because it almost always contains some sort of youthful indiscretion. This one did not disappoint!
Well-written, and an engaging and relatable story, if only on the “Stuff I Didn’t Tell My Parents About” level.
Speaking of which, that would make a great QOTD Confessional, if it hasn’t been done already…..
Great write up and welcome to the COAL club! I was interested in your experience with the oil consumption, with the related 5.3 liter EcoTec3 with DOD in my 2019 Suburban I wrote up recently.
I think there was an issue with improved lifters/ a different supplier along the way as chas108 said.
One of the changes with the latest version of the engine is an increase in oil pan capacity from 6 to 8.5 quarts with a filter change. I assume they are trying to build in some safety buffer on the oil level among other things.
It was a really interesting experience for sure. I am glad they fixed it, because something really needed to be done.
Sadly, this is the last GM car that my family has owned. it just seemed to ruin it for us. Good luck with your 2019, they are good looking cars!
Great story, and I like the hi res photos too. Look forward to reading your next automotive adventure.
Great story! Regarding the leaking hatch – it sticks in my mind there was a similar problem with GM’s final generation of minivans. Only that leak would also ruin some of the power accessories.
Thank you all for welcoming me to the COAL club! I hope you will enjoy more of my posts!
I’m not a big truck man but I’ve always loved the looks of this generation of Tahoe/Suburban. The interior was a massive improvement and the exterior was just so clean, modern and handsome, whereas its predecessor – while still a good-looking truck – looked all bulging and lower-rent.
My strongest memory of this truck was when it was introduced and Chevrolet ran a competition to make your own Tahoe commercial on their website. Basically, there was a big range of clips to choose from, different music (including Perez Prado’s Guaglione) and different points at which you could enter free text. What could go wrong?
Well, people naturally used it as an opportunity to make fun of gas-guzzling SUVs and even the Bush administration.
I found an example of one on YouTube:
Haha, that was great! Thanks for the laugh.
“If I did anything that put a scratch on that car, it would be gone, and I would be destined to the Volvo.”
If I were you I wouldn’t have had the nerve to put a scratch on the Tahoe accidentally on purpose, but I’d rather have driven the Volvo. Don’t throw me in the briar patch! 🙂
Ha! At the time the Volvo was not cool to drive in high school. I wanted to be cool!
My issue wirh the tahoe is theres zero space behind the 3rd row. Better to get a traverse it u wanna stick with chevy and dont want to spend suburban $$$
In my hs all the kids had gen 2 eclipses or hand me down cyrysler minivans. Minivaan kids were the most popular. The 90s were a good time
That’s exactly what I said in my rental review of a 2019 Traverse LT, earlier this year. It is exactly the same length as a Tahoe, but has far more room, due to the IRS and transverse-unibody structure (whereas the Tahoe is BOF and has a solid rear axle). The Traverse also has a much longer wheelbase, at 120.9 inches to the Tahoe’s 116…and because the front wheels are further rearward on the Traverse, the real-life measurements stack even higher for it.
But the Tahoe is a different experience than the Traverse, and it’s a lot more alluring for some of the less populous parts of the country.
I hear that GM is finally–for better or worse–moving to an IRS on the 2021 BOF SUVs, which its competitors (Armada, QX56/QX80, Sequoia, Expedition, Navigator) have had for years.
Great description of the parking lot at Bentonville High School. I’m pretty conservative with my automotive purchases, and have had a few times when I’ve been the proud owner of a new car, and a Walmart vendor neighbor will see me drive up and say, “We just bought one of those for our teen!”
Maybe I’m in my second childhood…
Great story and welcome to CC! Can’t wait to read more!
Not telling your parents about the little teeny-weeny oopsie is pretty much the typical attitude amongst teenager drivers, including me.
In 1983, my late best friend drove his mum’s Buick Century (RWD A-Body) once in a while. We were driving it from a rural town to Dallas, and he overestimated Buick’s ability to negotiate the curve at 50 mph despite the warning sign, suggesting 30 mph. Buick’s tail started to swing out, and my friend fought to keep the car from veering off the road. He almost succeed, but we jumped over the curbs into the car park and bumped into a tree.
We got out to inspect the damage: just a bent numberplate and nothing else visually thanks to GM’s strict policy of fitting batting rams to the cars. After returning the car back to the road, we noticed the alignment out of, um, alignment. He replied,”my mum’s worst driver and always hit the curbs when she’s not paying attention. My father’ll think it’s her fault.”
I remember 2006-2007 well. Spring of 2006 was, I believe, the last long trip I took in my Ford Club Wagon. Filling the 35 gallon tank started to really hurt. Fuel that had dipped once or twice under a buck a gallon in my locale was now over $4. When it needed a significant repair Mrs JPC pronounced the death sentence.
Your father undoubtedly made a great buy on that car, as nobody wanted cars like that at the time. I should have scratched my countercultural itch too.
I too liked the look of this generation, though I prefer the bigger Suburban. I have, however, noticed that this generation is displaying a tendency to rust in the lower bodies as these age. The tail end of “old GM” was not one of its best eras.
I look forward to more from you.
I would agree, I have see a number of these rust in weird areas.
My dad always drove big massive cars. This was the 2nd Tahoe after a Suburban. Before that he always drove Jeeps.
Welcome to the COAL Train!
JPC is correct, as that was a great time to buy a vehicle like the Tahoe. My mother’s younger brother, who I have mentioned here before, is 6’8″ tall with a very large frame. Thus, he cannot drive just anything. It was at this point in time he got a screaming deal on a new 3/4 ton Suburban. He knew once gas hit $4 the asking price would drop precipitously.
Keep the pieces coming!
“It was at this point in time he got a screaming deal on a new 3/4 ton Suburban.”
Which GM no longer even sells, unless you are (un)fortunate enough to be a government official and can take advantage of their government/fleet sales arm.
I imagine the 3/4-ton Suburban is highly sought after on the used market.
Welcome, Connor, enjoyed the writeup! A black Tahoe is a bad*ssed high school ride, no doubt about it. Shame about the oil consumption and being ambushed by the field trench, doesn’t seem like too bad of a track record otherwise.
Welcome to CC and thank you for your COAL. I look forward to seeing more of this series.
Also, I think you and I have very similar upbringings. I was raised in a rich town, and as a result many of the cars in my high school parking lot were somewhat newer, although I think my car was the only BMW in the lot, and it was older than dirt. We also have some common ground here too. In my case, it was my father’s purchase of a 2008 Lincoln MK LT that he could not turn down. He considered an Avalanche of that vintage, but the 5.3 was the deciding factor. Apparently he preferred an engine that might throw a spark plug at the fender than an engine which constantly drank oil.
I worked as GM service advisor when these things came out. Like the author says, things broke all the time in these, things like door handles, vents, trim and a/c stuff. The brakes were totally inadequate for British Columbia.
The main cause for the 5.3 oil consumption issue in the cars I saw was piston slap. The 5.3 did not have matched pistons and oil gets past the rings/
These had some interesting fit-and-finish problems, too. Notably, the climate control and radio buttons would wear away to create quite an ugly mess. It didn’t help that GM used that same panel suite (or a version of it) on almost all of its pre-Global-A cars.
Ah, yes I remember this. We never had this issue because we had the nav, and my dad ALWAYS left the temp at 72, and auto. Never touched it. Now, that has passed on to me. I think this is the only time it was a good thing not to adjust the temp.
Ah, the old DOD system and its oiling issue. It has felled many a GMT900.
It’s worth noting that not all of the 2007 Tahoe LTZ and Suburban LTZ models (first model year for the GMT900 stuff) had the chrome door handles, like yours does. They were either an option, or something GM snuck in later in the MY2007 production run. In 2008, they must have become standard for LTZ models.
And of course you can identify 2010-and-later models because that’s when–for the most part–GM quietly removed its “Mark of Excellence” badges from the sides of all its cars. In the wake of the bankruptcy and bailout, the GM badge was no longer an honor.
Also, welcome!
Welcome indeed. Fascinating snippet of information about Walmart, and the kids at your school. In many other countries, the offspring of the monied never see a public school in their life.
As for the Tahoe, I like your bravery. Let’s just say some of us had trouble parking a first-gen Honda Civic at 18.
But the thing would have dead to me when a water drop got in, let alone a whole wet headliner. A car that leaks does not deserve, or get, a second chance.
Surprisingly we don’t have really any good private schools around here. Just a few, and I don’t know much about the high school.
Our public schools are very high rated. Bentonville always wins awards for being top 10 in the country for academics.
That was the only time I hit something surprisingly. I never backed into anything or hit something parking….that I knew of.
Welcome aboard and great start to your COAL series. I was aware that Walmart started there, but I wasn’t aware about the vendors having to have offices there. That’s a very cool little bit of trivia there.