We have an 00 GMC Sierra (FS, extended cab, 6.5’ bed) and I just got an 87 Ranger supercab I bought back onto the road.
The GMC is my last GM car. I just put a heater core in it last weekend. It literally took the whole weekend. Had to remove all the control panels, all the pretty dash parts, then all of the plastic structure behind that, then the metal structure behind that along with parts of the wiring harness, then pull the HVAC unit off the firewall (after removing the refrigerant) so I could remove two screws and pop out the heater core. Ginormous PITA. Not even mentioning the stupid quick-connect-impossible-to-disconnect fittings GM decided to use on the heater core hoses.
I managed to fix the HVAC controls myself with some creative soldering - the bulbs are soldered onto the circuit board, so when they go out, you’re basically screwed and etchings on the board are extremely fragile. Another PITA.
And R134 at the parts store is now $13/can - it takes 5 cans to refill the system (I need to build a recovery setup, but that’s another story...).
I’ve had the ABS module die because of corroded solder connections (managed to fix it myself), the HVAC actuator has to be replaced every two or three years, the mirror controls die almost as often. The hinges wore out years ago and since they’re welded on, you basically have to rebush them, and there’s no plug for the door wiring so you have to strip the wiring out of the door to remove it to rebush. It’s now suddenly rusting like crazy from the inside out. I actually put a hole in the bed with a marine cover after I replaced the second fuel pump. That’s not even to mention the multiple intermediate steering shafts I’ve put in as GM as used its customer base for testing revisions, or the same with the noisy driveshaft yokes at $100 a pop. They’ve been making pickup trucks for what, a century? Didn’t they learn anything in 100 years?
I was raised on GM, but I’ll never buy another if this is their definition of engineering. The bankruptcy debacle just sealed that deal for me.
So far my old Ford has been pretty impressive. Very easy to work on, very reliable, parts are cheap. I’m not comparing the same generations of Ford and GM, but any vehicle I purchase in the future will be Ford or foreign. I’ve had late 80s/early 90s GM stuff and it was as bad as the 00 I have now. I guess I’m not a fast learner.
I have a whole separate tirade on Chrysler as I own an 02 Sebring ragtop with the 2.7 that is now DOA (cause as yet undetermined, but the timing chain slipped) after it’s third engine rebuild since I’ve owned it.
If I wasn’t able to wrench on my own vehicles, I don’t know how I’d keep any one of these marvels on the road without a second mortgage for maintenance.
I will trade this, GM has historically regarded as better than Chevy but not to me, I bought a brand spankin new 2005 Aztek, just had to replace the head gaskets at 80,000 miles, long before that it has lost almost every wheel bearing, its noisy going down the road and the electrical is substandard, but i have managed to have most of it repaired, just two weeks ago I did all the gaskets myself, it still has a Disable AWD symptom that is caused by a corroded connection at the rear axle, but for now its just parked, went and bought the 2012 Equinox, far better SUV all around if a bit smaller.
Forget the fact it's on its third suspension at 72,000 miles and it's NEVER left the pavement.
Forget the fact that it's on its 4th set of brakes because the OEM versions are just CRAP and the anti-lock brakes keep warping the rotors. Forget the fact that it gets a paltry 16mpg city and 21-22mpg highway.
The LAST STRAW was replacing the battery a week ago Saturday right before the temperature here plunged to -18.
Who in their right effing minds requires FIVE different socket sizes (3 metric, 2 SAE) just to remove a battery? Why was one battery post Metric and the other SAE?
Ok, past that now. So battery comes out and the onboard computer DUMPS/CLEARS itself within 2 minutes of the battery being disconnected. WTF?
Then, re-connecting the NEW battery the stupid headlight washers decide to give me a nice blue shower.
Who's the bloody bleeping moron at GMC that said "You know, when they re-connect the battery, let's have the headlight washers give 'em a good spritz for a job well done?"
So I remove the battery to see if I'm creating a short somewhere (I wasn't ....) and attempt to re-install the battery. Oops! Got another blue shower once the battery was reconnected.
This is the WORST part though: The stupid thing wouldn't idle when I restarted it after installing the new battery. Kept dying out.
Google is my friend, so I google "GMC Envoy won't idle after changing battery" .... wouldn't you know, up pops the problem: After the computer dumped and cleared itself, it thought it had a nice, clean throttle-body. In other words,it thought it was a brand new car with a nice clean fuel system -- when it wasn't. Wouldn't you know, the onboard computer knows the throttle body is getting dirty over time and "adjusts" the fuel/air mix to compensate. That "compensation" is lost once the computer clears.
So in order to get the stupid thing to run right guess what I had to do? You guessed it, remove the throttle body (which was quite dirty....) and clean it.
That meant --- disconnecting the battery again. OH JOY!!
Disconnected battery, removed Throttle Body and cleaned it. Looked like brand new.
Re-installed Throttle Body (did I mention that took 3 different socket sizes?) and re-connected battery.
Oh yeah, got another nice blue shower. You'd think I'd have learned by the second blue shower? nope, got a third.
Opened door, started vehicle. VAAAARRROOOOOOM!!
Thank the Lord! Went to high idle, stepped down as it should as it warmed up and stayed running at 650 RPM idling as it was supposed to.
Now, I'm all for doing normal maintenance on a vehicle, that don't bother me. What bothers me is when a simple 20 minute task turns into just over 4 bloody hours!!
I've never EVER had a vehicle where the computer cleared itself to the point the stupid vehcile wouldn't run right, simply by disconnecting and installing a new battery.
My 1996 Jeep Cherokee Country didn't do it. Neither did our 1999 Grand Caravan, our 1994 Thunderbird, or event the Wife's 2008 Honda Odyssey.
I don't know what GM was thinking (especially with the headlight showers when re-connecting the battery) but as God in Heaven is my witness, this is my first and LAST GMC vehicle.