GMC Sierra is one of the best trucks on the road! Why does the CAR WIZARD like this truck so much??? 

I changed the fluid in an old volvo once, a couple of days later it stopped motating. Had to replace the whole transmission. Used the correct fluid, but it just up and died. At least it was my own car and not a friends. Wizard is a Wizard for a reason.

I've got an '04 GMC Sierra 2500HD with 508,000 miles on it and it is still one solid truck.

Gotta love the GMC Sierra. I had a 2004 SLT that was bought new for me for work. I drove that truck to over 750K miles on the original engine. Replaced the transmission about three and that was at 200K for each transmission. Regular maintenance helps a lot to catch failure points before they happen.

Yeah, DEFINITELY keep that truck going as long as possible. Truck prices today are absolutely bonkers. For so many decades, they were cheaper than a sedan!

Gotta love the aftermarket headlights that try to mimic the look of the following gen's lights.

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3 with 140K I have no intention of ever selling it. Best vehicle I have ever owned.

My 2010 GMC Sierra 2500HD (6.0 gas V8) is pushing 353k on the original drivetrain. Hands down, the best truck I could ever ask for.

I work at a chevy store, our store took in a 04 gmc sierra with 207k miles. It was a hoghway driven truck, 2nd owner who took care of the maintence as it should. I decided to purchase the truck as a daily, been in the buisness since 05 so i know small block GM v8's are reliable and can run for a long time. Anyhow that was 3 years later and its still running like a champ.

The 99 to 2007.5 are the best. I have an 07 (old body style 6.0 with a manual transmission.)

The "wet" water stained headliner is from the 3rd brake light leaking. Seems to be an issue they all have.

i have a 2007 sierra SLE with 300,000km and still runs like a champ. i just took it on a 2 month journey from vancouver island all the way to fairbanks alaska and back. no problems.

463,231........highest mileage I've seen personally on one. I wrote it down cause l knew I'd forget. lol Oh and that's on a pre afm 5.3 no rebuild and still ran great

I just picked up a 2011 Yukon Denali with 260,000 miles on it, looks and runs like new. Only issues were a steering angle sensor and brake light switch, easy repair with $75 in parts. Just replaced the fuel pump due to the top of the pump rusting out, so no worries for a while. It's got the 6.2 and the DoD system is still working. No regrets paying $7500 for it

Looking after the customer is what it's all about tell them what's broken and let them make a informed decisions

I'm convinced the absolute best GMT was the 2008/2009 Yukon Denali or Escalade. They had the 6.2 but the best part about that was that in 2008/2009 they had no AFM/DOD hardware at all. 2007 had the hardware but was not active however for 2008 and 2009 no AFM/DOD hardware. Then in 2010 it was reintroduced and fully active. I had a 2008 Yukon Denali AWD and it made it 260k miles before actually tearing into the engine. Transmission still shifted perfectly and the interior was in amazing condition.

For years I purchased my vehicles roughly four years old after the depreciation hit hardest. I'm afraid those days may be gone forever.

Once my mechanic told me they found quite a few problems and told me what I wanted to do I just looked at him and said « what do you mean, we’re going to fix all of it » the look on his face was priceless. I could tell he was used to people who like to trash their cars as fast as possible.

People either like this era of GM or don’t there’s no in-between. Yeah it’s not quite on par compred to pre-recession GM and cheaped out in some places, but compared to today’s more complex trucks it’s simple.

You are a big reason I got my truck a couple years ago. 07 sierra 1500 with the 4.8l V8. A little rust now, but I'm in Indiana. I'll try to get it taken care of soon. Got 184k miles now and I'll keep it forever if I can.

When I first got into the automotive industry was right about this Era. 07 and up body style. I remember my boss at the dealership ALWAYS had a Denali. I still remember the smell of the interior, nothing matched that Denali leather interior smell imo and tbh even to this day I still very much like the interior. The fully loaded models with the heated steering wheel and touch screens were so nice

I agree with you about the GMC trucks. My father first had a 2002 and when it needed to be replaced, he bought a 2011. The only reason it needs to be replaced was that it's driven in Upstate New York. Everything was rusted out. This one just has the rear wells rusted out and we're working at keeping them as long as we can. Thanks for this video and for all the others!

Car Wizard ! made my day - I am an owner of a 2011 GMC Sierra 5.3 SLE Crew cab, 5.3! I love mine - Thank you for doing this video! Cheers!

Always looking out for your customers. That is what puts you head and shoulders above other mechanics.

I own three Gm trucks all of them 2006 or older. One of my favorite things of these trucks besides excellent engines is the ability to charge things when the car is off. I forget how awesome this is until I rent a new car to find out my phone did not charge when it was off, so annoying.

The mess on the headliner is more than likely caused by a leak in the third brake light. Mine had a bad light and was not sealing right, so when it would rain water would get in , replaced the light and some clear silicone fixed my issue

I have a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab with all options except sunroof. $42K out the door new. Almost 98K miles, nothing but oil changes and a new set of tires. Best truck I've ever had. Zero buyer's remorse.

I have a 2002 chevy tahoe . Current mileage is 325,825 miles. Its my daily driver and has been on three cross-country trips in the last two years with zero problems.

My 2012 Chevy 1500 Silverado work truck has 288,000 miles and is still running strong! I love that truck…

The work done on this truck is worth every penny !

A good mechanic is the equivalent of a good investigative journalist, you go looking and report the findings. When my car was under warranty and I wad taking it back to the dealer they used to record the faults and send you the video of the findings, I will never buy another car from them but that idea was a good one as the customer can see the problem as well as have a detailed report from the mechanic. So a shop phone and WhatsApp is all you need to set that service up, I think it's another little thing to reassure a customer that the fault is real and this is the consequence of the components failure. All the best from Scotland to Mr & Mrs Wizard and the crew.

Check those brake lines for seeping brake fluid and rust . Especially over front drivers frame and if used in snow areas . They all go

My 03 Tahoe and 04 Sierra have 280k and 220k miles, and both are completely rust free. Paid $4400 for the GMC and $2500 for the Tahoe in 2020! Love them both.

Always feeling positive and educated after i watch your video. Knowing that there are good mechanics out there and future mechanics that hopefully will follow in your footsteps along with Daniel Son and Magic Mike make me feel hopeful. Just too bad you all are in the middle of the country and I'm on the coast. Dang!!!

Just bought a 2006 Duramax with only 198,000 kms! Looking forward to putting it to work

You're the kind of mechanic/shop owner that people appreciate because you care about our safety, that's the kind of shop that I have near me. The world 🌎 needs more people like you to make America safe 🙏. People should realize that the sooner you get to a repair shop, the cheaper it will be and safer for everyone

Good to hear, I have a 2012 Sierra that I just picked up. 1st thing I did is tune out the AFM.

I just had an idea for a "Continuously Renewing Undercoat" system "powered by the natural operation of your existing engine." OK maybe some kinks to work out. Ha!

I have a 2003 silverafo 2500hd i love it 260k miles drives strung 💪🇺🇸

I just purchased a 2014 GMC SLE Sierra double (extended) cab for $23K with 92K miles. Very good condition and very happy with it. New was around $64K equipped like mine with a payment of around $850 month. Crazy! Ill take my very well kept (maintenance records from new) Buffalo NY- one owner- 2014 all day long thank you very much!

Always respect your honesty. I'm lucky to have a similar Service Advisor at my dealership. I have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I bought new with the Lifetime Maxcare. I'm at 231k miles and he still makes sure my repairs are covered under warranty.

Definitely a good video to watch as I spent a pretty penny on an 04 w/165k miles lol same thing happened, anticipated maybe 1-2k, ended up being closer to 5! Happily taking care of it bit by bit and at the end I'll know I have one hell of a truck. Front end work (CV axles, tie rods & while I am in there decided to replace Upper CA, pitman arm, idler as well); brake overload w/parking seized and now replaced; valve cover; exhaust leak @ manifold; and trans cooler lines.. pretty similar to the video!! Thankfully, only got caught off guard by the cooler lines as the other's I anticipated! Don't regret the purchase one bit.

My 1999 Chevy Silverado 2500 6lt. 134k..miles..it's near perfect condition..Florida truck....everything works..and 4 wheel disc brakes..

It’s nice too see a honest mechanic.. I have one that I have used for the past few years.. Thank you

The water stains on the ceiling is from the 3rd tail light. The 3rd tail light should be replaced, or make a new seal. I didn't want messy sealant around my 3rd tail light so I just bought a new one.

Got a 02 Silverado with 350,000 miles and running strong. Has a bit of a lifter tap, but goes away after warming up and some Lucas oil stabilizer helped. 07-13 are pretty good especially if you delete the AFM system.

Great video! Love the truck! Keep up the great work Wizard, thank you for taking care of my old hooptie truck! 🙏🏻

I picked up an 05 Sierra 2500 Crew Cab, 4x4 short bed with the gas 6.0 with only 75k miles last summer after dropping an order for a 22 Silverado Duramax equivalent trim. Not only didI spend 1/4 the amount, everything associated with it costs way less as well. Sure it's not a diesel, but I just needed something slightly heavier duty than a 1/2 ton. I got caught up with my neighbors and friends about "gotta have a diesel hur hur". So glad I had doubts in the end.

Thank you for your video Wizard! My whole family owns these trucks, and i love driving them. I finally picked one up for $3,850. As I live in Michigan it’s a little rusty but not too bad. It needs brakes, cv axles and I will be doing ball joints and control arms while I am in there, and some other odds and ends. They seem to be pretty solid trucks.

I agree with the Wizard about servicing the transmission, unless it’s been serviced once or twice before.

i have an 02 silverado. only 118k on the clock. its got plenty of life left.

There's no way I would ever think you are trying to stack up the repair bill for no reason. You are the most honest repair shop I have ever seen. Much respect to you.

As you said was changing transmission fluid after so many miles, the same goes converting a truck with that many miles from conventional to synthetic. That conventional oil burns at a lower temperature and scabs up, I was told that if you change to synthetic it won’t actually cause leaks, but it will cause existing leaks to get worse

Great engine to learn mechanic on. You can find reference material, manuals and video's everywhere on how to fix pretty much everything. Parts are everywhere unlike you newer ( FIAT CHRYSLER)...

I looked at one of those back in December of 2022 but decided to get a 2012 Toyota Tundra 5.7 used with 67k miles on it. You can't go wrong with a Toyota, this is my 6th Toyota. I owned a Chevy Silverado with the infamous 4L60E glass transmission years back and I figured, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". I also owned a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 years ago which was the biggest piece of junk of the trucks I've owned. I'm very satisfied with the Tundra so far. You are right about truck prices, often if you have a truck that is a solid base, it now makes sense to fix it and keep it on the road. I also have a work truck, an old 1988 Ford F250 7.3 diesel truck which I recently swapped the motor in my driveway. it is a whole lot cheaper than buying a new diesel or gas work truck for sure. If you have the tools and skills to swap the motor at home, it makes sense sometimes. The Tundra is my pretty truck with a crew cab, chrome running boards, chrome bull bar, and paint-matched Leer tonneau cover. The F250 is my grunt work truck,

You are such a level headed gentleman. Sage advice is always appreciated by my auto professionals.

Unless you delete the AFM on the 5.3 engine in those trucks they are a hand Gernade with the pin pulled. You can basically guarantee lifter on cylinder 7 is going to fail at some point and then it’s off with the heads and pray the cam doesn’t get wiped out.

Great video! 302000 on my 2011 GMC! Original trans still. It’s all about the maintenance.

I remember doing oil changes on cars where the old oil was actually keeping the old thing alive. It was never a good ending. It happened once to me and only once.

Good job bud..Nice to see validated & good workmanship & quality work

I have an almost identical 2010 Sierra SLT 5.3 LC9 with 182k miles I drive daily. At 143k miles I deleted my AFM with a non-AFM cam and LS7 lifters when the plastic oem AFM lifter tray decided to break and let my lifter spin sideways to destroy a cam lobe. I used the Texas Speed AFM delete kit. It’s been a good truck, I bought it in 2013 with 70k miles. Mine is also rusting on bed sides but worse on the passenger side. My trans line is also leaking.

GM has always made fantastic trucks just some years are better than others.

Picked up an 09 silverado crew cab for 10k back in October with 237k miles on it. Minimal rust and the super dependable 4.8 with none of that afm stuff that can go wrong. Been pretty good for me so far, but recently had the reverse lights stop working and trying to hunt that bug down

I have a 2004 Chevy Silverado step side Z71 with 100K miles on it and we are looking to sell it along with our minivan so we go from 3 cars to 2 cars. Our truck is used to haul our horse (Hawk trailer and usually just 1 horse). We’ll get a Suburban. Our mechanic is like Wizard - very practical and does a great job.

You sir are the most honest mechanic in the world. I fear (know) you are a dying breed. I sure wished I had you for a mechanic but life in Florida is pretty sweet! If I am ever in Kansas, (we have an A class rv so you never know) I will definitely stop by and say thank you for these videos and your honesty!!

Fresh transmission fluid is always the best if all is replaced. There is a reason that no new automatic transmissions do not come with old expired transmission fluid.

I have an 04 Chevy Tahoe and I can attest that is hard to feel misfires on that engine. when I bought mine, I took it from Illinois to Washington State on 7 cylinders, I didn't even realize one of the spark plugs were gone until doing a tune-up at home.

Basically all those parts are consumable. This truck is a keeper!

I've watched many of your videos and always appreciate hearing your thoughts as a mechanic given your experience level. One thing I heard in this video surprised me. I know you have said you no longer work on older (classic) vehicles and now that you do not work on trucks heavier than 1/2 ton. This surprised me and I wonder if you could elaborate on this, and is this a prevalent attitude among auto shops? Just caught me by surprise, Thanks.

It's worth it if this means no more major repairs for awhile, and 200k more mi out of it. As for wheels, years ago in LA, a co-worker's husband came out one morning to find his Avalanche up on cement blocks, so those locks were for SoCal (Gone in 60 Seconds) vehicles like his. When I see new trucks, esp. Fords w/those tall grilles & stacked headlights, they remind me of the ridiculous Griswold Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

Another good video about Chevy / GMC trucks , I watched your video talking about eliminating the Active fuel management replacing the cover Guess AFM is ok when it works but i did not what to find out the hard way if i would have problems later - So i bought a 2004 GMC Yukon off craigslist . Maroon in color has the 5.3 no rust on the body the leather interior very nice condition, Price $4,800 178,000 miles recent rebuilt transmission with updates that cost $4,700 bucks - The Bad the 4WD didn't work the transfer case motor actuator wires were damaged by the driveshaft. The owners brother did a repair but that didn't fix the problem the selector switch on the dash did not light up Thegauge

i own this truck 2008 z71 all terrain 380k on it looks runs beautiful still, new tranny in 2018 very reliable.

Thank you very much again thank you for all your videos you teach me a lot overtime. 🌿👀 Question did you have O.J. Simpson’s bronco behind you?

Thinking about picking one of these trucks or the chevy version of these trucks up used. Glad to see they hold up so well and that I can fix pretty much whatever myself at home. Dont mind getting my hands dirty to save some money.

Gm makes pretty good all around trucks. Obviously there are ones with issues but still a great option today. Most of the people I know who own and drive them have great luck. I appreciate that gm interiors tend to be a little more simple compared to the competitors always easy to figure out.

I’m in the same boat with my 2015 Tacoma. 135K on it, well maintained, well used to hauling and camping trips, but I plan to keep it for a very long time. Couldn’t replace it for less than 35K if I ventured to the local Toyota dealership.

Solid review. Nice to see an honest mechanic.

Nice work!

How do you choose to handle labor overlap? If you can sell a customer on replacing something like the CV’s while you’re in there doing the oil pan do you just add a little more time or would you get the full time for them? Seems like every shop handles this a little differently. I’ve noticed most service writers won’t pickup on overlap on a work order.

Cheaper to maintain then replace. I like to inspect the transmission fluid before changing it. If the fluid is burnt or anything. I won't service it either

My wife's 2004 GMC Yukon Denali with 6.0 engine, 215K miles still going strong! Love your channel!

This video was thoroughly enjoyable. I’ve got an 07 sierra and have been slowly fixing little things. Brakes & rotors, electric fold out mirrors, console padding, etc. torn on whether to change the trans fluid (mileage is 135K). Works perfectly right now.

I’m sure everyone who owns a modern PU loves how more capable and comfortable they are than compared to the 60’s and 70’s. But they have gotten much larger too. Which makes them a pain to park in many places.

This is refreshing to see. I've been working on my FIL's 07 silverado classic. It's got 300,000km on it. Thankfully so far the plugs and MAF sensor were easy.

very professional mechanic, we need more like you brother

Love the videos and the good mechanic values

Depends on the the previous owner. I had a 2008 Sierra SLE crew cab just like this but with 150k and 2-3 previous owners and it was a clapped out sack of trash with lots of issues. I am sure if you found one that was one owner and always up to date on maintenance it would be a good vehicle.

As a HVAC tech we had two 03’ GMC 1500 that went well over 250k with just about zero issues. Thing is these truck were abused and had limited maintenance. Due to having men driving them that completely ignored oil changes. I’m talking trucks were driven 30k before having the oil changed. Not recommended, but they continued to run and make money. I bought a 16’ and I’m hoping it stays as trouble free as the fleet trucks. I’m super leary of the AFM valve train. But this gives hope.

We have a 2012 GMC Yukon that is approaching 260k miles. We have definitely made repairs. Transmission rebuild at 160k and A/C system components were among the most pricey. Many of the more mundane repairs like alternator, power steering pump, radiator, water pump, I have done the labor myself. I often complain as I am under that thing making yet another repair, and say it is time for it to go, but I realize it is worth keeping as long as it still runs well. At this point, trading it in is not really a viable option, as trade is probably $4k or less, so we might as well wick every last mile and penny out of it.

These beasts were the bs and es in their day,just wonder about their reliability?By the sounds of this one 200k ,is amasing Wizard!💪👌👊👊👊👍

Have to watch for the electrical gremlins caused by corrosion of the fuse box under the hood. Can be expensive. I think Doge/RAM issues with theirs costs way more. Keep up the maintenance.

Bought an 05 crew cab Silverado 2wd with 140k miles for around 9k over a year ago. The transmission shifted good and engine sounded good, but it had never had any work done other than I assume oil changes & brake pads. There were alot of factory parts still on it, just screaming to be replaced. And I'm still slowly replacing things.

Goood info on the oil pickup o-ring, thanks! My dad's 09 supposedly has a rear main seal leak, but it's not leaking all that much. If we end up doing that, which requires dropping the pan, we will replace that o-ring.

Yeah, they're easy to work on...... mostly..... but the trouble-prone AFM system is just the pits to fix/replace.

A domestic ! Thank you WIZZZO !

Wizard is exactly right about that transmission. Had it happen to me in my 95 Trans Am

Nice work. Favorite part was the tire comment, need tires in the next year or two. 😂 I need a new set every year on my Dually. But I drive 40,000 every year also.

How about a 200k mile vehicle that has had the trans filter service done regularly? Lets say every 60K or so, is it wise to continue with that service interval? Or just leave it alone?

My buddy, Jim, who is a retired mechanic, told me that the new GMC trucks have transmission problems, some of them going out at 30,000 miles, do you know anything about this?

I kinda get that with GMC...solid long running conservitive reliablility

Lots of "while you're in there" issues........great video! Those front CV shafts are more cost effective to just replace as a unit, cheaper and easy to do.