GM Parts Club
Christmas travel is winter travel, at night, in a full vehicle, often on unfamiliar roads. Here is what to actually look at, using a 2021-2023 GMC Yukon XL as the example.
Electrical and Charging
Watch for a slow crank on the first cold morning of the year. Batteries in Texas heat routinely give up between three and five years. Test annually after year three, before the first cold snap.
GM’s battery management system is calibrated to a specific battery chemistry, group size and reserve capacity.
Glass and Wipers
Watch for a rain sensing system that triggers late or not at all. Blades every six to twelve months. In North Texas, summer heat kills blades faster than winter does.
Vehicles with rain sensing or heated wiper park use different assemblies.
Cooling System
Watch for having to top off the surge tank more than once a year. GM’s long-life coolant is generally rated for 5 years or 150,000 miles on the first fill and 5 years or 100,000 miles after that. Hoses and the surge tank should be inspected annually once past 80,000 miles.
Surge tanks and caps are pressure-rated to the specific system, and a wrong cap is a slow way to cook a head gasket.
The Short Checklist
- Batteries: Vehicles with stop-start often use two batteries. Confirm which one you are replacing before ordering.
- Wiper blades: Driver and passenger blades are frequently different lengths on the same vehicle.
- Radiators: Engine, tow package and rear-A/C content all change the radiator and hose part numbers. Have the VIN ready.
Genuine GM parts, dealer priced, shipped from Dallas. our GMC OEM parts catalog has the full catalog, or search for Yukon XL parts.
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