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Clifford Martin's Yukon, Yukon XL,

Tahoe and Suburban Information Site

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Order Process . . .
Glossary of Terms . . .
Break-In Process . . .
Extended Warranties . . .
Country of Origin . . .

How to contact Clifford

What is the process to order a new Yukon, Tahoe, or Suburban?

The order process goes like this:
You contact a dealer and tell them that you want to order a new Suburban, Yukon, Tahoe.
Ask if they have an "allocation" for a truck that they can apply to your order this week. The dealer gets allocations on Tuesdays. The dealer can order on-line up until 9pm eastern time on Fridays. After 9pm the allocation is gone.
They can enter your order in a matter of minutes while you are there or on the phone.
Once all of the options are selected, they submit the order and get an instant response if the order is accepted.
If it is not accepted, the GM system returns a reason why. The reason is generally a "constrained" option such as a sunroof. They can delete the constrained option and resubmit the order if it is something you can live without.
Once the order is accepted a 6 digit number is displayed and that is your order number.
Obtain from your dealer a copy of the "Order Detail Summary". This report provides a written confirmation of exactly what options, etc. were ordered.
Usually within 7 days, your dealer can go back to the GM System and enter the order number and get a TPW date (tentative production week) for your truck.
The TPW is generally 4 to 7 weeks past the order date. The TPW can move in or out several weeks during this period.
Once the truck is built, your dealer can log back into the system and get the actual VIN number and production date.
Once the vehicle is produced, you should get a copy of the invoice from the dealer. It will verify the price, for those who bought the vehicle at X dollars over invoice and it will verify that everything ordered on the vehicle is included on the vehicle as built.
From this point until you get the truck is generally 17 days +/- a few.
Other events are visible on the GM system such as the date the truck arrives at the rail distribution center for you region or the method of shipment of your truck.
Your dealer also gets a printout of the invoice in the week before the truck arrives.
You can call the GM customer service number and give them your order number and you will get information. This information is often incorrect and incomplete. Your best bet is to inform your sales person that you will call from time to time to check on the progress.
I call about once a week and it takes my guy about 3 minutes to check status so it is no big deal.
To those who have tried to order a Suburb or Yukon or Tahoe and not been given a order number: Go to another dealer! Dealers get allocations based on previous years sales of these models. Not on cars!
These models are made by a GM division called GM Truck, not by Chevrolet or GMC. So if you are still waiting on your order to be accepted, you are being held captive by your dealer.
High volume truck dealers get more allocations and fewer constraints, so you are more likely to get your truck ordered quicker and with the options you want at a higher volume dealer.
Moral - If you live in up-state where ever, don't expect get an allocation in front of the market hot spots. This is a very typical way of distributing a high-demand product.

What is an Allocation, Constraint, TPW, etc.?

Here is a Glossary of Terms:
Allocation(s) - These are the things that dealers seem to never have enough of. GM is restricting how many vehicles of each model a dealer can order. Each Tuesday, the dealer will find out how many allocations they have and for what models. The quantity of allocations is thought to be based upon previous year sales of that model. The GM ordering computer then suggests model order configurations. The dealer can accept these suggestions or change them. If the computer suggests a configuration that includes a contrained item, the dealer can use that order suggestion to get a vehicle with a certain constrained item.
Constraints - These are the things that drive customers nuts. If an option is constrained, it means that either the dealer can not order that option at all or is limited in the numbers of that option that can be ordered. Constraints occur because GM does not have enough of the items from vendors or because there are problems with that item and GM does not want to send out vehicles with known problems.
TPW - TPW stands for Target Production Week. It is the best estimate of what week a particular ordered vehicle will be built. Even though the TPW gives a specific date, such as 5/15, the truck might be built on any day of that week. TPWs are a best guess and the actual build date of the truck depends upon many factors, such as availability of parts, etc.
Build Date - This is the actual date that the truck has finished assembly. It will appear on the paperwork (birth certificate) that GM sends to the dealer, which is given to your state government in order for a title to be generated.
Ship Date - This is the date that the truck is scheduled to leave the factory, either by rail or truck carrier. One flaw in the great GM system is that a truck in transit can not be tracked to find out where it is. Shipping times are the great black hole.
In Service Date - This is the date that your dealer's paperwork says you picked up the truck. It is from this date that the clock on your warrenty, etc., starts ticking. It is also the date that those nasty car payments or lease payments start from.
Ooow & Aahhh Date - This is the first day that you drive your new truck to work or anyplace where your friends can see your new ride. The Ooow & Aahhh refers to the sounds other people make when they see your SUV for the first time.
What THE #*&%! Date - This is the day of your first fill up of a full tank of gas. "What THE #*&%!" is what you say when you see how much it costs to fill that sucker up. "What THE #*&%!" can also occur when you find out what the insurance and license tag / ad valorem taxes will be on your new truck.
Oh Shoot! Date - This is the first day when you see that your new truck has gotten a parking lot scratch, dent or ding. For most owners this date comes shortly after they get tired of parking the truck in the far corner of parking lots and decide to park in the closest space available.
TSB - TSB stands for Technical Service Bulletin. TSB are released by GM to their dealers to inform them of special service related information.

What is the proper break-in procedure for my new Yukon, Suburban or Tahoe?

The manufacturer's suggested break-in procedures are so simple on new vehicles these days, that there is basically no excuse for not following them. For the first 500 miles:
1. Keep the speeds under 55 or 60.
2. Vary the speeds. If you are on the highway, I suggest varying between 40 to 60 (or even above 60 for a few minutes), and do not use the cruise control.
3. Don't tow a trailer.
Keep in mind that when you stop you will hear a popping sound from the vicinity of the exhaust system and even a slightly burning smell from the engine compartment the first time or two that you pull into your garage with your new vehicle. These are normal and should disappear (particularly the smell) after a couple of drives).
I make a point during the break-in period to systematically test each item on the vehicle, to the extent you did not do so when you picked it up from the dealer.
Finally, don't pay too much attention to the gas mileage on your new vehicle, if you check at all, for the first 500 miles or so. Mileage will improve after the break-in period.

Should I buy an extended warranty with my new Yukon, Suburban or Tahoe?

The answer to this question is ultimately dependant upon your personality and what you think about buying insurance. Some people really like the peace of mind of having the insurance against a major repair bill after the expiration of the standard warranty. To other people, buying insurance is just like betting against the house in Vegas - the odds are that you are not going to win - that is the nature of insurance and the way it is priced. If you are inclined to consider the purchase of an extended warranty, however, here are some considerations that you might want to keep in mind:
1. Find out from your dealer BEFORE YOU GO TO PICK UP YOUR VEHICLE how much the extended warranty costs and the basic terms. If you live near your dealership, go by and pick up a brochure on the extended warranty being offered. It is much easier to make up your mind whether you want the extended warranty ahead of time than it is sitting in the dealer's financial office when you are handling other matters and all you really want is to get in your new Yukon, Suburban or Tahoe.
2. Remember that the cost of the extended warranty is a negotiable item, so if you are interested in buying one with your vehicle, try to negotiate a better price than the one first offered. There is a web site that sells the GM Major Guard warranty for discounted prices (see links section) and there are several web sites that sell third party warranties.
3. More times than not, the extended warranty being offered is NOT backed by GM and has nothing to do with GM. It is underwritten by an insurance company you probably never have heard of. There is one reason, and one reason only, that the dealership is trying to sell the non-GM warranty - the commission to the dealership is better than GM's commission. I am personally very skeptical of extended warranties from third party carriers. There are just too many questions to take into account: Will the carrier be around in four or five years? Will you be the one to have to initially pay the cost of the repair and then apply for reimbursement from the carrier? Will a dealership other than the one you are buying the vehicle from be willing to deal with the third party carrier? Etc. I believe the dealership is obligated to offer the GM warranty as well, so ask to see it and make a comparison.
4. Most aftermarket extended carriers will let you add the extended warranty anytime before the expiration of the factory warranty. Consider waiting for a while. Remember that the extended warranty does not come into play util the factory warranty runs out, so if you buy the warranty at the time you buy the vehicle, you are paying now for something you don't get for three years or 36000 miles from now. The exception to this is if you buy the GM Major Guard extended warranty. The price for the GM product is less when it is bought at the same time the vehicle is put into service.
5. Most importantly, go back to point one above. Think about the possibility of an extended warranty ahead of time and do not be swayed by a sales pitch when you pick up the vehicle. It is an expensive purchase (the one I was offered on my 2000 Yukon was $1,680) and should be given more careful thought than you can give it in a few moments at the dealership.

How can I tell what country my vehicle was built in?
- The first digit in VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) denotes the country of origin.
  1 = US
  2 = Canada
  3 = Mexico
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I am looking for information to include on this site. If you can provide any info that would be of help to people, please contact me. Thanks for visiting my web site and please come back often. If you have any comments or information, please contact me.

Clifford Martin Alpharetta, GA 30004 EMail :clifford.martin@mindspring.com

This web site was last updated on October 29, 2000 at 10:00 p.m. EDT.

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