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Another tow Q


Debt Setter

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Currently have a 07 Escalade ESV. Nothing but problems with it. Window trim flaking, dash cracking, arm rest falling off, rear tail gate motor failure, rear air bag failure, trans failure, main CPU failure... I could go on and on. Long story short, since I have had the vehicle it has died when towing only after towing a distance in heat (over 90 degrees). It burns oil to the point of tripping the warning, fouls injectors and plugs. I have had it to the dealership at least 6 times for the issue and each time they say they have found the issue and talked to someone who has seen it before, replaced x and y. It works perfect day to day, short tow trips etc. Go on a long haul and it breaks every time. I can not duplicate this for the dealership and to be honest... Just done. So I am looking at a new tow vehicle. New, SUV with size, it will be my daily driver, need luxury. I am thinking Infinity QX56, Thoughts or suggestions appreciated, FYI, I am not interested in a truck.

Edited by Debt Setter
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Too bad about your escalade.... our's has been flawless..... although we have had our share of lemons over the years.... we have also been thinking of a replacement mainly because of my ADD with vehicles....our escalade is 5 years old... new record for me.... we have also been looking at a QX56... rides nice... too bad you can't tow on a test drive... it is tough to find a full size tow vehicle.... again not a truck... we already have a duramax... I am looking for a 7000 lb + tow rating so there is some wiggle room/safety factor.... sorry I am not a ford.. see the lemon statement above... we may end up with another escalade but i bet that is off your radar.

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The Nissan drive train is pretty good, great torque for towing. We are currently looking at the Armada for the replacement of our Expy. Have you checked out the Toyota Land Cruiser? You can get the Sequioa pretty nice, but the Land Cruise would be more in line of super-lux. Again, the Toyota 5.7 is a good torquey motor and the transmissions are built well. Personally, we are between the Armada and a VW Touareg TDI. We don't need the big space the larger SUV's offer, and the diesel would be nice for economy. I am not a fan of spending up to the luxury models, I don't enjoy them anymore than a well equipped normal, but to each his own. Good luck, I know what you mean by lots of problems (see Expy above)....

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The Infinity/Nissan drive train is perhaps the best gas towtrain out there. The 5.6l engine develops sound torque at a much lower RPM, and the transmission is geared at near perfect ratios. The drive train is also bulletproof being it is unchanged since 2003. They also eliminated all bugs in the vehicle. 12.5 mpg when towing boat.

I have over 40,000 problem free towing miles on my Nissan. Engine has 140,000 with zero problems. I had the bugs in my early 2004 truck, but they were not drive train related at all.

Edited by electricjohn
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Some one was talking about their WV Toureg diesel ahiwle back and how the loved it...

VW Touareg is meeting all my expectations. Does great towing the VLX, and for comparison, my previous tow rig was a modified 6.4 Powerstroke. The t-reg It is the same vehicle as the Porsche "Pepper" and Audi Q minus some bling. I think it might be a little small for the Op, as he is looking full sized. The Q7 is a lengthened version; might be worth a look. They all have a 7800lb tow rating and get over 30mpg on the highway if you go with the TDI. BMW and MB both have diesel options now, but the tow rating is lower and they cost more than the VW.

If I did not care about fuel mileage the Infinity QX woud be on my list.

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Best tow vehicle in the world: Chevy Suburban. The long wheelbase makes towing a non-issue.

Sorry to hear the Escalade is giving trouble. What engine do you have in your Escalade?

I have the little 5.3 liter engine in my '02 Suburban (with the tow package, including bilstein shocks) and she tows like a dream. She will slow a bit going up steeper mountain passes, but never gives any trouble. 180,000 miles on my Suburban (all mine) and all she has ever needed was new front wheel bearings at 120,000. Nothing else has broken. Not a single thing in 10 years of hard use. I replaced the front wheel bearings myself....the car has never been to the dealer since being purchased in '02 (I do regular oil/fluid changes myself). Amazing car.

Edited by CliffB
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The Infinity/Nissan drive train is perhaps the best gas towtrain out there. The 5.6l engine develops sound torque at a much lower RPM, and the transmission is geared at near perfect ratios. The drive train is also bulletproof being it is unchanged since 2003. They also eliminated all bugs in the vehicle.

I have over 40,000 problem free towing miles on my Nissan. Engine has 140,000 with zero problems. I had the bugs in my early 2004 truck, but they were not drive train related at all.

+1.

We have had no problems with our 2010. 25k miles. We tow 6k with a 20' enclosed trailer (6 dirtbikes) and it tows like a dream. We hardly notice the trailer with that, and hardly noticed the malibu the one time we towed it. Fuel mileage sucks though. We get about 10 when towing 6k.

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Currently have a 07 Escalade ESV. Nothing but problems with it. Window trim flaking, dash cracking, arm rest falling off, rear tail gate motor failure, rear air bag failure, trans failure, main CPU failure... I could go on and on. Long story short, since I have had the vehicle it has died when towing only after towing a distance in heat (over 90 degrees). It burns oil to the point of tripping the warning, fouls injectors and plugs. I have had it to the dealership at least 6 times for the issue and each time they say they have found the issue and talked to someone who has seen it before, replaced x and y. It works perfect day to day, short tow trips etc. Go on a long haul and it breaks every time. I can not duplicate this for the dealership and to be honest... Just done. So I am looking at a new tow vehicle. New, SUV with size, it will be my daily driver, need luxury. I am thinking Infinity QX56, Thoughts or suggestions appreciated, FYI, I am not interested in a truck.

Does your Escalade have the 6.0L or the 5.3L If 5.3 with cylinder deactivation (runs in 4 cyl mode to save fuel in light duty situations), there is a TSB to fix the oil burning problem. Must be something with the 07's (new model year at the time) as I have an '07 Suburban. We love it but the dealership knows me by first name if I walk in for service unannounced due to all the issues. We had a transmission failure at 56K, lower end rebuild @ 117K, new A/C, new steering system, trim issues, etc. Most have been warrantee items but still frustrating. I think it's about the best tow platform you can find given its size...the boat can't tug it for an aft like smaller tow vehicles, and it holds a crap-load of gear and people. Since just about everything's been fixed on it already and it looks brand new, we'll keep on trucking with it.

Good luck in your search. If you tow far, diesels seem to be the way to go.

-- Mike

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+1.

We have had no problems with our 2010. 25k miles. We tow 6k with a 20' enclosed trailer (6 dirtbikes) and it tows like a dream. We hardly notice the trailer with that, and hardly noticed the malibu the one time we towed it. Fuel mileage sucks though. We get about 10 when towing 6k.

10 isn't bad towing, imo. I get around 9 with the expedition towing either of the boats. I towed my last boat once with my parent's 3500 duramax and got about 15, but that is a poor comparison to a full size gas SUV.

I don't think the Escalade was ever available with the 5.3, was it? I thought it was always a the 6.0 once they got away from the first rendition with the 5.7. I've never been a fan of towing with the GM engines once they left the 5.7. They always seem rev happy as their torque peaks at like 4200 rpm or so. Used my friend's Silverado with the 5.3 to tow my boat years ago and that is why we bought the Expedition with a 5.4, torque peaks at 2500 and had much more. Now it's time to move on from the Expy.

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It has the 6.2L engine.

I love the vehicle and all it has to offer, the reason I purchased to begin with. All issues have been under warranty but that does not help much when towing through the Mojave desert when it is 100 outside and it dies with a one year old and a wife giving you "the look".

Just went and had a chat with the service manager. He told me to bring it in and they would fix it (shocker). I stated that you have "fixed it" six previous times. He basically told me to contact the BBB. I run a business and could not imagine telling someone to contact my corporate office let alone the BBB. I stated that I would like to handle this in house and that giving me a fair trade in value and a deal on a new one would be fair. I asked if he would contact his regional manager and have him call me. He looked at me like I was nuts and again stated to bring the vehicle in and they will fix it. I am at a loss for words right now.

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.......Just went and had a chat with the service manager......

Forgive me for asking this, but have you had a meeting with the general manager or owner of the dealership? I have had much better luck there than with the service department.

  • Like 1
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I have in the past he was not available today, last time I talked to him about a trade he said that he would not be able to offer me much because he knows about the issues it has and could not resell it without disclosing those issues. This is why I asked to speak with the regional, I would bet that he would have to approve a special trade in and discount but I am not in the auto industry. I was just testing the waters with the service manager to see what he would suggest, him telling me to go pound sand I didn't see coming.

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The Nissan drive train is pretty good, great torque for towing. We are currently looking at the Armada for the replacement of our Expy. Have you checked out the Toyota Land Cruiser? You can get the Sequioa pretty nice, but the Land Cruise would be more in line of super-lux. Again, the Toyota 5.7 is a good torquey motor and the transmissions are built well. Personally, we are between the Armada and a VW Touareg TDI. We don't need the big space the larger SUV's offer, and the diesel would be nice for economy. I am not a fan of spending up to the luxury models, I don't enjoy them anymore than a well equipped normal, but to each his own. Good luck, I know what you mean by lots of problems (see Expy above)....

I'm a big Toyota fan my 08 Sequoia has 85,000 and is very strong no problems not one and 130,000 on my Camry. Nissan is great to. The Land Cruiser is very nice but if you buy one you will need to tighten up the rear end my friend has a 2012 and says he is adding the air bags to the back for towing. The land Cruiser has a very soft ride but when it come time to tow not so nice. Make sure you check out the Sequoia my 3rd row even has electric seats very nice rides great tows great.

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Kenw - Thank you for the tip!

I tried to email but could not submit the form. I called and actually spoke with someone! She was typing everything I said, when I voiced all of my issues she asked me to hold while she contacted the dealership to verify that everything I stated was true and to get records of it. 20 mins later she came back on the line, told me that this was an extreme case and that it would be escalated. An hour later she called me back telling me that it had been escalated and that I would be recieving a call in the next 1 - 2 days from someone who reviews these "better business" issues.

She did ask me what I am looking for as to resolve the issue, I stated that I would like an above fair trade in and a deal on another vehicle. Does anyone know what if anything I can expect?

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OP what about a Yukon Denali.

I thought the trucks were changing in 14 and the SUVs in 15?????

All of Chevy's model changes are taking place for the '14 vehicles.

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