Rear window leak making me rethink a new truck.

Mercracing · March 24, 2021

I have a ‘21 Denali that I picked up beginning of February. I’ve kept a very close eye on the window. No leaks in the rain, or car wash. I like the truck enough I will deal with whatever problems arise with ownership.

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hihosilverado · March 24, 2021

15 hours ago, GN2018 said:

Got a text from the salesperson tonight that the truck will be in tomorrow. I should be able to see it tomorrow or Thursday depending on when it comes in. I'm reluctantly inclined to go ahead with the deal. I'll see what the dealership says about the issue and go from there. Thinking about two things. First, have them test the window for leaks. This is actually good timing as it is supposed to rain pretty heavy Thursday night into Friday. They'll probably test it in a car wash, but some real world rain is a bonus. Second, have them take the spoiler off and just do the service bulletin. I'm guessing they won't do this, but I'll see how they react. Third, if it does leak and I'm not satisfied within a couple visits to the dealer, have them install a non-slider window.

Can ya'll sense that I really want the truck? This window issue sucks but I guess at least I get to go into it with eye's open. More than some were able to do.

Oh, the other thing I was thinking about is leasing the truck. Then, it may be an issue I have to deal with but not for long and I've locked in my exposure. We'll see.

If the truck sits out in the rain for a day or so and is dry and your are going to do a 2-3 year lease, I would go ahead with it.

GN2018 · March 26, 2021

Well it rained about an inch last night and I went and checked out the truck this morning. Dry. Talked to the sales person and he had apparently done some research. He was surprised to see that it was an issue. Talked to his repair area and they said they only had seen a few of them. The sales person drives a Sierra Denali and said he never had an issue. So, I realize I'm taking a risk, but I think the odds are reasonable. I really like the truck so at this point, I guess I'm just hoping my luck holds out.

Amazing thing is the trade in value I got for my 2018 Silverado. Bought for $40K (inc. taxes & ext. warranty) and got $34K for a trade in and will get $1,700 back on the unused extended warranty. So I drove a pretty nice 2018 Silverado for 2yrs. 4mos for $4,300 and at 20,500 miles, it cost about .21 per mile. I can't imagine I'll pull that off again and will probably be keeping the Denali much longer.

I'm getting a 6 yr 100K mile warranty and I will probably get rid of it before the warranty expires.

Thanks to everyone for their input. It helped me feel much better about the purchase.

Dogdad · March 26, 2021

Just picked up my 2021 last week and heard about the leak problem afterwards. I have the power sliding window. If it leaks I’ll deal with it then, but I’m also going to put a small strip of newspaper under the window as newspaper is a good material showing water if water has gotten in.

econometrics · March 26, 2021

31 minutes ago, Dogdad said:

Just picked up my 2021 last week and heard about the leak problem afterwards. I have the power sliding window. If it leaks I’ll deal with it then, but I’m also going to put a small strip of newspaper under the window as newspaper is a good material showing water if water has gotten in.

This is the best strategy for you. I wouldn't waste a ton of time thinking about it. Mine didn't start leaking until around 7-8 months after I owned it.