Do you own an SUV, and do you like it?

Flush = Change.

I NEVER go to the dealer for service but when they send me a coupon for a $35 oil & filter change, I feel like I'm turning the tables on the stealership. Of course, they offer cheap oil changes to get you into their shop where they can hit you with other service items, no matter how menial.

Question on the t-case Kevin... I have only engaged 4x4 twice in 5 years, both times were only a hundred yards. Should I do this more often? Longer duration?

I know this comment won't be popular with road course guys, but I think it takes a great deal more skill to drive a dirt track that constantly changes. Rally rocks! When are we going to see you drifting in dirt?

Yes, and yes. There's actually a recommendation for frequency of use in the owners manual... I can't remember off-hand what it is, mostly because I use mine often enough to not have to think about it.

However, the Limited is different from the regular 4Rs, at least here in Canada. USA might not be exactly the same, but here the Limited is full-time 4WD - effectively an "all wheel drive" - with an open center differential, or selectable locked center differential. All other trims had the more conventional 2HI, 4HI, 4LO option.

Sorry to bring that up with a tude on you. Sorry about that.

On our '99 Burb, the rear pack had a problem. The dealer fixed it. There after, we kept having problems with our outer bearing seals leaking, usually the right side.
Later I asked that dealer if they flushed / washed the whole assembly out after the failure;
No, "We don't usually do that after a diff service."
This is what caught my attention.

Later when we moved to Satsuma, Our new shop in Palatka was servicing a seal. I told them of my yearly issues.
They flushed the whole diff. The amount of metal shavings from the old failure was quite notable.
No more seal failures.
This shop has had all our business since.

I'm still in my '98 Chevy high-top van, Josie is in a 2004 Yukon 2500 XL now (for real, an old FBI special). She is already complaining that there is no off pavement traction. (Da ole Green Machine was sold).
I seem to have still a heart for old Chevys (& GMCs).

Next Yukon service, she finally gets her fancy Wrangler (or like) tires.

I do miss the LBC. This later 6L has impressed me though.

T-box failures in so-called AWD, not 4X4, SUVs was a fault we often got at the dealership.

Many SUVs are used to take the kids to school or go shopping, so only the front axle is engaged, selected by the gearbox computer for fuel saving. As soon as ice, mud or snow is encountered, the rear diff does not engage. That's probably because it's not been used for years, if ever, thus the front wheels just spin on the snow.

Take care when buying a used one, this can be an expensive rectification.

I'm with you there. I'm a die hard G-wagon fan. I don't sell them. I just keep driving...and add a new one about every ten years. My last one, though, was bought lightly-used because I can't embrace the 2017+ changes.

This is why Subarus are far superior in that aspect... they'll never get the fuel economy numbers of some of the other crossovers, but the full time AWD never fails from that center differential. (Now, engine oil consumption... that's another thing altogether. LOL)

Yes mate, that's why we've had 4 Scoobies in both Antigua and the UK.

I've had 3 with a combined mileage of well over 7000,000kms... all have served faithfully, never had a drivetrain failure of any type, though the 2006 with 300,000kms has an oil drinking habit that's gotten a little out of hand. It's time may be up. Our 2011 WRX has 230,000 kms on the original engine (which nobody believes when I tell them) and the only failure was the clutch master cylinder around 180,000.

I’ve set up my 2013 Ford F-150 crew cab to be my multi functional SUV. I have a matching cap on the back to keep all my boat, ski, fishing , vacation stuff safe, dry and sound. Easy as can be to load up for a trip and plenty of room.
It’s got the reliable proven 5.0 engine, no Eco boost trouble, 160k so far on motor and transmission . Did have to repair a few things along the way, but really serves my purpose well. Has plenty of room to carry five adults with all the comforts of a Cadillac .
Rides quite well has great visibility nice back up camera etc., pulls my 22’ Chris Craft tandem axel trailer all over with out any problems, that includes a loaded truck with all the vacation gear. Once we get to said destination and uncouple the trailer, we now have a luxury vehicle to get around in.
Yes, it has both heated and air conditioned leather seats. Sometimes you need to cool it off…or warm it up .

Keep your truck factory stock and it will perform very well. Start with the aftermarket tires, rims, lift kits etc…and you’ll have problems and vibrations.

160K miles not km,? just to keep the units for comparison sake vs. the subaru mileage in Kevin's experience.

Good point on full time vs. part time Transfer Case AWD. My Cayenne at 130K miles is making me think transfer case is going. I hope to get shop evaluation soon. I do read Porsche/Audi transfer case longevity is not stellar. 130K miles is fine, but some seem to go much sooner.

The Porsche / Audi high powered permanent 4 wheel drive cars are still designed as street cars. And any changes from the factory setup and dirtroad drifting gets the three differential gears working at or beyond their design limits. For really going offroad, one would need something different, the Mercedes G-Waggon!


Here is a 1978 model from the first edition. My one had a 72 HP 4-cylinder 2.4 litre diesel engine and manual 5-speed gear with an additional manual reduction gearbox. Totally underpowered but I drove it more than 10 years without any failures. And I did a lot of offroad driving and pulling heavy trailers with it. My present 400 GD is a soft grocery getter in comparison with that ancient G-waggon.

The G-wagen was launched in 1979 and I had a 10 year anniversary model in 1990.

Here climbing from Monaco up to La Turbie before the tunnel to the Autoroute was built...

My old Boss in the late 80's/early 90's was a very British Gentleman. In the Army he had loads of military Land Rovers/Jeeps/Land Cruisers around the world. You would think he would have loads of Range Rovers at his country estates and castle.

No, he only had G-Wagons. Very nice ones but that's all he wanted.

Even in the Oman desert, just the Boss, Eric Bennett, Head of the Air Force and the late Sultan of Oman were parked under a tree in the middle of nowhere having a very hush-hush meeting. Along came an old farmer driving a clapped-out Datsun pick-up and hit the Merc straight in the side. All 3 were injured because the chassis was so rigid and had no crumple zone/airbags. I think that's why Mercedes has improved the new ones so much.

I checked my old paper pictures from 1978/79. Mercedes introduced the G-model in northern Germany in autum 1978 on a German Army tank driving ground near Oldenburg with some preproduction models. I got an invitation and I had a chance to drive one under the guidance of an professional offroad specialist on the very difficult tank tracks on that military ground. I was so impressed by the offrad performance of this 5 door sedan, I ordered one on the scene at this presentation. My 240 GD was one of the first cars delivered in northern Germany during the strong winter early 1979. Too bad the 300 GD was introduced only later. My first 240 GD had still the Geländefahrzeug Gesellschaft mbH (GfG), a joint venture between Steyr Puch and Mercedes in its paperwork as the manufcturer. Amazing, all of this was 44 years ago and I am still driving G-models. I was still in the Air Force at that time and my colleagues in the squadron called me and my dark green G-waggon, HTMO and his forrester car.

Honestly the G-wagon had only one real contender at that time, the famous Landrover Defender. Too bad this car is not built anymore.

I recall that winter of 1979 in Kerpin, We drove a VW Superbettle through the snow from Kerpen to Bad Godesberg to attend Bonn American High School. Amerikanische Schule am Rhein.

To bring it back to automotive significance, Kerpen is the home town of Micheal Schumacher's carting early racing days. Although I am only 5 years older than him, I am afraid I did not rub fenders with him at the track, we didn't even know he was there. Or maybe I did?...

The original VW Beetle was great in deep snow. His large 15 inch wheels and the engine located in rear of the car made it a perfect car in winter. But the aircooled engine did not provide very much heating, especially for clearing the front window. We had several of those cars as duty cars in the squadron. But the worst SUV, I ever had to drive in the military, was our "Jeep" in the aquadron at that time, the DKW Munga, the greatest misfit ever bought by the German military. It had a soft top, a very weak 4-wheel gear arrangement but the worst was its stinking and weak 3 cylinder 2-stroke petrol engine. We always said, the civil servant, who decided to buy that beast, should be shot to death.



During an combined Army / Airforce Exercise I was detached to the German Army as a Forward Air Controller. I was driving with my conscript on the steering wheel between a row of M47 tanks on a dirt road, when my driver got stuck in the mud. As all tanks were driving under combat conditions with closed hatches, the tank behind us could not see us being stuck in the mud. My driver and I could just jump out of that miserable "jeep" before it got driven over by the tank.

Luckily the DKW Munga was flat like a stamp afterwards and the exercise was over for me and my conscript. Years later the German Forces got the Mercedes G 300 in its professional military version. That was and still is the perfect military SUV.


They are pretty much wanted on the second hand market and quite expensive.

Canada bought a load of those as well... 1159 to be exact.

That is a great story.
I only wish that there were pictures of the " stamp" .