Would you like to know how many miles a Chevy Suburban can last? Well, we have researched this topic and have answers for you. It is helpful to know this to ensure you have realistic expectations of a used Chevy Suburban.
How many miles a Chevy Suburban lasts will depend on how you drive and how reliably you complete your vehicle maintenance. However, you can expect a Chevy Suburban to last between 130,000 and 300,000 miles.
A Suburban will last as long as the engine and transmission are still functioning correctly. A Chevy Suburban's engine will last between 200,000 and 300,000 miles with good maintenance, and the Chevy Suburban's transmission will last between 130,000 and 220,000 miles with good care.
This article will explain how many miles a Chevy Suburban can last. We will also learn the answers to other interesting related questions such as, is the Chevy Suburban reliable, and should I buy a Suburban with 200k miles? Keep reading to learn more.
How Many Miles Can A Chevy Suburban Last
Many factors affect how many miles a Chevy Suburban can last. While there are many techniques to increase the lifespan of various internal vehicle parts, your Chevy Suburban will last until a repair costs more than the vehicle costs to replace.
When it costs more to repair a vehicle than it does to replace it, it is said that the car is totaled. The two most likely repairs to total your Chevy Suburban are engine repairs and transmission repairs.
If you need serious engine or transmission repairs, it may cost thousands more than the vehicle's value. If this happens, it will mean the end of your vehicle's life. Let's look at how you can prevent damage to the transmission to extend its lifespan.
Transmission Lifespan
Transmissions can cost thousands of dollars if they need serious repairs, so extending their lifespan is always critical. One way to take the stress off your transmission is to accelerate slowly.
When you accelerate quickly, it strains the transmission, shortening its lifespan. The same goes for decelerating. It is crucial to stop slowly when braking to ensure you don't stress the transmission.
It is also vital to check and change the transmission fluid regularly. If you fail to change the transmission fluid or don't notice a discoloration in the transmission fluid, you could miss a chance to prevent severe damage to your vehicle.
Another fault that can cause damage to transmission is driving with one foot on the brake. Even if your other foot isn't pressing hard enough on the brake to slow the vehicle, it does activate the transmission.
Driving with one foot on the brake can cause damage over time to the transmission and, over the years, can significantly shorten its lifespan.
Engine Lifespan
Engines tend to last longer than transmissions but can be even more expensive to repair, so keeping them in pristine working order is always preferred.
Over time your cylinders can warp and cause the engine to lock, which would signify that your engine is at the end of its lifespan. The rate at which your cylinders distort can be reduced by ensuring you keep your engine's oil levels filled and changed regularly.
Proper engine maintenance also goes a long way to ensure a long engine lifespan. Engine maintenance includes replacing gaskets and seals every ten years and other internal parts serviced every five to eight years to keep everything functioning smoothly.
If you take steps to ensure that your Chevy Suburban's transmission and engine are adequately maintained, you can have your Suburban last a long time.
Is The Chevy Suburban Reliable?
Many would like to know if the Chevy Suburban is reliable. We have looked into this question and have the answer for you. Chevy Suburbans are reliable if you practice proper maintenance.
While it is true that the Chevy Suburban typically lasts 220,000 miles before the transmission needs to be replaced, if you are willing to replace the transmission, a Chevy Suburban can last over 500,000 miles.
To have your Chevy Suburban reach the half a million mark, you will need to treat it with the most care and keep it on a consistent maintenance schedule. Let's look at some of the habits required to have your Chevy Suburban run as long as possible.
Keeping The Oil Full
One way to keep your engine running for a long time is to keep the oil full. We all know that it is detrimental to drive with no oil, but you might not have known that it isn't good to operate with less than full oil.
As the oil in your vehicle gets lower, deposits and impurities in the bottom of the oil get closer to the intake. If these impurities make their way into your engine, they can cause minor damage that builds up over time.
To keep these impurities out of your engine, keep the oil full.
Change Oil Regularly
Changing your oil regularly helps preserve your engine for the same reason keeping the oil full does. When you change your oil regularly, you remove impurities in the oil that damage your engine over time.
It is recommended that you change your oil every 5,000 miles but, if you use synthetic oil, you can go 7,500. You can change synthetic oil less often because it can resist impurity build-up.
Drive Smoother
Another way to keep your Chevy running reliably is to drive smoother. Some aren't aware that accelerating quickly is hard on your vehicle. If you want your vehicle to last for a long time, you need to consider how you drive it.
Not only is braking hard bad for your brakes, but it also stresses your transmission. The key to having your Chevy Suburban last for many years is to treat your transmission nicely. This means accelerating slowly and not using the brake unless you need to.
Driving in a way that uses your brakes less and accelerates slower will help extend your Chevy Suburban's lifespan.
Should I Buy A Suburban With 200k Miles?
Whether you should buy a Suburban with 200k miles depends on two things; how much they are selling it for and if it's had its transmission replaced.
If someone is selling you a Suburban with 200k for an incredible price, then you should jump on that deal. If, however, the Suburban costs roughly what it's valued at, do not buy it.
This is because the transmission is about to fail. The transmissions in Suburbans only last a little longer than 200k miles, so a used Chevy Suburban only has a little while before its transmission quits.
If you can confirm that the Suburban has had its transmission restored or replaced, then it might be a good investment. Once the transmission has been replaced, a well-maintained Suburban can exceed 300,000 miles.
Are High Mileage Suburbans Reliable?
High mileage Suburbans can be pretty reliable. While Chevy Suburbans usually last around 200,000 miles, they can last over 300,000 with good care.
Even the issue of the Suburban's transmission can be partially helped by driving carefully throughout the vehicle's life.
There are stories of people who have had the transmissions replaced in their Chevy Suburbans and then had their vehicles reach 500,000 miles. In all cases where a Suburban lasted so long, the owner drove it smoothly and took care of its maintenance well.
If you take care of your Suburban, it can be a very reliable vehicle even with high mileage.
How Long Does A Suburban Transmission Last?
The Suburban transmission is the first significant repair likely to be needed by your Chevy Suburban. Often when your transmission fails, it means your vehicle is totaled. There are times they can salvage an old Suburban if an owner wants to keep the particular vehicle alive, but usually, that is the end of the vehicle life.
As mentioned before, a Suburban transmission lasts between 130,000 and 220,000. The exact length of time you will get out of your transmission will depend heavily on how you drive and how often your drive.
Some Suburban transmissions make it to 300,000 miles, so taking care of your transmission is vital.
You will need to do to ensure a long lifespan for your Suburban's transmission by changing the transmission fluid. Changing the transmission fluid should be done every 60,000 to 100,000 miles. You should also check if there is discoloration in your transmission fluid, as this could be early warning signs of a leak somewhere else in the engine.
If you keep up on your transmissions maintenance, your transmission should last a long time.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we learned a Chevy Suburban can last between 130,000 and 300,000 miles but can last longer with excellent maintenance. We also learned that you shouldn't buy a Chevy Suburban over 200k miles unless you get a great deal because the transmission is likely at the end of its life.
Remember, taking care of your transmission and driving smoothly will help extend the life of your Chevy Suburban.
We hope you enjoyed this article. If you want to learn more, check out some of these other posts.
I have to disagree on the lifespan of the transmission – these transmissions are fully capable of reaching an exceptional amount of miles in stock form. I do agree that 200K might be near the end of the transmission IF it has seen extended amounts of towing, being overloaded, or abused in any form. Knowing how to properly tow makes a huge difference in longevity as well. Most importantly, knowing the Suburbans maintenance history is key to concluding how long the transmission could last.