New to Forum and to my 2021 Canyon

[Ktownskier]

Howdy all, 

My stepson got a new Jeep Gladiator and my wife got a chance to ride in it and drive it. She really liked it and made a comment that she really liked sitting higher than in her 2018 Jeep Cherokee Limited. Well, that put a bug in my ear and got me thinking about new cars and, well, we are now the proud owners of a 2021 GMC Canyon Denali that had 14 miles on it when we first drove it. 

 

So far, I have put on Weather Tech Mud Flaps, LampGard (a protection film to help guard the headlights from yellowing and from getting dinged by gravel/rocks and such), and I will be getting the floor mats from the dealer soon as well. I also put on a Gator EFX tonneau cover. 

 

One thing I noticed right away is that the bulbs in the headlights suck so I put in some LED bulbs I got from Amazon. So far, no errors or any issues and they are really throwing out some good bright white light and at a great distance with good cut-off. 

 

The Denial, as we are calling the Canyon, came with an Appearance Protection Package allegedly already applied. From what I could ascertain, it is a Perma-Plate type of product. I never got a full answer from the AutoNation Dealer I bought it from. 

 

What are some other things I should be doing to help improve the Canyon? I want to make the truck last a long time and keep it looking good for as long as we have it. 

 

I plan on using full synthetic for my oil changes. What are people recommending for the oil filter? Air Filter? Cabin Filter?

 

How about ceramic coating for the paint?

 

Thanks in advance for anything you care to share with me. 

Ktwon

 

 

[RyanbabZ71]

Ceramic coating is the way to go. The DIY kits are nice. I have done my car (3 yea ago) and truck (18 months) with the old Adams kit and two other vehicles (Toyota and a Vw) with their new graphene ceramic kit. Makes maintaining it much easier. I’ve had it sit out in the rain and you couldn’t tell
It had rained because it all beaded off.




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[Ktownskier]

Very nice looking vehicles. I have been haunting Autogeek.net trying to figure out what I should do. Thanks for the input. 

[Canyon20]

I added the skid plates under the truck. Transfer case and the engine/transmission piece. I also kept the original piece that the front plate would replace. I modified the holes in the new transmission/engine plate so I could continue to use the original front plastic protector.

 

Mud flaps all around. GMC part looks and fits the best. 

 

GMC floor mats also. Better value that Weather Tec imo

 

Added Amp Research power steps. Toss the factory crap and replace with this pricey option. Wife could not get into truck with factory crap. I love these things. Next year they are offering a new setup that interfaces with cellphone. These work great so I am happy.

 

I added a Truxedo tonneau cover. Works great and keeps bed and contents dry.

 

I see you got rid of the poor headlight bulbs. I replaced mine with the GTR Lighting Ultra 2 bulbs and now I can see at night.

 

Got a DRL modification harness from Gen5DIY. Now the DRL`s are off in the middle of the day without touching switch. Waiting for next harness upgrade that will allow fog lights to stay on when highbeams are on. That will be nice too.

 

Had some sort of paint and interior treatment from dealer. Not sure that has been worth the $$$. Water beads up, but agriculture dust is still there when car dries after rain.

 

Replaced air filter with AEM 28-50030 Dry Flow Air Filter. Could not justify a CAI setup. I live in state that requires California CARB certifications. Also getting a 2 hp increase doesn't make sense. This flows well and is a dry cleanable filter. Does give the truck a slight growl when you get into it. I suspect I am getting some hp increase with this low restriction filter. Maybe some MPG.

 

Now I am waiting for GMC to admit they have issue with the infotainment system and hope they fix issues soon. Making a list to give to dealer when I take it in for free first oil change. Make sure if you are changing oil, to only use a dexos certified oil. Also with direct injection, oil needs to also have a low nooak rating. After free oil change, the next one will be when I start doing them and will use Ravenol DXG 5-30wt. Low evap rating and GMC approved. I use Ravenol in the VW and would not use anything else.

 

Also for the cold shifting 1-2 issue you might have observed in the mornings, I generally start truck, let warm up a little and then put truck in reverse for about 10 secs, then drive for about 10 secs, reverse again for 10 secs and then back to drive. This seems to help with cold start shifting. I suspect I am getting rid of air and filling the clutch..

 

Updates in future will probably be BORLA exhaust if I win the lottery.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Canyon20

[Ktownskier]

Personally, I am not a fan of CAI's, but I am a big fan of getting the air flow in better. I like dry air filters better than the wet ones. I will take a look at the one you mentioned. 

 

The bulbs are amazing. Sharp cut-off lines and no one has blinked at me yet. I did run with one side LED and one side Halogen for a few days and it we such a dichotomy the difference between the two. 

 

I went with a Gator EFX hardtop Tri-Fold tonneau Cover. I didn't realize that it only opened up 2/3rds of the way. I think I will trade up to a different version of the Gator line though. 

 

I was going to with WeatherTech floor lines, but I think I am going to go with Husky XAct/Weatherbeater floorliners. I did get the WeatherTech mudflaps though. 

 

Still trying to figure out what to do with the paint finish though. Do I just go with an OTC ceramic top coat like Meguiars or Mothers? or even Turtle Wax's ceramic line or do I go full bore and go with Adams Graphene? Not sure what will work with whatever treatment the dealership put on. 

 

Still loving the truck though, more and more we drive it. 

 

The only problem is that I can't drive it by myself other than around town. I have a brain injury that causes me to get lost when I drive outside of my comfort zone. Even with the Nav System. But, I can drive with my wife in the car and I do. Sometimes I just reach a point where I can't drive anymore and she takes over. 

[Rick Kline]

Hi

I noticed while reading this post, some of you have replaced the headlights. What did you use and how difficult are they to install?  The problem with my factory lights is there is not much light on the road way. Distance isn't bad and it appears most of the light is checking power lines or tree tops. I have adjusted them down as to at least see the road, but not happy.

I have a 19 Canyon base model if that makes a difference.

 

Thanks

Rick

[slj2008]

Check out www.sealight.com  or www.lastfit.com 

 

[Ktownskier]

6 hours ago, Rick Kline said:

Hi

I noticed while reading this post, some of you have replaced the headlights. What did you use and how difficult are they to install?  The problem with my factory lights is there is not much light on the road way. Distance isn't bad and it appears most of the light is checking power lines or tree tops. I have adjusted them down as to at least see the road, but not happy.

I have a 19 Canyon base model if that makes a difference.

 

Thanks

Rick

Adjusting the headlights is key, regardless of what headlights you use. On the Denali, the drivers side is easy to change. There is a cover over each  of the bulbs that you turn a quarter or so and then pop off. You can then untwist the bulbs and remove them. 

The passenger side, at least on the Denali, is a bit more time consuming. You will need to remove some body molding and gasketing  to get at the bulbs. One you do, it is the same as on the drivers side. 

 

As for bulbs, if you want to stay with traditional bulbs, go with Silverstar Ultras or Crystal Vision. They are halogen's but a much better grade. And put out a much brighter light and more of it. 

 

You can go with LED's but make sure that they are designed for use with your type of vehicle. You also need to account for the type headlamp housing you have. some do a better job with LED's than others. 

 

 

[Canyon20]

LED headlights purchases can be tricky. Not all LED bulbs are the same. I have installed the GTRLighting Ultra 2 leds because they can be clocked so the light output is perfect/bulb properly aligned in housing,  and the need to mess with the headlight housing adjustment is not needed. If you did not have issues before bulb change, then you will not after you install the GTR Ultra2 bulbs. The GTRLighting Ultra 2 fit properly and the dust cover has no issues with clearance on a GMC Canyon. I am not sure the Colorado uses them same covers, but if the Colorado uses the same light assemblies as the Canyon Denali, you will not have an issue with using the dust covers with the Ultra2 led`s

www.gtrlighting.com

 

There is a review of these bulbs on headlight revolution. These really are the best out there, imo. You wallet is going to be empty when finished, but you will be able to see. For me halogens just do not cut it. Either install a HID system such as Morimoto or the GTRLighting Ultra 2 led`s. I see that Morimoto has their new updated led bulb now available. Looking forward to comparison reviews. I use the original Morimoto led lights on my VW Tiguan for fog lights and they work well. I suspect the new version will be even better.

 

Another option I just installed was a product from Gen5DIY. They have some well made harnesses which can bypass DRL during the day and the last one I just installed was to allow fog lights and highbeams to be on at the same time. With my GTR Ultra2 leds, the sky lights up from front grill and beyond. Well worth the upgrade.

www.gen5diy.com

 

Now if only GMC will admit they have some work to do on the infotainment system and fix the issues many of us out there have experienced.

[Rick Kline]

Thanks to all that responded. I forgot to mention I do have the HID lights. Are the LEDs better and can it retrofitted to my truck with out messing up the warranty?

If I didnt know better, I would swear they were installed upside down. Tons of wasted lighting up high and not enough low to light up the road. If I adjust them down to see the road, the distance is to short ( live in suicidal deer country) need all the distance and peripheral lighting possible.

I do have fog lights installed. Could perhaps something be done there that might help? 

[Canyon20]

I really like HID bulbs. One thing that makes them great is if the headlight uses a Bi-Xenon assembly. Means projector has a built in target that flips up or down depending on if you want low beam or high beam. If yours are factory, I suspect it is the Bi-xenon. If aftermarket might not be this type so bulb is used for low beam and another type of bulb for high beam. My "96" Yukon was retrofitted to use HID bulbs and I also modified the wiring with a relay to keep low beams on when I wanted to used high beams. Now that was some light. If you like your HID bulbs and they are factory, you might want to look at Morimoto HID bulbs and pick color that you like. I used the 4500k bulbs and they were great driving down pitch black roads at night. Could see even rodents in the ditches with that color.

 

With the Canyon and Colorado, the fog light socket retainers are vertical. Most aftermarket led are clocked to be installed with horizontal retainers. If you cannot loosen a set screw and rotate the position of the led`s then beam pattern with not be correct with a lot of the aftermarket led`s. The GTR Lighting Ultra2 allow you to adjust led so they are in the correct orientation in the fog light housing.

 

As for changing you headlights from HID to led, I would not if they are Bi-Xenon lights. I would look at maybe changing bulbs to get a better color and generally aftermarket bulbs from Morimoto and others are better.

 

If you really want led`s, then the only choice for me would be GTR Lighting Ultra 2 all the way around. Plan on $650 when not on sale. I got mine on sale, but still puckered parting with all that cash. Would I do it again, YES. My lights are what they should have been from factory for what I paid for truck.

 

Also go to Gen5DIY and look at the harnesses they have for bypassing DRL and allowing fog lights and high beams to be on at the same time. That is a great feature and well worth the upgrade.

 

After all my updates to my Canyon Denali, the critters stand out like it was still middle of day. Deer in the headlights become real. They really light up with my Ultra 2`s.

 

From reading the MF act, these will not mess up warranty. 

[Ktownskier]

I wish I had HID headlamps. I had them in my Jeep Cherokee and really liked them. They really threw out a lot of light. The only bad thing was the quality of the headlamp lens cover. The way the lamps were designed forced a lot of debris onto the cover and it eventually reduced the light output. 

 

On my Canyon, I put some paint protection film over the lenses to help protect the lenses from debris. 

 

[GMBoss]

congrats on the new car op. im sure if you peruse the forums more and more youll get the gist of what people get , both oem and aftermarket. there are some very knowledgeable folk here. have fun and be safe.