Thought I wanted Duramax, but now?

[rubicon-7]

Hi all...
New to the forum...Thought i'd check it out since I've always been a Chevy guy and am thinking about a Diesel truck....but after spending a couple hours of reading all the problems (mostly injector related it seems) I'm having second thoughts. I think it's crazy that you all are having to replace and repair parts once in 75000 miles, let alone 2 or 3 times as some of you state...Got a friend that has a 2002 PowerStroke,and no problems after 160,000 miles of heavy use. I don't particularly like Fords, but I don't want to have problems with my truck either...These Duramax's have been out plenty long enough for GM to have the problems ironed out....What gives??? Makes me dissappointed in GM....Is there a certain year that I should be loooking at that has less problems? Thanks..

[TL Thordson]

Well I own a LB7 2001 GMC 3500 dully D/A 56K mi. Been on the hook 6 times I think. Sat 8 days in Carlsbad, NM while they installed 8 new injectors a month ago. Now it is the dealer in Forest Lake, MN getting a whole new engine 10K plus labor. They said that they are going to do a good jestor and replace it for another $100 dollar deductable. Good deal getting a new motor after 56K I guess but will be no more warrenty and I will in the future have to deal with these problems on my own nickel. For Sale 1 GMC 3500 Dully 56K NewD/A. :mad:

[jsmiracle]

Welcome!

Be careful..... Much, much more energy is expended (i.e. write posts on web forums, people write letters, etc.) when expectations are not met than when they are met. I'd be willing to bet that if you had spent hours reading any brand dominated forum, you'd be leary(sp?) of the product. I too, am guilty of this.

Fact is, I had a gasser 1999 1/2 ton Silverado that I had for over 6 years with no problems. I put it through much more than it was designed for. I started replacing some maintenance items (brake pads, etc.) and discovered the excellent condition on those and other items under the truck. This and other good experiences had much influence on deciding to go with another Chevy when I upgraded to 2005 Chevy 2500HD D/A.

What I'm saying is..... If your neighbor had a great Chevy truck, you probably would not be reading his posts on this forum. If you read the other brands' truck forums thoroughly, you'll find dissatisfaction. Good Luck in whatever you do.

BTW, I love my new truck and it performs well beyond my expectations. However, if something goes terribly wrong next week..... you'll be able to read all about it in the forums.:)

Take care,
Jim M.

[50+]

Keep reading, you will find plenty of good things said about the DMAX. I have 45,000 trouble free miles on mine, and could not be happier. I grew up with Fords and still have a soft spot in my heart for them. Have had four of them and still have my 85 3/4 ton F250. Our Const Company has six, 6.0 powerstrokes. All are F350's. All have had injectors replaced. One is on its third set. Four of them have had the torque converters in the trannys replaced. And there have been some issues with the turbo's. Granted these trucks are used on a daily basis, and all pull heavy loads, and see very few miles without a trailer attached. But the continuation of problems is frustrating to say the least. So if your researching the issues read on, and you will probably read more negative than positive on these forums no matter what brand it is. Good luck.

[Ponch]

I have 75000 on my 03 and it's never been in the shop except for recalls!

Ponch

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome to TDP Forums, Rubicon!

What you will find if you read enough, is these types of sites (brand specific, technical) attract the seekers of answers. We rarely hear the question, "why is my truck running so well?" Consider all things you read in context, too. Many problems are misrepresented, and sometimes it takes a while to get to the root of a problem. If we were to add up all the issues and compare them to the number of vehicles on the road, we find the percentage of real problems is very small.

The Duramax has enjoyed a very successful introduction and history, despite what you read here (and elsewhere). All things considered, it is very likely the most unproblematic (is that a word?) powertrain introduction in recent history. Much of what you will read at other sites is based on rumor and second, third, etc, -hand information, and inflated/deflated by persons loyal to other brands. The same thing happens here (to a much lesser degree), and men have killed each other for less.

[carco]

We work on them all and they ALL have their problems. Buy the truck that you like, buy the problems you can put up with, that don't bother you to repair. Buy the truck that your repair shop prefers to work on. Buy the truck that has best dealer help in your area, good dealers in all brands but some dealers are more consumer friendly than others. bob.................

[cabletech]

I'm on my 2nd Duramax. The first was an 04 LB7. All the work done was normal maintenance (no warrantee work). I now have an 06 LBZ. It has only been to the dealer for a glow plug controller reflash and to repair a leaky tranny cooler line. All trucks have problems. I drive an 02 F450 V10 at work and its been in the shop 4 time to have the tranny replaced with less than 100,000 miles.




Well I own a LB7 2001 GMC 3500 dully D/A 56K mi. Been on the hook 6 times I think. Sat 8 days in Carlsbad, NM while they installed 8 new injectors a month ago. Now it is the dealer in Forest Lake, MN getting a whole new engine 10K plus labor. They said that they are going to do a good jestor and replace it for another $100 dollar deductable. Good deal getting a new motor after 56K I guess but will be no more warrenty and I will in the future have to deal with these problems on my own nickel. For Sale 1 GMC 3500 Dully 56K NewD/A. :mad:


Whitaker Buick/GMC ???

[D_R_C]

Hi all...
New to the forum...Thought i'd check it out since I've always been a Chevy guy and am thinking about a Diesel truck....but after spending a couple hours of reading all the problems (mostly injector related it seems) I'm having second thoughts. I think it's crazy that you all are having to replace and repair parts once in 75000 miles, let alone 2 or 3 times as some of you state...Got a friend that has a 2002 PowerStroke,and no problems after 160,000 miles of heavy use. I don't particularly like Fords, but I don't want to have problems with my truck either...These Duramax's have been out plenty long enough for GM to have the problems ironed out....What gives??? Makes me dissappointed in GM....Is there a certain year that I should be loooking at that has less problems? Thanks..

Your Ford friend is lucky he has a 7.3, I just unloaded a 03 Ford F250 6.0 diesel great the first 35K then after that 4 major breaks in less than 10 months.
Check out thedieselstop.com Forums for Ford diesels and see just how many problems they all deal with,the 6.0 and the new 6.4.
I have not found anything on any Durmax site that has the extreme list of issues as the Ford 6.0 and 6.4.
I just ordered the new body GMC Sierra Durmax SLT 3500 SRW 4X4 long bed which I won`t get until the end of May.
All 3 diesels have some issues,Dodge-GM-Ford but Ford leads the way by a very large margin with major issues that does not seem to end.
Good luck.

[hapaschold]

as stated, the 7.3 powerstroke was great, the 6.0, another story. had a 6.0 in a van, spent many days on the rack, and most dealer s were at least at the time clueless on repairs.
and the other down side, resale value sucks big time on the 6.0 s. sold that van for 4500 bucks less than 7.3 liter equipped van 3 years earlier.
check out thedieselstop.com, there s currently some 7.3 s there for sale also. one with real low mileage, 22k on a 1999 f250 std cab. i checked it out via carfax and an ford oasis service, looks to be good ..16K thou.

[rob from bc canada]

I've had my LLY since about May 05, and put only 20,000 miles on it so far.

During that time, except for a wheel balance done under warranty, I've had only routine maintenance done. The truck runs like a charm. Great ride on rough roads, quiet, hauls my camper wherever I want to go.

Injectors are a problem for 01 to 04.5 models - GM extended warranty on most of them to 200,000 miles and 7 years. Extra fuel filtration seems to help extend their life a bit.

Lots of the people who have serious "problems" run programs for more power than designed. Many who run programs and tow heavy still don't have any problems.

Relative to other highly rated vehicles I've had, this one is looking pretty good so far.

[rubicon-7]

Hey everyone...thanks for the replies....Stands to reason that on a forum such as this I would find most posts asking or telling about problems of one sort or another.... I'm sure there are alot of folks out there with no problems other than normal w&t....
Got a line on a local 2005 crew cab srw with 22000 miles....Think i'll bite and see what happens....guess I can always sell it if I don't like what happens after a year or 2....
Thanks again to all who replied....you guys are great! I'm sure I'll be a regular here from now on!!

2001 S10 ZR2 4X4
2007 Chev. Crew cab 5.3
2005 Chev. D/A crew cab (in the works) ;)

[JohnC]

It's called the "lightning rod effect". No one takes the time to post (and no one would want to read ) "Just turned 100,000 miles. Changed the oil again..."

[Tough Guy]

I just changed the oil in my 7.3L PSD....and it just turned 193,000 miles on the odometer...:)

good luck with your Dmax, they're great Diesels.

Chris

[tbrowne]

There are so many injector problems with the LB7 engine, many at relative low mileage, that I have to believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg on this one. The 2001 warranties will start expiring in September and 2002's next year. As the these trucks start going over 100,000 miles many more are going to need injectors and we'll really start hearing the wailing when individual owners are footing the bill.

[carco]

Extended warranty from GM should take care of the injectors up to 200000 miles.

[tbrowne]

The warranty is for seven years or 200,000 miles whichever comes first. In most cases that would be seven years.

[Dusty Trails]

Hi, rubicon-7. I bought an '05 Duramax, and my father bought an '05 Powerstroke two days apart. With about 27k miles on both, now, I believe the Duramax/Allison to be a better combination. (I better find some wood to knock on for saying that.:) ) I have had no powertrain issues with my D/A, while my father has had to replace a turbo already. The dealer said it was an overboost condition.
My mileage was consistently 1-2 mpg better than his before the Ford dealer reflashed his computer for a "temperature issue." Now, my mileage is 4-6 mpg better than his. (I think the reflash was to detune the Powerstroke because of reliability issues with the TorqueShift (TS) tranny more than anything else, but that is my opinion. My father had been running his truck up and down the mountain in 105-114 degree heat and the a/c on with no overheating issues at all.)
The Allison transmission provides the driver with much more control over gear selection than does the TS. The downshifts of the TS in Tow/Haul mode are much harsher, which could lead to some safety issues on wet or otherwise slick roads. (I found out first hand.)
The Ford does have a much larger interior, while my GMC has a more comfortable interior and a better layout of the controls.
Just some food for thought, and just my opinion based on my experience with the two makes. Good luck.
Keith

[Dakster]

Hi, rubicon-7. I bought an '05 Duramax, and my father bought an '05 Powerstroke two days apart. With about 27k miles on both, now, I believe the Duramax/Allison to be a better combination. (I better find some wood to knock on for saying that.:) ) I have had no powertrain issues with my D/A, while my father has had to replace a turbo already. The dealer said it was an overboost condition.
My mileage was consistently 1-2 mpg better than his before the Ford dealer reflashed his computer for a "temperature issue." Now, my mileage is 4-6 mpg better than his. (I think the reflash was to detune the Powerstroke because of reliability issues with the TorqueShift (TS) tranny more than anything else, but that is my opinion. My father had been running his truck up and down the mountain in 105-114 degree heat and the a/c on with no overheating issues at all.)
The Allison transmission provides the driver with much more control over gear selection than does the TS. The downshifts of the TS in Tow/Haul mode are much harsher, which could lead to some safety issues on wet or otherwise slick roads. (I found out first hand.)
The Ford does have a much larger interior, while my GMC has a more comfortable interior and a better layout of the controls.
Just some food for thought, and just my opinion based on my experience with the two makes. Good luck.
Keith

You hit the nail on head as far as my opnion goes. Ford, larger interior, Chevy nicer comfort features. I went thru two 6.0 Fords before giving up on diesels for awhile. Getting ready to jump in with a 2007.5 3500... I, too, agree, get what you like and want to drive. If it has problems, sell it and move on.

Talk to people that have had FIRST HAND, owners experience with all brands. I had a great 2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL and bad luck with a 2007 Chevy Subrban 2500. Hopefully I'll have GREAT luck with the new LMM Diesel.

Personally, since you are looking at used. If possible, try to pick a used one with some warranty left. That way you can get the nit-picky issues fixed as will as be protected from a major one if it should appear. Other option, factor in some sort of extended warranty (either GM or after market -price 'em out first). At least this way you are financing your next repair ahead of time. I am not that mechanically inclined and don't have the time/tools to mess around with fixing these things. I also have lousy luck at time...

Good Luck!

[Spiderman]

Very informative thread guys. I'm also a lurker/potential buyer of a Duramax. I'm a loyal GM guy and I know that my next vehicle will be a used duramax. The model and engine will depend on what's available when I'm ready to purchase in a couple of years.

This is also why I've started my research.. so I know what to look for and what questions to ask the delaership or previous owner.

As a matter of fact.. with the injector problems that the LB7 seems to be known for.. it won't suprise me to see a flood of them on the used market come autumn. I'm not quite ready to purchase my next vehicle just yet, so I'm hoping the longer I wait it out, the better my chances on landing a good LLY instead of an LB7.

This board is great for potential buyers.. TONS of info. Keep it up guys.

[STPETEBLUE]

Welcome aboard, Spidie. You sound like a very smart guy.