Big White Truck

I know Don. I'd get $4500 for it and as it is, it's worth a lot more than that to me. 120K miles, burns no oil and will pull darn near anything, certainly my TC255 loaded. Used to pull a 28' TT with it but I don't think that was as heavy as the TC!

Only problems I've had with it are the darn brake lines rusting out. Have had nearly all of them replaced....

Charlie
 
dave deem":1jz7fflf said:
Hello,
I'm so sorry. I was unaware of the too many questions rule. I simply wanted actual owners of duramax engined trucks a few questions which they could choose to answer or not. Now I know who is in charge of making the all rules for the C-Brat site. I saw no need for the posts if you don't have the answers. I didn't consider the previous posts to be all that helpful, let alone necessary. It's good to see you have pals.
D.D.
Click to expand...

No problem Dave, it was a TIC (tongue in cheek) reply, no need for an apology, except maybe on my part. There are so many variables in your questions though (rear end ratio, etc, etc) it would be difficult to provide a definitive answer to some of them. A quick internet search would let you narrow down your information.

Charlie
 
Captains Cat":3urbroig said:
Only problems I've had with it are the darn brake lines rusting out. Have had nearly all of them replaced....
Charlie
Click to expand...

Right coast problem. To rust you need moisture and it never rains in Southern California....

I had one 'a them too. Replacing the fuel pump costs more than some used cars and rebuilding the transmission is a portfolio nick. Never had luck with Dodge or Ford trannys. That's why I went Duramax/Allison. My dream truck would be a Ford F250/350 with a Cummins engine and an Allison tranny. (sigh)
 
DD..
Motor is 6.6L... The key is not the HP, but the torque - which is 660 foot pounds at 1600 rpm...
Oil change interval is determined by the DIC (computer onboard)... GM spent millions of dollars developing the DIC and if you follow it you will have protection in the event of a warranty claim... The computer keeps track of everything you do, the number of starts, engine hours, etc... Typical oil change intervals will be 5000-7000 miles...

Yes, if you put any kind of tuner chip on it, flash the ECU, nitrous, eliminate the regen (DPF) pipe, etc. etc. ad nauseum, your entire vehicle warranty is VOID, gone, nada, TOAST, (capiche? :)
- and the ECU 'knows' (like the Shadow knows, heh, heh, heh,) -

A letter from the new Government Motors was just sent to the surviving dealers that to perform ANY warranty work they have to take an electronic picture of the tattle tale screen on your computer and send it to GM for approval prior to any work performed or the dealer will not be paid... The party is over... Lots of depression and moaning over on the Duramax Diesel boards - and at the dealers, who were making good money from GM from rebuilding Allisons, etc. that some guy ran 700 HP into...
Power train warranty is 10 / 100,000
Tow rating is 13,000 (roughly - lots of 'it depends' in there)

OK, latest news is I have changed my user name to a boat name... I will be going to get said boat this coming weekend... More news then...
 
Denny,
Thanks for taking the time to post. I have a few miles in my younger years sitting behind or over top of 8-71 series Detroits. I want to trailer from Pa. to Skagway about 3700 miles each way. I'm going to do a 2500 series Chevy 4x4 extended cab w an eight foot bed w the Duramax and Allison combo. I have a 01 with a 5.3 in the same above configuration. It has a 100k on it but still is a solid piece. I bought it new and it does a good job on the coastal plains. I drug our boat home from Florida and it did fine. But she ain't ready for the Rockies etc. Any other options besides a towing package and the usual stuff that you would recommend? Not comfortable buying used. Do you think it's worth buying down in Texas?
D.D.
 
dd,
Well, I just bought a Duramax a week ago from Texas Direct Auto at a significant discount over the GM dealers I tried... TDA's inventory changes hourly - not an exaggeration - they sell 40 to 50 autos A DAY... I will tell you that I shopped for 6 months to find what I wanted at the price I would pay - looking at hundreds of dealer ads... TDA is not the only game in town and a bargain is where you find it...

Now, on your truck, "only you can make the final choice. ohhh honely youuu can . . . "
(humm along with the Platters in your mind - unless you are waaay too young to know)
I like a cloth interior, don't want TV and DVD player, etc... Certainly you will want the HD tow package and the extended tow mirrors (I wasn't able to get the mirrors and will regret it.) Radio control on the steering wheel, power seats for me and the admiral, and few other bells n whistles was all... It is the LT2 finish package...
The 2500HD gives you a class 5 hitch... Don't let the guy at the store sell you a reducer for the tow bar down to 2". just because he doesn't have 2.5"... You want the 2.5' draw bar with the 1.25" stud on the ball... Then fixing up the trailer with weight transfer bars will give you "the best towing a man can get" (think Gillette)

cheers
 
Levitation,
Thanks I'm sixty so I know the Platters. Thanks for all the info. No chip for me. I'll stay with cloth and all the usual stuff. Amazing mileage they get. Good luck with your new boat.
D.D.
 
Levitation":22kbl0su said:
Well, I just bought a Duramax a week ago from Texas Direct Auto at a significant discount over the GM dealers I tried... TDA's inventory changes hourly - not an exaggeration - they sell 40 to 50 autos A DAY... I will tell you that I shopped for 6 months to find what I wanted at the price I would pay - looking at hundreds of dealer ads... TDA is not the only game in town and a bargain is where you find it...

I like a cloth interior, don't want TV and DVD player, etc... Certainly you will want the HD tow package and the extended tow mirrors (I wasn't able to get the mirrors and will regret it.) Radio control on the steering wheel, power seats for me and the admiral, and few other bells n whistles was all... It is the LT2 finish package...

The 2500HD gives you a class 5 hitch... Don't let the guy at the store sell you a reducer for the tow bar down to 2". just because he doesn't have 2.5"... You want the 2.5' draw bar with the 1.25" stud on the ball... Then fixing up the trailer with weight transfer bars will give you "the best towing a man can get" (think Gillette)
Click to expand...

Your truck sounds exactly like mine, down to the mirrors. I went with the LT2 and the folding mirrors and it has worked OK both for towing the Tom Cat and the 26' travel trailer. It would be nice to have extending mirrors but...

We really like the dual climate controls -- avoids a lot of arguments!

You are so right about the draw bar. I have a massive 2.5" hitch and levelers (sorry, forgot which brand) that inspire a lot of confidence and tow very well.

Have filed Texas Direct Auto away for future reference. Did you run across any great sites for purchasing new?

Warren
 
Warren,
The auto world as you and I have known it, has ended...
It is an even bigger change for me as in my wasted youth I was sentenced to hard time at GM plants, and even pulled a stretch at the Flint Truck assembly plant.. I used to love hanging out at the end of the final assembly line and watching those gleaming beauties fire up and pull off to the parking lot...I left after 16 years when I became depressed over where the corporation was going...

Anyway, I digress... Discounting is going to be a thing of the past... GM is headed towards what made Saturn a success - the sticker on the window is what you will pay... And I suspect they are going to be forced into no inventory and build on demand... Anyway, that is the only way I can see for them to survive...

So, to answer your question, there are a few, very few, leftover new 08 trucks and they are going... You need to be searching every day and have your financing ready so you can move the same day you find one... There will be 09 leftovers beginning next month, though they will not be discounted as deeply they will be your best choice for buying a discounted, new truck... With the 011 model year there will be no leftovers in any significant amounts...
 
Levi,

Interesting predictions. I actually hope you are right because there is nothing I hate more than negotiating with a salesman. But it will be a long time before I am in the market again for a truck. My 08 has been very reliable.

I will be interested in your reaction to the upholstery fabric, especially if you have a dog. I much preferred the tweed-ish material in my 02 Dodge to what GM used in my 08. It seems to collect hair, etc. and keep it clinging. Suffice it to say that there are always clumps/ridges of Poodle (Labradoodle) hair in my truck.

Also, my truck came with the cargo management system. I have not yet figured out what to do with it. Would like to build boxes that fit on the rails, but have yet to see the details of how factory boxes connect. If you see a photo or diagram please send it my way.

Warren
 
The thing I like about the stock Duramax is that if you do not tweak it, you are not supposed to be able to damage the tranny.

I have a bone stock '03 and I do not wish for more oomph, but I have met people who put a chip in theirs, still not sure why.

If you look around, there are websites that show people that modify that powerplant and they can do a quarter mile in the 10 second range.

I guess I value my investment too much to care about going fast anymore.
 
Hi,
I have heard people say to me I put a chip in my truck it can smoke all four tires in four wheel drive. It seemed odd from any way I looked at it. Rumor has it that Gumint Motors is cutting a larger hole in the bumpers of the 2010's Chevy HD 2500 pickups something about larger transmission coolers and maybe an eight speed or more gears in the transmission. Mild tweaks to the body. A 310 hp version is said to be in the works for 11 or 12.
D.D.
 
Dave I have a '05 D Max 3/4 ton crew short 4 WD W/ 3.73 gear. When I chipped[Quadzilla],4"exhausted[oops the cataclysmic converter fell out],cold air intaked her the mileage went up significantly . Like well over 20 on the hiway at 80 MPH good . I run the 70+H.P. program . Dosent smoke unless you put your foot in it , eats hills,and has been flawless . The programmer will retrain the tranny for different power levels, correct speedo for when you wear out the weenie factory tires in less than 30k and replace them with 285s. As the trucks got newer they got worse and worse mileage.'04 and '05 were pretty good years.might look around for a driveway decoration RV puller for less $.
I wouldn't have anything but a diesel .And I have loved the GM experience.
Marc
more than you want to know HERE
 
Marc,
I'm going to buy a Duramax /Chevy. I thought they did ok stock with out the mods. I'm hoping it gets better mileage pulling a boat than the Toyoda's do pulling themselves. Man, are they a little too thirsty or what? I'd be afraid to make any changes to a new vehicle now that the Gumint is in the warranty department business. Since you took all my cash I have to wait awhile till I get a few more welfare checks so I can buy a real truck to travel around the country like a real c-brat should. The misses is retired now, so I have keep at it so the poor folks can get free everything. Lifes a bitch.
Kind Regards,
D.D.
 
I never had a warranty problem so the mods are a moot point for me . I feel so bad taking all your money that maybe Ill just loan you my truck ......
Marc
 
Anyway, there are lots of good solutions out there.. Friend of mine bought a lightly used Ford with the 7.3L engine for his 5th WHeel RV... Pulls like a horse...
I bought new because it is likely my last new truck in this life and will be pulling my retirement boat and is expected to last until I am too senile to drive it...

TBWT will be going to Virginia tomorrow to haul said boat back to Michigan...

On the cargo rails question, I also have that... No real answers for you as I have done no research... I had the box sprayed with Line-X yesterday and a Tonneau cover put on... They found that the latches on the cover will not clear the rails - new situation for them so they called the Tonneau factory and got the answer - there is a different latch to use with the rails... I opted to put on the cover for this trip and leave the rails off while they get the correct latches to go with the rail system... They will change the latches and re-install my cargo rails next week when I get back...
 
Wefings":1cjm3itb said:
I never had a warranty problem so the mods are a moot point for me . I feel so bad taking all your money that maybe Ill just loan you my truck ......
Marc
Click to expand...

I never had anything but a power steering pump die in 6 years of ownership WITH the Edge Juice chip system installed. Most of the time at first, the mechanics at my dealership would ask if they could test drive it just to play with the power. As I said earlier, Marc, I never went above stage 3, and that 2001 still has way better fuel mileage than the new ones. Was nice to tow a 7600 lb 5th wheel with cruise set at 55 all the way up the infamous I-5 Southbound grapevine grade and never see it drop out of high gear or turbo temps anywhere near critical. I even passed lots of struggling cars!!!!

LIS, towing the Jenny B meant not forgetting it was back there. I will say I never let Chevy touch the Allison. Not with a local Allison service center nearby, and all they ever did was replace filters and flash the tranny chip. Oh, and change out the tranny fluid once to TranSynd fully synthetic fluid. After paying for tranny overhauls in Ford and Dodge trucks several times over the years, I consider the Allison almost bulletproof. Heck, it was the main reason I went Silverado HD.

Don
 
Great truck! We have the 07 Classic Siverado, duramax w/allison. Check out a forum called dieselplace.com. Lots of good advice from experienced owners and mechanics.

From my research, use nothing but synthetic motor oil. It is three times as expensive, but lasts at least three times as long. My personal preference is Mobil Delvac 1. If you want to make your truck last a very long time, change every gearbox fluid at 25,000 mi. With a dual bi-pass oil filter system, and synthetic oil, you can even extend your motor oil changes to 25,000 mi. Initially do an oil analysis at say every 10,000 mi, but many have proven that synthetic oil is still doing it's job with this system at 25,000 mi. It will pay, especially considering everything on a duramax costs about $8,000, engine or transmission. Take care of it and there is little it will not haul or pull.
 
I don't want to turn this into an interminable discussion of synthetic versus dino poop - for that you can go to the Duramax forums where they are experts on saying the same thing over and over... Then peruse bobtheoilguy for a dose of reality...

My position is that, unless you are hauling boats or cars for a living and putting on 80,000 miles a year there is no advantage to synthetics and long oil change intervals.. In fact there is a disadvantage to having oil changes longer than the calendar year - in that you are not under there and looking at the oil and the filter on a regular basis... Suffice to say, I use Rotella T 15W40 on all my diesel engines, truck, tractors, dozers... I change the oil and filter on a regular basis...
 
Levitation

Good point. Everything I have read suggests that you should not exceed 1 yr. on oil changes intervals, even with a dual bi-pass system. I figure if you put less than 10,000/yr on the engine, synthetic would not pay. The DIC on our truck usually shows a change due at about 8,000 mi. I have been changing by the DIC and using synthetic. I know it is overkill, but it is likely the only new vehicle we will ever own and I hope it outlasts us.
 
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