2003-2007 Chevy Duramax????

mx510
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mx510
Edited Date/Time 12/27/2014 6:33pm
Just wondering if anyone on here has one, and if they have what kind of luck they have had with reliability on the truck. Considering getting soon. Thanks.
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domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/25/2014 2:12am
12/25/2014 2:12am
The trucks are very reliable if no one messed with them , or tuners, deletes etc...I have owned an 02, 07, 11 and mow a 15...injectors can go bad and they can be very expensive...stay away from trucks that have been fooled with. Stock is best on the Dmax in my humble opinion..
Brad460
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Brad460 12/25/2014 6:33am
12/25/2014 6:33am Edited Date/Time 12/25/2014 6:34am
Had an 04 Duramax...the fuel economy was terrible, felt underpowered (compared to a power stroke ) and the injectors went bad (thankfully under warranty)!

I remember visiting the dealer while they were replacing the injectors and the mechanic literally had the whole top end of the engine removed and he was sitting up inside the engine bay...lol..

My friend had the same year truck and put the Banks kit on it with the 6 different levels of boast..damn that thing was fast! Surprisingly he never had one bit of trouble with that one!

Back to the fuel economy...I was pulling a 22' enclosed trailer out west for a snowmobile vacation and was consistently getting 5 mpg.

The only advantage I see with a Diesel is if you are pulling heavy loads cross country they are far easier to drive (meaning less of the irritating up shift, down shifting of a gasser).

domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/25/2014 6:54am
12/25/2014 6:54am Edited Date/Time 12/25/2014 6:57am
The MPG varies so much from year to year and truck to truck..my best bud bought a brand new Ford with the 6,0 diesel in it and it was the biggest pile of shit ever made by any manufacturer....they ended recalling all of them that year and refunding the money back to each customer. Look it up on the ole Interweb.....

My 2015 Dmax crew cab 4 X 4 is averaging 25.2 MPG...and I'm in the throttle heavy on it...mountainous Pa. Terrain .....the truck is totally awesome in every respect...Best truck I have ever owned and that's saying something.

The Dmax is the best diesel on the Roaf today...in humble opinion....

Brad460
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Brad460 12/25/2014 7:25am
12/25/2014 7:25am
domoguchi wrote:
The MPG varies so much from year to year and truck to truck..my best bud bought a brand new Ford with the 6,0 diesel in it...
The MPG varies so much from year to year and truck to truck..my best bud bought a brand new Ford with the 6,0 diesel in it and it was the biggest pile of shit ever made by any manufacturer....they ended recalling all of them that year and refunding the money back to each customer. Look it up on the ole Interweb.....

My 2015 Dmax crew cab 4 X 4 is averaging 25.2 MPG...and I'm in the throttle heavy on it...mountainous Pa. Terrain .....the truck is totally awesome in every respect...Best truck I have ever owned and that's saying something.

The Dmax is the best diesel on the Roaf today...in humble opinion....

25.2 using the truck? ( meaning towing)..

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domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/25/2014 7:57am
12/25/2014 7:57am
domoguchi wrote:
The MPG varies so much from year to year and truck to truck..my best bud bought a brand new Ford with the 6,0 diesel in it...
The MPG varies so much from year to year and truck to truck..my best bud bought a brand new Ford with the 6,0 diesel in it and it was the biggest pile of shit ever made by any manufacturer....they ended recalling all of them that year and refunding the money back to each customer. Look it up on the ole Interweb.....

My 2015 Dmax crew cab 4 X 4 is averaging 25.2 MPG...and I'm in the throttle heavy on it...mountainous Pa. Terrain .....the truck is totally awesome in every respect...Best truck I have ever owned and that's saying something.

The Dmax is the best diesel on the Roaf today...in humble opinion....

Brad460 wrote:
25.2 using the truck? ( meaning towing)..

No....empty, unburdened......towing my toy hauler we averaged 15.1 over 800 miles round trip....
500guy
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500guy 12/25/2014 10:08am
12/25/2014 10:08am
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good.

01-04 LB7 Dmax were very good, yes they had injector issues that can run 3-4k but overall a good package.

04.5-05. LLY a little better a few wiring harness issues ,

06 on up even better but more emissions equipment and less mpg.

Any of these trucks that are Diesel are big dollars to repair, do not buy one and expect 500k and little expense.

Pay attention the the coolant, you see one of these trucks with the old style "green" coolant run the other way. I have seen many of these with the wrong coolant develope major problems with errosion.
Skippie
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Skippie 12/25/2014 10:46am
12/25/2014 10:46am
If you are focused on reliability I would look for a good condition dodge. I'm a Chevy guy but if I were to buy used I would go with a cummins, the things are pretty bullet proof and easy to make power if that's your thing.
domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/25/2014 11:12am
12/25/2014 11:12am
500guy wrote:
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good. 01-04...
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good.

01-04 LB7 Dmax were very good, yes they had injector issues that can run 3-4k but overall a good package.

04.5-05. LLY a little better a few wiring harness issues ,

06 on up even better but more emissions equipment and less mpg.

Any of these trucks that are Diesel are big dollars to repair, do not buy one and expect 500k and little expense.

Pay attention the the coolant, you see one of these trucks with the old style "green" coolant run the other way. I have seen many of these with the wrong coolant develope major problems with errosion.
My buddy lemon lawned his POS FORD based on the outrageous amount of repairs and time spent in the FORD. garage. it spent approx. 80 % of his ownership in a 9 month period in the FORD garage...he received a .full refund, along with many others in my area. Everyone that had one that I know of did the same in exact thing using the lemon law. My best friend owns a Chevrolet, dodge , RAM, and GMC dealerships and he told me that the Dodge diesel were not much better than the POS FORD

When I went to buy my new diesel truck he wouldn't ever let me consider anything but the Duramax/ Allison combo...Told me I didn't want a RAM or a FORD diesel..


.We have major Gas drilling operation here in Pa. There are more diesel pickup trucks on the toad here than anywhere I have ever seen by far, 90 percent of the gas company fleets are Chevrolet Duramax diesels, not because they get a great deal but because they have the least downtime when compared to the FORD or the Ram...Say what you will but the facts paint a very clear picture of what Diesel and tranny combo is the most reliable when used hard. Once the FORD and the RAM started shitting the bed, he sold over 1000 Chevy duramax equipped pickups to major gas industry companies and sent the junk ( FORD and RAM) that they traded straight to auction. He didnt want to hurt his dealerships by selling them to the local folks....None of this is my opinion , these are facts based on a huge customer base and massive fleets sales and by a gentlemen that sells each companies products...
Brad460
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Brad460 12/25/2014 11:45am
12/25/2014 11:45am
500guy wrote:
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good. 01-04...
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good.

01-04 LB7 Dmax were very good, yes they had injector issues that can run 3-4k but overall a good package.

04.5-05. LLY a little better a few wiring harness issues ,

06 on up even better but more emissions equipment and less mpg.

Any of these trucks that are Diesel are big dollars to repair, do not buy one and expect 500k and little expense.

Pay attention the the coolant, you see one of these trucks with the old style "green" coolant run the other way. I have seen many of these with the wrong coolant develope major problems with errosion.
domoguchi wrote:
My buddy lemon lawned his POS FORD based on the outrageous amount of repairs and time spent in the FORD. garage. it spent approx. 80 %...
My buddy lemon lawned his POS FORD based on the outrageous amount of repairs and time spent in the FORD. garage. it spent approx. 80 % of his ownership in a 9 month period in the FORD garage...he received a .full refund, along with many others in my area. Everyone that had one that I know of did the same in exact thing using the lemon law. My best friend owns a Chevrolet, dodge , RAM, and GMC dealerships and he told me that the Dodge diesel were not much better than the POS FORD

When I went to buy my new diesel truck he wouldn't ever let me consider anything but the Duramax/ Allison combo...Told me I didn't want a RAM or a FORD diesel..


.We have major Gas drilling operation here in Pa. There are more diesel pickup trucks on the toad here than anywhere I have ever seen by far, 90 percent of the gas company fleets are Chevrolet Duramax diesels, not because they get a great deal but because they have the least downtime when compared to the FORD or the Ram...Say what you will but the facts paint a very clear picture of what Diesel and tranny combo is the most reliable when used hard. Once the FORD and the RAM started shitting the bed, he sold over 1000 Chevy duramax equipped pickups to major gas industry companies and sent the junk ( FORD and RAM) that they traded straight to auction. He didnt want to hurt his dealerships by selling them to the local folks....None of this is my opinion , these are facts based on a huge customer base and massive fleets sales and by a gentlemen that sells each companies products...
Drill rigs diesel or gas? (Cat or Waukesha)
domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/25/2014 11:51am
12/25/2014 11:51am
CAT Diesel for the most part, some Waukeska....All the pipelines are on CAT excavators...all the fleets are running Chevy Dmax.
Huge drilling operations and pipe lining for the last three years....I have three well on my Farm...
CR250Rider
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CR250Rider 12/26/2014 4:01pm
12/26/2014 4:01pm
02 duramax here. Fixed the "pump rub" issue. Injectors are going strong. 18-20 mpg empty, never seen less than 12mpg loaded. Allison trans is fantastic. Good power and relatively quiet. 100% stock.
Sandberm
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Sandberm 12/26/2014 5:23pm
12/26/2014 5:23pm
500guy wrote:
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good. 01-04...
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good.

01-04 LB7 Dmax were very good, yes they had injector issues that can run 3-4k but overall a good package.

04.5-05. LLY a little better a few wiring harness issues ,

06 on up even better but more emissions equipment and less mpg.

Any of these trucks that are Diesel are big dollars to repair, do not buy one and expect 500k and little expense.

Pay attention the the coolant, you see one of these trucks with the old style "green" coolant run the other way. I have seen many of these with the wrong coolant develope major problems with errosion.
Whats in the red antifreeze vs. the green stuff that you need it in gm vehicles?

My little s-10 started to run hot when it had a little over 105k miles on it. It ended up being the radiator was half plugged up with that red clay like stuff.
domoguchi
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domoguchi 12/26/2014 5:36pm
12/26/2014 5:36pm Edited Date/Time 12/27/2014 7:47am
500guy wrote:
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good. 01-04...
They did not recall the Ford 6.0 and refund anyone money unless it was a case by case basis, and yes they are not good.

01-04 LB7 Dmax were very good, yes they had injector issues that can run 3-4k but overall a good package.

04.5-05. LLY a little better a few wiring harness issues ,

06 on up even better but more emissions equipment and less mpg.

Any of these trucks that are Diesel are big dollars to repair, do not buy one and expect 500k and little expense.

Pay attention the the coolant, you see one of these trucks with the old style "green" coolant run the other way. I have seen many of these with the wrong coolant develope major problems with errosion.
Sandberm wrote:
Whats in the red antifreeze vs. the green stuff that you need it in gm vehicles? My little s-10 started to run hot when it had...
Whats in the red antifreeze vs. the green stuff that you need it in gm vehicles?

My little s-10 started to run hot when it had a little over 105k miles on it. It ended up being the radiator was half plugged up with that red clay like stuff.
GM had a . Huge problem with "Dexcool"..many lawsuits and widely discussed on the old Interweb with a quick google search you will get months of reading going both ways on the subject....A good friend of mind who is in the know that deals with daily says if it has green in it and a 100K on the clock with no coolant system service, you need to run away of get the dealer to stand behind it specifically in writing , which isn't ever going to happen..
BlueThumper
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BlueThumper 12/27/2014 5:03pm
12/27/2014 5:03pm
Had an 06', 11', and now have a 15'. Pull an 18' enclosed trailer almost every weekend. Only issues I have had was the 11'. It was the first year with the EPA diesel exhaust fluid system and it messed up several times. Always repaired under warranty but it sucked. No issues with the 15' so far.

Pre 2011 models without the DEF system are solid trucks. Coworker has one with over 250K on it.

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