I would never buy a modern diesel truck. I can't afford it, and even if I could, I wouldn't want one. I was simply stating the only way that driving one of these makes any bit of sense, at least to the people that do actually end up with a modern diesel in their driveway.
Botched dealer coolant flush
- Thread starter MC
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I would never buy a modern diesel truck. I can't afford it, and even if I could, I wouldn't want one. I was simply stating the only way that driving one of these makes any bit of sense, at least to the people that do actually end up with a modern diesel in their driveway.
Turbocharger circuit isn't shown on these diagrams. Perhaps it is entirely oil cooled, but I doubt it. A couple typos in the first image...EGR vs engine.
Primary High Temperature: Engine water jacket and oil cooler...heater core
Secondary Mid and Low Temperature (two pass radiator): EGR cooler, Charge air cooler, Fuel Cooler, Trans cooler
Rather than change the fluids, change the whole truck. The key to keeping maintenance affordable on these trucks is to neglect them. As a recent used truck shopper, out of warranty and under maintained sure doesn't reflect in the asking price, NADA, blue book, etc.
I almost bought a local one owner 2016 powerstroke CCSB lariat. Clean as a whistle. Cleaned the underside anytime we got snow/salt. Not a single door ding or stone chip. Owned by a car guy. His pride and joy. Used it to commute, take kids to school, and tow a single car open trailer to the dragstrip. Never towed heavy. Front end was mostly tight. 170k miles. All original fluids. He had only recently done the CCV filter and it was leaking oil out of two injector seals, a CCV breather line, and the lower oil pan seal. Couldn't bring myself to buy it. Guy built 700 hp coyote mustangs but couldn't manage to go beyond air filters and oil changes on a 65k truck.
I bought a 2014 cummins despite primarily shopping 2015-2016 powerstrokes. Far less power and a miserably inferior transmission compared to the ford 6r140. In fact, all of the truck is inferior to a contemporary ford except the simplicity of the motor. One coolant system (two radiators in parallel), one thermostat. I want my deleted and tuned 320k mile 2006 duramax back.
Book time and $150-$200 / hr shop rates are the reason these trucks are undermaintained and prohibitively expensive to own. On one hand, it can be hugely successful to open your own diesel mechanic / diesel performance shop and only work on pickups. On the other hand, it will eventually cause the death of the light duty diesel vehicle.
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I realize it is absurd, dripping sarcasm. Based on my used truck survey it's the reality. The average BITOGer does not have the same take on maintenance as the general population. Diesel pickup trucks are sold on the notion of "they last forever." The average buyer doesn't care about forever and confuses "lasting" with not benefiting from maintenance. They trade it in within 5 years anyway when it's not compatible with their newest iphone or doesn't have the newest "invisible trailer" camera feature.
None of the maintenance is difficult, so the real key is to do it piecemeal, yourself, perhaps when making other modifications or upgrades. I spend the time to do it right because I'm not motivated to cut corners by book time pricing. All the fluids and filters can be obtained reasonably. (Finding the best prices and keeping them on my shelf has become a personal hobby.) The hardest thing my truck should ever need is a valve adjustment. I'll do it in the off season when we don't have camping plans.
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Ok.
If a system requires replacement as maintenance, then it is not fit for service in my opinion. We are not talking about space travel here.
I agree on the buyers generally. A vicious circle of buy and spend.
I worked for a company in the late 2000s that used diesel trucks to tow equipment around town. The cost of a diesel was about 10k more than the gas version......and they found out that the gas truck lasted just as long........as the drivetrain was not the issue, it was the rest of the body. They typically got rid of the trucks at 150-200k....towing 12-15k around charlotte.
Again, there is no reason for an individual to run around in a 500hp diesel truck, just to run around town and look cool. but that is America.
I don't disagree. A 6.2 or 6.4 gasser would be mechanically sufficient for our RV traveling. I can't justify diesel ownership and maintenance on cost. The extra drivetrain capacity makes towing less stressful. Since RVing is our family recreational together-time activity, lower stress and less stopping for refuels has value. We take family trips in it so sure, it's nicer than it really needs to be. My kid is in a car seat so she can't really appreciate the heated rear seats, nor does my dog. If I was paying a non-owner driver to use it as your company did, the premium would not be worthwhile. And you're right, all the suspension/steering/braking/interior bits become significant nitpicks to keep the truck 100% unless the route of neglect (cab leaks, suspension pops, and steering play) is taken.
If "reason" were necessary for our vehicle choices, we'd all be driving a prius, subaru, etc. Heck, I commute in a 2012 Mazda 3. My truck isn't a daily, so I'm not using it to look cool. And my 2014 is only 370 hp. I'm sure our 2006 duramax was significantly more...and was more fun to drive.
Even BITOG heralded project farm has diesel-bro-itis:
Your company got to deduct depreciation, so they did that rather than deduct maintenance associated with keeping their tow vehicles forever. A forever maintenance and repair mentality looks far different than a 5 year depreciation curve. That's not different than what we've both highlighted with the typical personal owner. Proactive maintenance isn't being done for one reason or another. As in the case of the OP, he engaged a professional to do it and even then it didn't get done.
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