good to see more interest in Diesels, after owning one myself(powerstroke 6.7l), I dont think I could ever go back to gas. I test drove a Dmax and really liked, it was the smoothest of the big three

GM is investing another 82 million US dollars in the plant. Seeking metallurgist http://jobview.monster.com/Metallurgist-Job-Dayton-OH-US-159606578.aspx?mescoid=1700183001001&jobPosition=13

Smells CGI in the coming engine. With steel pistons.

Mortimer may be right

http://autoindustrynewsletter.blogspot.se/2015/10/gm-readies-for-cadillac-ct6.html#more

thank god the japanese showed up to make a good deisel engine for GM.

It's called desperately trying to keep pace with Ford. And that's a good thing.

Yeah, thank god the Japanese are bailing out GM.

I've rarely ever heard a complaint about the Duramax HD engine. Good engines.

Breaking News

johnny does' dad, Michigan Bob, Crashes Truck Into Hotel Lobby in Dispute Over Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIDl7ZsmAe4

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/57520664-story

@lou bc
The big problem in the past with the duramax has been injectors. Very expensive to replace and relatively short life. Very risky to buy a high mileage duramax only to have to spend thousands on new injectors. Other than that a long lasting reliable engine. I'm sure the newer dmax is probably better though.

Beebe I would agree. With having owned 20 trucks with the Duramax injectors were common. Between 80k-100k was the life span on average. Because we are high reliability company we choose to replace all 8 at the same time because of failure trends. It cost between $5-6k for replacement. The last bill 6 months ago was $5500.00. There is the occasional high pressure pump failure but I consider that a wear item due to the environment that they live in. A few turbos. Electrical issues are a problem mostly due to environmental effects and how GM builds a wiring harness. Base engines are good as long as they don't overheat. You do that once it gets very pricey. As a comparison though the International DT466 has about the same life span on their HUEI injectors. Just much cheaper.

beebe - I've heard that too. Guys I know don't tend to have issues since many work in logging and construction. A truck used mostly on gravel roads and job sites in my part of the world is junk before the engine needs any work. My brother for example gets a new HD every 1 1/2 to 2 years with 120,000 to 160,000 km (75-100k miles) on the clock. His new truck he has had for 9 months and already has 70,000 km (43,750 miles) on it.
I have noticed that the 2015 Chevy he has looks in much better shape than the last 3 GMT900 based HD's he has had. They looked beat up real fast. All of his trucks regardless of brand tend to last about the same. The Dodge's he had tended to have more drivetrain issues than the Ford or Chevy trucks he has had.

The Dodge's he had tended to have more drivetrain issues than the Ford or Chevy trucks he has had.
Posted by: Lou_BC | Dec 15, 2015 11:39:56 AM

Bullocks!

FCA fleet sales higher in November
by Bill Cawthon on 2015-12-15

Automotive News reported that fleet sales accounted for 26% of Fiat Chrysler’s November deliveries in the US, estimating 130,100 retail sales and 45,900 fleet sales.

That’s the highest percentage in at least two years, and for the first time in many months, the highest percentage among the seven leading automakers.

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2015/12/fca-fleet-sales-higher-in-november-30782

If its good enough for Fleets, its good enough for me!

GM is spending $80 million to update its factories. Ram is spending $70 million for fines.

Fiat-RAM-Chrysler fined $70 million for failing to report deaths and crashes

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday that it fined Fiat Chrysler $70 million for failing to report vehicle crash deaths and injuries since 2003.

The same year HEMI V8 bought his truck.

The diesel partnerships were good moves as none of the (at the time) big 3 got diesel right on their own and it made sense and worked very well for all at least until the 6.0 debacle between Ford and Navistar.

With the 6.7 only about to turn 5 years old its still too soon to know if Ford is getting it right as the engine is still too new.

The partnership with Isuzu to make the Duramax was a good move and continues to be and its good to see the domestic investment even if GM is socialist.

It's good to see that Izuzu is investing money in the US. I like global trade as the consumer benefits.

I did read with interest the comment regarding how the Duramax has the least torque, then a positive comment on how well the pickup went with the engine fitted. It's all about the biggest ..... isn't it? Even the motoring reviewers appear to be caught up in the biggest, mostest, etc theme.

I like reading the above comments from the dreamers on the amount of vehicles they have owned. Yet their experiences in their scribes illustrate that they would be lucky to have owned a pickup.

A guy at work has a 3500 Silverado dualie. He uses it to tow his off road racers. The dual cab pickup looks nice. But, we tend to mainly have the higher spec pickups here.

HEMI - when Dodge first changed over to the "new look" in 1994 it was very common for auto transmission HD trucks to pop out of gear when hitting potholes hard or driving over rough terrain. Multiple guys I know experienced it. Several of my brother's Rams would do this. I was with him several times when it happened. Not too good on the drivetrain to have it go into neutral when trying to get though a mudhole. He had a front end failure and a rear end failure. A lot of transmission shifting issues. He loved the manual transmission trucks but they stopped offering it in the gassers as his company would not buy diesels. Driveline sensor failures were also common. He almost crashed a manual transmission truck due to a sensor failure. The failure caused the truck to shut the engine off when he was shifting gears. Imagine a dead engine 4th gear shift on a gravel road at 40 miles per hour. Not good.

Hemi - About those fleet sales.........Toyota and GM no longer make reg cab small trucks. It looks like Ram has filled the fleet void for low capacity Orkin style fleet trucks.

How much will the new dmax share with the old dmax? If it's all new or mostly new can we call it reliable out of the gate in that case?

With the next generation DMAX coming out soon its too soon to know if GM got it right right as the engine is too new.

@redbloodedxy

By keeping up with Ford do you mean how many "different" diesel engines they have had in the last 10+ years??? Yes Ford has definitely won that battle hands down. I doubt anybody in the diesel market is trying to or would want to keep up with Ford.

@Scott

Nobody here has a crystal ball...

GM stretched their rubber band too tight that's why had no changes for a long time.

Real issue is best towing platform and overall truck.

If don't care how fast I get, I just want to get there safely.

That is why there are more of the Fords doing the work.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/03/diesel-power-curve-comparison-2011-power-stroke-v8-vs-2011-duramax-v8.html

Right Scott N. the Fords with the smoking hot brakes going down hills LOL! Right real safe them piles are HAHA!

GM stretched their rubber band too tight that's why had no changes for a long time.

Real issue is best towing platform and overall truck.

If don't care how fast I get, I just want to get there safely.

That is why there are more of the Fords doing the work.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/03/diesel-power-curve-comparison-2011-power-stroke-v8-vs-2011-duramax-v8.html

Posted by: Scott N. | Dec 15, 2015 3:21:26 PM

Just remember the power stroke numbers there were for a few first models sold and then a owners notification came out for a recalibration for higher HP and TQ. I still have not found a graph for the new power ratings. The 6.6L limitation was the Allison 1000 trans. Even now the 2200 series are limited 660TQ before you have to move to the 2500series. When the new 6.6 comes out I suspect big HP and TQ numbers with a beefier Allison.

Not a huge fan of the 6.6 but the allison is about as tough as they get. Good to see some expansion and hopefully hiring of quite a few more workers.

I'm glad that GM went with Isuzu and Allison for their powertrain. Isuzu makes the best mudium duty engines, we have a fleet of medium duty trucks at the my work, internationals, fords, hino's and Isuzu. And guess what, Isuzu are the most reliable and held up better then other trucks, while have twice as many miles on the odo, they actually drove much better then other trucks.
Duramax is bullet proof itself, and showed better results then powerstroke and as good as cummins, but since Allison is better then dodge transmission, Chevy wins the powertrain award here.

@Lou_BC--Sounds like you brother's line of work gives a truck extreme use. Most of us will never use a truck like that but it is good to know how certain brands hold up under the most extreme conditions.

$5500 for injectors. That is insane, but I have heard similar prices from friends with a dmax. And you can do powerstroke injectors for less than $1000.

Seems like all three are about to get power upgrades. I'm hearing the Ram 2500 will get the Aisin.

Beebe,
I do find your figures rather overstated regarding the cost difference between Ford and GM injectors.

Why is it all vehicles other than Ford are just not quite as good?

Are you selling Frods as well? ;)

Hmmm................. I just so happened to find some injectors for the Dmax are an amazing $395!!!

http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/stock-replacement/duramax-lml-injectors.htm

I'm thinking you are so full of sh!t your breathe stinks.

Fat Albert Of Oz you really are a friendless tro!!. You have to spend your time searching the net to try and prove your better while looking like a fool. Sure you can find cheap stuff on the net but dealer prices are much higher.

For instance your barging price is $3200.00 but you have to add labor to that. People do not install this stuff for free. The price I paid in Jan 2015 was $502.37 at the dealer. That is just over 4K.

Now if you had a clue and not some keyboard cowgirl you would know the 7.3 and famous 6.0 HUEI injectors are pretty cheap. When International built the Maxforce 7 those injectors were more money. The Ford 6.7 also uses the same HPFP and injectors as the Duramax so prices on those are also pricey.

umm big al $395.00 X 8 = 3,160, im guessing the 5500 would include the labour and tax to install the 3160 dollars worth of injectors....or am i missing something here....
just saying i think you might have the stinky breathe here

@JeffS - We have all of the truck manufacturers brags about how tough their trucks are but if you drive them daily on gravel roads (even decent ones) the trucks take a pounding. Industrial roads make up a the majority of roads in British Columbia. People accustomed to driving on these roads travel much faster than weekend warriors. One does not plod along at 20 miles per hour to get to the logging camp or work site 80 miles out of town. They all travel at least 40 mph or faster depending on the speed limit ratings for the road. All of the roads require VHF radios and protocols governing reporting one's location to improve safety. You then have construction sites, logging sites, reforestation activities etc. along with extremes in weather which all take their toll on a truck.
Imagine having to drive 200 miles a day to get to work every day and how that would shorten the life of your vehicle. Now imagine doing that on dirt roads in 95F heat and dust so thick it is like dense fog or -40F where even metal gets brittle.

Maybe the price has come down but my buddy had a 2004 f350 and his injectors went at 80k he took it to a place that does allot of ford ambulance repairs and they said it very common for the 6.0 injectors to fail at 80k and they used rebuilt injectors because the factory ones were very expensive. that 6.0 of his was junk

If your replacing the injectors on a 6.0 L or 6.4 L at 80 k, you might as well replace the head gaskets at that time also, You gotta do them shortly after anyway.

Lou_BC,
Unfortunately the BC lumber business isn't indicative of the majority of business in North America.

A handful of redneck chainsaw operators in the wilds of BC is a true slice of the commercial vehicle market. It is very localised.

I would assume that the commercial use of light commercials in an urban environment is by far the largest market for these style of diesel vehicles.

I do believe the growth in the diesel van segment indicates that now is the time to introduce midsize and 1/2 ton pickups for commercial users.

This will eventually spread throughout the nation, slowly at first.

Gasoline does have it's place. But for a commercial operator a diesel will hold it's value better as papajim has described.

You must leave the back blocks of BC and travel around. If you have the time go to a large urban centre and observe the vehicle types. You will be surprised.

Just because you have only every seen white 1/2 ton pickups doesn't mean all 1/2 ton pickups are white.

Is this too much for you to comprehend?

@BARFo - Did I say anywhere that my part of the world is indicative of the NA market?

I'm pointing out that trucks used in tougher environments don't last.

You had your little rant a while back about a weekend of playing with your truck and you somehow extrapolated that experience to say that our trucks were poor offroaders.

Any truck used on job sites and gravel roads will have accelerated wear.

Poor baby Al. No one agrees with anything you say or perhaps it is how you say it.

Stick to baby diesels in baby global trucks and Eurovans. At least you have a quantum of credibility in those areas.

I'm sure that @zero needs more support from you. One credible source of information aligning with another.

"Australian judge presiding over Volkswagen lawsuit needs to have things explained to him"

Sounds a lot like Big Al.................

Bwaaaaaaaahahahahahaha

@Lou_BC--I am glad I do not have to drive 200 miles a day to get to work. I use to drive 70 miles a day round trip and got tired of it especially during the Winter. I work at home mostly except driving to the bus stop 3 miles from my home. My employer pays the bus fare.

My nephew about 4 years ago bought a 2006 F-250 with a tool bed from his employer at auction for about 6.7k. It was an oil drilling tool truck with about 150k on it. It is a gas engine with 4 wheel drive. My brother didn't want to spend a lot for a truck for his farm since he does not live there and my nephews have a vehicle whenever they come to the farm. One of my nephews had the rust repaired and had it repainted. For infrequent use you cannot beat getting a high mileage truck that has been maintained.

Jeff S - all depends on the vehicle and how much life it has left in it. I read a story about a guy who put a million miles on his truck and the engine when torn down looked close to new.

Mileage isn't the only determinant to serviceable life. Maintenance helps but big companies look at return on investment. If repair costs outweigh the amortization costs of new truck and the cost of lost productivity they will sell before it becomes an issue. If my brother cannot get out to assess a multimillion dollar project due to a pickup repair and cost overruns roll in, replacing a 55k pickup pales in comparison.

@Lou_BC--True but your brother has different needs and his truck is a business vehicle that is provide to him because he needs it. Most of us buy a vehicle for personal use. I worked with a man over 30 years ago that drove Cadillac Sedan Devilles and Fleetwoods and would put at least 200k miles on his car (one car had over 500k miles) but these cars were driven on the highway in Texas which is much easier on the bodies and the engines. TTAC had an article about a 1996 Lexus with over 800k miles on the original engine. If you read the article you remember one of the writers on TTAC had to make repairs on it as he was traveling. This Lexus was probably better for running errands than for long trips but it was still running. Hopefully that writer will have a followup article if and when that Lexus hits the million mile mark.

@Lou__BC--The most I have gotten out of a vehicle is 200k. The engine and drive train are usually still good but the electric windows, assessories, and other things go out which are not worth fixing and harder to find. How much time do you want to spend at the salvage yard hunting for parts.

HEUI injectors are not prone to fail around 100,000 miles. I've got 300,000 on mine and know some with more. When the time comes they can be rebuilt for a few hundred dollars. I may have some leaky o-rings, turns over several more times than the 2 it used to before starting.

It is a shame fords diesel is absolute garbage and gets smoked by the Ram, Chevy and soon Nisson in truck duels. I remember when toyota approached GM when the decided to make a true full size pick up, the tundra. Toyota knew GM had the best diesel, the Duramax, GM decided not to increase the competition and wanted to remain the number 1 selling, highest quality, longest lasting pick up truck 40 years running.

@JeffS - everything eventually wears out. We have guys here bragging about how many miles are on their trucks but if all you do is drive highway/interstate in a mild climate it can happen easily.
My wife and I have never kept a vehicle beyond 250,000 km (156,000 miles) because winters are just too hard on them. Add road salt to the mix and like you pointed out, a lot of little things start to need repairs and those add up.

@LouBC & JeffS

you guys should go to places like Puerto Rico and other latin American locales where they just keep recycling 1963 Chevies and '58 Plymouths.

I drove a 94 Ranger that I'd still have if some clown had not rear ended me. Over 250k miles. My 88 S10 ditto. A guhzillion miles.

In Mexico and Cuba those are like spring chickens!

papa jim - it also depends on how much work one wants to do themselves on a vehicle or pay someone to do. Once I'm at the point where repairs aren't going to maintain the value of a vehicle or repairs and loss of dependability are going to cost me more than buying a new one, I'll get a new vehicle. I"ve had motorcycles I've kept to putter on and have a 68 Galaxie 500 my parents had from brand new but those aren't meant to be day to day reliable transport. A failure in -45C is no fun.

Nissan has them humming like a well played violin
When The Titan XD swept up every award possible at the Texas truck rodeo this year Ford representatives were visibly shaken.
Gm representatives had their tail between their legs
Ram as well at least Ram won with the 3500 HD award.
Toyota could only manage 1 award for midsize truck
The Titan XD swept up the awards without even breathing hard.
Ford wasted no time and announced it too would have a diesel in the F150 lineup, Gm too will follow Toyota will follow they will all follow Nissan or be left behind.
Ram started it but didn't have the money to capitalize on it.
being small companies FORD and Ram will have to dig deep into profits to follow the big boys like GM Toyota Nissan
from here on out. the only other big company not participating in this new era is Volkswagen .

@papa jim--I would actually like to go to Puerto Rico and Cuba. Maybe eventually. If and when I go would like to ride in a late 40's to early 50's Buick convertible. I would settle for a 50's Chevy.

Jeff S - didn't the USA lift its Cuban embargo? I know a lot of fellow Canadians who love going there.