mtofell1 wrote:
Great choice on the LBZ. It's proven to be the most sought after used diesel out there. Lots of good info on the thread... some junk. Go to www.dieselplace.com to learn all about these trucks and put to rest some of the rumors here. I'm short on time so in a nutshell here's what I know:
No widespread overheating issues on LBZ - these were with the LLY engine code and were overstated IMO
No widespread injector problem with the LBZ - there was a recall with very early Duramax - LB7 engine code I think
Head gasket construction changed for LBZ after 12/05 build date. 1/06 and newer dates are better but it's not like the older ones are falling apart left and right..... just a few more being talked about.
Brakes on these trucks are amazing. Whomever was saying they were poor has never owned one. I have 150K on mine and have over 50% at each wheel.
There are some issues with what I'd call minor part - tranny lines, steering shaft, hubs, various front end parts, etc. but these are minor to me. Things like head gaskets, turbos and injectors are major and all 3 have very good reliability records with LBZ.
From reading here and a dieselplace fairly religiously I can tell you 90% + of the problems are from guys that chip/modify their trucks.
I drive mine as a DD and it's a mechanical marvel. Towing my 9K TT is a dream. Hold out for one that's been well cared for with low miles and be willing to pay top dollar. It's worth it and you'll be money ahead in the end. You've obviously done research to get to this point and have made a great choice.
Thanks very much. Appreciate it. Lots of great information, and it confirms the conclusions that I had been coming to. I did already up my original budget for this truck, figuring exactly as you said, that it would prove to be wisdom in the longer run, as I intend to keep this truck for a very long time.
Thanks for the tip about dieselplace.com. I will check it out. I have already been to duramaxforum.com. Folks are friendly there, but most seem to be modding and chipping their trucks like crazy, which I have no interest in.
