Considering Trade from Gasser to Diesel

wintersun wrote:
Experience with maintenance and repair varies by make and model year. Since 2003 there have been 5 different Duramax engines and most have had problems that necessitated a redesign. The current LML is no different as it is the first to have the DEF and NOx sensors and the sensors have not been especially reliable and problems have been very difficult for the dealers' service people to diagnose correctly and fix. Many posts on the www.duramaxforum.com website.

Older Ford diesels had their problems and Dodge trucks have not been trouble free either when you consider all the truck's components including heating and cooling systems and emissions and electricals.

The biggest difference with the new diesel engines is the need to change the oil and filter more often and to use twice as much oil with each change. Overall not a big difference. When repairs are needed it can be both very expensive and often difficult to get items covered by the manufacturer warranty without a battle - in particular with regard to the emissions system's components that are supposed to be covered by federal law - not that the corporations care about the laws.

Diesel is also more of a problem in very cold weather with the potential for fuel gelling (worse with today's bio fuels) and longer warm up time. Fuel economy is at its best when doing heavy hauling or towing or at freeway speeds, and at its worse for short trips and around town driving.

I get better mileage of course with my 2011 Duramax diesel but with the higher purchase price for the truck and the higher cost of diesel fuel my breakeven point is after more than 200,000 miles.

But for dealing with heavy loads the diesel engine's torque and engine braking are exceptional benefits. Just don't try to rationalize the decision as so many people feel compelled to do. No free lunch in effect.

Used diesels are another story altogether and for the price on the used truck market they don't offer much in the way of value for their new owners. Some people get luckly but many do not and repairs on most diesel engines are a great deal more expensive than with a V-8 or V-10 gas engine.