These unreliable new diesel engines!

ShinerBock wrote:

Fordlover wrote:


Agreed, but exposure to high cost repairs is always going to be higher with the Diesel.

Major repairs on a diesel (even if very rare) can cost 5 grand, 10 grand, etc. Gas V8 repairs are unlikely to ever touch those kinds of numbers.

Also a benefit, I can replace injectors on a 6.2 V8 in the event a tip breaks off in an afternoon for a less than a grand. On even the storied Cummins that cost is going to be closer to 5 grand and I personally wouldn't attempt the repair, and this is after you've paid 6 to 9 grand for the diesel engine.

If money was no object, I'd opt for the Diesel, but as it is I'm shopping for a 6.2 gas, and the extra payload is just a nice bonus.

Most diesel injectors will last between 200-250k miles which is about the time you will be replacing most gas engines(besides a few unicorns) in a trucks duty cycle. Also, Cummins solenoid injectors do not cost 5 grand. Maybe the expensive piezo injectors found on the Dmax and PSD cost that much.

Lastly, most of the 6 to 9 grand you spend on a diesel is paid back on resale since most diesel HD trucks with 100k miles sell for a lot more then a gas HD truck with 100k miles. Same goes for a V8 Mustang over a V6 Mustang. Yeah the V8 costs more up front, but it commands a much higher resale. A gas HD truck buyer is similar the a V6 Mustang owner in the fact that they did not want pay more upfront front or any other added costs for the V8 and are willing to compromise the performance instead of paying more.

However, the topic of this thread is NOT diesel versus gas costs. It is the reliability of newer diesels in comparison because some seem to think they have much higher failure rates in a truck duty cycle.

I was very surprised when my friend's 2005 cummins with about 65K on the clock lost the injector tip about two years ago. He had to get a tow and a 5K injector job performed (this was parts and labor). A family friend's Ford 6.0 that had to be replaced big $$$. My uncles' 2006 cummins needed a new engine at 115K miles, more big $$$. A very close mechanic friend of mine tells me stories of Audi's, Porsche, BMW diesels that are requiring 8 to 12+k complete fuel system repairs at his shop. These aren't anecdotes to me, these are people I know who are honest with me.

As with most decisions, desire, need, and preference play a big part in the Diesel vs. Gas debate. Personally I love diesels, I just can't justify the cost for a truck that will spend a lot of time sitting in the driveway as a play toy, not making me money. And the idea that I will recoup some/most of my 8,500 bucks 12 to 15 years down the road doesn't make spending the 8,500 any more attractive to me on a depreciating asset. Truck buyers can do the same evaluation and come away with a different decision than mine.