the end of our TC days?

[Freedom_49]

My wife and I are trying to make a really tough decision to sell our truck and camper. We have had so much trouble with our truck over 120,000 miles that it's very difficult to spend the 60 or 70K it would take to replace it. I keep all our service records and I have had that truck in for repairs - not including servicing - 27 times, including a head gasket after the warranty period. I have not had the courage to add up what that has cost us. We thought when we bought it that now is when we would be spending significant dollars to get the next 120,000 miles out if it.

Doing research on what we would replace it with is somewhat discouraging - it seems that's a good vehicle is almost the luck of the draw.

When we sit down and look at the financial pros and cons, it's a huge decision. If we sell them, the difference in our bank account at the end of the day by taking some money and not buying another truck is almost $100K. And that doesn't include the savings on insurance, storage, etc. There are a lot of fun experiences that $100K buys.

Almost as difficult is knowing what we would be giving up. My wife loves our camper and while she understands the "dilemma", she is pretty disappointed. We were getting ready for our annual Canadian Thanksgiving trip to Jasper when I discovered an oil leak that I think is the power steering pump but just didn't have it in me to make that 28th trip. We are winterizing the camper today and will unload for the winter tomorrow. It feels crappy to think we won't use it again.

Dunno where this will go. Probably no right decision - and definitely no easy one.

[bobinyelm]

Good luck with your situation resolution, and we hope it works out to see you out on the road, then!

[Freedom_49]

Time for this thread to die.

[bobinyelm]

I also agree laying out $60k on a truck should provide one with reliability and dependability.

But the ship has sailed on that one, and you have what you have at this point.

You either decide to live with your present truck, perhaps finding the problem was poor maintenance (cured by a new mechanic?), or you dump it.

Living with it seems beyond both your financial means, and your desire to put up with it, so your choices are very limited, especially since your other pursuits don't allow other possibilities.

Sometimes one just does what he can, then cuts his losses. Only you can decide if RVing in a T/C is something you can continue to pursue.

Since by your own reports, your time is limited, perhaps just working at your profession would provide more satisfaction, and less frustration for you.

I know you know this, and mentioned it only in jest, but "encouraging" theft of your vehicle is unlawful, and could subject you to arrest and imprisonment, plus liability for whatever mishap the vehicle would get into.

Here in the States, people have gone to jail for allowing their vehicles to be stolen (by UN-intentionally leaving keys in a vehicle) when that vehicle later was 1) Used in a crime, or 2)harmed another individual when operated by the thief, or someone he sold it to, so I do not recommend this disposal method (and that's ignoring the insurance-fraud aspect of the crime).

[Freedom_49]

I did buy the truck new and problems started at 8000 miles, with the first coolant leak. It was the middle of winter and we were in the mountains on a weekend and had a tough time finding Dexcool. In answer to some other questions, the truck has not been modified.

I appreciate that some owners here have more inclination to know more about their trucks and their campers. I have a very busy life, professionally and recreationally, and I think that outlaying $60K on a truck should provide the owner with reliability and cost efficient dependability.

I had an excellent, experienced service advisor at the dealership where I bought the truck, and during the financial meltdown he was put out to pasture in one of those ill conceived cost cutting measures. When the dust settled from that, I moved my servicing to another dealership that had kept its senior service staff. Unfortunately it is on the other side of the city and it's 90 minutes to get there, drop the vehicle off, and get downtown to work. You can well imagine how old that gets multiple times a year.

We unloaded the camper on the weekend and put the canopy on. When I muster my courage, I will seek out the independent mechanic that's been recommended. I am still thinking about putting up a sign on the road that says "UNLOCKED TRUCK WITH KEYS IN IGNITION HERE", but emptying the change tray before I do. 🙂

[covered_wagon]

bobibyelm, another good post about being proactive with these trucks.

I do believe that a used truck with 100-150 thousand miles with the correct aftermarket modifications is more reliable than a brand new truck off the lot.

I say correct mods in that enough time elapsed for word to get out about what mods are effective for reliability and needs to be acted on. The truck forums are a great resource for this reason. A particular model therefore needs to have been around for a long enough period for the correct information to develop among it's owners.

[billtex]

freedom49...first I feel bad about your experience. That is a terrible record.

Did you buy that truck new?

Has it been chipped/modified?

Tx, Bill

[bobinyelm]

Thank-you!

I empathize with the poster and hope he can find a good solution. I do not think it's hopeless at ALL, though I sense he feels that way.

I hesitated to mention, but 5 years ago I bought a very nice 2003* Ram 3500 dually Laramie (leather/wood interior-very comfy) w/ some engine blow-by (oil smoke from breather vent) at a very attractive price, with a 6spd manual transmission (that I was looking for). Other than the blow-by, the truck was sweet with around 100k miles. The previous owner kept it garaged, and hauled his show horses around in it using a gooseneck trailer (B+W frame mount installed). I'm NOT a bells-and-whistles kinda' guy, but this truck had them (so far so good on them except for one power window switch).

I spent about $10,000 having a remanufactured engine (turned out it had only one broken piston ring), overhauled transmission (didn't need it, but it was out, so what the heck?), clutch kit, all belts/hoses/water pump/high capacity lift pump and pre-filters, fan clutch, and many things that now escape me. I also have installed new driveline U-Joints and a center carrier bearing (recently).

I installed Stable Loads, and Firestone air bags for T/C use.

I ended up with a super nice truck with basically a new engine and drive train for less than $20k, and it's been absolutely trouble-free (except for the $60 window switch that was intermittent when I bought the truck) for 5 years now-not even wiper blades. (I DID have some driveline shudder recently and did the U--joints and center bearing as largely a precaution, but I did that myself)

I use it for trailers, 5th wheel, and my T/C (just replaced my heavy 11'6" Lance I bought 4 years ago used ONCE (P/O's wife hated it-still had original carpet plastic and genset w/ 4.9hrs on the clock) I paid $6500 for (I admit it was the deal of the century) w/ a lighter weight 9.5ft one-owner Big Foot in mint shape I bought for $9000 so I can tow trailers and my Jeep behind w/ the T/C in place) more easily. I MADE money on the Lance when I sold it, BTW, which off-set the cost of the BigFoot.

I am not boasting, or suggesting that this is what anyone else would actually WANT to do (I know, even my wife calls me CHEAP), but just saying that there are other solutions to buying a new $60k truck and a $40k camper.

My truck would now have a realistic $16k re-sale due to the new mechanicals (not that I would sell it, period, given the low mileage running gear), and my T/C would probably return the full $9k I spent on it, and when I subtract the profit I made on the Lance, I am almost break-even for 5 years of use (not counting tire wear and fuel).

There are many ways to skin a cat, and I am perfectly happy to have older things if they are in like-new condition, because even buying new, one soon is the owner of used things.

I'd hate to see anyone quit this pastime feeling there was, "no way out," and hope that a combination of things will allow Freedom 49 and his wife to continue to enjoy truck camping.

Bob
*I specifically wanted a 2003-2004.5 24v CRD diesel because of ALL the engines out there, they have the lowest specific fuel consumption (pounds of fuel consumed per horsepower produced by the engine) and with no Cat Converter, EGR, or other add-ons, tend to be quite reliable. I get 15-16mpg hauling my 5th wheel, and on a recent 2600mi TX-WA trip averaged 19mpg towing a small travel trailer behind my Big Foot T/C. Again, your mileage may vary (and I drive VERY conservatively, and never exceed 60mpg), as most people would go nuts cruising at a constant 58mph (the best mph for my combination). I get used to watching folks blast by me, cuz I pass them again while they are stopped buying fuel, anyways.

[covered_wagon]

bobinyelm..... Two very excellent posts. Best I've read in a long time.

Thank you

[bobinyelm]

Freedom 49 wrote:

We have lost faith in the vehicle getting us from A to B; in winter we put a canopy on it and travel long distances in the mountains and out of cell phone range. It could be a serious problem late in the afternoon on a cold day in January if the truck didn't get us home. We're fortunate enough to have a Toyota Tacoma as our other winter vehicle so we'll start using it.

We live in a booming economy here in Alberta and there is no market for used vehicles with 120,000 miles on them. Dealers are not interested in trading and leaving the doors unlocked with the keys in it has only resulted in lost change from the coin tray. 🙂

Just for the ducks of it, I entered your vehicle in Kelly Blue Book, using YOUR year and mileage, the Chevy brand, and 2WD Crew Cab with minimal options (no leather, or any interior upgrades) and the result was a private sale value of $18,779 US in "Very Good" condition.

Back many years ago, I'd find where what I had to sell had greater value than where I lived, and I'd drive my vehicle there on vacation, sell it, and buy something else. I "made" many thousands of dollars tax free (a better price elsewhere isn't taxable), and enjoyed free vacations.

If you take your truck to where it DOES have value, and buy something more reliable (some have made suggestions here as to what that might be) and put your camper on IT and drive home!

Texas is Truck Capital of the World (everyone drives a big truck here), and there are always a bazillion on Craig's List or Online. I was just up in WA State, and found parking lots there aren't built for big dually crew cans w/ 8ft boxes like they are here! But then WA State is closer to you, and there ARE plenty of trucks in WA as well, and truck campers are MUCH more popular than here in Texas (where big TTs and 5th wheels dominate).

Unfortunately, you say in spite many thousands of dollars in constant repairs, you are afraid to drive yours out of cell-phone range, though frankly if that's true it might say more about the incompetent mechanics at your dealership than such a low-mileage truck (here in TX 120k is considered low mileage, though there are plenty available w/ fewer miles, too).

Perhaps in Alberta, a 2006 is a rusted out hulk and is really worthless, but somehow I think it's more of a local-wealth problem. Oil in Canada has evidently made most people quite wealthy-you just need to take that truck where ordinary folks live and sell it maybe? Here in my TX town you can buy a brand new 2000sqft home for $105k on a landscaped lot!

[sky_free]

In for repairs 27 times -- wow, that is terrible and I feel for you. I am tired of fixing problems with our vacation home and we plan to sell it soon because it's just no fun fixing stuff all the time, and it's expensive. We are not buying another one -- been there...done that.

I do think that you can get a decent truck for part-time use for WAY less than $60-70K though. If the used market is that bad where you live, why not take advantage of it and pick up a 2-3 year old used truck for under $30K? If you don't like things breaking (like me), get the lowest trim level you can find.

[bobinyelm]

ALSO:

You must be pro-active.

No one can just afford to have his vehicle serviced by the dealer today anytime something breaks.

I have a good friend who has a one-man shop out of state and makes $300,000 a year working only with a helper (occasionally). His customers are people who were paying even MORE to dealers until they found him, and I think HE is outrageous (and I've owned and operated shops myself), but compared to the competition, his customers LOVE him, and he is a great technician (far superior to the dealerships at which he was trained at and worked for previously).

Join a Forum for Duramax owners (preferably ALL of them): http://www.duramaxforum.com/
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/
http://www.dieselbombers.com/chevy-gmc-truck-duramax-turbo-diesel-forum/

and ask questions/research everything before you take your truck anywhere to get educated so you don't make yourself a victim.

Also go to:
http://www.duramaxdieselspecs.com/duramax-problems.html
as this is a "Common Problem" list for the Duramax engine.

I have a (stupid) cousin who spent over $125,000 at the dealership on maintenance on her Range Rover since she bought it new in 2002, culminating with selling it for $2500 for parts (in perfect condition in/out except for the engine, which was toast from aluminum chips after the timing chain ate through the nylon guide track into the aluminum backing plate). Free coffee, a Wi-Fi and a loaner-vehicle is NOT worth paying that much for.

I'd finally set her up a few months before her engine cratered with an independent Land Rover shop where she lived who charges HALF of dealer prices (but was still terribly expensive compared to DIY), unfortunately.

Things are expensive if you pay people to work on them, period, but starting with the most reliable vehicle to start with is your best defense (You can probably tell I am not a fan of the Duramax), and that you can do by reading and asking around to as many users as you can before buying, and then never buying new (where the first year depreciation is probably $10,000++ on a diesel truck as we're discussing).

Then you go in educated as you can be on your problem (via a Forum, like this one) to your tech so he can give you options. Avoiding being a victim is step ONE!

Lastly, there are sites online where you can ask professionals questions for a fee. These professionals will tell your their qualifications, and their position, so you can decide to pay them for their advice or not. Most in the automotive field are service managers or long-time technicians supplementing their income by selling their experience for a reasonable fee. Here is one on Chevrolet/GMC. You just ask your question, and see who comes up ready to help, then decide to "hire" them or not:
http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/

I hope you can find a good independent technician who will treat you fairly.

Sorry for the lecture, but either you have the biggest lemon ever built, or walk into the dealership with a target on your back you're not aware of.

Bob

[covered_wagon]

Freedom 49 wrote:
One good piece of advice that I have gotten here and from others that I have talked to is seeking out an independent mechanic after a vehicle is off warranty. Old habits die hard, but I have the name that was recommended to me by numerous people and I will make an appt with him to check out the latest pool of oil on my driveway.

Yep Freedom that is a step in the right direction. I spent quit a lot on my other newer truck that hauls the TC. It wasn't spent on repairs it was mostly spent on preventative ideas engineered by others to prevent the problems that occur with my brand/ yr. truck. The ideas are good to great aftermarket parts and came from truck forum discussions and some good ol' American know how..

You see... I believe most problems are part of planned obsolescence or to give support to the service shops, which is fine, except that they sometimes charge 2 and 3 times what normal would be.

[Freedom_49]

One good piece of advice that I have gotten here and from others that I have talked to is seeking out an independent mechanic after a vehicle is off warranty. Old habits die hard, but I have the name that was recommended to me by numerous people and I will make an appt with him to check out the latest pool of oil on my driveway.

[homefor2]

This post has gone off the rails. For the sake of the OP, lets get back on topic.

[covered_wagon]

One good reason is I hate hackers and email alike. It's made me mad what hackers have done with my email. Thinking about no email at all ever... just cancel the account all together.

Lately I'm getting ads for correcting errors on my computer but they are the ones generating the errors. It's evil and they should go do some honest work somewhere.