For those who are considering downsizing to a half ton and still want a diesel option, the GM Silverado/Sierra 1500 is your only option. But maintenance that the 3.0L Duramax turbo diesel is much easier and simpler than that on the HD diesels. The only extra maintenance item is the fuel filter and it's a $30 item that needs to be changed out every 30,000 miles. It's also easily accessible and easy to change out. I recently drove my 2024 Sierra 1500 3.0L from Alaska to southern Arizona and the fuel mileage was incredible. I did three fill ups in Canada and three in the Lower 48 and still had a half tank of fuel when I arrived at my destination. And that's on the standard 24 gallon fuel tank. I was getting over 600 miles on a tank and averaging in the low 30s on mpg.
@@AlaskaErik it’s actually the exact same as the big duramax. I drive a 2500 duramax and absolutely love everything about the truck except for the mirrors. The little duramax is definitely a gem in the 1/2 ton segment. P.S. I have always been a ford guy and I still like the fords.
@@Sunny-jr5zc Only time will tell, but I believe so. All these engines appear to be running fine w/o any reported issues as far as I know. Other than my misgivings about the wet belt, they seem to be a great platform.
I totally agree with you on doing my own maintenance. And like you, it's not necessarily about saving money, but rather ensuring that the job was done right. I have the 3.0L Duramax in my 1500 and I can't imagine how many of those trucks are running around with either Dexos 1 0W-20 oil or Rotella 15W-40 oil because careless service personnel didn't bother to check what kind of oil they should be putting in. The correct oil for the 3.0L is Dexos D 0W-20.
I'm a hotshotter. My oil change interval in my diesel is 15,000 miles apart and my diesel fuel filters is around the same time. Coat 20 bucks for the kit for both front and back filters and a trip to oil stop express for a total of 220 dollars when factoring labor and oil bight from them when additives are also purchased. In 100K miles the about 6.6 intervals costing me about $1,466. In most realistic driving conditions that don't involve a flat plain most gassers are getting good at 8 mpg. That's 12,500 gallons of gasoline in 100k miles. At $4.50 a gallon that would be $56,250. In those same conditions a diesel is doign 13 mpg or more. At 13 mpg a 100k miles would see consumption of 7,692 gallons for diesel. At $4.50 a gallon that would be $34,615. That's approximately a $21,635 dollar difference. A fraction of that would cover the difference in price for a diesel and it's maintenance. Meaning before 100k miles is up. Maintenance cost are subjective. It enitrely depends on where you go and where you buy the parts if at all.
@@charlesc5983 that’s if you drive it until it is worthless 😂 You get your $10,000 back when you sale them. It’s really a wash in the grand scheme of things.
I consider DEF to be a consumable, alongside with fuel. I don't consider DEF fluid to be a maintenance item and I would not track it on my maintenance spreadsheet.
@@AlaskaErik I agree def is definitely a consumable just like diesel. I always buy it at the pump where the 18 wheelers fill up. I buy $10 which is a little over 3 gallons about every 3,000 miles unless I am towing heavy then it will use a little more. Probably a gallon every 250 miles instead of a 1,000.
Recently, I’ve seen 12% discounts on HD GM diesel trucks. There’s less availability of gas HDs at this time. At the current moment, that initial purchase cost of the diesel may be substantially less in some places. When rebates become equal between gas & diesel, gas may be the way to go.
One thing that I’ve noticed on dealership lots is that they have an overwhelming abundance of diesel trucks, I’ve been to two different dealerships in the west Texas area and one of them only had one gas hd truck between their 3 lots and the other had 3 hemi gas hd trucks and my boss is going to buy a ram 3500 hd diesel soon for the work that we do hauling parts and pallets of batteries, filters, oil and coolant, some of the pallets weighing at least 1800 pounds to 2500 pounds per and carrying several pallets at a time, usually with a total weight of 10,000 pounds to 13,000 pounds on any given day of the week and it will be my first diesel pick up truck ever and I haven’t driven a diesel truck since my Army days 30 years ago thanks for your breakdown of both types of trucks
I've owned several diesels over the last 30 years starting with the 7.3 powerstroke to the new duramax. Diesel maintenance is slightly more expensive during the warranty period while performing basic and routine preventative maintenance and upkeep, as you've illustrated. Once the warranty period expires and engine work has to be performed, then you will see the astronomical cost difference for parts and labor. If you keep your current truck beyond the warranty period, I think you'll be happier that you don't own one of the new diesels.
As you pointed out, regular maintenance is one aspect and yes it seems from what I hear as a theme over the years the shops have this magical way of upcharging the diesel truck owner and even its its only an engine oil change. Some of that would have to do with which brand of truck as the oil capacities are different and the choice of oil used but also if the fuel filter or "filters" are changed out then up goes the cost as the shop time goes up and some of the OEM fuel filters at the dealership get quite pricey. But aside from general maintenance, its that dark cloud that tends to hang over diesels more so with accumulated mileage and once out of warranty and having injector failures, glow plugs, and a catastrophic fuel pump failure, never mind the whole interactive exhaust system mess of expensive sensors failing and then the dpf having to be cleaned/swapped out. There are so many unknowns within that, one person may have great luck while another who may use their truck somewhat differently or in a different climate can have never ending issues that cost them dearly. But that doesn't mean the gas engine is without its issues, not in the least as they have their problems too that can become very expensive all depending on the failure points. Take that LT8, those injectors are not exactly inexpensive and I don't know what the expected life is of them but the main thing will be is if the engine if well maintained ends up having a good track record over lets say the Hemi blowing up its valve train or the Ford 7.3 gas puking its valve train metal through the engine. If a person is always trading vehicles and most issues are covered on warranty is very different from the person who owns a vehicle long term and has to deal with the weaknesses of the design and the choice made in what was bought in hindsight was good or horrifically bad down the road ...
The best thing a person can do is always run a good fuel additive to keep the high pressure pump lubed and the emissions system as clean as possible. I personally switch back and forth between hot shots secret and archoil. I keep up with regens and back pressures on the different components with my I dash so if I ever see something off I can do a manual regen to get everything cleaned out before issues arise.
@@billylee2312 Those are good points ( and changing the fuel filter more often then some have assumed it should be changed ). But what really has helped as I chuckle, depending on the expense and the availability technology wise with the big three truck companies is getting rid of all the crap permanently ... I live in Alberta, I imagine you know what I am speaking of there. And the bonus tends to be ( and proven with some programs ) is notable better fuel economy and no more worries about buying "fertilizer".
The dealer oil change when I had my CTD was $110 about a year ago. That was the only regular maintenance I let a dealer do. I just didn't want to deal w/ the bad placement of the oil filter and dealing w/ the used oil and just chose to let the dealer deal with it. I changed my own fuel filters and rear diff. I did oil and fuel about 2x a year, so it wasn't so bad for me. I now have a Duramax and can do all the scheduled maintenance myself, saving more $$$. Thanks for sharing some good info.
I do my own maintenance and much of my own repairs also. Another reason to do your own maintenance is to get a good inspection under your vehicle. Some dealers are good about doing this, but many aren’t and just do the work you asked them to do. Many years ago I changed the oil on my daughter’s car before she was to head back to college which was 4 hours drive away. As I was looking the car over as the oil changed, I noticed a line on the underside of the hood. As I looked closer, I found a leaking water pump that was slinging coolant out and made a nice line all the way around the engine compartment. A local garage was able to get the car in the next day and change the water pump. It might well have lasted several more months, but it also might have failed on her halfway to college. Would a garage have caught that while doing a routine oil change? Maybe, but maybe not.
30 years ago a Cummins diesel Ram had as little as 160hp and 420lb of torque, or the powerstroke turbo at 225hp and 4 speed transmissions. Those trucks pulled trailers just fine. GM's L8T with 464lb ft of torque and 10 gears is plenty for people who drive at reasonable speeds. You can feed it cheap gas, cheap 5W30 oil, and nothing else. $9500 for the duramax option is reasonable but a lot of people will be money ahead with the gas truck. It would certainly be nicer for winter time where your gas engine fires right up and gives heat quickly. Also nice for short trips where you can just shut it off whenever without worrying about turbo, oil temps, EGT temps, regen cycles, any of that. its just a simple engine. Plenty of reasons to buy the diesel like maximum range, aftermarket fuel tanks with tons of capacity, overall power in mountains or whatever. I like them both but i think i'd take the gas.
@@darens440 the new duramax gets warm just as quick as the gas version and the block heater doesn’t even turn on until 0*F. It’s absolutely useless here in Texas
@@billylee2312 3 reasons why gas warms up faster. 1. 20-30% less efficient as diesel, that wasted energy turns into heat. 2. Throttle plate instead of wide open creates vacuum and resistance. 3. Overall thermal mass is lighter on gas engine, less metal to heat up equates to faster water temp rise. Bonus reason: More complete combustion at super low temperatures like below zero. When you see those low temp diesel cold starts and white/greyish smoke coming out its not burning completely.
@ well when it is cold the l5p warms up as quick as the 6.6 gas. It sounds totally different and burns a lot more diesel when it’s cold out until it gets to temp. They have to have higher exhaust temps for emissions. These newer diesels are a totally different beast than the old ones.
@@billylee2312 Okay, so it runs a high idle warm up program. A high idle program on gas would speed that up too. I believe the silverado has an option for that on the gas engine as well. Last duramax i had was an LLY Van and it took a while to heat up completely, but it did run very smooth in the cold. All the gas GM V8s ive had are like super fast heat in the winter. Advantage gas for anyone driving shorter distances every day.
also with diesel if you have a breakdown its very difficult to get someone to fix it may need to wait. a friend switched from diesel RV to gas due to maintenance and access to fix
I consider more than doubling the maintenance cost to be significant. If doubling isn’t significant, then the fuel savings is also not significant as it is a mere 20% at best.
Did your truck have a reprograming recall pretty recently? I just had mine done today. Took about an hour but they said it could take longer as sometimes it doesn't take it very good. I was lucky...
What many don't bother to bring up either is diesel vs gas insurance cost comparison as well. I know in my state every VIN I've given for HDs over the last 10 years the diesel insurance was significantly less than its gas counterpart. Why I do not know but in most cases for me same exact coverage was about 500-700 per yr less for the diesel engines the gas was 500-700 more. Has anyone else experienced this same thing?
Yes. I live in Michigan. I just bought a ‘21 duramax high Country 3500. I was shopping for new 2500 gassers in LT trim. $800/yr more for the gasser. Same coverage. However. It’s also Michigan. Auto insurance here is stupid expensive being a no-fault state.
About the same for me premium wise, but definitely could vary based on carriers and market. A lot of factors that the actuaries run to set the premiums, but replacement cost is a big one.
Modern gas engines have enough power now days that many diesel owners don't actually need a diesel. I have 4 friends who have diesel trucks and only one of them pulls more than I do with my 7.3 gas engine in my F250. I pull a travel trailer that's between 10,500 and 11K lbs and the 7.3 gas is MORE than enough for that load. I think long term diesel ownership costs is an area where many people fail to look at and will end up taking it on the chin due to repairs that can't be done at home by most. The long term expense for a diesel combined with better gas engine towing is why I have no desire to own a diesel. Long term they will cost more and in some cases a lot more.
@@AdventureRocks on the maintenance costs I actually got my first oil change in my new truck done today at the Ford dealer and it cost me about 15 bucks less than what what I can buy the oil and filter for to do it myself. This wasn’t the case with my Ram (gas engine) but is with Ford.
‘21 duramax 3500. Drain and fill, Front diff, T-case, trans(gasket,and screen (plastic box with a paper element), rear diff(new gasket). Fuel filter. Cabin air filter. Oil change. Engine air filter. All at the same time. $480 for everything. Single day at home in the garage. Simple. But tedious. Need to buy a pump to fill the fluids. That’s the tedious part. Bought the parts and fluids at my local family owned auto parts store. Which happens to be an AC Delco dealer. Everything was in stock except for the trans fluid, filter and gasket. Had to wait for 2 days.
@@AdventureRocks one thing I have also learned. I don’t know if this applies to Ford and Ram. But, I’ve discover that the T-case, front and rear diffs are not filled to capacity at the factory. There are videos about this on the Tubes. For example, the rear diff on HD’s is roughly 1qt low from the factory. I’ve discovered this to be accurate on 3 separate vehicles from people in my life. Idk why this is. Maybe someone can post an explanation. But if you’re a towing individual, check your diffs and T-case.
gas truck -5or 6 quarts of oil and an $8 filter , the diesel oil filter $20 plus, the fuel filter 25 or so oil about 3 gallon in the diesel so they will be more. oil change every 6 months is a waste, i've ru 10000 mile changes in my Cummins for near 10 years I did add a Amsoil dual bypass oil filter and run synthetic oil. Have had zero oil related problems.
Too big to fit into some of the state parks/campsites. Trying simple and small for the time being...in many ways more enjoyable and rewarding. Thanks for the comment!
I bought a a new Ford F150 Ecoboost in 2011 and have a spreadsheet with Date, Miles, maintenance items, Amount and locations for everything that is done to the truck. Let me know if you need it.
Me, with the fact that more modern engines are gasoline direct injection (GDI) has more carbon deposits than turbodiesel direct injection (TDI) engines so, in my opinion when you consider TDIs get better mpg than GDIs overall you are better off with a TDI than a GDIs engine. 🙂
I do my own service on my L8T also like you, but in studying the transmission fluid exchange you had $100. How are you doing the service? A part of the exhaust goes directly under the transmission pan so it is not an easy task. I asked the dealer when I was in doing a recall, and he quoted around $500+ to do fluid & inner filter. Is there another method one can do at shorter intervals say 20K miles and not have to remove the pan?
@@sam-68-56 I hear you. My understanding is it's not very user friendly to do yourself. The $100 was just fluid estimated, hoping that by the time it comes due I'll find a better solution! There have been some discussions in the forums about potential solutions, so I've been keeping an eye on them.
@@AdventureRocks if a guy could do a partial drain and refill at 20K then 30K thereafter it would probably be fine, but have to find out the procedure. Maybe suck it out or??
I’ve not done a transmission service on my truck BUT there looks to be plenty of room for the pan to come off without bothering the exhaust. Mine is a 2022 so maybe the 10 speed is different
I do $68 oil changes on my Duramax......2.5 gal of oil and filter, do it myself.....fuel filter is $40 every 15k miles....takes 10-15 minutes fuel is lil more with DEF and fuel additives but better MPG slightly.....just got rid of a gas 2500 it costs a lil more for diesel but nothing crazy like you hear.....if your buying a 70-80k truck and your squabbling over $20 here and there than thats pretty insane..... main savings is doing it yourself vs dealership........its not that big of a deal
I agree with you. I have a 22 Duramax and my youngest son has a 22 6.6 gas. My oil changes are cheaper by about $12 but once I add in the fuel filter every other oil change there really isn’t much difference. The whole well the diesel is a$10,000 upgrade complaint is silly also. You get the 10k back when you get ready to sell or trade. It’s really nice to have all the extra power. We don’t use dealerships to change oil either.
@@carbonking53 lifter or fuel pump failure, bad fuel or glow plug falls through. I’ve had emission issues on my 24. My 2020 had a high pressure fuel pump fail. I’ll be switching back to gas
Diesel is more efficient until it isn’t….obviously you haven’t experienced emmisions failing or a turbo failing or your injectors failing…once you experience that and get that 6-10k bill…you’ll start to say to yourself. Fuck I can buy a lot of gas for that price
Smart man, I did as well. It costs a lot of money to truly get these diesels to be reliable and run correctly and then the increased maintenance costs followed by 75 cents more a gallon in my area make diesels not financially beneficial over a gas. I keep one diesel in my company for when I need what a diesel offers but everything else is now gas.
Meh, fuel filters, def fluid, draining the water separator once a month, worried about the fuel supply in that little place in the middle of nowhere with no other choice vs getting gas anywhere you want and an occasional oil change. Gas for me every time. Dumped the diesel 2 years ago and won’t go back.
Thanks for the summary. I think most would disagree with you saying the difference is not that significant when you have shown it is actually more than twice as much for the diesel. $1000 more for average mileage over 5 years is a measurable difference.
@@AdventureRocks my son has the same truck as me but in the 6.6 gas. We do our own maintenance so the actual cost of a oil change is actually cheaper on my diesel but with fuel filters it comes out within a few bucks on average. If we trade or sale within 5 years of ownership we will get about $10,000 difference and thats about what we paid
I can see in a low mileage truck the maintenance costs aren’t so great. This changes once your warranty period is over. I consider injectors to be a maintenance item which is easily in the high thousands. It’s a shame Ram doesn’t include the commercial spec Cummins anymore. They went for high output but the commercial grade is available of a chassis cab.
For those who are considering downsizing to a half ton and still want a diesel option, the GM Silverado/Sierra 1500 is your only option. But maintenance that the 3.0L Duramax turbo diesel is much easier and simpler than that on the HD diesels. The only extra maintenance item is the fuel filter and it's a $30 item that needs to be changed out every 30,000 miles. It's also easily accessible and easy to change out. I recently drove my 2024 Sierra 1500 3.0L from Alaska to southern Arizona and the fuel mileage was incredible. I did three fill ups in Canada and three in the Lower 48 and still had a half tank of fuel when I arrived at my destination. And that's on the standard 24 gallon fuel tank. I was getting over 600 miles on a tank and averaging in the low 30s on mpg.
@@AlaskaErik it’s actually the exact same as the big duramax. I drive a 2500 duramax and absolutely love everything about the truck except for the mirrors. The little duramax is definitely a gem in the 1/2 ton segment. P.S. I have always been a ford guy and I still like the fords.
Wet belt on the 3.0 is bad enough, wet belt on the rear side of the engine is atrocious. Great little engine but that is bonkers.
@@Neur0bit Change it every 200,000 miles. I've never kept a truck that long.
Is the LM0 3.0 motor good enough for 300,000 mi without any major issues?
@@Sunny-jr5zc Only time will tell, but I believe so. All these engines appear to be running fine w/o any reported issues as far as I know. Other than my misgivings about the wet belt, they seem to be a great platform.
Yep, sticking with my Silverado High Country 2500 HD diesel. Pulls like a beast. 😎👍
I totally agree with you on doing my own maintenance. And like you, it's not necessarily about saving money, but rather ensuring that the job was done right. I have the 3.0L Duramax in my 1500 and I can't imagine how many of those trucks are running around with either Dexos 1 0W-20 oil or Rotella 15W-40 oil because careless service personnel didn't bother to check what kind of oil they should be putting in. The correct oil for the 3.0L is Dexos D 0W-20.
Tfl truck has done the math. You have to drive 100k miles to break even with the 9500 diesel option charge and maintenance cost.
I'm a hotshotter. My oil change interval in my diesel is 15,000 miles apart and my diesel fuel filters is around the same time. Coat 20 bucks for the kit for both front and back filters and a trip to oil stop express for a total of 220 dollars when factoring labor and oil bight from them when additives are also purchased. In 100K miles the about 6.6 intervals costing me about $1,466.
In most realistic driving conditions that don't involve a flat plain most gassers are getting good at 8 mpg. That's 12,500 gallons of gasoline in 100k miles. At $4.50 a gallon that would be $56,250. In those same conditions a diesel is doign 13 mpg or more. At 13 mpg a 100k miles would see consumption of 7,692 gallons for diesel. At $4.50 a gallon that would be $34,615. That's approximately a $21,635 dollar difference. A fraction of that would cover the difference in price for a diesel and it's maintenance. Meaning before 100k miles is up.
Maintenance cost are subjective. It enitrely depends on where you go and where you buy the parts if at all.
@@charlesc5983 that’s if you drive it until it is worthless 😂
You get your $10,000 back when you sale them. It’s really a wash in the grand scheme of things.
I consider DEF to be a consumable, alongside with fuel. I don't consider DEF fluid to be a maintenance item and I would not track it on my maintenance spreadsheet.
You should considering the truck won’t go anywhere without it then you gotta take into consideration the DEF headers go bad fairly often
@@AlaskaErik I agree def is definitely a consumable just like diesel. I always buy it at the pump where the 18 wheelers fill up. I buy $10 which is a little over 3 gallons about every 3,000 miles unless I am towing heavy then it will use a little more. Probably a gallon every 250 miles instead of a 1,000.
Recently, I’ve seen 12% discounts on HD GM diesel trucks. There’s less availability of gas HDs at this time. At the current moment, that initial purchase cost of the diesel may be substantially less in some places. When rebates become equal between gas & diesel, gas may be the way to go.
One thing that I’ve noticed on dealership lots is that they have an overwhelming abundance of diesel trucks, I’ve been to two different dealerships in the west Texas area and one of them only had one gas hd truck between their 3 lots and the other had 3 hemi gas hd trucks and my boss is going to buy a ram 3500 hd diesel soon for the work that we do hauling parts and pallets of batteries, filters, oil and coolant, some of the pallets weighing at least 1800 pounds to 2500 pounds per and carrying several pallets at a time, usually with a total weight of 10,000 pounds to 13,000 pounds on any given day of the week and it will be my first diesel pick up truck ever and I haven’t driven a diesel truck since my Army days 30 years ago thanks for your breakdown of both types of trucks
Very interesting. Maybe supply and demand is changing. Thank you for the comment.
@@AdventureRocks You’re welcome and thank you for sharing your experience and input on this subject
I've owned several diesels over the last 30 years starting with the 7.3 powerstroke to the new duramax. Diesel maintenance is slightly more expensive during the warranty period while performing basic and routine preventative maintenance and upkeep, as you've illustrated. Once the warranty period expires and engine work has to be performed, then you will see the astronomical cost difference for parts and labor. If you keep your current truck beyond the warranty period, I think you'll be happier that you don't own one of the new diesels.
Great points
As you pointed out, regular maintenance is one aspect and yes it seems from what I hear as a theme over the years the shops have this magical way of upcharging the diesel truck owner and even its its only an engine oil change. Some of that would have to do with which brand of truck as the oil capacities are different and the choice of oil used but also if the fuel filter or "filters" are changed out then up goes the cost as the shop time goes up and some of the OEM fuel filters at the dealership get quite pricey. But aside from general maintenance, its that dark cloud that tends to hang over diesels more so with accumulated mileage and once out of warranty and having injector failures, glow plugs, and a catastrophic fuel pump failure, never mind the whole interactive exhaust system mess of expensive sensors failing and then the dpf having to be cleaned/swapped out. There are so many unknowns within that, one person may have great luck while another who may use their truck somewhat differently or in a different climate can have never ending issues that cost them dearly. But that doesn't mean the gas engine is without its issues, not in the least as they have their problems too that can become very expensive all depending on the failure points. Take that LT8, those injectors are not exactly inexpensive and I don't know what the expected life is of them but the main thing will be is if the engine if well maintained ends up having a good track record over lets say the Hemi blowing up its valve train or the Ford 7.3 gas puking its valve train metal through the engine. If a person is always trading vehicles and most issues are covered on warranty is very different from the person who owns a vehicle long term and has to deal with the weaknesses of the design and the choice made in what was bought in hindsight was good or horrifically bad down the road ...
The best thing a person can do is always run a good fuel additive to keep the high pressure pump lubed and the emissions system as clean as possible. I personally switch back and forth between hot shots secret and archoil. I keep up with regens and back pressures on the different components with my I dash so if I ever see something off I can do a manual regen to get everything cleaned out before issues arise.
@@billylee2312 Those are good points ( and changing the fuel filter more often then some have assumed it should be changed ). But what really has helped as I chuckle, depending on the expense and the availability technology wise with the big three truck companies is getting rid of all the crap permanently ... I live in Alberta, I imagine you know what I am speaking of there. And the bonus tends to be ( and proven with some programs ) is notable better fuel economy and no more worries about buying "fertilizer".
The dealer oil change when I had my CTD was $110 about a year ago. That was the only regular maintenance I let a dealer do. I just didn't want to deal w/ the bad placement of the oil filter and dealing w/ the used oil and just chose to let the dealer deal with it. I changed my own fuel filters and rear diff. I did oil and fuel about 2x a year, so it wasn't so bad for me. I now have a Duramax and can do all the scheduled maintenance myself, saving more $$$. Thanks for sharing some good info.
Thank you for the comment.
I do my own maintenance and much of my own repairs also. Another reason to do your own maintenance is to get a good inspection under your vehicle. Some dealers are good about doing this, but many aren’t and just do the work you asked them to do. Many years ago I changed the oil on my daughter’s car before she was to head back to college which was 4 hours drive away. As I was looking the car over as the oil changed, I noticed a line on the underside of the hood. As I looked closer, I found a leaking water pump that was slinging coolant out and made a nice line all the way around the engine compartment. A local garage was able to get the car in the next day and change the water pump. It might well have lasted several more months, but it also might have failed on her halfway to college. Would a garage have caught that while doing a routine oil change? Maybe, but maybe not.
30 years ago a Cummins diesel Ram had as little as 160hp and 420lb of torque, or the powerstroke turbo at 225hp and 4 speed transmissions. Those trucks pulled trailers just fine. GM's L8T with 464lb ft of torque and 10 gears is plenty for people who drive at reasonable speeds. You can feed it cheap gas, cheap 5W30 oil, and nothing else. $9500 for the duramax option is reasonable but a lot of people will be money ahead with the gas truck. It would certainly be nicer for winter time where your gas engine fires right up and gives heat quickly. Also nice for short trips where you can just shut it off whenever without worrying about turbo, oil temps, EGT temps, regen cycles, any of that. its just a simple engine. Plenty of reasons to buy the diesel like maximum range, aftermarket fuel tanks with tons of capacity, overall power in mountains or whatever. I like them both but i think i'd take the gas.
Great points, thank you for the comment.
@@darens440 the new duramax gets warm just as quick as the gas version and the block heater doesn’t even turn on until 0*F. It’s absolutely useless here in Texas
@@billylee2312 3 reasons why gas warms up faster. 1. 20-30% less efficient as diesel, that wasted energy turns into heat. 2. Throttle plate instead of wide open creates vacuum and resistance. 3. Overall thermal mass is lighter on gas engine, less metal to heat up equates to faster water temp rise. Bonus reason: More complete combustion at super low temperatures like below zero. When you see those low temp diesel cold starts and white/greyish smoke coming out its not burning completely.
@ well when it is cold the l5p warms up as quick as the 6.6 gas. It sounds totally different and burns a lot more diesel when it’s cold out until it gets to temp. They have to have higher exhaust temps for emissions. These newer diesels are a totally different beast than the old ones.
@@billylee2312 Okay, so it runs a high idle warm up program. A high idle program on gas would speed that up too. I believe the silverado has an option for that on the gas engine as well. Last duramax i had was an LLY Van and it took a while to heat up completely, but it did run very smooth in the cold. All the gas GM V8s ive had are like super fast heat in the winter. Advantage gas for anyone driving shorter distances every day.
also with diesel if you have a breakdown its very difficult to get someone to fix it may need to wait. a friend switched from diesel RV to gas due to maintenance and access to fix
The other issue is that most dealerships see to have far fewer techs who understand the diesel engine and its systems as compared to gas engines.
I consider more than doubling the maintenance cost to be significant. If doubling isn’t significant, then the fuel savings is also not significant as it is a mere 20% at best.
Did your truck have a reprograming recall pretty recently? I just had mine done today. Took about an hour but they said it could take longer as sometimes it doesn't take it very good. I was lucky...
I haven't had the time to take it in yet, but hope to do it in next month or so. Thank you for the heads-up about the timing.
Thanks for sharing !
Thank you for the comment!
What many don't bother to bring up either is diesel vs gas insurance cost comparison as well. I know in my state every VIN I've given for HDs over the last 10 years the diesel insurance was significantly less than its gas counterpart. Why I do not know but in most cases for me same exact coverage was about 500-700 per yr less for the diesel engines the gas was 500-700 more. Has anyone else experienced this same thing?
Yes. I live in Michigan. I just bought a ‘21 duramax high Country 3500. I was shopping for new 2500 gassers in LT trim. $800/yr more for the gasser. Same coverage. However. It’s also Michigan. Auto insurance here is stupid expensive being a no-fault state.
About the same for me premium wise, but definitely could vary based on carriers and market. A lot of factors that the actuaries run to set the premiums, but replacement cost is a big one.
What about tune ups? Diesels don’t have spark plugs of spark plug wires or distributors.
@@JasonLawrence-bn6il for sure, but you shouldn't have to do the plugs unti I would guess l 80K. Wires later than that...
@@JasonLawrence-bn6il just checked and the interval on plugs is 100K but I would do it before that...
Great point, thank you for the comment.
Modern gas engines have enough power now days that many diesel owners don't actually need a diesel. I have 4 friends who have diesel trucks and only one of them pulls more than I do with my 7.3 gas engine in my F250. I pull a travel trailer that's between 10,500 and 11K lbs and the 7.3 gas is MORE than enough for that load. I think long term diesel ownership costs is an area where many people fail to look at and will end up taking it on the chin due to repairs that can't be done at home by most. The long term expense for a diesel combined with better gas engine towing is why I have no desire to own a diesel. Long term they will cost more and in some cases a lot more.
Great points. Thank you for the comment.
@@AdventureRocks on the maintenance costs I actually got my first oil change in my new truck done today at the Ford dealer and it cost me about 15 bucks less than what what I can buy the oil and filter for to do it myself. This wasn’t the case with my Ram (gas engine) but is with Ford.
‘21 duramax 3500. Drain and fill, Front diff, T-case, trans(gasket,and screen (plastic box with a paper element), rear diff(new gasket). Fuel filter. Cabin air filter. Oil change. Engine air filter. All at the same time. $480 for everything. Single day at home in the garage. Simple. But tedious. Need to buy a pump to fill the fluids. That’s the tedious part. Bought the parts and fluids at my local family owned auto parts store. Which happens to be an AC Delco dealer. Everything was in stock except for the trans fluid, filter and gasket. Had to wait for 2 days.
@@JeffUm Thank you for the comment and all the details.
@@AdventureRocks one thing I have also learned. I don’t know if this applies to Ford and Ram. But, I’ve discover that the T-case, front and rear diffs are not filled to capacity at the factory. There are videos about this on the Tubes. For example, the rear diff on HD’s is roughly 1qt low from the factory. I’ve discovered this to be accurate on 3 separate vehicles from people in my life. Idk why this is. Maybe someone can post an explanation.
But if you’re a towing individual, check your diffs and T-case.
@@JeffUm thank you, good to know
gas truck -5or 6 quarts of oil and an $8 filter , the diesel oil filter $20 plus, the fuel filter 25 or so oil about 3 gallon in the diesel so they will be more. oil change every 6 months is a waste, i've ru 10000 mile changes in my Cummins for near 10 years I did add a Amsoil dual bypass oil filter and run synthetic oil. Have had zero oil related problems.
What happened to your Pinnacle
Too big to fit into some of the state parks/campsites. Trying simple and small for the time being...in many ways more enjoyable and rewarding. Thanks for the comment!
Last time I checked with my GM dealer they wanted over $300 to do the fuel filter. No thanks. I’ll do it for $30
Thank you for the comment. I hear you the DIY savings, $300 seems steep.
The big difference in cost will be when the diesel starts breaking. Exhaust components, injectors, turbos, etc…..and yes, it’s coming.
Great point. Thank you for the comment.
I bought a a new Ford F150 Ecoboost in 2011 and have a spreadsheet with Date, Miles, maintenance items, Amount and locations for everything that is done to the truck. Let me know if you need it.
Thank you for the comment!
Me, with the fact that more modern engines are gasoline direct injection (GDI) has more carbon deposits than turbodiesel direct injection (TDI) engines so, in my opinion when you consider TDIs get better mpg than GDIs overall you are better off with a TDI than a GDIs engine. 🙂
I hear you. Thank you for the comment.
I do my own service on my L8T also like you, but in studying the transmission fluid exchange you had $100. How are you doing the service? A part of the exhaust goes directly under the transmission pan so it is not an easy task. I asked the dealer when I was in doing a recall, and he quoted around $500+ to do fluid & inner filter. Is there another method one can do at shorter intervals say 20K miles and not have to remove the pan?
@@sam-68-56 I hear you. My understanding is it's not very user friendly to do yourself. The $100 was just fluid estimated, hoping that by the time it comes due I'll find a better solution! There have been some discussions in the forums about potential solutions, so I've been keeping an eye on them.
@@AdventureRocks if a guy could do a partial drain and refill at 20K then 30K thereafter it would probably be fine, but have to find out the procedure. Maybe suck it out or??
I’ve not done a transmission service on my truck BUT there looks to be plenty of room for the pan to come off without bothering the exhaust. Mine is a 2022 so maybe the 10 speed is different
@@matthewanderson9912 Yes it is different for sure...
@@sam-68-56 I'm with you, that would seem to make sense. Hopefully will have some options in a couple years when the time comes.
I do $68 oil changes on my Duramax......2.5 gal of oil and filter, do it myself.....fuel filter is $40 every 15k miles....takes 10-15 minutes
fuel is lil more with DEF and fuel additives but better MPG slightly.....just got rid of a gas 2500
it costs a lil more for diesel but nothing crazy like you hear.....if your buying a 70-80k truck and your squabbling over $20 here and there than thats pretty insane.....
main savings is doing it yourself vs dealership........its not that big of a deal
But major issues to the diesel emissions garbage will happen if you keep it and they very expensive.
I agree with you. I have a 22 Duramax and my youngest son has a 22 6.6 gas. My oil changes are cheaper by about $12 but once I add in the fuel filter every other oil change there really isn’t much difference. The whole well the diesel is a$10,000 upgrade complaint is silly also. You get the 10k back when you get ready to sell or trade. It’s really nice to have all the extra power. We don’t use dealerships to change oil either.
@@carbonking53 lifter or fuel pump failure, bad fuel or glow plug falls through. I’ve had emission issues on my 24. My 2020 had a high pressure fuel pump fail. I’ll be switching back to gas
Diesel is more efficient until it isn’t….obviously you haven’t experienced emmisions failing or a turbo failing or your injectors failing…once you experience that and get that 6-10k bill…you’ll start to say to yourself. Fuck I can buy a lot of gas for that price
Smart man, I did as well. It costs a lot of money to truly get these diesels to be reliable and run correctly and then the increased maintenance costs followed by 75 cents more a gallon in my area make diesels not financially beneficial over a gas. I keep one diesel in my company for when I need what a diesel offers but everything else is now gas.
Meh, fuel filters, def fluid, draining the water separator once a month, worried about the fuel supply in that little place in the middle of nowhere with no other choice vs getting gas anywhere you want and an occasional oil change. Gas for me every time. Dumped the diesel 2 years ago and won’t go back.
Great point. Thank you for the comment.
dont what cummings says should never go 15k on oil change or on the gas 8-10k
Thanks for the summary. I think most would disagree with you saying the difference is not that significant when you have shown it is actually more than twice as much for the diesel. $1000 more for average mileage over 5 years is a measurable difference.
@@mikedewitt8645 i. Texas it’s $1.00 more per gallon at the worst usually around .15-.25 more.
Great point. Thank you for the comment.
@@AdventureRocks my son has the same truck as me but in the 6.6 gas. We do our own maintenance so the actual cost of a oil change is actually cheaper on my diesel but with fuel filters it comes out within a few bucks on average. If we trade or sale within 5 years of ownership we will get about $10,000 difference and thats about what we paid
I can see in a low mileage truck the maintenance costs aren’t so great. This changes once your warranty period is over. I consider injectors to be a maintenance item which is easily in the high thousands. It’s a shame Ram doesn’t include the commercial spec Cummins anymore. They went for high output but the commercial grade is available of a chassis cab.
Great point. Thank you for the comment.
Another solid video, Bro. We released a portable air pump for off-road use. Can we invite you to do a review? We have emailed for an inquiry.
Just delete them, they will run perfect for 500K
138$ 2022 hd gas 138$ oil change, with discount.. federalway..... oil prices are stupid.. drill baby drill
@@MEOW151 vote for Trump and let's get back on track!!!
We are already producing more than we ever have domestically.
Funny how uninformed people are.