anyone got an 05 duramax

[dieselbeef]

im a dodge guy but my buddy wants a chevy..im sure you guys that got em got opinions and issues so lemme have em. to either get him in it or away from it. 4 door/4x4/auto

mpg?

mech issues??

warranty service???

general how ya like it truck...hell be pullin a 34 ft 5th wheel when he goes campin but thats about it

thanks...gary

 

[bandit80]

Friend of mine has an 05 DuraMax with an Allison transmission. It is a running sonofagun. That's about all I know about it. Plenty of power for pullin'.

 

[1982vett]

Mine is an '03 not an '05. Cluster when out at 54000, warranty put in a new one. No other problems as yet. Haven't ever had a truck that would get close to the estimated MPG. I would guess mine averanges around 13 - 14mpg. Haven't checked it in a long time. Mine, if I run it low enough on fuel for the low fuel warning light to come on I better be within 6 - 8 miles of a gas station. :nod: Plenty of pulling power.

 

[dieselbeef]

over htg problems??? either with the regen or engine temp pullin anything?

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Got an '04 Duramax w/Allison. Dropped an injector at 30K miles and burned a hole in a piston. Rebuilt under warranty. Got 134K now and no further problems.

Overall milage average 17.5mpg
Best fuel milage 23mpg
Worst fuel milage 7mpg (pulling 20K+ load)
No over heating on engine or transmission
Very comfortable front and back seats

Instrument cluster went out. Cost to repair out of my pocket but GM reimbursed me a year later
CD changer went out. Cost $600 to replace
No other porblems except the Dodges and Fords walked off and left me pulling equal loads. Some say it was the computer holding the engine back.

I would probably buy another one.

 

[1982vett]

Can't really use mine as a reference in that area. It hasn't been demoted to a work truck yet and a long haul would be about 5 miles anyway. Does handle a trailer with 8 1000# bales better than my 1998 v8 vortex. I'm sure it would pull the goosneck better also, but I haven't gotten around to getting the hitch put in yet.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

The D-max is really not a bad engine. Definitely tougher than a Powerstroke (except the 7.3). Great turbocharger. Harder on fuel than a Cummins.

Problem areas:
1) Injectors. Dissimilar metals used between injector bodies and the injector means either the injector body will crack or seals will eventually leak. Most guys are getting decent miles out them though before having issues (130K+)

2) Alisson is set too soft and wearing clutches when pulling heavy often. Its tough to find anyone who knows how to properly re-program them. Chebbie service won't do it.

3) Not real crazy about the Chevy wrapped around the engine. Even with the Z71 and the heavy duty options, its still sprung too light when the going gets tough. Airbags or overloads are a must. The independent suspension doesn't handle washboard near as well as a solid axle, although its infinitely better than an I-beam.

If I couldn't buy a Cummins, I'd easily step into a D-Max.

Rod

 

[grannysoo]

I have one and love it.

3500 / 1 ton series / dualie
4 door
long wheel base, long bed. (And I do mean a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG bed on it. You can lay plywood in the back and close the tailgate. Try parking this beast at Wal-Mart. :lol2:

Runs good, drives great!

Problems:

# 3 fuel injector has went out twice. Found out that a hose above it had a pinhole leak that squirted water on the injector. Once that was fixed, problem solved. Replaced by the dealer @ no charge

Instrument cluster went out. (ALL chevrolet trucks are having this problem) Replaced by the dealer @ no charge.

Fuel mileage: I average 17 mpg city/road driving. City only - 14.5 / Road mileage 20 - 22 (depending on speed)

Hauling mileage: 14.5

Been running a computer program on it for a week. Running on the interstate system at 75 - 85 mph - getting 22 miles per gallon. Running local highways - getting 25 miles per gallon. Running local highways at my normal 50 mph speed - 29 miles per gallon. City driving - 17 mpg.

I'm probably going to buy one of these programs. I can pay for it in less than 2 months with the fuel savings.

Would I buy another one like this? Yes. In a heartbeat.

Do not however buy a new one. They have installed a new converter that is killing fuel mileage. New ones are getting 12 - 14 highway mpg. I would not be a happy camper with one of those......

 

[VtMapleGal]

I have owned 2 Chevy's with the Duramax. My first was an 07 extended cab which i bought after getting rid of my gas guzzeling 8.1 (which i loved, but only got 12-15mpg with). With my 07 truck i was getting 23-27mpg with, but hit black ice in jan and rolled twice down a 25ft embankment. I was trapped in the truck, with 1 person in the passenger seat and 1 person in the back seat. After we were cut out, we basically all walked away. The onstar was amazing, as we had no cell service, and no one could see us over the bank on a back road. The safety of the truck sold me another on (that one only had about 25,000 mi on it). We now have a 08 crew cab. The milegage isnt as good (17-21) but it only has 10,000 mi on it. The only "problems" we had with the 8.1 (2005), and the 2 newer ones was there was a bearing in the 05 & 07 steering shaft that kept making the steering shaft have a clunk in it. We have had no problems with the 08 though.

 

[Brute 23]

Have two uncles who have D-maxes, no complaints.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

Running local highways - getting 25 miles per gallon. Running local highways at my normal 50 mph speed - 29 miles per gallon. City driving - 17 mpg.

Is that 29 calculated or on the computer? If its the computer, ALL programmers (except perhaps the Smarty) will drastically throw the read out out of whack. I'd be shocked if you were genuinely close to 29 mpg. I wrenched on over a thousand Cummins, D-Maxes and Powerstrokes, and the best I ever recorded was a genuine 24 mpg (out of a 24 valve VP-44 Cummins, the most fuel efficient of all the diesels).

Rod

 

[dieselbeef]

thanks for all the replys kids! glad yall are happy. i ll let the guy know cuz i think hes gonna buy it. i know we all werk trucks harder than them city folk so i appreciate the input! im sure he will too! i dont really like the chevys much cuz theyre too car like but it seems like they can do the job...i know the drag racers round here like em..sled pullers too!

 

[grannysoo]

Is that 29 calculated or on the computer? If its the computer, ALL programmers (except perhaps the Smarty) will drastically throw the read out out of whack. I'd be shocked if you were genuinely close to 29 mpg. I wrenched on over a thousand Cummins, D-Maxes and Powerstrokes, and the best I ever recorded was a genuine 24 mpg (out of a 24 valve VP-44 Cummins, the most fuel efficient of all the diesels).

Rod

That was computer calculated. Just another reason that I have one of these on loan before buying one. Noticed a glitch in the mileage calculation yesterday... was poking around at my normal low speed and was reading 26 mpg. Turned the truck off, and when cranked back up, mileage showed 17. The impressive part of this was the higher speed highway mileage. I tested that with actual miles and gallons used and it was 22mpg. That is good mileage for high speed and a truck this big.

My thoughts after running this thing for a week was that I'll just borrow one when I'm going to be on the highway. That doesn't happen too often.

 

[dieselbeef]

those truck computers are ..ummm...shall we say...QUITE OPTIMISTIC?!! hand calculating is the only way to really tell

 

[Nowland Farms]

I have an "03 2500HD with the Dmax and Allison and it is a pulling son of gun. I have a 28ft enclosed tralier that I pull my restored military jeeps in. The trailer and the 2 jeeps are about 10,300 lbs. I get around 12.6 MPG pulling this load. In May took the truck on a 1500 mile trip to Maryland pulling an open trailer which weighed about 1200 lbs. I avaeraged 16.7 MPG. No add on Chips or Computer.

Would I buy another Dmax? Yes Sir, I just did. Last week I bought a new '08 3500HD Duelly, crewcab, long wheel base with the Dmax/Alliston setup. Nice truck. We will see how it works out...

 

[1982vett]

Would I buy another Dmax? Yes Sir, I just did. Last week I bought a new '08 3500HD Duelly, crewcab, long wheel base with the Dmax/Alliston setup. Nice truck. We will see how it works out...

I hear you can get a pretty sweet deal on trucks like that now. Hope you did. :nod:

 

[dieselbeef]

for all the input kids...i appreciate it

 

[Nowland Farms]

Would I buy another Dmax? Yes Sir, I just did. Last week I bought a new '08 3500HD Duelly, crewcab, long wheel base with the Dmax/Alliston setup. Nice truck. We will see how it works out...

I hear you can get a pretty sweet deal on trucks like that now. Hope you did. :nod:

Yep, I did. I put the pencil to the numbers and it made more sense for me to take the 72 month 0% financining they offered and invest the money I had set aside to buy the truck. I can make money using their money at 0% and investing my money in a CD.

Heck I have been driving the 2500HD extended cab for almost 6 years now and the new 3500HD crew duelly long bed seems about twice the size eventhough is is only 28" longer.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

My nephew has a 08 with 5000 miles on it had to dolly a trailer load of hay down and pull it on in home with my 99 ford today, over heating its has been in the shop three times in the last two weeks, and headed back in the morning. They seem to do fine on the highway where any thing will will pull but back here in the hills on the dirt roads where you have to pull slow they don't cut the mustard.Heating problems motor and tranny.

 

[DustyH]

I have had two. One 2002 4x4 extended cab and a 2005 crew cab 4x4. The 02 blew injectors at 80,000 miles, and I traded it in at 106,000. The 05 was supposed to be an improved version with a new injector system. The improved injections system was that you could replace them externally without pulling the heads unlike the original. I got 16 on the Highway doing 70+ and 20mpg. on the highway doing 55mph. When Katrina hit I was in New Orleans working and we had a freightliner pulling a D6 on a lowboy run out of gas back on a highline. He had enough air to stop a few times so I hooked a chain up to it and pulled it back to the main road. Had to put it in 4Lo to get enough traction. Between 17,000 and 30,000 it was in the shop 5 times to replace 6 injectors. GM wouldn't do anything except offer me a good deal on a new improved one. I got an attorney and got a lemon law claim and finally they done a partial buy back, where I kept the truck and they paid 9,000 back which 3,000 when to lawyer fees. We own a new cummins and a ford and a chevy diesel. All of them have their inherent problems, but whenever someone asks which one I prefer I say Chevy. If you are going to be broke down on the side of the road, at least be broke down in style. :tiphat: