Just wondering what everyone’s experience has been the last few years. Looking at a new Ford or GM but of course the internet is generally full of complaints and not a balanced comparison. Any opinions on overall quality and reliability? Owned many GM’s but never a Ford. Drive them both and they are nice but who knows longer term. Thanks.
Diesel Trucks
- Thread starter TDR
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S
i've been driving pickups for 46 years now, i've owned all the brands, chevy was the first , and eventually the first to never buy again, due to overall problems that kept it in the shop too much.....drove Fords for quite a few years until the diesel engine problems after about 2002.....went to Dodge for about six years ( i buy new most years, put 40k-60k per year ) liked the Dodge, but they had emission problems and other random suspension, drive train problems and went back to Ford when their newer diesels came out about10-12 years ago, and have have virtually no problems with them since....when price of diesel went to a buck a gallon more than gas, i bought my first gas ( 6.2) and liked it more than i thought, bought a 7.3 gas when it came out 4 years ago, never went in the shop except for oil changes.....didn't pull as hard as my diesels, but i could pull my 13k boat at the speed limit just about anywhere....bought it for $54k, ran it for four years and traded it in for $46k two months ago.....bought a 2024 F-250 Lariat with the 7.3 gas, 430 rearend and like it very much.....use regular gas except when i'm pulling heavy loads.....get 14-17 mpg empty and about 9.5 with my 13k boat (10 wide and 12 tall, lots of wind drag).....like my gas, no def, no freeze-ups, much cheaper overall maintenance, quite, smooth ....wouldn't go back to diesel unless i was pulling over 10k regularly....never tried a Toyota, don't think i ever will.....
There all about the same they all have problems I get just as many Fords as I do Dodges and GMs to fix.
The biggest problem is UREA and the fill locations and cost to repair, UREA in a fuel system kills the complete fuel system.
Your talking thousands of dollars , Diesel in the UREA tank and its about a grand to fix.
PICK YOUR POISON make my paycheck.
Im old school 97 dodge 3500 5.9 12valve .
The biggest problem is UREA and the fill locations and cost to repair, UREA in a fuel system kills the complete fuel system.
Your talking thousands of dollars , Diesel in the UREA tank and its about a grand to fix.
PICK YOUR POISON make my paycheck.
Im old school 97 dodge 3500 5.9 12valve .
Nailed it right there. I’m still driving my 2015 6.7 L super duty that I purchased new. I deleted it right after the 100k mile warranty after a number of issues with the emissions system only to be at 206,000 miles right now and not a single problem.
S
I'm auto engineer from Detroit and work with al brands. I would NOT buy a GM product, and I was GM guy form a long time. Bara screwed that company up.
If you are pulling 15000 lbs and above ford will be better than the other two as I have had both ford and Chevy since 2020. I have not had a ram in the timeframe but with only 6 speed its not even an option.
I'll preface that I'm a Ford guy. If you are towing heavy and working the truck take a look at the Ford. If a smooth ride is important to you look at the GM with the IFS front end.
150k on my 2017 F-450 and since I bought it with 113k I've had to put in a radiator, replace all coolant hose connector O-rings, blend door motors for the interior HVAC, brakes, shocks, and a transfer case output seal in it. It has the massive panoramic sunroof that is prone to sticking shut, then it breaks the plastic tracks. Known issue if you don't regularly use it and keep it lubed. Going to have to fix that this summer. Also have a bad module in my drivers seat that has caused the heated seat to not work anymore. Since I've had it, it has had recalls for door latches, rear camera, steering damper, ECM flash, and rear driveshaft. Previous owner had it go into limp mode one time at 40k miles and it was a simple fix under warranty. I get an intermittent check engine light now for exhaust pressure out of parameters...just waiting for the day that turns into the big D. One issue you'll find on the internet repeated is Ford is still using a Bosch CP4 fuel pump. The plunger orientation is not mechanically fixed and if it rotates off from the cam that runs under it for some reason it can eat itself and contaminate the fuel system with metal shavings. It's probably a minor % of trucks, but there are $400 "disaster prevention kits" that if it happens it at least keeps the metal out of the system. $2k for a different pump replacement kit to totally alleviate the possibility of issues.
Buddy of mine that works at a GM dealer had $3500 of warranty work done on the front end of his Duramax last year with a couple thousand miles on it. He doesn't keep trucks more than two years so I don't have a good read on a lot of the long term GM issues. Some things I've observed/seen/read are that GM doesn't use a lift pump and relies on the high pressure pump to pull fuel from the tank. Contributes to short injector life as there's no positive fuel source on startup. Also seems the factory intakes are restrictive enough that the compressor wheel in the turbo is trying to pull itself forward in the housing. To the point they can start to make contact in the long term. So a lift pump and high-flow intake would be on my list of thing for those if keeping long-term.
150k on my 2017 F-450 and since I bought it with 113k I've had to put in a radiator, replace all coolant hose connector O-rings, blend door motors for the interior HVAC, brakes, shocks, and a transfer case output seal in it. It has the massive panoramic sunroof that is prone to sticking shut, then it breaks the plastic tracks. Known issue if you don't regularly use it and keep it lubed. Going to have to fix that this summer. Also have a bad module in my drivers seat that has caused the heated seat to not work anymore. Since I've had it, it has had recalls for door latches, rear camera, steering damper, ECM flash, and rear driveshaft. Previous owner had it go into limp mode one time at 40k miles and it was a simple fix under warranty. I get an intermittent check engine light now for exhaust pressure out of parameters...just waiting for the day that turns into the big D. One issue you'll find on the internet repeated is Ford is still using a Bosch CP4 fuel pump. The plunger orientation is not mechanically fixed and if it rotates off from the cam that runs under it for some reason it can eat itself and contaminate the fuel system with metal shavings. It's probably a minor % of trucks, but there are $400 "disaster prevention kits" that if it happens it at least keeps the metal out of the system. $2k for a different pump replacement kit to totally alleviate the possibility of issues.
Buddy of mine that works at a GM dealer had $3500 of warranty work done on the front end of his Duramax last year with a couple thousand miles on it. He doesn't keep trucks more than two years so I don't have a good read on a lot of the long term GM issues. Some things I've observed/seen/read are that GM doesn't use a lift pump and relies on the high pressure pump to pull fuel from the tank. Contributes to short injector life as there's no positive fuel source on startup. Also seems the factory intakes are restrictive enough that the compressor wheel in the turbo is trying to pull itself forward in the housing. To the point they can start to make contact in the long term. So a lift pump and high-flow intake would be on my list of thing for those if keeping long-term.
Way too many duramax vehicles and miles to recall, currently have four over 180k.
Never had an issue on any that wasn’t def.
No fuel or injector issues, never ran or seen need for adding lift pump.
Absolutely do need high flow intake.
All farm and heavy tow use.
Never had an issue on any that wasn’t def.
No fuel or injector issues, never ran or seen need for adding lift pump.
Absolutely do need high flow intake.
All farm and heavy tow use.
I have put 100k on 6 different Duramax's and not one issue besides def related issues. usually heaters but all brands use the same Bosch def tank heater. i drive 1000 miles to get out west. last year we took a 6.6 gas and fuel cost 250 more than when we take my diesel. also took a new dodge out this year. it was a decent truck that i would say the power and tranny was comparable to the Duramax but the truck is very cheap. tiny light doors and hood flopping in the wind and you couldn't set the cruise over 85. iI will be ordering a new chevy to replace my 2020 shortly
Chevy IFS is weak for serious 4wheeling but for 99% of people its fine. I used to be pretty big into the diesel thing and had some pretty hot trucks. Back in the day on my 03 and 06 duramax I plowed snow with a blade heavier than most and with timbrens up front and proper ballast in the back and the front end was fine. I also truck pulled and drag raced alot with only 100$ tie rod sleeves as a mod. I don’t buy the whole IFS is weak unless you 4 wheel hard or put big tires on it and run suspension geometry that moves it away from CV’s being flat.
Only issues ever had with a duramax motor was injectors on my 03. That was a stock motor that I just dumped enough fuel and N2O through to put a satellite into lower orbit.
My current 2022 duramax is stock and pulls my goose neck logan through the mountains with the cruise set not dropping speed at 23k combined weight. Even coming down the mountains often I have to turn the exhaust brake off because it slows the truck down too much. Engine braking I rarely have to touch the brakes descending.
I work for a gas and electric utility company and we have ran f550s forever. A utility company is about as efficient and responsive in decision making as the US government. They stopped buying the ford diesel and went with the gas motor because they were tired of motors blowing up. As a utility company we have a ton of idle/PTO hours so not the same as milage. My 550 with the 7.3 gasser weighs about 17k by itself. Tow a small trailer occasionally. Not quite as much power as the powestroke it replaced but it honestly impressed me. Has 80k miles and has been trouble free other than needing plugs every 30k or so. It also goes through a ton more fuel than the PS it replaced. Guys at work say their personal 7.3’s don’t do bad unloaded but put weight on em and they suck fuel. At work we have quite a few tranny issues on the fords but again these are 550’s that weigh double a pick up. If you prefer the ford truck I would consider the gasser. Or if only keeping it 100k then I wouldn’t be worried about a powerstroke. If I didn’t tow fairly heavy or drive long distances not sure Id go diesel. Seems guys putting around and not using much def and thus keeping older def in tank have more issues. Chevy makes some good bigger displacement gasser motors too IMO
No real experience with dodge but I know cummins can make a motor.
Only issues ever had with a duramax motor was injectors on my 03. That was a stock motor that I just dumped enough fuel and N2O through to put a satellite into lower orbit.
My current 2022 duramax is stock and pulls my goose neck logan through the mountains with the cruise set not dropping speed at 23k combined weight. Even coming down the mountains often I have to turn the exhaust brake off because it slows the truck down too much. Engine braking I rarely have to touch the brakes descending.
I work for a gas and electric utility company and we have ran f550s forever. A utility company is about as efficient and responsive in decision making as the US government. They stopped buying the ford diesel and went with the gas motor because they were tired of motors blowing up. As a utility company we have a ton of idle/PTO hours so not the same as milage. My 550 with the 7.3 gasser weighs about 17k by itself. Tow a small trailer occasionally. Not quite as much power as the powestroke it replaced but it honestly impressed me. Has 80k miles and has been trouble free other than needing plugs every 30k or so. It also goes through a ton more fuel than the PS it replaced. Guys at work say their personal 7.3’s don’t do bad unloaded but put weight on em and they suck fuel. At work we have quite a few tranny issues on the fords but again these are 550’s that weigh double a pick up. If you prefer the ford truck I would consider the gasser. Or if only keeping it 100k then I wouldn’t be worried about a powerstroke. If I didn’t tow fairly heavy or drive long distances not sure Id go diesel. Seems guys putting around and not using much def and thus keeping older def in tank have more issues. Chevy makes some good bigger displacement gasser motors too IMO
No real experience with dodge but I know cummins can make a motor.
And on the intake issue not sure about that. My 22 is box stock. But making back to back runs at the track on my 03 back in the day I noticed zero change in mph in the 1/4 mile switching between stock and an afe filter and intake. Also only saw slight change in hp on the dyno but that was a dynojet and think its more of slightly faster spool up of the turbo since its hard to load a dynojet with a diesel. That was on a 500hp to the rear wheels truck off the N2O. So on that truck I didn’t find the factory intake restrictive. Bad intake leaves alot of free hp on the table. Doubt GM would make that blunder on the new ones but i have done no testing to verify
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I have a 2020 GMC 1 ton long bed Duramax, it's my first diesel, but I have a 2017 also with the 6.0 gas. The 2017 has been great, only a few minor issues being a tie rod and one of the brakes seized once. Everything is still in good condition and solid at 90k, ride quality is pretty good for a 1 ton. Paint is decent, but I'd avoid the summit white color in a GM, it is just extremely prone to getting chipped compared to other colors.
The 2020 is at 57k. I do like it, the power is great, transmission is smooth. I pull an 11k skid steer and a 13k mini fairly often with it and it handles them great, even up and down the steep hills in Big Sky. It has cloth seats, which i think are more comfortable than the leather. Heated seats and steering wheel is nice on a lower trim model too. Just drove from Bozeman area down to western Colorado and back pulling a 22ft enclosed snowmobile trailer and even in crazy wind and blizzards, I averaged 12.7 mpg for the whole trip. The gasser got about 7.5 with the same trailer and no wind.
There are some more quality issues with the 2020 vs. The 2017. The paint is somehow even worse than the 2017 and chips if you look at it wrong. The wax coating on the frame is practically nonexistent, the rancho shocks suck (ride quality much worse than the 2017). The mirrors shake above 50mph or with any little bump you hit. I had to get the heater core replaced which cost $2600. I do hate the DEF but it has a warranty until 100k so I likely won't be deleting it until then.
The only newer Ford I've been around is my former boss's 2019. It definitely seems to have fewer little issues, but he has had his DEF system replaced already ($5600 but warranty covered it). He was always a Dodge guy, and he says he'll never go back to a Dodge.
The 2020 is at 57k. I do like it, the power is great, transmission is smooth. I pull an 11k skid steer and a 13k mini fairly often with it and it handles them great, even up and down the steep hills in Big Sky. It has cloth seats, which i think are more comfortable than the leather. Heated seats and steering wheel is nice on a lower trim model too. Just drove from Bozeman area down to western Colorado and back pulling a 22ft enclosed snowmobile trailer and even in crazy wind and blizzards, I averaged 12.7 mpg for the whole trip. The gasser got about 7.5 with the same trailer and no wind.
There are some more quality issues with the 2020 vs. The 2017. The paint is somehow even worse than the 2017 and chips if you look at it wrong. The wax coating on the frame is practically nonexistent, the rancho shocks suck (ride quality much worse than the 2017). The mirrors shake above 50mph or with any little bump you hit. I had to get the heater core replaced which cost $2600. I do hate the DEF but it has a warranty until 100k so I likely won't be deleting it until then.
The only newer Ford I've been around is my former boss's 2019. It definitely seems to have fewer little issues, but he has had his DEF system replaced already ($5600 but warranty covered it). He was always a Dodge guy, and he says he'll never go back to a Dodge.
now that you mention it my heater core is plugged on my 2020 also. a guy told me to try to flush it out with a garden hose because its probably plugged with casting sand from the block. i do wish chevy would paint their frames
I had aftermarket ranchos on other trucks and they are way better than the ones GM puts on their rigs. Honestly I think all the truck manufacturers put garbage shocks on their rigs. They seem to go to **** pretty quickly but its a slow death so you don’t notice. Putting some bilstens on my truck is on the list of things to do. Airbags helped the ride with the trailer but need to change shocks. The ride is ok stock but im getting soft in my old age. I want my truck to ride like a caddy even when towing lol
Yeah I did Bilsteins on the half ton that I had and they improved the ride quite a bit, this one will likely get the same. I was looking at airbags but after towing with it a bit, it doesn't seem to need them. May do the Timbrens on the rear to help with squat. With my mini on plus the trailer I'm towing about 17k. It doesn't squat too bad but it would probably ride a little nicer. It doesn't even notice my little snowmobile trailer, that thing is probably only around 5000lbs with 2 sleds in it.
Pulling my skid steer on the bumper at about 13k with correct loading I had zero issues. The logan is like 3700# on the pin. It pulled it pretty well and didn’t squat it horribly and I was shocked when I actually weighed the thing. Airbags took a bit of the porpoise motion out on big bumps and got it off the overloads and smoothed out the ride. Went with airlift and the install was super easy. Still contemplating getting the automatic compressor. But its not that big a deal to pull out my Milwaukee compressor and adjust mid trip or when loaded or unloaded. Had good luck with timbrens on the front of plow trucks. Next move is shocks though. Got 50k on my truck and bet will get a ride improvement. Have ran them in the past and been happy.
C
My brother has a huge mixed fleet of truck, all three brands, gas and diesel. His words, the fords are the trucks making him money.
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My 2008 1 ton dodge has airlift and they work great with the automatic compressor. Looked at doing the same setup on the GMC and it was going to be pretty spendy so I decided to see how it did without it, and just decided it wasn't worth the cost. The sales guy also told me that they constantly update the remotes and then discontinue the old models so if you lose or break the remotes 5 years down the road you might be screwed.
I’m running the automatic airlift compressor on my 2015 super duty to inflate the carli airbags. Airlift has incredible customer service, and they replaced the compressor three times on my truck. Ultimately I discovered that the reason that was probably failing was because I had it on the outside of my frame rail in a location that they said was acceptable and it just received too much tire spray.
On the last replacement they sent me I completely relocated everything and put it in the center of my truck bed as far forward as I can get it above the axle and now no water hits it and it’s been going strong.
I mount all mine under hood.
Never had a heat issue.
No remote.
Phone app is Bluetooth.
Never had a heat issue.
No remote.
Phone app is Bluetooth.
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