[justbrae1]

I'm currently a weekend warrior andtowing a 30' bumper pull TT through the summer months in Minnesota. Looking to possibly head further west for several weeks during the summer, ATV trail riding, etc.

I have a 2016 1500 Silverado, 6.2L, with 60k miles on it. I am waffling between keeping this or moving to a 17 or 18 L5P, since this is mostly seasonal travel/towing. I have been closely watching the used market for something just coming out of warranty on trade-ins and can get $33K for my current pickup, and most of what I am interested in for the L5Ps are $42-48K. Test drove a 17 LTZ 2500, immaculate condition, good service history at local dealer, 110k miles.

Am I crazy? These forums have my heart racing dumping a completely functional pickup for something i might regret with reliability concerns.

 

[justbrae1]

I'd probably keep what you've got. The diesel would be nicer for towing your setup for sure but if reliability is a must you already have it.

What do you suppose is accurate on how unreliable the L5P and any other modern diesel is, if it's not towing it's entire life?

 

[justbrae1]

The main issue with not towing or daily driving and short tripping is driving it enough long enough to allow it to regen for complete cycles. Constantly interrupting regens is what eventually kills these trucks.

I monitor my regen status with a banks idash

I think that's what I want to understand instead of seeing posts about "stranded because the 9th injector failed" and just being pissed off. I believe a lot of people using these as they should are simply seeing defective equipment like any other vehicle can have, I just don't know how widespread it is..

 

[justbrae1]

I towed a 30 footer with a 5.3 half ton for a bit.It couldnt handle the hot days and temps were always spiking.Had my bone stock L5P for 5 years.best tow rig ive ever owned.Never had a check engine light.Gets better mpg towing or empty.The exhaust brake alone is worth the extra money.Will never go back to gas.

Dave how often are you towing?

 

[justbrae1]

How heavy is your trailer? Are you currently having any problems with towing? Are you going to complain about MPG and diesel prices?

those would be my questions to determine if it’s worth it or not.

About 9500 lbs loaded up with the kids toys and all that. No 'trouble' but it's mostly flat here so just high rpms getting on highways, so looking west made me wonder as we go through mountains.
Gas prices don't bother me, I'm already paying only .40 cents below diesel for premium in the 6.2. I'm also not really concerned much about the money, I make plenty.. I'm going to leave it at that, I'm not going to gloat.

 

[justbrae1]

As long as prices don’t bother you might be worth getting one. A lot of people buy these trucks and then complain about how expensive they are to drive so it’s just something to take into consideration. We moved from a gas to a diesel and couldn’t be happier if you can afford it I personally would.

Is your '22 your first?

 

[justbrae1]

I did the opposite of what you are considering. I had a pre emissions Duramax. I bought a new 1500 6.2. Is yours a 6 or 10 speed? I kept the Duramax because I haul stuff that is too heavy to go in the 1500. But the bigger truck tows a little nicer but with a weight distribution hitch the 1500 does fine. It has plenty of power and I tow in the mountains here in the west long distance. The cost 9to operate a diesel is much higher than a gas truck. And that's without emissions garbage. If I traded my Duramax in the difference on a new Duramax would have been about the same as buying the 1500 outright was. But I absolutely will never buy a diesel with emissions. I drive big trucks for a living and have spent way too much time waiting for towing due to emissions failures. When something goes wrong you will be fixing it where you are if you travel long distance. My old Duramax and every gas truck I have ever owned has got me home every time even if it had a problem. You will get a little better mileage towing with a diesel but it is not that much and gas trucks get better empty mileage as daily drivers. With the 10 speed and 6.2 my 1500 gets better mileage than I expected for a truck. And even though it needs premium it's cheaper than diesel. Sometimes we take the Duramax on long trips towing the trailer because it has a canopy to put stuff in. And for some reason the little lady likes the older truck better. She says it's more comfortable to ride long distance in. But that's the different generation not the engine. The seats just fit her better.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

Unfortunately it has the terrible 8 speed.

 

[justbrae1]

Hard to say really. So many sensors to go bad and the emissions components are sensitive and problematic. The other issue is that dealer service is horrible and incompetent for the most part. Lots of these trucks get dumped on the used market with never ending problems. I'd at least find out the trucks service history at possible.

I don't tow with my truck much but I don't driven it nearly as much as the gas one I had. I know short tripping is bad for it and monitor soot and regens etc. I've got thousand's in extra parts, sensors, control modules, extra def tank, connectors, etc. But in the end here shortly all the problematic areas will permanently dealt with so I can quit worrying about it.

As someone else pointed out stepping up to a 2500 with the 6.6 gas would be your best other option.

I have someone in my back pocket to help relocate parts if needed.

 

[justbrae1]

Lot's of interesting points raised, but I don't understand why people keep mentioning the cost of DEF as a con. I'm buying it bulk for $1 to $1.2 Canadian per liter. The numbers are rough, but it looks like $0.01 Canadian per mile, I guess it adds up, but it seems pretty minor.

I don't mind the cost of the def, diesel, and general upkeep such as oil, fuel, and tranny filter changes. I'm mostly interested in just how much of a disaster the emissions are. Gas motors have emissions issues too, but they don't shut the damn engine down or come to 5mph because of an ingenious idea from the government.

My question is probably shortened down to: How often should I expect to bring this to a dealer for work, vs just relocating the emissions and fixing the minor issues that the engines of yesteryear had?

 

[justbrae1]

Well my 18 has almost 99K on the clock. Thus far it had a couple of failed injectors (early replacement under 30k on the clock)

Do you think the injectors were bad or just the connectors themselves? Sounds like those are common from what I've seen, no idea if GM has actually provided an updated connector vs some of the more custom pigtails that people have gone to with gold pins.

 

[justbrae1]

Maintenance really isnt that much more .Had my diesel 5 years now.It holds 1.5 quarts more oil than a 5.3 and a fuel filter which gas trucks should still have.

Believe it or not.. at least GM trucks haven't had serviceable fuel filters in gas engines for 20 years. They are built into the fuel pump and self cleaning.

 

[justbrae1]

Update: I purchased the 2017 LTZ. Love it, put 500 miles on already.