How will 2007 LBZ feel to me compared to my former 2002 LB7?

[DmaxMaverick]

........ we can expect to replace injectors at around 150,000 miles, at an estimated cost of $5000.........

I recommend disregarding this as a deciding factor. What is "typical" is significantly greater miles and less money for replacement ($3,000 is more on par). While some specific use and/or conditions may cause an earlier replacement, or more expensive repair bill, this is an exception, not the rule. What I've seen on the 2006+ injector life is in excess of 200K miles, with many of them exceeding 250K (I don't know of any with more than that, but I suspect we'll hear about them as time goes on). There are too many factors to consider, such as fuel quality, driving habits and type of use. Mark's experiences are certainly a bench mark for "extreme" use, but the unit samples are too few and conditions too specific to form a general trend. I know of several Hot Shots who are well past 200K miles on their 2006 trucks with original injectors, and NO issues at all. A personal/commute truck will certainly see much less fuel/mile going through the engine, which will typically extend injector life, compared to one who is almost always loaded to GVWR (or try to be) in a commercial environment.

[LyndaSuzan]

Cabletech and Yukon6 both had almost identical posts recommending that we should buy a "beater" for my husband's commute, and save the wear and tear on the Duramax. It is indeed a case of "great minds thinking alike", because this is precisely the conversation my husband and I had earlier today. *Before my husband was laid off a few months back, we HAD two commuter cars plus our 2002 truck-- but besides having to sell our beloved truck, we had to sell one of those commuter vehicles to contribute to the purchase price for the replacement truck we are feverishly searching for. Eventually, when we can afford it again, we will add that third vehicle back to the mix-- but I just need to buy a truck now with a "comfortable" amount of miles on it (where I won't stress about looming high mileage repairs), so my husband can commute in the truck UNTIL we can gather more money for a "new" beater vehicle. *We've taken quite a financial beating lately, so that third car will take some time. *Thanks again for the suggestion.

[LyndaSuzan]

MaxMaverick! *I am so relieved to know there are others who maybe don't use their Duramaxes so "extremely, and therefore get more miles out of their trucks before needing expensive injector replacement. Further, I was happy to hear another, significantly lower price point for the repair cost; that it could be as "little" as $3500 instead of another poster's projected $5000 cost. I guess it depends a lot on your relationship with your repair dealership. As far as your comment that I shouldn't pass on the nice GMC truck with 115k miles just because of fears over looming repair costs--that ship has definitely sailed!! The seller was not happy with me when I canceled my planned trip today to look at it at the last minute. But, all is well that ends well, because I currently am sitting at a Chevy dealership waiting for them to do an extensive "used car inspection" of a 2006 crewcab dually 3500 LBZ DURAMAX, with Lt3 options, upgraded wheels and rims, and aftermarket DVD player, with only 65,000 miles on it (with only one previous owner) that I found at a local Ford dealership. (I've been posting in a separate thread about the 2006 truck.) Thanks so much for sharing your personal experience and opinions on the projected injector replacement on the LBZ 2006-2007 Duramax trucks. It makes me feel a lot "safer" about buying a used Duramax instead of a new one. A new truck is completely out of reach, financially, for me right now, so everyone's assistance on issues relating to used Duramaxes is very, very helpful.

[Mark Rinker]

Hope I didn't steer you in the wrong direction - but I also hope you never see a set of injectors needing replaced.

Dmaxmaverick is correct that my usage results in many, many more gallons of fuel passing through the injectors - when compared to a mixed use, 'average' vehicle. The LBZ is certainly doing well in the injector life department, when compared to the LB7 family. Most on this board would agree that 200-250K on a set of injectors is the upper end, statistically and regardless of how the truck was used.

What Dmax didn't factor in: How was the 115K mile truck used in its prior life? Answer: NOBODY knows. i.e. if there was a digital readout on the DIC for "% INJECTOR LIFE REMAINING" - would it read 30%, 50% or 75% ??? My observation also is that the truck was set up for towing and saw nearly 30K per miles per year...probably was being used just as it appears - to tow something fairly consistantly, and would have averaged miles/gallon usage in the 12-14 range, just a notch better than my 10-12 averages. Statistically, you are still looking at a $4000-$5000 repair bill for injector replacement, sometime in the next 60 - 80K miles.

That being said, I still think you are onto a MUCH better deal with the '06 and significantly lower miles. You even have a year or two of factory warranty left, in case you encountered any engine or drivetrain related problems from the previous owner's use. Lower miles mean less concern over how the truck was used, and statistically a greater chance of experiencing 120 - 160k additional miles of service life left in the injectors. Do the math - as I know you are!

Good luck! I believe you are on the right path with the '06 purchase. Read here in the Duramax forums...you'll find that I have never paid out of pocket for a set of injectors to be replaced in over 600K Duramax miles...

IDEA: Wouldn't it be helpful, in addition to vehicle mileage and engine hours, to have a "TOTAL GALLONS OF FUEL CONSUMED" readoout? My bet is we would see a direct correlation to injector life - at ~12K gallons of fuel, regardless of engine hours and odometer miles...using that math...how many miles additional would you get on your trucks???

[LyndaSuzan]

Hope I didn't steer you in the wrong direction - but I also hope you never see a set of injectors needing replaced.
...
That being said, I still think you are onto a MUCH better deal with the '06 and significantly lower miles. You even have a year or two of factory warranty left, in case you encountered any engine or drivetrain related problems from the previous owner's use. Lower miles mean less concern over how the truck was used, and statistically a greater chance of experiencing - 160k additional miles of service life left in the injectors. Do the math - as I know you are!
IDEA: Wouldn't it be helpful, in addition to vehicle mileage and engine hours, to have a "TOTAL GALLONS OF FUEL CONSUMED" readout? My bet is we would see a direct correlation to injector life - at ~12K gallons of fuel, regardless of engine hours and odometer miles...using that math...how many miles additional would you get on your trucks???

Mark:
You absolutely didn't steer me wrong. Instead, you did me an immense favor, forcing me to think clearly about possible repairs ahead, in the not-too-distant future with respect to a truck with higher miles, especially because of the unknown factor of possibly very hard use in its past. Your words of caution about factoring in future repairs was JUST what I needed to hear. I already knew that injectors were a problem with the LB7's (that is what our 2002 truck was); but I wasnt aware injectors would eventually have to be replaced (though not as early and not nearly as often) on the LBZ's as well. So, your post was a real wakeup call. The purchase price of the trucks we've been considering wouldn't leave any nest egg saved back for repairs. And the trucks we could afford, in order to keep back a nest egg for repairs, are too beat up to even consider. You stopped me from just focusing on the fact that I found a 2007 I could afford, and that it had the perfect setup for pulling our 6-horse;*and okay, I admit it, the overall "pretty-ness" of the truck had swayed me too and clouded my thinking somewhat (great ranch bumpers, front and back, and great headache rack).

Anyway, we did indeed buy (from the Ford dealership) the Chevy Silverado Duramax 3500 LT3 dually 4x4 truck with only 64,500 miles on it. I can't thank you enough for your input. Although others have posted that lots of LBZ's go a whole lot further than your projected 150k before replacement injectors are necessary-- we really needed to focus more toward the "worst case scenario" end of the spectrum, due to our recent luck (not!!) with finances (including my husband's layoff a few months ago; then his eventual acceptance of a new job for less pay; and to top it off, my loss of OT at my work). I just don't think it would be especially bright to roll the dice and buy a higher mileage truck.

After the 2006 truck passed the inspection, with flying colors, at the impartial Chevy dealership, I felt like it was a "no brainer" to purchase it. Since this truck has only has a tongue pull hitch, I believe this tends to indicate that there were no maxed out weight loads being regularly pulled with the truck. Plus, it was a local (Dallas/Fort WorthTexas area; aka the flatlands) owner who owned the truck for all four years of its life. This made me fairly confident, partially because of the truck's low mileage for it's age, that the original owner hadnt been running the truck up and down mountains with a heavily-loaded tongue pull trailer. Of course that doesn't guarantee the owner didn't drag race with the truck every single weekend. Only time will tell, I guess, as to whether this truck is as "cherry" as I now hope and believe.

Thanks again, Mark. I absolutely believe you did me a solid and steered me in the right direction.

PS: my new (to me) 2006 truck does show total gallons of gas used. Mine shows 4690 gallons lifetime; which translates to 13.85 mpg average. That seems to indicate to me a lot of city driving; although I would be estactic if that was highway miles pulling a tongue pull trailer. That wouldnt be too shabby at all, for pulling a trailer. I know the MPG average isn't based on empty highway miles (that low MPG would be tragic), because just in the short drive home (40 miles) from the dealership, the MPG average indicator jumped from 13.5 to 15.1. (I know you can't totally rely on truck's MPG display (accuracy can only be obtained via hand calculation), but still--it is an "indicator" of what real MPG might be.)

[chambie]

Congrats on your purchase !!!! I think you'll be impressed with it when you hook to your trailer. I have a 07 3500 and i pull a 35' 3 horse LQ trailer, and you hardly know it's there. Mileage is decent running the ridges here in PA & NY. When we head to Ohio where it's a lil flatter we'll get around 11 - 13 loaded

[Mark Rinker]

Good luck with your 'new' truck. Shoot a couple pictures and post !!!

[LyndaSuzan]

... I have a 07 3500 and i pull a 35' 3 horse LQ trailer, and you hardly know it's there. Mileage is decent running the ridges here in PA & NY. When we head to Ohio where it's a lil flatter we'll get around 11 - 13 loaded.

Chambie,
Thanks for the kind words. It is definitely good news to hear about the MPG and power of your 2007 while pulling your living quarters trailer. Even though I was very satisfied with the pulling power of my 2002, your experience with your 2007 matches what I have heard from other posters, that the 2006-2007 LBZ's are even stronger. Can't wait to get a GN hitch and brake controller installed, so I can see for myself!! I am really glad the search is over, and that I didn't end up settling for a truck I wasn't 100% happy about (either because of it's age, condition, or options set), simply because a lesser truck was all I could afford. As it turned out, although I spent absolutely every bit of cash I could gather (including this month's grocery money!!) in order to make an all cash purchase because I don't dare take on a truck payment loan in this economy, I am nevertheless very happy with the truck we ended up with. Thanks again for your input. It made me happy to hear from you, another LBZ owner who has realtime experience pulling a big honking trailer, and that you are very satisfied with your truck's performance.

[LyndaSuzan]

Good luck with your 'new' truck. Shoot a couple pictures and post !!!

Mark, I am naming you Godfather to my new "baby"--you were that instrumental in making me realize this truck was a smarter purchase.

As for pictures, I'm going to wait til I get the camper mirrors installed next week at the dealership before I post any pictures. The teensy OEM mirrors on it now make it look like a city slicker's truck!! (No offense meant to city slickers; I just need our truck to look like the mean lean cowboy machine it was born and breed to be.)

[LyndaSuzan]

Here are some pics. I post them mainly to prove I wasn't wasting everyone's time with all my endless questions and my several VIN check requests, when I was trying to decide on what truck to buy. The pics are proof that I really DID end up buying a truck. Everyone's input was invaluable, and I want to thank all you guys (again) for your help.

My (new to me) truck is really nothing special, compared to some of your tricked out trucks on this forum, so don't worry about trying to compliment me on it -- it's pretty plain jane!! However, it definitely serves our main purpose for it (pulling our 6-horse slant aluminum trailer), and we're happy with our purchase, and the price we paid for it, and its low mileage (still in the 65K range). Our next purchase for it will be to get the MaxBrake controller I've read in various posts on this forum. I'm pretty excited about that purchase (as soon as we can afford it). That has been a huge complaint for me, all these years -- the constant adjustment required on trailer brakes to keep it from either throwing you through the windshield or not really having any braking action at all. It will be nice to have a controller that works like it is supposed to.

[Mark Rinker]

Are those blue oval f-f-FORD emblems on the mudflaps?????

Very sharp looking truck. When it comes to black, less is more. Looks like a Stealth Bomber!

[LyndaSuzan]

Are those blue oval f-f-FORD emblems on the mudflaps?!

I know--isn't that embarrassing? I'd replace them if I didn't have so many other more pressing ways I want to spend money on that truck. I figure I'll tear 'em off eventually backing onto a curb or something. Til then, I'll just have to grin and bear it. Good eye, by the way. Nothing gets past you!!

[JohnC]

Yeah, if the truck starts to act out you may want to take them off sooner...

[LyndaSuzan]

Yeah, if the truck starts to act out you may want to take them off sooner...

Too true. Replacing the mud flaps would definitely be cheaper than therapy to cure my truck's self esteem issues.

[chambie]

Hey there ... nice looking truck !! You and the horses are gonna love it !! Good luck with it !!

[Enigma]

Good looking truck. Looks like you got some high buck wheels in the deal too. They look like Alcoa's

[LyndaSuzan]

Good looking truck. Looks like you got some high buck wheels in the deal too. They look like Alcoa's

Very good eye! The rims are indeed Alcoa's. Just out of curiosity, approximately what do Alcoa rims like mine cost, if bought new?

I think "cool" rims are kind of a "guy" thing. I like that they are "shiny," but I personally would have *spent that "rim" money toward a Ranch Hand front replacement bumper. That's one of the big ticket items on my "eventually" list -either a Ranch Hand or one of the other premier replacement bumper brands. I've been keeping my eye on craigslist for a good deal on a used one, but no luck so far.

Finally, I'm trying to determine the factory installed (stock) tire size for my 2006 crew cab dually 4x4. I want to know if my speedometer is reading true, and whether mpg's can be computed accurately, both of which would only be possible if I am running factory size tires (unless, of course, the onboard computer was adjusted for a different tire size). For some reason, the information sticker on the driver's door is peeled off; so I can't check it for the stock tire size. I also looked in the owner's manual, but I can't find the answer there either. My current tires are 245/75 R16. Could someone verify whether this is the stock tire size for my specific truck? From my research online, it looks like 265/75 R16 might instead be the correct tire size.*

Also from my research (gotta love the Internet), it appears that the only significant difference between the two tire sizes (245/75 and 265/75) is that the 265 is about an inch taller. Am I correct?

If 265's are the correct stock size, would the reason for someone replacing the original 265's with 245's be because the 245's are significantly cheaper? Or is there another reason to move down in tire size which I haven't figured out yet?

Thanks, as always, for everyone's advice and input.

[DmaxMaverick]

If you have 245/75/16 on now, you are at (or very near) the OEM size. The Dually size was originally 215/85/16. The diameters are close enough to not mess with the computer.

The 245's won't fit on the OEM wheels, as is. They are too wide, and will rub when loaded without spacers. The Alcoa wheels you have must be a deeper offset or have spacers, or you'd have the same problem. Load it up, and measure the gap between the sidewalls at the bottom (where they'll bulge when loaded), 1" minimum at full load/pressure. Keep your pressure up, or you could have a serious problem. Rubbing duals overheat and blow.

245/75/16 tires are OEM for 2500HD trucks. All the "talk" about the 265's is unique to the 2500HD and 3500SRW trucks. Using 265's on a dually would be disastrous, even with spacers when loaded anywhere near GVWR. They are about 1.5" taller than OEM, except the 3500SRW, which is OEM with them.

[LyndaSuzan]

...If you have 245/75/16 on now, you are at (or very near) the OEM size. ...Load it up, and measure the gap between the sidewalls at the bottom (where they'll bulge when loaded), 1" minimum at full load/pressure. Keep your pressure up, or you could have a serious problem. Rubbing duals overheat and blow.

Thanks for straightening me out. No wonder I was confused, what with the different specs for 2500 / 3500 / SRW and DRW. You were very succinct and clear in your explanation--especially the part about how to check my back dually tires for sufficient space between the tires so that no rubbing / blowouts will happen.

I love this forum; not only for the great information I always get; but also because so many posters on TheDieselPage have a really great sense of humor. Also, everyone is so patient about not quite on topic posts. I realize I have wandered far, far away from my original thread topic that I'm no longer even posting in the correct sub-forum right now, and for that I do humbly apologize. Any more off topic posts by me will go in a new thread, I swear!

[Yukon6.2]

Hi
Funny you ask about alcoa's.I was asking at a Kal Tire about the prise of them.I was told $1600 each,so you have 4 thats $6400 bonas dollars,in Canada but we allways get charged more for stuff up here.
Alco's are warenteed for life,no matter who bought them.
Nice score
Thomas