anyone with experience with a duramax diesel

[E2360]

Looking at buying a class c on a chevy kodiak chassie. Anyone have any thoughts/experience with the duramax diesel in terms of reliability or problems. Wish Dodge made a bigger chassie with a cummins.



Thanks

 

[CumminsBu]

A Sterling Bullet won't work for you?
Sterling Trucks - Custom-Built Medium and Heavy-Duty Vocational Trucks and Tractors

 

[MA2LA]

depending on the year they are pretty good. I have towed with a 04 pulling about 12k behind it and it did a good job and got fairly decent milage.

 

[GAmes]

What is a class c? Is it bigger than a 5500?

 

[E2360]

looking at a "super C" similar to the Jayco Seneca line. Problem is you, as the buyer, have little choice in the chassie unless you go for a custom build, that adds considerable cost to an item that quickly depreciates and completely takes buying used off the table. Have seen some Luxury super c's built on a sterling chassie but out of my price point.

 

[MSicotte]

I work at a GM dealer, and they really are quite good. 03 and 04 had some injector problems but other than that no major issues. The trucks got an extended injector warranty, not sure if it applies to medium duty chassis'.

 

[GAmes]

Oh, a class C motorhome! The light just went on. Thought you were looking for a C & C. A co-worker of mine had a 4500 Kodiac with a D-max. I think his was an 03. In the 300k miles he had it it was in for injector work 10 times The good news is the Allison transmission model that came in his was approved for an exhaust brake, and had one installed as a factory option, unlike the ones in the 2500 and 3500s.

 

[E2360]

I looked up Sterling trucks as suggested by Black Pearl... ... ... . they seem to be going the way of the doo-doo bird... ... ... . extinct. This might be good for the "American" truck companies. .



Sterling Trucks -- Important message to our customers

 

[fluemasterjr]

I purchased an 08 Gmc 4500 up fitted with a utilamaster service body and would not recommend them at all. I have had nothing but trouble with it from the front end to the motor not starting the headlights wouldn't work and i can't keep a pinion seal in the rearend it has been to 4 shops now and is still not fixed. Gm has not been very help full i have not been able to use the truck for over 2 months now. This is the last gm i would ever buy.

 

[TFucili]

We had a tenant that had a flatbed/landscaper truck with one. It was a dog with a decent load on it, and had both D'max and Ally problems. It came back on "the hook" multiple times. No truck is perfect, for sure, but I have had nothing but bad experience with anything GM. I successfully went lemon law on my last Chevy with 8. 1/Ally. Buyer beware.

 

[BDaugherty]

I just moved out of a 2005 C5500 with the 6. 6 DMax/Allison. It was a regular cab with a mechanic's tool body. Max GVW was 26K. With me and my tools, I was right around 22,500 all day long. Hauling big parts could easily put me right at max GVW. I had the truck for about 10 months. During that time I drove it from 50,000 to 74,000 miles. I didn't have any problems out of the engine at all, however I felt like it really de-rated during warmer weather. It started easily, wasn't too bad to service, only used 3/4 gallon of oil between changes, and was quiet. The transmission was annoying. It shifted great, but it never stopped shifting, ever. The cruise control was worthless on anything other than level ground. When I hit a hill on cruise, it would slow WAY down before the computer would tell the engine to fuel. After I crested the hill, the truck would continue to fuel for 6-9 MPH past the set speed before backing down. The brakes were OK during normal driving. Panic stops would leave me wishing for much more braking. The suspension was OK. I never expected it to ride very well... which is good because it didn't. The rear limited slip differential worked well, but all that traction was wasted because the rear axle would get severe wheel hop during low traction situations when wheel speed could have saved the day. The engine had a factory exhaust brake, but it really wasn't very strong. Also, the programming didn't really make the most of it. It was great slowing down after getting off the interstate, but it wouldn't even come on with the trans shifted to 1st or 2nd trying to keep from having to ride the brakes down a long downhill from a dead stop at the top of the hill.

The A/C worked very well, but I had to replace the compressor at 58K miles.

Probably the worst thing about the whole truck was the inside of the cab. I'm 6'1"/205lbs and I am way to big for this truck. There just wasn't enough leg or head room for a normal person like myself. The interior was CHEAP... and that's coming from a Dodge Ram owner. I had more self tapping screws that you could count keeping the interior panels from rattling. Also, as quiet as the engine was, at cruising speed the inside of the cab was really loud.



Bottom line is I really didn't like the truck, but it never let me down either. The interior, transmission, and wheel hop ****** me off nearly every day.



I've had the following roughly similar trucks to compare this one to:



1995 TopKick with CAT 3116 and Eaton 6spd. Slow, but best driving. Tough as nails. Great in the dirt. I had it from 410,000 to 440,000 miles.



2006 F550 with 6. 0 PSD and Torqshift auto. Engine spent a lot of time in the shop. Lots of turbo lag. Steering sucked. Hard to keep it on the road. Good in the dirt other than low ground clearance and hard to steer when on the throttle. Transmission is great. Variable geometry turbo in tow haul mode has good braking. Had it from 36 miles to 55,000 miles.



2005 C5500 with 6. 6 DMax/Allison. 55,000 to 74,000 miles. Good engine. Trans shifts too much. Exhaust brake doesn't live up to potential. Interior, CHEAP and cramped. Wheel hop in dirt. Bad.



2005 F750 with C7 CAT/Allison. 55,000 to present. Good engine. Louder, but great low end. Exhaust brake works great. Trans shifts well. Drives good. Lots of room in cab. Has great features like speed control/cruise control, air brakes stop GOOD, and air operated differential lock.

 

[matches]

My department just bought three of them. All ambulances, and they are pigs, seem to get decent mileage, but are slow, and I experienced one overheating in 90 degree weather, barely pulling a grade at 48 mph (garbage). I wouldn't buy one. We switched from Fords to these, and I'll take the Fords back, thats how much I don't like them. The ride is stiff, and their is no leg room for the driver and passenger. If you look close it is really a van, with a dog house on the inside, and poor access to the motor from the front. So other than that they are great!

 

[JGamble]

The cats are somewhat worth the money, but why invest in a isuzu diesel in a rock? I know that from a friend that had a kodiak and put a cummins medium duty in, you can install the medium duty cummins with some mods to that same frame. Just a thought.





Regards,

John

 

[RVTRKN]

I had to drive a 05 3500 DMAX, the clutch fan came on all the time when traveling at any highway speeds even when the ambient temps were at 60*. The take off or braking with the allison was good but when you tried to accelerate at 65 mph, the "torque management" would derate the HP and I learned never to try and pass unless I had room. I was not a fan of this truck and now I know why the clutch fan engaged all the time, because GM knows they have an overheating problem.



When I got my 3500 C&C CTD it was like day and nite, even when pulling a grade at 100* with max GCVW the clutch fan never engaged and it pulled with out a sweat.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I don't care if they came with a gold plated KTA19 in them... those trucks are ugly as sin! (to me... your mileage may vary)

 

[AKetay]

Owned a 2006 for a year and a few months, put 107K miles on it. Used to transport all kinds of trailers in the US and Canada. Just a medium duty truck, no frills like rest of them. Mine had the 4. 56 rear end and averaged 14 mpg empty and as low as 8mpg loaded driving into the wind going uphill. Never had any problem with the engine. Changed the oil every 15K miles and replaced the fuel filter at the same time. 13 quarts out, 15 quarts in. Gauges would act up or not work when it was 15℉ to 20℉, would gradually begin to work as the truck warmed up. Cold blooded engine, never over heated. Ran uphill fully loaded in cruise control, sure it would slow to 45 mph, but it never overheated even in 112℉ weather. BTW, it was a Wednesday truck. Replaced the steering drag link at 87K miles under warranty.

 

[HBarlow]

I've had experience outpulling a few of them on grades when I was pulling a larger/heavier trailer than the Duramax was.

Personally, I wouldn't own a V8 diesel. There is no comparison between a Cummins inline 6 cylinder "real" heavy duty diesel truck engine and a light duty pickup truck V8 diesel like the Duramax. But each to his own. They do burn diesel fuel and they will go down the highway same as a Dodge-Cummins.