Cummins or Duramax?

[jfnall]

I've had an 04 Duramax since it was new. Crew cab long bed 4x4. I bought the truck for the Allison, and it is worth every penny. The engine: injectors 2 times, warranty covered both times. and other small stuff. leaking PS hoses. fuel hard line rubbed a hole that sucked air and made it die all the time. once found, all is good. fuel pressure regulator.

I have an Edge Box on it. I get 22-24 if i can keep it around 55-60. running 80 at no load, I will get 20. with a light load on an open trailer i get 14-15. A heavy load and enclosed trailer I get 11-12.

Best part about my truck is that it is paid for. That is worth more than anything. To replace it new is over 50K now. ridiculous. Will keep it until the frame rusts in half.

On the Edge - great company!! I had the box on 5 years. I sent it back to them when it made the truck act funny, and they sent me a brand new unit. Manufacture date was 3 days old when I received it. They stand behind their product.

 

[dallen341]

I LOVE our new 6.7 Powerstroke, no problems and we've already racked up 20k miles in three weeks. the only down side to this truck is the DEF, it sucks having to refill it all the time. Once a week for us.

I would choose it over a duramax any day. The Cummins is another very good choice with a manual transmission.

How the heck do you average 950 miles a day?

 

[Poriggity]

Honestly, I couldn't be happier with my 04 CTD with teh NV5600. It's been incredibly reliable. I have had a few minor issues that have been covered under warranty, and had to do regular maintenance like oil changes, tires and brakes, but that's it. It's a tough truck that LOVES to drive in the snow.

Scott

 

[Gumby]

I LOVE our new 6.7 Powerstroke, no problems and we've already racked up 20k miles in three weeks. the only down side to this truck is the DEF, it sucks having to refill it all the time. Once a week for us.

I would choose it over a duramax any day. The Cummins is another very good choice with a manual transmission.

Any $50K+ vehicle ought to be amazing for three weeks.

 

[Poriggity]

I work at a rental car facility that happens to be inside of a Ford dealer, and I can tell you that those new powerstrokes LOOK nice, but from what I gather, they are not really any more reliable that the troublesome 6.0's, and fuel mileage isn't all that great. We do rent a lot of cars to customers of this Ford dealer, and I'd say 85% of them are there for warranty work on their new F350 Powerstrokes. They sure are nicely outfitted inside and out though...
Scott

 

[crushers]

after owning a cummin (not any time soon) i would take the Power Smoke or even try the Duramax before ever owning another POS cummin dodge.

uncle bought a 07 duramax and it seems like a nice tight unit.

 

[Shes Mad]

after owning a cummin (not any time soon) i would take the Power Smoke or even try the Duramax before ever owning another POS cummin dodge.

uncle bought a 07 duramax and it seems like a nice tight unit.

Huh, must have been a bad experience.

I am on my 5th cummins since 94. Still have a 97 and 2010 I have never--yes never had an engine related repair.

Transmission-yes
Front steering suspension--many times
Fuel lines and brakes--oh yeah

The body and suspension has been the weak point, although I haven't had my 2010 long enough to know anything. Engine is solid!

I wouldn't hesitate to own a duramax though

 

[4wdx4]

I have an 05 Dodge 2500 CC with the cummins and 6 spd manual. It has about 84K and the only thing that has been done to it (other than oil changes) since new is an axle seal in front and a drivers door weatherstrip.

I get 19-20 mpg combined for hwy and city driving. I am a ASE certified master mechanic at a dealership (not dodge) and get to see and hear about many problems from other mechanics. The general conclusion is that most of them would go with the cummins as well. For me there is no question, Cummins all the way

 

[calstyl2]

I work at a rental car facility that happens to be inside of a Ford dealer, and I can tell you that those new powerstrokes LOOK nice, but from what I gather, they are not really any more reliable that the troublesome 6.0's, and fuel mileage isn't all that great. We do rent a lot of cars to customers of this Ford dealer, and I'd say 85% of them are there for warranty work on their new F350 Powerstrokes. They sure are nicely outfitted inside and out though...
Scott

6.4 or 6.7??, I have been looking at a new 6.7 and two dealerships close to you have had minimal problems with the new 6.7 compared to 6.4's or 6.0s.

 

[haystax]

I work at a rental car facility that happens to be inside of a Ford dealer, and I can tell you that those new powerstrokes LOOK nice, but from what I gather, they are not really any more reliable that the troublesome 6.0's, and fuel mileage isn't all that great. We do rent a lot of cars to customers of this Ford dealer, and I'd say 85% of them are there for warranty work on their new F350 Powerstrokes. They sure are nicely outfitted inside and out though...
Scott

You are the first person I have heard who says the new 6.7 is a problematic engine. Based on my short ownership experience and from all comments from the people who I personally know, including the owner of the local dealership, the 2011 Fords are excellent all the way around. The engineering and testing by Ford with this new powerplant and engine have been very thorough and the build quality really shows the efforts.

Service department locally is a very, very busy shop with all the mining, agriculture and service industry companies primarily running full size Ford trucks. Everyone seems to like the new package very much compared to the 6.0 and 6.4.

We have owned at least one of every Ford diesel pickup since the 6.9L in our '84. Lots of other gassers before then. We passed on the 6.4 even though the prices were very good and I recently received my 2011 F350. Only 3000 miles of hwy driving so far, but it seems like every aspect is markedly better than any other truck I have been in.

That being said - I think the OP should choose the Dodge over the GM any day of the week. The only real drawbacks I have seen with Dodges are the front ends wearing out and transmissions going out. These trucks have all been used on ranches and drilling operations and there is no better test than that. Around here, no one drives a Duramax. That must mean something

 

[calstyl2]

We have two Duramax's here at work, both 100,000 miles in two years, drivetrain going strong, last set of brakes were 65,000 miles, solid trucks compared to the fleet of 6.0 Fords parked out back for back ups, but the interiors are falling apart, the dash has broken loose from the support frame, the front grill is broken off from the front end, and the headlights and turn signals have all torn our of their mounts from our off road driving and dirt roads/trails...........Id buy a Dodge, BLM runs all Dodges and has had few issues, most of their rigs are gas Powerwagons but the oil burners are good and markedly cheaper than the current GM and Ford offerings.

 

[Stormin Norman]

Quit strokin' start Cummings

 

[Gumby]

The 6.7 hasn't been around long enough to know if it's any good. You can see a turd in a short time, but it takes a few years to see a real solid motor.

An I-6 is just a great engine design if you can deal with the weight, height, and length. That's not really a problem in a full size tow rig. You would think Land Cruiser enthusiasts would appreciate that.

Unfortunately, the rest of the truck is made by Chrysler. If Toyota would just step up and build a truck that we could transplant the Cummins into...

 

[crushers]

agreed, anything under 300K is not test of a true engine or truck
and
with a variety of applications and uses.

the more complex the engine the more likelyhood of something not working correctly. Toyota has been known for quality but even they have dropped the ball many times over with their engine designs.

as the big 4 get more and more complex vehicles on the roads the more problems will come to light. the 6L, 6.4L are crap engines. the 6.7L, time will tell.

the duramax has a decent track record but as will all the big vehicles the rest of the truck lacks the quality. you have to remember that the big 4 have the "fleet renewal" program front and center in all their plans. they DON'T WANT to have vehicles lasting more than 10 years. long gone are the days of vehicles built to last, long gone are the days of your local Ma and Pa service centers being able to work on the complex vehicles being produced today. add to this the refusal of the big 4 to supply repair info to the smaller shops and you can see where we are heading.

take into consideration EVERYTHING before making an expensive purchase, do you really want to support a company that is only after your money and doesn't give a s*** about how good the product is?

today is the days of the veneer generation, bling, bells and false promises are what they are willing to buy. why should the big 4 give a rats ass for quality?

my next vehicle will either be the old style 7.3 or a turbo gasser.

as for Toyota body with the heart of a cummins, pass.

The 6.7 hasn't been around long enough to know if it's any good. You can see a turd in a short time, but it takes a few years to see a real solid motor.

An I-6 is just a great engine design if you can deal with the weight, height, and length. That's not really a problem in a full size tow rig. You would think Land Cruiser enthusiasts would appreciate that.

Unfortunately, the rest of the truck is made by Chrysler. If Toyota would just step up and build a truck that we could transplant the Cummins into...

 

[woody]

I travel in my 2003 Duramax (extended cab shortbox 4wd)...285's, Edge, 4" exhaust, has 160k on it now.

KOH 2010, dash showed 24mpg unloaded, speed limit +5 for 5000 miles...WI to CA and home thru Reno.

Put 55k on the tires in 18 months, over 25k of that is with a 13k gooseneck behind me, and usually get 12-14mpg.

Issues: Injectors went in June, just out of warranty. I've had a ball joint done, the idler arm done, the fuel tank sender replaced, new shocks, heater fan solenoid, brakes...mmm....nothing else jumps to mind. The only 'biggie' was the injectors, but they are notorious for that.

Dealer comp'd me a '07 5.9 Cummins Mega dually to get home...really liked the room and how it drove, but the mileage wasn't there. From what I've researched, a Smarty and new exhaust wakes these up nicely.

Keep eying up the 2011 Dodge Mega's...don't like the new dually flare look, but little else to complain about on the truck. Maybe a cab-chassis with the Aisin and a dance-deck

The new Dodge meets emissions without the urea additive...

 

[jfnall]

On my Duramax - I have worked the crap out of this truck. It rarely runs without a 10,000# trailer behind it, with another 1500-2500 in the bed. The stock off-the-line suspension is much stouter than a ford. (i owned 2 over 3 years) When plowing snow, I will run with 3200# in the bed and the plow on front. Truck barely grunts. With my dump bed insert, I hit the scales at the rock quarry with an added 4800-5000# in the bed and it doesn't even drive funny.

I got 102K out of the OEM front brake pads. they still had 3/16"s left on the pads. Put on some Wagner pads, and only got 40K. Went back to OEM's even though they are ridiculously priced.

Don't buy a truck cause somebody said it was better. Buy one you like to sit in and the rest of the truck does what you need it to do. I would rather sit in the cab of a Ford, but the suspension of a 350 just doesn't handle as easily in the rear with what I am running it through.

 

[78-FJ40]

I have an '08 Chevy 4-door (6.6 diesel/Allison) and pull my 40 on an 1,800lb trailer and an 11,000lb 5th wheel with ease. The truck can easily accellerate up hill while towing either trailer. Took the 5th wheel through Arizona last summer without any overheating issues. I don't have any personal experience with the Ford or Dodge, but my Chevy is great.

 

[MBerry]

The easy answer is buy what you like. I have an '04 Dodge 3500 Quad Cab 4x4 I bought new. As of this morning I am pushing 112K on it and it's still running like new. For full disclosure, I did have to put a new injection pump on it at 96k miles due to what I believe was a very small amount of water in the pump that froze and cracked the case. We had another vehicle at the time and my truck sat for long periods of time. I am still running the stock clutch, brakes, u joints, basically everything but tires. It is due for ball joints, but that was my fault since I hadn't greased them in a few years. It pulls my 32' 5th wheel easily through the Sierra Nevada mountains easily and is by far the most comfortable truck I have ever owned or driven.

I wish I could afford to buy a new crew cab model since I now have 3 kids. The bottom line is, just about any diesel pickup built within the last 6 years is going to tow your trailer queen 60 easily and should do it fairly reliably as long as the proper maintenance has been done. No vehicle is perfect will last forever without any problems. In my opinion, Dodge from '03 and up has the best platform for reliability. If you want an auto trans, the '04 and up Dodge with the 48RE is the better trans than the previous '03 48RE and 47RE. The new 6 speed auto in the Dodge starting in '08 is the cat's meow in my opinion with the 6.7L Cummins. The Ford and Chevy are good trucks, but you have to do your research to find one with a reliable powerplant and/or components.

I had an '02 Dodge w/auto prior to my '04 and it wouldn't get out of it's own way pulling my 3K lb boat. Not to mention very loud. It's your money you are spending, so again, buy what you want.

 

[Poriggity]

6.4 or 6.7??, I have been looking at a new 6.7 and two dealerships close to you have had minimal problems with the new 6.7 compared to 6.4's or 6.0s.

You are the first person I have heard who says the new 6.7 is a problematic engine. Based on my short ownership experience and from all comments from the people who I personally know, including the owner of the local dealership, the 2011 Fords are excellent all the way around. The engineering and testing by Ford with this new powerplant and engine have been very thorough and the build quality really shows the efforts.

Service department locally is a very, very busy shop with all the mining, agriculture and service industry companies primarily running full size Ford trucks. Everyone seems to like the new package very much compared to the 6.0 and 6.4.

We have owned at least one of every Ford diesel pickup since the 6.9L in our '84. Lots of other gassers before then. We passed on the 6.4 even though the prices were very good and I recently received my 2011 F350. Only 3000 miles of hwy driving so far, but it seems like every aspect is markedly better than any other truck I have been in.

That being said - I think the OP should choose the Dodge over the GM any day of the week. The only real drawbacks I have seen with Dodges are the front ends wearing out and transmissions going out. These trucks have all been used on ranches and drilling operations and there is no better test than that. Around here, no one drives a Duramax. That must mean something

These posts got me thinking, so I went and asked the service manager in this dealer, and I was mistaken.. He said their problems have been with the 6.4 mostly, and the 6.7 hasn't seen too many issues.... Maybe Ford got it right with the 6.7....
Scott

 

[Elbert]

if you get a dmax get the 06 or newer version...