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Looks good.

Where can you get 2.25% return with zero risk on short term funds?

What's interesting, is that a 2014 2500HD Crew 4x4 SLE w/ 6.0 is priced very similar to a '14 1500 SLE 4wd w/ 5.3 right now. I wish those 6.0HD's didn't get such bad economy. Was the kbb price on a 2014, or on the 2015. The 1500's price jumped a good bit with the new platform.

When new prices keep rising like they have, it pulls used values with them. My FIL bought a Dmax in 2006, and probably has only 30k miles on it. I don't think it has lost $7k of value in ~7 years. My truck isn't quite that good, but it's closer to 5% per year at this point (6 yrs and 55k miles). Of course, this sort of calculation depends completely on getting a fair price to begin with. My opinion is that the GM trucks on the lots today are a bit overpriced... based solely on prices I see on similar Tundras and F150s... but I may well be wrong.

The info that the OP is providing is consistent with all that I've read re: the new GM Global A platform, which the new trucks use. GM probably won't request a CVN for non-hard-part failures, but a failed transmission or motor will certainly go that way. I'm curious as to how these new trucks are driving on the stock tuning. I tuned mine myself (EFI), and can't imagine going back to OEM. The 6-spd being tuned for mileage seems to be frustrating for some, and I'm guessing that I'd probably be one of them.

I had a moment to look those up. The gasket is for the oil pan. Did the valve cover come with a gasket?

Yup, that's pretty much the idea. It's been a while, but when I was keeping up with this a couple of years back, folks that had the deflector installed didn't notice a difference. Maybe it only helps if the pistons haven't already been carbonized? More importantly, and I may be wrong on this, but my understanding is that the deflector is primarily for the return oil during AFM engagement. When the AFM engages, it diverts oil from four lifter pins (that holds them in place), and dumps it into the pan. When AFM is disengaged, then the oil returns through the normal channel (like a non-AFM motor). My understanding may be flawed, but if this is accurate, then disabling the AFM system via the PCM would serve the same purpose, as the oil would never be diverted in the first place. So, my thinking is that a person could disable AFM and install the modified valve cover for the same effect, and get the bonus of clean engine performance (albeit at a slight loss of economy).

I dont think the splash guard has been effective for most folks, which is why I am curious about the valve cover. It makes sense to me, and it's a relatively easy job.

What are the details on the valve cover change? That's a new one to me. Part number(s)?

I saw my first '14 last night when passing by a dealer ($47k msrp for a Silverado LTZ Z71 Crew 4x4). Stopped for minute to look at it, and was the *only* '14 they had. Nice lines on the truck, and the interior did look better in person (through window... store was closed). Not sure about this carpet stuff, but it reminds me of bed rug material. Sound deadening or not, I'd rather have hard plastic liners. If it's cheap to replace, then I guess it doesn't matter, but I'd imagine it looking pretty ratty after a while. GM would have to put some big incentives on these trucks for me to look closer, which I assume will start soon after they get dealers stocked. Even then, it will be a hard sell, as I still like my truck more... especially considering the price difference.

No offense, and I'm certainly not trying to minimize your issues. Just pointing out the poor accuracy of "problem polls" on enthusiast sites. In reality, specific posts like yours are more trustworthy. If you read through that whole thread, you find a few folks who take the time to "talk" about it... while most are just blind "votes" from people who never post anything, and many of the folks that do post, only have a few total (i.e., they only joined to vote / post about their recently discovered problem). That's typical of forum polls, and not specific to this one. I'm not a big Consumer Reports type, but their blind statistics show the 07+ 1500 engines to be very reliable overall. A large portion of 1500's have the 5.3, so their grouped data forms somewhat of a proxy statistic for the 5.3.

Before quoting the "poll", go through every message and and tally up the number of actual posts w/ oil consumption... and how many total posts each "user" has made on the site. I did that sometime back, and found the "poll" stats to be useless. Very few voters posted a single word about their truck/motor, and many that did were first time visitors/posters.

Nobody is trying to "sweep" anything away. We're reporting our personal experience on the matter. Given the specific issues that you're reporting, has GM determined whether it is related to AFM? I can guarantee that every motor out their has some "oil burners", and some have "ticking valves". Do a search on Ecoboost, 5.0, 5.7, or whatever plus "oil consumption" or "ticking". Don't get me wrong, if a specific instance is related to the AFM system, then it needs to be fixed. It does not, however, mean that they all are. I have the opposite frustration. The reason that we read about AFM and oil consumption here, is that folks having excess consumption find the forum and ask about it, or post their experience. Some members here, especially those that don't have a Gen IV 5.3, then proceed to tell them that it's due to their AFM system. Very few have actually validated an issue w/ AFM itself, and most owner/members here don't have a problem. How is it that almost every 5.3 out there is running fine with no issues, yet the vocal few form the consensus? I hope that you + GM find the answer for your truck... and that's the right way to go about it. Nobody here can diagnose or fix it.

If you happen to have a motor with problems, then sure... it's a bad motor. Mine has been great, as has everybody's that I personally know. A mechanic only sees a vehicle when there's a problem, and if they specialize in something, then they will see it a lot. My old '93 accord had a well known issue, where the distributor wears out prematurely, and the motor shuts down. Won't start, until you replace it and the ignition pack. If a Honda mechanic fixes this problem more than anything else on that year Honda, does it make it "junk"? The real question is much simpler: how many 5.3 motors does a general mechanic work on, out of *all* other cars/motors? Based on my own experience, I'd say it's a very low percentage, but that doesn't mean that it won't happen to me.

New trucks have the 6L90e 6-spd. It's a strong unit, and GM's replacement for the Allison w/ gas motors. My only reason for 8.1L prior to '07 is for the torque. I tow a camper, and the 6.0 vs 8.1 mpg isn't much different in the older models (from what I've read/seen). If you'll be doing a lot of hwy miles, the 6.0 will do a little better. Not much difference around town, since both are *bad*.