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Yearly clay bar and wax. Went with Cerakote ceramic sealer this time. Time will tell if it’s any good.

Picked up the new truck today. I still have no idea when the 3500 LTZ I originally was going to buy will show up, and neither does my dealer. Salesman was able to dealer trade from my area (Buffalo, NY area) to a dealer in Delaware. HUGE SHOUT OUT TO UPSTATE CHEVROLET and Al Ficarella for pulling this off. So much appreciated! Now maybe I can sleep....

Now we are in my wheelhouse Any refinery that can run sour crude can and does process sweet. Just can't do it as efficiently. Fact, no refinery in the USA processes ONLY sour crude. They are run on a blend and that the split has more to do with the price of the various feed streams or equipment utilization numbers than the processing equipment itself. When you run sweet in a sour plant there are certain parts of the plant that no long have a function OR are not fully utilized. Sulphur content is what determines the feed being called sour or sweet. So when WTI is sold to Europe it isn't due to a lack of processing ability. It's due to 'limiting profit' running it here. Sour crudes are not just the middle east. Venezuela, Canada, Mexico are also sour. We import all three. Chevron has a very large presents in Venezuela. Chevron's refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and several others along the Gulf Coast, Valero and Marathon Oil are sour plants as are many in the Midwest that use Canada crudes. This all is tied more to profit than to ability. A new refinery built specifically for WTI just makes more money but supply is limited in the big picture. Fact is we only have one refinery in the USA that processes only sweet. Toledo Ohio and it isn't a big one. 180K bpd. There is a second planed for Brownsville to run sweet shale crudes but....also small 160K bpd. Fact, it is cheaper to build and run a sweet plant and there are more high value products in sweet crudes. There is just a limited supply on the planet. Sour plants proliferate in the USA due to past practice when OPEC was flooding the market and it was cheap enough to warrant such a move and US production of sweet was small. There are refineries in the USA that have units that date back to the 1920's. I worked a Getty light gas plant that changed boiler and thermal cracker fuel type up to four times a day based on cost. Ran our butts ragged during the 70's embargo. Nothing in a refinery is not driven by extracting that last penny a barrel. It has nothing to do with the needs of a nation or it's people.

Godzilla eats cams but I guess you missed that part. L8Ts that come in at work have been reliable. We've only replaced one engine in a customer truck in the 6, going on 7 years its been out. Maybe 2 or 3 came in for oil consumption monitoring.

new member here - just traded my 2018 Colorado long bed LT/4WD V6, lifted 2" w/ ZR2 wheels for it's big brother - 2026 2500HD LT / 4x4 / trail boss 6.6L in the same sterling gray color. I tow a 5-6Klb car trailer and moved to CO last year from CA and now have a farm property, so plenty of room and more hauling duties as well plus the mountains / elevation around here really kills the already underpowered V6 in the Colorado. I don't drive a lot, so the Duramax wasn't really necessary, and gas around here is $1 cheaper than diesel as well. This truck has well more than double the towing capacity I need anyway - I was just looking for some margin and to cover for the mountains which go up to 10K feet in some places.

I'm pretty sure everything GM does is for profit. Doesn't change the fact that somehow in 2026, so many people can devote so much mental bandwith to something as simple as engine oil. Go blindly pick any decent synthetic. Dexos or otherwise, change every 5k,and convince me there's a real world difference.

Yup. My last real work day is 12/18, and I’m officially retiring 12/31. We are hitting the road for a few weeks heading South to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Mojave Desert, and other SW destinations in mid February. We hope it will be a good year for the bloom in Death Valley.

1974 IH D200 4x4 345 V8 4v factory dual exhaust dual fuel tanks original 61500 miles. Very little rust.

I just heard from him. Today was PT day. Sore, some pain. His PT person is riding him hard and putting him up wet. bet he'll check in later today or tomorrow

I pulled the trigger and got a DiabLew custom tune for my truck. I have never done this to a vehicle before and was a little intimidated at first, but after doing extensive research on the internet (watching videos, browsing these forums, etc.) I felt it was the best solution for me. My commute threw me into more stop-and-go traffic than normal, and while there was nothing inherently wrong with my truck mechanically, the AFM and transmission was making the drive pretty exhausting. I am pleasently surprised with the results. It didn't drastically transform the driving experience or anything or "awaken the beast," but it did smooth everything out. Everything feels more stable, which is a great feeling. I don't have to deal with the constant clunking I had previously when stopping and going. I also feel I can confidently overtake someone on the highway where as before I really had to think about it. I am not done with the process yet as I still need to conduct a WOT log, but wanted to share my current experience with it. I never had any issues with AFM, but having V8 all the time was an extra bonus with the tune and I will admit I like not having the rumble/vibration of V4 mode. I am also hoping this (combined with my cooler trans thermostat) will squeeze some additional life out of my 6L80 as I am still on the original one with 145,000 miles.

Six hours since hip surgery and I’m feeling great with meds. I’m hoping to do a flying dropkick. Update did it moments ago.

My first vehicles had owners manuals that told us how to set valves and pinion gears. Gave us torque specs and clearance targets. Today they tell us not to drink the battery acid and don't read this book while driving. We are miles ahead knowing what it 'used to be' if we only apply it, right? People changed. Rules changed, Regulations changed. But the machine still needs what it needs. Motor builds heat when actually working. Heat thins oil. Needs thicker oil in response. In self-defense. Common sense....

EDIT: Linking an earlier version of the recall here that's from this very thread: https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=182274&key=25bd8ff5fd2a227a83b28b5554b53c6d They aren't using the Picoscope test to analyze for P0016 nor is it to analyze cam/crank correlation. If one of these recalled 6.2s comes in with P0016 set, it gets an engine, full stop. This test is done with a special tool they sent to dealers. The tool is a harness with a knock sensor on it. The knock sensor gets installed to an open M8 threaded boss on the left side of the block, and the Pico side of the harness gets attached to Channel B on the Pico. Dealers do NOT use the Pico branded software for this test; they use the GM NVH software for this (both software are installed on shop computers, the GM NVH and the Pico one). The GM NVH software then gets set up to use the supplied sensor/harness as a microphone and then a 30 second or more clip gets recorded. That clip then gets analyzed by a special test that is in GM SPS2 (service programming) and will pass or fail the data. So far engines that I've seen pass pull in the realm of 50-65dB sound range at the 2000rpm the data is recorded at.

Ecoboost will maul the 6.6L in the hills, then need a complete teardown in 60k miles. The 6.6L is a stout engine, but it's underwhelming power-wise.

Wrapped my door panel inserts to match my katzkins seats

Got a console sub project going on another site. Got these Clazzio seat covers for less then $400 and installed them. Love them. They feel better then factory leather. Anyone interested in purchasing these seat covers pm me for seller info.

Sure have. My statements are opinions of your statements, not personal attacks on you. You use the term "worshipper" against people. Is that an opinion or an attack? One could say you seem to be using it in a derogatory way. Do you consider yourself a "Dexos D" worshipper? You were in this same argument 4 years ago and it's not turning out any differently. Same arguments. Leave it be. You will never be convinced, because you really don't want to be convinced. You just want things your way. You only want that little license sticker from Uncle GM, then you can sleep at night. That's fine. Do what you want and every one else can do the same. Btw, since you reported me, I gave myself 1 warning point and ordered myself to be flogged 50 times with a wet noodle.

Hey guys, wanted to just share something that ive been working on for the last couple weeks. I got my 2026 Silverado 2500 with the 6.6L Duramax. I previously came from a 2020 3500 with the 6.6L Gas motor. So far im loving the new truck and the Duramax. I wanted to get the iDash Pro for the truck but with the gauge and the pod, man it was pretty much over $600 after shipping. So instead i decided to try to build my own application that could display similar data on the trucks nice infotainment screen. There is tons more real estate there anyways. So thats what ive done. I bought the OBDLink MX+ to get data off the OBD-II CAN bus. I bought a small ESP32 dev board to interface with the OBDLink, and then i built an Android Auto app that i installed on the truck through a private Google Play release. So far everything is working great. Im still very heavily developing the software so there are lots of things i want to implement, but here is a screenshot of the screen so far. I have configuration screens and some other data that is not in the screenshot but this is the main area. I think im going to redo the way these gauges are shown and put more of the large gauges up instead of the 4 that i have now, with the smaller ones below. Has anyone done anything similar? Sorry for the finger prints all over the screen... ill get some better images later

Valvoline Restore and Protect. I have a 2009 Vibe I picked up on the cheap going on a year ago now. Has the 2AZ-FE Toyota 2.4 under the hood which is well known for oil consumption due to the rings Toyota went with. It was using 1 QUART in 400 MILES. I am on the 3rd fill of R&P, oil consumption has reduced to 1 quart in 2000 miles. Stuff works. You won't really see a change until about oil change 3 or 4 per Valvoline, and I would agree with that. The 2nd fill I was down to about 800mi/quart of oil. Fill 3 is where its really taken effect. I've seen the endless threads of 2.4 2AZ-FE owners trying all sorts of magic like Seafoam, Berrymans, etc. Berryman seems to work good, Seafoam doesn't seem to dent them. Best part about R&P is that you can run it all the time if you wish. It is not a temporary use oil to resolve an issue, it can be used to keep the issue at bay long term.

There is definitely a difference in rear spring stiffness. With the truck empty, you mainly notice it going over large bumps like speed bumps where the 3500’s second stage leaf comes into play. There have been some threads describing the spring differences. The springs could be changed over for way less than you’d lose switching trucks. You also could just remove the third stage springs, but that wouldn’t improve the ride when empty. Personally I would not want to tow a 6500 lb travel trailer with a half ton. I’m sure it can pull it fine, but handling characteristics, stability in windy conditions, and control in hard braking would all suffer. Plus I just like having plenty of payload margin rather than being maxed out and forced to use a weight distribution hitch.

Keep changing it until it is a good red color.

Are you happy with it? That's what matters. I'd bet there is a member or two around here that after seeing your work would let you have a go at theirs. Take pride in you work. Especial at things your not a Pro at or trained to do and you get such a nice result doing.

Looks like Fram Ultra Synthetic for XG7317 WIX filter for same application. Cat tail not included... After I use each one, I'll cut them open and post pics

Did the cerakote on my headlights today, and so far happy with it, also still have enough to do it all over again if I need to. Gonna do the trim and paint tomorrow. All 3 kits were $50

Because the OEMs are obsessed with telling us NOT to. No such thing as lifetime fluids. You should have seen ATF in a 6 speed from 07-15 after maybe 30,000-40,000mi. You'd be insane to keep running it beyond that. The severe service schedule for GM trucks is every 45,000mi for transmission. 90+% of vehicles just based on where they are located fall under severe service (extreme temperature swings during the year). Factor in driving styles, habits, short trips, long trips, towing, heavy payloads, etc. Also... its not 5year/70,000mi powertrain warranty. All GM gas cars and trucks except for the 2.7 Turbomax are 5 year/60,000mi powertrain warranty since 2016. The Turbomax for 2024-current has the 5 year/100,000mi powertrain warranty, same as the 3.0 and 6.6 Duramax. Shorter oil change intervals for engines, transmissions, differentials and transfer cases has worked perfectly fine for decades prior, no reason those same practices can't still be followed. Especially engine oil changes. VVT, AFM, turbocharging, low tension rings, tighter tolerances, all the MORE reason to change oil more frequently as long drains can increase deposit rates and carboning.

I suppose one consolation is that GM still recommends 5W-30 ( and no doubt for a reason ) for the HD gas trucks and the prior 6.0 gas, where as for a number of years now GM has called for 0w-20 for the half ton V8 engines. Also that GM with the L8T calls for a full synthetic oil which basically a Dexos 1 series 3 oils are. There doesn't seem to be much on the market for a Dexos 1 oil that is thicker other than the 0W-40 from GM. Having said that and that would be Grumpy Bears topic of knowledge, as to oils that meet the Dexos 1 spec and although are listed by the manufacturer as a 5W-30, are on the high side of a 30 grade viscosity at the high end of the operating temp spectrum and a more sheer stable oil. I believe he mentioned High Performance Lubricants brand oil but I don't know if its even available in Canada. There is another aspect to any of the off the shelf typical oils easy to find ( Dexos 1 spec in this case ) and that is to change the oil more often than what these long drain intervals are suggested by the vehicle manufacturer. Fresh oil that is not sheered down and has all its additives is always going to protect better than oil that has a questionable life span left.

The L8T is classic GM malaise wrapped around a package that could decimate the competition. Always sub par in stock form. Always a world beater with the proper hands modding it. Look no further than GMs own L8P crate engine with a itty bitty baby cam and some 91 octane That's a 30.4% increase in horsepower and 17% increase in torque from barely opening the valves a touch more/longer and taking the brakes off the tune. The reality is the L8T is designed solely for fleet reliability and fuel mileage, just like the previous 6.0 was. Add in terrible throttle response and a lack luster safe overly rich classic GM tune, and this truck is a dog. Tuning is probably my next big spend. Just a throttle modifier makes this thing feel like a different engine.

More $ wasted chasing a dream. You are still pushing 2.5 tons of steel down the road. Put the truck back to 100% stock if you really want to keep it, but spending money to get better mileage is a pipe dream. Spend 100's to save pennies.

Although the website says it comes with a magnetic drain plug, it does not. It also says it reuses the "stock magnetic fill plug", which it isn't (magnetic). The instructions online and with it are strictly for 19+ Ram. They didn't bother to edit them for the GM twins. Maybe this is why they think stock is mag fill. Either way their crappy drain is not mag as advertised. Skipped their crappy powdercoat slag filled hex drain and installed magnetic IP-03X Gold Plug that I had bought for the transfer case (and painted it so it wouldn't shine against the hammertone grey). Other than that, nice cover, looks great, heavy duty but overall 3/5 on execution for the things mentioned. Especially because they are well known for OEM fit/finish and the integrations with GM at grand scale and especially because this cover isn't cheap and is at the top end of the competition. Cover was heavier than ****** to lift up there under the truck. Had to use a floor jack to assist. Thing is iron and ROBUST. Large fill port up top is nice especially because I have a 37" spare and room is tight. Still clears though. Took about 4.5 qts to fill (75-90 FM). The flex pack gear oil is a must. P.S., F-you to AAM or GM or whatever dumbass thought it was cute to put red thread locker on each of the 14 f-ing bolts (& the 12 up front). A speed ratchet would be nice here. Cheers.

The only thing that happened was the EPA rescinded California's waiver to set stricter emissions standards than Federal. And fines are on hold/delayed for not meeting the escalating fuel economy standards set forth in the next few years. That doesn't preclude any automaker from following a higher standard than Federal, which many of them are doing as a course of business anyway. Many of the automakers still need to meet European fuel economy and emissions targets, at least there are people with brains still running things over there. Stellantis' decision to kill its 5.7 was unrelated. It was brought back under a change of CEO, not government regs. Nobody except the Hemi diehards cared, it wasn't a great engine anyway. Too bad they aren't replacing it with something better that doesn't eat cams.

The 6L90 has at least 15 years of excellent service experience even before this particular installation. My L8T uses less than a pint of oil between 3750 mile interval oil changes. I’m 61, and, barring an accident, I suspect my 2021 3500 will be the last truck I buy. My son already has claimed it when I’m done. He’ll have to arm wrestle my granddaughter, though. She and I have already caught a lot of salmon while camping with that truck, so she has a legitimate legal claim.

I'm this old.

One more line of thought. There's enough researched data on oils with VOAs and UOAs of all sorts of brands, gas and diesel oils, to get a good feel of what's on the market and if its good or not. Amsoil, Schaeffers, other "boutique" oils that meet the spec but don't bow to the licensing, there's enough data out there on VOA (virgin oil analysis) to see what's in them and what makes them tick. You'd also be able to find out that the LM2 and LZ0 tend to run strong iron in the wear metal counts. Now. Is that from it being a 0w20? Or is that from the OEM oil meeting the spec but not surpassing the spec to control those wear metals? Wouldn't you want an oil that surpasses the spec and reduce wear rate over time?