Atlas

Seems like half the stations everywhere don't print out receipts anymore, either broken, out of paper, and they want you to come inside. NOPE. I just wait for the "Thank you / Come Again" screen on the terminal.

LOL!! Truth be told I've only "heard" of the scam screw, but I think this means I can stop looking for a screw sticking out somewhere to keep the pump handle from either seating or shutting off the pump / closing the transaction. I was looking for anything at the pumps with the lift handle at the bottom where you have to flip it up to begin pumping gas. I mean, we're getting screwed at the pump anyway...

No tears over the SLE and SLT trim levels disappearing but I kind of loathe the "Elevation" name. It's a truck--skip the elegance. The slab-dashboard design is decidedly different. Almost has a Hummer flavor to it. "Professional Grade" seems to be leaning very white-collar, tech-driven these days moreso than blue-collar, functional design. The Silverado would be my choice between the two new trucks. Pleased with the engine lineup in both. The GMC is a little "too much" for a truck, IMO, and the Denali borders on ridiculous - but I do know there are buyers for luxury trucks out there. It's just not my speed.

I've heard of a scam screw on a gas pump (holds the credit card transaction by not allowing the shutoff lever to be fully seated) but I'm not sure what a "fake" scam screw is.

Charlie Berens is a riot...I love his videos!

As much as I love the S10 Blazer (owned more than one, back in the day!) they were never at the forefront of safety. "They don't build 'em like they used to!" - thank goodness. Pour one out for what looked like a nice example of a clean old Blazer.

Absolutely. And they do look good on there. But if you are thinking of maybe going with another style, I like the idea of OE replica wheels mentioned above. Or even a set of OE take-offs from someone who has done a wheel swap. When I had my 2020 LT/Z71 crew cab, I considered swapping the base wheel for a set of 18" trail boss wheels. Some people don't like all black wheels but I really like the pattern. Of course now I have a TB so I don't think about swapping wheels anymore.

I get preference in appearance, but if this were my truck I don't think adding the additional complexity and liability of washer/spacers and still having minimal caliper clearance would be worth forcing the fit of 2014 wheels on a 2026. I do agree with you, hub-centric spacers are probably the "best" way to go if you have to run any spacer at all. Is there a newer T1 style wheel you could swap without additional hardware or clearance issues?

Yep, same here. Gas can be a buck cheaper in other parts of the state here, same taxes. These companies price-gouge in the more populated areas and they get away with it. 87 is down to $5.29 locally. Gee, sure seems to come down a lot more slowly than it goes up...

I know it's hard for some of you to connect the dots, but there isn't a 3.0 duramax subforum, only a 2019-2026 powertrain subforum, which is where we are. You'd think the highly specific mentions and oil testing WRT the 3.0 in the first post would have been the tipoff, but I realize others need large signs posted to clue them in. The oil spec for the 3.0 is unique to the 3.0. Dexos D 0w20 is not currently used in other GM diesels, and Dexos D licensed oils like ESPx2 and AcDelco's Dexos D 0w20 are different from their 0w20 counterparts like Mobil 1 0w20 AFE or Truck/SUV, or ACDelco synthetic 0w20 meeting Dexos 1 Gen 3. The 0w20 for the 3.0 is different from the 0w20 you might use in a minivan, for example. I've said it 3 different ways now, but please continue to be a bored old boomer pest in these technical discussions.

What am I missing?

Link to the Demonworks video, 100k+ Duramax 3.0 that somehow survived on OLM-prescribed intervals and dealer oil service.

Stan, this thread is specifically related to the Duramax 3.0, in the 2019-2026 powertrain subforum. If you'd like to talk about your other vehicles and offer anecdotal stories about them, please consider starting a thread in forum that pertains to your truck, or the other vehicles/ Off-Topic section if they are not a GM truck.

No doubt... But, as someone who doesn't pay for his services, but who has provided a few views/clicks on his Youtube platform, the data around the Mobil oil testing I think does have some value including to "freeloaders" like me. A lot of what he's doing is likely showing the OE's work in their oil selection, something that many of us had kind of assumed was true all along, a good balance of both excellent protection and efficiency.

There's absolutely a mountain of profit in catering to the "I do my own research" crowd, people who are certain they know better. And I don't mean there isn't data to support that 0w40 produces less wear product than 0w20 in an engine like the 3.0 Duramax, that only feeds them the assurance they need. Again, my whole thing with oil selection is, sure, 0w40 or 0w30 produces less wear product. Are we talking the difference between the engine lasting only 100k versus 200k? Or are we talking more like, if the engine will already go 350k on a good 0w20 regimen recommended by the OE, is using 0w40 going to get us to 355k, assuming we can even get the rest of the truck to last that long, meanwhile sacrificing the first 5y, 100k in powertrain warranty. The answer isn't easy, there are tradeoffs. I willfully use 0w20 Dexos D for this reason, knowing that a 0w40 will produce slightly less wear. I don't believe the delta in wear product is meaningful over the lifetime of the engine, and I place much more importance on driving style and overall feeding and care of the engine as a whole. It's the mentality that someone can abstain from alcohol their whole life which is an amazing boost to health by itself, theoretically. But if they're sedentary, that lifestyle choice will most likely kill them young despite their other, concerted efforts. Maybe someone doesn't drink AND they are the perfect picture of health and activity AND they use 0w40 AND they treat their engine perfectly. If living until 130 years is the goal, sure, do that. But it's going to be a really old truck falling apart around a good engine for that last 30 years, without a doubt. I watched Demonworks' other video on the 100k+ 3.0 Duramax that had dealer 0w20 changes on what appears to be OLM-prescribed intervals (8-10k). The QR codes are still present and readable on the main bearings. That's how little wear it has. That's not proof that anyone else should stick to 0w20, but it's confirmation, for me, that 0w20 is perfectly acceptable to use in these engines.

Maybe now that the US surrendered by removing all sanctions on Iranian oil, things will begin to pick up. That would be good for global oil supply and pricing, but appears to do little to accomplish any of the stated goals.

Two whole tankers on Monday, amazing. @KARNUT you're really grasping for straws here

....Traffic is everything

That would be the piece of data that would tie all of this together, wouldn't it?! They didn't tell me and I completely forgot to ask--I would guess it's measured somehow because they have to estimate recovery tank capacity/fill somehow. But at least I'm starting from a known baseline now even if I don't have that figure..

WHoops, even AI gets it wrong, guess you should check your work. According to the US census, median income in Cornhole is actually $76k. More than 10% of residents live in poverty, and median home value is $309k https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/conroecitytexas/INC110224#INC110224

And yet the median household income there is a hair over $50k and 12% of families and 16% of the total population lives below the federal poverty line. That's low, and high, respectively. You can choose to ignore reality...that's not what I'd call affluent but hey, you've got yours so nothing else matters or could be true, right?

It was previously working, but the continually running compressor threw me for a loop. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that a 26 year old AC system had lost some of its charge and could be exhibiting low charge indicators, so I thought I had it licked. Add some refrigerant to get the low and high pressures in range like on the old 134 systems. I learned the continuously running compressor is normal, and that I need to know how much is in the system, as well as needing to meter what goes in. I'm only used to working on older R134a and R12 systems that aren't variable displacement. This is how we learn...LOL. Long story short, I had a 20% off coupon for a new Jiffy Lube that opened nearby. I took it up there yesterday and they did an evac/recharge using their brand new machine from Mahle. Had a good conversation with the guy, they loved the car and I was out of there for $159 plus tax. Digitally measured charge, exactly 1.5lb of refrigerant went in.

In most areas of the country, wages have trailed CPI increases over time (let's say, since the 70's) and things like housing, energy, and food have vastly outpaced wages on the whole. Can't ignore that, it's very real. That isn't to say there aren't ways to live in ways that mitigate some of that, including moving to cheaper areas of the country. In KNut's neck of the world, median housing prices in "nearby" Dallas are more like $500k. If you're raising a family and young in a successful career, your economic opportunities are probably going to be better living closer to Dallas than Cornhole. A 3 hour (6+ round trip) daily commute probably isn't tolerable for most folks. Grumpy mentioned economic migration; but we've seen what happens when people populate and grow an area. It becomes more expensive when economic opportunities come to roost. One thing different now from back in the 70's is our quality and standard of living has changed. Healthcare is light years better, for example. But it's also much more expensive. And we have communication and information/tech tools that folks in the 70's could never imagine, and they're accessible to people of just about all incomes. Cars are light years safer, faster, and filled with tech advances. Homes are larger, more energy-efficient, and more luxurious on the whole, from starter homes to luxury homes. Seattle was once affordable. My folks came here in the 70's with a lot of other people from California looking to escape uncontrolled sprawl, smog, and rising prices in the Bay Area. Seattle and the surrounding area has grown considerably; The home they bought for, I think it was $70k or $80k in the late 70's is now worth $1.2M today. The same house. So while there have been obvious boosts in some areas of quality and standard of living, regarding opportunity, that's a bit more nuanced. It's really not possible for young people to get started in similar situations in areas of the country that have become "HCOL" (high cost of living). There are many more areas than before, which is to say they exclude younger workers or make their lives significantly harder. They have to commute farther and longer to afford to live in the area. They have to take outsized risk, take on more debt, significantly delay family planning. Or, they could move somewhere cheaper, but there's usually a loss of economic opportunity that comes with that. Even for the same job, it may pay a lot less in a LCOL. What I don't like are Boomers with phones thinking they have all the answers and outright saying that if people stopped paying for their cell phone that they'd be rich. It's as stupid and misguided as people who think they'd only be rich if taxes weren't so high. Sorry guys, Elon proved you wrong on that one, I guess you're just lazy and blaming your own situation for the reason you're not wealthy. Mobile communication is basically an expectation in a modern society and workforce and it's often cheaper than having a copper landline these days, so... What's your point?

Two interesting tidbits of information which are NOT related were just released. One, regarding the possible thrust bearing issues / engine failures with the 3.0. Demonworks just did a segment in which they believe they may have found "a" or "the" cause of thrust bearing failures: A missing thrust bearing. If the engine doesn't have all its thrust bearings from the factory, the missing bearing can cause extra play which ends up destroying a nearby thrust bearing which then sends metal through the engine. Of other importance, Lake Speed Jr released some interest information regarding oil weight selection for the 3.0. Comparisons of: AcDelco 0w20 Dexos D Mobil 1 ESP x2 0w20 Dexos D Mobil 1 ESP x2 0w30 Mobil 1 ESP x4 0w40. Mobil Delvac 5w40 Spoiler alert: The Mobils are PAO Ester -base and the ACDelco is a Group III base. Mobil shows lower wear in their tests for similar weights. Additive packages between 20-30-40 weight ESP's appear to be the same, but only 0w20 is Dexos D licensed. Wear is even more reduced with 30 and 40 weight ESP although all perform very well and resist shear and provide very similar viscosities within temperature operating ranges in the 3.0. There are even more surprises, so just go watch it.

Spent a small fortune on fuel this weekend. $6.69 diesel, 18 gallons of that. $6.99 92-octane ethanol free, 10 gallons of that for yard machines $5.59 87-octane for one of the cars, 11 gallons. $250+ and I didn't even get a tug. Hormuz ain't Hormuzin again, did not see that coming...LOL