OffTheAir

No! I actually really like the string of threads I've been seeing from you. Your titles and posts in general ooze so much personality. You are making active conversations on the forum and it's clear you genuinely want to share things about GM-Trucks (and anything really) with the community here. I really admire that! Anyway, with regards to this thread, I park in the back at work in the farthest row along the edge of the parking lot. It's Friday and a lot of people were off, so there wasn't really anyone parking back there. I went out for a walk on my lunch break and walked by the truck to find that someone had parked literally right next to me. I thought it was hilarious, lol.

So the light at the first intersection I hit during my morning commute is very long on the opposite side, but very quick on the side that I get stopped at. Basically, if you are turning left, you have to go the first chance you get when traffic is clear on a blinking yellow, or immediately when that green arrow shows up or you will be stuck for an eternity waiting. ...The amount of people who are distracted by their phones or other things and don't go when this light turns green is so unbelievably maddening it will make you want to tear your hair out. It is especially annoying since I literally commute with these people every morning and everybody in the area knows that this light is infamously bad. It is to the point where if someone is not paying attention, this light could literally go through its cycle and only 2-3 people can turn at once, among the 15 others who are patiently waiting behind them. It feels good to vent, haha.

So I'll try to give a non-biased overview with my 2014 GMC Sierra with almost 123,000 miles. Honestly, when problems occur with this truck, it is usually very small inconveinences that - while annoying - are very cheap and can be fixed in my driveway (and I'm no mechanic). Leaking 3rd brake light? $17 gasket. Radiator fan not turning off? $55 thermostat. 6L80 running hot? $60 thermal bypass valve. Occasionally there's some weird electrical gremlins like the infamous "Service Trailer Brake" and for a little while I was getting a bad catalytic converter code, but these usually reappear at random like a day or two a year and then I never see them again. I did have the leaking radiator and cooling lines issue and that cost me a ton of money and, I won't lie, it made me a little bit frightened by the truck. However, besides that one issue which was years ago at this point, it's been mechanically sound and has more than paid for itself. Across my entire duration of ownership, I have barely spent any money fixing this vehicle Cosmetically, the onyx black paint is in incredible condition and the interior is the same as it was when I got the vehicle. Unfortunately, the frame is pretty ugly and despite my best efforts my rocker panels are rotting away However, if I were to fix the rockers right now, there would be no corrosion on the body.

It's so interesting to see the evolution of the car industry and how our perception of vehicle size in general changes. The difference even in the past couple years alone is noticeable. I remember when I first started driving my 2014 how giant I thought it was and how I would just park far from civilization to avoid the hassle of trying to fit in a space between two other vehicles. Now? A present day Ram 1500 or even Sierra/Silverado will be right next to me and it makes my truck look significantly smaller.

Just figured it was worth noting since I saw this mentioned in your post, but a couple months ago my Dad's 2017 Sierra wouldn't start due to a dead battery. I jump started his using mine and the next time I started it, my touch screen was totally jacked up, with one half of it going completely black. However, it went back to normal at some point and hasn't had an issue since. If there's one thing I've noticed, it's definitely that the electronics in these trucks are super sensitive. It is possible that it could look like the picture is bouncing all over the place right now and then the next day it could be gone and you will probably never see it again.

Hi Francis, Gen5DIY makes a headlamp harness that will allow your SLE with the standard halogen headlights to work with the SLT/Denali headlights with the LED accents or 2016-2019 2500/3500 HD headlights (pretty much the same thing): https://www.gen5diy.com/collections/14-19-sierra-headlight-harness/products/14-15-sierra-non-slt-to-slt-hd-headlamp-harness Hope this helps!

If you plan on keeping the stock ride height, I'd highly recommend Bilstein 4600s. I've had them for almost three years and I think they were a huge improvement over the Ranchos I had before. I also can't say enough about Bilstein 5100s as well. There is a reason this name is thrown around so much, they are quality parts worth your money. At the end of the day, the 4600s and 5100s are very similar, the 5100s just offer more adjustability and are built for leveled/slightly lifted applications, but can be used stock.

Essentially the transmission thermostat, as Homewrecker stated. GM made a revised TBV with a temperature of 158F, as opposed to the original 194F. You can tell when someone is running the updated part because they stamped it with the number '70.' I'm at the age/mileage where I thought it was a good idea to take some sort of preventative measures to avoid potential 6L80 failure, and I felt very comfortable with this solution EDIT: I just realized this was a really late response, sorry lol

I will never forget a couple years ago, I had just got the radiator replaced by the dealer. I remember them asking if I wanted the truck washed before I got it back, and I cheerfully said "Aw sure, what the heck!" because it was in the dead of winter. I had just swapped the chrome grille with a body colored one a couple months ago, pretty much brand spankin' new paint. I got back from the dealer that evening, and as I was walking into the house my head whipped around so fast I nearly broke my neck. In the reflection of the lights in front of the house, you could see severe swirl marks all over the brand new grille. I have not had my truck washed at the dealer since.

I saw this in the inventory of my local dealer where I service my truck and I have to say I am insanely curious

The symptoms of a bad thermostat in these trucks - with the gauge pegging at the bottom - almost mirrors that of a faulty temperature sensor. I replaced the sensor first only to find that, while it did make the problem go away for a short time, it never really did fix the source and eventually it came back. Have you only been replacing the sensor and not the thermostat? If so, I would bet money the thermostat is the root cause of your troubles. Please keep us posted!

I don't fashion myself a paranoid individual, but man does it scare me that this subscription craze has entered the automotive world, lol. Don't get me wrong, It's definitely a neat concept, but part of me just can't help but wonder how this could be manipulated further in the future. Someone mentioned earlier about what happens in the future when the service gets discontinued, and I think that's a good point. I'm curious on how automakers could potentially use this to subtly encourage people to trade up? I'm not saying I believe in that kind of stuff, it's just a hypothetical, but I figured it was worth bringing up for discussion. With OnStar it was like, pfft, yeah whatever it's just a thing that is kind of there now that doesn't work, but it doesn't change my driving experience. But now that we're entering the age where our vehicles are basically software and we have the hardware for these features we're paying to have enabled, I'd be hella pissed if I plan on keeping the vehicle a long time, but now I just have these "ghost" features now that are not operational.

Hey everyone! So rather sad situation, but my beloved 2014 has bubbling in the rockers and it has just slightly started to make its way to the cab corners. I know this is a ton of text and time is short, but here's why I suspect the problem might be my nerf bars if you would like to read it: The reason I'm asking this question is I think I want to bite the bullet and get this rust problem fixed before it gets worse, because I would really hate for this to make me lose my love for the truck. However, if the running boards are what is going to promote this rust problem again in the future - do I just ditch them? Or are there options? It's just something I want to know before diving into this, and it would be a bit of a shame since I thought the steps completed the look of my truck and were a big help for my family and friends getting in and out. Thanks so much you guys! I'm sorry if this seems a little naive, this is my first time tackling this. It is on me for not spraying something like Krown or Fluid Film in the rockers, but please note that until recently I had no reason to believe the rockers were rotting out and I have been religious in keeping my vehicle clean during these harsh MI winters. Any input is greatly appreciated!

I got the updated transmission thermostat a couple months ago and I have never seen it go above 170F yet, granted we are still facing the cool winter weather here. I will say that around this time last year, I was getting in the mid to high 180F range after doing my normal commute. Now I get around 147F to 150F doing the same trip, which is a pretty big difference. Just judging by the behavior of the new thermostat, I would like to bet I will probably see 167-170F at the highest in the coming months or during long trips. All I will say is, I will gladly take these temperatures any day over consistently reaching 194F and staying there.

Perfect time to hit a stop light on the way home tonight!