OffTheAir

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.

This was an expensive month to say the least! - Started to get noise from the rear brakes, which ultimately lead to new pads and rotors. These were on my list for a while, but the pads still had a bit of life left in them and I didn't suffer from any brake performance so I was planning to save it until later. I could not stand the noise and excessive brake dust though so that was enough to get me to do it, lol - While doing the brakes, also noticed that there was an excessive amount of play in practically all the ball joints. This was another maintenance item that I was kind of hoping to do later this year, however, I just decided to do it. Decent amount of work and fairly expensive for the ball joints and control arms. However, I am happy with the final result and "hopefully" I won't have to worry about this for a long time. - Also got new tires! I have had the current set of Goodyear Wrangler SR-A's since 2019 and about 53,000 miles (which is about the maximum life that these tires can go, to be honest). While I don't regret getting another set of these back then, I can also see why I (think) they were discontinued. The wear on these tires is just abysmal. I think they served their purpose well, but with normal driving and religious tire rotations I feel like the amount of wear and dry rot is just not acceptable. While I still do believe they look awesome on these trucks, I have reached a point in my ownership where my concern about performance and longevity kind of outweighs the aesthetics, haha. So I ditched them this time around and replaced them with Michelin Defender LTX M/S2s (based on the recommendations from these forums). My first impression: It is a great tire and I am looking forward to many miles from them!

Don't know how I avoided it this long, but I finally got the infamous shark fin antenna leak. We had an oddball warm day a couple weeks ago where it rained nonstop for two full days and I got in and there was water dripping on the parking brake and pooling a little bit on the driver floor mats. Luckily, with there being so much years worth of content at this point on this issue, I pretty much immediately identified it as water trickling down from the antenna. Going to get a new one, clean up any corrosion, replace the old, and put a light thing of silicon to hopefully prevent this from happening again in the future! There was some minor staining in the headliner, but nowhere near as bad as when the third brake light leaked and can be easily cleaned up.

It's been a while since I really did anything extravagant; just normal driving and the traditional upkeep! I did just recently get my annual Krown treatment, I went a little earlier this year since it has been pretty warm and dry. This is my second application (third if counting the touchups I did this past Spring). I am pretty happy and hope that it protects me for this upcoming winter. I had got this done for the first time last year immediately after having both of my rocker panels replaced, and while I did notice some crustiness on the old sheetmetal within the inner rockers that wasn't replaced, I haven't noticed any progression and the new rockers still look great overall. So yeah, I'm a big fan of Krown/Fluid Film at the moment! It's been a heck of a battle, but very happy to have a 10 year old truck in Michigan with minimal rust on it. Let's see how things go this Winter.

It's been a while! Haven't really done too much, but my truck definitely is getting pampered this week (while my wallet is not). With the snow and salt hopefully gone for the season, I crossed a couple items off my bucket list: Reapplied Krown to a couple of spots that needed attention on the frame and opened up the plugs and re-sprayed the inside of the rockers just to be safe. Got brand new OEM 6" black rectangular steps and I am in LOVE with them. I had some Steelcraft 4X Series nerf bars before and while I did like them, 4+ years in Michigan finally took a toll on them. I plan to refinish them and sell them Paint correction and waxing coming this weekend!

Hey Abdullah Amir! I ended up going with Bilstein 4600, but I would have absolutely been pleased with the 5100s as well. The only reason I went with the 4600 series is because I 100% intended to keep my truck at the stock height (which is what they are limited to) and they were cheaper. 5100s are a little bit more heavy duty and people gravitate towards them since they give you the option to adjust the height if anyone ever decides to in the future. However, you can run them on a stock truck and, with all honesty, they both are pretty similar internally and I can barely tell a difference in the ride quality between them. Hope this helps!

Hello! Just wanted to offer my personal experience here. My truck came from the factory with the Ranchos. If you are looking for a comfier ride, in my opinion, I don't think the OEM Ranchos will be a big help. They're not a bad pair of shocks, but they provide a super stiff ride and I think the transition from MagnaRide to those shocks will be very jarring. If it's of any help, I actually swapped the OEM Ranchos years ago with Bilsteins and I have been really happy with the ride quality of my truck.

I guess it always comes down to one's perception and how much money the outcome is taking out of your wallet. I'm not going to lie, I would really like to get myself in a newish midsized truck (fits my lifestyle a little bit more), but unfortunately a 2014 SLE with 130,000 miles isn't exactly winning any awards in value on the used car market right now. I have to take a step back and ask myself: "Does dropping $10,000-$15,000 dollars on a low mileage 2nd generation Canyon/Colorado from a Sierra make any sense?" And the answer to that is: heck no it doesn't! Plus, if we're speaking from an economical standpoint, the repairs/maintenance costs that come from this truck on an annual basis are very small. I look around every so often and new/used cars from all manufacturers are stupid ridiculous, it would literally be a poor financial decision on my fault to go for anything unless it was of equal value to my trade-in, and I just am not impressed with my options. As much as I loathe this thing sometimes, it continues to just keep on chugging along and as long as it does that, I am very happy. I've been very comfortable not having to stress about auto costs. But again, it all depends on your priorities. A lot of people want the next best thing. Cars/Trucks right now look sharp, there are some features right now that are to die for, I get it (I get jealous sometimes!). If you can get a good deal, why wouldn't you consider trading in? But that's what it comes down to: right place and right time. Do research (like others have pointed out). But if everything is out of your desired price range, it might not hurt to hold on to your current truck for a little while longer, It might save you a ton of money!

Hi guys! So I'm kind of stumped as to what I should do regarding the plugs in the bottom of my rocker panels (recently replaced) in order to protect them from future corrosion. The internet has been super polarizing and there really just isn't that much to go off of to help make my decision. After I had the rust repaired, the body shop who did the repair left some of the holes open and told me it would help with drainage as the plugs were keeping all the moisture trapped into the rocker panel. However, when I went to get my truck rustproofed, the guy doing the oil spraying highly advised against doing so and stated that while it might open ways for water to go out, it will also allow more things to get in. It seems like it is literally 50/50. What do you guys think? What would you do? Right now, I sprayed the inside of both of the rockers and plugged up all of the holes and in the spring I'm planning on opening them up again. Is there anything wrong with this method? Thanks!!

Changed out the cabin air filter today. The last time I did it was over two and a half years ago so it was definitely a little overdue. It was a little dirty, but nothing that was really all that concerning! I cut the box that it came in and slid it under the old filter as I pulled it out to prevent any leaves and other debris from falling down into the blower. Really nifty trick that has been successful thus far

Hello! The above is a very good model to follow. I have been driving my 2014 almost every day for the past 7 years. I also do an oil change every 5000 or so miles with full synthetic (my oil life monitor is usually at 20% around the point that a change it, just as a reference). For everything else, such as differential, transfer case, etc. I follow the official GMC maintenance schedule and it hasn't let me down! I would also stay on top of doing preventative maintenance on the transmission, the 6L80 can be very fragile. Keep it cool and keep the fluid clean! This is very important to ensure you get as much life out of it as possible. One thing I would suggest is to see if any previous work was done on the radiator. These units crack and the cooling lines are also known to leak. This was the most expensive repair I ever put into the truck, as it wasn't something I felt comfortable doing on my own. However, if this has already been done, you should be good! If not, just be aware it could possibly happen. However, there are tons of tutorials detailing how to do the work yourself! I have also had good luck with my truck. Just a tiny bit of maintenance goes a long way!

You know something is bad when the thread is titled "Uh oh..." That is a huge bummer! Was your intention to get a cleaner look by removing the molding on the doors? If you still want to maintain that goal and not cover up the damage with a new piece of molding, a body shop would probably be best. I just worry that with such a large surface area, even if you touched it up really good it would still be very noticeable.

Completed a couple of "pre-winter" maintenance items today. I probably could've held off a little longer, but it's been a couple years and about 35,000+ miles and in my opinion, it doesn't hurt anything to just get it done: - Fuel injector clean - Front/Rear Differential - Transfer Case While I was at it, I also had the tires rotated and did a general inspection of everything. I've felt like my ride quality has been pretty rough as of late so I was sure I was going to find a worn out ball joint or control arm or something, but believe it or not my suspension did not have any issues! Ready to take on another Michigan winter.

Hey guys! Just wanted to follow up on this in case anyone is curious in the future. I ended up being able to find it. The part number for the plugs on the cab of our trucks (pictured above) is #20848733.

Hey guys! I was wondering if someone could help me. While getting the truck oil sprayed, I noticed that one of my plugs on the bottom of the central pillar right where the doors meet was missing on the driver's side. I have been trying to find this part# everywhere, but can't seem to find it. I'd like to get this plugged back up ASAP. Does anyone know what this is? I attached some photos of the passenger side (with the plug present) and the driver's side where it is missing Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hey Adrian, Yeah, I won't lie, it is very noisy. Especially when turning. I got the same symptoms you explained when I had it in 4A/4H and it was raining one day. However, I was told that it only ever makes this noise when you're in 4WD and the conditions aren't that slippery. I also don't use 4WD that often, so my theory is that maybe I just don't have as much lubrication on the components as I probably should have? I haven't had a chance to test this, but winter is approaching quick and I'm curious to see if the noise is still as prevalent in the snow/ice, I don't remember hearing it last winter. I have also been on top of my maintenance for the 4WD system, so I'm not really sure what it could be.

Very excited, I finally got my truck back from rocker panel repair!! The total repair took 35 days (the shop had a large influx of work and was working on mine periodically) and the final bill was around $3,192, but I walked away paying $2,800. Initial impressions...I am overall happy! The finish looks great, I'm just glad to not see a bunch of unsightly corrosion everywhere. This was my first time using a smaller, local shop and unfortunately I found a lot of "beauty" marks/minor scratches scattered throughout the truck, but mostly everything buffed out. The truck was also very dirty on the inside and very dusty, as though it had been sitting in a warehouse for a month (which it basically was). However, I will give them credit where credit is due: they made sure the rockers were finished nicely and well protected. The driver side looks almost perfect, a work of art. The passenger side is...questionable, with regards to fit and finish lol. We were able to source a OEM-style rocker panel for the driver side, but the passenger side it was on an indefinite back order, so we went aftermarket. The part was very similar, but with minor differences. It lacked holes in the bottom so we had to manufacture some OEM-style holes. It also did not have a cab corner included like the driver side. While the passenger side rocker panel looks a little bit weird if you get under the truck and look at it from the inside, you would never be able to tell from the outside or even if you were right underneath it. Again, this is a first, I have never done something like this before so I don't even know how this will hold against our Michigan winter. However, I am going to start being proactive by getting an annual Krown treatment (there is a really celebrated location right down the street from my work), with my first appointment coming up soon! I attached some quick photos that I tried to get while it was light out. I also attached a photo of my old crappy rocker panel. As you'll see from the photos, the guys at the shop recommended keeping some of the holes in the rockers open to allow water to drain out instead of keeping it trapped in there. I have seen tons of mixed responses on this, does anyone who knows more about how water circulates in here want to provide a fresh take? My initial impression is I believe those rubber plugs really were keeping moisture trapped in there, but maybe I'm wrong. AFTER BEFORE

Hey Homewrecker, StormZ71 made a very helpful and detailed thread about a 2016+ front end conversion he did on a Sierra, even going so far as listing the parts needed to make it happen. In the thread, he does mention that due to the grill being larger on the new models, you basically would need the entire swap to be done (bumper assembly, upper cap, etc.) in order to make it happen. Here's the thread for reference:

For anyone interested in a little "work in progress," here is a shot of the rocker repair on the driver side of my truck. Should be finished and back on the road this week!

Currently missing my truck, it's been gone a week at the shop for rocker panel repair. Very nervous, have never had this type of work done before on a vehicle. ...In its place though, I have been temporarily driving a 2022 Chevy Tahoe RST. Which, of course, has been a blast

You have got to be KIDDING! Didn't you just get that color-matched bumper? That is a huge bummer. Like others have said though, it could always be worse. Glad you are safe

I know we've talked enough about the condition of the frame, but I really want to put things into perspective here: my 2014 (yes, 2014) frame looks worse than that by a MILE. I would kill for it to look like that. That is very superficial rust. If you really wanted to, you would have to put in maybe minimal effort in doing a little bit of sanding and then applying a good rust inhibitor. After that, you would be golden cosmetic wise. If you're getting a good deal and the rest of the truck is flawless, I'd say get it. This truck is not even close to the end of its life

I know it's not much to write home about, but I am very happy with the fuel economy I've been getting recently. This is from my commute home from work, which isn't exactly the most efficient route. I'd say it's probably 20% highway and then the rest is stop-and-go and normal city streets. Obviously a lot of factors come into play and I'd say most of the time it's in the mid-19 range, but I am not disappointed!

Hey guys, So I wanted to provide a little update to this thread that will hopefully be useful. I'm looking into getting the rockers cleaned up and today my local body guy and I went underneath to assess the damage. I can conclude that what many of you said was true, the installation of the running boards was not the start of the corrosion, it really just comes down to bad design, at least for 14-15 (not sure if they fixed this with the refresh) Water flows down from the back of the cab into a little flange at the end of the rockers and then just kind of collects there. I guess nine Michigan winters was finally enough time for it to really do some damage, unfortunately. Also didn't help that I washed my truck the other day on a hot, humid, overcast evening on an incline, and within that week I now have a blister on the outside of the passenger rocker right underneath the rear door. What a pain in the neck this is, lol. One thing that was rather striking to me is that the inner rockers - which are usually the first thing to go - were surprisingly in pretty good shape? For an almost 10 year old truck in good ol' salty Michigan it's really not all too bad That's all for now! Weighing my options on getting that rotten metal removed, looking to provide some photos. But that's for another thread

The only thing I could think of is that maybe they ordered you a set of the LED-signature headlights from the HD trucks? To my knowledge, the 14-15 SLT/Denali assemblies - though pretty much exactly the same in terms of exterior design - used halogen bulbs while the HDs were HIDs. I was always under the impression that they would still be compatible though? Definitely worth checking out!