Vortecmax Emblem On A 5.3?

sp00nman · August 9, 2009

Went and looked at a 2007 GMC Sierra SLT 4x4 today. It was in great shape and had 30,000 miles on it. It had the VortecMAX emblem on the side, but when I looked under the hood it only had the 5.3. The main reason I looked at it was because I thought it had the 6.0 liter. Has anyone else had this happen? It was at a dealership so i thought it was kind of odd.

(Also, I'm pretty sure I knew more about the truck than the salesman .)

C. Charles Hahn · August 9, 2009

It's a used truck... whoever owned it before probably just put vmax emblems on it despite it not being one.

For that matter, are you SURE it was the 5.3? The 6.0L looks basically identical externally.

sp00nman · August 9, 2009

It's a used truck... whoever owned it before probably just put vmax emblems on it despite it not being one.

For that matter, are you SURE it was the 5.3? The 6.0L looks basically identical externally.

Yeah, I thought that as soon as I figured out it wasn't a 6.0. I looked at it online first and the listing said 6.0 liter, VortecMAX, etc. which is why I thought it was odd when we looked at it and found it to be a 5.3.

And yes I'm sure, the sticker under the hood said 5.3.

But, oh well, were still going to try to bring down the price to try to get a good deal.

Spurshot · August 9, 2009

It may have a perfectly innocent reason for having the marking on it, however, the dealer can't hide behind that. He is advertising something falsely and should/can be held to advertise accurately. If he sells that truck to someone believing it to be a 6.0 Vmax, and the customer finds out after buying it's a 5.3, there's a perfect false advertising case against the dealer. The dealer is a pro, pro's are held to a different standard than ordinary private parties. Selling as a 6.0 Vmax will bring more money. Another hit against the dealer.

Porter_ · August 9, 2009

i agree with spurshot, it sounds a little shady and dealers should be held to a higher standard with this kind of stuff. if you end up getting the deal you want on it, make sure the rip those VMAX badges off right away.

GARB55 · August 9, 2009

+1

cliobogger · August 9, 2009

when i bought my new truck in 07, it was a 2500hd with a duramax. clearly stated on the side. but the paper in the window said it was a 6.0 gas engine. and hes there just talkin away about the truck to me and how it was gas and it had this engine, simply reading the paper off to me.

thats when i learned people working at dealerships 9 out of 10 dont know what the hell they are talking about. you really have to do some investigating yourself.

c4cruiser · August 9, 2009

Won't the 8th digit of the VIN show what engine was installed in the truck?? My 08 Silverado with the 6.0L SFI motor has a "Y" for the 8th digit.

VMax2007 · August 9, 2009

Did the exhaust exit behind the right rear tire or straight out the back? (assuming it had stock exhaust).

If it was straight out the back, it's a 6.0

Matt_ · August 9, 2009

Yeah make sure you check the VIN #.... it could be a 6.0L where the previous owner installed an aftermarket intake and threw out his stock intake. Then when turning it back in he found someone selling a stock intake and threw it on, and it was a 5.3L (assuming you were looking at the tag on the intake box that has the engine info on it..)

sp00nman · August 9, 2009

Did the exhaust exit behind the right rear tire or straight out the back? (assuming it had stock exhaust).

If it was straight out the back, it's a 6.0

I'm not certain, but I believe it came out the side.

sp00nman · August 9, 2009

Yeah make sure you check the VIN #.... it could be a 6.0L where the previous owner installed an aftermarket intake and threw out his stock intake. Then when turning it back in he found someone selling a stock intake and threw it on, and it was a 5.3L (assuming you were looking at the tag on the intake box that has the engine info on it..)

Next time we go to the dealership I'll make sure to check.

sp00nman · August 9, 2009

It may have a perfectly innocent reason for having the marking on it, however, the dealer can't hide behind that. He is advertising something falsely and should/can be held to advertise accurately. If he sells that truck to someone believing it to be a 6.0 Vmax, and the customer finds out after buying it's a 5.3, there's a perfect false advertising case against the dealer. The dealer is a pro, pro's are held to a different standard than ordinary private parties. Selling as a 6.0 Vmax will bring more money. Another hit against the dealer.

Good Points

We told them that it should be less if it's not a 6.0L but they didn't really bring it down a lot. I wouldn't say it was really false advertising, (and I may be being a little generous here) but, it has only been at the dealership for a couple of days and they might have just saw the emblem and put that online without checking.

Plus, it was a Dodge dealership.

huero626 · August 9, 2009

Around here a lot of people put Vortec Max emblems on there 5.3L.

Zembonez · August 9, 2009

I agree that dealers should have a better understanding of vehicles than the general public, but it is a USED truck. The previous owner could have done anything to it. Dealerships don't have a crystal ball that makes them know everything there is to know on every trade in or auction vehicle. Add to that the fact that their employee pool is just as shallow as it is for any other company.... and you get my point. The consumer needs to do his homework when buying a used vehicle.

Have the dealer run the VIN and provide you with build information. All will be solved.