Just got a 2016 Duramax, quick review and pictures

matt123 · February 18, 2016

The Factory Steps are nice and have really beefy brackets. I think this is key as they dont deflect at all when i step up - i weigh 210....

What do you think of the placement of the steps? Do they feel awkward or wrong height or they feel just fine?

I weigh around 250 and passengers can weigh as much if not more so I want to make we dont break it off if we both step on it at same time lol. I'm afraid to try the $200 ebay factory look a likes for this reason.

avalonandl · February 18, 2016

I find the placement fine. But thats personal opinion... Go look at the factory steps- you can get them installed easily. Also the G4 folding top is nice for the bed.

wade_660 · February 18, 2016

Black can be maintained easier than you may think. Have to truck polished to perfection and have a coating installed (I.e Cquartz, beeds, migliore strata. Etc). It will be much easier to maintain as long as care is taken when washing. Will be night and day difference

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matt123 · February 18, 2016

Black can be maintained easier than you may think. Have to truck polished to perfection and have a coating installed (I.e Cquartz, beeds, migliore strata. Etc). It will be much easier to maintain as long as care is taken when washing. Will be night and day difference

Where would I go for that? Just a detail shop?

I drive 60+ miles a day on these shitty roads in eastern montana so I expected the truck to get dirty but it would be nice to protect it from chips and scratches as much as possible.

wade_660 · February 18, 2016

Google the names of the stuff I gave you. Autopia and Autogeek forums have discussions about them. Worth every penny.

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SouthpawHD · February 18, 2016

I like my factory steps and they will support a fair amount of weight. Mine are the 4" round tubular style.

I do however like the square factory steps as well.

KMK454 · February 19, 2016

Other thing I dislike is the black paint. Due to it raining when I got the truck I didn't notice it had scratches. The dealership I got it from is gonna have their detail guy try to get them out / hide them. Either way the black instant looks dirty and is showing swirl marks. I dont blame gm on this one just myself for buying a black truck.

Those swirls were most likely installed by the detail guy at your dealership, not GM... And this is probably the same guy who will attempt to hide them. This isn't just a GM problem - most dealership prep washes give darker cars swirls. I always tell the dealership to not wash my truck when it's in for service. If you get a chance to watch them wash a car, you'll probably see why your black paint has swirls.

If the swirls bother you, I'd look for a professional detailer in the area who will do the full process of washing, claying, buffing, and sealing the truck. This will probably cost several hundred dollars to do right.

m3n00b · February 19, 2016

Congrats man! I share many of the same thoughts with my new 1500. The bose is crap. My old HK stock system in my AMG was world's better...and that car was about the same price as my truck.

-tapa

matt123 · February 22, 2016

Just wanted to update that installed the new headlight bulbs and husky floor mats.

The husky x-act mats are great, perfect fit and nice feel to them. Found amazon had the best price and fastest shipping on them.

The lights unfortunately were a waste of money. The 9011 HIR bulbs for the highs are only just slightly better then the stock ones, not worth spending $40 on.. The philips xtreme vision lows made no noticeable difference. These bulbs have great reviews and made big difference in my previous vehicles so I guess that means chevy is using a decent bulb in the trucks now. I guess I will look at HID options soon.

LongrangeLauber · February 22, 2016

Just wanted to update that installed the new headlight bulbs and husky floor mats.

The husky x-act mats are great, perfect fit and nice feel to them. Found amazon had the best price and fastest shipping on them.

The lights unfortunately were a waste of money. The 9011 HIR bulbs for the highs are only just slightly better then the stock ones, not worth spending $40 on.. The philips xtreme vision lows made no noticeable difference. These bulbs have great reviews and made big difference in my previous vehicles so I guess that means chevy is using a decent bulb in the trucks now. I guess I will look at HID options soon.

If you plan on doing a lot of mods you should look into starting a build thread, really easy and when we start Truck of the Month back up you can be nominated!

matt123 · February 22, 2016

Thanks but I dont really have anything planned for mods right now besides maybe an accessory or two.

If that changes I'll be sure to start one!

SouthpawHD · February 22, 2016

Just wanted to update that installed the new headlight bulbs and husky floor mats.

The husky x-act mats are great, perfect fit and nice feel to them. Found amazon had the best price and fastest shipping on them.

The lights unfortunately were a waste of money. The 9011 HIR bulbs for the highs are only just slightly better then the stock ones, not worth spending $40 on.. The philips xtreme vision lows made no noticeable difference. These bulbs have great reviews and made big difference in my previous vehicles so I guess that means chevy is using a decent bulb in the trucks now. I guess I will look at HID options soon.

I started a thread on this last week as I don't know about mine, but don't all 2016s have HID lights already?

Either way, my manual said that the bulbs were sealed bulbs and required dealer installation. Is that not the case?

matt123 · February 22, 2016

I started a thread on this last week as I don't know about mine, but don't all 2016s have HID lights already?

Either way, my manual said that the bulbs were sealed bulbs and required dealer installation. Is that not the case?

Nope just standard bulbs. Driver side only takes a minute to change them both, Passenger side you have to pull the airbox to install, maybe thats why they say dealer installation.

high beam is 9005

low beam is h11

I have heard stories of HID's melting housings, not lasting long, or having problems if the correct adapters/capacitors arent used. So i'd really like to get a set that people are already using on this truck and having good luck with.

SouthpawHD · February 22, 2016

Nope just standard bulbs. Driver side only takes a minute to change them both, Passenger side you have to pull the airbox to install, maybe thats why they say dealer installation.

high beam is 9005

low beam is h11

I have heard stories of HID's melting housings, not lasting long, or having problems if the correct adapters/capacitors arent used. So i'd really like to get a set that people are already using on this truck and having good luck with.

And how can a person tell if they are not HIDs?

matt123 · February 22, 2016

HID's will have a much different looking bulb and a different connector. They will have a ballast that converts the voltage to much higher voltage and the lights will take a second to warm up.