Pb82 Ronin
Well-known member
Kind of bummed. I loved my truck and honestly had no intention of ever getting rid of it. Then the transmission had an issue. One day I was driving back from lunch, 30 mph, just cruising/slow rolling, and the RPM suddenly jumped to 3K rpm and held there. Truck would not accelerate...almost like it lost a clutch if it were a manual. RPM eventually returned to normal (after about 3-5 sec) and truck would drive normally. Then it happened AGAIN! Sudden RPM spike, no acceleration, but this time it went into limp mode. Managed to get the truck back to a parking spot at work. Truck wouldn't shift into reverse. Still in limp mode. Turned truck off and let it rest for about an hour (went back into work). Came back out and fired it up, ran through the gears, all seemed fine. Still wanted to get it checked out though. Made an appointment at the dealership...
Once at the dealership they spent the rest of the day diagnosing the issues. Several codes, several major issues. Apparently, I needed a new transmission valve body…$2800. I also needed a new oil pump. Wait, what?!? Yep, turns out my check engine light that I’ve had since 2K miles was a bigger deal than I thought. Context: I had a CEL forever, since about 2K miles, it was a PO6DD code for the Oil pump sensor circuit stuck open (or something like that). In my ignorance, I thought that code was for an orifice in the oil system that controlled oil flow to the lifters for DFM management stuff. Boy how wrong I was. Apparently, that’s a MAJOR issue that I could’ve had fixed under warranty…but in my absolute HATRED for DFM and lifters being killed for fuel mileage, I let it be. Again, ignorant of what it actually was.
So, fast forward to 67K miles, truck is now out of warranty, (even extended warranty) and I’m solely responsible for the repair bill. Transmission being poopy, needing a valve body. Now apparently the fix to the other issue is a new oil pump. The cost of that repair? $4900. Faced with a $7700 kick in the nuts, I told the dealership to make me an offer on the truck. They did and I accepted. I walked away from GMC. I felt like the reliability I had hoped for was not there. My daily driver that absolutely MUST be 100% reliable, was no longer that. I felt betrayed. Very much let down. I lost the peace of mind knowing that I can get in it, start it up, and drive anywhere I needed to without worry. If I ever lose that in a vehicle, it’s impossible to get it back. I know people are not likely to share or agree with my thought process, but it was important to me to at least share my story of why I walked away from GMC. I can’t justify losing that peace of mind and constant risk to the wallet knowing that every increased mile runs the risk of catastrophic failure. Sure, that is present with any car…bad things can happen. But once the feeling is gone, it’s gone forever.
Once at the dealership they spent the rest of the day diagnosing the issues. Several codes, several major issues. Apparently, I needed a new transmission valve body…$2800. I also needed a new oil pump. Wait, what?!? Yep, turns out my check engine light that I’ve had since 2K miles was a bigger deal than I thought. Context: I had a CEL forever, since about 2K miles, it was a PO6DD code for the Oil pump sensor circuit stuck open (or something like that). In my ignorance, I thought that code was for an orifice in the oil system that controlled oil flow to the lifters for DFM management stuff. Boy how wrong I was. Apparently, that’s a MAJOR issue that I could’ve had fixed under warranty…but in my absolute HATRED for DFM and lifters being killed for fuel mileage, I let it be. Again, ignorant of what it actually was.
So, fast forward to 67K miles, truck is now out of warranty, (even extended warranty) and I’m solely responsible for the repair bill. Transmission being poopy, needing a valve body. Now apparently the fix to the other issue is a new oil pump. The cost of that repair? $4900. Faced with a $7700 kick in the nuts, I told the dealership to make me an offer on the truck. They did and I accepted. I walked away from GMC. I felt like the reliability I had hoped for was not there. My daily driver that absolutely MUST be 100% reliable, was no longer that. I felt betrayed. Very much let down. I lost the peace of mind knowing that I can get in it, start it up, and drive anywhere I needed to without worry. If I ever lose that in a vehicle, it’s impossible to get it back. I know people are not likely to share or agree with my thought process, but it was important to me to at least share my story of why I walked away from GMC. I can’t justify losing that peace of mind and constant risk to the wallet knowing that every increased mile runs the risk of catastrophic failure. Sure, that is present with any car…bad things can happen. But once the feeling is gone, it’s gone forever.
