Anyone driving the Duramax in New England? Determining whether it's worth it when prices are sky high.

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

B-train

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Posts
2,225
Reaction score
3,834
I hear you on the salt.

How much does your annual fluid film application run you and do you do it yourself or take it to a shop?
I usually get it through Amazon for about $45/gallon. I did find that advance auto carries it for 49/gal, but with their coupon codes and free delivery it works out the same, if not better.

I bought a rust proofing gun kit about 7 years ago. It has a pressurized container to put whatever you want to spray in and comes with a nozzle or 3 different wands (Cone, corner, 180 degree). I love the cone for doors, fenders, and rockers. I use the corner (90 degree flat fan) for just about everything else. The plain nozzle blasts it on THICK and you can cover area fast, but you can't be particular about seams, etc. The 90 degree one and just take a little more time and it works great.

To do a yukon the first go-round will take you about 3 hours to figure out where to go, how to get there, etc. The touch up will take an hour or so. I found that the rockers on my 2017 were still wet from fluid film from 2+ years back. They are well sealed, so it sticks around. The frame and underbody will accumulate dust over time and dry out a little bit. THIS IS OK! Just go over it again and refresh as needed.

Frame rails and wheel well areas will eventually wash off over the season, so keep that in mind. I DON'T do the rocker panel wash, especially in winter - manual wash only. A lot of stations are required to recycle a certain amount of water, so guess what you're blowing into areas at high pressure??? All the crud from other people's cars and the road.

Also, helpful hint - use an old pan to warm it on the stove or a propane camp stove. Get it to a thin consistency like a soup and then pour it into your sprayer and apply. It will work better and apply nicer.
 

suterusu

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2022
Posts
255
Reaction score
135
We had a '21 Yukon Duramax for 15 months and just upgraded to a Denali Duramax. We live in Michigan, and there wasn't a single issue last winter leaving the truck outside, it would start up every morning. Short trips, long trips, didn't matter. Real world 28-30mpg on the highway going 75-80. In the 20K miles we put on it, we averaged 22mpg (including 15-20 towing trips, anywhere from 2-8 hours one way). It's my wife's truck, and she absolutely had to have the diesel again when we upgraded. Also, the dealer gave us $1K less than MSRP on our SLT when we traded it in last Friday, so the market is still strong for these.
 

steiny93

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2021
Posts
411
Reaction score
350
Wife has a Denali XL with the diesel, we just wrapped a 600 mile trip this last weekend. At the pump it did 29.5mpg which is about 50% better then her previous 6.2 did. For her, as long as diesel is only 50% more then gas she is breaking even at the pump (not quite as you need to pay for DEF, but you get the idea).

I daily drive an ecoDiesel in the pickup, similar numbers.
 

vcode

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Posts
383
Reaction score
252
FWIW Diesel was $1.60/gal more than regular here in SE WI.
 

ashabug

TYF Newbie
Joined
Aug 10, 2022
Posts
13
Reaction score
6
I live a little south of DC. Filled my husbands gasser for $3.35/gallon last week. Diesel is currently sitting at $4.89/gallon in the same area (we drive south for both fuels because it’s cheaper). But with my diesel XL I only get gas every 4-6 weeks instead of the every 2 weeks I filled up in my 2017 suburban and which had a slightly larger tank. Driving the same routes, same habits, but spending less in fuel then before. Also, the 3.0 takes a quart less oil then my old gasser, up here it cost me over $100 to get my oil changed so people saying these are costing around $80 makes me happy
 

crankin

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2022
Posts
74
Reaction score
37
I hear you on the salt.

How much does your annual fluid film application run you and do you do it yourself or take it to a shop?
I do a yearly Krown application. Done at a shop on my 2022 yukon xl $159.95 CAD
 

AirJordan613

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2021
Posts
116
Reaction score
221
Location
Northeast Ohio
I hear you on the salt.

How much does your annual fluid film application run you and do you do it yourself or take it to a shop?

I’ve had my Tahoe for two winters. First winter I paid a first shop $120 and they did a lazy job. Second winter (this winter) I paid a second shop about $170 and they did an impeccable job. I know where I’ll be going next winter (the second shop).
 

Forum statistics

Threads
132,031
Posts
1,861,259
Members
96,476
Latest member
DoriftuEvo
Top