Duramax odors in cabin

[smokey_mountain]

Good to be back from a long hiatus, I went to the dark side of VW and Subaru but neither fit the need of our grown up 4 boys (two of them are 6.2' now). We are back considering the 23 Duramax Tahoe LS 4x4.
However, cold feet comes from complaints about endless codes and what is even worst the odor, paint thinner odor in cabins of the Duramax 3.0 trucks. Trucks with paint thinner odor is mentioned at several forum and this is one example.

Can you please share you experience with Tahoe/Yukon Duramax LM2? Any odors, diesel smell, exhaust smell, paint thinner? Is LZ0 the engine to wait for as it is supposed to be a next gen of LM2.

 

[BrokerThis]

I've had mime for 11 months, 17k miles. Any time I have noticed any odor is when in regen and standing still. Wasn't extreme by any means, and was only there for a couple minutes at most. Overall, extremely satisfied with the LM2

 

[DuraYuk]

My wife is happy with hers. No smells. She was really worried because of the stereotype of smelly diesels but has been very happy. Love the range. Lz0 seems sweet but there have been some teething issues. Namely with emmissions things . still a 24 redesign will have it plus the upgraded interior and front and rear fascia so i think its worth the wait. Good luck !

 

[steiny93]

Wife's Denali had exhaust order in the cab: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/exhaust-smell-in-cab-21-denali.138803/
Root of the issue was a bad flange on the turbo.

If a dealer says "no code no issue" run. The assumption that you must have a code is lunacy.

Wife's diesel for example had a crack in the flange, raw exhaust was leaking under the hood and being sucked into the cabin at idle. Even the GMC bulletin called it out as a possible. Dealer was able to find via the smoke test procedure.

My advice, if you are sensitive to smells, don't buy a diesel.
If you are ok with getting out of the truck in the garage and getting slight regen odor, go for it. If that will annoy you, don't buy one. You shouldn't have odor in the cabin, if you do their is an issue.

 

[v3scott]

Had ours for about 6 months, no smell issues and we love it. During the regen cycle there you there is slight burnt toast smell but you really only smell it when you get out of the car. But that is very infrequent and you don't really notice it.

The first two weeks we did get an emissions code which was traced to a loose hose clamp but no issues with the engine itself.

MPGs are great, especially on the highway.

 

[smokey_mountain]

Thank you, all. Yes, we need the good MPG while getting the behemoth size to fit my large family. Diesel odor does not bother me, but certainly do not want to inhale fumes in cabin which does not appear to be the case if truck is not defective.

 

[MrMike1289]

I have a 21’ 3.0l. I pretty much only smell it when it’s going through a regen and sitting at a stoplight or similar.. however I have notice when it’s cold out (below freezing or close) the smell is worse. I do smell it in the cabin.. and have been told by the dealer it’s normal. However after reading this I may take this back up to the dealer. Sometimes it gets pretty overwhelming, especially in the cold.

 

[CTown Duramax]

Thank you, all. Yes, we need the good MPG while getting the behemoth size to fit my large family. Diesel odor does not bother me, but certainly do not want to inhale fumes in cabin which does not appear to be the case if truck is not defective.

I have had mine for 20 months and 19,000 miles. There has never been a diesel smell problem in my 2021 LT Duramax. "Bluetech" turbo diesels like the LM2 have almost no smell of any kind. Regen occasionally but very rarely has a melted faint melted crayon smell after shut off, not unpleasant. Gas engines make smells too. I cannot recommend this engine enough. Of course the 327 is fine for those who want gas. The Duramax engine makes maximum torque 460 lb ft at only 1500 rpm and allows this heavy SUV to move effortlessly and it also has plenty of acceleration at highway speeds. I can find no disadvantages to this engine. IMHO, it's the right engine for this SUV.

PS - 75-80 mph yields 30 mpg. Whether you get gas or diesel, this is an amazing vehicle.