Gas vs diesel pickup, routine and non-routine maintenance costs

I'm not sure I have more to add, but...I have a 2016 Ford F-250 6.7L Diesel and also live in the hills of TN. Last year I started recording mileage and let the meter run. All around mileage is 16.3 MPG. That is towing a 36' TT, around 9,000 lbs, ten times a year and using it as daily driver all other times. Our towing is mostly in the mountains of TN, GA and NC all between a hour and three hours of the house. The costs to maintain the truck are somewhat higher and more demanding than the gasser but like others have said, it is worth the extra cost and time due the extra power and peace of mind.  I figure the extra cost to be around $150 a year. Not really that much for what you get.

thanks

I do my own oil and filter changes too, and buy the Motorcraft filter online (3 or 4 at a time) for much less than buying it at a Ford dealership.  I also use Shell Rotella oil (13 qts with filter change).  My oil and filter changes come out to about $65, which is about half the price a dealer wants to change the oil.  The 6.7 is one of the easiest truck/cars I've ever owned to change oil and filter in.  The fuel filters (two of them) are a piece of cake too....and again, I do those instead of the dealer.  It all contributes to a lower cost of ownership for the diesel.

To me, the DEF thing is almost a moot point.  I go through a gallon of it for every 750-800 miles and you can pick up the 2 1/2 gallon jugs at Walmart for around $10 for 2 1/2 gallons.  It's usually even cheaper than that if you fill up at a truck stop that sell it at the pump, but I very seldom every go to a truck stop.

DEF use started in 2010?

Sun2Retire said:

DEF use started in 2010?

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I could be mistaken here, because my first ever diesel was my 2011 F250 and I think that was the first year of DEF for Ford, with the 6.7 L engine.

Sorry my mistake 2008 was the " new cleaner burning" and they introduced the regen feature def was introduced in 2010 my 08 was the worst as it was new technology and still 8 mpg lol

Gas mileage is a rather nebulous term.

Over the course of a two week trip I had to buck hills and 25 mph head and cross winds for a couple of days getting as little as 7.5 mpg. But, I actually caught a stout tail wind and got 12.7 mpg.; both of these fill-up were the extremes.

My 2010 F-150 E-boost gets between 9 and 10 mpg. towing at 55 to 65 mph. and 18 to 20 mpg. on the interstate with the cruse at 70 mph. If it is less than $3.00 / gallon I will use mid-grade or better. I think it performs a tad better under load. 

We save more money by using Federal, State, County and even City parks for camping as opposed to full hook up campgrounds. Being retired we are past the need for game rooms, pools, cable and other kid friendly stuff. We have even boonedocked a time or two overnight.

My truck requirements are enough power to drive comfortably, without excessive maintenance costs. Unfortunately enough power is a individual decision.       

Our 2005 Ford F250 6.0 diesel got 20+ mpg on the highway before the State of California demanded Ford flash the engine.  A California EPA issue.  After that we got maybe 16 on the highway.  Never pulled the trailer before the flash so don't know what the mileage would have been.  When we had the trailer, a 7,000 gross weight bumper pull it never got more than 11 mpg.  Don't recall how many quarts of oil it took but oil changes were about 3 times the cost of my gas suv. 

Never had a gas pickup but based on my experience with the diesel, I'd buy another before considering a gasser.  But that's mostly my own personal ego thing.  Our 2005 F250 rode like a bucking bronco and was so heavy we couldn't pull a large 5er without being over weight.  An F350 would have been marginally more expensive but would have been a better choice as a tow vehicle.  And I doubt anyone could tell the difference in the ride quality.

Other minor differences between the diesel and I suspect a gasser based on owning a gas motorhome with the Ford V10, are fuel filters.  The diesel had two and they cost maybe $150.00 a year to replace.  Don't know what they cost on the V10 but not a big deal.  The diesel also has two starter batteries which will set you back an additional $100-150 every few years.  Then since the diesel will be heavier, I can't say for sure but suspect larger tires  Again a marginal cost difference but something to think about.  By the way all costs based on about 15,000 miles a year. 

The turbo has a bit of lag, but it's got one hell of a lot of power. 

Two more things to think about and hopefully others will chime in.  Our diesel required injectors every once in a while.  They aren't cheap.  Don't know if that was a Ford issue but I've heard it from a number of diesel owners so you should give that some thought.  Another thing to consider when looking at the larger 1 tons is licensing costs.  The GVWR on our old diesel was 10,000.  The F350 was more like 11,500.  That may or may not be an issue depending on the state vehicle registration laws.  However, I believe California considers a vehicle with more than 10,000 GVWR a commercial vehicle and the registration might cost more.  Don't know for sure but you might want to check it out.   

Scott I sent you an email.

We change oil around every 6k miles, just under $100. There is no fuel filter in our truck.

We had a big service at around 25k where all fluids were changed and it was around $500.

I think I've got receipts so can dig them all out if you'd like?

Will come back to you on mpg and how much was towing tomorrow.

Most new pickups have about the same oil life gas or diesel, deisel usually has a bigger oil pan so it gets slightly more miles out of a single change but not always because of towing or driving conditions etc. But with a bigger pan comes more oil so more cost. Fuel filters are done on a gm about 1 time a year and its not that expensive. As for injectors they are done every 2-3 hundred miles if you use crappy fuel i have friends with 400 miles on theirs no problems and they throw a bottle of cleaner in a tank of fuel every 6 months or so just for good measure.

But

If a deisel blows up yeah its costly. But properly maintained will out last most of us

Steve, my 2005 Ford 6.0 diesel went through a number of injectors.  Since it was my first truck and I never paid attention to things like that previously, I don't know if it was a problem unique to the 6.0 or more of a common issue.  Also, I don't know how much my lack of experience impacted the various issues.  I think what may be of interest to Scott is while they may not need much more that normal maintenance and last for many years, they are an expensive repair if/when they fail.  Another consideration for diesel owners, like me, who are totally at the mercy of the dealer, there are more repair shops for gassers. 

jackiemac said:

Scott I sent you an email.

We change oil around every 6k miles, just under $100. There is no fuel filter in our truck.

We had a big service at around 25k where all fluids were changed and it was around $500.

I think I've got receipts so can dig them all out if you'd like?

Will come back to you on mpg and how much was towing tomorrow.

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Thanks Jackie, and yes, received your email and responded, thanks for that as well.

Receipts certainly aren't necessary, just a general sense of numbers.

garyb1st said:

I think what may be of interest to Scott is while they may not need much more that normal maintenance and last for many years, they are an expensive repair if/when they fail.  Another consideration for diesel owners, like me, who are totally at the mercy of the dealer, there are more repair shops for gassers.

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Indeed Gary, these are precisely my concerns. I'm very aware of the different maintenance costs of gas vs. diesel when it comes to motorhomes, as I'm currently running diesel and had gas previously. If I were asked the same question, my response would be that the diesel is quite a bit more expensive to maintain, both for routine and non-routine items. For engine work I have to book a reputable truck shop, preferably a Cat certified dealer who knows what they're doing. Then there's items such as air bags, ride height sensors, air compressors, hydraulic cooling fans, high pressure injector pumps (had to replace mine), injectors (I've had to replace two), multiple fuel filters, air driers, etc etc, much or even all of which doesn't exist on a gas rig. Virtually all decent shops would be capable of working on a V10, not so if I'm running diesel, that requires mechanics with diesel knowledge and experience.

I realize in a perfect world for heavy hauling a dually diesel is the way to go. There are however, gas alternatives but ones that have the capacities required to do the job safely are fairly hard to find.

Sun2Retire said:

There are several for sale that look decent, but that's the 6.0L right? Isn't that the engine that everyone says stay away from or spend $4K to "bulletproof"?

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It depends on which year; the general consensus seems to be that the 06-07 6.0L is the better option, because Ford addressed some of the issues that cropped up with the new 6.0L, which started its run in 03, I believe. Like any used vehicle, there are good ones out there, and ones that are best to avoid. I have an 06 Powerstroke that serves very well, and we're happy with it. 'Bulletproofing' is a term that thrown around a lot, but technically it is only applicable to those vehicles that have been worked on by, and use parts made by, Bulletproof Diesel, out of Arizona. There are a number of common upgrades that fall into the term 'bulletproofing', some more costly than others. The truck I found had a number of them already done, and I added some other upgrades as well, although they're probably somewhat overkill; secondary oil filtration, secondary coolant filtration, transmission cooler, etc. but, in the case of being on the road with my wife, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I learned in the Army that preventative maintenance does indeed go a loooong way... 

I think that a diesel is probably going to cost more than a gasser in the long run (I change my own oil every 10k miles, which runs about $100, for instance) but there is a trade-off: I fully expect my diesel (currently at 130k miles) to outlive me, so I won't have to worry about buying another truck. The other advantage is in pull capability, particularly under load; diesels are made to pull heavy loads, and while I don't go screaming down the road, I could. I also pull through mountains with barely a upward tick of engine temps. Does that make it 'better'? Depends on what one wants, I guess. My preference was for reliability, torque, and not having to futz with DEF; others may choose other disel years or brands, or go with gassers for the (somewhat) cheaper fuel and maintenance. Usage will also play in; if you don't plan on going through hilly/mountainous areas, a diesel may not be as necessary. If you plan on touring those kinds of places, though, that could change the conversation...

I may end up with a diesel whether I want one or not. Running a check on Autotrader for 2006-2018 1 ton Chevy, Dodge, Ford and GMC nationwide yields 120 trucks in my price range. If I filter for a V10 (which appears to be the only gas 1 ton with the required payload) there are 4, only two of which look interesting.

Sun2Retire said:

Thanks Jackie, and yes, received your email and responded, thanks for that as well.

Receipts certainly aren't necessary, just a general sense of numbers.

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Didn't get response but none needed.

Oil and filter change tends to be between 70 and 80.

Our 25k service was almost $600.

Only other thing we needed was a headlight ($600 ?? and 4 tires around $250 each but they are Cooper LT285 60 R20 and for off road as well as normal).

No other work required except recall stuff.

Note we went for Mopar extended warranty cost about $1k starts at 36k miles and lasts for 2 years. So far we needed a purge valve changed  ($25) and some stuff tightened.

Next service is 45k and due soon. Let you know how that goes.

Last year's fuel was 10.5mpg over 15400 miles about 5k towing.

Hope that helps...