Looking at Chevy/GMC 2.8l Diesel Van any experiences to share?

The Steam Whisperer

Problems, what kind of mileage your getting, etc? This is the combo I've been waiting for A 4 cylinder diesel in a full size van.

Tom_133

Sadly its still relatively new so its tough to know longevity and possible fail points. If you are one who buys and runs them for 10+ years, the emissions will get to be annoying. If you like many run them 2-3 years trade into new than it doesn't really matter.

I have a Ford Transit with ecoboost, and that van flies. Sadly its missing some simple things, auto headlights, ergonomics with driver position (I'm 6'2" may be different for others) and other things.

I dont think there is the perfect van or truck out there, its all about finding what you want and then settling with its down falls.

Jamie Hall

It's not the van, but my wife's ride is a diesel Cruze, which has a very similar engine. It's a delight and the engine has given no problems at all at 40K miles. And a genuine 50 mpg on the highway.

Ironman

All my trucks are diesel, including the Mercedes Sprinter that I drive which has a 3 liter V6. I love the power and good mileage it gets, even with the 10K pound load it carries.

A word of caution on any diesel: make sure you have a good diesel mechanic! The boys at the dealership usually are not very good on them. In fact, they messed one of mine up really bad when I took it in to get injectors replaced under warranty. And then, neither they, nor Ford would make it right. It cost me thousands to get it fixed.

I'll never buy another Ford again!

The Steam Whisperer

Yes, Bob that is one of the reasons why I am leaving Ford, my family had bought them for decades. My new at the time van had defective shocks and was not properly aligned from the factory ( everyone has seen this before) and nearly caused an accident on the Pennsylvania turn pike while puling our pop up. We had to replace all suspension wear items except springs and rear shocks by 45,000 miles, a gear in the transmission broke at 45,000 miles ( the dealership said it was clearly a defect) and ford just blew it off. Brakes calipers failed yearly, with about 75% wear left on pads The Floor board rotted out in the rear before 5 years and a number of rustholes in the inner lower panels about that same time. The frame has little torsional strength...found that out when a wheel dropped off the driveway and the rear doors wracke about 1 1/2 inch. That is outrageous for a van that weighs 1200 lbs more and is smaller than the 74 I grew up driving. After we replaced all the factory suspension parts and brakes with good aftermarket parts, everything has lasted much better, except the body.

I believe this diesel is not knew, its been in use overseas for some time and was developed with Isuzu.