BigTruckGrl
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2018
- Messages
- 3
07 With the 6.0 ran afm for about 65K miles. Deleted the system and upgraded all necessary parts.
That's AWESOME fuel mileage, I'm lucky if I get 15 mpg, I drove from Cincinnati Ohio to Englewood Florida without towing anything and only averaged 14.2 mpg, and driving back and forth to work I only average 13.5. I've even put an economy tune in it , before that I was averaging 12.5 mpg.Bought deactivator 2 months ago. Can't really tell any difference but did monitor 8 to 4 mode and truck stays in v8 now. Am getting about 18mpg currently. 13mpg towing 5000# camper in mountains here in Colorado.
I am on the cusp of buying 2010 LTZ with 70,000 miles…the dealer is pushing me hard on an extended warranty (I believe it to be a new revenue stream for the brick and mortar dealers) and so your words have given me added confidence to move ahed without dropping $2,500 for a 4-year security blanket that may or may not pay for itself - at the western edge of the eastern time zone Indiana.***** WARNING ****** LONG WINDED AND RAMBLING AVALANCHE POST
I have a 2010 LTZ 4wd. I am one of those guys that "puts it in drive and just goes". I am 100% stock (down to my 22inch factory wheels, ok I upgraded the radio quite a bit but you know what I mean). I have 82k miles on it and I read a lot about AFM and I am concerned but I will tell you this:
1) I have had no problems with AFM (I can turn the screen on in the driver center and see it switching all the time on the highway , etc) I never notice any lurching, popping, shudder or exhaust note change that many speak of. It is honestly transparent to me.
2) I change my oil every 8-10 months (usually when the oil life meter is till at like 65% or 70% just on time alone). Oil changes are cheap insurance on any motor that uses oil
3) I burn no oil, nothing, nada. I check my oil at every fill of the gas tank and I have not added any oil ever. I do not run synthetic. I run the same dinosaur oil the manual recommends (I am also careful to see it has the correct dexos designation. My local Chevy dealer sends out some crazy oil change coupons so I either have them do it when its really inconvenient or I just do it myself).
4) I am probably jinxing myself
5) I have a ton of other problems (crap power mirrors that break constantly, driver seat that won't adjust up and down, rear diff started popping at 80k so I put a new, factory diff in to replace it, I just started having the gas won't flow in while filling up without clicking off problem) so don't think I don't have issues. I just don't have any of the AFM ones.
I worry that it will happen. I will drive it until it does. when it does I will have the motor re-done and have it done at one of the shops that does the full AFM delete (the VLOM , everything). I would not replace the truck with anything else because nothing else does what this truck does. I wish it was a Toyota for the reliability but.
1) It fits in my garage , I have 219 inches and it fits, barely. Nothing else with a bed this size and 4 doors will
2) It carries supplies for me rehabbing houses great, even in the rain (Love it at Home Depot when I can stack a bunch of 4x8 sheetrock or ply-wood in the back with the covers on and door closed watching everyone else trying to find plastic to cover up the stuff in their truck beds.
3) It is not a great SUV, honestly the back seat doesn't have that much room, but it is still an SUV that seats 4/5 people in relative comfort
4) It is not a great pickup truck, it has low carry capacity and the towing is abysmal at 5k lbs, but it does have a tuck bed, carries stuff and will pull 5k lbs with relative ease
5) It does not get good gas mileage, but it does pretty well. Empty in mixed driving I get around 16/17 mpg. 13 when I don[t pay attention and lean into it at stoplights etc instead of focusing on driving smoothly
6) It is an LTZ and has really poor ground clearance for when I drive off road at my land lease (but I can pull off the front chin spoiler pretty easy and it does ok)
7) It has a single speed transfer case for 4wd and no manual locking diff, but it has 4 wheel drive and a posi in the rear. I have been fairly adventurous but not stupid and it has gotten me out of everything I have got into at this point
I guess what I am saying is that it is not really great at anything but it is pretty good at everything, for me. The locking bed with the cargo covers (still do not leak a single drop for me but I have used the grease to keep the seals supple) makes it for me. It is a mix of things is does pretty well and meets most of my needs where so many other trucks fall short (or too long for my garage in some instances). Would I buy another Avy? Yeah, ok but it needs to be a 2500 4wd in super shape with reasonable miles ( I shop all the time, I can't find one for sale) or a new one (which we know Chevy will not make and even if they did I could not afford it (common, be honest, it would be $60k or more).
Mine is scary clean, always garaged (which explains the freakishly new appearance since initial purchase even by original owner. I am owner #2). I paid south of $20k for mine (it's and LTZ loaded as hell) two years ago with 62k miles on it with new brakes and brand new tires already done.
It dropped a differential, I paid Chevy $2k for that and some small stuff they found, to fix it all. If it drops the motor I will end up putting $5-7k in it I suspect. the fact of the matter is that I own it and it is a nice truck. For me to get a new pickup that will do 2-3 of the 5-6 things I need it to do better but won't do the other 2-3 at all doesn't help me. Not to mention that I would have to pay $60k for a truck nearly this nice or loaded and make stupid payments for like 60 months or more. The Avy is cheaper to maintain than a new one is to own. Don't even start talking about depreciation on a new truck either.
So I will keep mine, look for an Avy 2500 (If I can find one that is not as dirty as a 90's Brittany Spears video) and keep using it. It is the cheapest, nicest truck,SUV, carry, thingy I can afford to own.
and I like it and think it looks cool...
If anyone is still awake thanks for reading my rant... I hope it makes sense...
Lovin' life in Texas
TriCoatLTZ
it's not what i'd call new, but yes, it's their second largest revenue on a used vehicle.I am on the cusp of buying 2010 LTZ with 70,000 miles…the dealer is pushing me hard on an extended warranty (I believe it to be a new revenue stream for the brick and mortar dealers) and so your words have given me added confidence to move ahed without dropping $2,500 for a 4-year security blanket that may or may not pay for itself - at the western edge of the eastern time zone Indiana.
I have 246k miles on my 2010 Avy and I just did the AFM delete on it last year, I have kept the oil changed regularly and never had a problem with it, the reason I deleted it was I noticed that when I was using cruise control it would struggle pulling hills, by the time it would go back to V8 mode and then try to pick up speed, it would make my transmission downshift 2 gears and it would almost redline the engine. And when I put my flowmaster exhaust on it, it would sound a little funny when it was in 4 cylinder mode.So am I to understand from your comment and other posts that the AFM is bad news…like Cadillac's ill-conceived 4-6-8 engine? I keep reading about owners on here disabling the AFM? Is it just a matter of staying totally "white on rice" about the oil level/oil filter? or is there something more critical to it?
I still agree with my post on page one of this thread.....So am I to understand from your comment and other posts that the AFM is bad news…like Cadillac's ill-conceived 4-6-8 engine? I keep reading about owners on here disabling the AFM? Is it just a matter of staying totally "white on rice" about the oil level/oil filter? or is there something more critical to it?
It really all comes down to how well you maintain your vehicle, if you change the oil regularly and keep it maintained, you'll have minimal problems, when I purchased mine it had 136k miles on it and a clean carfax, not every scheduled maintenance showed up on the fax but it wasn't always service at the dealership. After I deleted my AFM (DOD) I still had the problem of low power using the cruise control, it turned out that after about 200k miles I needed a new catalytic converter, they tend to get somewhat clogged around that mileage, I had a new converter installed and my power was restored and my Avy is happy again, it brought her back to life. Regular maintenance is key to ensuring your vehicle will last for a long long time. I'm not getting rid of my Avy anytime soon and I'm going to see how many miles I can put on her before the engine goes, I'm guessing she'll outlive me, lolI still agree with my post on page one of this thread.....
I have been saying for years when new site members worry about buying an AV because they constantly read the Problems section, I encourage them to understand what you mentioned above. Most AV owners aren't a member in general, then the ones who join a website are looking for solutions to a problem and they can be very vocal and start several threads for the same issue so it inflates the true percentage of owners who have that problem.
You are right in that most members don't post threads like "drove my AV today and nothing bad happened!"
What you can read are threads like If you had it to do again would you buy an AV, or high mileage club threads or the usually yearly thread about rumors of a third gen AV coming out due to popular demand etc.
To answer your question, I have a 2008 and it doesn't have the six-speed transmission or any programing or device to deactivate AFM and if my luck holds out I am not burning any oil. I drive it like an old man and get regular maintenance to maintain and watch out for future problems.
+2I still agree with my post on page one of this thread.....
I have been saying for years when new site members worry about buying an AV because they constantly read the Problems section, I encourage them to understand what you mentioned above. Most AV owners aren't a member in general, then the ones who join a website are looking for solutions to a problem and they can be very vocal and start several threads for the same issue so it inflates the true percentage of owners who have that problem.
You are right in that most members don't post threads like "drove my AV today and nothing bad happened!"
What you can read are threads like If you had it to do again would you buy an AV, or high mileage club threads or the usually yearly thread about rumors of a third gen AV coming out due to popular demand etc.
To answer your question, I have a 2008 and it doesn't have the six-speed transmission or any programing or device to deactivate AFM and if my luck holds out I am not burning any oil. I drive it like an old man and get regular maintenance to maintain and watch out for future problems.
I bought an one owner AV LTZ 4WD on 16 Dec 2020 with 122,XXX miles on it. Owner had oil changed every 3K miles and had every repair order since new. Shortly after purchasing I was kinda bragging about it at work. One in the conversation asked if it had AFM and went on to say what an issue it is or will become. When I got home I researched it and sure enough he was right. I purchased a Diablo Sport Predator tuner to disable the AFM and changed ECM to performance mode which still enables towing at factory specifications. I average between 16-17 mpg but consider no payments, low insurance and property taxes I can manage the gas price increases. Compared to a Tundra I have A LOT more options.I'm curious how many people don't worry about the AFM system and just put it in "D" and go?? and has it ever gave you trouble?
Mine seems to work fine with no vibrations or weird shifting,
Are you using any coolant? Or possibly Oil? And what color is the smoke and how long does it linger in the air? Sorry for all the questions, but it's almost necessary to try and diagnose.I just got my 2009 AV a couple months ago and took it on a 150 mile trip today. Stopped at a restaurant to eat came out and started it up and a big puff of smoke rolled across the parking lot. It was almost embarrassing but it didn't last but a few seconds and cleared up. Drove the trip back home and after setting about 30 minutes I started it up and here comes a big puff of smoke. It has never done this before on any around town commutes. I turned off the AMF/DOD several weeks ago and I've put right at 2500 miles sense oil change , I just checked the oil and it might be a half pint low. I'm going to do a complete AMF delete but I'm wondering now if the motor is going to need overhauling.
Smells like oil, it's not steem.Are you using any coolant? Or possibly Oil? And what color is the smoke and how long does it linger in the air? Sorry for all the questions, but it's almost necessary to try and diagnose.
It sounds like the valve covers are stopped up and when you start it it is burning off the oil that has sucked into the Plentum after turning it off, or the valve seals are bad and oil is getting into the cylinders between the valve stem and the valve guide. I would pull the valve covers and see what the top of the cylinder head looks like, if it has a bunch of sludge in it you'll have to clean it up and flush out the PCV system in the valve covers. There is a baffle in them that gets clogged due to not doing proper oil changes.Smells like oil, it's not steem.
That sounds like good idea I had to clean the passenger side valve cover sludge someone liked the oil self sealing products thst like to stick everywhere. Hoping I got most of the areas in mine cleaned.It sounds like the valve covers are stopped up and when you start it it is burning off the oil that has sucked into the Plentum after turning it off, or the valve seals are bad and oil is getting into the cylinders between the valve stem and the valve guide. I would pull the valve covers and see what the top of the cylinder head looks like, if it has a bunch of sludge in it you'll have to clean it up and flush out the PCV system in the valve covers. There is a baffle in them that gets clogged due to not doing proper oil changes.
Thanks, I'll check the covers this weekend.It sounds like the valve covers are stopped up and when you start it it is burning off the oil that has sucked into the Plentum after turning it off, or the valve seals are bad and oil is getting into the cylinders between the valve stem and the valve guide. I would pull the valve covers and see what the top of the cylinder head looks like, if it has a bunch of sludge in it you'll have to clean it up and flush out the PCV system in the valve covers. There is a baffle in them that gets clogged due to not doing proper oil changes.