BigDaves_2023 3500HD DRW

[Bigdave_185]

Finally took deliver of the new 23!

The good part!
Interior is 100% compete to order, missing nothing.
The exterior has everything I wanted and then some. 

The bad, there is one identifiable scratch in the driver side door and someone chipped the paint on the edge of the driver door also.  The dealership pulled out the old touch up pen for that one. Ass hats! Like I wouldn’t notice.   
The look on the dealership owners face when I pulled out my LED light to walk around the truck was priceless!  I warned him I would and he will get penalized for it now and in the future.
He said he would get it repainted. I declined as my last repaint was far less then satisfactory. Won’t be going that route again.

The details:
The camera system is amazing with all the forward, side, in bed, tailgate, mirror cameras, the 360 degree deal is awesome!!!
The ride is really smooth considering the tire pressure is at 80psi!
The driver seat fits like a glove with plenty of seat adjustment to make me happy compared to the Peterbilt with up down and lumbar lol
They finally relocated the def fill up and tank I believe, to the proper location on the driver rear fender.
I did get short changed on the rear dually inner fender liners. National back order. Non are shipped with them.

Wife hasn’t drove it yet and boy does it make my garage real small feeling real quick.









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[Bigdave_185]

The tires are a decent brand Michelin, I’ll replace them as needed with something more aggressive and a little taller.

The interior has the great highcountry feel, nicer leather, some nice wood looking trim,




There is a neat storage compartment in the back of the rear seats I didn’t know was a thing.



There isn’t a whole lot of under seat storage but it will do.
My previous understanding was it had rubber floor Mats but I’m being told that’s not the case


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[stlaser]

Nice truck Dave 

[Bigdave_185]

The tech I am spotty with as I’m not 100% on details but….. I was told the 10 speed will not like Smokey burnouts and will cause some major issues if I try so I won’t!

The motor is much like our company semi trucks. They derate them from the factory and as miles are added Hp and Torque is increased. 

When I drive the Mack transport truck I can feel it gaining power now that it’s at 55k miles as last time I was in it.  The GM Duramax should do similar but reach its full potential around 10k miles.  As the diesel tech told me I laughed at my wife as she started doing the math, 4 miles a day, 260 days ish a year. That’s only 1000k a year if I just drive it to work. So ten years from now it could be broke in

The under the Hood business is pretty simple looking much like the previous generation. No change.  Don’t need to open the hood for a year at least I hope.  Maybe I’ll put some masking tape on it so it doesn’t get opened.


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[Bigdave_185]

Paint protection will come in the very near future.  I’ll have the PPF installed over almost 75% of the truck
Hood, grill, bumper, mirrors, headlights, complete rear fenders (maybe pending looks and seams)
This weekend I’ll do the basic paint correction to church up the paint and then add the Meguires ceramic coating I have applied a few times. 


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[Flyin6]

Impressive

and

We have similar tastes with respect to color!

[Bigdave_185]

Full paint correction and polish before many miles added to it. Hitch install later today
But finished project






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[stlaser]

What hitch? Assuming you ordered it with hitches you needed installed. Unless Gm doesn’t actually think anyone would haul anything with them and doesn’t offer it as an option. 

That color is very nice btw

[Bob Smith]

Very nice looking rig Dave. I haven’t attacked the tree pitch sap on mine yet but it will never look that nice. Darn white trucks.

[Bigdave_185]

What hitch? Assuming you ordered it with hitches you needed installed. Unless Gm doesn’t actually think anyone would haul anything with them and doesn’t offer it as an option. 

That color is very nice btw

I ordered a B&W at the dealership and had them install it.  The factory puck system looks like Chinese junk to me. So I chose to not have it installed by the factory, also didn’t want to store the additional storage case for the ball and chain hooks. 
So there is a B&W turnover in the bed.  I’ll wait on airbags till after the first trip, thinking the sumo spring deals look like a solid option also.

It’s Northsky blue metallic in color
Has a gold/silver flake. Some lights it pops a gold flash on it, night time it just looks black. 


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[Bigdave_185]

Very nice looking rig Dave. I haven’t attacked the tree pitch sap on mine yet but it will never look that nice. Darn white trucks.

Bob send me some pictures of what your spots look like and I’ll see if I can give you some better directions


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[stlaser]

Buddy has puck system in his Ford, it’s ok…. To me the B&W is just tried and true simple.

[Bigdave_185]

Buddy has puck system in his Ford, it’s ok…. To me the B&W is just tried and true simple.

EXACTLY!  Bullet proof! And the ball stores in its self!


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[Flyin6]

Beautiful truck, really like it
So, what kind of fuel mileage do you get with that?
Sure would like to have one

[Bigdave_185]

Beautiful truck, really like it
So, what kind of fuel mileage do you get with that?
Sure would like to have one

Well it’s currently about 200 miles of increase as I drive it.  Started at 8 now up to 15.  Both freeway and city streets


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[Flyin6]

Beautiful truck, really like it
So, what kind of fuel mileage do you get with that?
Sure would like to have one

Well it’s currently about 200 miles of increase as I drive it.  Started at 8 now up to 15.  Both freeway and city streets


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11.5 MPG?
That's terrible! (Please do not take that personally)
I thought it would be near double that
Duane and two other friends I have with recent 3500 rams are getting in and around 20, about the same as my duramax.
Must be some break-in thing. No way you could live with that...as bad as my 6.0 suburban.

[Bigdave_185]

I’m not worried about it.  I’m sure it will get better as I drive it a bit more.

Considering I only drive 2.8 miles for work each day I don’t expect much mpg. 

Lol otherwise I would have got a Tesla lol


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[Bob Smith]

Considering I only drive 2.8 miles for work each day I don’t expect much mpg. 
Lol otherwise I would have got a Tesla lol

And charge it at night with a gas generator when the power grid is down

[Flyin6]

Considering I only drive 2.8 miles for work each day I don’t expect much mpg. 
Lol otherwise I would have got a Tesla lol

And charge it at night with a gas generator when the power grid is down

That's only on the west coast ;-)

[Bob Smith]

And coming to an area near you soon

[TexasRedNeck]

 It’ll get where it will ultimately gets around 30,000 miles.


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[Bigdave_185]

I’ll be pleased if it maintains 15 lol


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[Flyin6]

And coming to an area near you soon

No, bob, nothing anywhere near that here or anywhere around the Mississippi/Ohio valleys goes on.

People in government want to shut down power stations due to the progressive influence from commiefornia, but all they ever do around here is add another scrubber to our numerous coal-fired plants. We have a thousand years of the black stuff and have people with common sense running the show. Nope, all that brownout crap is a direct result of the totally incompetent leadership of the whole left coast. Other states buy our electricity daily, we have plenty and the difference between the Midwest and a place like commiefornia is enough to amount to us being complete opposites.

We do everything differently, and I am saying this just to make a point. And the point is that liberal states have abandoned logic and reason and you can see it everywhere and in just about everything they do. Aside from the weather, these liberal areas are oppressive, and I can't imagine much fun to live in.

Out there for example, criminals are arrested and then released. Here they are arrested and if they ever get out, we shoot them and dump them in the river. We don't inspect cars for emissions crap and we are not saturated with police. Here everyone carries and in the tuck, we can legally use deadly force IF WE BELIEVE we are under threat of losing our lives or serious injury. Criminals know that and don't act like criminals often.

We protect our natural resources but if a man wants to dig a pond on his property, he just rents a backhoe and digs the darned hole. No permitting, no stupid regulation, nothing. It is what it is to be really free, not controlled.

Everything in conservative-run areas is different. We can't help people living in these oppressive states and we ask that those folks please remain there and clean up their own mess, our house is in order.

Sorry for the political outburst, but I guess that the folks living in these open-air prisons called states have lost so much of their freedom and rights that they actually believe what is happening to them is going to spread all over. I fear it will spread some, but for us around here in the midwest, we may just dig in our heels and let the stupidly run parts of the country meltdown in their own cesspools that no one but themselves created.

[wilsonphil]

To Dons point,

https://www.rvtravel.com/state-motorhomes-exempt-california-smog-plan/

the retards running the state have now changed their minds again and WILL require out of state registered motorhomes be checked.  they are setting up mobile sniffers to verify compliance on the spot.

Now all of you say how insane this is but it gets better, starting in 2025 you will have to have your motorhome/trucks/equipment checked QUARTLY thats right every three months!

All of you ask how CA was going to to completely switch to EV cars, this is how they will make it ecumenically unfeasible to own or operate anything else.

Pay attention here as thsi will be the blueprint of how other social issues will be a reality.

[Flyin6]

To Dons point,

https://www.rvtravel.com/state-motorhomes-exempt-california-smog-plan/

the retards running the state have now changed their minds again and WILL require out of state registered motorhomes be checked.  they are setting up mobile sniffers to verify compliance on the spot.

Now all of you say how insane this is but it gets better, starting in 2025 you will have to have your motorhome/trucks/equipment checked QUARTLY thats right every three months!

All of you ask how CA was going to to completely switch to EV cars, this is how they will make it ecumenically unfeasible to own or operate anything else.

Pay attention here as thsi will be the blueprint of how other social issues will be a reality.

You can fight them now or you can wait until they become larger, better financed, instutional and better entrenched...Because fight them you will!

This is communism and socialism all set in the beautiful landscape of the California backdrop. This is tyranny. When did any reasonable voice ever get heard? Ever?

I doubt it.

I often thought about Sergeant York of WW1 fame who held thirty-some-odd Germans at bay and held prisoner with just himself and his trusty Springfield rifle. Had the lot of them just said, "To hell with this," and launched on the poor Sergeant, history would never have recorded anything about a Sergeant York at all.

Until some people there actually stand up and draw your line in the sand, the tail is just going to keep wagging the dog.

Funny thing, about the time the socialists finish destroying all of California, a new Mexican revolution will likely take it all back for themselves.

[Flyin6]

And I now release the thread back to its rightful owner with my humble apologies...

[Bigdave_185]

Back to regular programming geeze


Mudflaps from a USA made company Duraflaps

Getting ceramic window tint all the way around this morning and will install mudflaps this eve after a half day of work.


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[Flyin6]

Back to regular programming geeze


Mudflaps from a USA made company Duraflaps

Getting ceramic window tint all the way around this morning and will install mudflaps this eve after a half day of work.


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Dave please provide feedback on the tinting thing. I am running into headwinds of very steep pricing for the ceramic tint...$950 for the T-car! Outrageous!

[Bigdave_185]

So I’m here now and the owner says she will not tint a Tesla windshield due to the electrical system and the amount of water used on windshields.

My truck total price for expel ceramic window tint all the way around is $650.


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[Bigdave_185]

She says the cost she does a Tesla for is $650

The size of the glass on your Tesla is larger then standard vehicles so they have to order in a larger size roll.  She doesn’t much like tinting them





They. Do some really high end wake boats, paint protection film, window tint on buildings and vehicles
Iv know the owner since JR High


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[Bigdave_185]

On another note if you haven’t sat in a car with ceramic window tint I would suggest you do. Ask the shop if you can go for a drive or ride in a car with the product applied.  I think you would be ok with the amount of interior comfort you get.  If you can reduce the incoming heat from your car you can reduce your power usage not running the AC so hard. More mile to your charge!!



Why is my man thread turning into a sissy Tesla thread all the sudden?


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[Bigdave_185]

As a testament to the quality of work. She just asked if I had time for her to redo my windshield.  There was a blemish in the tint and she need to replace it.   So if I could wait great if I needed to come back she would accommodate me. 

So…. Round two on the front glass.

Better then letting me leave and hope I don’t see it


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[Flyin6]

On another note if you haven’t sat in a car with ceramic window tint I would suggest you do. Ask the shop if you can go for a drive or ride in a car with the product applied.  I think you would be ok with the amount of interior comfort you get.  If you can reduce the incoming heat from your car you can reduce your power usage not running the AC so hard. More mile to your charge!!



Why is my man thread turning into a sissy Tesla thread all the sudden?


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That's a great point!

THe new Teslas all come with a new upgraded heat pump system that (as I can testify) does not use very much juice. But judging from today's drive, not having to use the AC as much could close the gap between the miles the car is supposed to get on a charge and what it actually gets

Today, pretty hot and sunny. I left with 276 miles of charge, then drove I estimate around 50-55 miles, and when pulling into my home the cat showed 207 miles. So 275-55=220. So that's 13-18 miles difference or about a 27% difference. Some of that was using the go pedal, but some of that was running the AC and the stereo.

Ceramic tint...We're on to something...

[Flyin6]

OK, here's a really stupid question...

Does the tint go on the outside of the glass?

I always thought it went on the inside...

Waiting to see pics of this awesome dually...

And I called around and found that the particular tint shop I priced was like 50% more than the others. I scheduled an appointment for all the windows on my T-car to get done for $474...although he wants to tint the huge back glass only up to the factory tint line which allows him to use a standard-sized sheet and not have to buy the crazy big 60" roll to fit the crazy-big T-car glass.

[Bigdave_185]

So I’m all finished with tint and the drive home was wonderful. 
I’ll add some pictures one I get it washed. But inside doesn’t feel like I’m in a black hole but everything outside is still very bright looking out.  One of things I like about these ceramic tints is, To block the view from outside in you don’t have to do the 5% limo tint stuff.







It looks pretty dark outside but once you are inside it’s very bright. No manner of photo will express is.  Worth it in my view for $650

[Bigdave_185]

Also picked up the factory GM floor Mats that I think the truck should have came with but… an argument for another day and my salesman paid for this in some fashion.




Very good floor coverage, far thicker then the weathertech mats I have had in others cars.  It’s a rubber not that stuff that when hot curls up to cause trip hazards


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[Bigdave_185]

OK, here's a really stupid question...

Does the tint go on the outside of the glass?

I always thought it went on the inside...

Waiting to see pics of this awesome dually...

And I called around and found that the particular tint shop I priced was like 50% more than the others. I scheduled an appointment for all the windows on my T-car to get done for $474...although he wants to tint the huge back glass only up to the factory tint line which allows him to use a standard-sized sheet and not have to buy the crazy big 60" roll to fit the crazy-big T-car glass.

Yes it goes on the inside. 
As for the tint line on the window I would thing the film will not be noticeable on the outside view.  For instance around my mirror is a solid black shape you can’t see through. If the back of your Tesla is like that I would assume it’s fine.


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[Bigdave_185]

Duraflap install is so simple



Front fenders require removal of three factory screws and installing the mudflaps. I don’t particularly like the flap sitting directly against my plastic or metal areas for debris to catch and rub. So I used a single sided sticky foam 1/8 and traced it to my flap then stuck the foam on the inside of the marks, blue tape worked well.





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[Bigdave_185]

Back flaps required the wonderful wife to hold a bit of flaps while I marked and hand tightened some screws for alignment purposes.

The rear uses four factory holes and two that pinch their aluminum mount/clamp on the inner fender. I again applied some sticky foam and zipped the fenders on with the ol 90% drill attachment and dewalt impact




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[TexasRedNeck]

They make a film for the outside to protect from chips.  Very high tech and they offer a guarantee against chips.  Some helicopter mumbo jumbo black magic


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[wyorunner]

Dave, (and anyone who runs ceramic) have you noticed the inside seems like a heat sink when it sits, but repels heat once it’s cool inside? Every time I get in the 74, it seems hotter than the tacoMa ever is. Difference being 74 has ceramic all the way around tacoMa does not.

Now, once all heat is out, it stays cooler longer than the taco does. Also seems cooler closer to the window. Have always thought that was strange but it’s installed and the installer is in AZ, so no need to fuss just deal.

[Bigdave_185]

I guess it would be a simple process to check if they both sit in similar areas for similar times,

Just put a thermometer in each car and see what they show over a few hours.  I can look into that with my black Jetta that’s tinted 5% and compare to my dark blue truck
Let me see about maybe a temperature recording style thermometer

Well that’s not in my cards. The ones I found were $100 and I don’t have Tesla money so…

But I can’t say I have noticed that.   My work truck isn’t ever sitting except at night, and the windshield addition is new so I can’t speak to its abilities.   

Id ya have time on a Sunday you could park two next to each other and check every few hours with a basic thermometer sitting on the arm wrest maybe

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[Flyin6]

So I’m all finished with tint and the drive home was wonderful. 
I’ll add some pictures one I get it washed. But inside doesn’t feel like I’m in a black hole but everything outside is still very bright looking out.  One of things I like about these ceramic tints is, To block the view from outside in you don’t have to do the 5% limo tint stuff.







It looks pretty dark outside but once you are inside it’s very bright. No manner of photo will express is.  Worth it in my view for $650

I like that and am leaving in a couple of hours to get the T-car done.
What tint percentage did you select for your truck?

[Bigdave_185]

Windshield in 70%
Front drive and passenger 30%
Rear windows 20%
All ceramic Xpel products


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[Bigdave_185]

Almost 1000 miles and now getting pretty decent mileage for 80 MPH


Took the wife n kids up to Boise to see a few new to us sites.  Going to the air museum tomorrow am, tonight just gonna play in the pool I think


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[Bigdave_185]

Bulletpoint mounting solutions today

Packaging looks good, parts all seem to be decent quality metal/steel and install instructions seem to be straight forward



Simply assemble in the desired configuration.
In my case I have the single bolt to remove the dash tray. Then to the work table to mark and drill four holes





I eyeballed the tray location to center, used a silver sharpie to mark the holes and used the supplied drill bits to pop through the plastic. They supply these rubber collapse-able nuts to hold the base in. Tighten down and back to the truck




The rubber mat got trimmed to cover up the single nut holding the tray in, I’m not 100% sure if the four screws are in contact with the underside of the tray. But seemed to snap back in place like factory designed.

Mounted up the carbon fiber rods and adjusted to fit my line of site.
I ordered the second arm to persuade the passenger to not stare at their phone on trips. Time will tell .

The only complaint I can see going forward is the cell phone mounts don’t wirelessly charge. Looking into different mounting options from other sources or maybe the 3d printer at work to mod something
More on that another time

[Flyin6]

I've seen this before:

[EL TATE]

I've seen this before:

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[EL TATE]

Mounting looks super clean Dave, nice work

[Bigdave_185]

A few install photos of the bed cover





They had some poor packing issues and I’m working on a discount on my unit because but… I like the design


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