I've had two different 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 diesels. Maintenance is simple and no harder than a gasser. I do all of my own maintenance and just did most of it prepping for a long road trip (including new brake fluid and power steering fluid). I've been having Blackstone Laboratories (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) check my last two engine oil samples to see where I am with the elements and properties of my oil when I change it. My last two oil changes were at 6,500 miles and per the lab results I should run the oil at least 8,000 miles for the next test to see how it looks, because at 6,500 miles the oil still has a lot of life.
Also, I've never heard of a diesel engine requiring synthetic engine oil. Maybe on the newer ones, but I run Chevron Delo 400 15-40W in all of my trucks.
The expensive part of the maintenance I think is the diff fluid changes. The synthetic oil for the front and rear requires quite a bit and it's not cheap. Everything else is not bad at all. I buy my 15-40W oil at Costco on sale and it comes in a box of 3 one gallon jugs for about $32 (if I remember). I run all Cummins filters that I get at Geno's garage and always buy a few extras to have on hand.
If I had to put an average cost on maintenance I'd say it's probably $200 to $300/year, but like I said I do all of my own maintenance so it saves me quite a bit of money. An oil change at my local dealership is over $125 I believe! Where the cost of a diesel is going to get you is if you have to rebuild the transmission or install new fuel injectors (>$2,000). I run a Glacier Diesel 2 micron fuel filter to help delay that cost!
Edited by Bwht4x4, 06 August 2015 - 05:24 AM.
