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Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I’m looking to get my Duramax chipped, exhaust, delete etc. Curious to see what shops people recommend. I live in Langley so looking at shops in the Fraser valley. Also looking for feedback on what people have learned about the process and the results, good and bad.
thanks to all.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Is 7 minutes too soon to say “you should have bought a Cummins” . Haha. I’d go with BD Diesel in Abbotsford. They seam to be the industry leaders in my opinion. I imagine they will be a bit more expensive than others you may find but they know what they are doing.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I recently had my 2014 Cummins deleted and tuned at JD Diagnostics in Abby on Sumas Way. The tune is an "EFI Live", it's a straight 50hp "tow tune" and no other settings. Truck has considerably more power, throttle response is great and there's almost zero turbo lag. Fuel economy increased, especially on the in town portion of our driving. There have been a few bugs but the shop has been quick to deal with them and things seem to be working great now. I have a 6-spd manual trans in my truck and I had to replace the clutch right after as it wouldn't hold the extra power but apparently the stock clutch in these trucks are borderline as it is and life span is not great, but just a heads up as to going down the rabbit hole so to speak, one thing leads to another. Cons of the whole thing would be some black smoke that I was told wouldn't happen but does under certain instances, mainly stepping on it at lower rpm but other times as well. Also with all of the emissions stuff being removed, the exhaust has that raw diesel smell so if you're adverse to that its another thing to think about. All in all we're pretty happy with the results. I had issues with the emissions equipment on my truck from early on so that was the main reason for me getting the work done, altho the extra power and fuel economy is a nice bonus as well.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
My dad has taken his cummins to BD a few times with good results but I've also had buddy take his duramax there for overheating issues and BD told him he needed a head gasket. He said no way and took it somewhere else. Turned out it was overheating from a plugged up rad. Quick wash and all fixed. He is pissed at BD trying to stick him with a couple grand bill.
Luckily i haven't had to take my cummins in for any serious work. So far pretty much all my work has been done by Dales alignment, Midas in Aldergrove or myself. But with 350000kms i might follow this thread.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
wire Connectors, drill bit, tap and some time and you could install it your self. I installed one in my duramax with the help of a friend. Hardest part was getting the new down pipe over the tranny crossmember. Def box was a bit of a pain as well. What size exhaust are you getting? I stuck with 4” but should have gone with 5”. Less droning and less turbo whistle with the 5”. Do you have a gmc or chevy? Changing the down pipe off the turbo is a good idea as well, $250 for a bds down pipe and you gain ~ 20hp and 40ft/lbs. depending on the yr of your truck, it’s a fairly easy job if you have a gmc but the Chevy has a slightly different firewall which makes it harder.
Dodge456..... Tons of guys think is cool to roll coal so they turn up the low boost fuel setting. If you don’t like the extra smoke at low boost ask the shop to turn it down. Another thing to watch out for with a standard transmission is fly wheel failure. With a 50hp tune you should be ok but I know guys that have had the fly wheel fail once they started pushing 180hp over stock.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
My vote for BD too.
Kitson (first name eludes me right now, neighbors grand son) races the dam things.
So, the guys there know their s***
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I had my Bluetec CTD chipped at BD. My buddy had issues with his older 4sp auto, they were clueless, they couldn't fix it, and he thought he got ripped off. It was a simple fix at another shop that knew what they were doing.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dodge456
I recently had my 2014 Cummins deleted and tuned at JD Diagnostics in Abby on Sumas Way. The tune is an "EFI Live", it's a straight 50hp "tow tune" and no other settings. Truck has considerably more power, throttle response is great and there's almost zero turbo lag. Fuel economy increased, especially on the in town portion of our driving. There have been a few bugs but the shop has been quick to deal with them and things seem to be working great now. I have a 6-spd manual trans in my truck and I had to replace the clutch right after as it wouldn't hold the extra power but apparently the stock clutch in these trucks are borderline as it is and life span is not great, but just a heads up as to going down the rabbit hole so to speak, one thing leads to another. Cons of the whole thing would be some black smoke that I was told wouldn't happen but does under certain instances, mainly stepping on it at lower rpm but other times as well. Also with all of the emissions stuff being removed, the exhaust has that raw diesel smell so if you're adverse to that its another thing to think about. All in all we're pretty happy with the results. I had issues with the emissions equipment on my truck from early on so that was the main reason for me getting the work done, altho the extra power and fuel economy is a nice bonus as well.
how much did they charge for the work you got done?
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Noreasny
how much did they charge for the work you got done?
Sent you a PM
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j270wsm
Dodge456..... Tons of guys think is cool to roll coal so they turn up the low boost fuel setting. If you don’t like the extra smoke at low boost ask the shop to turn it down. Another thing to watch out for with a standard transmission is fly wheel failure. With a 50hp tune you should be ok but I know guys that have had the fly wheel fail once they started pushing 180hp over stock.
I can manage the smoke, it depends on how I drive it really. I just was hoping not to have any but I can live with it. The clutch I had put in is a Southbend rated to handle 900ftlb of torque, it replaces the dual mass factory set up with a single mass flywheel so we're all good there. Just ever so slightly heavier pedal but almost non noticeable.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
264mag
I’m looking to get my Duramax chipped, exhaust, delete etc. Curious to see what shops people recommend. I live in Langley so looking at shops in the Fraser valley. Also looking for feedback on what people have learned about the process and the results, good and bad.
thanks to all.
Call BD and ask for Andrew or Shaun.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
BD is a terrible shop, stay far away unless you like getting ripped off.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
REMINGTON JIM
Had a bad experience there with the goof of a shop manager. Other than him the mechanic was good and the owner made my troubles partially go away. Not a good shop but not a bad shop.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I had BD install a south bend clutch in my 3500 and their prices were the same as other shops or close to. One thing I didn’t like was that the salesman was trying to sell me a smarty tuner for a ridiculous price when I told him at least three times I wasn’t interested and that I already had a custom tuner i was going to get. He then kept trying to say how great it is and bla bla bla which got annoying. I called the shop once while my truck was getting worked on and the guy I talked to on the phone had quite the attitude, I wasn’t impressed with that.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
My piece of advice .... dont remove the cat. Even if you wanna remove the muffler and straight pipe it, I'd leave the cat in
The smell is nauseating and sometimes enters the cab when I reverse "into" it. It's terrible.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I wouldn't take a wheelbarrow to BD. If you dont mind drive I'd suggest deputy diesel in summerland. Good guys and an honest mom and pop shop. They know their way around all light duty trucks.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bigredchev
I wouldn't take a wheelbarrow to BD. If you dont mind drive I'd suggest deputy diesel in summerland. Good guys and an honest mom and pop shop. They know their way around all light duty trucks.
What engines in it?
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Hands down DK diesel in Bellingham. i think theres a reason the opinions on BD are so polarized...inconsistence in service. are you willing to roll the dice with your truck.
PM me if you are interested for info.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
twoSevenO
My piece of advice .... dont remove the cat. Even if you wanna remove the muffler and straight pipe it, I'd leave the cat in
The smell is nauseating and sometimes enters the cab when I reverse "into" it. It's terrible.
Are you referring to your car or truck? I never noticed any smell in my truck. The stock cat and muffler are restrictive robbing you of power.....if you want to keep the cat buy an aftermarket high flow cat.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Diamond Diesel, talk to Landis.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j270wsm
Are you referring to your car or truck? I never noticed any smell in my truck. The stock cat and muffler are restrictive robbing you of power.....if you want to keep the cat buy an aftermarket high flow cat.
Car. Why would your truck be any different without a cat?
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
You mentioned the smell of diesel, we’re you referring to the smell in general or the possibility to smell it in the cab? Cab venting for a truck is further away from the exhaust so less chance of the issue your having. I looked at buying a Jetta tdi( 06 i think ) and the ac would turn off when you put the car into reverse to help avoid exhaust in the cab.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
twoSevenO
Car. Why would your truck be any different without a cat?
I’ve never heard the inside of a car called a cab.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j270wsm
You mentioned the smell of diesel, we’re you referring to the smell in general or the possibility to smell it in the cab? Cab venting for a truck is further away from the exhaust so less chance of the issue your having. I looked at buying a Jetta tdi( 06 i think ) and the ac would turn off when you put the car into reverse to help avoid exhaust in the cab.
Well the smell inside the cab is not the only issue. Start it in your garage and the whole thing stinks for a half hour Any time you're around it it stinks. I'm sure youd be starting your truck up in camp and such.
Just sayin .... my experience is it really stinks for a small 2.0 4 banger. I wouldn't want It any worse on a bigger engine.
Ymmv
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Boner
I’ve never heard the inside of a car called a cab.
I wonder why they call them "cabin air filters" then? Lol. What planet are you on?
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Has anyone had any experience with the diesel doctor in abby? I have heard good things but have no personal experience... If you are mechanically inclined I would suggest reading up on the task and watching some YouTube videos.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fourbyfourtoy
Has anyone had any experience with the diesel doctor in abby? I have heard good things but have no personal experience... If you are mechanically inclined I would suggest reading up on the task and watching some YouTube videos.
Doing the hardware yourself is easy. It's the programming that is expensive and cant be done at home.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xfactor
Hands down DK diesel in Bellingham. i think theres a reason the opinions on BD are so polarized...inconsistence in service. are you willing to roll the dice with your truck.
PM me if you are interested for info.
I called around last year and nobody in WA was doing any programming or deleting. Guy I spoke to said the EPA was up their butt and making life really difficult for the diesel tuners. I suppose it might have changed but I limited my search to BC after that conversation. I settled on a guy in Nanaimo but it fell off my radar and I never did end up doing it. Of course, I drive a Ford, so the stock power is adequate;-)
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Are you mechanically inclined in any way? Have a basic socket set, Jack and jack stands???? Buy a plug and play kit. Simple to install and everything is already programmed into the tuner
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
twoSevenO
Doing the hardware yourself is easy. It's the programming that is expensive and cant be done at home.
Programmers aren’t that complicated. 99% of the ones on the market are plug and play. 90% of the plug and play programmers require you to shut your vehicle off to make changes to the tune while the other 10%( like efi live )can be changed on the fly by simply turning a dial or pushing a button.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j270wsm
Programmers aren’t that complicated. 99% of the ones on the market are plug and play. 90% of the plug and play programmers require you to shut your vehicle off to make changes to the tune while the other 10%( like efi live )can be changed on the fly by simply turning a dial or pushing a button.
Every engine is different. I wouldn't want to just buy an off the shelf programmer, plug it in, and hope for the best.
There are lots of parameters out there that are changed. I wouldn't want to run without all of them being logged and verified by someone who knows this, first.
Certain engines cant even be tuned by yourself over OBD. The ECU must be removed and bench tuned.( That was the case with mine, though, I hear since then they have figured out how to do it over obd as well. And mine isnt even that new anymore. It's a 2014.)
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
One West Performance in Abbotsford. Cheyne knows his stuff, he's an ex BD guy and moved on for good reason. Good rates, a good communicator, and only does what is required.
Steer clear of BD, they like to upsale on every visit. They'll convince you to do work that doesn't need to be done.
Bernhausen in Langley is not bad, but tend to upsale everything as well.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
I phoned bd diesel in Abbotsford about looking at my exhaust. They said come on in n they would look at it. I said I’d be there in 20. They said ok. Got there five min before there lunch time I guess. Wish he would of told me to come after there lunch. Went back after. Guy came out finally n looked under my front end n turns out I need for a new down pipe for my exhaust. I asked him can you please look up and get me a part number if he had a free min n order me one. He said sure. He eventually found it n tried to book me in there for service. I only asked for the part number and can I get it from them. Once I reiterated that I just want the part and was going to weld it up myself they changed there attitude and became kinda rude. I did get my part in the end. I grew up in retail in hunting/fishing stores in the lower mainland. Good Customer service is really rd to find these days.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fourbyfourtoy
Has anyone had any experience with the diesel doctor in abby? I have heard good things but have no personal experience... If you are mechanically inclined I would suggest reading up on the task and watching some YouTube videos.
That's JD Diagnostics, same company. That's where my work was done. Was highly recommended by a mechanic that had worked on my truck a couple times at the dealership where I bought it. They seem to know their stuff and are quick to want to fix things if there are any bugs. I had initially planned to do the work myself but changed my mind as the labor wasn't a lot of extra cash compared to the parts. I'm sure it's not that difficult but I had some uncertainty where the electronic part comes in...I'm sure the plug and play tuners are just fine but I was a little hesitant to go down that road myself. Also the EFI Live tune was really all I was after, I would never be using the "extreme" or whatever other settings there are on a selectable tuner anyway so I decided against going that route as well. To each their own of course.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Diamond diesel in port kells. He knows his stuff
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Quote:
Originally Posted by
twoSevenO
Every engine is different. I wouldn't want to just buy an off the shelf programmer, plug it in, and hope for the best.
There are lots of parameters out there that are changed. I wouldn't want to run without all of them being logged and verified by someone who knows this, first.
Certain engines cant even be tuned by yourself over OBD. The ECU must be removed and bench tuned.( That was the case with mine, though, I hear since then they have figured out how to do it over obd as well. And mine isnt even that new anymore. It's a 2014.)
Yes, every manufacturer is different but we’re not talking about your bmw car, we’re talking about a domestic diesel truck. Take gm for an example, there newer diesel trucks ( 16 and newer I think ) couldn’t be programmed due to the ecu they designed but now there are aftermarket companies that have programmed ecu’s or programmers that you can buy. These after market companies have major money in R & D so I wouldn’t be worried about the plug and play programmers. After all, every single programmer is an aftermarket tool. Personally I would never buy a single tune. It’s nice to be able to change tunes with out having to go back to the shop and pay to have it changed. If you want a single tune there are tuners called pucks that plug into the obd II port and are left plugged in.
I had an H&S mini max in my duramax and after trying every setting.....the extreme tune was the best option. Not only did it increase the power by ~ 175hp it was also the tune that gave me the best fuel economy. If you don’t drive with your foot to the floor all the time you shouldn’t have to worry about head gaskets or have any issues. Delete the egr and it will be even more reliable.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
Tuners are for girls:roll:. Give me a socket set, a flat head screwdriver and a 12 valve cummins and I'd be good to go!
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
It would be nice if all Diesel engines were that simple. No egr, no cats, no def, no bullsh*t.
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Re: Best shop for Diesel trucks in Fraser Valley
long gone are the days of a simple diesel. They are so complicated now days its ridiculous ... with each additional component just reducing reliability. DPF, SCR/DEF, EGR, EGR cooler ughh.
Consumers demanding 1000 ft lbs of torque doesn't help in the reliability department either.
Everyone talks about the old 12V or the Ford 7.3 ... well those didn't really produce any power like the ones today. I'm sure if any modern 6.7L was made to produce only 200hp it would last forever, too.
Does anyone have a high mileage truck that has been aggressively tuned for most of its life? like +150hp or more who hasn't spent a fortune on subsequent engine and transmission upgrades/repairs?
There is a lot of "grey area" for me in the tuner world:
1. Most of it seems based on bro-science. Lets tune it until it breaks, then back down a bit. Is anyone at these companies an engineer with a background in engine design at an actual car manufacturer?
2. R&D - related to above. I do not see any evidence that these guys spend a ton of money on R&D. I don't think the market is there for them to do that. Sure, there are a lot of trucks being tuned, but what's the R&D? "Here, drive this tuned truck and report what broke and when"?. I think most of the R&D is actually the computer guys who figure out how to break into ECUs and make flashing possible. Tuners generally just buy the software and equipment for this and don't develop it in house.
3. A lot of tuner shops just do the hardware changes and upload the software tunes they get from a tune distributor. So not every shop is really a "tuner".
4. "These engines are heavily de-tuned from the factory" --- Every forum, on every site. Doesn't matter if its diesel or gas or car or truck. Everyone makes this claim. No one ever has any actual proof of this, other than "well, Mike's has been tuned to +150hp and it hasn't broken yet". While i agree that engines are conservatively powered from the factory for reliability reasons and to ensure it lasts the warranty period, I have yet to see any actual PROOF of what that difference is that everyone claims. The difference between stock power and SAFE tuned power.
5. If these guys really put a ton of money into R&D, there would be some whitepapers written on the tuned trucks and torture tests they've been subjected to and successfully passed. But i have yet to see one. Stock torture tests for engines are pretty comprehensive. True R&D would be a company replicating that with various tunes and letting us know which tunes passed and which tunes can't be labeled as "meets OEM reliability testing". Is that cut off at +50hp? +100? +20? ..... who knows.
DISCLAIMER: it's been a couple of years since i've researched this, so it's possible some of the above is now available, but i don't have the time to research again to confirm.