My father passed away last week and he left me a paid off 2011 Dodge 2500 diesel bighorn. With 32000 miles. And I know nothing about diesel trucks at all. He kept it in cherry condition and looks brand new. So any diesel truck drivers feel like helping a newbie out would be great. Thanks.

Sorry about your dad.

I drive an F-250 diesel. I will probably never go back to a gas truck. It is more expensive to own but I like it better and can afford it. I do a lot of driving and trailer towing.

Wanted to know fuel addive treatments for one. And what costs will be like to maintain this truck. Thanks guys.

You'll have to read your manual and find out how many quarts of oil it takes, and then figure changing it at the requested interval, and then figure out how many miles you drive and make the calculation for oil costs. There are other things like fuel filters, brakes, standard maintenance, but oil is the big one in my opinion.

My Diesel takes 14 quarts of oil at every change plus a filter cost. Diesel fuel costs more as well. As for additives....I don't know. I have always dumped DieselKleen in mine with a Cetane booster because that's what someone told me to do and it doesn't seem to hurt anything. It's available at walmart. But...my truck is a 2005.

You will maybe also need DEF?

Just read your maintenance section of the manual and hit up walmart for pricing.

I have the Chevy Duramax, but the dodge should be close to the same:

Engine oil is what it is, but mine holds 10 quarts with filter change. The filter is a sunk cost, so you are really only paying for the additional amount of oil over a gas engine. My 6.2 gas engine in my other truck holds 8.5 quarts, so for me the cost is only about six more dollars, and the Mobil filter costs the same for the gas or diesel engine. Depending on driving style and if you are pulling anything, you should get around 6000 miles before a change is necessary.

DEF is about 8 bucks for a 2 1/2 gallon jug, and my truck goes through about seven gallons every 6-7 thousand miles. I would assume the dodge is pretty close to this amount also, but not sure. So, a penny or two per mile.

Fuel costs are more, but to me the difference is not too bad, and at times up here in Chicago I pay less for diesel than gas. There is no substitute for the torque you get out of a diesel. Drive your new addition for a couple of months and see how you like it. If you do your maintenance yourself, oil changes are not that much more than a gasser, and the DEF is a once in a blue moon type of thing to deal with.

As for fuel additives, I too add DieselKleen to my tank about once a month or so, and I use biodiesel (sold at BP stations). The truck always runs really smooth.

Sorry for the loss of your dad.

Welcome to the club of the few of us that admit to owning a Dodge on here. I have an '06 3500 with the 5.9, and yours has the 6.7.

I think hippie juice (DEF) started in '12 or '13. You should be around 3 gallons of oil at each change. Your fuel filters cost more than mine, as the design changed. I also think your front end is less prone to wear, as it was improved design. Yours has a variable vane turbo that serves as an exhaust brake that mine does not have, so you should go through brake pads at a normal rate. My dealer runs specials on oil changes for about $70 and I let them change it. It is simple to do yourself, but disposing of three gallons gets messy. A coworker said the fuel filter on his '11 is about $100 at the dealer. I do change my fuel filter myself, but mine is the easy one. I run some Lucas fuel treatment about every 2-3 tanks.

Dodge's weak points are usually the transmission, catching on fire, and little issues that you can normally track down online along with the repair.

I do not work mine too hard, but it has pulled anything I have ever put behind it. Routine maintenance, tires, brakes, and that was it in the 10 years I have owned it until about a month ago. Went for new tires and needed a front end rebuild. I was afraid it might have needed it, but hoped that it was going to be something cheaper.

I would keep it, and it will likely fall apart around the motor one day. I daily drive mine every few months to run a few tanks through it, but it normally sits in the driveway about 30' from the house.

It would not let me edit my post, but I truly regret letting my mom sell my dads '89 F-150 when he passed. Nothing fancy, but I would love to have that one back.

Thanks everyone. This is a big help.

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