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Originally Posted by partsguy
H1's are indeed a beast but,do you know what is needed to maintain this creature? Unless you are fully aware of what you are getting into do not buy untill till you have done your home work.
It seems that every time a H1 needs service it requires anywhere from $500.00 to 2k in parts and god knows in labor.
Great truck but need TLC ALL THE TIME.
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And how did you come up with that figure for parts?
For me -
A Service: 60 bucks
B Service: About the same
C Service: Gee, unless I need to replace an Idler, Pitman, or Ball Joint, about 80 bucks. If I had to replace one of those parts, it goes up to about 200-250.
And most of the time, the A and B service is done at a local car wash place that has Diesel engine oil change specials that uses Shell Rotella 15w40, which is the specified oil for the 6.5L TD.
Other parts that "might" break or wear items that need replacing:
Halfshaft repair - $120 for lifetime warranty replacement/repair of a halfshaft (Phoenix Rack and Axle - they do the US Border Patrol halfshaft rebuilds)
Brake Pads - 65 bucks an axle (Right/Left)
Brake Caliper, Front - $12.99 at most Checker/Schucks/Kragens
Rotors - $60 bucks at your local GM parts counter, NAPA, or Autozone
Power Steering Pump - Generic GM Metric Power Steering Cartridge - 50 bucks
Ball Joints - Upper or Lower averages about 50 bucks at NAPA
Air Filter - 45 bucks.
Fuel Filter - 20 bucks
Transmission Filter for a 4L80E TF329 - 20 bucks
Thermostats - 30 bucks (x2 since most H1's have dual 'stats)
Labor - even if you do pay a shop to do it, call it 70 bucks an hour. Most of these items that need replacing that I've mentioned above don't take more than 2 hours book time to do the work. And - since I've done the work before replacing ALL of the stuff mentioned above, I know that if *I* take less than 2 hours to do this stuff, a competent mechanic will take *LESS* time to do it than what I did it in.
To boot, almost all of the stuff mentioned doesn't even require you to take off the undercarriage protection.
Even a new long block 6.5 TD is only $2700. Three guys can swap one out in 24 man hours total if you have all the tools and hoists. At 70 bucks an hour, that is $1680. So even if you had to replace an engine, it will be roughly 5K if you look at replacing every fluid and hose component.
So - I don't mean to be too contrary, but it's not as bad as you make it out to be. If you know how to cross reference the parts, the costs of maintaining an H1 is VERY reasonable. And if you look at the stuff like engine parts (standard GM 6.2L NA/6.5L NA/6.5L TD), it's easy to find replacement items at most local parts suppliers.
-Steve