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I agree, but there are a few things you can do to improve your odds:
1. Prevent turbo vanes from sticking by:
- use synthetic oil
- get the latest flash
- cool down properly after a hard workout
- don't let your truck sit for long periods of time
- minimize extended idles
2. Don't work your truck hard until it gets up to temperature. At least run it easy for a couple of minutes.
3. Get gauges to watch EGT temps and boost (great to have alarms at safe upper end set points)
4. If you MUST have a tuner, get custom tunes from a company with a reputation for safe tunes
5. If you tow heavy loads, do not use the cruise control - especially in areas with steep hills. The cruise control will not be easy on the accelerator.
Bismics got ya covered, and brickie too. Some trucks just pop heads without tuners, I have had some really hot tunes and done some really stupid driving and towing with these tunes and have never had hg probs. I just got lucky (especially with an 03) with no probs (a large part of this luck I think is due to matts programming). A buddy just bought an 05 stock and threw a flashpac on it with just the tow setting and within a week is showing puking from hgs.
I bought an 04 with 49,000 miles on it last month. Just went and visited it yesterday at the dealership where it is getting a new EGR cooler and head gaskets, all under warranty thank god!!!!.