Chevrolet Silverado Evaluation

February 23, 2005

Page 1 of 4

---M McDuff, Inc.---

MEMORANDUM

DATE:February 23,2005

TO:Jim Smith, Director of Procurement

FROM:John Doe, Field Support Engineer

SUBJECT:Evaluation of Chevrolet Silverado Truck

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY

Per our discussion yesterday,I understand that our division has requested ten new trucksbe purchased by the end of March for use by our field engineers. I also understand that based on your research into the Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge trucks, a preliminary decision has been made to purchase the Chevrolet Silverado truck. In order to finalize this decision and move forward with the purchase order, you have requested that I provide you with an evaluation of the Chevrolet Silverado truck that I have been driving to McDuff, Inc. job sitesfor the past four years. My evaluation is based on the performanceof the truck while driving to job sites in different states, in which a wide variety of environmental conditions were encountered. Overall this truck has proven to be reliable and has performed well in all driving conditions. There are several upgrades that I would recommend if the decision is made to purchase new Chevrolet trucks. These recommendations include upgrading to the V8 engine, upgrading to the long cargo bed, and upgrading to an extended cab.

CHEVROLET SILVARADO EVALUATION

The evaluation below has been organized into sections to make it easier to read and assimilate the information. The first section gives a brief description of the major features of the truck. The next section gives a brief summary of the driving experiences that were used as a basis to evaluate the truck. The next sections discuss the major categories that were used to evaluate the truck. The final section outlines my recommendations for upgrades to be included in future purchases of this truck.

Vehicle description

The description of the vehicle being evaluated is as follows:

  • 2000 model Chevrolet Silverado truck with a standard cab
  • V6, 4.2-liter engine
  • 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive
  • Rear wheel drive
  • Short cargo bed
  • Power windows/doors
  • General AW tires P255/70R16
  • Odometercurrently at 64,000 miles

Summary of driving experience with the Chevrolet Silverado

As a field engineer at McDuff, Inc., I have driven a Chevrolet Silverado truck to job sites in many locations all over the United States.As a result of these site visits, I have had the opportunity to observe how this truck performed in a wide variety of conditions. Please find listed below a representative sample of the driving conditions that I have encountered:

  • In San Francisco I have driven on steep hills and winding roads with heavy stop-and-go city traffic.
  • In the Mohave Desert of California, I have driven in high temperatures (120degrees) at high speed (70 MPH) in dry and dusty conditions for extended distances.
  • Near Estes Park, Colorado, I have driven at high altitudes(approximately 12,000 feet) over steep and winding roads through the mountains.
  • Near Asheville,North Carolina, I have driven in twelve inches of snow with temperatures in the low teens and wind gusts up to 25 MPH on winding mountain roads.
  • In the Texas panhandle, I have driven in high heat and dusty conditions at high speed for extended distances.
  • In Houston, Texas, I have driven in high humidity and high temperatures with heavy stop-and-go city traffic.

Overall Reliability

In the four years that I have driven this truck, it has proven to be an extremely reliable means of transportation. All major systems have performed without any significant problems during the 64,000 miles that I have driven the truck. I have had one concern with the operation of the transmission, but it wasrepaired during a routine maintenancevisit to the dealer.

Transmission

The Chevy Silverado is equipped with a four-speed, automatic transmission with overdrive. The transmission has generally performed very well. The gears have shifted smoothly as the truck accelerates and have been able to accommodate the steep uphill and downhill grades in the mountains. I have one item of concern with the transmission. Although it has not caused a problem at this time, I am concerned that there is a possibility for a future problem. When the truck odometer was nearing 30,000 miles, the transmission sometimes changed gears sooner or later than was expected based on the engine RPM. I took the truck to the dealer for the 30,000-mile service (which included replacing the old transmission fluid with new fluid) and mentioned thisconcern to the mechanic. After completing the 30,000-mile service, the mechanic reported a malfunction in the computerthat determines when the transmission should change gears.(The computer measures the pressure of the transmission fluid to determine when it should change gears.) After reprogramming, the computer was working correctly, and the transmission was changing gears at the proper engine RPM. The mechanic recommended that the transmission fluid should be changed again at approximately 50,000 miles to prevent another occurrence of this problem. It should be noted that this fluid change is 10,000 miles earlier than the manufacturer recommends changing the transmission fluid. The problem with the transmission occurred again at 45,000 miles. The computer was reprogrammed, and the problem was once again corrected. Although this repair was only an inconvenience and has not prevented the truck from being driven, there is concern that this problem has the potential to develop into a transmission problem that could be expensive to repair at some time in the future.

Engine

The 4.2-liter, 6 cylinder engine has been a solid performer for this truck. It has demonstrated sufficient power to accelerate and merge into interstate traffic and to pull a loaded trailer on level ground. The engine has sufficient power to negotiate the steep roads in the ColoradoMountains without any problems if you are not towing a trailer. I recommend an upgrade to the 8 cylinder,5.4-liter engine if you need to tow a loaded trailer through the mountains.The engine has only required routine maintenance items such as oil and filter changes to keep it in good running condition up to this time. There have not been any engine problems diagnosed at this time.

Cargo Bed

At most job sites, the cargo bed has proven adequate to handle the numerous tools and supplies that wereneeded.It is large enough to accommodate a full four foot by eight foot sheet of plywood or sheetrock. It is equipped with tie downs at each corner of the bed that can be used to secure a load to prevent shifting during travel. Although the short cargo bed has been adequate to carry most of the supplies needed on site, there have been several trips to job sites that required more tools and supplies that could be carried in one trip. Ihad to either leave some supplies behind or make two trips to these sites to get all the necessary materials. I would recommend that the long cargo bed be specified on the next truck purchased to alleviate this issue.

Cabin Comfort and Design

The design of the interior of the truck has made driving the truck an enjoyable experience. The cloth seats are comfortable and are easily adjusted to fit drivers of different proportions. The seat also has an adjustable lumbar support that allows for a comfortable ride on long trips. The controls are laid out in an aesthetic and functional manner. The operation of the cruise control, the adjustment of the side mirrors, and operation of the heating/cooling controls are intuitively obvious. The layout of the windows provides excellent visibility in all directions. Storage space behind the front seat has been adequate, but an upgrade from a standard cab to an extended cab to allow for additional storage space should be considered for future truck purchases.

Miscellaneous

Listed below are several miscellaneous items that have performed well and should be noted:

  • There is a light under the hood that is activated by raising the hood. This light was very useful one night when I stopped to use jumper cables to help a stranded motorist. This lightallowed me to have both hands free to connect the positive and negative cables to the battery without incident.
  • The tires originally installed on the truck have 64,000 miles on them and still have sufficient tread for approximately another 5000 miles of use before they need to be replaced. The tires have been rotated every 10,000 miles, and air pressure in the tires has been maintained at the correct pressure. This is the most miles that I have ever driven on a set of tires before they had to be replaced.
  • The overhead console in the truck has a display that shows the outside temperature and the direction (N, S, E, and W) that the front of the truck is facing. Although I have a good sense of direction, having a compass to show the direction you are traveling has been very helpful when driving in an unfamiliar city at night.

Recommendations

Based on my experience with this truck, I would make the following recommendations with regard to the purchase of additional trucks:

  • An upgradefrom a short cargo bed to a long cargo bed is recommended. Although the extra space in the long bed is not needed at all job sites, the long cargo bed would eliminate the need for extra trips tojob sites that require a large number of tools or supplies.
  • For trucks that are to be used in mountainous areas, an upgrade from the 4.2-liter, 6 cylinder engine to the 5.4-liter, 8 cylinder engine is recommended. The additional power provided by the larger engine would provide assurancethat there is adequate power availablefortowing a trailer upthe steep mountain roads.
  • An upgrade from the regular cab to the extended cab is recommended. The extra storage space provided in the extended cab is needed to carry documents and tools that must be stored inside the truck for protection from the weather.

CONCLUSION

The Chevrolet Silverado truck has proven to be a reliable and effective means of transportation to McDuff, Inc. job sites over the last four years. This truck has performed very well in extreme weather conditions and when driven over different types of terrain.With the inclusion of the upgrades listed above, I believe that the Chevrolet Silverado truck would be an excellent vehicle to support the division’s transportation needs in the coming years. If you have any questions, please call me at extension 5555.

Copy: Frank Farmer, Director Field Services