HD Diesel Supply: diesel truck knowledge for people who work with their hands.

Delete kits, explained honestly

Most people find HD Diesel Supply because they searched for delete kits. Let us explain what those are before anything else, because half of what the forums say is wrong.

A delete kit is a set of parts and software used to remove a diesel truck's emissions equipment: the DPF filter that traps soot, the EGR system that recirculates exhaust gas, and the DEF system that treats nitrogen oxides. The kit usually includes straight pipes to replace the filter, block off plates for the EGR, and a tuner that reprograms the engine computer to stop looking for the missing parts.

Why people want them is no mystery. A deleted truck makes more power, gets slightly better fuel economy, and never goes into a DPF regen or throws a DEF quality code again. On paper it looks like free performance. In real life it is one of the most expensive mistakes a truck owner can make, and this page exists so you understand why before you spend a dollar.

The law on deletes in the USA and Canada

In the United States, the EPA prohibits tampering with emissions equipment on any road going vehicle. This is not a suggestion. It is federal law, and enforcement has teeth. The EPA fined Rudy's Diesel $10 million for selling delete kits. Other sellers paid $1 million or more. In 2026 the DOJ subpoenaed purchase records for over 100,000 EZ Lynk tuner users, which means buyers are in the files too, not just sellers.

In Canada it is illegal under federal and provincial law to operate a vehicle with removed or defeated emissions equipment. Provinces with emissions testing will fail the vehicle on the spot. Fines apply everywhere, and insurance can become a problem when the truck no longer matches its certified configuration.

Beyond the fines, a deleted truck loses its factory warranty, becomes very hard to sell to anyone who needs it inspected, and can fail a roadside inspection in a way that parks the truck until it is fixed. The fuel savings people chase are dwarfed by a single penalty. We do not sell delete kits, we do not install them, and we do not publish instructions for them. What we do is teach you how to keep the emissions system working so you never feel tempted.

Why your DPF keeps clogging (and what to do instead of deleting)

Here is the part nobody on the forums tells you. Most DPF problems are not caused by the filter itself. They are caused by short trips, cheap fuel, a lazy thermostat that never lets the engine warm up, or a stuck EGR valve feeding the filter more soot than it can burn. Fix those and the filter does its job for years.

If your truck keeps asking for regens, start here: take it for a real highway run at steady speed for 30 minutes, use fuel from a busy station, and change the fuel filter on schedule. A forced regen at a shop costs a fraction of a delete kit and keeps you legal. Our emissions guides walk through each of these fixes step by step, with the fault codes that point to them.

How a working mechanic approaches your truck

When your 6.7L Cummins cranks but will not start, or your Powerstroke throws a boost code, the order of operations matters more than the parts catalog. A good mechanic checks the cheapest and most common causes first. Fuel filter before injectors. Boost hoses before the turbo. Batteries before the starter. That is how every troubleshooting guide here is built, because that is how the job actually pays.

The same thinking applies to maintenance. Your owner's manual lists severe service intervals for a reason, and most diesel pickups live a severe service life: towing, idling, short winter trips. We tell you what actually matters at each interval and what is dealer upsell. And when we talk parts prices, we give real numbers for Canada and the USA separately, because a turbo that costs $2,800 in Texas can cost $3,900 in Alberta and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

Who is giving you this advice

You deserve to know whose hands you are trusting. Mike Turner is a Red Seal certified heavy duty mechanic with 14 years on Cummins, Powerstroke and Duramax engines across Alberta and Ontario. Dave Ryder runs 15 highway tractors out of Winnipeg and writes about what things cost and what actually lasts. Jess Callahan is a dealer trained diagnostic tech who would rather read live data than guess. Earl Kowalski has built diesel engines for 40 years in Saskatchewan and still trusts his ears over a scan tool. Tom Becker is an Alberta oilfield worker who does his own maintenance in the driveway and has made every mistake so you do not have to.

Each of them writes in their own voice because they are different people with different scars. When Dave says a repair is not worth it, that is a fleet owner talking about cost per mile. When Jess says do not guess, test, that is a tech who has watched too many good parts get replaced for no reason. You will disagree with them sometimes. Good. That is what real shop talk sounds like.

Diesel parts prices, Canada and USA

One of the most searched questions in diesel ownership is also the hardest to answer honestly: what will this part cost me. The answer depends on which side of the border you are on, so HD Diesel Supply keeps them separate. Our Canada parts price guides list prices in Canadian dollars from Canadian suppliers, and our USA parts price guides list prices in US dollars. No mixed currencies, no converted guesses. Fuel filters, injectors, turbos, water pumps, DPF units, and transmission rebuilds, each with part prices and realistic labour ranges.