CaptNemo

I ended up with the truck at the dealer for a second time for cracked injectors ( 2 this time, 1 the first ) and a crankcase full of diesel fuel on my '04.5 3500.
DC made the techs jump thru flaming hoops with ECM checks to see total run time, key on / off cycles since the last flash looking for evidence of modifications so that they could deny the warranty coverage. The dealer had the truck 5 working days plus the weekend, so I was without wheels for seven days. With every conversation I told the service writer that I needed my truck for work purposes, so there should have been no doubt that it was important for me to have it back. I called on the seventh day after I was promised the truck the evening prior, and was told that they "wanted to keep it overnight to see if thewas anymore leakage problems". I firmly answered "No, you have had it a week for a job that the tech was flagging 4 or 5 hours for, and now you want it another day?!" I was not happy. I got to the dealer and they brought the truck out front and it was still dripping oil / diesel fuel from the chassis and inderside of the body. The lazy tech didn't even have it cleaned before he started working on it. It took two cycles at the buck-and-a-half carwash to get it reasonably clean.
Before I left the dealer, I told the service writer ( A new guy ) that this was one of many dodges that I've owned, bought and had serviced at that dealer, this time he didn't want me to fill out the 'after service survey' card.

DC is willing to spend more time to deny the warranty claim than time to repair the truck, so if you have a downloader, DC will work hard to find evidence of it and deny the warranty coverage.

checkster

thats why i never feel guilty for pulling a fast one on them, cause they will bust there azzes trying to ream you dry and sandy

Mixer Man

This is one of those elusive double sided arguments that I can see from both sides . Obviously being without your truck for seven days is not fun or good for the bottom line but in D.C 's defense I can't really blame them when you can pick up any magazine out there with ads throughout showing HP additions of 150 or more for a quick 10 minute download . I personally am fighting with them over AC issues but would never hold them accountable for a burnt piston or whatever from my actions with "bombs " or any other power adder . When you can come on here and see guys dyno stats with 1000 ft lbs going through a stock driveline or rearend and transfer case that sure weren't designed for that kind of power . Don't mean to flame you by any means just one of those things like paying taxes ........ at least they didn't have to pull the cab off your truck to replace those sticks !!

BigDan

Ive been here for a while and I havent seen any threads blaming DC because there tranny blew up after they decided to bomb it. We all know what we are doing when we start to bomb. Its just BS when DC denies your claim because you have off road lights or a egt gauge

It doenst take 7 days to look through the computer. It isnt like our truck have gigantic main frame computers its a small computer that ranks up there with a 10yo laptop. How long does it take to look at certian parameters like key starts and max boost level???? Not 7 day's

Shame on you DC

checkster

None taken. Guess im just jaded from being around, working on, and working at car repair facilities. And hearing some of the stuff I have heard.

But trust me, Im not taking the side of the guy that puts Crazy Larry on his truck and runs the stuffin out of it, blows it up, and then takes it to the dealer for warrenty.

pet05

What's even dumber by DC is that a box cannot be traced by ECM or key cycles. It will NEVER leave the so-called "footprint". That is an urban legend.

On the other hand, a downloader can, as that reflashes the ECM to a new program. That can be traced.

It all depends on the dealer. Some are OK and other completely stink. Some try and get out of warranty claims and blame the driver for getting a bad tank of fuel. DC Service Writers can be ruthless and as sneaky as the guys who sell the cars. IMO - I don't trust a car dealer...

pet05

CaptNemo -

Were you running a PRESSURE box? Not a snitch, just curious...

PourinDiesel

So is or has your truck been modified from stock?

Mixer Man

I feel your pain bro ........ Dodge has the laziest mechanics I have ever seen ......... at least in my neck of the woods .Been to 5 diff dealers now and nothing is fixed right . I am a certified aircraft mech long since out of the game but if my work ethics were like these clowns there would be a whole lot of dead people laying around !!! Twice have been told my a/c is fine and injectors were leaking at block ....supposedly retorqued but noticed 5 and 6 are still leaking . Maybe because it's a lil more work to get at them !!! I never ran into this kind of incompetance at Ford but sure is rampant at Dodge !!!

CaptNemo

The truck had a box on it, run on the lowest setting +50HP, to stretch the fuel mileage. Very little towing, no racing, no stacking, just commuter miles.

It really cheesed me that the tech was willing to work in the filth and have the truck drip oil & diesel all over his bay. What kind of trash got into the engine because it was too much effort to take it to the car prep guys and get them to degrease it before starting on the job.

I've found out that if it's not dragging on the ground or got a fault code in the computer, that the current techs will have a "Cannot duplicate complaint" on the service ticket more times than not. A sad state of affairs.

Bud Kunz

So they spent 7 days looking for a downloader and didn't find anything, but there was a downloader on it? Which downloader was that?

staarma

He didn't say it had a downloader on it he said it had a box on it. Probably a pressure box judging from the hp rating and for the mileage gain.

pet05

CaptNemo -

Was it a PRESSURE BOX???

sled4fun

I gotta jump in here and give my 2 cents.

All of us have had a good steak dinner and a bad steak dinner. Each dinner can be made from all the same ingredients and in the same kitchen and still be so much different. Its all about the COOK! Same goes for hair cuts and whatever else you want to use. To broad brush this and say ALL dodge techs or service advisors suck! Is just wrong! If you are not treated well then go to another dealership. If you have no choice in your area...contact the area rep and complain. This gets him/her envolved which should then service manager envolved so your truck gets fixed.

The advisors are doing what they have been told to do by their boss. They get paid by DOING MORE WORK ON A CAR - warranty or not! Not less work. They get paid by treating their customers right (see Customer Satisfaction Index on their paycheck stub) If you or somebody else gives them bad marks it hurts their pay. Now I don't know many independently wealthy Service advisors that don't need money and just show up to work to give people a bad time everyday. But if you are not treated very well ask to be helped by another advisor that maybe is not having such a bad day.

As for advisors not accepting warranty claims. They do not make the call if a certain job is a warranty or not. Only DC can. If the tech pulls info from a computer and his boss says to run it thru DC techline and techline (DC) tells him to do this or that who you gonna blame. The tech for doing his job and doing what he is told? The advisor for telling you that the tech is still working on it? The service manager for doing what DC said to do? All this can take time. Because if the Service manager tells the tech to fix it and DC denies the claim the service department has to eat the labor, pay the tech and pay the parts department for the parts they bought.

I'm sorry, I have been doing this service advisor thing too long and I have to stick up for my industry. I know that there are great service managers, techs and advisors and it is too bad that they may not always work at the same place. Just keep in mind that most are doing what they are told to do they are not making all the calls on warranty issues.

OK i'm done ranting

Mixer Man

I knew this was coming but you noticed I said from MY neck of the woods . I have worked as a mechanic and have several buddies that still turn a wrench for a living ....... not trying to slam every dealer mechanic out there but come on . COMPETENT mechanics are like finding a needle in a haystack it seems nowadays !!!! Reread my post I have been to numerous dealers and get the run around EVERY single time ........ amazes me the b.s they feed people . I can't believe they wouldn't even have the lot boy clean the mans truck BEFORE they ripped into his engine !!! I guess it's too much to ask for service AFTER the sale they already have your $$$ . My last truck a gasser had 300 k that never once left me on the side of the road because I did all my own maint after 36k and my Dodge service manuals just arrived from Geno's . I asked for a ride one exit up the interstate to my employment and ended up being an hour and a half late due to the fact they were too busy chatting about their weekend and my ride ended up being from a fellow Cummins owner there for an oil change . This was my first experience at a Dodge dealership WOO HOO !!! But I did get to meet a fellow DTR member " OT OF HERE " and had a good time shooting the breeze ........ smoke on Pat !!!!