I trust that this thread is O.K.
I'll start this thread off in the interest of time by reposting part of a thread I made a little while ago concerning some of my experiences with my local Dodge dealer. I'll start it here in the first gen section as we probably have more stories to tell as we've been around a little longer than some of the more recent fans/owners of our trucks....
Here we go:

I'M TALKING ABOUT TACOMA DODGE HERE....I don't know about other Dodge dealers but I'm betting they're all related. They only get my oil change business... It's the only repair shop that I've ever been in that won't give you a price on what they're going to be doing (and I know why they do that...it's to "balance out" the tech's time. They'd be under my truck for a minimum amount of time but they'd still charge me for an hour of "shop time" to make up where the tech took more time than he should have on some other job). I guess they've never heard of a shop rate manual as the service writers look at you like you swore at them should that be mentioned. I asked them once while in for the free oil change if they'd change the oil in the tranny, I'd gladly pay, of course. All that got was a "no we can't do that as the tranny guy isn't in today and he does all the fluid changes on all the trannys. So you'll need to make an appointment for that". I asked, "does the guy who's doing my service right now have 5W-30 or 5W-40 in his service bay"? "Oh, sure, we're setup right around here", I was assured. "And he can't pop the plug on my MANUAL tranny and refill it with 4.5 quarts either of those grades of oil WHILE HE'S UNDER IT....we gotta wait for the tranny guy, FOR THAT"??
Or the time I had em do a small electrical repair and they had the dash apart and I remembered the dash lights needed to be replaced. When I mentioned this, they told me that he didn't have enough time to do that now. But we'll be happy to make another appointment for you to get that done later on. I won't mention what was going through my mind right then but besides the occasional valve adjustment and free oil changes, they've NEVER worked on my truck and **** like this is EXACTLY why.... Fwiw. Chuck

 

I thought you had more important things to do, and didn't mind paying a dealer to do work??
Next time do it yourself, and you won't have to worry about whether or not they did or didn't do something the way you wanted.

 

My first gen. has never been back to the dealer or any dealer it just keeps running faithfully, except for this last month my IP said "no more please". this first gen Dodge has been by far the best truck I have ever had! I dont think my second gens. will fair as well.one can only hope!

 

We're all fairly mechanically minded here, so I'm sure you all can appreciate this story.

I Took my Grand Cherokee into the dealer once for some diagnostic work for repeated failed ignition coils. I actually did the leg-work on the diagnosing by finding a service bulliten detailing an updated "low resistance" coil (with part number) for this very problem. I printed the bulletin and took it with me and explained to the service manager that I know what the problem is and how to fix it, but that I couldn't access the part without them first "diagnosing" the syndrome. He called me that night and said they were having problems tracking the problem down and needed more time.

The next morning he called me and proceeded to explain that after much research, they found a service bulletin for something that sounded like the problem I was having. He said it would be ready that evening since the part had to come from Denver. Later that day at lunch I saw my Jeep going down the road over 10 miles from the dealer! (It's a very distinctive vehicle - 5" lift, custom bumpers, large tires.) When I picked it up I noticed it had over 50 miles on the odometer!

When I confronted the service manager, he off course denied everything, then proceeded to tell me that my suspension was shot and needed replaced. "Really?" I asked. "I just put new control arms on this lift kit 2 months ago! And how would you know it needs replaced if you didn't drive it?" "Well, we could tell by visual inspection of course." I haven't been back. And I now have over 150,000 miles on my "worn out" control arms. Dealers...sheesh.

 

OK.. I know its not a 1st gen.. but U'll get the idea....

Truck was 6months old.. (new)... and I had lost an exhaust bolt and spacer.. and there was a TSB to put locking tabs on the exhaust bolts... Cummins didn't have the spacer.. but had the bolt, so I bought the bolt.. (cut a piece of pipe.. put the bolt in..) Call the dealer, so they could order the spacer.. and have the parts for the TSB...
I get there.. they take my truck around back.. (I'm going to wait on it..) Well.. about 5 mins.. without my truck... and I walk around to where the Tech is working on my truck... he's having problems installing the locking tabs.. and trying to beat on them with a hammer.. after about the third time he hit the valve cover/ and the coolant line.. I mentioned something about loosing the line and moving it... (It was in the instructions for the TSB) he got that one on.. and continued to tighten my 13mm exhaust manifold bolts with a 14mm socket... He went to the exhaust bolt that had the piece of pipe on it.. and started to put the locking tab on it... I asked.. "do you have the new spacer they ordered???? " He left and came back with the spacer... He put the spacer on.. and I guess he had enough of me watching him work.. (try) on my truck... and turned to me and handed me the two wrenches and said "You fix it"... I was like HELL YEA!!!! (I really just wanted the free parts anyways..) I didn't get to work on it for more than 5mins.. but by the time the Service Manager, and Service Writer made it to me.. I was working on the last locking tab....
Everytime I wash my truck I get pi$$ed off when I see the foot print of the Tech's shoe on my front bumper where he was standing on it... Then he also wrote a big comment on the work order, about me "modifying the engine" where I had polished the intake horn.. and added the gauges... At that point I didn't care.. I've never been back to a dealer..

 

I whatched the dim whit at the allignment shop whack my fender a couple of times with a hammer while trying to replace the top king pin bushing on my front end. Paint was less than a month old. I was very impressed with them. Needless to say I will not be back. Jethrro

 

From the other side of the fence...If you have a good mechanic thank him. I my years of working as one I heard thank you or got tips 3 times.

I am still an ASE master tech (semi retired at 30). Heck, I even have a degree in automotive science with honors. I used to be a GM master tech, but after seeing so many other employees that treated customers vehicles like farm beaters I just couldn't take it any more. So I went to a Ford dealer in Missouri as a service advisor, 2 weeks after I started, I had to ,put an engine stop solenoid in a guys 6.9 diesel f250 hot, on the service drive, in dress clothes, because the guys in my shop didn't know what the ---- they were doing and didn't want to get the guy back on the road that night (he was pulling a big camper). So that night I threw in the towel and came back home to Nebraska and turned wrenches for 2 more years, until the day that my boss asked me to do something that could very well have been illegal. So, after a phone call to the state patrol to try to resolve the situation went nowhere, I loaded up my toolbox and headed home.

I help people fix cars and trucks in my spare time to save them from the dealers. I respect peoples property and time. So I can't work at car dealership anymore, I can't even look at one they're like whorehouses to me.

For the record what you might not know.

dealer technicians are paid on commission in most cases
they have to buy new tools constantly for big$ just to fix the new junk
they have to go to training classes for days at a time and miss out on good work
they only get 45% or so of the shop rate on the wall of the service drive
they get no commission on parts sales
they get only 1/2 the book time on warranty/recall jobs
book times were brought in by the feds to keep techs from doing what they do now

There is no excuse for those of you who were treated poorly and those who treated you this way should be ashamed.

Some of us did care, but lost our a-- doing so.

 

stillsmokin... Its good to hear of people like you trying to do right to others. one reason I have done all my own work is for that same reason you just stated. I have run across a few real good techs running there own shops. but at the dealerships I have always left with a bad taste in my mouth after words. Good honest mechanics need to get a thums up too now and then,

 

I feel fortunate I bought this truck AND vindicated by all those who said you're buying a WHAT?? A DODGE?? A GM man like yourself....a DODGE??? And now my uncle, my dad, my brother ALL have one! It's been the best truck I've ever owned of any trucks I have purchased in the past. It's kind of like the Maytag repairman....there's not much to do to em IF you take care of them along the way. Of course at 243+k miles I've replaced belts, brakes, an alternator, a water pump, oil, lube & filter #5 and on for the year, etc....all that kind of stuff. I CAN (and do) all that myself. Adjusting the valves or tearing apart the dash was a bit more than I wanted to bite off, having never seen either done before, but after I saw the dash tore down once, I relit the dash lights myself too....and even got it back together RIGHT . From a maintenence point of view and odds are that if you do the routine maintenence along the way, major problems will be rare, at least in my experience. Fwiw. Chuck

 

Let's just hope Dodge doesn't follow the other American Icon Harley Davidson and totally sell out to more overpriced crap. Jethrro

 

Well before I was treated for overvalve symdrom , I took my new to me 2002 ho 6speed 3500 to dodge dealer for oil and fuel filter change $235 the fuel filter was like $45 Then some wiser 1st gen gentlemen at the rv park said go to the Western Star dealership.... guinue fleetgraud $11 and they are factory cummins mechanics who love working on the little 5.9 because 3 of the 5 mechs drive 1st gen . Until I sold it I did all my own filter//fuild changes same with this ol girl my pt... if you need your valves adj or filters or parts find a LARGE truck dealer that uses cummins. oh for the days when a mech had the skill and mindset to locate/test the problem instead of throwing on new parts till they hit the right one

 

I had my new truck into the local dealer for a front suspension recall,
somehow it slipped on their hoist. They ended up replacing a fender
and fixing a door.

 

Not to jack the thread but, yes a former GM tech with a dodge diesel. I had a 92 6.5T mechanical (the only good one) a few years back. They were not as bad as some say. Went to the cummins for mileage, reliability, power upgrades, straight front axle and NP205 like the good GM trucks (pre 88) had before IFS came in.

 

i took my 93 to the local dodge dealer in 99 and the sobs droped her from about 7 feet up this was after thay tryed to tell me the puter was bad and the brake drums were shot was shot mind you itwas in for it cattn out on me
from time 2 time no brake problems after 3 days of no word a friend asked me what it did to my truck he worked in the parts department so i went up ther to look at her and could have shot therm so after the owner tryed to give me the run around and them a 1500 with a 5 speed i call my uncle to help me out so i tow her to a body shop costed 9000.00 to fix her i snuged the bolt to the puter and she ran fine took the to court and the judge granted me 13000.00 all togetherguess it helped my uncle was sleeping with her at the time oh and that friend of mine that worked there thay fired him for calling me

 

I really do not want to divert or hijack this topic but I just had to jump in with...

You know, I'm glad to have you post that reply....I have ALWAYS payed credit were it was due, mostly because I want the right to snarl about the bad one's too....if you don't give a guy credit for the good you can't whine about the bad....just my personal feelings on this one...

Oh, and lets not forget the 1st Genners who volunteer their time (pretty much always free), the vendors who really try to help and go out of their way to provide tech even if you didn't buy your "whatever" from them.
THOSE are the one's who really need to be recognized and used when you need parts...if you don't they'll be gone one day just like this member above .....then what will we do...??

pb....