2004 SO 235 CARB in MA / Mass. not 600... Help!

I purchased a 04 Ram 2500 Laramie H, quad cab 4x4 in MA in August. I specifically asked for the Cummins 600. I was looking at three trucks all 04 4x4 quads, all Laramies and all black. I was told that they all had the same engine/trans. config. and that only one engine was avail. in MA for 04 and it was the 600 as advertised and hyped in the Dodge ram truck brochure printed 12/03 provided by my dealer prior to making the purchase. I discovered four days later that the truck that I purchased was not a 325hp/600 but, was instead a 235 CARB Cummins... I literally thought that the sticker was a mistake. I only traded in my 03 gaser at a $5k loss to get the Cummins 600. I contacted the dealer, who stuck with their story, claiming to know nothing of this second Cummins engine option. The 04 CARB is a 24 valve inline six that on the outside looks identical to the 600. I was and am very disappointed. As the dealer would not do a thing and as Daimler Chrysler would only differ to the dealer. I sought legal council. BTW My truck was produced 12/03.

In my case this was clearly a misleading and deceptive practice and in violation of MA Law 93A, sec. 9. I'd love to hear other stories like this, our legal position would be much stronger if we were to band together against the big bad dealers and Dodge who seems to be claiming no responsibility for their misrepresenting the 04 diesel option as only the 600 in their brochure which was made the same month as my truck... We were misled and thus far I feel powerless even with council at $275 an hour... Which I really can't afford. I just want this made right. In my case this was a $41K+ purchase. I felt that I was being careful and I was taken. I believed that I was buying the ultimate truck and one that I would have for years and years and although this may still be a great truck. It is not the 600, which I asked for and was let to believe that I was getting. Please help.

 

****...that sucks....wish i could help but i MADE sure it was the 600 and looked on the motor myself and didnt take the dealers word for jack squat!

what do you mean by 235? hp??
what do you mean by CARB??what does that stand for?

 

235 hp is the S.O. CA emission compliant ver. sold only in CA, MA, NY, and NH prior to the 50 state compliant 600.

CARB- California Air Resource Board.

Thanks for the note.

 

holy crap!! time to move!! so wouldnt this be true as this is the only truck you can get in MA if that is the restriction?

 

I have been to numerous dealers recently looking for a CTD for my sister, they all had both '04s, with the 235HP motor, and '04s, though you could call it a '04.5 with the 325HP motor. They all acted confused and stupified when I asked if they would sell the '04s with the 235HP motor cheaper, my sister does not care she wants it to tow horses and drive to the barn.
I think your only issue is the dealer told you it was a 325HP and it is not, chances are the sales person who told you did not even know there was a new more powerfull motor available. It is not Dodge's fault for changeing mid year, to them there is no difference between the trucks from a marketing or incentive perspective, we are in one of the lame states with the enhanced emmisions, every other state for the most part was selling HOs and the new motor was not that much of an inprovement. I would go after the dealer but I doubt it will work out for you, easy to say now but you should have checked the engine data plate when you bought it, around here 9 out out of 10 diesels they sell the customer has no idea about the new motor, and sadly most of the sales team has no idea either. What dealer was it by the way?

 

Was the window sticker on the truck when you purchased it? mine wasnt thats the reason i ask. If the window sticker wasn't on the truck and the dealer still told you it was the 600, that might give you enough ground to stand on, no body else would know to look at the data plate on the engine... most people probably dont even know its there... just my .02

 

The dealer's job is to know, they are the experts and they are selling $40k+ merchandise... I specifically asked for the 600 on at least 5 occasions. Their not knowing is no excuse. In the only 04 Dodge Ram brochure given to me and printed the same month my truck was made 12/03 it shows the only diesel option to be the 600. Infact two pages near the center are devoted to a gigantic picture of the 600 and a caption touting its features and advantages. I spent 4.5 months in and out of the dealer, calling, etc. prior to purchasing. Prior to the 600 the only avail. engine in ma was a CARB w/ significantly less hp. I did not purchase one of these because, I did not want one. For $40k I should get what I want and what I am led to believe that I am getting. I will not mention the dealer's name publicly. But, I can say that of the three people that I spoke with only one was a Jr. Salesman. I principaly dealt with a Sales/Finance Mgr. who has been with that same dealer for over 13 years. Incompetence on at least the dealer level and misleading advertising produced and distributed by the manufacturer seem to be at the center of what you refer to as confusion, which led to me being defrauded. My being the one of the 10 customers who does know the difference between a 235hp CARB Cummins and a 600 should not be appealed to as justification for me being cheated. It seems as though you are arguing that perhaps my expectations should be more in line with the other 90% of the population-- then problem solved as cheated customer surrenders to apathy and a peaceful sedated droul. Do you own a dodge dealership?

Furthermore, when the other 90% of the MA dodge diesel buying population catches up with me and realizes the difference, they too will want to discount my used vehicle for not having a 600. This is exactly what you are doing while shopping for your sister.

 

Window stickers here both say 2004 and both say simply 5.9 l. inline six cummins. Besides if there is only one engine as both the dealer and the brochure stated. As long as it did not say Hemi, It would be safe to assume Cummins 600...

 

all the window stickers that have the 600 say cummins 600 or somthing like that, i am in no mean saying you are not going to win, im standing behind you, i would do the exact same thing if it were me, when i bought my truck i thought it was the HO but found out after i signed the papers it was a SO, i could of still had time to say rip up the papers but i wanted my truck. i think you are taking this in the right way and hope you get out of it with the truck you want, good luck and keep us posted

 

Where is the data plate?

 

drivers side on the valve cover, its a white label

 

I am not saying it was your fault and I am surely not sticking up for the dealership in anyway, but come on we are talking car dealers here. I also agree you got a raw deal. The two possiblities are they knew about the new 600 and intentionally lied to you, or they did not know and assumed when you said new motor or 600 they assumed you meant the motor that came out in the 3rd gens, either scenareo is possible.
I actually went through a similar thing when I bought my truck as they had both trucks with the 47RE and trucks with the 48RE on the lot, I wanted a 48RE, luckily it was clearly printed on the sticker "48RE" as the dealers had no idea what I was talking about, 48 what??
As for worried about my truck being worth less due to the 235HP motor? I have little faith in the other 90% figuring out there was ever more than one diesel motor available in my truck.

 

Really, I need a killer Lawyer who will work on Contingency. i know that I am not the only one in MA whs has this problem. I just can't lye down.

 

this prompted me to look at my window sticker and indeed it does say "Cummins turbo diesel engine 600" but already new since i looked on the engine before purchase.

sounds like you have a good case and you are definitely strumming up some controversy and hopefully others will come out and join the fight.

 

Man what kick in groin that's gotta suck you should ask permission from jack thorpe to post dealer's name on a post just so everyone knows how they do business I don't know what the rules are to this maybe at least a location city and state