New truck, a few issues, and....an outstanding CHRYSLER dealership experience?
09-21-12, 06:39 PM
#1
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
New truck, a few issues, and....an outstanding CHRYSLER dealership experience?
Well after putting 8500 miles on my truck on a road trip, then another 1,000 or so since I have been back, I have noticed a few issues and decided to get them taken care of. List of issues so far (none major except maybe the first one).
-Torque Converter noise. Sounded like a card in a bicycle wheel. It turns out the dealer says it was the thrust bearing on the converter.
-Torn weatherstripping (R/R cab) on the cab itself, but in the door opening:
-Torn rear seat cover...apparently the dog needs his nails trimmed or something.
The interior warranty by AutoQual covers this little oops. :shy: The new rear seat is on order.
-Paint issue, the paint appears to be bubbling on the right rear of my cab, right before my bed:
We are still unsure what exactly this is. It looks like a botched repaint, but other than this, the body shop techs can not find ANY evidence of a repaint or repair and there is always some. Steve Maddox, Service Manager for Tacoma Dodge said more than likely it is a defect in worksmanship from the factory, and a BAD one at that. I told him it seems to be getting worse and I wanted it taken care of. It was NOT there when I purchased the truck (I believe I would have seen something like this).
My experience from the get-go with these hiccups has been nothing short of...well...phenomenal. Tacoma Nissan/Ram/Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge has been simply a pleasure to work with. Their service director (Eric) emailed me to congratulate me on my purchase and to ask if there was anything he could do. I responded by politely explaining my 4 issues here, and he said:
"Bring it right in, right away and we will take care of everything. Ask for me when you come in, and if we do not have another Ram for you to drive, I will let you take my New Longhorn."
Turns out they did not have another Ram, and he did offer me his Longhorn...but not wanting to catch longhorn fever (remember what happened when I caught Hemi fever? ) I declined and thanked him for his offer, and he asked me if I cared what I was driving. I said anything but a Nissan Puke (Juke). He had a tech bring around a '13 Altima and asked if I was cool with it. I absolutely was. While it is not a Ram, it gets 40mpg so far on the highway. I am ok with that.
When I bring the loaner back, I do not have to fill it, wash it or anything, Eric said just bring it back as is and they will take care of it. In addition to this, they are throwing in a trans filter change free of charge, since they have to take the transmission apart anyway.
I got home to an email in my inbox reading:
Now that's SERVICE.
-Torque Converter noise. Sounded like a card in a bicycle wheel. It turns out the dealer says it was the thrust bearing on the converter.
-Torn weatherstripping (R/R cab) on the cab itself, but in the door opening:
-Torn rear seat cover...apparently the dog needs his nails trimmed or something.
The interior warranty by AutoQual covers this little oops. :shy: The new rear seat is on order.
-Paint issue, the paint appears to be bubbling on the right rear of my cab, right before my bed:
We are still unsure what exactly this is. It looks like a botched repaint, but other than this, the body shop techs can not find ANY evidence of a repaint or repair and there is always some. Steve Maddox, Service Manager for Tacoma Dodge said more than likely it is a defect in worksmanship from the factory, and a BAD one at that. I told him it seems to be getting worse and I wanted it taken care of. It was NOT there when I purchased the truck (I believe I would have seen something like this).
My experience from the get-go with these hiccups has been nothing short of...well...phenomenal. Tacoma Nissan/Ram/Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge has been simply a pleasure to work with. Their service director (Eric) emailed me to congratulate me on my purchase and to ask if there was anything he could do. I responded by politely explaining my 4 issues here, and he said:
"Bring it right in, right away and we will take care of everything. Ask for me when you come in, and if we do not have another Ram for you to drive, I will let you take my New Longhorn."
Turns out they did not have another Ram, and he did offer me his Longhorn...but not wanting to catch longhorn fever (remember what happened when I caught Hemi fever? ) I declined and thanked him for his offer, and he asked me if I cared what I was driving. I said anything but a Nissan Puke (Juke). He had a tech bring around a '13 Altima and asked if I was cool with it. I absolutely was. While it is not a Ram, it gets 40mpg so far on the highway. I am ok with that.
When I bring the loaner back, I do not have to fill it, wash it or anything, Eric said just bring it back as is and they will take care of it. In addition to this, they are throwing in a trans filter change free of charge, since they have to take the transmission apart anyway.
I got home to an email in my inbox reading:
Mr. _________,
Thank you so much for bringing the issues with your new Ram to our attention. We want you to know that we strive to sell the best vehicles to the best customers. I am absolutely appalled that there was a vehicle on our lot that was sold in anything less than perfect condition and especially at that price.
I just wanted to tell you that I am profoundly sorry for this inconvenience and would like to extend you one of the following coupons as a courtesy:
-$1,000 off any vehicle purchase up to $20,000;
-$2,500 off any vehicle purchase from $20,000-$30,000;
-$5,000 off any vehicle purchase of $30,000 or more;
Valid at any Chrysler Corporate Dealership or Franchise Dealership in the United States. This offer is also valid in addition to any and all other incentives/rebates you may receive. It doesn't have to be this dealer, this is a nationwide Chrysler Corporate Coupon that never expires. They should be arriving to you by mail. Simply present it at your next vehicle purchase. If this does not suit you, please respond to this email letting me know how we can make you happy.
As for your issues, I have personally checked on them. The parts are on order and you may keep the loaner car for as long as we have your Ram. If this loaner car at any time does not fit your needs, let us know and we will find you one that does, and all of your repairs will be done free of charge. If this problem is not fixed to your satisfaction after 3 attempts by us to rectify the situation, my dealership will buy it back for the full purchase price plus taxes and finance charges, and refund your down payment or apply it to a different vehicle on our lot should you so desire.
Remember, if there is anything at all that I or my staff can do to make your experience with us more pleasant, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Phil Bivens-Owner
Tacoma Nissan/Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram
Thank you so much for bringing the issues with your new Ram to our attention. We want you to know that we strive to sell the best vehicles to the best customers. I am absolutely appalled that there was a vehicle on our lot that was sold in anything less than perfect condition and especially at that price.
I just wanted to tell you that I am profoundly sorry for this inconvenience and would like to extend you one of the following coupons as a courtesy:
-$1,000 off any vehicle purchase up to $20,000;
-$2,500 off any vehicle purchase from $20,000-$30,000;
-$5,000 off any vehicle purchase of $30,000 or more;
Valid at any Chrysler Corporate Dealership or Franchise Dealership in the United States. This offer is also valid in addition to any and all other incentives/rebates you may receive. It doesn't have to be this dealer, this is a nationwide Chrysler Corporate Coupon that never expires. They should be arriving to you by mail. Simply present it at your next vehicle purchase. If this does not suit you, please respond to this email letting me know how we can make you happy.
As for your issues, I have personally checked on them. The parts are on order and you may keep the loaner car for as long as we have your Ram. If this loaner car at any time does not fit your needs, let us know and we will find you one that does, and all of your repairs will be done free of charge. If this problem is not fixed to your satisfaction after 3 attempts by us to rectify the situation, my dealership will buy it back for the full purchase price plus taxes and finance charges, and refund your down payment or apply it to a different vehicle on our lot should you so desire.
Remember, if there is anything at all that I or my staff can do to make your experience with us more pleasant, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Phil Bivens-Owner
Tacoma Nissan/Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram
Now that's SERVICE.
Last edited by ArmyofOne; 09-24-12 at 11:38 AM.
09-21-12, 09:38 PM
#3
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
Truck has been reliable. Both of them have actually. The noise was purely a noise issue. There are people on the ram forum with 70,000 miles that still have the noise it poses no threat to the function of the truck.
The weatherstripping and seat were my fault. And the paint, well i can't explain that LOL.
All in all, I am impressed enough with the Ram 1500 to have owned one and now purchased another. They are as good/better than any other full size pickup on the american market today. Even the ford's are having their issues.
The weatherstripping and seat were my fault. And the paint, well i can't explain that LOL.
All in all, I am impressed enough with the Ram 1500 to have owned one and now purchased another. They are as good/better than any other full size pickup on the american market today. Even the ford's are having their issues.
09-22-12, 01:21 AM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Good god, that is one heck of a nice dealer. I was going to say that is straight out of the Lexus page, but it's actually even better.
Sucks about the paint though. I'd be pretty pissed. Once they repaint part of a body, it's never the same in my opinion. Something at the seam always starts peeling over the years.
Sucks about the paint though. I'd be pretty pissed. Once they repaint part of a body, it's never the same in my opinion. Something at the seam always starts peeling over the years.
09-22-12, 06:30 AM
#5
Lexus Champion
but as for the paint, the most they can do is re-paint so...better than leaving as-is.
09-22-12, 08:52 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Sounds like you're getting the royal treatment, Josh. Do they know you are military, and the job you've done (assuming that is not the place you actually bought it)? A lot of dealerships nowadays are bending over backwards to make it easy for GIs....rightly so, IMO.
Hope your truck gets fixed correctly also Josh.
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09-22-12, 10:14 PM
#9
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
mike, this is the same dealer i bought the truck at, yes. They know i am army. they called me today and are working on the paint monday and the mechanical stuff tuesday. should be ready tuesday evening.
09-23-12, 05:48 AM
#11
Out of Warranty
When I bought my original '67 Mustang, it came with a feature not on the factory options list. A bullet hole. My neighbor noticed it at the bottom of the driver's door, about a 30-cal hole that was hidden by the crease of the "air scoop" and the dark green paint. I phoned the dealer and they went through their records, and sure enough, the damage had been reported when it was unloaded off the rail car and put on the transporter to be hauled to the dealership.
They told me to go ahead and enjoy it for a few days and they'd find another identical car in the inventory. About three days later they called, my "new" car was ready, this time carefully inspected, polished and ready to go with a full tank of gas. We traded cars later that evening, and I would drive it for five years (less a couple of overseas deployments), from duty stations on both coasts and points in between. I even kept it after purchasing my Opel, turning it over to my Dad who had always admired it.
Too bad that Ford's dealer network was so inconsistent that it was the major reason I had to buy another car. Unlike the dealership where I purchased the car, practically all other Ford shops were either incompetent or uncaring, creating a situation with a brake job that after 11 attempts to repair a problem, I gave up. I was losing brake fluid like a cylinder had been disconnected, so after four or five stops the pedal went to the floor and I had to stop with the handbrake. 11 trips back to the shop for new master cylinders (that they insisted was the problem) failed to fix the issue.
The TV station I worked for had a "deal" with a local brake franchise, and when I took the car to them, it took only about 20 minutes to discover that the monkey who'd serviced the brakes the FIRST time over at the Ford place had "wobbled" the hone in a rear wheel cylinder . . . whose bore was now resembled an hourglass. Every time you stepped on the brake, the piston rubbers floated free of the cylinder at the bottom of the stroke, and brake fluid poured out. A replacement cylinder and a top-off of fluid and I was on my way. Ford couldn't find that in nearly 60 days, most of which the car got less than a block from the dealer's shop before the brakes failed again.
Trust me, riding a dirt bike to work in the dead of winter in the Texas Panhandle is no fun. Especially at 4am in the snow. While Ford makes a good product, it's that level of service that kept me out of them ever since. Well except for the fleet car that tried to kill me, but that's another story.
They told me to go ahead and enjoy it for a few days and they'd find another identical car in the inventory. About three days later they called, my "new" car was ready, this time carefully inspected, polished and ready to go with a full tank of gas. We traded cars later that evening, and I would drive it for five years (less a couple of overseas deployments), from duty stations on both coasts and points in between. I even kept it after purchasing my Opel, turning it over to my Dad who had always admired it.
Too bad that Ford's dealer network was so inconsistent that it was the major reason I had to buy another car. Unlike the dealership where I purchased the car, practically all other Ford shops were either incompetent or uncaring, creating a situation with a brake job that after 11 attempts to repair a problem, I gave up. I was losing brake fluid like a cylinder had been disconnected, so after four or five stops the pedal went to the floor and I had to stop with the handbrake. 11 trips back to the shop for new master cylinders (that they insisted was the problem) failed to fix the issue.
The TV station I worked for had a "deal" with a local brake franchise, and when I took the car to them, it took only about 20 minutes to discover that the monkey who'd serviced the brakes the FIRST time over at the Ford place had "wobbled" the hone in a rear wheel cylinder . . . whose bore was now resembled an hourglass. Every time you stepped on the brake, the piston rubbers floated free of the cylinder at the bottom of the stroke, and brake fluid poured out. A replacement cylinder and a top-off of fluid and I was on my way. Ford couldn't find that in nearly 60 days, most of which the car got less than a block from the dealer's shop before the brakes failed again.
Trust me, riding a dirt bike to work in the dead of winter in the Texas Panhandle is no fun. Especially at 4am in the snow. While Ford makes a good product, it's that level of service that kept me out of them ever since. Well except for the fleet car that tried to kill me, but that's another story.
09-23-12, 08:21 AM
#12
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
The called me yesterday and pulled the transport company's records...apparently the tie downs came loose while it was on the hauler, and it shifted sideways into a support post for the upper deck. Nice. 
They should have pulled that history before I bought it, but like I said the truck was flawless until I took my trip. They are fixing it anyway so it matters not to me really.
They should have pulled that history before I bought it, but like I said the truck was flawless until I took my trip. They are fixing it anyway so it matters not to me really.
09-23-12, 11:04 AM
#13
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
Wow...more news.
Chrysler Regional VP drove 45 miles from Seattle on a sunday morning to look at my truck before the body shop gets hold of it.
He wants the bed, bumpers, hood, fenders, chrome trim, glass and lights removed and the truck stripped and completely repainted.
He called me personally said the truck was part of a small batch of 10 trucks whose paint job was bad from the factory. In several places that he saw on different panels (I didn't see them, but I can go with it), the base coat had begun lifting from the primer. He asked if it was OK with me if their body shop repaints my truck. (DUH 
) 4 weeks to do a color change at a cost for only paint, 1 to re-paint in Brilliant Black Metallic Pearl (factory original). Time difference is due to how much they have to paint to match (under carpet, inside engine bay, etc) if they change color. He wants it done right so all the removal and reinstallation of all components will take place either way. Its getting a complete repaint so they aren't just doing spot repairs and blending all over the truck. I asked if they could smooth out any dings when they do it and he said they will.
I told him to keep it factory and do whatever he feels necessary. Unbelievable customer service.
Chrysler Regional VP drove 45 miles from Seattle on a sunday morning to look at my truck before the body shop gets hold of it.
He wants the bed, bumpers, hood, fenders, chrome trim, glass and lights removed and the truck stripped and completely repainted.
He called me personally said the truck was part of a small batch of 10 trucks whose paint job was bad from the factory. In several places that he saw on different panels (I didn't see them, but I can go with it), the base coat had begun lifting from the primer. He asked if it was OK with me if their body shop repaints my truck. (DUH ) 4 weeks to do a color change at a cost for only paint, 1 to re-paint in Brilliant Black Metallic Pearl (factory original). Time difference is due to how much they have to paint to match (under carpet, inside engine bay, etc) if they change color. He wants it done right so all the removal and reinstallation of all components will take place either way. Its getting a complete repaint so they aren't just doing spot repairs and blending all over the truck. I asked if they could smooth out any dings when they do it and he said they will.I told him to keep it factory and do whatever he feels necessary. Unbelievable customer service.
Last edited by ArmyofOne; 09-23-12 at 11:08 AM.
09-23-12, 07:27 PM
#15
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
Meh, I am not. Its a dealer owned body shop, ultimately the only thing they are out is the time it takes and the techs wages. Putting me in a new one might net them more cash though. It's whatever to me. The order from corporate calls for a repaint, a repaint she gets. Don't bother me none.