OK, it's official...

[HHhuntitall]

There are two solutions. A conversion to solid flywheel. SouthBend Clutch is a respected supplier. Or an automatic transmission.

You're missing option 3..... Keep rebuilding the crate your skidding on!! I keep hoping more and more people will quit buying new, and keep rebuilding oldies. It almost happened, but the brown-bleeding, non-beating, dead-beat, cold-hearted morons in office bailed Chrysler out. Bankruptcy would have been a good thing, I think. Whoever bought the respective branches, say Ram, for example, would have been more likely to build a better product than what we're getting now so they could stay in business. Somebody said we need a system in place for when a business like Chrysler goes under. We do, it's called bankruptcy court!! Hello?!?! Anyone home? #@$%! Now we have a business with no accountability, an arguably regressing product with an inflated price, and customer service the Devil would be proud of... . And we're the morons that either didn't vote, or didn't get enough of "our own" out there TO vote, and now we're paying the price. Flashbacks, anyone? Any of this sound familiar from the late '70s? Lee Iacocca, where are you? :{



The DMF flywheel is an obvious disaster, but it's just the tip of what's going on with the automotive industry. Ford learned miserably about DMFs in the '90s. Dodge suffered from lack of forsight and planning for over 10 years(Where have all the 4 door Dodges gone?)!! Emission controls, poorly built gas engines, electronic ignition computers, and shoddy fuel pushed many of us away from gas engines in the '80s. Now it's all playing itself over again for diesel engines!! Pttttttttttttt:{P

 

[HBarlow]

@ HBarlow: My truck (the subject of this thread) has 21k miles, and is still under factory warranty. The dealer FAILED to properly diagnose a problem, and as such I am now out of pocket almost $2000. 00 for a repair that should have been covered under warranty. Is that "caveat emptor", or is it something else? Should I have known that Dodge would renege on their promise to warranty the truck? Should I have just ASSUMED the truck would break and not be covered? Is that what you're suggesting? Yes the dual-mass flywheels are a problem, but as a consumer paying alot of money for a new truck, sometimes you assume the dealer will cover the warranty as they should. In my case Dodge told me at least a half a dozen times that slippage can "ONLY be caused by a worn clutch friction disc", and therefore wasn't covered under warranty. The slippage was in fact NOT the disc, but a failed flywheel which is STILL under warranty. Should that be my fault under "let the buyer beware", or should Dodge cover a CLEARLY warrantied part?

Your own posts suggest it is very unlikely that "DODGE", the manufacturer, ever heard of your truck. You were dealing with incompetent members of a local dealer service department. I don't buy trucks or obtain service from the closest Dodge dealer in my area because I don't have confidence in them. I consider it better to travel farther and buy where I have confidence. I also took my truck across the state to let Mike Mullenax perform a reflash.

You could have, should have taken your truck to another dealer or made a sincere attempt to have a calm conversation with a Dodge service rep. If the Dodge rep knew it was the DMF he may have authorized replacement.

But as I have said repeatedly, if Dodge had known of the problem and covered it under warranty you would have only gained another year and another 20k miles. The problem is the DMF.

Lots of Dodge buyers want a manual transmission. The only currently available clutch and flywheel system available for those who prefer a manual transmission is the lousy DMF. It is a known failure.

I'm not criticizing you or your choices, I just think it is unwise for several reasons to get involved in class action lawsuits with slimy ambulance chasing lawyers. In your case suing Dodge would probably get you nowhere. Your issue is with the dealer.

I also liked (past tense) the manual transmission Dodges. I had an '01 with NV-5600 which gave good service. I strongly preferred the six speed manual when the only alternative was the crude and inefficient old 47/48RE. When I was studying new Dodges in late '05 in preparation for ordering an '06 my initial preference was for a manual transmission '06. When I began studying I think it was my friend and fellow TDR member who had been around trucks for his entire career who told me about the DMF. I ordered an '06 48RE which was okay because it was integrated with the ECM and utilized a Jacobs Exhaust Brake.

When I wanted an '08 the new MOPAR 68RFEs were already out and the C&C offered an Aisin. It was a very easy decision. I really appreciate the Aisin six speed automatic.

My advice to anyone buying a new Ram is to avoid the DMF. The automatics are great now and are proving to be essentially troublefree.

 

[AClayton]

Very good post HB, however, the op is not looking to get his DMF replaced. That was his original interest and TDR pursuaded him to just go to Southbend... ... which he did! I think he is looking for a reimbursement of the warranty part that failed from Dodge. Although I don't even think that will happen, even though it probably should... ... . IMHO!



Lawsuits just put more money into the Lawyers pockets! Dodge - like any other huge Company - is just waiting for these lawsuits and will delay and push-out dates and make you miserable ... ... ... hoping you'll either give up or eventually forget while you even filed in the 1st place.



Alan

 

[TCDiesel]

Lawsuit... ... . Simple claims will suffice, Screaming at the Dealer or Dodge is just a waste of TIME 20 minutes at the county court Hose (I mean House) and $40. 00 to $80. 00 filing fee and 20 more minutes with the secretary of State to find the Legal names Dealer/Chrysler and Legal addresses,$10. 00 certified mail to all Parties and Your DONE. Back In 2004 Blaine Dodge performed the TSB for corroded PCM Pins according to the TSB Blaine Dodge Installed the rubber washers,In 2007 the Pins corroded and Failed, This required Me to Purchase a New Wiring Harness $650 New PCM $473 (retail) and 4hrs labor to Install,Chrysler Decline to cover it,The TSB in 2004 did not correct the problem and led to stated failure,I had to legally file against, the dealer and Chrysler, Chrysler Paid the entire Bill by Check Plus the filing fee's. The Dealer and Chrysler will only pay when they start to feel the effects of the decisions they Make. I have represented Many clients as there appraiser in Both My Auto and Construction Businesses. This is a simple process that Most States have. USE THIS SYSTEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, CHRYSLER WILL HAVE TO BE REPRESENTED BY THE DEALER AND (POA) THIS WILL COST $$$,IF YOU WIN AND THEY APPEAL IT WILL JUST COST MORE $$$. Too many people watching the TV commercials and Judge Judy or whoever. The last time I was in court the Judge kindly asked "Please don't act like the TV courts shows" it amazes Me how People think every time problems develop you need a herd to find some loser Lawyer to file a "Lawsuit"

 

[rscurtis]

One thing to keep in mind about the DMF is that it is not used to save manufacturing cost, but to reduce NVH. Society today (many TDR members excluded) want pickups that drive, sound like, and feel like luxury cars- hence the DMF to dampen driveline noise. Drive a first generation with the Getrag transmission and you'll see how much progress has been made.



Personally, I think some of this has gone a little too far in an attempt to disguise what you're really driving. IMO, Ram should offer a true HD clutch option to those who want it, something similar or identical to what SBC supplies in the aftermarket.

 

[BHiggins]

My problem I have with Dodge is that I was NEVER TOLD the problem might be the flywheel. I went to the dealer thinking it was the clutch, and the service rep reinforced that assumption. If they had said "it's probably the clutch, but it MIGHT be the flywheel", I would have left the truck with them to do the work. I was never given that option. I knew about DMF failures, but did not know those failures could behave EXACTLY like a slipping clutch... The dealer SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. This was their mistake, and I'm paying for it. As I said, I'm not unreasonable, I don't expect Dodge to pick up the entire $2k bill. All I'm asking is that they warranty a broken part that's STILL under warranty... Purely HYPOTHETICAL situation here: You tow your truck into the dealer because it won't start and it's still under warranty. The dealer tells you you got bad fuel and the warranty won't cover it. You bring the truck to an independent mechanic because you don't want to pay the high dealership repair prices. In the end, it ends up being a bad injection pump and there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with the fuel. The dealer misdiagnosed a problem that was CLEARLY still under warranty. Should you have to "eat" the repair bill, or should the dealer pay?

 

[Wingate]

Purely HYPOTHETICAL situation here: You tow your truck into the dealer because it won't start and it's still under warranty. The dealer tells you you got bad fuel and the warranty won't cover it. You bring the truck to an independent mechanic because you don't want to pay the high dealership repair prices. In the end, it ends up being a bad injection pump and there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with the fuel. The dealer misdiagnosed a problem that was CLEARLY still under warranty. Should you have to "eat" the repair bill, or should the dealer pay?

Unfortunately, thats the rub. . Dodge uses the dealership network to buffer themselves from the consumer. Some warrantable issues are clear as mud as far as whats covered and what isn't. Some dealers know how to do warranty work and get paid for it, others don't, some dealers bill the customer AND Dodge for the same repair!!. Its NOT just Dodge, more and more companies are that way.

In your hypothetical situation you end up with your truck fixed, but you get the truck back along with the bill... . You're mad at Dodge, but you get the truck back.

You go to Dodge looking for some sort of admission that they didn't really handle the situation right and you would like to be re-imbursed for the parts cost and are willing to eat the labor... . only to have some idiot that didn't know what they were talking about to begin with look you straight in the eye and say... " Well Mr. Smith, this is a very unfortunate situation, IF you had allowed us to do the repair we would have found (once we were able to disassemble the fuel system) that it wasn't a fuel quality relate issue and we would have been able to repair the fuel system for you under factory warranty. But consiquently, we will not be able to reimburse you for this repar due to it not being performed by us. Please give us the opportunity to serve you in the future. " Everybody translates that differently, but when it was tried on me, I translated it as " this person is the person that tried to give me the shaft, and since I didn't allow them to rob me blind, now they aren't going to do their jobs!!

Now, with all that being said, if, in the hypothetical situation you offered, you had let the dealer do the work... . The dealer would have never LOOKED for the real cause of failure, and if they stumbled onto it, you would have STILL paid the entire bill. .

I have just decided that barring a catostrophic engine failure, my truck never had a warranty... Although I bought it brand new. That way I don't get angry and never have to look at the dealership again. .

 

[Kilroy]

Just checked out this thread. Wondering how your doing? I was going to suggest the same thing as below. Sue in small claims court, or simple claims, whatever. It's not expensive, you can do it yourself. Look at it as fun. Just be sure to only present facts as well as you can prove or remember them. A written journal is important. So would bringing in your old parts to court. You could use pictures, but the real thing is much more impressive. You already went through all the work and phone calls. I bet you do get a settlement before going to court. The cost for attorney's is much more than what you are asking for.

Lawsuit... ... . Simple claims will suffice, Screaming at the Dealer or Dodge is just a waste of TIME 20 minutes at the county court Hose (I mean House) and $40. 00 to $80. 00 filing fee and 20 more minutes with the secretary of State to find the Legal names Dealer/Chrysler and Legal addresses,$10. 00 certified mail to all Parties and Your DONE. Back In 2004 Blaine Dodge performed the TSB for corroded PCM Pins according to the TSB Blaine Dodge Installed the rubber washers,In 2007 the Pins corroded and Failed, This required Me to Purchase a New Wiring Harness $650 New PCM $473 (retail) and 4hrs labor to Install,Chrysler Decline to cover it,The TSB in 2004 did not correct the problem and led to stated failure,I had to legally file against, the dealer and Chrysler, Chrysler Paid the entire Bill by Check Plus the filing fee's. The Dealer and Chrysler will only pay when they start to feel the effects of the decisions they Make. I have represented Many clients as there appraiser in Both My Auto and Construction Businesses. This is a simple process that Most States have. USE THIS SYSTEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, CHRYSLER WILL HAVE TO BE REPRESENTED BY THE DEALER AND (POA) THIS WILL COST $$$,IF YOU WIN AND THEY APPEAL IT WILL JUST COST MORE $$$. Too many people watching the TV commercials and Judge Judy or whoever. The last time I was in court the Judge kindly asked "Please don't act like the TV courts shows" it amazes Me how People think every time problems develop you need a herd to find some loser Lawyer to file a "Lawsuit"