edge insight and my dealership

[MullenaxM]

Bob 4x4 MullenaxM and Mike

Thanks for the 20911 version of dealership relations with the company's. Training helps everyone from the tech to the customer and especially the service super. Chrysler has an 800 number that a tech can call at anytime (past, not sure now) that is staffed by senior tech's and engineers who if they don't know the answer know where to look and who to ask. They also have "experts" who can if requested by the dealer, solve the really tough 1's.

We still have a "800" phone number we can call, But you can't call it unless you are a level 4 technician. We have moved most of our contact with the STAR Center to a Computer On-Line based inquiry.



Mike

 

[MullenaxM]

WOW!!!!

Thanks for the insight Mike.

Guess I kinda' understand the dealer's position in this economy.

Thanks, Now go stand on the corner. :-laf:-laf:-laf

 

[gtoli]

Thanks, Now go stand on the corner. :-laf:-laf:-laf

I just stay in the corner so I'm ready when I get in trouble with the wife, which is most of the time.

 

[KLauber]

We still have a "800" phone number we can call, But you can't call it unless you are a level 4 technician. We have moved most of our contact with the STAR Center to a Computer On-Line based inquiry.



Mike

Mike,



Back in May of this year I went into the shop to have the tech show me the easy way to change the fuel filter. WHile there, I remarked on the efficacy of the latest flash and he agreed that they were no longer just yanking parts and replacing them, they were now expected to 'diagnose' problems. He showed me his laptop and the interface he used to ask questions and get answers. It wont' be long before they wave a tricorder at the engine for finding faults!



Ken

 

[MullenaxM]

I just stay in the corner so I'm ready when I get in trouble with the wife, which is most of the time.

Sorry, That was my attempt at dry Humor. I was actually making a joke about where you are from, Winslow AZ. From the "Eagles" song "Take It Easy":





"I was Standing On the corner in Winslow Arizona

Such a fine site to see

A girl my lord in a flat bed Ford

Slow'in down to take a look at me!"



Mike

 

[MullenaxM]

I just stay in the corner so I'm ready when I get in trouble with the wife, which is most of the time.

Nice "Come back"!!!



Mike

 

[LBARTLETT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LBARTLETT

you hit the nail on the head Harvey, unless there is a Chrysler bulletin they ususally know nothing of the problem



when I drove new early year 2nd gen 4X4's I knew much more about the front end steering problems than the dealership, they would have customers call me to tell them how to get Luke's link, steering stabilizer's, etc. that would help fix the sloppy steering



my knowledge all came from the TDR

I find your statement offensive and if all your knowledge came from tdr a bit narrow

I really didn't mean to offend anyone and certainly have better things to do than to get into a pi$$ing contest however, all of my experiences have to do with a 5-star Dodge dealership in Kansas which was owned by my ex-father-in-law and brother-in-law



I owned the 1st CTD sold in SW kansas, all of my 1st gens were 3/4 tons except my final which was a 2-wheel drive dually. where did I find the information that the front wheels needed to be mounted and centered using 2 cone lug nuts to center the wheel before using the flat lug nuts to hold the wheel to the hub, not at the 5-star dealership but on TDR! later there was a service bulletin regarding this



all 2nd gens 4x4's (i have owned a total of 8) especially in the early years of 94-95-96 were plagued with steering problems that wasn't even acknowledged by Dodge, if memory serves me correct a Dodge service bulletin on the issue was not available until 95 or 96 and then it referred to replacing the track bar and finally the steering box



where did I learn about Luke's Link, a DSS (before it was called a DSS) that some guy developed in Canada, a borgeson steering shaft, aftermarket track bars, steering dampers, rehead steering boxes, etc. etc.



not from a 5-star dealership or Dodge but from TDR



Dodge has never made the parts to fix 2nd gen steering issues and the forums or a trip to the dealership will show after the trips the problems are still prevelant



if Dodge ever issued a service bulletin to really fix the 2nd gen 4x4 steering issue other than replacing OEM parts I would like to see that bulletin, we all know the only true fixes are a mixture of aftermarket parts to compensate for the faulty engineering and that the true fix for the steering issues will vary from vehicle to vehicle, Dodge never came up with a fix!



as I discovered aftermarket parts that would help with the steering issues on my various trucks the service manager after looking at the parts would ask for the product infomation and the website to make the information available to other customers with similar problems, he'd also give some of them my number and I was happy to visit with them about what I had done to my truck



that information was then supplied to the owner by the service manager, not Dodge



I never had an issue with a dealership or a tech, they could only do what Dodge told them to do and that was to replace faulty designed OEM parts with faulty designed OEM parts, I do have an issue that Dodge never issued service bulletins on how to truly fix the problem(s). If I had all of the 2nd gen OEM track bars that have been replaced by Dodge and sell them for scrap I could retire, I wonder how big that mountain of useless steel would be



I presently have my 06' 5. 9. Where did I learn about the need to tighten the injector lines so that they don't chatter and vibrate until they split, not from the Dodge but from TDR



I'm sure if I could talk to a tech he would have shared with me that I needed to tighten them. The problem is I don't bother techs to find out what needs done, where the problem areas are in my truck; they are busy making a living to feed their families and they don't need me bothering them



to me there is a great divide between Dodge and the techs on the line, techs (unless they get on the forums) only have the opportunity to see the trucks they work on and the service bulletins from Dodge, in the case of the 2nd gen steering problems as true fixes were found did Dodge ever retrain techs on how to fix the problems with aftermarket parts that would work? to my knowledge no



the forums, due to the large membership involve many more trucks, problems in a defined period of time are much greater on than forums than the same problem seen by a single dealership, that is certainly not the fault of any tech in diagnosing a problem, it is just a factor of math, the forums draw from a larger pool of vehicles



in closing, I certainly don't blame any tech for not wanting to spend his private time at night viewing forums for helpful information, when I'm done with my workday the last thing I want to do is read more about my job at night, that's the time for me to get on the forums to learn, working on CTD's is certainly not what I do all day



I'm positive alot of the good information I find on TDR comes from techs who are on the front line and choose to share what they see with the forum membership. for that I am truly grateful