04-06 owners. How was your truck?

[Prairie Dog]

So Eric, other than those minor annoyances the trucks been perfect rite?:-laf

 

[Andres]

Nitpicking if you ask me.

 

[jjdiesel]

Routine maintenance? Glad you have a good sense of humor about it!

 

[ENafziger]

So Eric, other than those minor annoyances the trucks been perfect rite?:-laf<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Nitpicking if you ask me. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Routine maintenance? Glad you have a good sense of humor about it! <!-- google_ad_section_end --> <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

All in good fun! Yup, love the truck, and will probably keep it forever

 

[AMink]

I have an 06 Mega 4x4 with almost 80K on it. Broken blend door, a/c is subpar, the multifunction stalk/turn signals act up occasionally, and the tach is screwed up. The whole panel needs to be replaced so I don't worry about it. The front end is feeling a little loose and I am guessing ball joints are in the near future. Otherwise, love the truck. Oh, and the driver seat sucks. Just put in new factory foam with the carpet under it so it is better. I do more than my fair share of dirt road driving and I tow several thousand miles per year with a 30' TT, quad and dirt bike in bed.

 

[prmizeski]

Blend door broke @ 30,000, governor pressure solenoid twice 30,000 and 63,000, ball joints loose at 45,000 replaced with xrf at 70,000, front pinion seal. Cummins is fantastic the rest of the truck--- typical dodge junk, sorry "RAM" junk. Hey and 15. 8 mpg --- and . 30 cents more a gallon for diesel over gas--- you do the math ----never again!

 

[RKerner]

"How was it?" Still got it with 127K. have had all the usual replacements;

front u-joints once, rear ujoints three times, one rear shaft

coupla 6 injectors (musta been a Monday injector engine)

ps pump (2)

needs a master cyl/hydro unit (pedal sticks down when backing up a trailer)

still on same original lift pump

going on a 4th set of tires

original transmission

run lots of Amsoil trans, xfer case, and diff lubes

I tow 30% of the time and avoided over $3500 in fuel costs compared to my former gasser pickup over 100,000 miles.

 

[RAton]

95,000 miles and I have enjoyed my 06 megacab for all of it. Had to do front end work @ about 80,000 miles, beefed everything up that I could and has been fine since. Ball Joints still original. I tow a 32' TT and truck does great.

 

[JMarketos]

I have an 05, purchased new, see sig.
Admittedly, mine has unusually low odometer for 05 my. (haven't crossed 40k mi yet)
I haven't encountered any u-joint or ball joint or bearing issues, probably owing to the low odometer.
I did have one minor warranty repair, probably back in 06 or 07- the door gaskets were wearing / tearing unusually in certain spot. They were replaced with a different shape door gasket, no further issue.
In (I think it was) 2009 the truck developed a problem with battery going dead (I see mentioned also in an earlier reply to this post). TDR user Andres helped me diagnose the cause to be a defective instrument cluster (see my previous posts, I made detailed writeup). I did the labor work myself, and / but the replacement cluster cost $600+ from the dealer.
I haven't confirmed it, but am 99% sure my AC system has broken blend door. This truck is not driven in winter and is stored inside, so project for this winter is to tear the dashboard apart and probably give it the heater-treater stuff.

The truck steers reasonably well, rides reasonably well, no major issues with the powertrain, gets 17MPG combined, and 19MPG or better on highway (without using the GV OD). I can't complain about that. Still, I am really NOT HAPPY with the two significant problems it has had- the instrument cluster and the HVAC. If I had to pay a dealer to do the cluster change, the bill would have been upward of $1000. I don't know what dealer charge to fix the blend door is- I believe the parts are not too expensive, but the labor is huge to take apart the dash and HVAC box. I'd ballpark $750 for that.

In my book, a vehicle that needs $1750 (or so) worth of unusual repairs within the first 5 years of ownership, especially with infrequent use and relatively low miles driven... probably gets the manufacturer black-listed for future purchases. (note these repairs aren't for accelerated wear due to severe duty etc. ) I do plan to fix the HVAC and keep the truck.

 

[Barry]

Purchased new in March '06. 223,000 miles and counting.

Original brakes.

One clutch

One TPM

U joints at 150K

Serp belt at 175K... ... ... ... ... . just because.

Shell Rotella with FG Stratapore every 10K

Blend door broke at DC dealership when they installed a new A/C Comp at 115K
(Don't ask me how, it does not make sense to me either)

11 to 13 towing and 18 to 19 empty.

I drive a Cummins, it just happens to have a Dodge wrapped around it. Both have done very well.

 

[Jengle]

I have an early 04, picked up at dealer in October of 2003. Now has 170k miles on it.

Engine:

Replaced water pump around 90k

Routine filters and fluids

Replaced CP3, no problem, just needed more fuel, so I got a Stage 2

Turbo, replaced around 80k, no problem, wanted more air, got a SP66,

Lift pump, no problems, just needed more fuel, got a GDP set-up with the Walbro pump

Transmission:

Got a SB CON OFE at 22k, due to increases in power, no problems with stock

Just got a Valair DD, due to SB having 150k miles with more power than rated for

Other:

replaced Serpentine belt once

replaced rear U-joints at 80k

replaced front brakes at 120k, Inspection in Feb, they said the front brakes looked new, rears (stock), look like they are about 1/2 life. Wearing like iron.

Been through 4 sets of tires, ball joints still good, no steering problems, wear on all 4 nice and even.

Blend door broken, but still have defrost, so its not a priority. A/C works fine.

Replaced entire suspension at 70k, shocks were a little soft, so I went with a Kore Chase system.

Went to Dodge twice to repair the drivers door seal, TSB. Still getting chewed up by the door. Other than that, all maintenance done according to the book, or at earlier intervals by me.

Everything else holding up well.

 

[DDevers]

Replaced the steering box at 29,000 miles.

Front ball joints replaced at 39,000.

Two carrier bearings, mid U-joint replaced. Rear differential seal replaced at around 30,ooo. Passenger side window switch worked sporadically and had it replaced early on.

Did the seat fix recommended by this site and now the seats are much more comfortable.



We get around 19 mpg on the hwy, don't check in town because we have a mile and half of dirt road to get to our place that I put up and down on. Over all mileage is great for an 8200# truck and it'll haul anything we put on it. The engine is superb but it did come in a Dodge.

 

[Barry]

Whoa! What seat fix??

 

[hobigusn]

A/C evaporator 10K-Glad it was in warranty



Serpentine Belt 28K-No biggie, but I expected longer life



Ball Joints(All) 37K- Very disappointed with this



Water Pump 43K-No biggie, but much sooner than expected



Injectors ???- MPG is down, EGT and smoke are up, lie-o-meter is even more inaccurate than it was, truck just turned 52K, and I'm gonna be ****** if I have to spend $$$$ on injectors at this low mileage.



Overall, I love the truck. I've owned all of the Big Three and this is the best of them, but I have been very disappointed with the component failures that I have had. If you are going diesel, the Cummins stands alone, period, nuff said, end of discussion.

I know the Cummins is an amazing engine but i'm worried about the truck falling apart around it.

 

[hobigusn]

Curious why the OP bypassed the 03's? Perhaps the best year ever!

I've always be leery about first model years and wanted to stay away from the weaker 47RE transmision. Why do you think they are the best year?

 

[hobigusn]

I have an '06 that has been perfect!!!! I love it!!!



... except the dash cracked, but that's just to be expected.



... and expcept the ball joints wore out and needed replaced, but that's ok.



... and except the Jacobs dealer installed vacuum pump failed twice and left me stranded, but put on a PacBrake now, so that's good.



... and except the dash cluster is shot and places a large current draw on the batteries all the time such that they go dead if not driven for more than 5 days.



... oh, and except that the back windshield leaks water terribly and fills up the rear under seat storage with several inches of water if the truck isn't under a carport



... oops, and except the transmission just lost 4th and 6th gear, but a few thousand dollars should have this fixed up!



... and except the transfer case wouldn't go in 4wd a month after I got it, but they replaced that and it worked great! ... until a few weeks ago anyway



... oh, and except the transmission always popped out of reverse when backing down a hill, but there was a recall for that!



... ummm, oh yeah, and my fuel tank sucked in a TON of dirt because of a deficiency in the tank vent system... but there was a recall for that too, so no big deal, just 40,000 miles of dirty sucking fuel



... oh, and ya, the steering linkage was shot and I upgraded it with the new '08 style, but it was kinda fun doing that anyway



... ha ha, that reminded me though... . the steering gear box and the steering shaft also developed a lot of play at about 80k miles, but hey, a person has to have something to work on and keep them out of trouble, right?



... oh, and ya, the hub bearing assembly went bad, but nothing that a $2,500 dynatrac kit couldn't take care of!!!



... oops, and I almost forgot about the wet-knee trick that the truck plays on you from rain dripping through the grab handles! It does keep you awake though on long drives



... lol and speaking of grab handles, they broke too... but they sell replacements, so no big deal!



... oh... and speaking of not driving it everyday... the trunions on the rocker arms had really bad scarring and wear at 55k miles The good news is though, that a set of Harland roller rockers are only $4k or so, and they look prettier



... oh, except, don't get the leather wrapped steering wheel, cause mine started pitting badly??? If they would make it out of the high quality vinyl that they make most of the "leather" seats out of, it would be better



... lol, oh my, which reminds me of the seats!!! Ya, they didn't hold up so well... trips over 4 hours continuous make my legs fall asleep and ache for a few days. Throw a bar of soap under the sheets though and your legs don't seem to cramp nearly as bad though!!! Plus keeps things smelling fresh!



well, I have to go, but basically, I've not done anything to the truck, and it just keeps on going!!! Except, that it's not going now... it's been parked for 4 months while I save up for a transmission, but really it's a great truck!!!



--Eric

This post is an inspiration. The engine is great but the truck is left wanting but you still love it anyways. Behold the power of the cummins.

 

[hobigusn]

I have an 05, purchased new, see sig.

Admittedly, mine has unusually low odometer for 05 my. (haven't crossed 40k mi yet)

I haven't encountered any u-joint or ball joint or bearing issues, probably owing to the low odometer.

I did have one minor warranty repair, probably back in 06 or 07- the door gaskets were wearing / tearing unusually in certain spot. They were replaced with a different shape door gasket, no further issue.

In (I think it was) 2009 the truck developed a problem with battery going dead (I see mentioned also in an earlier reply to this post). TDR user Andres helped me diagnose the cause to be a defective instrument cluster (see my previous posts, I made detailed writeup). I did the labor work myself, and / but the replacement cluster cost $600+ from the dealer.

I haven't confirmed it, but am 99% sure my AC system has broken blend door. This truck is not driven in winter and is stored inside, so project for this winter is to tear the dashboard apart and probably give it the heater-treater stuff.



The truck steers reasonably well, rides reasonably well, no major issues with the powertrain, gets 17MPG combined, and 19MPG or better on highway (without using the GV OD). I can't complain about that. Still, I am really NOT HAPPY with the two significant problems it has had- the instrument cluster and the HVAC. If I had to pay a dealer to do the cluster change, the bill would have been upward of $1000. I don't know what dealer charge to fix the blend door is- I believe the parts are not too expensive, but the labor is huge to take apart the dash and HVAC box. I'd ballpark $750 for that.



In my book, a vehicle that needs $1750 (or so) worth of unusual repairs within the first 5 years of ownership, especially with infrequent use and relatively low miles driven... probably gets the manufacturer black-listed for future purchases. (note these repairs aren't for accelerated wear due to severe duty etc. ) I do plan to fix the HVAC and keep the truck.

"In my book, a vehicle that needs $1750 (or so) worth of unusual repairs within the first 5 years of ownership, especially with infrequent use and relatively low miles driven... probably gets the manufacturer black-listed for future purchases. (note these repairs aren't for accelerated wear due to severe duty etc. )" This is a very good point.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I've always be leery about first model years and wanted to stay away from the weaker 47RE transmision. Why do you think they are the best year?

The 49-state 2003s built after 1-1-03 have the HO engine (305/555) and the beefed up 48RE transmission. My '03 (built in Feb. '03) had two warranty claims filed; for replacing the driver door gaskets and for adding a few ounces of R134A to the A/C system just before the 3yr/36K warranty expired. Other than routine service, I have since spent about $700 to replace the original engine mounted for an in-tank lift pump and replaced the original equipment Goodyear tires with Michelin. It is still starting with the original batteries.



Bill

 

[Barry]

I had a '03 305/555 with the 6 speed. I snapped on an EZ and was amazed. And then when the 325 came out the next year, bigger is better... ... ... ... right?

I regret selling my 305... ... ... ... ... . everything that was produced BEFORE Jan 1, 2004 is the 305 clean engine... ... ... ... ... My 305 would run circles around my '04 325 and get better mileage while doing it.

I am on the hunt for a 305/555 6 speed to replace my '06 with 225K. I may not find what I am looking for, but I have hope.

mi dos centavos... ... .....

 

[Grey Wolf]

The 49-state 2003s built after 1-1-03 have the HO engine (305/555) and the beefed up 48RE transmission. My '03 (built in Feb. '03) had two warranty claims filed; for replacing the driver door gaskets and for adding a few ounces of R134A to the A/C system just before the 3yr/36K warranty expired. Other than routine service, I have since spent about $700 to replace the original engine mounted for an in-tank lift pump and replaced the original equipment Goodyear tires with Michelin. It is still starting with the original batteries.



Bill

Bill did you get the power steering vibration recall? It involved putting a weight on one of the hoses... GW