2 weeks old and already a warranty issue--defroster

[mlewis73]

I just picked up my truck a couple weeks ago, and am already having a problem that I'd have THOUGHT Dodge would have fixed by now, reading through some old messages here.



The defroster takes about 8-10 seconds to engage after I've switched to it. Obviously, this is a problem under conditions that cause the windshield to fog up. Living in the hills, with lots of temperature fluctuations up/down rolling hills, I need defrost quite often, and I need it to work immediately.



Is this normal behavior? How bad is the surgery the dealer would have to do to fix the problem? Am I better off to do it myself?



I paid $36,000 for my truck. I don't want ONE rattle in the dash, and I want this problem fixed. We shouldn't have to deal with this type of thing on a truck this expensive. This is what I'd expect from a second-rate, Made-in-China piece of junk.





Thank you,



Mike

 

[KennethS]

No big deal that what your warranty is for

When I bought my 1999 Dodge diesel as I drove it off the lot and went on the 4 lane road the steering was very bad with play, hard to steer. I turn around and went back to dealer and they drove it and almost wreck the truck. They took me home and in a couple of days they called and said my truck was fixed. For being nice about the matter they bought my wife and I a nice dinner at any place I wanted. We became very good friends over this. The truck was a super truck and still going strong. You will be OK. Be nice when you take it in. Catch more Bees with honey then bull s*##.

 

[KennethS]

Back in the old days you only had 30 days warranty

Today that would be a bummer I would say. My day was a dealer started in 1932. They treated people not as nice as they do today. Most of the time when you bought a use car it was on a 50/50 deal for 30 days. If you had a problem they would jack up the price of the repair so you paid for everything. It use to make me shrive the way Dad treated people and got away with it. Sometimes I wondered how that man stayed alive. I work there when I was a kid. I guess that was the way it was then. You did not have the lemon law and the dealer had to post the warranty on the window and the price of the new car on the window. They use to call the dealers crooks and I guess they were at least some of them. They use to do all kinds of dirty tricks. They even cheated on sale tax to the state. Now the state got wise and watch the dealers a lot closer. There lots of good stories out there. One time I came home for lunch and told Mom its a wonder someone hasn't killed Dad. Her answer was she though of it. We had a good laugh over that.

 

[HPetrat]

Mike,

To your question, "is this normal behavior?", the answer is yes.

Unless things have change on the new trucks, the heating controls are vacuum actuated and as a result there is a short delay once a setting is selected.



The delay in my 98 12V is only about 3-5 seconds and I would assume that yours is a little longer because the truck is new and the diverter may need to be cycled for a while until it is broken-in.



I too have some hills/valleys to travel up and down on my drive to and from work, I simply leave the defrost on and turn the fan down or up as required.

It also helps to have a window cracked open to help clear windows more quickly.



HP

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I don't know about the brand new trucks but my '03 is electronic. I don't think that they have changed that. There is no vacuum pump on the engine so there is no where to get vacuum to actuate them.



Jeff

 

[sag2]

The HVAC controls are electric stepper motors. They have high torque but not high speed. This is normal operation. If your having trouble defrosting, perhaps you need to keep it partially in defrost when you know you are going to experience fogging. And by the way, it is more the A/C operation that keeps the w/shield dry than the air flow. If you blow humid air across it, it is not going to clear.

 

[mlewis73]

Thanks, guys. Just not used to this behavior. My '91 F-350 didn't have all these neat "features" that the electronics provide on the new trucks.



I'll keep an eye on it... it is nice to know this is just normal. I was going to check the owner's manual this afternoon when I'm near the truck again.





Mike