2014 Ram 3500 SRW...6.4 HEMI saga

[Joseph Donnelly]

This time of year, you might find a dealer offering a great discount; check out inventory through ramtrucks.com. We do get a couple Hemi's at May Madness, hope to see you next year.

 

[jgillott]

Glad to hear you are OK sticks.

I'll be interested to hear what the insurance company has to say. My buddy here has a body shop and he does a lot of trucks that are hit far worse than yours. It doesn't look anywhere bad enough to be totaled out on value. It is certainly fixable either way.

 

[Sticks]

Thanks Guys.

It's all a matter of how much the frame got tweaked up front. I have it at the same dealership that I bought it at for the body repairs. I am sincerely hoping that this is indeed fixable, and I can get another year out of the truck.

I've done the insurance company song and dace over a totaled vehicle and it is not fun. Took a month and a half to get what I was due.

 

[TFucili]

Just spotted this. Whoa, glad you're OK. Hope everything goes your way with insurance and repairs.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Glad you are OK and good luck with your repair (thinking positive on the repair!)

 

[BarryG]

Sticks
Glad to hear that you are ok. Looks like the truck faired pretty well at least what you can see, regardless it sucks for sure. Heck they will be able to buff that right out. Hope the repairs turn out well and meet your satisfaction..

 

[Sticks]

Thank you again guys.

I heard from the shop yesterday afternoon, the frame is within fixable limits, and the total only went up $1k from what the initial estimate was, now waiting on the insurance company to approve and get going on it.

On a whim I went by the same dealership and looked at a couple SLTs on the lot (Diesel). I so want to get back into a Diesel, but I still can not afford the $8k markup. The SLT that I looked at is still $10k outside my budget, Then come to find out that (as far as the salesmen knew) that '14 was a one off year for the 6.4 gas in the one ton trucks. I did not keep track after I bought mine, so I can not confirm. Coming back out in '17 though.

I am going to keep on driving the 14, and hope that in the next 30k miles I get some equity in it. Maybe trade up into a Diesel.

 

[KIKER]

I had to sell mine back in March. I got laid off work last July and didn't need the payment. I sold mine over the internet to Vroom for about $3000 more than the selling dealership offered. It only had 8000 miles on it. I bought it as a replacement for my '07 in my signature, but I replaced the bad injector in my driveway, after watching a youtube how-to video. So, I kept it as a backup truck. Never put it to work. The last time I looked, Vroom still had mine for sale. It was a white single cab 6.4 hemi with 4 wheel drive. I am still out of work. I have worked about 10 weeks since July '15. Maybe Trump will get things going soon!

 

[Sticks]

Well, as an update - I will roll 89k miles next week. I still have not taken her in for her annual checkup at the dealer - which I need to do before the warranty runs out.

I do have to say that I have been very impressed with this truck. I have not had one single down day. The check engine light has only come on once, put me in limp mode and I think it was more the gods did not want the concrete plant running that day (I was running, and I mean running parts). I checked the codes (CPS), cleared it and have not had a problem since.

Here is the crap part. I am upside down on her still. These gassers do not hold value for crap. My truck in the signature got the snot beat out of her in the hail storm last week (tennis ball size) and the insurance has totaled her out. This presents a problem that I have to work out.

For what I use the '14 for, I can live with the inability to stay in sixth gear pulling a slight incline and losing 5mph before the shift occurs when in cruise. For a personal vehicle, this simply will not do. Especially when towing (miserable mileage with anything over 4k#).

I know in my heart that I should be in a pickup. Now the soul searching. Do I need anything larger than a half ton? I has to have an 8' bed - no question. I did find myself in a rental last fall and it was a Ram 1500, 8 speed transmission. Mileage was awesome, as well as the get up and go. I did not tow anything with it, or carry any large loads, so I don't know how that would impact things. My '14 does great right up until you put little challenges in front of her like that and she falls short. Diesels...not an issue.

Well on to the 2nd gen section to see what the market is for my upgrades. Probably going to return her to stock condition before I turn her over to the insurance.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Dang Sticks! Sounds like you are still in your rough patch. As to your earlier question about mileage on my 6.4 3500 c&c.....had about 21k in a year and the diesel bug was biting me pretty bad. I got the truck in my sig in December. I had no complaints about the heminthough. I needed a crew cab. I will say, the hemi couldn't do 21k pounds up a 13% grade like a Cummins.........I think a Subaru passed me and that sheet ain't hapnin!

 

[Sticks]

Well, the 3500 SRW 6.4 Hemi is now sold. 123k on the clock, not one drop of oil or sweat on the engine, not one trip to the dealer for anything major. Just went in for her annual checkup during warranty. Damn good truck she was.

Now sporting a 2018 1500 5.7 Hemi, Crew Cab, Mirco bed...cough...open top trunk. Was going to get the Eco Diesel, then I read the thread here on it. Not gonna roll the dice on that one.

 

[SnoKing]

Nice report Sticks. I have three more years of Max Care warranty on our 3500. Now towing a 8K TT and could maybe get along with something less. However the 3500 CTD does not break a sweat towing the TT back and forth to Az. Maybe in three more years we will not be going back and forth. Who knows?

Have friends with a new 3500 Hemi that are off to the same park in Az next month towing a mid size 5th wheel. Will be interesting to hear how that goes, as they are heading East into the mountains before turning South to Az.

 

[Sticks]

Towing a TT with a Gasser....ouch, especially in the mountains. The few times I did tow at work, something with weight, she had to work hard and maintaining the speed limit on small hills was not an option. Great for hauling stuff in the bed though. Multiple times hauling 250 gal of liquid in totes or barrels. Truck stayed pretty level and handled that just fine.

Mayhap FCA did something about the power and torque management in newer models. Still, going from a tweaked 02 Diesel to a big modern gasser...deceleration trauma. Cab was nice though, even for a base model. Now I am in a Big Horn with the bucket seats. Time for comfort.

I can't recommend GT Covers (used to be) seat covers though. The water resistant endura or some such. On my truck for 4 years straight, got really nasty with the day to day work dirt and grime. Kept my seats pristine. Washed them (covers) in Simple Green, and they looked not more than a year old aside from a little sun fade. Was going to put them back on, but never did. Ought to get them to the new owner. Grip strut running boards were awesome also, though the whole mounting to the rocker panel was a bad call on someones part. Had to make angle iron mounts that bolted to the cab mounts from the frame. Rocker panel cracked apart at the mounts.