Be cautious of this place!!

[JGoss]

I normally don't mention names, but this place is a joke- Miller Chrysler in Fulton, MO. A friend of mine was driving his all stock 04. 5' home from St. Louis a few weeks ago. He noticed a slight tapping in the engine and it started to puff white smoke. He noticed power was slightly down, so he pulled over and had it towed to the nearest dealer. (1st mistake) He got a ride home and the next day they called and said they did a pressure test and the cp3 was bad even though the truck was still running. My buddies not to familiar with these engines so he called me, and I suggested getting the truck home asap, b/c I suggested he check the fca, pressure relief, or he had a bad injector or dropped a valve. He called the dealer and they had already ordered the cp3 and said the injectors were fine, so my buddy said go ahead. (2nd mistake) Yesterday they called and said after they installed the pump they test drove it and it started knocking and smoking bad and was puking oil out of the turbo and tailpipe and had it towed back to the shop. He called me and we went and got it today. After some heated exchanging of words ,$2900 for parts and labor(3rd mistake for paying them), and a 5 hour round trip with the truck on the trailer it now sits at a reputable shop near home. One cylinder has zero compression, and the gallon of oil we put in it to load it on the trailer is now soaked in my new lumber on my new trailer! Does he have a chance at getting the stealership to pay for the damage they caused? I don't know the extent of the damage yet, but instead of putting several thousand in the engine, I'd find a good lawyer. Sorry for the soapbox, but this place really got to me today, so try to avoid it if possible. I'll post more info as I get it.

 

[sag2]

It was hurt before they replaced the pump. The only thing they are guilty of is being stupid.

 

[TCDiesel]

But should he be charged for their stupidity?. . his pump was good. So the dealer tech was SO stupid he could not tell the the replacement CP3 was not the fix on the Rack?... So they took it for a test drive. That was a defendant confirmation of his stupidity.

 

[HBarlow]

That's a sad story. Your friend probably only needed one injector but perhaps the engine was already damaged as sag2 stated since he heard an audible tapping.

That sort of dealership stupidity is far more common than many realize. Dealerships often employ parts changers with little or no ability to understand or diagnose the Cummins engines. Many of them have never driven a Dodge-Cummins farther than a customer's truck on a test drive.

The TDR is a great preventative for avoiding that sort of disaster. An owner has to know and understand enough to detect and understand the problem he is experiencing and know enough to interview the dealership by discussing the symptoms and plan for repair.

IMO hiring some hack ambulance chaser would only cost your friend more money. He doesn't have the knowledge or credibility to go before a jury and explain and convince them what actually happened and how the dealership technician screwed up. He would need someone with the credentials of a Cummins engineer or a high profile certified mechanic who is also a skilled writer and speaker to succeed.

I would trailer the truck to a Cummins dealer and pay for a Cummins reman. An alternative would be to search for a salvage yard take out engine but unless you can inspect the wrecked truck you won't know the mileage. I suppose a trained dealer tech could read the ECM and pull up operating hours but that probably can't be done until the engine is installed.

 

[mwilson]

My . 02 worth.....



He should ask for an informal meeting with the Dealer Principal and Service Manager. If they agree to that then he has a chance to tell his side of the story and stands a better chance of getting some help.

If you start in with lawyer talk everyone shuts down. It is a rule at many dealerships that if the word "Lawyer" comes out of a customers mouth your conversation with that customers ends immediately because it just went to another level.

Your chances of getting help are far better doing what I suggest above, I see this stuff go on all the time. Sometimes it is the customers fault, sometimes our fault but it can be resolved in a civil and fair matter.



See if the dealership would at least take the new CP3 pump back, etc. and give him the original parts back and full credit for the returned parts.



Sometimes parts get changed unnecessarily, it happens. It's what the dealership does about it that counts.



We do remove the new part, give the customer credit and put it back on the shelf marked "Shop Use Only".



It is done at many dealerships, I even spotted a CAT Reman Injector behind the parts counter marked "Shop Use" at the Albuquerque NM dealership when I was out there in November. Mentioned to the parts manager that I was glad I wasn't the only one that happened to. :-laf



Might be worth asking is all I'm saying.



Mike.