Dodge Ram Fit and Finish

[Joe Turbo Diesel]

I am a future Dodge Ram owner(I sat in one yesterday and started her and now I have second thoughts about my truck) and I would like to know if you are happy with the fit and finish of your truck. Have you had any problems with peeling paint and leaking front and rear windows.

I ask these questions because these were my concerns when I was in the market for a new truck. I'm new to trucks (had nothing but Hondas and Acuras/Would not buy a imported car or truck) and to Dodge products.

Are you happy with your dealer as far as servicing your truck. My Ford Superduty has the dreaded cackle but neither Ford/Navistar or my dealer can fix her. When you spend $36,000 on a truck I expect some service to go with the truck. The sound of the Cummins when I started her was SWEET.

Have you found any other factory/dealer prblems with your truck? I hope they improve the manual transmission(6 speed) on these truck and give it a ZF-6 speed or better. I also heard that the white paint stands up to the elements better. Is this true. Any help for the future would be great. I don't own a Cummins Ram but I joined the TDR and dropped the PSR. Thanks again JOE

 

[klenger]

I've had my truck for 3 months now, and it has not required any warranty service at all. Paint and interior finish are fine. Mine was made in Mexico. Good luck.

 

[Archive]

Does white stand up better? Who knows... I have red(99), a friend has black(98. 5), another is dark garnet(00), etc, etc, and I think with a bit of care, all colors stand up well.

I did read one post where the white dually fenders on a truck wee fading a bit(yellowing?), but that is it. My 92 dually was white, sat outside every day of its life, and when I sold it in 99, it was still bright white.

 

[Evan A. Beck]

I see a lot of trucks come through our shop, and the ones built in Mexico are just a hair better in terms of fit & finish. Don't know why this is... Both of my trucks were assembled in Mexico, and they are absolutely beautiful. The St. Louis trucks are nice too, but the QC seems to be lagging just a bit.



Tell me, why do you want the ZF in the Ram? It's not nearly as heavy duty as the NV5600...

 

[SFord]

had mine for six months now and no problems what so ever. The trucks fit and finish is excellent and the CTD is strog.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Had mine since october. 17k miles and no problems. Everything lines up nice, paint is fine, i few clear coat "Icicles" but nothing else. Mine was built in the U. S. A.

 

[Joe G.]

Dodge dealers are like any other brand. Some are real good and some should be arrested for owning tools.

 

[chuck3]

Happy

I think my truck fit and finish is great,it was from St Louis. and with a little help from the ez its a towing son of a gun.

 

[Bad340fish]

The fit and finish on my 99 is excellent!! All the seams are nice and straight and the truck has no rattles or squeeks at all with 29K on the clock now. The paint is also one of the best paint jobs i have seen on a vehicle lately. I did have a little wind noise from the drivers door when i got it(bought it used) I did not notice it until I rode in the passenger side and it was quiter. A quick stop at the dealer and I had a TSB taken care of and the wind noise fixed before 11am. Its a St louis truck

Clark

 

[Texas Diesel]

Mine was made in Sanitillo (SP?) Mexico. No mechanical or operational problems. This is my 5th Dodge truck in a row. We still have a 95 Dakota 4x4 with 160,000 on the clock. It's paint looks excellent with no peeling and the engine & driveline are like new. It had several assembly no-brainers but all was repaired to my satisfaction. Whatever brand you buy you will encounter assembly goof-ups and recalls/TSB's to fix engineering no-brainers. The only problems I have had with my 2001 were a couple of squeaks and rattles (fixed) and a hard to close driver side door. And wind noise on the drivers door due to a defective seal. No widow leaks or paint problems (so far). The driveline is like a locomotive LOL. All in all I think the CTD HO 6sp is one of the best around. My brother just bought a 2001 PSD to replace his 95 PSD. I am not impressed with it at all. Good luck

 

[Happy Camper]

I have 22,000 on my 2001 and have an occasional squeak in the dash. Something came loose up behind the odometer on my Alaska trip and was driving me nuts until it wedged itself and doesn't tap on metal anymore. No trips back to the Dealer since I picked it up the first of December 2001. Hard to stay out of the fuel for power.

 

[Alan Reagan]

My baby was born in Mexico but now she is a US citizen. Fit and finish is very good. No squeaks, rattles. My dealer is truly a 5 star. He is a diesel freak, too. Dealer has a diesel drag truck built by Jeff Garman in Atlanta. This is my second truck from him and I'll buy another when I'm ready.

 

[RobG]

The fit and finish of my new 2001 is just fine. Even my '96 was good.



Dealer service... that will vary a lot. My local dealer sucks because they're always trying to find a way to void my warranty due to my mods.



I wouldn't want a ZF 6-speed in my truck; I prefer my NV5600. There was a thread here recently on the ZF vs. the NV5600, and I think the NV is the better transmission.



Rob

 

[Dr.Evil]

Just Curious about that ZF-vs- NV4500/5600 thread... . I've never heard of a PSD having trouble with the ZF 5-speed. The dual mass flywheel is a problem sometimes. The later Super-Dutys eliminated the clutch problems. What makes the NV so much better? The 4500 has the 5th gear problem, & the 5600 has the weak stock clutch... ... I don't see "Better" part... ...

DENNY... ... ... ... ... ...

 

[DBCooper]

Just thought you'd like to hear from someone with a truck that seen some use. I'd be pretty mad if I bought a brand new truck and the doors didn't line up or the paint sucked. My truck (see sig. ) has spent 100,000 miles up in northern British Columbia on mostly gravel road and was owned by some sort of contractor. I'm pretty sure they beat the heck out of it, but it runs great, and to my great surprize the dash doesn't squeek. One track bar later and it even goes down the road straight. Not to bash the new trucks, but it's not hard to have a nice one. I'm impressed with how well mine does knowing it really worked for the first part of it's life. It has the scratches to prove it.

 

[RT66DOC]

Mine was one of the first built in St. Louis - fit and finish are (still) excellent - no rattles or squeeks - white paint still looks like new; sits in the sun every day. No complaints.



BTW, I believe that's Saltillo, Mexico???