I've noticed that throughout my 19 years with this truck I've heard a lot of people complain about Dodge pickups placing them last among the American manufacturers. My retired mechanic friend who used to work for AT&T in the 80's when they had a fleet of Dodge trucks tells surprisingly bad design and reliability stories. When he talks about servicing these trucks I'm reminded about the GM 5.7 diesel based on a gasoline design and how long-lasting such mistakes can be to the reputation of a company or product. But more recently the same sentiments have come from assorted independent mechanics whose breadth of experience compels me to think it true.
At first I think I felt defended by these comments in part because my '04 CTD has been so reliable. This reliability has come in part because of a good design and build of truck. But even more important I think are the individual systems like engine, transmission and the era of truck which although not mechanical is more mechanical than these days. Lastly and perhaps most important is maintenance. A well maintained inferior product ( as long as not faulty ) seems to last longer than a poorly maintained superior product to my aging eye.
But I don't need to be convinced that Dodge or any particular brand is the best. Such fealty seems misguided in an age when most companies seem more beholding to shareholders than stakeholders. Further evidence of their lack of commitment to quality comes in how they treat their assembly workers with the average hourly being somewhere around $15 for Ford who seems to pay the most.
Is there still a discernible difference in quality and who gets the nod ? Are modern trucks more or less reliable ? Other ramblings ?
At first I think I felt defended by these comments in part because my '04 CTD has been so reliable. This reliability has come in part because of a good design and build of truck. But even more important I think are the individual systems like engine, transmission and the era of truck which although not mechanical is more mechanical than these days. Lastly and perhaps most important is maintenance. A well maintained inferior product ( as long as not faulty ) seems to last longer than a poorly maintained superior product to my aging eye.
But I don't need to be convinced that Dodge or any particular brand is the best. Such fealty seems misguided in an age when most companies seem more beholding to shareholders than stakeholders. Further evidence of their lack of commitment to quality comes in how they treat their assembly workers with the average hourly being somewhere around $15 for Ford who seems to pay the most.
Is there still a discernible difference in quality and who gets the nod ? Are modern trucks more or less reliable ? Other ramblings ?