Get what you deserve

[Rocky in KC]

that was my truck

"I just drove a customers truck home and back (an ordered truck for a TDR member) because he was worried about the vibration...



I am happy to say all of the 05's I have tested to 80 mph have been straight and smooth! --- FWIW"--that is a Tomeygun quote--



Man am I excited--going to pick up my new truck this Monday---asked Tomey to check her out--sounds good---ck my sig--Rocky

 

[Tomeygun]

Man am I excited--going to pick up my new truck this Monday---asked Tomey to check her out--sounds good---ck my sig--Rocky

I gotta admit, I felt pretty fancy in that over-tired truck, you know, with leather and all... Seeing as I have cloth and very few frills (like a 6-cd changer, and steering wheel audio control)



Believe it or not, that dually rode as good as my short bed SRW. . i guess the long wheelbase equalled out the dually ride



nice, very nice... It took a few miles to get used to a new (tight) 6-spd... and what a smooth clutch compared to my con ofe!



well. back to meaningless work for me

 

[sag2]

BNH4221

Have they pulled the front shaft and driven it yet?

The front shaft vibrations seem to be easier to fix than rear.

 

[Kennywould]

I just drove a customers truck home and back (an ordered truck for a TDR member) because he was worried about the vibration...



I am happy to say all of the 05's I have tested to 80 mph have been straight and smooth! --- FWIW

I have an 05', DRW, 4x4, auto and have no problems up to 90 mph, at 40 on a hill it seems to have an exhaust drone, haven't quite pinned it down though, my 04' is quiet at any speed, as far as a diesel goes and its been up there near the speed of sound a few times, I plead the 5th if theres any cops reading this :-laf !

 

[BNH4221]

Have they pulled the front shaft and driven it yet?

Sag 2, Short answer, yes.



1. Tech drove it with me and confirmed vibration at 70

2. Pulled shaft and vibe gone

3. Replaced shaft and advanced caster to change pinion angle. No change in vibration.

4. Cranked caster as far forward as it would go. No change in vibration. Steering wanders all over the place.



Dealer now says, "They all do it" Refuses to work on my truck anymore.

Called DC who says "Have the dealer take a look at it" VERY nasty woman at National customer care center.



40 grand for a truck and not even the courtesy of a reach around.



Steve

 

[WStoops]

I have posted several times regarding my vibes. After complaints starting at 880 miles back in May, nothing has been done since. They did the normal drivetrain realignment and pinion angle adjustment and just made things worse. Letters and calls to DC got NO response. Emails got NO response. My last email did get a response that the District Mgr is working with the service mgr and that I should give the service mgr a call. The service mgr told me that they did call him but not to discuss a fix. Only to get mileages and service info to help them deal with the eventual buy back. As a former ASE Master, Service Mgr, (F, GM, VW) I have never seen such poor customer service. I'll say what I said to DC: Ignoring a problem does not make it go away, it only makes it worse. All that said, I really do love the truck with the exception of the vibes. Still, when they buy it back I don't think I'll buy another... ... .

 

[BNH4221]

I have never seen such poor customer service. I'll say what I said to DC: Ignoring a problem does not make it go away, it only makes it worse. All that said, I really do love the truck with the exception of the vibes. Still, when they buy it back I don't think I'll buy another... ... .

Wstoops,



I feel your pain. I love this truck. I actually don't have an issue that the truck has the vibration; its a problem and nothing is perfect. I have a SERIOUS issue with DC customer service (or lack thereof). Rarely have I been treated so badly as I have by the dealer as well as National Customer Relations.

I spent $40k on this truck. Is it too much to ask that it be fixed? Heck, not even fixed but that the people who so gladly took my money at least TRY to fix it?



This is my third Dodge truck. I would hesitate to buy another DC product.



Steve

 

[WStoops]

Steve, My dealer told me they won't work on the problem any more as there is no TSB and no point in their experimenting. Two other dealers have refused to work on the problem as they say they can't put a tech on it when DC might not pay them to do it plus they do not have sufficient manpower to stick a guy with an unknown solution for an unknown amt of time. I now have 16,500 miles on it and my first complaint was at 880. They don't even have the courtesy of calling me back. The dealers I worked for when I was in the business cared about their customers, their reputations, their future. As you can see from my signature, I bought the most expensive pickup dodge makes and loaded it with every option in the book, list $47,400. To those future buyers I would say, drive it first and make sure all is right. If it is not, this is how you will be treated. Buyer beware, Caveat Emptor. :{

 

[BNH4221]

Wstoops,



Understood. I actually just got off the phone with the local dealer service mgr. He and I had a couple of ugly phone calls over the last few weeks. Today we agreed to start fresh and get the problem solved as best we can. This I can appreciate. I have always had good service from them in the past and I hope it continues to the future.

As for DC corporate, the service mgr says they are aware of the vibe problem and are working on a TSB. No idea when it will happen. He is willing to work with me to do the best we can to cure the vibe until DC makes a permenant fix. I am back to being optimistic. At least they will try.

Like you, I got every option with the exception of the NAV radio. List was around 45K. I love the truck, but CORPORATE customer service is, in my opinion, abysmal. This says to me that DC is also leaving the dealerships hanging. They are the ones that have to deal with the angry customer like me and they are apparently not getting much assistance from DC. If I were a dealer I would not be very happy. I honestly don't think it is the dealerships that are to blame. DC builds a defective vehicle, sells it, and then tells the dealership to deal with the fallout. If DC is working on a fix, I feel they have an obligation to keep the dealer in the loop.

I will certainly post results of the dealers efforts to mitigate the vibe.



Steve

 

[WStoops]

Hi steve, good post. I'm fairly convinced that DC is NOT working on a fix for this problem. Since the Vibes first cropped up in the 03 trucks, they have introduced new model, completely redesigned others. In fact, they have redesigned the Ram for the Powerwagon option since this vibration complaint surfaced. Even a tiny fraction of that engineering effort would have solved this problem long ago. Their focus is elsewhere as they obviously have not felt it in their pocketbook yet and don't feel the need to do something about it. I spoke to the service manager at the dealer where I bought my truck again yesterday and he pretty much told me that he understands that I have no choice but to go for the Lemon Law. I talked to the State Dept of Consumer Protection in CT yesterday and got a good amt of info from them. I'm filling out the forms now and hope to get this thing in the mail this week. They tell me an appointment and resolution should happen before the end of January. After talking to them it looks as if I might make out better by going for a replacement vehicle rather than a buyback so that is probably what I'll do. You can be sure that I'll be taking the new truck for a highway jaunt before I sign anything. By the way, I did get the Nav radio which is interesting ande helpful but a disappointment without the moving map. This time I think I would delete the 6 CD radio and have the dealer install an RB1 with the map. Cummins of course, which is the best thing the Ram has going for it IMHO. I hope they can solve your problem. Wayne

 

[BNH4221]

I hope they can solve your problem.

Me too Wayne, Me too.



Just out of curiosity, what is the difference between a buyback and a replacement? I assume a replacement is a one-for-one deal with no depreciation? How about a buyback? Do they refund the purchase price or a depreciated value?

I am not at the lemon law point (yet) but am curious.

Like I said before, I absolutely love the truck. The vibe will kill me though



Steve

 

[ACF]

BNH4221;



A replacment is exactly that, you get a new vehicle of equal or lesser value at no cost to you. If you get a more expensive vehicle you pay the difference in cost.



A buy back is again what it sounds like. They buy it back at the price that you paid minus any mileage penalty (the number of miles the vehicle had on it when DC/dealer was first made aware of the issue). I can't remember the pennies per mile rate. But for every 1000 miles it is around $180.



I many have said the 3rd gens are nice trucks but this vib issue really puts a damper on things. If the new one comes in and has any hint of a vibe I am going to tell them to keep it and buy this one back. And I can tell you that will be the last DC product I buy.

 

[claymike]

Claymike,



When you say they installed a new driveline what exactly do you mean? I am currently locked in battle with not only the dealership but DC as well. I'd love to have a suggestion for the dealership/zone rep to try.



Can't get no satisfaction.....



I am a VERY unhappy DC customer right now. #@$%!



Steve

They took the truck for a test drive hit 70 mph brought it back to the dealership pulled the front driveline test drove again and found no vibration. They had to order the new front shaft (4x4) drove around for a couple of days without it. Took it back in 20 minutes later I was on the road with no vibration. Gresham Dodge in Gresham Oregon is where I had the repair done.

 

[BNH4221]

Gresham Dodge in Gresham Oregon is where I had the repair done.

Hmmm,

Little bit of a ride from home but if they can get the job done... ...



Thanks for the info. Truck is going in Monday to have the DC Tech look at it. Hopefully I will be able to post some good news soon.



Steve

 

[MHirst]

05 Vibration

Well folks I wish I had searched a little deeper I just traded my 2000 Cummins for the 05 4X4 Quadcab shortbed 48RE trans and you guessed it right at 70mph the vibration is clear my truck has 700 miles at this point. I plan to take it in to the Dealer soon to see what sort of response I get, I will let you know, I do appreciate all their comments made hopefully this will make the process a little smother!

 

[robertyoke]

just something I noticed, when I finished puting billet input shaft in transmission I went for test drive and had the same vibration, so I unbolted the drive shaft from the transfer case rotated it 180 and bolted it back up, vibration is gone.

this is the second time trans. has been out so I guess I was lucky the first time. I will mark shaft next time it needs to be removed.

 

[WStoops]

How sad to hear that the 05's have the problem as well. Does anyone really think DC is working on a fix for this problem? The 03's, 4's,and now the 5's have it. Come on, they could have designed a whole new model in that amount of time. I'll have my paperwork for the lemon law here in CT completed this week and submitted. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

 

[WStoops]

Well folks I wish I had searched a little deeper I just traded my 2000 Cummins for the 05 4X4 Quadcab shortbed 48RE trans and you guessed it right at 70mph the vibration is clear my truck has 700 miles at this point. I plan to take it in to the Dealer soon to see what sort of response I get, I will let you know, I do appreciate all their comments made hopefully this will make the process a little smother!

I noticed mine and called the dealer the first time I took it on the Highway, 880 miles. I now have 16,900 miles on it and no fix yet. I hope you have better luck than I have had. Steve, if you read this I'm wondering how you have made out. I'll try a private EM.

 

[MHirst]

Hello Steve: as of today my truck is still at the dealer they have tried all the tricks previusly listed to no avail the vibration is still there, my service manager told me today that he thinks I just need to live with this becouse there is nothing more he can do, he did promise to have the DC rep call me and talk of a possible solution, if this gets no results then I thing I will have the local news investigate reporter get involved, I wonder how many ther are otthere that are unaware of the problem, I hope to get some help through DC I will let you know what I find out today. Mark

 

[DPKetchum]

Has anybody had one on a rack and run it at the vibration speed and looked around and felt for where its coming from?