New to me 2009/2500

[crispyboy]

Hello All,

I ‘ve been lurking this forum as a temporary guest for a few months now and decided to pony up the bucks to join yesterday.

My wife and I had a family change back in April of 2009 and we finally were able to have a child and decided to make some vehicle changes. I had a single cab pickup that I restored which I will miss dearly (1986 Jeep J-20) and also had two small cars. The truck cab was too small for us to travel and I was sick of driving smaller cars. So hence a vehicle change was due. I bought my wife a used 2002 Jeep rand Cherokee and I originally had my site’s set on a 2009 Dodge crew cab half-ton pickup that I found at a dealership going belly up. Drove it and fell in love with it but wasn’t quite ready to buy due to going down to one income.

In September I stumbled upon a guy who rebuilds wrecked Dodge trucks for a living and I thought the deal was good enough to take the plunge. We purchased a used 2009 Dodge 2500, CTD, Quad Cab, short bed pickup – SLT trim line. I have never purchased a rebuild truck before and quite frankly it still scares the crap out of me – especially with no warranty on such an expensive vehicle. The truck originally had 10,500 miles and the guy did a good job rebuilding it. I had a few hiccup’s on the alignment early on but I believe most of that is behind me now.

I have driven the truck from Ky to the western side of South Dakota with our travel trailer. I am amazed at the amount of pulling and braking power that the truck has. It is actually overkill for my needs. Towing at 70 mph I get 11-13. 5 mpg. Solo on the interstate (very cold weather 70 mph to Atlanta over Christmas) about 17. 5 mpg and mixed daily driving to work about 14. 7 to 16. 5. I hope warm weather helps this out.

I have also been quite impressed with how quiet the engine is and no exhaust smell compared to the1997 12-valve Dodge/Cummins that my brother-in-law used to own.



Questions:

1. Should I be concerned about fuel additives?

2. Should I try to pursue some type of engine/drive train warranty? Can it even be purchased for a rebuild?

3. Oil filters – I usually use Hastings filters. So far I have used factory filters. Are the factory oil filters ok? What is the difference between cheaper and more expensive Fleetguard filters at Geno’s Garage?

4. What's the deal with Chrysler dropping the Dodge name from their trucks? What's wrong with brand recognition? I just can't used to "Ram" - seems silly to me.



Here is one picture from my file from our South Dakota trip.



View attachment 76828

 

[mberry]

1. Yes. Be very careful what you choose to add to the fuel tank.

2. I can't make that decision for you, but it might be a good idea to look into it.

3. Factory filters are rebadged Fleetguard filters. They are excellent filters. Purchase them from Geno's garage or your local Cummins dealership. They are far more expensive at your Dodge dealer.

4. Ask Fiat, but I agree with you.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Looks good!

Should still have Dodge name plate on it somewhere. There are a lot of auto makers are using there logo emblems instead of putting letters on the vehicle The Ram stands for Dodge. The Dodge cars and minivans that I see on the road have only the Ram logo and model name on the vehicle.



Use the FleetGuard Stratapore filter it is the best one Cummins has.

 

[HBarlow]

... ... ... ... ... .

Questions:
1. Should I be concerned about fuel additives?
2. Should I try to pursue some type of engine/drive train warranty? Can it even be purchased for a rebuild?
3. Oil filters – I usually use Hastings filters. So far I have used factory filters. Are the factory oil filters ok? What is the difference between cheaper and more expensive Fleetguard filters at Geno’s Garage?
4. What's the deal with Chrysler dropping the Dodge name from their trucks? What's wrong with brand recognition? I just can't used to "Ram" - seems silly to me... ... ... ... . View attachment 76828

Welcome to TDR. You'll get far more than the cost of your annual subscription from the members.

Fuel additives? Yes, be concerned about them. Avoid them. Cummins has always said fuel additives are not needed or recommended for their engines. The only fuel additive you'll ever need might by anti-gel when temps drop below 15*.

Drivetrain warranty? Not needed and probably not available for a vehicle with salvage title. If a warranty company sells you one they'll avoid paying by claiming they didn't know it was a salvage vehicle.

Oil filters? Use Fleetguard from Geno's and you'll never worry. Same applies for fuel and air filters as well as lots of other repair and service parts. Call Geno's and get a free catalog. Geno's Garage is owned by Robert and Robin Patton who are founders and owners of TDR. All good people who will treat you right.

Ram brand? Probably because the Dodge name was sullied by bankruptcy, bailout, and Fiat/labor union ownership. Ram sounds cleaner to many who don't know the facts. Don't worry about it. It means nothing to us owners.

 

[MN Cummins Lvr]

Welcome to the TDR! The other guys already gave great advice so I won't answer any questions. :-laf



BTW, the smell from your brother-in-law's 97 is a good smell



Paul