2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Paint problems on my 2001, who do I talk to?

[Chace TX]

I have noticed that since new my bright silver metallic 2001 has chipped and scratched real easily. I just found out that the paint warranty from DC only lasts 36K. I am at 33K and the local Dodge stealership just says, it's rock chips, nothing we can do. I was supposed to be contacted by them (stealership) 2wks ago when the DC rep was avaliable to look at it. Still no word. Is there another course of action I can take. The paint is chipping down to bare metal on the front lower edge of the quad door, on the front lower edge of the cab at the rear of the quad door, and behind the wheel opening. I know these chips are caused by rocks, but this paint is really brittle. A friend of mine has 52K on his bright silver 2001, he lives on a dirt road, and he has maybe 10% of the rock chips I do. Any suggestions.

 

[duaneparks]

I don't have a suggestion, but I have a similar problem. I too feel that this truck's paint chips much much easier than my last two Dodges.



I'll keep an eye on this thread myself.



Duane

 

[dresslered]

I really don't know what can be done. It seems like all the newer paints are getting thinner and thinner. The problem that you speak of is actually quite common especially in the trucks built in the winter (might want to check your build date). They tend to add a lot more hardener to the paint so that they can quickly roll them out into the snow.



So far mine has been holding up quite well. However, when I accumulate enough chips on the rockers I was thinking of adding the Rhino liner all along the bottom.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Originally posted by Chace TX

I have noticed that since new my bright silver metallic 2001 has chipped and scratched real easily.

"Ummmmmm Here at DC we are saving money on paint. All the extra profit goes to the CEO in year end bonuses. What you don't like our paint? You are a small fish, go buy a truck from someone else. Surely you will not buy a Japanese truck... "



"The problem is a quality issue, all new products can only have quality when they are new and being inspected. If you drove your truck to the mall and to your office job all the paint would still be there. We have no data that says we have a paint problem, all the trucks pass QA fine. "



BTW did you know that it takes 3 quarts of paint on average to paint a vehicle at DC? The engineers are spending several thousand hours per year trying to get the paint to stretch so that it only takes 2 quarts...



I know so far I have been NO help. What I did was add mud flaps and paid a body shop to paint rock/chip guard on the lowest part-line. I also daily pick rocks out of my tires. I too feel I have been raped by DC's paint department. My next truck will be a Ford.

 

[Chace TX]

Winter build

Mine was built in Feb. Guess they used the extra hardener. I had 3 other Dodges, and all were built in May of the model year. Coincidence I guess, but I had 0 paint problems with them. I am going to continue to raise hell at the stealership. They are some sub par idiots and couldn't care less, but I want them run and hide when I come in the door. Any ideas what a good paint job might cost?

 

[KD7GYJ]

Salesman that sold you the truck still work there. You should pressure him since he collected some of his pay check from your purchase. He might be able to steer you into the correct location or who to talk to unless he's a whimp and puddles on the floor when directed. My paint (which is white) is really thin and it just isn't the same as my 98. 5 CTD. The paint was shinny and thick.



Good luck let us know.



Blair

 

[SnoKing]

Mine was built in May 2001 in Mexico and, chips and scratches really easy. SNOKING

 

[drwish62]

Thin paint on door

I also have a 2001 silver quad cab, and i noticed that the rubber gasket by the floor looked like it had rust color on it. So i took a look and the bottom of my where it would seal against had started to bubble. That was four week ago but i've had already show it to the paint shop and they said that they would fix it. just the other day i detailed my truckand notice that the paint was totally gone. :-{}

 

[1tuffram]

On the drivers side of my truck I have HUGH areas of the driftwood center band blistering and peeling off. This all started with-in the last year. I know it is not due to scratches or rock chips becase I have had a scratch right down to the metal since the truck was almost new and that area is not peeling off. Paint defects are a known problem with DC (some colors worse than others). Since all this I have discovered paint defects with the driftwood are common. In fact I have seen a few early model second gen RAMS with the same paint colors as mine and they too had the drivers side driftwood paint peeling, coincidence??? Someone awhile ago posted thier ordeal to get DC to re-paint thier truck and a link to a website for Chrysler paint defects. Bottom line was, attempting to have DC pay for paint defects is like squeezing blood from a turnip. They will not take you serious until you file a Small Claims Court claim against them. They will then try and settle with some rinky-dink offer. If you want DC to pay all the costs to fix the defect it will take countless months (or more) of court bickering. Do you have that kind of time, energy and patience ?? DC's full staff of lawyers does.



In my case I noticed some paint defects around the Cummins/Ram 2500 badge, molding and fender openings within the first few months. Dealers always had an angle for why it was not covered, etc. Now 7 yrs later the paint is falling off, ironically though not in the areas I originally noticed paint defects I also mentioned to my dealer I thought the paint chips and scratches rather easily, their response was I should be thankful I bought a Dodge becasue they have the best painting process in the industry over the competition. They also said Chrysler would not under any circumstance cover rock chips or rust/corrosion to a body panel as a result of a rock chip damage. I was told to go to the service dept and buy a bottle of touch-up paint!!!



Best of luck, if you are dead serious about DC fixing your paint problems it may not hurt to do a little homework on the Small Claims Court process and the legal process prior to meeting with the zone rep, service manager and dealership owner. This may let them know you mean business, but you have to be willing to go all the way, because they will most likely call your bluff. Think statistics from that website say only 1 out of 100 people will follow thru with pursuing the matter. DC knows this and plays the odds.

 

[Pit Bull]

My truck see sig. was built in St. Louis in 11/99 and the paint is great. I only have one or two small rock chips and they don't even go down to the primer. It seems strange about the variation in the quality of the paint jobs between our Dodge trucks. I had a toyota Tundra that was chipping all over it had bad paint, but I know another guy that owns a Tundra and his paint is great. Weird

 

[Chace TX]

I got a letter in the mail today.

Don't have it in front of me but here is what I remember.

"Mr. Aldridge, I spoke with the dc rep. etc. Chrysler is not responsible for damage caused by road hazards. The paint is not defective. Please stop by our dealership so our body shop can give you an estimate of the repair. "



The smart ass lady that wrote the letter looked at my pickup for all of 30seconds, before she told me it was just rock chips. Well no $H1+ it's rock chips, any time something other than water hits the paint it chips. I jerked a sack of feed out of the bed and dragged it across the top of the bed, paper took it down to the primer. This is some sorry paint. I am not giving up easily, but I do not have time to take it to court. I hope the stealership has a lot of patience. I am not going to be violent, but they will hate to see me coming. We have purchased 3 vehicles from them in the last year and a half. They should be more cooperative.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Re: I got a letter in the mail today.

Originally posted by Chace TX

I jerked a sack of feed out of the bed and dragged it across the top of the bed, paper took it down to the primer. This is some sorry paint.

Actually you can thank the UAW for your paint. The problem where the paint chips off to the primer or just falls/scrapes off is related to the factory. You see if a monkey building the truck needs to take a leak or something it may cause the paint station to STOP. Well the trucks lined up to be pained have primer on them and the primer is going from tacky to hard as the line is down. If two monkeys need to take a leak then it gets harder. Now they just start up the assembly line and keep painting. your primer is SO HARD that NO paint will stick to it. In a few years HUGE chunks will be popping off all over the place.



Ford, GM and DC have this problem. I see cars and trucks around our town that have this problem. It is too bad when I talk to the current owner, they are not the original owner. If they were the original owner they could sue and get it re-painted.



The other option for DC is to have monkeys with sanders on the line to sand down all the cars/trucks with hard primer before they go into the paint booth. Another option is to sell those cars/trucks as seconds at an auction as used with NO warranty. Then build your truck right. Another option is just to scrap all unpainted cars/trucks that are in front of the main paint booths when the line goes down.



Since all of my options cost DC money NONE will be implemented.



According to DC "Customers are a PITA, I wish you would go away. " Someday I will, like the next vehicle I buy...



The next problem the ISO 14000 Quality system has let slip past its chars is the JUNK Automatic trannies...



Can you tell I have been abused by Chrysler?



For a price I could do some consulting services for DC to allow them to do destructive tests on the assembly line to verify that this problem RARELY happens again. The test would be on non critical pained areas or detachable test area that would allow a simple test to be preformed on the assembly line. In reality the company I work for could even design the robot, manufacture and install the solution. Now that would be adding quality to a product, not just waving the flag! If the DC lawyers/trolls are reading this I am honest about this problem and solution, give me a call.

 

[Mundgyver]

My truck was also built in St. Louis. DC can say what they want but the paint is thin and hard and chips real easy. My rocker panels are in great shape compared to the outside edges of the hood and along the side. Oregon uses a red gravel and they don't bother to sweep it up. I've got lots of little pits in the windshield too. Paint on the body is not a big worry with me as hey this is a truck. When I get it repainted in four or five years, I will go to a good urethane style that has some heft and can take a hit. Right now I'm trying to figure out a way to go after the State of Oregon for damages caused by misuse of my tax dollars in road up keep. Any body know how many windshields have to be replaced because the state won't sweep up the gravel on the freeway??? Inquiring minds need to know! And by the way, take a look at the new 2002's. They don't even paint the radiator or intercooler. Cheeky buggers aren't they. Any thing to save a buck. But I still love this truck. I just like smoken them Ferds and Chubbys Oo.

 

[CharlieMiller]

Paint Problems?

I got news for ya - Ford, Chevy & Dodge none of the paint is any good anymore. We have our govt. to thak for that. The EPA has regulated what can and can't be done to paint. Most of the good stuff has been removed because it wasn't good for us and our environment. We are just supposed to sit home and take up space that way we won't harm the environment.

 

[lgibson]

ChaceTx



Are you using the dealer there in San Angelo? I had my truck towed to them with a fuel leak. It was in 98 and there was a recall on the ISB's fuel line. Of course they did not have one had to order one for the next day. They bought me dinner and lunch, paid for my hotel room, and gave me a rental. I was treated very well.



As for the paint I can't help any. I had some strange things go on with mine though. On the hood, in the front corners the paint seemed really thin and could see right though it, and see where the paint runs. Well I take it to the dealer and set up an appointment. At appointment time the paint looked good to problems. A week later same problem. Take it to the dealer and looks fine again. This goes on for a couple of months. I just droped it and every once in a while the problem comes back. I haven't seen it since last summer now and it does not show up as often.

 

[MidwestMotorman]

paint problems and rail dust

If you really want to know if your paint is defective or not, try this.

Get some nice compressed air from an air compressor and use a blowgun to blow at the edge of a chipped or peeled spot. If the paint or primer is not adhered, you will see it blow right off. I have stripped a few GM cars this way, so it does work.



I believe that DC has to warranty the paint work for five years. Has anyone out there gotten DC to pay for rail dust damage to paint? Mine is white and that crap shows up easy. I would have the DC crew block and buff it, but I would like to get the truck back knowing my aftermarket decals would still be on there without any damage.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Quote:"A friend of mine has 52K on his bright silver 2001, he lives on a dirt road, and he has maybe 10% of the rock chips I do. Any suggestions. "



Head it off at the pass!



I would put some low hung mud-flaps on the truck and or slow down on the dirt/gravel roads. I made a trip down and back on the Alcan and never chipped the dually extensions on the rear quarter panel of my 3500. I never did much care for mud flaps either untill I lived in an area where all the roads aren't paved. Up here it's a way of life, unless you like chipped paint or something to complain about.



As far as the "scratching" there is nothing you can do except, wet the truck down 1st and wash with a CLEAN washmit. You drag some thing over the paint while it's dirty and dry, kiss the paint goodbye. The darker the color the more it shows. Clearcoat paint is very susceptilbe to abrasion unlike the old enamel paints. That was before the government got involved in it.

 

[Chace TX]

They bought you lunch?

They have treated me like a stepchild. A good friend of mine is the salesman that we buy from. He always tries to help, but they are just not up to the task. Ex. I was having low power problems, and bad mileage. I spoke with the service dept. and sceduled a drop off time that would be best for them. I asked them to schedule the work so that they could work on my truck when I dropped it off, not 3 days later. Well I dropped it at their convenience, and 3 days later it was untouched. I just picked it up and left. About a month later they finally replaced the lift pump. I don't know if that fixed my mileage and power problemst or not because I put an EZ on it that day and have not looked back since. Anyway the dealership has recently sold and they are really sorry now.

 

[buddman]

I have a brand new patriot blue 2002 Ram, I don't even have my licence plate yet and have 2 chips about the size of a button and 8 smaller ones. I very disapointed. If you just look at the truck wrong there is a new chip. I have an 1990 truck with over 200k miles on it and the paint still looks great. There is a problem... .....

 

[rakm]

2002 almond. 6000 miles on it and already have chips behind the fender wells and three on the top of the hood discovered today. Chips are very small but the ones on the hood really aggravate me. There about a third of the way up from the front in pretty visible spots. Went to the dealer today and they told me their rock chips (duh) and to just put touch-up paint on. Really dissapointing on such a new truck and I feel it chips way to easy also. I had a Ford Ranger before this and had less chips at 140000 when I sold it than on this brand new truck...