Trouble with Service Dept.

[RyanRobinson]

My truck has been in the shop for half the time I have owned it. The really bad part is, that it has not been a problem with the truck as much as it has been a problem with the service people.

They scratched my rear window just prior to new delivery. They ordered a new window to replace the scratched one. It took two appointments to get the window installed, only to have the window installers scratch up the back of the cab. In the mean time, the P245A code lights up. I take the truck in to fix the scratches and the code. I get the truck back a week later, but scratches are still there, and the check engine light comes back on. It took a week to get the truck back in, and it has been there for about three weeks now. They called to ask if they could drive it to check that the light stayed off. They called a week after that to say that they put 100 miles on it, and the light has stayed off, but now they broke the windshield. It has been another nearly two weeks and they haven't fixed the windshield or the scratches, yet.



IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO? I DON'T THINK I CAN TAKE THE TRUCK TO ANOTHER DEALER TO FIX THINGS THAT THIS DEALER HAS BROKE/SCRATCHED. THIS CAN'T BE NORMAL DODGE SERVICE, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS TROUBLE.

 

[JFaughn]

You may want to tell them to get you a new truck , you'll be happy to pick it up at an other dealer , just try to get them out of the picture .
What dealer / where , it may be a good thing for others to know ?
How many miles on it now ?

 

[AFellows]

Have your attorney send them a "nice" letter.

 

[TFucili]

Make sure you accurately document everything that has happened so far. Call customer service and start a file and get a case number. Tell them to refer you to another dealer and make an appointment to meet the area service rep at the other dealer. Get your truck the heck out of that clown show ASAP. I had a similar experience with a Chevy that I ended up going lemon law with. When the attorney, who was the senior man at the firm and had filed thousands of cases, read through my documentation and saw how the dealer had so mishandled my truck he said it was the absolute worst case of dealer shenanigans he had ever seen. I can tell you from experience, don't be rude or profane, but don't take "no" for an answer, and don't be Mr. Niceguy.



Good luck.

 

[CarlsonR]

The dealer is a private businessman, he is not part of,or employed by DC. He is just authorized to sell new DC products. Make sure you have a detailed time line and all documentation and start dealing with a DC CustServ rep. as long as your veh is under warranty you can take to any dealer you want,they should have no problems fixing any thing another dealer did as long as you have documention that it was damaged by a DC dealer.

 

[RyanRobinson]

Here is an update. I have the truck back. It still has a broken windshield, the dealer is telling me they can't find the proper one. I also failed to mention in the last post that, while checking oil, the condenser had been damaged. It is very obvious that someone had stepped on the bumper to work under the hood, and kicked in the fins, then leaned over it and smashed the top. I have met with the service manager, he assurred me that he would have it taken care of as soon as he can get the parts. That was a week ago and no word back, yet. I have been calm and polite, but I will have to do something different. Oh yea I almost forgot, I also found the rear seats were not bolted in correctly after they had removed them for the rear window replacement.



If anyone uses Tucson Dodge in Tucson, AZ, I hope you have better luck than I have. They have been very friendly and quick to get me in, but be sure to do a good inspection prior to leaving after any service work.



I only have 2900 miles on it. This began at delivery, I never should have accepted a damaged truck, but the dealership assured me it would be taken care of.



I'm done ranting now.

 

[DBentley]

Sorry to hear about your poor dealer service. Your experiance seems in line with most of mine at dealers in the past. What I have been doing the last few years is not ever returning to the dealer unless the truck is dead or its more than a days work to do the repair my self or a have a local mechanic do it for cash. Wish i could have got a discount for deleting the warranty because its a nitemare to let dealers mess with it.

Also I have noticed when warranty is up and you go to dealer as a paying cust. the service is much better.

Dont let them touch the condenser unless its broke or they will screw that up to.

 

[PBrauer]

Well said DBentley... I couldn't agree more.



RyanRobinson,

Don't feel the least bit guilty. You are far from ranting. In fact, you are being very reasonable, at least/especially in your posts. When I saw the thread pop back up I was hoping you had better news.



Don't let them mess with the condenser. It's just a fact of life that the "fins" will get bent. It will reach a certain ugliness and you'll get used to it. There are guards you can buy and/or you can try to stay away from it but the bottom line is that it has little, if any effect on it's performance. They will almost certainly make something worse if they try to replace it.



You can absolutely take the truck to another dealer... I honestly think it's time to do that. I'd either post an email or make it clear that PM's are welcome for advice on dealers in your area. Privately, someone might even give you the name of a service writer or manager that you can ask for or call before you go. Chances are good that you'll find a dealer that will treat you as good or better than if you'd bought the truck there, as well as going over everything the first dealer has done. All things considered, you aren't going to be comfortable going to this dealer anymore anyway... something that they probably already know. Not much incentive left for them to do anything other than to get you out of their hair.



Good luck. Hope it works out.

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Ryan, sorry to hear about your problems with Tucson Dodge, but I'm not surprised. I went there a couple years ago to get an oil filter for my 97 CTD and the parts guy tried to convince me that a filter from a V8 360 would work. I know it's a little out of your way, but you should try Bill Luke Dodge. It's in Phoenix right on the I-17 on the east side a couple miles north of the I-10. Somewhere between Camelback, Indianschool and Bethanyhome area, it's been a while since I've been there. They have excellent customer service and they do a good job.

 

[RyanRobinson]

Not the answer I was hoping for!!

I guess I won't have to worry about the service department any more!! Chrysler is buying the truck back. It seems that most everyones 6. 7L's are running right. It was a shakey start for some, but they were not able to get mine working. I continue to get check engine (MIL) lights about every two weeks. The dealership doesn't even know what to tell about my problems any more. They just take the truck, force a regenaration (for some unknown reason), clear the code, and give it back. I think I have had about every code thrown at some point.



I guess I will be back on the market for a different truck. It sure shakes my confidence in the 6. 7Ls. I think I will be looking for a 5. 9 or at least talking to several other 6. 7L owners to see how things are going. I know they will or have got everything figured out, but I am not going through all that crap again.

 

[Ducman82]

you sure cant beat the 5. 9. id think about a 6. 7 after a few years of getting the bugs out.

 

[BHolm]

Ryan, Looks like you found the thread on the 6. 7 forum. As I read through that one it gave me a warm comfortable feeling about the bugs being worked out of the 6. 7s, for sure in the 2008 models.



I would have a hard time switching brands. A good friend of mine has a 6. 4L Ford. Nice enough truck but it only manages 14 mpg, and also has been in for some reflash issues. I can't go with the GM trucks because they are not very trucklike. Some people might like that but I think the are like a car crossover. Besides, my last two duramax trucks gave me fits with problems ranging from a broken seat to a couple failed allison trannies. I don't think the milage on those is up to par with a broken in 6. 7 either.



If you want a manual trans truck, the 5. 9 is hard to beat, just be sure to get the newer ratios in the '07. My '06 burns a bunch of fuel running 2500 rpm @75 mph:{ Driving 60 solves this, but some of the wide open spaces around here beg for more.



If you want an auto, even though I had great luck with several 5. 9 48re trucks, I would buy an '08 6. 7. It is a great package. Find a different dealer, get some reccomendations, this site is great for that.



Most of all, don't feel like the Lone Ranger on bad dealer service. I love my dealers sales department, and loathe the service side. It took me three visits to get a rear window installed. They broke the old one during removal and left a ton of tiny pieces of glass in the cab where my kids ride#@$%! They left a coolant hose leaking during the exhaust brake install on my then new Megacab. And most recently I had the #4 injector line rupture. I replaed it myself and found wrench marks on the nut. The dealer had replaced the #4 injector in December and clearly had bent the line in question, as well as left the bracket holding the line loose. I just fixed it myself, on a Sunday, in their lot where it had died, puking a big puddle of diesel fuel on their lot, serves them right!



Like most of us, I just know better to leave it with them unless absolutely necessary. You had it right, it was the service dept more than the truck. The 6. 7's are still the best light truck on the road IMO.

 

[MickeyMiller]

Ryan,



I've found a simple way to identify a dealer you can trust... will they ley you watch the work being done?



The Dodge dealer in Billings where I bought the truck let you stand in the service area watch/talk to the tech. They got all my maintenance issues.



I have a lifetime oil change contract and take the truck to the dealer here in California every 3K miles(!), (102 miles... 31 oil changes), but they get none of my additional business. If they won't let me watch, what are they hiding? The independent shop doesn't mind a watcher as long as you stay out of the way.



One of these dealers will get wise and put in a viewing area so we can watch the tech removing the filer with a 3' bracker bar and 5 lb sledge..... :-laf

 

[bighammer]

Maybe they can offer you some free oil changes so you can take it back on a regular basis for abuse. :-laf

That is just unacceptable. Hope you can get it all worked out. I'd say they DO owe you something for your inconvenience.

 

[Regcabguy]

I love my 5. 9. In our classifieds locally an '06 QC w/7K was offered recently private party for $28,500. It was a 4wd. It's gone of course.