How many people do I have to kill at my Dodge dealer?

[DLC]

Oh that’s great news and Happy BIG 60 !

 

[jet496]

2-3 years ago I had the dreaded "blend door repair" done on my 2007 Ram. It wouldn't direct the air to the proper place and it wouldn't get hot air anywhere. At that time I was told the a/c was going out too. When I picked it up they had forgotten to bolt the bench seat to the floor and leaving the dealership I actually flipped over into the backseat. Upon immediately returning to the dealer I find that all the bolts are rolling around on the floor. Obviously they corrected it right away. What I didn't notice at the time is that I still don't have any hot air. Since then I have only driven the truck about 4000 miles. This was approximately a $4000 repair. Lots of labor hours and one expensive assembly.
Last month I took it back and complained. Despite my complaints they insisted on a $900 "diagnostic fee" would be necessary to open up the dash to determine "if it was something we missed the first time". So I paid it. And another $4000 to replace some more "blend door kits" and a/c compressor. Of course nothing they did was inadequate or incorrect the first time (they say).
The kick in the nuts came when they tell me that the reason I have no hot air "the technician believes that the thermostat is incorrect and not allowing the engine to get hot enough". Supposedly it is opening at 180 instead of 203. But they can replace the tstat for $489. Fock that! Yesterday I did it myself and I find that the tstat is indeed stamped as a 203 degree unit. With only about half the normal amount of water in the radiator, the guage is now reading two needle widths above the midline instead of below it. But still I have no hot air coming out of the vents.
So my question is . . . who is in charge here? Service writers are idiots. Is their manager likely to help me? Dealership GM? How do I get to him? Do I just start yelling loud enough to scare away customers, and see who shows up? How exactly does dealer heirarchy work at a Dodge dealer these days? This is the Dodge dealer in Redlands if that is important.

I quit taking my shit to dealerships unless it's warranty work.. They are a ripoff when it comes to repairs & are not as qualified as you'd think they would be.

 

[77charger]

These days I feel if problem doesn’t show up on the computer they have no fuckin idea how to fix it.

my old work truck gm 2500hd had obvious trans problem would suddenly vibrate or make noise my thoughts torque converter. Take to dealer nothing wrong they say tell boss tell them drive it they did says fine no check engine lights. Take to our regular mechanic he says fine well it got worse dealer again they say it’s fine finally they agree to drop pan call back yes somethings wrong yup bad converter. Replace trans all good. Truck har 259k. But fucks sake go in for other misc maintenance they’ll tell you this is bad that needs changing etc.

Need true mechanics instead of parts changers again

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Got a 12 minute download from GM Friday and no more codes, def consumption much reduced, MPG way up and lots and lots more power.
Power galore.

This is amazing news. A freaking software patch lmao. Did they send you a check too? You deserve a big one.

 

[grumpy88]

This is amazing news. A freaking software patch lmao. Did they send you a check too? You deserve a big one.

In my experience all that means is the new soft ware is no longer looking for reasons to put the truck in limp mode . They cover up what ever is truly wrong . Good luck

 

[ghansen]

I was always a Chevrolet owner until i thought i would try the new Dodge body style that came out in 2002. What a piece of shit. Three times within a year when the truck was new the check engine light came halfway through the trip to the river. Made it a bitch to take the boat out while the truck was being checked out at Swantys. Haven’t had another Dodge since and never will.

 

[PlumLoco]

I was always a Chevrolet owner until i thought i would try the new Dodge body style that came out in 2002. What a piece of shit. Three times within a year when the truck was new the check engine light came halfway through the trip to the river. Made it a bitch to take the boat out while the truck was being checked out at Swantys. Haven’t had another Dodge since and never will.

My one and only experience with GM was a Pontiac Gran Prix in 1997. Supercharged, red, leather, everything I wanted in a sedan. My wife and I were in love with this car for the first 15,000 miles. Then a series of different unrelated failures in major components ( trans, windows, rack&pinion and several more) had me going to 6 different dealerships looking for answers. But every single one of those dealerships treated us like they actively did not want us back as customers. It was the dealerships that led my wife and I to the conclusion that we will never by a GM product simply because their dealers are shi!!y. The jury is still out on how good my local Dodge dealers are, but this is my fourth gas Ram that I will have driven 250,000 without having to work on the engine or the transmission. My windows work, my dash doesn't rattle, my paint still shines and has never been waxed or garaged. None of my GM or Ford driving friends can say the same. I'm sorry you got a lemon. It happens.