Started a case with FCA.

I posted earlier about a weird squeaky chirpy noise the truck makes when the MDS is activated and the RPM is around 1100.

It appears to me it is some sort of part vibrating back and forth rapidly and making the chirp noise. It can sound like a slipping belt when it chirps fast enough, or it can slow down into distinct chirps if the engine lugs.

The dealer hears it, but told me "it's normal for the truck" and then "we don't have another on the lot to listen to."

Then they said, "You sometimes have to wait for something to break before we tear it apart and fix it."

I call BS, and took it to FCA.

I will post as I learn more.

Are you referring to a "Star Case"

Mine does the same thing.....

Dealer is somewhat right in that something has to break critically for them to do something. FCA only gives them about 0.5 hours to bill for any diagnostic. After that, the dealership has to suck up any costs beyond that unless approved by FCA ahead of time. So something has to critically or obliviously break before the will do anything.

Not excusing it, but is pretty common how FCA runs their warranty service.

Hootbro said:

Dealer is somewhat right in that something has to break critically for them to do something. FCA only gives them about 0.5 hours to bill for any diagnosis. After that, the dealership has to suck up any costs beyond that unless approved by FCA ahead of time. So something has to critically or obliviously break before the will do anything.

Not excusing it, but is pretty common how FCA runs their warranty service.

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Yup, I am in the powersports industry, and we get ZERO diagnostic time, unless pre-approved by tech service. As a good dealer we suck it up and take care of the customer. I can see the company's point, though, as when I have been to service schools through the years, it is obvious that many techs can't troubleshoot their way out of a paper bag.

tjfdesmo said:

I can see the company's point, though, as when I have been to service schools through the years, it is obvious that many techs can't troubleshoot their way out of a paper bag.

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In my industry, heavy and medium duty trucks, we don't call those techs. We call them PRS's, which is short for Parts Replacement Specialist. They have to earn the right to be called a technician.

SouthTexan said:

In my industry, heavy and medium duty trucks, we don't call those techs. We call them PRS's, which is short for Parts Replacement Specialist. They have to earn the right to be called a technician.

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Question for you, is flat rate pay a thing in your industry?

Hootbro said:

Question for you, is flat rate pay a thing in your industry?

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Yep. The customer gets charged whatever the "book" rate for that job is. This is done for many reasons, one being that many customers want job quotes before the job is started. If the book says that 6 hours is a fair time for replacing a Horton fan clutch on a ISX Cummins then that is what the customer gets charged whether the tech took 8 hours to do the job or 4 hours. Of course a PRS will likely take longer until they gain experience in doing certain jobs.

As they gain experience and become an actual technician(or at least what I consider a technician), then they will start to complete jobs before book time. This is where they can make a lot of money and flag 60 hours while only actually working 40. Some customers complain when a good technician only takes 2 hours to do a job while they get charged for 4, yet I never hear them complain when the tech takes 6 hours to do the job and they only get charged for 4.

The only time flat or "book" rate doesn't apply is when doing diagnosis to solve a problem. In that case we ask the customer how much time do they want us to spend trying to diagnose the problem and they have to pay that time whether the technician finds the problem or not. Also, warranty work usually only pays a fraction of what the book rate is and it usually never pays for diag time.

maclean said:

I posted earlier about a weird squeaky chirpy noise the truck makes when the MDS is activated and the RPM is around 1100.

It appears to me it is some sort of part vibrating back and forth rapidly and making the chirp noise. It can sound like a slipping belt when it chirps fast enough, or it can slow down into distinct chirps if the engine lugs.

The dealer hears it, but told me "it's normal for the truck" and then "we don't have another on the lot to listen to."

Then they said, "You sometimes have to wait for something to break before we tear it apart and fix it."

I call BS, and took it to FCA.

I will post as I learn more.

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I had a very similar issue on my '14 6.4L. I could only hear the noise at idle though it was constant. After replacing the alternator and several pulleys it turned out to be the water pump. The 'tech' was able to isolate the sound with their electronic sound probe deal.

Good luck.

After several tries, my dealer shrugged and gave the "they all do that" response to the whistle/squeal my 5.7 makes. It's not tied to road speed or engine RPM, but gets louder with engine load, much like one would expect from a vacuum leak.

The first time I took it in, they replaced the harmonic balancer (which was "coming apart" on a truck with ~2,000 miles on it). The second time, they replaced a downpipe and cat, which helped a little, but the noise is actually louder now that I have another couple thousand miles on it since that work was done.

What's involved in "starting a case with FCA?"

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So FCA finally called me back, and they contacted the original purchasing dealer.

FCA told me to make an appointment and take it back to the original dealer, and when I called the original dealer they refused to look at it. Suggested I take it to another dealer.

When I asked where, they told me to take it to a dealer in another nearby City that goes by the same name, and said there was some awesome Ram technician there.

I called that dealer, and the truck is there today. I duplicated the noise for the tech, and so far am hopeful for a better experience.

Dealer called today. They found a TSB and located the noise to the muffler.

Part is several days away.

maclean said:

Dealer called today. They found a TSB and located the noise to the muffler.

Part is several days away.

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Interesting, I have been chasing an "exhaust rattle" since I got my truck. Maybe it is internal. Thanks for the update. I am going to make an appointment.

Big shout out for the senior technician at Rairdon in Kirkland.

They correctly identified the part making the noise, replaced it, and cured the noise.

I would *NEVER* have believed a muffler could make a noise like a belt squealing, but the noise is in fact gone and my truck performs like it should.

To the Rairdon folks in Monroe - apparently you owe me an apology. The noise is NOT normal for the truck, and your parts replacement specialists just got owned by a real technician who apparently reads TSB's.

Glad you got it taken care of. I dropped mine off this morning to try to track down the annoying rattle. I think it is in the muffler, but the service writer gave me the raised eyebrow "yeah whatever" reaction. I don't have high hopes, but we shall see.

maclean said:

Big shout out for the senior technician at Rairdon in Kirkland.

They correctly identified the part making the noise, replaced it, and cured the noise.

I would *NEVER* have believed a muffler could make a noise like a belt squealing, but the noise is in fact gone and my truck performs like it should.

To the Rairdon folks in Monroe - apparently you owe me an apology. The noise is NOT normal for the truck, and your parts replacement specialists just got owned by a real technician who apparently reads TSB's.

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You don't know the TSB number for the muffler issue, by chance, do you???

tjfdesmo said:

You don't know the TSB number for the muffler issue, by chance, do you???

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The paperwork I have says 11-004-14

Thanks! They are saying it is the resonator, not the muffler. They have it on order, so I'll find out in a week or so.

maclean said:

Big shout out for the senior technician at Rairdon in Kirkland.

They correctly identified the part making the noise, replaced it, and cured the noise.

I would *NEVER* have believed a muffler could make a noise like a belt squealing, but the noise is in fact gone and my truck performs like it should.

To the Rairdon folks in Monroe - apparently you owe me an apology. The noise is NOT normal for the truck, and your parts replacement specialists just got owned by a real technician who apparently reads TSB's.

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Wow. Good read. It's great to see success stories of good dealerships and technicians. Wish there were more of these stories around.

From my Up All Night Sleep All Day Gs7 on Tapatalk

Just to update, after saying it was the resonator, it did end up being the muffler. I am finally rid of that damn rattle. Thanks, maclean.