EcoDiesel, A Maiden Voyage

[Mr.Asmith9]

R/Os continued

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

R/O Continued.

 

[Esgordon123]

Wow. I am kinda glad I went with the tried and tested hemi. I just wonder if it is the cold on this truck. Has it really been tested in climates like yours before? I hope they get all the bugs worked out before the warranty runs out.


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[NYCruiser]

I would love a diesel, cummins or eco, but I think I missed the window to get one new unless I have a use for it that gas just can't do. I think they've really messed them up for the time being with the def systems and emissions requirements. They've just become too complicated to be fun for me.

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

Two new problems,

1. I need to have my EVIC flashed (updated) there is a known issue, which I am experiencing, where the HVAC system gets confused and only blows cold air. It basically thinks that the cab is hotter than any temperature you set the heater to so it will only blow cold air. If your experiencing this issue just turn the heat all the way up and then turn the vehicle off and back on. The EVIC should now show "LOW" now you should be able to actually warm up your cab. Sometimes this takes several restarts.

2. My check engine light is on... again. I think I went a week and a half this time? I need one of those signs that say "X Days since last check engine light." "the best previous record was Y days" I feel like in this case both X and Y would equal 0. Anyway I have an appointment next week, it was actually for the Flash for problem #1 but there going to look at it to while its in.

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

They pushed my appointment back 2 weeks to April 1st, they've had my truck since then I'm currently in a rental waiting for any information and I'll update any of the followers I still have when I know more.

 

[Esgordon123]

Wow. This blows. I hope they get it fixed this time.


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[JJP71584]

So I have to ask...If you had to do this all over again, would you still get the Eco-diesel?

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

Here's the thing, I may have a chance to do just that if my truck is considered a lemon. I have put in the required paper work and am dealing with Chrysler on that account. We are in negotiations for a settlement. Their first offer of 3K is to low for me. Yes it's great compensation for all the issues I've received but honestly with all this issues I am truly fearful of what may come.

So with that in mind if I could have my same exact truck no issues then yes, yes I would. But I'm also thinking of going up to a 2500 for the payload capacity. I have less then 1,000 pounds I think it's 930? I know it's posted some where here on my forum and I'm not at home to look it up when I have myself and my family in the truck I can have like 200? Pounds payload. My new (really old trailer I'm refinishing) I'll post pictures later ways approximately 2,200 dry. If it's balanced right that's about 200#s tongue weight then you add my 2013 RZR XP which ways over 1,000 pounds I'll have exceeded my weight GVWR. See where the issue comes in? I love the performance per economy and the power it has. But the 1500 in the Longhorn model is just to heavy for my current uses. I may trade in for bigger.

If I do trade up I'd go for the Diesel, but that's an extra 9k to MSRP so I'd have to go down a trim model or two. Disappointing but perhaps worth it in the long run. I've been pricing out different 2500s to see what's practical.

On a normal basis I have me, my girl, my Great Dane, and a lab mix. Just shy 600#s total. Now I have up to 300#s left for hauling and tongue weight... *sigh* I'd make it work if my truck didn't have issues but with all this stuff going on I'm at a loss for what to do. I might break even trading it in if Chrysler offered a decent settlement but I will loose close to 5k in aftermarket accessories.
What to do, what to do....

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[Esgordon123]

Damn. Good luck


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[loveracing1988]

Here's the thing, I may have a chance to do just that if my truck is considered a lemon. I have put in the required paper work and am dealing with Chrysler on that account. We are in negotiations for a settlement. Their first offer of 3K is to low for me. Yes it's great compensation for all the issues I've received but honestly with all this issues I am truly fearful of what may come.

So with that in mind if I could have my same exact truck no issues then yes, yes I would. But I'm also thinking of going up to a 2500 for the payload capacity. I have less then 1,000 pounds I think it's 930? I know it's posted some where here on my forum and I'm not at home to look it up when I have myself and my family in the truck I can have like 200? Pounds payload. My new (really old trailer I'm refinishing) I'll post pictures later ways approximately 2,200 dry. If it's balanced right that's about 200#s tongue weight then you add my 2013 RZR XP which ways over 1,000 pounds I'll have exceeded my weight GVWR. See where the issue comes in? I love the performance per economy and the power it has. But the 1500 in the Longhorn model is just to heavy for my current uses. I may trade in for bigger.

If I do trade up I'd go for the Diesel, but that's an extra 9k to MSRP so I'd have to go down a trim model or two. Disappointing but perhaps worth it in the long run. I've been pricing out different 2500s to see what's practical.

On a normal basis I have me, my girl, my Great Dane, and a lab mix. Just shy 600#s total. Now I have up to 300#s left for hauling and tongue weight... *sigh* I'd make it work if my truck didn't have issues but with all this stuff going on I'm at a loss for what to do. I might break even trading it in if Chrysler offered a decent settlement but I will loose close to 5k in aftermarket accessories.
What to do, what to do....

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I will say of you are stepping up to a cummins go straight to the 3500. The payload on the Cummins 2500's is only about 2100 pounds which is a step up from what you have but a 3500 goes up above 3000 pounds.

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

The biggest reason why I wouldn't go to the 3500 is because I would never use it to its capacities. I might find a good use of its 3000 pounds hauling capabilities on extremely rare occasions say once every few years. however I would rather stick to the 2500 for the softer ride. Something to think about is its only about a thousand dollars more for the 3500 so dollar for capabilities the 3500 would be quote unquote a smarter buy.

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[Mr.Asmith9]

Well, I've closed on a settlement with Chrysler. They would not buy back or replace the vehicle but they have given me a small refund for my inconvenience for time out of the vehicle. It doesn't fully qualify as a lemon as it hasn't had any major repair issues just a constant nagging check engine light. Good news is it hadn't been on in a few weeks so perhaps this last time they reprogrammed my pcm actually did the trick *knock on wood* either way I'm going to be upgrading to the 2500/3500. They are the same price right now and the only true difference if I don't go with the HD transmissions is the payload which doubles. 2,200#s for the 2500 and 4,600#s for the 3500.

Like I mentioned before I don't need the extra capacities of the 3500 but when they are the same price it's hard to ignore the extra ton of hualable weight. I'm going to test drive a 2500 tomorrow with the coil springs and see if I can't find a 3500 to compare the leaf Springs with to see exactly how stiff the ride will be if I get the 3500.

What it'll boil down to is which one will Dave Smith's have in the color I want with all the features I'd like on hand when I'm ready to buy. I'd prefer the 2500 but won't say no to the 3500.

I just have to sell my truck first =(

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[smiley]

Wow what a **** storm. I personally am scared off of diesel because of the emissions junk that has ruined them but it sounds like for you it has been code after code and that just sucks. I have an old Ram and it does really well. I need it daily like you as I drive about 40 min each way to work. I can't believe they didn't just swap it out for you at this point the thing is black eye for Ram and embarrassing to be considered tested. Maybe you could email some higher ups such as Bob the CEO and get some better satisfaction. Warranty means so little if it does not cover your time spent.

 

[IndyDan]

Thanks for the explanation. I still don't see how they can put a figure of 1400 lbs in their brochure (Diesel, crew cab, 6'4" box) and 8900 lb towing if it's no where close. I understand options might add some weight, but 500 lbs? I guess the 4x4 takes up most of it. It would really suck to drop $50k on a truck expecting the payload and towing as shown in the brochure and get a real shock when you pick it up and read the label.
Roy

Very well done Mr.Asmith on your write up on the Alaska trip !!

As for the towing ability - I am about to find out with double the weight

Camper 10,500 lbs - trip is 2 weeks long all in the mountains of Colorado.

Laramie Limited - loaded - I will upload a picture of the rig and be back with the report in Mid June.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Very well done write up on the Alaska trip !!

As for the towing ability - I am about to find out with double the weight

Camper 10,500 lbs - trip is 2 weeks long all in the mountains of Colorado.

Laramie Limited - loaded - I will upload a picture of the rig and be back with the report in Mid June.

What does your door sticker say for payload capacity? You're probably going to be way over with that trailer.

 

[loveracing1988]

What does your door sticker say for payload capacity? You're probably going to be way over with that trailer.

Way over is an understatement, yes he already knows.

 

[IndyDan]

Way over is an understatement, yes he already knows.

As Loveracing1988 said, I already know.

Here is a picture hooked up to the camper

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

How'd the truck do IndyDan?

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[Mr.Asmith9]

Alright Guys! After almost 2 months I finally sold my POS last week for about $1,400 less then I had payed in a round about way.

The vehicle blue booked at $48,080 with the options and miles, I payed $49,369 ($58,080 MSRP). I put it up on consignment for $44,995 ($995 consignment fee so I would of only gotten $44k) I also had it advertised on Craigslist for the same amount. There where two people who attempted to buy it through consignment but they couldn't get financed. Out of the blue one day I receive a phone call from the local Chevy dealership saying they want my truck and will give me 41-42k for it. Seeing as the best numbers I was seeing for trade in was 38k I thought, what the hell I'll bring it in and see what they'll give me. Sure enough they offered $41,500 and I accepted the offer after much debate. What made this all possible was the $6,500 settlement I'm receiving from Chrysler. When I add that onto what I sold the truck for it comes out to $48,000. 1.4k less than I had payed for the vehicle itself. Considering I put 27,000 miles on the truck in that first year I think that is a pretty good deal. Of course I would of loved to have sold it privately for 48, then gotten that check from Chrysler meaning I made 6,500 and drove all those miles. But I just wanted to wash my hands of her and crawl into bed with a new girl

So the same day I sold the EcoDiesel I bought a 2015 Ram 2500 Mega Cab with the 6.4L Hemi. Well, It's not the long bed like I had originally wanted, nor is it the 6.7L Cummins, However a friend of mine recently picked up the same truck and showed me the mega cab. Up until this point I had never seen the inside of the mega cab, never felt first hand how much room there really was, especially if you lay the seats down. After that, I had to have the Mega cab. I'll use the extra space inside the truck daily if nothing else for my dog Titan who is a Grate Dane. Where as I would of only used the extra 2' of bed space... maybe once every other month, if that?

As far as not getting the Cummins like I had wanted, my buddy said and showed me he was getting around 15mpg in his 6.4. In my opinion that's pretty good considering the size of the truck, and the engine. Where as most the people I talked to who owned the diesel was getting around 17-18. The biggest reason I wanted the diesel was for the better economy. Paying 8k MSRP to get 2-3mpg better? didn't make much since to me. So I did some math and calculated out how many miles I'd have to drive in order to have save the cost of the diesel upgrade.

266,667 miles is what I came up with and that's assuming I'd get an average of 18mpg in the cummins and 15mpg in the hemi without the fuel prices changing.

266,667 miles is a long, long time. I have no doubt the engine is good for it, but thats before you calculate DEF Fluid. It would take an estimated 296 gallons of def to get you that far. (Def consumption is averaged at 2% of the diesel fuel consumed.) Locally I can only purchase def in 2.5 gallon containers for around 16.99. That would cost another $2,000 dollars you'd have to save. which in turn would be another 66,667 miles. and then another 74 gallons of def... another 500 dollars... 16,667 miles... 18.5 gallons of def... 125 dollars...

As you can see it just keeps going until finally you reach a safe bet of 356,000 miles of driving before you finally THINK you have saved enough money to justify that engine... What about the extra 5 quarts of oil every oil change, and the price difference in the type of oil?... Well, I got done calculating things before that as it becomes extremely complex and just knowing it would take me almost 28 years to drive all those miles at a high average of 15,000 a year I knew any more calculations would just be a waste of brain power.

So basically what I'm getting at is you'd never save that money. Once you contribute everything from regular maintenance to unforeseen repairs your going to be out whatever you paid to upgrade to the cummins. Now, if you bought the cummins for all of its capacities, and not just its better fuel economy, then its money well spent no doubt about it. But thats not why I wanted it. I'd never use it to its capacities.

Anyway, I've spent long enough typing this all up. I just wanted to let y'all know that I won't be supplying updates on the EcoDiesel anymore and if you like what I've posted so far you can follow my build page / truck journal here, or in my Signature.

*edit* I'll add a link to the thread when I actually start it. Thanks for reading guys!