Tell me what you don't like about the Ram....

FL-RAM · Apr 13, 2022

mikeru said:
The sound system was designed by Alpine. But the components are made by the lowest bidder that meets specifications.

Yep. I feel deceived.

Dinky · Apr 13, 2022

FL-RAM said:
Yes, they are "fine". There is certainly nothing wrong with them. However, once you replace them you will realize just how "meh..."

I guess the sound quality doesn't bug me too much. Never been big into sound systems i guess and probably not the guy to tell the difference from cheap to expensive speakers. i had a 73 power wagon in high school and drove it for 3 years with no radio or speakers lmao.

BossHogg · Apr 14, 2022

mikeru said:
The sound system was designed by Alpine. But the components are made by the lowest bidder that meets specifications.

Reminds me of the crappy Bose systems GM put into their higher-end vehicles. They were completely without base.

Making electronics for automotive use is completely different than making consumer goods. Automotive electronics have to work under temperature and humidity extremes so the components used in the circuits are specifically designed for these conditions as are the circuit boards and the conformal coatings. There are no low bidders, there are only a handful of companies that have the manufacturing equipment to make automotive electronics. Pricing is based on quantity so an OEM has to agree to buy X number of units per month. What happens is the OEM will beat up the electronics producer for pricing, actual pricing is based on manufacturing capacity. If the electronics producer has a line that can produce the quantities requested then a deal is made.

FL-RAM · Apr 14, 2022

BossHogg said:
Reminds me of the crappy Bose systems GM put into their higher-end vehicles. They were completely without base.

Making electronics for automotive use is completely different than making consumer goods. Automotive electronics have to work under temperature and humidity extremes so the components used in the circuits are specifically designed for these conditions as are the circuit boards and the conformal coatings. There are no low bidders, there are only a handful of companies that have the manufacturing equipment to make automotive electronics. Pricing is based on quantity so an OEM has to agree to buy X number of units per month. What happens is the OEM will beat up the electronics producer for pricing, actual pricing is based on manufacturing capacity. If the electronics producer has a line that can produce the quantities requested then a deal is made.

That all makes perfect sense. My beef is that if you charge extra for an "Alpine" or Bose upgraded sound system, it should come with Alpine or Bose components. I'm not sure what Alpine has to do at all with this truck. The grille covering the center dash speaker says "Alpine"...but that is probably the only Alpine thing actually in the vehicle. So now I have a stereo that says Alpine, but has a mix of generic Chinese crap speakers and Infinity speakers.

It's really not a big deal unless you are a stereo guy. It's a really nice system that sounds great....but still I feel deceived and ripped off.

Podcast · Apr 14, 2022

My main issue I have with my 2019 is the tow mirrors. You pay to "upgrade" to the tow package and the mirrors are a major downgrade. For the first years of the 5th gen there's no power fold, you loose the 360 degree camera, there's no dimming at night and the worst part is you're actually paying for this to get worse. The only way I see any advantage to the mirrors is if you're towing all the time, I doubt any 1500 owner does that. Sure you can see better when towing but most will tow 10% of the time whether a boat or a camper on the weekends. My old Laramie towed a 22 foot camper with standard mirrors and they worked just fine but it would have been nice to have the tow package for the trailer brake. It's a lose/lose kinda deal either way.

mikeru · Apr 14, 2022

Podcast said:
My main issue I have with my 2019 is the tow mirrors. You pay to "upgrade" to the tow package and the mirrors are a major downgrade. For the first years of the 5th gen there's no power fold, you loose the 360 degree camera, there's no dimming at night and the worst part is you're actually paying for this to get worse. The only way I see any advantage to the mirrors is if you're towing all the time, I doubt any 1500 owner does that. Sure you can see better when towing but most will tow 10% of the time whether a boat or a camper on the weekends. My old Laramie towed a 22 foot camper with standard mirrors and they worked just fine but it would have been nice to have the tow package for the trailer brake. It's a lose/lose kinda deal either way.

This was definitely a huge swing and a miss for Ram. I'm just glad they remedied that issue for the 2021+ model year trucks. Although that's not doing anything to help 2019 and 2020 owners. It's too bad they didn't compensate you and anyone else who was affected by this.

B1gEz · Apr 14, 2022

Right away I thought maybe something was wrong with mine when I switched to the RAM with the headlights. Nope just the light out put is dog ****. So I changed them first thing. Couldn’t even see the ditch with stock.I do city but mostly back/country roads.

2019RamInSC · Apr 14, 2022

Dinky said:
I think the quality of the alpine speakers are just fine.. maybe years of construction and loss of certain frequencies helps or as long as sound come out i am fine lol.

Old age definitely fixes that problem. Lol I was never married to music to care enough about the truck radio. If you can't dance to it. Your just listening.

Killroy · Apr 14, 2022

Don't get Nav... have to pay a monthly service after one year for it to even work!

jimmyfjk · Apr 14, 2022

i have a 2021 rebel. to be honest i think the ram is the nicest truck on the road. I also believe that mechanically it is the BIGGEST ************* YOU CAN GET. Lots of people are having the lifter/cam failure issues. Ram blames it on too much idling. I now have a whopping 16,500 miles on my truck. So far i have had a battery die when only 3 months old. The truck electronics makes it own decisions sometimes about what it wants to do. I can fully lock the truck and walk away and before i get far i hear click and the dam locks have unlocked themselves. The ram box tool boxes unlock themselves all the time. I have the air ride suspension. I am telling you now if you live in a cold climate it sucks in the winter. When cold it feels like riding on stiff stiff coil springs and slam so hard i am expecting a blown air bag at anytime. Gas millage sucks big time. I do have 4wheel drive so that takes a little but i can drive anyway i want and still only get avg of 12mpg in town and 13.5 highway. I have deliberately babied it to get as high a millage as possible but it does not improve. The sound system in the rebel is great. I have the harmon/kardon system which is second to none.
I have all the features you can get on this truck except the sun roof and split tailgate. From a feature function creature comfort aspect they are very nice trucks. But from an engineering standpoint they suck. To change the oil you will find it spills all over the place no matter what contrivance you come up with to try and prevent it. The autobrake system will save you for rear ending someone but will also throw you dam coffee or coke all over the inside of your truck.
There are lots of features that would be great if they worked properly. But hince RAM is now owned by ******* Fiat and is now a foreign owned entity. I have the 5.7L hemi which is plenty powerful but you pay for it in a huge lack of gas millage.

jpin9b · Apr 14, 2022

I normally don't drive all that much but when I DO drive, I want the option to transport multiple people comfortably. I live in a cold rural area so I wanted 4x4. I also like DIY projects so I wanted the longbed. The crew cab 4x4 longbed serves me well.

That said, in order to get certain options I wanted on my '21 3500, I had to get a bunch of other stuff I didn't want:

cell phone hookup crap - don't need it
media screen/backup camera - don't need it
sensors that tell me I'm getting too close to something - don't need 'em
DEF system - haven't had trouble yet but seems like a ticking timebomb

Some of the modern bells and whistles can be nice but those are just more things that can go wrong.

Chiefatk · Apr 14, 2022

AirMech74 said:
What would you tell a guy who is considering a RAM for his next and first full size truck, that is negative about RAM? I pretty much know all the Pros...which is why i've put RAM at the top of my list....my second choice is a Toyota Tundra (I'm in a 2nd Gen Tacoma now). I'd really like to know what kind of problems to expect that is pretty typical with Ram trucks. I really love the looks of the Rebel, but i dig the the Laramie with the Night package....those would be my 2 choices. I'm open to hear about engine choices....I am primarily a city driver, this would be my daily driver.but intend to do some road trips with the family. I do not tow anything...not a boat guy....or a camper guy...I go old school...lol

Chiefatk · Apr 14, 2022

I have been buying new Ram vehicles since 1999 and have had very little problems with them. My biggest complaint has been with the dealership service department. The 1999 was a 3/4 diesel and all service was exceptional. But, things went down hill after the next truck. Poor service, overcharges, missing items from the bed of the truck and return trips for the same warranty service. With the exception of the 1999, I drive very little and trade time is with a truck just barely out of warranty. I have gone out of my area to buy my 2019 and the sales operation was great. But, again the dealership was terrible, especially with the overcharge for service and there was not a operators manual in the truck. The dealership could not provide one and I had to write to the manufacturer to get one. . It is doubtful that my next purchase will be with another Ram.

CaptOchs · Apr 14, 2022

It seems Dodge vehicles show rust sooner than other brands, especially if left unchecked. I have Ziebart which helps undercoating, but I still have rust spots in a few places. I also have a monthly wash plan as well.

The uConnect is a bit glitchy at times. Sometimes it doesn't connect my phone or generally seems slow to respond.

Stevie5780 · Apr 14, 2022

Love my 2017 big horn crew cab 6.6 bed bought new the only thing I don’t like is the turning radius

huntergreen · Apr 14, 2022

Chiefatk said:
I have been buying new Ram vehicles since 1999 and have had very little problems with them. My biggest complaint has been with the dealership service department. The 1999 was a 3/4 diesel and all service was exceptional. But, things went down hill after the next truck. Poor service, overcharges, missing items from the bed of the truck and return trips for the same warranty service. With the exception of the 1999, I drive very little and trade time is with a truck just barely out of warranty. I have gone out of my area to buy my 2019 and the sales operation was great. But, again the dealership was terrible, especially with the overcharge for service and there was not a operators manual in the truck. The dealership could not provide one and I had to write to the manufacturer to get one. . It is doubtful that my next purchase will be with another Ram.

It’s not just Ram that forces packages on us, he’ll I remember when the rear bumper was an option. Only added what you wanted. My take, I don’t like how the auto industry has taken choices away.

andymax · Apr 14, 2022

BossHogg said:
Reminds me of the crappy Bose systems GM put into their higher-end vehicles. They were completely without base.

Making electronics for automotive use is completely different than making consumer goods. Automotive electronics have to work under temperature and humidity extremes so the components used in the circuits are specifically designed for these conditions as are the circuit boards and the conformal coatings. There are no low bidders, there are only a handful of companies that have the manufacturing equipment to make automotive electronics. Pricing is based on quantity so an OEM has to agree to buy X number of units per month. What happens is the OEM will beat up the electronics producer for pricing, actual pricing is based on manufacturing capacity. If the electronics producer has a line that can produce the quantities requested then a deal is made.

I spent the last 33 years in the automotive electronics industry, so i must respectfully and vehemently disagree with your assessment of the manufacturing environment, constraints, cost modeling, etc. There most certainly are low bidders, and there most certainly are MANY manufacturers fully capable of building to automotive specifications. I can name about a dozen just off the top of my head, though the number globally is easily in the high hundreds, probably thousands. FWIW - "Made in China" by no means assures lesser quality. The root of poor quality electronics is the final specification by the OEM's which is largely driven by cost limitations...not poor engineering, manufacturing location, etc. (I will go on record saying I wish we made NOTHING in China for various reasons)

Killroy said:
Don't get Nav... have to pay a monthly service after one year for it to even work!

Is that a new thing? I have NAV on my 2019 and pay nothing...and I sure as hell wouldn't cuz it pretty much sucks compared to just using Waze or Google Maps over CarPlay.

Compu-Doc · Apr 14, 2022

I've had my 2019 Classic Express for about a year and a half now... number one thing I can't stand is the MDS but I have a 6sp trans with a column shifter that I can put into manual shift mode to disable it.
The other thing would be the electronic traction control that basically just brakes the spinning wheel but several times when it's kicked in on the highway I thought I was loosing control and going to spin out.
Last week I installed a Detroit TrueTrac diff carrier so problem solved

barr0208 · Apr 14, 2022

jpin9b said:
I normally don't drive all that much but when I DO drive, I want the option to transport multiple people comfortably. I live in a cold rural area so I wanted 4x4. I also like DIY projects so I wanted the longbed. The crew cab 4x4 longbed serves me well.

That said, in order to get certain options I wanted on my '21 3500, I had to get a bunch of other stuff I didn't want:

cell phone hookup crap - don't need it
media screen/backup camera - don't need it
sensors that tell me I'm getting too close to something - don't need 'em
DEF system - haven't had trouble yet but seems like a ticking timebomb

Some of the modern bells and whistles can be nice but those are just more things that can go wrong.

i dont know about the sensors but the back up camera was mandated by the powers that be there and in canada

JimK59 · Apr 14, 2022

2021 1500 Classic WARLOCK 5.7, can't stand the knob shifter (takes way too long to shift/change gears), a leaf hits the front bumper and the paint chips off (not really, rubbed my snowblower on it, but it shouldn't have chipped/scraped), headlights could be brighter (much brighter), have the cheapest radio (a better radio should be the cheapest radio), all pick-up beds should have a spray in liner (had to do mine after purchase). these are the ones that bother me.

Tell me what you don't like about the Ram....

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