Few questions on future 1500 purchase.

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GlennRH

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Hi all, been reading the forum for months. I'm winding down in the next 8 months or so and have been leaning toward a Ram pickup because I do need that bed space now and again and every SUV I look at is not much more than a trunk with a glass hood. For the past 40 years I have been driving Ford E-250s for my HVAC/personal and the transmission rebuilds have steered me away from another Ford. Now like anything else with the internet you can scare yourself out of buying a toothbrush if you read enough reviews. I guess my two biggest concerns now from the posts I see are:
Water leaks. Thread after thread after thread. How widespread is this assuming I will have a fixed rear window and no moonroof?
Manifold bolts: Those breaking is completely foreign to me, had never heard of it prior to coming on the forum.

On options, Are people happy with the factory spray in bed liner and tonneau cover? Since I will not be in the trades anymore, the bed will get limited use. As far as driving, I doubt I'll be doing much more than 6-7k a year, paved roads.
One more of several I will come up with. Is there a factory paint protection that is not snake oil?
 

Stavinksi

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Factory liner is good quality on mine but an obvious robot job. Up under the bed rails the spray is very thin but very consistent. If you aren’t inspecting it like an **** retentive **** you will never notice. Had after market lineX on my ‘17, factory liner is just as good. No leaks yet. F150 story I have of oil pump failure at 60k miles. Friends Silverado 1500 in the shop 6 weeks for bad shifting at 11k miles. They all have issues if you are the one. Can get a lemon with anything. Would buy a 3rd ram 1500 if I were in the market.
 

Rado

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Glenn WELCOME to the group !
I am retired from the HVAC trade myself !

I have 2015 RAM 1500 SLT 4x4 Quad Cab
I have the V6 Pentastar motor !
Works for me as I DO NOT of Road or tow ! and I like getting 21/22mpg lol
my F150 was lucky to get 15 mpg but loves that truck
Yes I would buy another and Yes with the Pentastar motor
 
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GlennRH

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Thanks, one more silly one that just popped up. I did a fantasy build and added rear window defogger and clicked local inventory, Not a one showed that on the ones they have in the lots and this is Chicago area! Does the back window already come with the resistance wires in the glass and is this defogger is something additional?
 

tron67j

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Every option you add is another potential thing to have a problem with. Have had sunroof on 2 vehicles, both leaked eventually and I don't miss at all. Rear window slider, I never liked the look and didn't want the leak point. I think some people have had problems with leak around third brake light. I never have and know no one who has, but you could just buy some gasket material and ensure nothing will happen.

Bolts break, had 2-3 but it was only 1 of three rams after 125,000 miles. I wouldn't waste your money on paint protection, I never had it on over a dozen vehicles driven in the worst salt and in the desert and everywhere in between. I always have plastic bed liners just so much easier to slide things in and out and actually protect the bed. For a cover, I like hard tri-fold. Bought a Walmart $400 one for my 8' bed in 2016 as a temporary thing after my 13 year old pace Edwards roll back gave out. I am still using it and works awesome.

For other options, I keep it simple. I bought the Tradesman version and added a couple things myself like 8.4 radio and overhead console. Again, less things are less things to break. And if you ask me, I say avoid air suspension like the plague. I know others love theirs but I never found it useful and had it in 2 other trucks and it just kept breaking. Good luck.
 

mikeru

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Thanks, one more silly one that just popped up. I did a fantasy build and added rear window defogger and clicked local inventory, Not a one showed that on the ones they have in the lots and this is Chicago area! Does the back window already come with the resistance wires in the glass and is this defogger is something additional?
Don't get too hooked on the rear defogger on a truck. Because the rear window is vertical, very little if any frost ever develops there. And the rear window almost never fogs up. I live in Eastern Washington state, where we get plenty of wet and wintery weather. And I don't think we've used the defogger in our truck more than a hand full of times in the two and a half years we've had the truck. I'm not gonna say there will never be a time it would come in handy, but I wouldn't let that sway my truck buying decision.
 

DILLIGAF

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Factory spray in liner is great
Factory tonneau cover is hot garbage. The BakFLip is a better and cheaper option
Manifold bolts are an easy fix. Once you get home with your new truck, rip out those garbage manifolds and install shortie headers with Remflex gasket and ARP bolts
 

SniperDroid

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Welcome to the Forum! I also came from Ford land. The wife's Jeep Cherokee convinced me to move to Ram for the truck. The F150 I had, had manifold bolts that broke off. The F250 Power Stroke I had was a constant maintenance queen. Tranny at 160K, injectors, EGR, cooling system... never another diesel again.

My 2500 is a gift from God! Bighorn package gives me extras over the basic Tradesman that make the look and finish inside to keep me happy. Added options made the truck sweet to drive and look at. The 6.4 has plenty of power, and torque for towing the camper. The ride is good for me, empty or loaded. No leaks yet, Factory spray in bed liner is great, but my old knees needed a bed rug to go in there too. I also put on and Backflip MX4 for the cover. The A/C need a recharge at 12K to keep things cool, and that's when I added the 20 percent tint on the windows. Keeps it cooler and looks like a limo :cool:! Let us know what you decide, and when you get, you don't really have it until we see PICTURES!
 

Rado

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Thanks, one more silly one that just popped up. I did a fantasy build and added rear window defogger and clicked local inventory, Not a one showed that on the ones they have in the lots and this is Chicago area! Does the back window already come with the resistance wires in the glass and is this defogger is something additional?
As for the rear window defrost/defog I have not seen a need for one on my Quad cab, But I feel the dash vents seem to take care of it !
Now on my car it is very helpful
 

runamuck

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I have not had any water leaks in my laramie and have driven in plenty of heavy downpours and heavy snow. I dont get the factory liner because there is an after market place near me that does a good job and does the liners for most of the local dealers..cheaper. I also get a Bkflip topper online and put on.. I have had several and they have been fine. dont know how prevalent the broken bolts are, in all my years I have never known anyone that had that problem. buying anything mechanical nowadays is probably a little bit of a crapshoot because labor and supply problems.
 

gofishn

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Welcome to the forum.

Water leaks are an issue for every manufacturer. Sad to say but some things just do not get installed properly.


Manifold bolts breaking is another pretty common issue across brands,. just more so on our Hemi;s, due to heat retention of the exhaust manifold.
Go with shorty headers and it will never be an issue.

Every vehicle has its quirks. Chose the one that makes you happy.
 

BossHogg

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with the internet you can scare yourself out of buying a toothbrush if you read enough reviews.

On options, Are people happy with the factory spray in bed liner and tonneau cover?
I had to laugh, that is spot on and I will have to remember to use this analogy of internet reviews.

I have a 2022 1500 that I ordered with the factory bed cover. I like it, it is a tri-fold and is easy to use. In order to flip it open you need access to both sides to undo the hold-down latches. The latches also need room to fold down so if you have "stuff" occupying the area around the latches, you will find it difficult to unlatch or relatch. Also, the cover does not flip all the way open, the first section of the trifold by the rear of the cab is fixed or can be completely removed but it doesn't flip up.

I would have preferred the TruXedo Deuce (I've got this on my 3500) but there was uncertainty if and which after-market bed covers would work with RAM's multi-functional tailgate. To be safe, I ordered the factor cover. The tailgate was a must-have, I'm getting too old to keep throwing 50-pound bags of feed over the tailgate.

 

plainsman

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The inline 6 turbo should be released soon on the RAMs if that is of interest. My 2015 1500 never had rear window leaks and no need for defroster even in the mountains. Took in in just before my extended warranty and they did find one or two manifold bolts to replace. 87K and no problems.
 

Jim113

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I had one leak in the third brakelight and caught it before it caused any damage (burned out two bulbs) ... All I did was remove the light cover, take some window weather stripping, cut it to size and and, and replace the cover and problem solved ... I like the spray in bed liner as things don't slide around as much as the plastic ones ... One thing I would recommend is the new multi-function tailgate ... It makes it so much easier when loading things into the box .. And I have the factory soft tri-fold cover which suits my needs and works well ... Good luck on your purchase ...
 

Farmer Fran

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I have 2020 and I like the spray in liner. And the factory tonneau I personally like it. Bed stays dry and it is super easy to use and remove if needed
 

SniperDroid

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The inline 6 turbo should be released soon on the RAMs if that is of interest. My 2015 1500 never had rear window leaks and no need for defroster even in the mountains. Took in in just before my extended warranty and they did find one or two manifold bolts to replace. 87K and no problems.
I've been hearing that for a year, on the Hurricane Engine... they are available in the Grand Wagoneer, but I stopped holding my breath for one in the HD RAM's.
 

Tom McClellan

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One thing i do love cuz I live in Minnesota, the rear window defrost also turns on your mirror defrost. Which comes in very handy at times
 
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