can't keep up!

[dirkbiggler]

I've had my 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie since it was 2 years old never abused it. For some reason over the last 2 years it seems like I am constantly replacing part. Truck has 105,000kms. Oil changes done regular. This year so far idler pullies fell apart stranding me on the road no warning, rear backing plates and axle seals went had to buy backing plates from dodge, radio stopped working, manifold is leaking, over the rear wheel wells are bubbling and some places on the rocker panels even though its been undercoated every fall since 2010. Ball joints and wheel bearings usually go every 2 years thank god they are lifetime warranty. Just wondering if this is typical Dodge stuff? I love my truck don't get me wrong its paid off. But fixing it all the time is annoying when your OCD!

 

[KyleW2]

Same things happening with my dads 08 ram. Not quite as much but stuff is going wrong on ours too. We're about to get rid of it for something newer cause of it. Hell my moms 05 suburban has had absolutely no problems, never been in the shop or anything and the 08 has a problem at least once every 6 months. More frequent problems the past year or two. Kinda strange hopefully this isn't happening with everybody with an 08


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[dirkbiggler]

Just went over the receipts for the parts i have replaced labour included is $4500 in 2 years. Excluding servicing. $200 a month truck payment lol.

 

[crazy_luck]

Just went over the receipts for the parts i have replaced labour included is $4500 in 2 years. Excluding servicing. $200 a month truck payment lol.

The last 2nd Gen I had, I bought 2 years ago (literally 2 years ago today) for $6500 and in 14 months, I put nearly $8k into repairs - including an engine swap at the 10 month mark - I test drove the truck 3 times, checked EVERYTHING from front to back/top to bottom and it seemed like nothing was wrong (other than it needed brakes, ball joints, rear u-joint and a fuel pump, which I used to negotiate the price down from $9400; all of which every 2nd Gen I've had needed around the same mileage as this one had). Ended up with 2 bad plenum gaskets in that time, failed brake lines, failed master cylinder, failed front axle joints, starter and alternator within days of each other, PCM failed after fixing the alternator, exhaust manifold bolts failing on both manifolds (and a non-repairable crack in one manifold, switched to better headers), rear pinion nut failed, all 4 wheel bearings failed 1 at a time months apart, developed rod knock after the 2nd plenum gasket failure and swapped the engine. Final nail in the coffin, trans started to fail about a month after the engine swap - put some fresh trans fluid (a little thicker than should have been used ) and traded it in...

The repairs on all 3 2nd Gen trucks I had before that one combined didn't come close to what this one cost...

Sometimes, you lose the draw of the cards and get a lemon...

 

[SilverStreak88]

My 07 has been a similar kind of deal, seemed for a while that it was one thing after another. I have since replaced and fixed most everything, but there are still things lingering around, the Dodge lean is the main thing for me right now. Next is the paint, the clear is coming off on the back of the cab and is very saddening.

 

[RonJon '06]

I bought my '06 new and had to replace both front axle joints within the first two years. Drive shaft universals, axle joints two more times, ball joints. My engine started burning oil around 150K miles and its starting to show some rust. It's had more than its fair share of repairs but I've owned Dodges my whole life so I guess I'm used to it.

 

[dirkbiggler]

Seems like I am not the only one. Just wondering when its time to upgrade, nice not having a truck payment.

 

[SilverStreak88]

nice not having a truck payment.

^^^^^^ This is the 1 and only reason for me not trading up + I love my truck since it is my first full size V8 truck.

 

[dirkbiggler]

Rust is starting over my wheel wells. Might just buy some fender flares to put off rust repair for a couple years.lol!

 

[Bullitt5339]

You guys are not making me feel very good about my purchase....

 

[ST-8]

Mine hasn't been to bad in the almost 5yrs I've had mine an I've beat the **** out of it. Tho mine has consumed oil since I bought it(60k now at a tic under 106k) an it seems to be consuming more in the last few months. Oh an transmissions LOL.

 

[xtremewlr]

Sounds like just plain old bad lock with the OP's truck. I bought my 04 with 48,935 miles on it back on 4/25/08. The truck turned over 173,000 miles yesterday. In the 7 years now that I have owned it, I've replaced a leaking rear pinion seal, and had to have the radiator replaced. I've also had to repair both exhaust manifolds due to broken studs causing exhaust leaks. I just recently had the front suspension rebuilt but that's not surprising with the mileage my truck has.

Otherwise, this truck has been 100% reliable for me. Regular maintenance has been key. I'm on my 3rd serpentine belt, I've done pulleys twice now, 3rd set of plug wires, 5th set of plugs, 4th EGR valve, 3rd PCV valve, 3rd fan clutch (2nd one was the wrong one), 3rd set of tires, 3rd set of front brakes, 2nd set of shocks, 21 oil changes, 5th transmission fluid change and 4th gear oil change. Haven't had to replace the front wheel hubs yet but I probably will soon, just to make sure I don't have any issues with them. Get on top of the maintenance stuff and stay on top of it as best you can and you hopefully won't have major issues.

 

[SilverStreak88]

You guys are not making me feel very good about my purchase....

You made a good purchase, trust me! Every vehicle is going to have their issues, some are better to just trade up and get something different with less issues. If you don't have problems or very few then your doing good... Every generation vehicle that comes out gets more complex to work on so being in a early gen 3 it will be better than a gen 4 in repair because of the computer system.

 

[Bullitt5339]

Well, it's got just over 130k miles on it and I've driven it right at 3000 miles so far and it hasn't used a drop of oil. The suspension is completely new, so I don't have to worry about that anymore. The little 3.7 seems as strong as a V6 in a heavy truck could be and with the manual transmission, the typical Dodge automatic transmission gremlins don't apply. The truck doesn't have power anything, so there's very little electrical to go wrong, which is another problem I've had on previous Dodges I've owned.

So maybe it'll be just fine.

 

[xb1230]

The truck doesn't have power anything, so there's very little electrical to go wrong, which is another problem I've had on previous Dodges I've owned.

So maybe it'll be just fine.

Electrical is an issue with these trucks as wires go brittle and break. Plus the V6 is not "Drive by wire" as the 5.7L Hemi is so the mechanical Throttle Body is a bit more reliable than the 5.7L one.

My '02 has more rust issues than anything else after I have taken care of the lack of maintenance it had suffer from the previous owner.
Not having a monthly payment is a blessing. Plus being an old whacker you don't care about a scratch in a shopping mall Parking lot, or dings in the bed from hauling dirt.

Trust me 200$/month in repair is still wayyyy cheaper than paying for a newer truck... Consider insurance cost and other costs related to a newer vehicle and you'll keep putting those repairs in for a few years.

My 2 cents!

 

[SilverStreak88]

Electrical is an issue with these trucks as wires go brittle and break. Plus the V6 is not "Drive by wire" as the 5.7L Hemi is so the mechanical Throttle Body is a bit more reliable than the 5.7L one.

My '02 has more rust issues than anything else after I have taken care of the lack of maintenance it had suffer from the previous owner.
Not having a monthly payment is a blessing. Plus being an old whacker you don't care about a scratch in a shopping mall Parking lot, or dings in the bed from hauling dirt.

Trust me 200$/month in repair is still wayyyy cheaper than paying for a newer truck... Consider insurance cost and other costs related to a newer vehicle and you'll keep putting those repairs in for a few years.

My 2 cents!

I agree, before I pulled the dash on mine, I priced a new diesel because I got tired of working on it every 6 months. The truck I wanted was just a basic Lone Star Edition with a few extras and it was like 45K+ with a $600+ monthly payment. I think 300-400 every so often is better than 7 years of 600.

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[sylver91]

Thankfully I work in a shop, so general repairs and maintenance really only cost me my time after hours (or lunch break if its something small). These trucks are cake to work on compared to other trucks of similar years and cost way less in maintenance for the most part down the road. Rust is the least of my problems in my line of work lol.

 

[breg]

Wow I'm glad my truck has done so well. Had it 10 years and have only put in a battery and a water pump. Why in the hell anyone would make a water pump with a plastic impeller is beyond me!

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[sylver91]

Wow I'm glad my truck has done so well. Had it 10 years and have only put in a battery and a water pump. Why in the hell anyone would make a water pump with a plastic impeller is beyond me!

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Some special cars like BMW are electric water pumps. Sounds bullet proof right?

 

[SilverStreak88]

Some special cars like BMW are electric water pumps. Sounds bullet proof right?

Nooooo... rhetorical question? BMW's are junk.

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