Crossroads...which road

[65Plymouth]

Well... I am still waiting to get my Power wagon back from the dealer. Still don't even have a diagnosis over 4 weeks in. Left a voice mail with the service manager and am waiting for a call back. This guy may get an ear full from me..

I have decided that as long as I can get a decent trade in for the power wagon, I am going to order a 2500 Tradesman CTD G56. For me, I think this is the only logical route to go. I don't think I will ever be able to trust the work that has been performed on my truck thus far and am having concerns with the overall reliability of the 68rfe trans in general.

I really hope this all works out and I can just move on... I have a free loaner which was cool for the first half day (Jeep Wrangler) but I am now ready to get my truck back.

 

[reloaderguy]

I tend not to reward incompetence. If they can't fix this truck I doubt they'll be able to fix the next. The 66RFE works the same, and uses many of the same parts, at the 68RFE.

Personally I think the warranty on your truck is a myth unless you have a catastrophic failure .

 

[65Plymouth]

I tend not to reward incompetence. If they can't fix this truck I doubt they'll be able to fix the next. The 66RFE works the same, and uses many of the same parts, at the 68RFE.

Personally I think the warranty on your truck is a myth unless you have a catastrophic failure .

I agree...I will never use their service department ever again. But, if I can take advantage of their screw up (get a very good deal on a trade in and a new order) I would be stupid not to explore the option.

Right now I am posturing for exactly that....the service manager never called me back yesterday so this morning I am going to file a formal complaint and ask for resolve with the the folks at Chrysler customer care.

This is going to get messy...if I'm not a priority after 30 days, I will be by the end if the day today.

Ps. Your wagon is one of my absolute favorites. Nice work.

 

[reloaderguy]

I agree...I will never use their service department ever again. But, if I can take advantage of their screw up (get a very good deal on a trade in and a new order) I would be stupid not to explore the option.

Right now I am posturing for exactly that....the service manager never called me back yesterday so this morning I am going to file a formal complaint and ask for resolve with the the folks at Chrysler customer care.

This is going to get messy...if I'm not a priority after 30 days, I will be by the end if the day today.

Ps. Your wagon is one of my absolute favorites. Nice work.

I've been where you are now, don't be surprised when you file a complaint with FCA and they turn around, call the dealer, and then take the dealer's word over yours. I caught a dealer putting used parts back into my engine for warranty repairs, damaging unrelated parts, and lying to me yet FCA took their word and blew me off.

I hope it works out for you, I love my truck but this is my last new FCA product. Mt truck has 22k miles on it and it may as well not have a warranty.

 

[65Plymouth]

I've been where you are now, don't be surprised when you file a complaint with FCA and they turn around, call the dealer, and then take the dealer's word over yours. I caught a dealer putting used parts back into my engine for warranty repairs, damaging unrelated parts, and lying to me yet FCA took their word and blew me off.

I hope it works out for you, I love my truck but this is my last new FCA product. Mt truck has 22k miles on it and it may as well not have a warranty.

I dont doubt that is exactly how this will play out. But, I did contact Chrysler care and am being assigned a case manager. I also submitted a written doc consisting of all my dated notes from the last month. I dont think the dealer has a leg to stand on actually. Not really sure how they can dispute facts and emails with date/time stamps. We will see....

I would look at other manufacturers but I really like the idea of an HD truck with a diesel and manual trans. In fact, I may even consider a leaf sprung 3500 without all of the nannies.

 

[65Plymouth]

I've been where you are now, don't be surprised when you file a complaint with FCA and they turn around, call the dealer, and then take the dealer's word over yours. I caught a dealer putting used parts back into my engine for warranty repairs, damaging unrelated parts, and lying to me yet FCA took their word and blew me off.

I hope it works out for you, I love my truck but this is my last new FCA product. Mt truck has 22k miles on it and it may as well not have a warranty.

Has Chrysler denied warranty work on your truck reloader? Reading on the other forum I figure with all the goodies you installed that you were quite happy.

 

[reloaderguy]

Has Chrysler denied warranty work on your truck reloader? Reading on the other forum I figure with all the goodies you installed that you were quite happy.

FCA never specifically denied a warranty claim but a problem has to be diagnosed to actually be claimed. The dealer claimed there was no problem initially then claimed they fixed it. Neither was true and FCA supported the dealer despite being defrauded by the dealer. All complaints were disregarded by FCA. The dealer claimed a Tech Rep looked at my truck which would imply FCA supported the dealer's diagnosis and thought the damage and improper reassembly was acceptable.

There's more than one way to deny a claim without telling an end user "no".

 

[PNW-Ram]

I guess what I am really having a hard time with is trying to decide if the CTD will be a better road tripper than the 6.4. I will likely be pulling a small trailer for family vacations occasionally and will likely NOT be using the CTD for it's intended purpose.

I know many will probably tyell me that unless I am loaded heavy, the cummins will be a waste of money. But then I am left wondering if the guys that own a truck with the CTD pull giant trailers 99.9999% of the time, or like me, daily drive it and pull 20% of the time.

seems like almost every CTD I have noticed lately is without trailer. Leads me to believe more people are using them for commuter trucks or daily drivers.

I just returned home from a 3 week work trip. 7:00 pm on Wednesday evening I left the Bay Area and drove for 6 hours straight, with a stop for fuel. The CTD is a fantastic road trip vehicle.

It's almost silent inside (I have a Tradesman, and it's possible the higher trim level have even more insulation). I got 22 mpg on I-5 in a 7,400 pound 4x4 - and it's got a 500+ mile range when not towing or hauling. It honestly gets better mileage than a 4x4 Tacoma.

I drive it empty 70% of the time, but haul a 10' cabover camper frequently, as well as trailers and such.
Also, I'm completely happy with the normal auto trans. There's always plenty of power as well as an amazing exhaust brake. I initially thought about a DEF delete, but have realized there's just no reason for me to do it.

 

[PNW-Ram]

Locally here the only difference will be you can get the 6.4 for 10000-12000 off and I never could find a Cummins for more than $8000 discounted. It made a big difference up front for me, but as much as I'm towing and driving the more I wish I would've went for a Cummins. I think the extra mpg would be nice. I'm driving over 25000 miles a year working.

I got $12,000 off MSRP on a '17 3500 in October of '17.
I paid $41,500 + DMV (no sales tax in Oregon) for a Tradesman 4x4 single cab - 2x220 amp alternators, running boards, 5" U Connect, spray in bedliner, snow plow package (diff cover, block heater cord, clearance lights), power locks & windows, cloth seats, shift on the fly T case, 5th wheel prep, upfitter switches and some stuff I probably forgot. Love this truck!

 

[65Plymouth]

Well.. My 2016 Tradesman power wagon is STILL at the dealer while they try and figure out why the trans is making noise. It has been 40 days today. So far they have replaced the following:
- Trans front pump
- Trans solenoid recalll
- Power Steering pump
- Trans Valve body and filters

Now they're telling me they are replacing the trans. Not sure why they didn't make this decision back in mid August. Boy am I pissed. for the last 15 days I have been adamant about just buying a new truck and trading this one in. As I indicated early on in this thread I was looking at getting a 2500 with a cummins and G56. I have tried dealing with the sales department at the dealer where my truck is (Thinking they might give me the best deal due to their incompetency) yet the general manager and salesman have been dragging their feet and actually are pretty GDamn rude.. Not responding to my inquiries, emails etc. I emailed them several times over the last two weeks and here we are in the beginning of September and all the August incentives on the 2500 have expired.

So... I have a case manager from Chrysler involved but nothing is happening. There have been a few open ended promises and "possibilities" but nothing is clear right as far as what I can expect. The window for ordering a new 2018 closes at the end of this month. Looks like I have a lot more fighting in front of me.

I am wondering how far I can push Chrysler (my case manager) to make this terrible experience turn into a good one.

Knowing that I want a new truck and am willing to open up my checkbook to cover the difference, what would ylou be asking for as far as a "make good" gesture"?

So Far I have mentioned that I would like a Max care lifetime warranty on a new gas truck or the best extended warranty on a diesel (dont think I can get max care lifetime on a diesel). What else should I be asking for? Expired incentives from August applied to a new purchase in September?

Let me know what you guys think.

 

[TXCOMT]

Definitely ask for lifetime oil changes and tire/wheel warranty/balancing and sorry to read about your troubles!
TXCOMT