Farewell Ram and hello Tundra

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Kap1

Ex Ram 1500 2013 owner
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Posts
679
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557
Ram Year
2022 Tundra
Engine
3.5 vvti
20221022_002825.jpg

Hi All,

This day has come, after 9 years of ownership of my 2013 ram 1500, at 120k miles, it's time to move on.

At 120k miles there are just too many things to fix and I didn't feel like throwing "good money after bad"... Lifters and cam or probably the entire long block, transmission won't get into D or R often , brake system warnings. After reading so many stories here how guys tried to upgrade the cam/lifters, did their research, spend tons of money, and keep having knocking or other cel codes, it just wasn't worth the risk to me, and my time and sanity are more valuable to me right now.

I was very disappointed in my ram for completely falling apart at 120k miles, and probably needing about 20k in repairs... I always took very good care of it, used redline 5-30 from the beginning, and was hoping to keep this truck for many more years.

I couldn't make myself buy another ram. I wanted one, was still attracted to them but why would I buy another ram with Chrysler not fixing lifter and manifold bolt issues for the past decade... Dealers around my area suck big time too, I hated wasting time, fighting with them trying to get multiple issues fixed.... So I made decision against ram, as well as other domestic brands.

Just sold my ram to carmax dealership for 13.5k luckily I didn't have any cel lights during the inspection, and the sales rep didn't understand what the lifter/cam engine noises were...

I will miss this community though. I've learned so much over the years on these forums! And members of this forum were always very helpful, mature and welcoming.

Getting used to my new Tundra 2022 now, but still miss my old ram (not the many issues though).
 
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pjram

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Location
Detroit
Ram Year
2016
Engine
5.7
Best of luck to you. Many will probably give you some flack but I get it. I have 83k on my 16 and the electroni gremlins are starting already. I always planned to keep it till anything major starts to develop and trade it in for a new tundra. Maybe it won’t happen, time will tell. I haven’t had to repair a vehicle in 25 years due to being careful of the brand I buy,and I always keep them till over 200k. We‘ll see how things go. Best of luck again.
 

GsRAM

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2017 Dodge Ram 2500
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Hemi, 6.4L
Nice tundra! Congrats! I dont care for the grille and front end at all personally, they should have made the Toyota emblem larger so it takes up more room on it. That big grille and those little lights dont do it for me, but it's a nice truck.

I do like Toyota and Honda, they build great vehicles that are reliable and hold their value. I have a 2007 Rav4 that's still running well. They have issues too so prepare yourself for that. Is yours V8 or the new twin turbo V6?

I'd consider a tundra but they dont have an HD version so no go for me. One thing I can say from personal experience is that Honda and Toyota take care of their customers after the sale way better than any of the big 3. Any issue I had with my Honda was quickly addressed and without any hassle. Toyota the same. The added bonus is if you take care of your vehicles and equipment like I do, come trade in time they are still worth something. Unlike any big 3 vehicle I've owned, at the 8 to 9 yr mark they want to give you peanuts for stuff that's still nice. What was the cost compared to the big 3?

Just my .02 though.... but nice truck, good choice and I hope it gives you good service (I'm sure it will)
 

crazykid1994

Senior Member
Joined
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Location
Florida
Ram Year
2017
Engine
Hemi 5.7
View attachment 504937

Hi All,

This day has come, after 9 years of ownership of my 2013 ram 1500, at 120k miles, it's time to move on.

At 120k miles there are just too many things to fix and I didn't feel like throwing "good money after bad"... Lifters and cam or probably the entire long block, transmission won't get into D or R often , brake system warnings. After reading so many stories here how guys tried to upgrade the cam/lifters, did their research, spend tons of money, and keep having knocking or other cel codes, it just wasn't worth the risk to me, and my time and sanity are more valuable to me right now.

I was very disappointed in my ram for completely falling apart at 120k miles, and probably needing about 20k in repairs... I always took very good care of it, used redline 5-30 from the beginning, and was hoping to keep this truck for many more years.

I couldn't make myself buy another ram. I wanted one, was still attracted to them but why would I buy another ram with Chrysler not fixing lifter and manifold bolt issues for the past decade... Dealers around my area suck big time too, I hated wasting time, fighting with them trying to get multiple issues fixed.... So I made decision against ram, as well as other domestic brands.

Just sold my ram to carmax dealership for 13.5k luckily I didn't have any cel lights during the inspection, and the sales rep didn't understand what the lifter/cam engine noises were...

I will miss this community though. I've learned so much over the years on these forums! And members of this forum were always very helpful, mature and welcoming.

Getting used to my new Tundra 2022 now, but still miss my old ram (not the many issues though).
Hope your v6 twin turbo lasts. Hopefully Toyota learned a few things with fords original eco boost issues. My parents own a 2016 tundra with the 5.7 and use it to pull their 26’ boat. My father wants a new truck but I’ve told him to give it a few years to see how they do long term reliably for towing.
 

BuschLatte420

chill water by day, drink beer by night
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Location
WNY
Ram Year
2022 classic tradesmen crew cab 6’4 box
Engine
5.7L NON E-TORQUE 3.92 gears 4x4
I went the opposite, was always a GM guy, purchased a 2022 4 runner which has a few issues that can not be resolved…always liked the look of rams. I went with a ram. If the new tundra was out for 3 years or so I probably would have gave it a try but also not a fan of the TT V6 & the need to lift a cab of a gasser for some repairs. Good luck to you! Test drove a 2022 tundra and it was nice. I went with the classic hoping it would behave being out for 14 years
 

RamDiver

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Marlborough, Ontario, Canada
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2021
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Good luck with your new Toy.

I traded my '07 Tundra for a '21 Classic last January after maintenance costs were getting ridiculous. I'm partially to blame for not keeping up with the undercoating but the cost of replacement parts was astronomical.

If I recall correctly, the jobber alternator was about $1200 installed and about $1400 for a water pump. $400 for gas tank support straps, close to $200 for a tailpipe (part cost only). And don't even get me started on the costs of the remainder of the exhaust system. These are all Canadian $ so about 1.6+ x the US cost. :cool:

That said, while my warranty was still valid, Toyota Canada & Toyota USA took good care of me, mostly.

My truck was made for the US market which was excellent wrt warranty issues. When Toyota Canada dropped the ball on maintaining adequate inventory for a big recall, I just made an appointment in Upper NY state and had them complete the work. Zero problems other than an 80-minute drive through the Adirondack mountains in limp mode. :cool:
 

HEMIMANN

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6.4L HEMI
Hope your v6 twin turbo lasts. Hopefully Toyota learned a few things with fords original eco boost issues. My parents own a 2016 tundra with the 5.7 and use it to pull their 26’ boat. My father wants a new truck but I’ve told him to give it a few years to see how they do long term reliably for towing.

Anything can be made to work - for a while. The question is, what's a while?
Primary example: top fuel dragster or funny car avg. engine life is 36 seconds @ sub 4 second 1/4 mile runs.
Conversely, natural gas pumping station engines last 40,000 hours.
Auto makers installing overstressed motors to meet EPA CAFE mileage regs gets them off the lot only to have early failures.
 

RamDiver

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Hemi 5.7
Auto makers installing overstressed motors to meet EPA CAFE mileage regs gets them off the lot only to have early failures.

My Ram has less than 10,000 miles and I haven't pushed it too often yet, however; when I've stomped the skinny pedal it sounds great and instills confidence that everything is working as it should.

If I recall correctly, my Tundra had lots of power for passing but sounded more like the engine was going to explode if I persisted with the acceleration.

Just a subjective observation.
 

Burla

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Military
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2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
View attachment 504937

Hi All,

This day has come, after 9 years of ownership of my 2013 ram 1500, at 120k miles, it's time to move on.

At 120k miles there are just too many things to fix and I didn't feel like throwing "good money after bad"... Lifters and cam or probably the entire long block, transmission won't get into D or R often , brake system warnings. After reading so many stories here how guys tried to upgrade the cam/lifters, did their research, spend tons of money, and keep having knocking or other cel codes, it just wasn't worth the risk to me, and my time and sanity are more valuable to me right now.

I was very disappointed in my ram for completely falling apart at 120k miles, and probably needing about 20k in repairs... I always took very good care of it, used redline 5-30 from the beginning, and was hoping to keep this truck for many more years.

I couldn't make myself buy another ram. I wanted one, was still attracted to them but why would I buy another ram with Chrysler not fixing lifter and manifold bolt issues for the past decade... Dealers around my area suck big time too, I hated wasting time, fighting with them trying to get multiple issues fixed.... So I made decision against ram, as well as other domestic brands.

Just sold my ram to carmax dealership for 13.5k luckily I didn't have any cel lights during the inspection, and the sales rep didn't understand what the lifter/cam engine noises were...

I will miss this community though. I've learned so much over the years on these forums! And members of this forum were always very helpful, mature and welcoming.

Getting used to my new Tundra 2022 now, but still miss my old ram (not the many issues though).
we tried hey buddy? Yeah, yours was one of the most difficult cases, a true lemon.

what oil/filter combo you going with? If you are going to top top tier, I believe HPL went with high mag and low CA, plus even more moly, lspi quencher.
 

Burla

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2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
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Hemi
Thanks to @ramffml we have this voa, great protection against lspi. I would use this before redline in a di turbo until redline wakes up and goes heavy mag low CA.

blackstone-png.png
 

Davidloveshishemi

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Tn
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2019 Ram 1500 Classic
Engine
5.7 L Hemi
Personal truck is a Ram, work truck is a Tundra 8 cyl. Ram all day long. Toyota is way to underpowered for me. Slightest incline, passing gear, no thank you. Ram up hill with no effort or downshifting, that's the power I am looking for.
 

Rayzaa

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5.7
Mine has 119300 miles and going strong. Tundras are nice but sorry that front end grill is too busy looking for me. Ram looks much nicer imo.
But i like Tundras. Weird thing is i worked at a Toyota dealer in 2012 and my Ram was 5 years old at the time but id driven many new Tundras while there and i liked my Ram better.
Good Luck with it, im sure it will run like a top.

It is a shame that the newer Rams are having issues. Mine hasnt had any so i guess im fortunate. My Wife recently mentioned she liked the GMCs but no way id get one of those. Ive never owned a GM truck and i think their cars are junk.
 
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Tom Williams

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Colorado
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2018
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5.7 hemi
I’m also considering getting a new tundra, my 17 has started the manifold leak and the remote start doesn’t work, lights flicker and so on. I really like the Ram trucks but it may be time to get rid of it lol. Nice truck by the way!
 

670hoth

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Maine, USA
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2017
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5.7 Hemi
I wish you a million happy miles(no sarcasm). Interestingly, your Ram experience mirrors my Toyota experience. Endless problems and clueless dealers.
Thats the thing, Tundra's have issues too. You do seem to have to probe Tundra owner a bit more to get them to actually tell you about the problems they have. I know someone that had to replace their complete tundra engine at about 125K recently. I don't know what caused it but he does take care of his vehilcles. It wasn't cheap either. This being said, if I had much trouble with my Ram I would make a change too. So far at 82K its been good except I did have the manifold issue. I like the new F150s myself.
 
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2020PW

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2020
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Rather have a big engine doing little work than a small engine doing a lot of work.

Fca has the 7 year unlimited mile warranty so it can’t be that bad of a product.

Have to admit the Toyota is one ugly truck, ranks with the Ridgeline.
 
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2020PW

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Thats the thing, Tundra's have issues too. You do seem to have to probe Tundra owner a bit more to get them to actually tell you about the problems they have. I know someone that had to replace their complete tundra engine at about 125K recently. I don't know what caused it but he does take care of his vehilcles. It wasn't cheap either. This being said, if I had much trouble with my Ram I would make a change too. So far at 82K its been good except I did have the manifold issue. I like the new F150s myself.
The only good thing about a Toyota is when they have an issue they do a buy back, remember the frame rust issues… that still exist.
 
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Kap1

Kap1

Ex Ram 1500 2013 owner
Joined
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Posts
679
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557
Ram Year
2022 Tundra
Engine
3.5 vvti
Price and buying response:

My Tundra 2022 1742 edition was about $75k OTD for me. Now, this is their high end trim. Similar to the Laramie Longhorn or Ford King ranch. It's not cheap by any means, but I can afford it, and I plan to keep my truck for 10-15 years, so it's bearable both financially and psychologically to pay so much for a luxury truck since I'll use it for a while.

I had to pay $3k above msrp, Pre purchase truck that was allocated to the dealership. And wait 1 month. Prior to that one month of searching and hustling for me among dozens of CA dealerships.

Currently its absolutely impossible to get a new 2022 tundra. Very high demand, very low inventory.

Most Toyota dealers charge $7-10k above msrp for a Tundra now, beacon there's simply no inventory, and if I want a Tundra within a month, that's what you will be paying for.

There are many many people on Tundra forums who's put down deposits and been waiting for their Tundra for 10-12 month now, and I'm sure they won't get anything unless they pay above msrp...

So yeah... It was very tough to get a Tundra for me. Many people just give up and buy another brand as it's cheaper and readily available.

I've checked out F150, it was nice, comfortable, large space, fast, but just seemed very common to me, and not exiting. Boring. There are hundreds of them available all around me and they sell at deep discounts.

I didn't bother looking at Ram. The thought of running back and forth to the dealer for repairs, lifter issues, manifold bolts - all kept me away.

Yes, it's true that Ram probably rides better than Tundra, looks sharper, handles better, but this is not why I'm buying the truck. I'm buying it to have a reliable trouble free truck to get me around in my life, have it add enjoyment to my life, and not to waste my time with constant fixing, carefully listening to every engine sound wondering if it's an injector sound, manifold leak, hemi tick or a seized lifter, and worrying that something may break. I became an audiophile with all of the ram engine sounds over the past 9 years. Reliability and worry free truck ownership is the priority for me after having a Sexy ram for 9 years.
 
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