MoPar nightmare...what would you do?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,107
Reaction score
44,442
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
Two warped heads and 2 warped mani's, yeah this puppy was either over heated severely, or heated pretty high and cooled too quickly in the snow. Smaller pieces cool at different rates then block in extreme situations. It is possible if it over heated could have caused issue with low protection from oil and caused something in 7, don't know that is what happened but it makes sense. They are probably chapped with dealer because they shelled out of bunch of money and now need to pay for an engine. I would like to know what happened in 7 just for my info. They are probably weighing in replacing engine or fixing it somehow. keep us posted.
 

Bear900

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2021
Posts
11
Reaction score
9
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
Ram Year
2007
Engine
Cummins 5.9L
When it comes to warranties, dealers (service managers and service writers) depend on someone you rarely see and may never get to see (or even know exists) but you can try. This person can make or break your warranty experience: The warranty clerk. They go to warranty schools for the different makes and models the dealership sells. They are either highly efficient or are total failures. The work itself is inundating and frustrating (dealing with mfgrs) even for the best of them. IF, you can somehow ask and get to speak to that person, you may get a more accurate assessment of what is going on.
 

StickyLifter

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
146
Reaction score
121
Location
TN
Ram Year
2014
Engine
5.7L
How does a warped head take out a cylinder? They should be able to see scoring in the bore and/or damage to the piston and rings or a blown head gasket. That would be a weird problem to have, but all of this should have been caught with a bore scope, leak down, and compression testing.

*If you had a bad cylinder, the truck would have been running TERRIBLY when you took it in. Not just a ticking sound; it would be shaking, smoking, and making 230hp*

Dropped a valve seat? Now you need a new engine for sure, and they should immediately see that. That would have been a MASSIVE bang bang!

Lifter problem? New cam, lifters, and pushrods should fix that.

Warped head/manifolds? Flatten the decks on them all AND replace the exhaust studs and nuts.

Can't find the noise? Use a stethoscope.

Most likely cause: warped manifolds and/or broken studs make leak that sounds like cold valve tick. Service tech thinks it's cam and lifters.

What might have happened: Clueless dealer tech pulls heads to change cam and lifters, goofs cam timing when reassembling, *this* causes piston to valve contact which takes out head and no. 7 cylinder (piston breaks valve on first start, valve and piston chunks go back through the intake and take out other cylinders, rod puts hole in bore, long block is destroyed. Service tech, service writer, AND service manager collectively dump their pants, and now are trying to get MOPAR to replace it all but don't want to tell them they caused it and make the dealer eat it. Months of arguing ensue.
 
Last edited:

KenR 955

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Posts
112
Reaction score
158
Location
Greater Knoxville TN
Ram Year
2014
Engine
Hemi 5.7
How does a warped head take out a cylinder? They should be able to see scoring in the bore and/or damage to the piston and rings or a blown head gasket. That would be a weird problem to have, but all of this should have been caught with a bore scope, leak down, and compression testing.

*If you had a bad cylinder, the truck would have been running TERRIBLY when you took it in. Not just a ticking sound; it would be shaking, smoking, and making 230hp*

Dropped a valve seat? Now you need a new engine for sure, and they should immediately see that. That would have been a MASSIVE bang bang!

Lifter problem? New cam, lifters, and pushrods should fix that.

Warped head/manifolds? Flatten the decks on them all AND replace the exhaust studs and nuts.

Can't find the noise? Use a stethoscope.

Most likely cause: warped manifolds and/or broken studs make leak that sounds like cold valve tick. Service tech thinks it's cam and lifters.

What might have happened: Clueless dealer tech pulls heads to change cam and lifters, goofs cam timing when reassembling, *this* causes piston to valve contact which takes out head and no. 7 cylinder (piston breaks valve on first start, valve and piston chunks go back through the intake and take out other cylinders, rod puts hole in bore, long block is destroyed. Service tech, service writer, AND service manager collectively dump their pants, and now are trying to get MOPAR to replace it all but don't want to tell them they caused it and make the dealer eat it. Months of arguing ensue.
This is a very good post.
 

Dave-B

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Posts
7
Reaction score
11
Location
Ventura, CA
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.4L Hemi
I bought my Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi the end of May 2021. It was a private sale, but the truck was babied by the previous owner (full file of service records, all done at the dealer) and only had 47,500 miles on it. It ran great for about 800 miles, pulling a trailer, hauling feed, and all the other truck things it was supposed to do. Then a ticking noise started. I immediately took it to our local Ram dealer, who had serviced the truck all its life. They called me back a few days later to tell me that the noise was coming from the engine, and the truck would likely need a NEW ENGINE, at an expense of $15,000. Lucky me, we transferred the Mopar extended warranty, which is still good until December of this year, so the repairs SHOULD be covered. In September the dealer broke down the engine to confirm there was a faulty part (2 bad heads). We wait a few days for a Mopar rep to confirm that said part is broken and authorize the repair. We wait 2 WEEKS until the dealer can get the parts to fix it. We also replace the lifters right away on our dime, hoping to avoid that known failure down the line. They do so, and another week later the engine is reassembled and back in the truck, only its still making the same noise. The dealer again recommends a new engine and says they have a Mopar rep coming out to confirm in the next 24-28 hours. That was THREE WEEKS AGO. We have had numerous service managers at the dealership call for someone to approve the repair, and each time they are told another 24-48 hours. Now it is over 2 months since I last drove my truck, 3 weeks that the engine is out of it, and I feel like my hands are tied. Dealer and Mopar are very aware this is a vehicle that I need for work. I have not been given a loaner vehicle, since they only compensate for $175 of rental, and who rents out a 2500 truck for that price even on a daily rate? Dealer says they are waiting on Mopar. Mopar said yesterday they are waiting on dealer to diagnose issue. I had the dealer call Mopar AGAIN, to tell them AGAIN, what the issue is. Mopar tells me I should not be calling them, the dealer needs to. Meanwhile, the Mopar service rep that was AGAIN promised to be out there yesterday never showed up. Everyone is laying the blame on everything else, saying their hands are tied, while my truck is sitting engineless rusting in the dealer parking lot. So, what would you do? What are my options at this point?
A) Suck it up and spend the $15000 out of pocket and have the dealer fix the d--- engine? They even have one reserved for me if we get this repair approved before someone else claims it.
B) Keep nagging dealer and Mopar until they get it fixed?
C) Put the broken engine back in and drive it till it breaks down? (Ok, getting sarcastic here...but seriously, I need my truck back.)
D) Buy another truck to drive around until maybe, one day, this truck gets repaired, and then as soon as it is, sell it and never ever buy another Ram or Chrysler vehicle ever again?
E) Pray one of you has more options or the number of someone I can call that is actually going to get this done.

I hope someone is out there that has navigated this customer service minefield in the past with some success. Any recommendations (other than be patient) welcome.
 

Dave-B

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Posts
7
Reaction score
11
Location
Ventura, CA
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.4L Hemi
You have waited long enough. Contact a trusted attorney to see if you have any recourse.
 

BradN

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Posts
16
Reaction score
13
Location
New Mexico
Ram Year
2014
Engine
Hemi 6.4
I'm not sure why a couple things haven't come up in this thread.
1) Why are you trying to diagnose this? That's the dealer's problem not yours.
2) You need to find a lawyer to explain 1) to said dealer. His letter should include the daily cost of the rental truck you intend to pick up tomorrow.
 

Silver21Ram

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2021
Posts
75
Reaction score
91
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Ram Year
2021
Engine
Hemi 5.7 etorque
Two warped heads and 2 warped mani's, yeah this puppy was either over heated severely, or heated pretty high and cooled too quickly in the snow. Smaller pieces cool at different rates then block in extreme situations. It is possible if it over heated could have caused issue with low protection from oil and caused something in 7, don't know that is what happened but it makes sense. They are probably chapped with dealer because they shelled out of bunch of money and now need to pay for an engine. I would like to know what happened in 7 just for my info. They are probably weighing in replacing engine or fixing it somehow. keep us posted.
00
 

Silver21Ram

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2021
Posts
75
Reaction score
91
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Ram Year
2021
Engine
Hemi 5.7 etorque
Guess what ?
The warranty will not/does not pay the dealer unlimited hours of doing whatever to diagnose a problem. They also don't get paid for repairs that didn't fix the problem.
Oh yes, there can be charge-backs !

This dealer is already in the hole with technician time spent now.

And why is that ?
Nothing to date has fixed anything !

In actuality, the dealer has yet to produce a warranty claim that would be considered for payment.

Fast forward to the day an engine is replaced, road tested and vehicle returned to owner. Repair Order is closed.
Now you have a warranty claim to be submitted for payment to dealer.

The dealer Service Manager will be left to make his case ... think plea, in discussions with his Service Rep from Ram division.
You can bet that the dealer will eat a bunch of those diagnostic hours. They always do.
It's gets worse nowadays with young, inexperienced technicians and the manufacturers know this. There is one billion dollars in denied dealer warranty claims yearly in this country among all dealers and manufacturers.

This dealer has always serviced said truck and now with second owner.
There is likely a previous warranty claim with this dealer where the original owner complained of engine noise.

In judging the outcome of this claim, the Service Rep has knowledge of and access to the first reported date and mileage of the original complaint of engine noise with this particular vehicle.

It appears that the original owner elected not to fix it ; instead would sell it.
But maybe not. We don't know this.
This engine could likely have prior repair history with this same dealer and for the same problem.
This dealer might be "eating" more than we imagine. What is really going on behind the scenes is very much unknown to this owner.
There's likely a whole other story here.
In fact, there always is when delay after delay and inaction becomes week after week with no resolve.
I'd be looking behind door #3.
 

jagman_xjs

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Posts
226
Reaction score
232
Location
Clarksville IN
Ram Year
2003 2011 2019 2023
Engine
5.7 Hemi(s)
This is not meant to be a smart comment. But this post is why I ALWAYS have a back up truck. Honestly I have NEVER bought new until this truck and I will NEVER buy new again . I LOVE my RAM do not think I don't but FCA warranty is the pits and FCA does not have honor among themselves. Once this one is out of warranty FCA will NEVER see me again. I WILL buy used RAMs and pre 2014 Jeeps. I thought buying one with a warranty it would be taken care of. I have been a mechanic all my life but these dealers having nothing but parts changers working for them. Bottom line from my viewpoint get yourself a backup truck and a lawyer.
 
OP
OP
S

SSEC

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Posts
14
Reaction score
25
Location
Pennsylvania
Ram Year
2015
Engine
6.4L V8 Hemi
How does a warped head take out a cylinder? They should be able to see scoring in the bore and/or damage to the piston and rings or a blown head gasket. That would be a weird problem to have, but all of this should have been caught with a bore scope, leak down, and compression testing.

*If you had a bad cylinder, the truck would have been running TERRIBLY when you took it in. Not just a ticking sound; it would be shaking, smoking, and making 230hp*

Dropped a valve seat? Now you need a new engine for sure, and they should immediately see that. That would have been a MASSIVE bang bang!

Lifter problem? New cam, lifters, and pushrods should fix that.

Warped head/manifolds? Flatten the decks on them all AND replace the exhaust studs and nuts.

Can't find the noise? Use a stethoscope.

Most likely cause: warped manifolds and/or broken studs make leak that sounds like cold valve tick. Service tech thinks it's cam and lifters.

What might have happened: Clueless dealer tech pulls heads to change cam and lifters, goofs cam timing when reassembling, *this* causes piston to valve contact which takes out head and no. 7 cylinder (piston breaks valve on first start, valve and piston chunks go back through the intake and take out other cylinders, rod puts hole in bore, long block is destroyed. Service tech, service writer, AND service manager collectively dump their pants, and now are trying to get MOPAR to replace it all but don't want to tell them they caused it and make the dealer eat it. Months of arguing ensue.
This is a helpful post. Thank you. I sure hope you're wrong about the "what might have happened". That would seem to make sense though. For what its worth, the noise was noticeable but definitely not shaking, smoking etc. My jaw hit the floor when they said this was a major repair.
 
OP
OP
S

SSEC

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Posts
14
Reaction score
25
Location
Pennsylvania
Ram Year
2015
Engine
6.4L V8 Hemi
I'm not sure why a couple things haven't come up in this thread.
1) Why are you trying to diagnose this? That's the dealer's problem not yours.
2) You need to find a lawyer to explain 1) to said dealer. His letter should include the daily cost of the rental truck you intend to pick up tomorrow.
I like this post the best. I've been wondering too about the amount of diagnosing going on considering my original post. We already know what's wrong, though all the discussion has helped me understand it a lot better.
What kind of lawyer would even handle this kind of case? My regular attorney does real estate, which is not very helpful in this case.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,107
Reaction score
44,442
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
I wouldn't at this point man, if you hire a lawyer as a matter of fact they wont be doing anything at that point. So far you have no denial and they cracked it open, they own this and they know they do. They are just trying to figure out how much the dealer is going to get paid because they messed it up. You still have got no denial right? lemon law lawyer would take this case if you got a denial.
 

BradN

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Posts
16
Reaction score
13
Location
New Mexico
Ram Year
2014
Engine
Hemi 6.4
I wouldn't at this point man, if you hire a lawyer as a matter of fact they wont be doing anything at that point. So far you have no denial and they cracked it open, they own this and they know they do. They are just trying to figure out how much the dealer is going to get paid because they messed it up. You still have got no denial right? lemon law lawyer would take this case if you got a denial.
I'm not telling the OP to start a lawsuit. What I mean is get a lawyer to write a letter. In that letter explain that they are about to start getting a whole lot more cost for a rental if they don't get this taken care of. The threat of lawsuit is inherent with a letter from a lawyer.
The goal is to get the dealer to the point where they are calling Dodge 3 times a day to get this resolved.
 

Octane

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Posts
1,526
Reaction score
2,073
Location
U S.A.
Lemon laws and/or attorney.Sue for all expenses related to non use of truck Document every single detail and keep good records.Guarantee you this is what I would have already gotten started on.Attorneys will give free consultations and other side will pay for everything in court.
 

JRs 17 Ram

Junior Member
Joined
May 31, 2020
Posts
22
Reaction score
16
Location
Missouri
Ram Year
2017
Engine
Hemi 6.4
This could be comparing apples to oranges but years ago I bought a used Ford 7.3 from a dealer that was over 100 miles from me, it had a warranty that came with it. I picked it up one day and pulled a load of hay the next. You would have thought that I had a smoke screen feature because the white smoke was so thick you couldn’t see the traffic behind me. Pulled over and I was extremely low on coolant. Topped it off with water and made it home. Took it to the local dealer and they diagnosed bad head gaskets and cylinder #8 needed sleeved. Contacted the selling dealer and they fought me every step of the way. I contacted a lawyer and all communications ceased. Months later they offered to buy the truck back for what I paid minus the mileage. I didn’t get anything for loss of use or inconvenience. When I picked up my check the office gal said that when my lawyer contacted them they were pi$$ed and deliberately drug their feet on closing. My point is that a lawyer might be the very last option considered. Good luck.
 

etbrown4

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Posts
57
Reaction score
27
Ram Year
2016
Engine
hemi 5.7
I played the game with FCA over a transmission replacement under warranty for four months.

The key is your FCA Case manager. (assuming you created a case with the 800#, and you have an assigned case #)

I basically hounded my case manager in a nice way, and they finally relented, telling the dealer to do a free replacement at 60k.

Persistance pays. Don't be afraid to speak to your case managers boss also.
 

Octane

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Posts
1,526
Reaction score
2,073
Location
U S.A.
This could be comparing apples to oranges but years ago I bought a used Ford 7.3 from a dealer that was over 100 miles from me, it had a warranty that came with it. I picked it up one day and pulled a load of hay the next. You would have thought that I had a smoke screen feature because the white smoke was so thick you couldn’t see the traffic behind me. Pulled over and I was extremely low on coolant. Topped it off with water and made it home. Took it to the local dealer and they diagnosed bad head gaskets and cylinder #8 needed sleeved. Contacted the selling dealer and they fought me every step of the way. I contacted a lawyer and all communications ceased. Months later they offered to buy the truck back for what I paid minus the mileage. I didn’t get anything for loss of use or inconvenience. When I picked up my check the office gal said that when my lawyer contacted them they were pi$$ed and deliberately drug their feet on closing. My point is that a lawyer might be the very last option considered. Good luck.
You can get expenses paid tho.And a lawyer can be the only way.But some lawyers are not too good at their job.Many will settle too soon.Unless one wants to be dragged on indefi etely to a worse end.
 

Sherman Bird

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Posts
1,499
Reaction score
2,214
Location
Houston, Texas
Ram Year
1998
Engine
5.2
I bought my Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi the end of May 2021. It was a private sale, but the truck was babied by the previous owner (full file of service records, all done at the dealer) and only had 47,500 miles on it. It ran great for about 800 miles, pulling a trailer, hauling feed, and all the other truck things it was supposed to do. Then a ticking noise started. I immediately took it to our local Ram dealer, who had serviced the truck all its life. They called me back a few days later to tell me that the noise was coming from the engine, and the truck would likely need a NEW ENGINE, at an expense of $15,000. Lucky me, we transferred the Mopar extended warranty, which is still good until December of this year, so the repairs SHOULD be covered. In September the dealer broke down the engine to confirm there was a faulty part (2 bad heads). We wait a few days for a Mopar rep to confirm that said part is broken and authorize the repair. We wait 2 WEEKS until the dealer can get the parts to fix it. We also replace the lifters right away on our dime, hoping to avoid that known failure down the line. They do so, and another week later the engine is reassembled and back in the truck, only its still making the same noise. The dealer again recommends a new engine and says they have a Mopar rep coming out to confirm in the next 24-28 hours. That was THREE WEEKS AGO. We have had numerous service managers at the dealership call for someone to approve the repair, and each time they are told another 24-48 hours. Now it is over 2 months since I last drove my truck, 3 weeks that the engine is out of it, and I feel like my hands are tied. Dealer and Mopar are very aware this is a vehicle that I need for work. I have not been given a loaner vehicle, since they only compensate for $175 of rental, and who rents out a 2500 truck for that price even on a daily rate? Dealer says they are waiting on Mopar. Mopar said yesterday they are waiting on dealer to diagnose issue. I had the dealer call Mopar AGAIN, to tell them AGAIN, what the issue is. Mopar tells me I should not be calling them, the dealer needs to. Meanwhile, the Mopar service rep that was AGAIN promised to be out there yesterday never showed up. Everyone is laying the blame on everything else, saying their hands are tied, while my truck is sitting engineless rusting in the dealer parking lot. So, what would you do? What are my options at this point?
A) Suck it up and spend the $15000 out of pocket and have the dealer fix the d--- engine? They even have one reserved for me if we get this repair approved before someone else claims it.
B) Keep nagging dealer and Mopar until they get it fixed?
C) Put the broken engine back in and drive it till it breaks down? (Ok, getting sarcastic here...but seriously, I need my truck back.)
D) Buy another truck to drive around until maybe, one day, this truck gets repaired, and then as soon as it is, sell it and never ever buy another Ram or Chrysler vehicle ever again?
E) Pray one of you has more options or the number of someone I can call that is actually going to get this done.

I hope someone is out there that has navigated this customer service minefield in the past with some success. Any recommendations (other than be patient) welcome.

EDIT: Second tear-down of engine revealed cylinder #7 is bad. Repair #1 also involved the replacement of both exhaust manifolds. The issue here is not in diagnosis, but in the fact that the dealer can't seem to get a Mopar Representative to even look at the truck to deny/approve the repair. This is still ongoing as of Oct 28.
As an ex-dealer tech/service writer/ assistant service manager (Ford, Chevy, Mitsubishi), I can tell you that your next element of diligence should be to contact Ram Cares directly and open a case. Dealers seem to require the "kick in the pants" brought about from heaps of coals descending from on high sometimes. The reason that this course of action has so much punch (or, so I've seen from my own 27 years in dealers) is that, too many cases of unhappy customers from corporate hierarchy negatively impact dealer benefits at the front end of the dealer (dealer incentives and other special privileges). I've known of one such Ford dealer losing it's "Blue Oval" status from Dearborn, thus losing it's ability to participate in SVO program, service.

Ram Cares reads these posts, I think.... but you should contact them directly. Good luck to you!
 

Ricktara

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2019
Posts
72
Reaction score
70
Location
Farmington NH
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.4
This was always a tough scenario for me in my years as service manager. It stems from an incomplete original diagnosis by technician. It is way out of the norm for an actual adjuster to come out from Mopar. Dealer holds quite a bit of responsibility, in my days I would have caved in and provided rental, but times have changed. The good news is that when it's finally finished you will get the Mopar parts warranty on whatever parts they put in. I don't know what it is now but it used to be 2 or 3 years and 50,000 miles and and some point unlimited miles, but has likely changed. Best of luck to you.
 
Top