So I just sold my new Ram

[star_deceiver]

Oil war thread shift incoming: Flame on!

From what a I’ve read, PUP has much higher moly than other brand synthetic oils. 0w40 PUP is nigh unobtanium here and when you do find it it’s $16-$20+ a litre expensive, the molar version of it isn’t much cheaper! I buy whatever brand 0w40 synthetic oil is on sale, add the bottle of moly and reset the oil life meter. The bimmer, VW, and bitog forum people seem pretty happy with it. Good enough for me.

No issues, no oil burning. MDS is only annoying in traffic and easy to turn off.

 

[RBinNC]

You young guys whine too much about every little thing...... Had Trucks for 50 years....you couldn't own one of the earlier models be it Chevy, Ford or Dodge.... these new Rams are the best I've ever owned, they ride like a Imperial,handle like a sports car and get great mileage for a truck. and no road noise....maybe some of you cupcakes go drive a 1967 or 73 truck for a year and then see what the difference is...that is if you have any Kidneys left !!

Hey cupcake, I restore cars/trucks for a living. I'm WELL versed in what those trucks were and weren't. They also weren't $40,000.

 

[Jrws6]

IMO
If the OP really wants 200k trouble free out of a full size truck, he should be considering the Tundra.
if Toyota had a diesel tundra i am not 100 percent sure my ‘18 2500 Cummins would be in my driveway. I love it and it’s super comfortable. Even as a 3/4 ton truck it rides way better than the new f150s. They are rough!

but like we all have said every vehicle may have issues. You just gotta do you.
Good for him for doing what he feels is best, he’s paying for it and deserves to be happy!

 

[RBinNC]

The vibration was not caused by MDS. My guess is you have the truck levelled or lifted, which is almost always the cause for vibration at speed.

And, the lifter issues was past versions of this engine, not yours. Plenty of folks here getting 1/4 million miles and zero issues. 4 out of 5 is a bit off. More like 1 out of 5.

Also, Ford? Found On Road Dead? Look into Ford engine failures, you'll find some there too. What I see is the 6.4 is tried and true, problems known and fixed. The Ford 7.4 is brand new, no idea what issues it faces. Risky. Much more risky than what you were first concerned about.

Owning a vehicle is not a freebie. Some have issues, most don't, no matter who makes it. If you'd got the 8y 125K mile warranty, then you are covered for the "I need 125K with no problems" scenario. And if it were needing major service, you'd know you are good for many many more miles after that.

Yes, the MDS was the cause without a doubt. How do I know? It would stop the second I put it in manual mode. No, the truck was not lifted, it was bone stock. Hell I only owned it 7 months.

The 6.4 is 8 years old I believe. But also unchanged. Youtube uncle tony's garage where he goes through a torn down gen 3 hemi which these are, and explains the design flaw in oiling.

 

[RBinNC]

Since 2014 all 6.4's had MDS

7.3 have already had their share of failures, they had a stop order due to engines not being built right, leaking oil, broken plastic oil pans. Been reading on some Ford forums. I looked at a 2020 F250 7.3 XLT, Tremor package for 61k... that is crazy price for an XLT

I've not read anything about a stop order. I did read they're slow on manufacturing right now due to covid though.

 

[RBinNC]

Since the OP is without a truck right now, we can’t run out that he won’t show back up in a Ram after he looks over the competition. Or, maybe a Cummins?? I would recommend giving the 6.4 a shot again in the Power Wagon. Some how, us PW guys seem to have good luck with our 6.4s.

I felt torn about getting rid of it honestly. I think this generation is the best looking 3/4 ton option. If I come back to Ram it will be either cummins (though I have a really hard time justifying it and maintenance is pricey) or another 6.4 if I happen to find a dealership that will give me a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty.

A friend of mine had my same truck but with a cummins and he got a lifetime bumper to bumper for $4k. He's out in the Midwest however, and tows constantly.

 

[Jrws6]

I felt torn about getting rid of it honestly. I think this generation is the best looking 3/4 ton option. If I come back to Ram it will be either cummins (though I have a really hard time justifying it and maintenance is pricey) or another 6.4 if I happen to find a dealership that will give me a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty.

A friend of mine had my same truck but with a cummins and he got a lifetime bumper to bumper for $4k. He's out in the Midwest however, and tows constantly.

As far as maintenance, I pay $80 for a oil change at my local dealership. It’s so cheap I haven’t even bothered to do it myself even tho I normally do. $20 to fill up the DEF every 10k
And a fuel filter every 10-20k isn’t a huge deal to me. don’t let the “high maintenance@ scare you too bad on a Cummins.
it’s worth it and the up front cost when it comers time to sell it or trade it.

 

[RBinNC]

As far as maintenance, I pay $80 for a oil change at my local dealership. It’s so cheap I haven’t even bothered to do it myself even tho I normally do. $20 to fill up the DEF every 10k
And a fuel filter every 10-20k isn’t a huge deal to me. don’t let the “high maintenance@ scare you too bad on a Cummins.
it’s worth it and the up front cost when it comers time to sell it or trade it.

Really? I've heard more like $300-$400 every oil change - reason being there's 2 fuel filters that need to be changed every 10k miles which basically almost coincides with oil change intervals.

I'd surely consider the cummins if the oil changes were that reasonable, and a long long warranty.

I have a buddy who is a total diesel cummins guy, sells used tractor trailers, has diesel mechanic friends. He told me the latest cummins are great but that all the emissions controls usually have issue by or around 100k miles and is a lot of money to replace.

Honestly my trucks see atleast 60-70 percent commuter duty so it's really hard to justify the diesel. But yes, the reliability is very attractive.

 

[ALRedneck]

I have friends that are certified GM and Ford mechanics at dealerships, both of them feel that the newer gasser have gotten better and diesel have gotten worse(EPA crap). Their opinions are the gassers will get you to 300,000 miles just as reliably as a diesel and cost you less money in repairs getting there. One of them went as far as saying he would put any of the big three gasser against any of the big three diesels in longevity now there is DEF. But, if you heavy tow it’s worth the extra for the diesel for sure. I’d trade mine 6.4 in for a Cummins in a heart beat if I was towing 13,000 or more.
If I was mad at Ram and dead set against them and want a 2500 gasser, I would go straight to the Ford 6.2 with the six speed if reliability was number one concern. That’s been around and has a great reputation but so does the Ram 6.4. So you never know

 

[odinjunior]

You guys do know that the lifetime warranty ends when the repair costs more than the vehicles value.
You can't really expect them to put a new motor in a 10 year old rust bucket?

 

[Sandevino]

I spend $170 to change the oil in my Cummins powered Peterbilt. No way it’s $300+ on a Ram Cummins. Someone’s lying to you or you were a willing participant and got SCREWED SIDEWAYS at the shop.

Anyway... I got a lifetime power train warranty for $0 buying at my local Ram dealer. Read up here - https://www.chryslerjeepdodgecityofmckinney.com/lifetime-powertrain-warranty.htm.

What’s the catch? You have them perform all maintenance. WHEN, not IF, but when something fails, they have ALL the paperwork and fix it, ZERO questions asked.

When the injector pump failed, taking three injectors with it in my 2003 2500 with 275,*** miles, they fixed it. I didn’t pay a dime.

Do your homework on the dealer. Buy smart....

 

[MoPowered]

You did what you had to do, nobody will fault you for that. So far as all the issues, it sucks that a new truck had all that **** go wrong.
I once had a problem with my hair looking and feeling it’s best. Some days it would be like I was born win titles, some days like my Parent’s were Porcupines and on other days like I just stepped out of a rainstorm of cats and dogs. So after talking my friend he told two of his friends, who then told two of their friends who then told two more of their friends and so on, and so on, and so on.....

 

[Firetruck41]

2 things. First, you don't even really know if it was burning oil, since you never checked the level when new. Maybe it showed low on the dipstick when you purchased it. Second, sounds like a lot of your problem is that you were active on a forum, where everyone brings their problems and enthusiasts take things to the nth degree to improve their rigs.

 

[flyer]

My 2500 with the 6.4 has been flawless. Don’t write it off just yet.

 

[flyer]

I traded my 1500 in for a 2017 2500 with the 6.4 engine and it has been flawless also. Just completed a 3000 mile road trip with
a slide in camper weighing about 2200 lbs. and averaged 11.4 MPG.

 

[Svon89]

I feel so bad for you, I am going through trying to get my truck repaired now. I just got off the phone with the Chrysler retention rep, and wow. New 2019 truck, started having an issue with the transmission dropping to neutral at random times. Not often, but scare the crap out of you when it happens at an intersection stuff. It’s been in several times, had the transmission valve body replaced, they pulled the camshaft to see if the pin connecting camshaft and timing gear could possibly have started to shear, now I am waiting on a fuel pump. So my last call with the retention rep was basically him telling me that Chrysler’s responsibility is to repair the vehicle, and anything they offer me in terms of compensation is bonus.... I bought the truck with the idea that I was buying a truck that was just that. A truck I could tow my camper with. I didn’t realize that laws of merchantability didn’t apply.
At this point it seems like I am at the mercy of the customer retention department. Waiting for the part to come in, get the truck back and then hope it doesn’t happen again. You made the right call. When my Chevy had an issue, one phone call, and even though it was out of warranty they looked at the past history and repaired the truck.
So you bailing on a truck that has issues is understandable. If I could get another truck with the same 6.4, I still believe that overall they are reliable. Read up on other manufacturers issues as well. I just wish customer service talked to me like someone that has had plans ruined and no truck for a month.

 

[Tunaman]

You have your opinion and am welcome to it but....if the tiny vibration from the meds bothered you and you’re going to Ford.......good luck my friend..oh, I know several who own the RAM and no problems with the valve train, unless you speak of a little tick for 3-4 seconds when they first start it. I owned nothing but ford over 30 yrs, the last being anew 2014. Never again but that’s my opinion....love my RAMS

 

[RBinNC]

2 things. First, you don't even really know if it was burning oil, since you never checked the level when new. Maybe it showed low on the dipstick when you purchased it. Second, sounds like a lot of your problem is that you were active on a forum, where everyone brings their problems and enthusiasts take things to the nth degree to improve their rigs.

2 things. First, you don't even really know if it was burning oil, since you never checked the level when new. Maybe it showed low on the dipstick when you purchased it. Second, sounds like a lot of your problem is that you were active on a forum, where everyone brings their problems and enthusiasts take things to the nth degree to improve their rigs.

Also, again, 4 out of 5 friends of mine that own Chrysler products had lifter failure early in the engine life. This is not just hemi's.

 

[Marley]

I currently own a gen 3 with 147K and never a single engine failure, still runs like new.

AND it's spent it's whole life towing in the mountains.......2004 Ram 2500 5.7 Hemi.

It's the reason I'm waiting to order a 2021 Ram 2500 with 6.4 Hemi.

 

[Atomic Ram]

IMO
If the OP really wants 200k trouble free out of a full size truck, he should be considering the Tundra.
if Toyota had a diesel tundra i am not 100 percent sure my ‘18 2500 Cummins would be in my driveway. I love it and it’s super comfortable. Even as a 3/4 ton truck it rides way better than the new f150s. They are rough!

but like we all have said every vehicle may have issues. You just gotta do you.
Good for him for doing what he feels is best, he’s paying for it and deserves to be happy!

I was a pretty big Toyota fan. I have had excellent luck with 2 4Runners and my current '96 Land Cruiser. However, my last truck before my current Ram was a 2013 Tundra 4X4 with the 5.7. IMHO, the Tundra is the worst platform that Toyota offers. It was the second most problematic truck I ever owned. Combine that with the absolutely dismal payload, and I decided to jump ship and get into a 3500 so I can actually have some real payload numbers. The Tundra has plenty of issues associated with it.