- Joined
- May 16, 2021
- Posts
- 209
- Reaction score
- 104
- Location
- United States
- Ram Year
- 2021
- Engine
- 5.7 Hemi
Haven't been on in a while, sorry. Now on to the meat of this thread. Also, sorry for the wall of text, but this is the chain of events up to now.
Update on my '21 Ram Warlock (Blue). Back in Feb (Feb 1st, specifically) this year (2024), took it for the regular oil change, and the mechanic called me over to show me what turned out to be a wet transmission pan. Given that the fluid was not red, I had thought it was from the transfer case (yes Blue is 4x4), as I remember ATF usually being red, but then I also remember automatic transmissions having a dip stick where the driver could put their own fluid in if needed. Wrong on both counts.
I was planning on taking it to work that day, but ended up calling the dealer I bought it new from (will call Repair A to keep it simpler) and get it fixed under warranty, as I have a lot less than the 60k standard warranty at 32-33k on the odometer. That was Feb 12 (according to the receipt).
They also fixed a couple of other issues I had with it (back up camera freezing with curved lines, and not wanting to start occasionally) and I had to end up waiting like a week (Feb 19th is date it was 'finished', don't remember if I picked it up that day or the next) or so to get it back, due to 'waiting on parts'. Thankfully, I was able to make other arrangements to get back and forth to work while Blue was down.
A couple of days after I get it back, on my way home from work (2nd shift, so, it was dark outside), at the end of the off ramp from the highway, I notice a huge cloud of smoke from around my truck, and a burning oil smell, but not the usual burned oil smell. I had smelled the same thing the night before the oil change, but thought it was a truck that had just gone by, not realizing then that it was probably me.
As soon as I got home, I looked underneath and the transmission pan is wet, the cross member has what look like drips ready to fall. So I once again park the truck and make plans to use alternate transportation. I call Repair A (the dealer) the next day before work, set up another appointment, and get it to them again (Feb 22) to finish repairing what they apparently didn't get right on the trans the first time.
They 'take a look' and find nothing wrong with it, and try telling me that it is likely 'residual fluid' left over from before. With the cloud of smoke that came out that night, it is anything but 'residual'. So I tell them to take another look, I get it back after a couple of days (receipt date Feb 23, which was the day they called and said it was 'ready', not when I got it back), and because I want to take a better look, I park Blue at home and take my other transportation to work that day. When I get home that night, I take Blue out, and try to simulate driving to work (rough guess at driving conditions, time, etc.), at least 1 way, and guess what, problem NOT solved. I get Blue back home, and while I am looking underneath, not only is the transmission pan and crossmember wet, it drips like 5 times in the space of about 30 seconds. For the record, getting down and looking underneath is not an easy task for me due to various joint issues. This is the biggest reason I no longer change my own oil and do basic maintenance on my vehicles.
At this point, I am thinking Repair A has had their shot, TWICE, and are either unable to fix the transmission issue with their skill level, or worse, incompetent. I end up calling Repair B (another CDJ dealer that is closer to home), and explain the situation, and what I am experiencing, and they agree to take a look. After a phone call from them requesting to talk to Repair A, along with a $240 diagnostic charge, which I am thinking Repair A should pay since they couldn't find the problem, and doesn't want to pay, I get Blue back again. During the follow up conversation with Repair B, I find out that when they took the inspection port plug out (or whatever they called it), fluid came pouring out, and according to them, that wasn't supposed to happen. I know I didn't put the extra fluid in, and the only other people who would have been in a position to do so are the mechanics at Repair A. According to what Repair B told me of their conversation with Repair A, the reason this fluid came out was either the customer (me) put it in, or Repair B didn't know what the hell they were doing. Repair A also said, by way of what B told me, that they had it on the lift and ran it for hours with no issues. I have not independently talked to Repair A to verify any of this, because in all honesty, I just want Blue back, and drivable. Maybe after I get her back, I will try to get to the bottom of all of this "they said this, the other place said that" mess.
So anyway, I take her to work, and back home, with no apparent issues. Possibly this time due to hitting the light at the end of the off ramp just right. I get home, and look under and see more fluid dripping. At this point, it seems to me that no one can find the problem. So I call Repair B again, drop Blue off, and let them have another crack at it. Oh, the first time they had it, Repair B told me they drove it up and down the nearby main road, and didn't find any issues, so this time, mostly to make sure I wasn't just losing my mind or imagining things, I gave them verbal permission by way of a voice mail for them to drive it on the highway, to better recreate the conditions that I think could have caused the problem with the leaking tranny.
Apparently, that was what was needed because they found the issue showed up this time, and this was all without me getting the truck back yet, so I couldn't have added fluid to it, even if I knew how at the time. According to what Repair B told me this time, the problem was a "porous casting", and the transmission would be replaced under warranty. That's all well and good, but I have been without Blue for going on two months now, and I have called every week or every other week, with little to no progress on getting her back. At first, the reason given by Repair B was due to not having some account code, or permission code or something before they could even order the transmission. I don't remember now for sure what they specifically said. But now, as of last Thursday ( Apr 25th) about 3PM local time (East Coast US), they (Repair B) hadn't heard from Chrysler (their word) in a couple of days, and were going to call them again.
I do not want to publicly slam a specific repair shop or dealer without giving them the chance to explain themselves, which is why I am not saying specifics as to who Repair A is in this mass of text, nor Repair B (since it won't take much to figure out who the players are from this info) but I need my truck back, sooner rather than later, and I do not want this to turn into a similar situation I read someone else had that didn't get their truck back for something like 9 months.
If there is someone out there that can expedite Repair B in getting the replacement transmission for Blue, please contact me directly, and I will give all relevant information I have.
Also, and I know this has been said before, even the people you would expect to know these vehicles the best (dealer's repair shops) don't always have it figured out. Beware who you take your vehicles to.
Update on my '21 Ram Warlock (Blue). Back in Feb (Feb 1st, specifically) this year (2024), took it for the regular oil change, and the mechanic called me over to show me what turned out to be a wet transmission pan. Given that the fluid was not red, I had thought it was from the transfer case (yes Blue is 4x4), as I remember ATF usually being red, but then I also remember automatic transmissions having a dip stick where the driver could put their own fluid in if needed. Wrong on both counts.
I was planning on taking it to work that day, but ended up calling the dealer I bought it new from (will call Repair A to keep it simpler) and get it fixed under warranty, as I have a lot less than the 60k standard warranty at 32-33k on the odometer. That was Feb 12 (according to the receipt).
They also fixed a couple of other issues I had with it (back up camera freezing with curved lines, and not wanting to start occasionally) and I had to end up waiting like a week (Feb 19th is date it was 'finished', don't remember if I picked it up that day or the next) or so to get it back, due to 'waiting on parts'. Thankfully, I was able to make other arrangements to get back and forth to work while Blue was down.
A couple of days after I get it back, on my way home from work (2nd shift, so, it was dark outside), at the end of the off ramp from the highway, I notice a huge cloud of smoke from around my truck, and a burning oil smell, but not the usual burned oil smell. I had smelled the same thing the night before the oil change, but thought it was a truck that had just gone by, not realizing then that it was probably me.
As soon as I got home, I looked underneath and the transmission pan is wet, the cross member has what look like drips ready to fall. So I once again park the truck and make plans to use alternate transportation. I call Repair A (the dealer) the next day before work, set up another appointment, and get it to them again (Feb 22) to finish repairing what they apparently didn't get right on the trans the first time.
They 'take a look' and find nothing wrong with it, and try telling me that it is likely 'residual fluid' left over from before. With the cloud of smoke that came out that night, it is anything but 'residual'. So I tell them to take another look, I get it back after a couple of days (receipt date Feb 23, which was the day they called and said it was 'ready', not when I got it back), and because I want to take a better look, I park Blue at home and take my other transportation to work that day. When I get home that night, I take Blue out, and try to simulate driving to work (rough guess at driving conditions, time, etc.), at least 1 way, and guess what, problem NOT solved. I get Blue back home, and while I am looking underneath, not only is the transmission pan and crossmember wet, it drips like 5 times in the space of about 30 seconds. For the record, getting down and looking underneath is not an easy task for me due to various joint issues. This is the biggest reason I no longer change my own oil and do basic maintenance on my vehicles.
At this point, I am thinking Repair A has had their shot, TWICE, and are either unable to fix the transmission issue with their skill level, or worse, incompetent. I end up calling Repair B (another CDJ dealer that is closer to home), and explain the situation, and what I am experiencing, and they agree to take a look. After a phone call from them requesting to talk to Repair A, along with a $240 diagnostic charge, which I am thinking Repair A should pay since they couldn't find the problem, and doesn't want to pay, I get Blue back again. During the follow up conversation with Repair B, I find out that when they took the inspection port plug out (or whatever they called it), fluid came pouring out, and according to them, that wasn't supposed to happen. I know I didn't put the extra fluid in, and the only other people who would have been in a position to do so are the mechanics at Repair A. According to what Repair B told me of their conversation with Repair A, the reason this fluid came out was either the customer (me) put it in, or Repair B didn't know what the hell they were doing. Repair A also said, by way of what B told me, that they had it on the lift and ran it for hours with no issues. I have not independently talked to Repair A to verify any of this, because in all honesty, I just want Blue back, and drivable. Maybe after I get her back, I will try to get to the bottom of all of this "they said this, the other place said that" mess.
So anyway, I take her to work, and back home, with no apparent issues. Possibly this time due to hitting the light at the end of the off ramp just right. I get home, and look under and see more fluid dripping. At this point, it seems to me that no one can find the problem. So I call Repair B again, drop Blue off, and let them have another crack at it. Oh, the first time they had it, Repair B told me they drove it up and down the nearby main road, and didn't find any issues, so this time, mostly to make sure I wasn't just losing my mind or imagining things, I gave them verbal permission by way of a voice mail for them to drive it on the highway, to better recreate the conditions that I think could have caused the problem with the leaking tranny.
Apparently, that was what was needed because they found the issue showed up this time, and this was all without me getting the truck back yet, so I couldn't have added fluid to it, even if I knew how at the time. According to what Repair B told me this time, the problem was a "porous casting", and the transmission would be replaced under warranty. That's all well and good, but I have been without Blue for going on two months now, and I have called every week or every other week, with little to no progress on getting her back. At first, the reason given by Repair B was due to not having some account code, or permission code or something before they could even order the transmission. I don't remember now for sure what they specifically said. But now, as of last Thursday ( Apr 25th) about 3PM local time (East Coast US), they (Repair B) hadn't heard from Chrysler (their word) in a couple of days, and were going to call them again.
I do not want to publicly slam a specific repair shop or dealer without giving them the chance to explain themselves, which is why I am not saying specifics as to who Repair A is in this mass of text, nor Repair B (since it won't take much to figure out who the players are from this info) but I need my truck back, sooner rather than later, and I do not want this to turn into a similar situation I read someone else had that didn't get their truck back for something like 9 months.
If there is someone out there that can expedite Repair B in getting the replacement transmission for Blue, please contact me directly, and I will give all relevant information I have.
Also, and I know this has been said before, even the people you would expect to know these vehicles the best (dealer's repair shops) don't always have it figured out. Beware who you take your vehicles to.
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