WOW - Rip Off Dealership

[Bisventures]

Isn't RAM under Stellantis now and not FICA?

 

[DILLIGAF]

I would never go to a dealership for anything other than warranty and recall work.

I didnt even do that, No a single recall has been done on my ****box. lol.

 

[Hootbro]

Did you realistically expect they were going to leave you alone every time you brought it in for a oil change?

I learned long ago to stop caring about what a dealership thinks or how they try to shame me and make me fall for their BS crap. Sometimes you have to just give your junk a tug and get right back at them with "NO" regardless the amount of times they try. Also call them out in real time and put them on the back heel for a change.

If you get a corporate survey for the visit, ding them good and when the service manager calls sniveling, let him know why.

 

[truck2014]

Just looked at my invoice for the transmission service:

Transmission flush $299.95
Transmission pan $138.00
Fluid 89.00
________________________
Total $527

What they call a flush apparently is just opening the drain plug in the pan and draining what ever comes out. If you want the filter replaced, which is part of the pan, they remove the pan instead of opening the drain and the extra labor is part of the service.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 105115 miles.

Apparently the OP has the 68RFE , and unless something had changed the 68 has no drain plug , and has to be dropped. The accepted method is to drop the pan , and let drain , change the two filters , and button up , and replace the fluid that had drained out dropping the pan .

 

[RD Holland]

I have a 2009 Ram 1500. When I bought it I got a lifetime engine & powertrain warranty. I have to take it in every five years to be inspected.

So last inspection was a couple weeks ago, it passed. The dealership did a "complimentary" evaluation and it came back with about $5000 worth of "critical" items. WAY too much to change the transmission filter; they claimed the tires were "dry rotted", needed a lot of other stuff. All way overpriced.

One item was really interesting: One of the license plate lights was out. They quoted me $262.00 to replace the bulb. Service idiot claimed they had to remove the bumper to fix it. I told them thanks but no thanks for everything, stopped by O'Reiley and bought a two pack of bulbs for $7 and put it in myself. Didn't have to pull the bumper, it took about two minutes to do.

My opinion for what it's worth: Once EVs become more prevalent a lot of dealerships will go out of business because EVs don't need much maintenance. So they're jacking up the prices on ICE vehicles now while they can, servicing remaining ICE vehicles will be the only way they can survive.

Work on it yourself, or park it!

To fix that license plate light on an EV will cost around $900.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I didnt even do that, No a single recall has been done on my ****box. lol.

I have an appointment tomorrow to take mine if for a turn signal recall. The only one on mine...so far.

 

[dsherman26]

My dealership tried that on me on my 2013 1500. It was over $400. I told him doesn’t it have electric steering, he checked and sheepishly replied “ why, yes, yes it does” guarantee they would have charged me to do something that couldn’t have been done.

Heh, I figured there had to be at least one service advisor who may have goofed on that. My favorite clueless service advisor was when I took my Saturn to the dealer and they were trying to sell me a fuel filter replacement at 30,000 miles instead of 60,000 like the owner's manual said. His reasoning? "Road salt around here causes the car's gas tank to rust, which clogs the fuel filters". I asked him how the PLASTIC fuel tank rusts, and curiously, he had no answer.

 

[stevieb92]

This is why some have earned the title "stealership"...

 

[nlambert182]

All HD Rams have hydraulic steering, regardless if they have the electronic torque overlay module on the steering gear for adaptive steering and lane assist (although, you lose power steering if that torque overlay module fails).

2019+ Hemi HD Rams have vacuum boost brakes.

Yes... that is called hydroboost. Same as it's always been.

 

[ts27330]

Hey guys - been a while since I posted but wanted perspective.

Went for my oil change today at the dealership. Before you judge I bought the lifetime change deal and for me it penciled. But, I know this is a tactic to get you in the door.

2022 Ram 2500 with the 6.7 28k miles and not a daily tow monster. A once a year tow for 2-4 k miles tops.

Urgent items needing service now per the dealership: power steering flush, transmission flush, brake flush and 4x4 service. My truck is a driveway princess and I know the intervals but played dumb.

I was floored at power steering and trans. Other bits I will always do myself and inspect but wow! Really!!!! Trans and power steering? I must of been wearing my sucker hat.

Had a road force balance, my oil change at 0 and my bank account was happy. I hate how they make you feel guilty that you’re not taking care of your rig. Ugh

Maintenance schedule is in the owner's manual. Follow that and ignore the upsell.

 

[Jimmy07]

Yes... that is called hydroboost. Same as it's always been.

No….vacuum boost brakes are vacuum boost brakes. The 2019+ Hemi HD Rams have a vacuum booster at the firewall, and vacuum pump motor, and zero power steering lines associated with the brake system.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Maintenance schedule is in the owner's manual. Follow that and ignore the upsell.

Yep, other than the oil/filter change at "no more than" 8000 miles, and the air filter at 12,000 miles there is nothing due on mine until 20,000 miles. I have 3500 miles on mine - I have a while yet.

 

[2019_RPX_LTD]

Just do what I did: They tried to upsell a differential drain and fill for $300 (2019 Ram 1500 Limited) on me when I was in the dealer for an oil change. I asked them to show me where in the manual the interval said to swap at 30K miles. Of course, they couldn't. I told them that if they continued to push non-required maintenance items on me, they would be getting all 5's on their upcoming reviews. 6 oil changes later not once have they done that again

 

[Gary Fields]

The Mopar transmission filter/pan is $320 on Amazon and $11 a quart for fluid. Figure adding 50% for the dealer charge. The ZF trans uses a trans filter that is built into the plastic transmission pan. Dorman makes an after market pan with filter for $172 that you can replace just the filter. Makes me like my second car- a Nissan with a drain plug and a spin off trans filter. Just like an oil change- which it is.

 

[nlambert182]

No….vacuum boost brakes are vacuum boost brakes. The 2019+ Hemi HD Rams have a vacuum booster at the firewall, and vacuum pump motor, and zero power steering lines associated with the brake system.
View attachment 536425

Fair enough. I don't fool with gas burners. The diesels are still running the hydroboost system.

 

[Screagle2]

You’re right the dealerships will try to upsell everything and tons of people always going along with it. One thing with your truck though is that trans. I’d be changing my fluid and filter on that at 30k religiously. Probably not a flush though. The rest of the stuff can wait.

The local Toyota dealership in my area is unbelievable for upselling extras to everyone. There’s a lot of wealthy Prius driving types. They all go right along with it because they barely know how to get the thing to move let alone what anything is or does.

My 2010 3500 has just over 369,000 miles..farm pickup and trans oil changed at 150,000. Filter and don’t get the oil or trans hot…
Would I advise it, NO, but if you don’t change at about 50-100, don‘t

 

[Dusty]

Apparently the OP has the 68RFE , and unless something had changed the 68 has no drain plug , and has to be dropped. The accepted method is to drop the pan , and let drain , change the two filters , and button up , and replace the fluid that had drained out dropping the pan .

Correct. I should've pointed out that I was only giving an example.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 105180 miles.

 

[Danny Phillips]

I only go to the stealershio when I have a problem I can't fix.

 

[Scottly]

Lemme guess...BG Service? Chemical hocus pocus. BG actually has a coolant system flush service that adds colored powder to the cooling system to "renew' the coolant....More like recolor it. BG is the biggest ripoff on the planet....The techs are incentivised to add it to the ticket, the service writer is incentivized to sell it, and the dealer makes about 80% margin on it.

 

[quickster2]

Lemme guess...BG Service? Chemical hocus pocus. BG actually has a coolant system flush service that adds colored powder to the cooling system to "renew' the coolant....More like recolor it. BG is the biggest ripoff on the planet....The techs are incentivised to add it to the ticket, the service writer is incentivized to sell it, and the dealer makes about 80% margin on it.

I've got nothing against BG. They have very effective sales folks. The local OEM dealers and a very reputable indie shop I go to all have drank the BG Kool-Aid. The local dealer and indie shop even tried to sell me BG services that were in direct conflict with the service manual recommendations (even a TSB on my Jeep) on both my Jeep when I had it and my truck. When I showed them the correct procedures they just shrugged their shoulders and said that is what they always do.