2018 RAM vent

[WinterDeere]

Same is true for Tractor owners or anything else.

No... I'm just here for Fuddy's stories.

 

[Hay Dude]

I've got you beat, with 21 years of RAM ownership here, actually closer to 40 years of combined Dodge ownership, and very few problems ever.

But Code54's issue really isn't that a part failed or was defective... that happens on all brands. His issue is their response, leaving him with no repair option that won't void warranty, etc.

Me? I'd say "screw the warranty", and just get the damn thing fixed with the same part used on the 3500. What use is the warranty, on a vehicle you can't drive? Having said that, I'm still cheap enough that I'd still be arguing to get each subsequent repair covered under warranty.

I would do same. How will they know? When the correct part arrives, just remove the 3500 part and put the defective part back in. It’s just a frickin sensor or module.

People gotta learn to adapt.

 

[Oaktree]

“stay off the truck forums, they will just upset you. They are made up mostly by people with complaints. The happy owners usually aren’t on them”.

Like any other forums, you have to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Yeah, there's of crabbing and whining over either minor issues, of how the dealer's jerking them around, or how it's a POS and you'll never buy that brand again. Often as not key facts are being left out that might point blame at the poster.

OTOH, they can be great sources of info on how to deal with issues with a given vehicle from those who've been there, where to go and where to avoid for aftermarket accessories/parts, etc.

It's a mixed bag, and you need to be able to filter.

 

[dodge man]

I totally get the OP’s dilemma. Different story but kind of the same. My JD 2025r had a recall for a problem with a broken brake bellcrank. Don’t drive the tractor it said. I had heard about the problem before hand. This part breaks and then you have no brakes. I crawled under mine and it was cracked. I ordered a replacement for about $30 from eBay and replaced it myself.

I can’t remember how long it was before John Deere got the parts to the dealer but 4 to 6 months. They came and got it and gave me my eBay part back. JD had known about this problem for months. eBay parts were being made months before the recall. I’m guessing somebody got hurt for them to take action.

Not a great picture but I have the crack circled in yellow.

 

[mllud]

One of my best friends is a very experienced Ford diesel mechanic. Works at local Ford dealer. He says he is as much a “therapist” as he is a diesel technician.

One thing he told me that really stuck with me was this:

“stay off the truck forums, they will just upset you. They are made up mostly by people with complaints. The happy owners usually aren’t on them”.

I’m not saying there isn’t problems, but owners with problems like to use the internet forums to complain.
The OP’s complaint is understandable, but I’ve also read hundreds of BS complaints, too.

I always ate my lunch in my truck at work. Didn't want to listen to people in the lunchroom talking about how screwed up the boss/another employee or the or the company was. Negative thinkers do like to drag to into their pit.

Where I see Code54's issue is at is if his truck is declared unsafe in writing. If he does something to fix it himself or drives it and has an accident his insurance has an out. Legal issues?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Me? I'd say "screw the warranty", and just get the damn thing fixed with the same part used on the 3500. What use is the warranty, on a vehicle you can't drive? Having said that, I'm still cheap enough that I'd still be arguing to get each subsequent repair covered under warranty.

Again, I'm going on memory here and haven't Googled the issue to find out if I'm correct, but let's say it is just the motor, and it also fits other years.

How would the dealer know that the motor has been replaced and then deny warranty because of it? If/when they eventually get the correct part and wants to replace it, let them.

Personally I'd rather not have the warranty than have to subject my vehicles to dealer service, but hey, we're all different.

 

[JRH02]

Another part of this is mechanical and technical aptitude. If one is beholden to having to hire their work out for lack of understanding and skill then you have to take such problems in stride. But as has been suggested that the equivalent part from a different model can be substituted and is a fully functional fix, confirmed and tested, then you are good to go down the road in snow and on ice pulling a heavy trailer. Arrggh!

By the way, its pretty easy to test that the swap works by using your brakes on ice or purposely leaning in to the accelerator on the same. Feeling that vibration in the brake pedal or your computer throttle the engine back due to wheel spin is pretty evident. If you are driving to town and are not sure if that black top is instead black ice don't you tap the brakes or goose the pedal when in a safe, straight place? I sure do. I sure the heck would pick a different day to haul or pull a load.

 

[4570Man]

I would do same. How will they know? When the correct part arrives, just remove the 3500 part and put the defective part back in. It’s just a frickin sensor or module.

People gotta learn to adapt.

The dealer told me it’s a $900 part and books at 3 hours shop time. I’d pay that vs not using my truck for a year but it’s more than I’d want to pay just because the dealer is useless. BTW I bought my truck used and the local dealer fixed it with zero hassle.

 

[ultrarunner]

Escalating can work wonders at times.

Someone went to a TV consumer reporter saying they have $500 monthly payments on a car the manufacture says not to drive.

Within a week her car was fixed…

The squeaky wheel gets the grease?

 

[WinterDeere]

Escalating can work wonders at times.

Someone went to a TV consumer reporter saying they have $500 monthly payments on a car the manufacture says not to drive.

Within a week her car was fixed…

The squeaky wheel gets the grease?

NBC's "Cost of Denial" series.

 

[JRH02]

Having much of the same work to do one guy could break a whole box of hammers. The other guy still has the first hammer.

 

[Hay Dude]

I always ate my lunch in my truck at work. Didn't want to listen to people in the lunchroom talking about how screwed up the boss/another employee or the or the company was. Negative thinkers do like to drag to into their pit.

Agree 100%

Where I see Code54's issue is at is if his truck is declared unsafe in writing. If he does something to fix it himself or drives it and has an accident his insurance has an out. Legal issues?

Then we are all screwed because every redneck, motorhead, trucker & farmer has wrenched on his trucks & equipment.

I could rotate my own tires and if I don’t torque the lug nuts correctly, or I change my own brake pads and some lawyer could prove that caused the accident and insurance wouldn’t cover it either.

If what you mean is the dealer says “park your Ram and DO NOT drive it”, then that should be obeyed.

 

[JRH02]

Recently my wife got a flat coming home. It was shale so I went to pull the wheel and take it in for repair. She has all work done at the dealer from day one.

Half the lug nuts on the alloy wheel spun off easily and half needed a cheater. The next two days I spent trying to get the alloy wheel off the hub. I couldn't believe it - it was well less than a year and it was glued. 20# copper sledge, pry bars, a scissor jack. Nope. So I plugged the 10 ply and hoped she made it to town. Warranty or not, I don't have any faith in dealer line mechanics or oversight. Or the ditwads doing 'minor' stuff like oil changes and rotations

There is a reason there is a perpetual sign out front advertising for mechanics. I take my rig to a private shop and she ridicules me. Beahhh hah.

 

[deserteagle71]

The next two days I spent trying to get the alloy wheel off the hub. I couldn't believe it - it was well less than a year and it was glued. 20# copper sledge, pry bars, a scissor jack. Nope.

Fairly common problem with some of the alloy wheels - galvanic action causes them to seize to the iron hub. Used to happen with my F150. Once I got the wheels off I put a thin layer of antiseize on the mating surface. That solved the problem.

 

[JRH02]

Fairly common problem with some of the alloy wheels - galvanic action causes them to seize to the iron hub. Used to happen with my F150. Once I got the wheels off I put a thin layer of antiseize on the mating surface. That solved the problem.

Absolutely true.

 

[dodge man]

I can’t remember how I did it without going to low or breaking something but I suddenly lowered a vehicle on a floor jack to pop a wheel loose.

 

[4570Man]

I can’t remember how I did it without going to low or breaking something but I suddenly lowered a vehicle on a floor jack to pop a wheel loose.

If the tires are still holding air you can loosen all the lug nuts and drive around a parking lot until it pops off.

 

[Eagle1]

Backhoe and chain, chain and winch (come a long to a tree) , Torch or even a tank pulling.

Leave a couple of lug nuts on loosely, a thread or two, to keep the wheel from escaping completely.

 

[mllud]

Agree 100%




Then we are all screwed because every redneck, motorhead, trucker & farmer has wrenched on his trucks & equipment.

I could rotate my own tires and if I don’t torque the lug nuts correctly, or I change my own brake pads and some lawyer could prove that caused the accident and insurance wouldn’t cover it either.

If what you mean is the dealer says “park your Ram and DO NOT drive it”, then that should be obeyed.

The recall is documented. That could change things.
I don't know
If an accident report says brake failure a Google of recalls could cause problems.

I have zero respect for dealers or would not obey anything they say. They are a worthless middleman. They had my Jeep for 4 months and couldn't get a new engine to install. Blamed Stellantis.
Code 54 received a recall letter; he relies on his brake system with pulling a heavy load. He is relying on a worthless indifferent dealership.

I would fix it and confirm the brakes work as intended.
If my brakes failed with a recall documented and someone died, then what? I don't believe that would happen. I'm sure thousands of 2018 trucks are on the road with that original brake unit
I bought q new Ford f350 Super duty in 2004, it never returned to a dealership. I fix my own.

Code 54 said the dealer strongly suggested he leave his truck at the dealership, so they can hold it hostage. Using fear tactics.
I don't fault code54 for being cautious. If they can't come up with fix repair, and drive it. Code54 may not be as much a mechanic as some of us.
If the SOB's can recall and not have a fix there needs to be a class action lawsuit. An 8-year-old truck with 14,000 miles still had enough value that a dealer sold it to him they should repair it with the original brake unit until they have an improved system. They have this man in a clusterf;;;.
I'm the redneck motorhead that has wrenched on my trucks to avoid dealers. That doesn't mean repairs are halfazs. Ill admit to using some bailing wire on exhaust pipes in a pinch.

I just think in this situation with the recall and the interaction he has had with the dealer the paper trail could give his insurance Co. an out.
The sad thing is if his truck is financed, he pays insurance on a driveway ornament

 

[dstig1]

I bought a new GM Silverado one year, not that long ago.
Couple years later, I went right through a busy intersection red light, with my foot to the floor, without hardly slowing. How I was able to avoid the oncoming green light traffic was a miracle.
GM was using junk Chinese common steel on brake lines.
No engineering for rust belt sales.

No recall. Nothing.
They quietly switched to rust resistant materials in subsequent years. Swept under the carpet.
At least The potential Ram brake issue is being acknowledged and a recall issued.

On which pedal?