Well let's say they can prove it is my fault and then it is my bill that I sure don't want. I don't see how it could be or how they could prove it but no doubt I put in that lift.

BTW truck as about 15k on it..

 

The "what" act? Do you mean Magnuson-Moss by chance?

Warranty is against "defects in manufacturers materials and workmanship".
Not modified items.
I would reject it too. So would most of you if it was your items and they were modified.

 

So, ****ty OEM shocks or ****ty OEM front-end components?
Sounds like manufacturers materials to me!

 

Yes, modified with a leveling kit on it.

So tell me how it is Dodges fault? Argue all you want with the dealer, the proof is bolted on the struts.

I love when people complain about the front shocks. Some have problems, and some don't. Yet I have never seen it mentioned that the shocks were farmed out to more than one manufacturer to be made.

 

Because Dodge seems to have a problem with thinking, "Well, these front end parts 'will do'." Instead of thinking, "Hey, we're making a *truck* here, maybe we should make stuff strong!"

When they have problems well before they should, even on stock vehicles, that should say something

 

Have these shocks/struts caused any accidents? Not that I am aware of.

Are they a safety hazard? No.

Do they "wear out too soon"? Depends on who you ask.

What is too soon? Stock shocks/struts for the most part suck.
You get 30k out of a set, consider yourself lucky. That is the way it is, not just Dodge, but all companies.

Do they "ride bad"? Again, depends on who you ask. My truck rides great. Smooth and not bouncy at all.
Some may hate that and want a "truck" ride. All bumps and pebbles felt.

Others want it to ride like a couch. Smooth as a babies azz.

You can't make everyone happy. So it is as it has been for the past so many years, a compromise.

Premature wear? It's all about Planed obsolescence.

It just has to last "so long", and that is it. Meaning until warranty is up. Then anything after is all "a bonus".

If the cars and trucks were made to last "forever", how many would they sell? They, like all manufacturers in the world design items to last only "so long". Planed obsolescence.

Let take these stupid shocks/struts. Some like myself have had no problems in 25k+. Some have had problems much sooner.

Some drive ****ty roads, and off roads.
Some drive highway only.
Some have shocks/struts made at one plant by one company.
Some have shocks/struts made at other plants by another company.

What we see here on these net boards is only a very small fraction of things. I wonder how many of them have bad shocks/struts? Not as many as you think.

The ratio of bad to good shocks/struts in no where as bad as it is made out to be. You only hear the "squeaky wheel" as it gets the grease. Those with no problems are not yelling "My shocks/struts are ok".

I have never had a new vehicle that has had the factory shocks/struts last much past 30k. Most I have replaced by 20k.

Nothing has changed, just people wanting things to last forever.

If the original poster had the dealer say they "spun a seal", well that is very easy to see. Even a caveman could see it.

So if they can show him this proof, well then that is that.
Burden of proof. If you are right, prove it. If dealer is right, they will prove it.

Side note:

The reason I no longer work as an ASE Master Tech is that I got sick of "customers" tell me what is wrong with their car.

If they knew so much, why didn't they fix it?

I would try and please them, do as they ask when they "Tell me what is wrong". Yet when it was not what they said, and they had to pay for me to fix the real problem, well you know how fast they said they would not pay for me to "fix what they wanted fixed"?

You wasted time by "telling me what to do", now you pay for that time and the time for the real fix, period.

The Honda dealer I worked at had the worst kids, followed by those who drove trucks. Because of this, I left this crap behind.

 

I would not consider that the norm at all, in my past vehicles alone:
1995 Chevy Silverado Z71 extended cab, 156,000 miles when I sold it, stock shocks, rode fine. (Occasional off-road)
1994 Acura Integra GSR 196,000 miles on stock shocks, no issues there handled like a dream. (Some Autocross)

My dad's 2002 Ram 4x4 quad cab, almost to 100,000 miles, no problems with the shocks yet.

My mom's 2001 Ford Exploder AWD, 112,000 miles shocks are starting to go.

My 2005 Dakota 4x4 SLT club cab has already had 3 front shocks replaced under warranty, one because the nut holding the strut together was crossthreaded and they broke it removing it, 2 because they were blown, no off-roading.

In my opinion with our Dakotas Dodge built a great truck and put a crappy quality front end on it.

 

I was tearing into my old Dakotas front end, and the cheapy Monroe shocks I bought, with less than 20,000 miles on them, are bad. I blame myself there, for not ponying up some extra $$.