Crankshaft Position Sensor - 2011 DJ Mainstreet
#1
10-18-2014, 02:29 PM
Crankshaft Position Sensor - 2011 DJ Mainstreet
Referring to a 2011 Dodge Journey Mainstreet - 44,000 miles
Hi everyone, I am looking for an opinion. I am concerned about whether my mother is being told the truth about her Dodge Journey dashboard warning lights from a certain dealership, or should we pull it and take to the dealership she bought it from (45 miles away). She took her DJ into the closest dealership (instead of the one she purchased it from)Thursday because of an engine light and another light (she thought they called a "tracking"(??) light) that came on. (She is not car savvy, and she is alone ((except for us kids)) since my dad passed away two years ago. So I am stepping in and trying to help so she doesn't get taken advantage of, she can't afford it).
The problem - the service adviser told her that she couldn't drive it, she needed to leave it or she could ruin the engine. He told her that the code pointed to a broken rod (???). If it's just a broken rod, the powertrain warranty wouldn't cover it. It would cost between 250-500 dollars to fix it. If they tore into the engine and found more damage, like damage to the camshaft, then the powertrain warranty would cover it. But it would be at least a week before they could look at it.
I went into the dealership the next afternoon, Friday (yesterday), found her car in the first bay with its hood open, and then went to find the adviser my mother had spoken to.
He remembered my mother, and was telling me that the codes they pulled pointed to a Crankshaft Position Sensor issue. He said that could cause, or is indicating, a timing issue that would damage the camshaft by grinding its lobe shaped parts down. He tried to pull up info on the computer on it, couldn't find it, said he had been looking for it all day, then suddenly found it while I was standing there, and said he just realized he had put it under the wrong adviser's name. Then he found they were working on the car at that moment, and said he would go find out what they had found. He finally came back, said the warning lights had gone off, so he was going to have a porter go drive it around, and tell him(the porter) to drive it a bit roughly, to see if he could get the warning lights to come back on.
I inquired about the work being covered by warranty, and he said it depended on "which" sensor was the problem, and whether it was a sensor or a phaser. He said some sensors may not be, but phasers are covered. He also said sensors are electrical, therefore not part of the powertrain warranty. I asked how much would my mother be looking at, and he said about 100.00 for the part and 150.00 for the work since they would have to tear in there to get to the sensor. He said he couldn't find any record of an extended warranty, that he used to work for the dealership my parents had purchased the vehicle from, and that he remembers they ALWAYS put the extended warranty info in "that" spot he pointed to on the worksheet he was showing me. My mom can't remember whether they purchased the extended warranty or not, can' t find the paperwork, and my dad would have been the one who would have known for sure whether they did or not (but he has since passed away). But the adviser said not to even worry about the extended warranty right now, "we're not there yet".
The adviser told me he would call both my mother, and me, later(asked for my phone number), to tell us what they found out, and he didn't want us, well me, waiting around in the dark (it was 4:00 in the afternoon!!! Give me a break! What a poor way to hint for me not to wait around until the porter got back).
Hmmmm....still waiting for the adviser to call either me or my mother.....what a surprise.
Does any of this sound plausible? Does the car sound "drivable" 45 miles to the next dealership, especially since the porter could drive it, but my mother was told ABSOLUTELY NOT to. And yes, my mother was really upset when I told her, because she was "absolutely sure" the adviser told her it was a broken rod, not what I was told, and she was told she couldn't drive it, period. Is the adviser being safety minded, or a sham?
Hi everyone, I am looking for an opinion. I am concerned about whether my mother is being told the truth about her Dodge Journey dashboard warning lights from a certain dealership, or should we pull it and take to the dealership she bought it from (45 miles away). She took her DJ into the closest dealership (instead of the one she purchased it from)Thursday because of an engine light and another light (she thought they called a "tracking"(??) light) that came on. (She is not car savvy, and she is alone ((except for us kids)) since my dad passed away two years ago. So I am stepping in and trying to help so she doesn't get taken advantage of, she can't afford it).
The problem - the service adviser told her that she couldn't drive it, she needed to leave it or she could ruin the engine. He told her that the code pointed to a broken rod (???). If it's just a broken rod, the powertrain warranty wouldn't cover it. It would cost between 250-500 dollars to fix it. If they tore into the engine and found more damage, like damage to the camshaft, then the powertrain warranty would cover it. But it would be at least a week before they could look at it.
I went into the dealership the next afternoon, Friday (yesterday), found her car in the first bay with its hood open, and then went to find the adviser my mother had spoken to.
He remembered my mother, and was telling me that the codes they pulled pointed to a Crankshaft Position Sensor issue. He said that could cause, or is indicating, a timing issue that would damage the camshaft by grinding its lobe shaped parts down. He tried to pull up info on the computer on it, couldn't find it, said he had been looking for it all day, then suddenly found it while I was standing there, and said he just realized he had put it under the wrong adviser's name. Then he found they were working on the car at that moment, and said he would go find out what they had found. He finally came back, said the warning lights had gone off, so he was going to have a porter go drive it around, and tell him(the porter) to drive it a bit roughly, to see if he could get the warning lights to come back on.
I inquired about the work being covered by warranty, and he said it depended on "which" sensor was the problem, and whether it was a sensor or a phaser. He said some sensors may not be, but phasers are covered. He also said sensors are electrical, therefore not part of the powertrain warranty. I asked how much would my mother be looking at, and he said about 100.00 for the part and 150.00 for the work since they would have to tear in there to get to the sensor. He said he couldn't find any record of an extended warranty, that he used to work for the dealership my parents had purchased the vehicle from, and that he remembers they ALWAYS put the extended warranty info in "that" spot he pointed to on the worksheet he was showing me. My mom can't remember whether they purchased the extended warranty or not, can' t find the paperwork, and my dad would have been the one who would have known for sure whether they did or not (but he has since passed away). But the adviser said not to even worry about the extended warranty right now, "we're not there yet".
The adviser told me he would call both my mother, and me, later(asked for my phone number), to tell us what they found out, and he didn't want us, well me, waiting around in the dark (it was 4:00 in the afternoon!!! Give me a break! What a poor way to hint for me not to wait around until the porter got back).
Hmmmm....still waiting for the adviser to call either me or my mother.....what a surprise.
Does any of this sound plausible? Does the car sound "drivable" 45 miles to the next dealership, especially since the porter could drive it, but my mother was told ABSOLUTELY NOT to. And yes, my mother was really upset when I told her, because she was "absolutely sure" the adviser told her it was a broken rod, not what I was told, and she was told she couldn't drive it, period. Is the adviser being safety minded, or a sham?
Last edited by danacat; 10-18-2014 at 02:33 PM.