Here's the latest. The truck is done -

As it was explained to me - when they dropped the column a wire inside the bag harness 'pulled out of the connector' It was not visible because the wire pulled up inside the harness & was not visible.

they pulled the wire out put a new end on it & reinserted it in the plug. All on their dime.

The headliner they told me too bad.

I'm not very happy, but I guess it will do. At least the bag is fixed.

 

i want to see a photo of the headliner.

 

This is what i always do: i trust my dealer, they have always taken good care of me, but is not personal, it's businness. When i talk to any employee about my truck, i always set my phone to record a voice memo and record everything i talk to them.

Like i said it's not personal, it's businness.. Just my opinion!!! Good luck!!

 

Dude -you have got to be careful with that! Most states have laws against recording conversations unless you get the express permission to do so from everyone who is involved.

Video is different - but sound is a no-no.


In any case - they made it mostly right - like I said the truck is old (04) and has a couple other marks on the headliner anyway. It may have been there before, but I doubt it. I was just hyper sensitive to what else may have been wrong with the truck after they tried to pass their mistake on to me.

I wish I could find a dealer/mechanic I trust. Honestly these guys didn't do too bad other than trying to pass a super expensive screw up on to me & not telling me about it. I just hate the feeling that I have to inspect 100% of what people do or they will screw me.

Don't even get me started on the junk I had with my wife's car & all the warranty parts they 'forgot' to install after telling me they had. Yikes.

 

Well, it's good that they stood behind their work and fixed the air bag. If you think the hole and marks on the headliner were there to begin with, maybe they were.

I know what you mean about being able to trust people to do a good job and do it right the first time, especially when you pay big bucks for it. There are a lot of really good guys here on this forum with a ton of knowledge about Dakota's. If you have problems or questions with your truck in the future, chances are just about 100% someone here has had the same problem and they will have the right info to help you.

Personally, I think the dealer should have done something to compensate you, like refunding you a percentage of the parts cost (so the tech doesn't lose his pay for the labor time he spent on the initial job). I know all too well how easy it is to make an honest mistake when working on a customer's car. But it takes character, honesty and integrity to admit your mistake and apologize to the customer before they pick up the vehicle and fix the problem asap. Some techs and shops have that quality of character and some don't.

They should have at least offered you a couple of free oil changes and tire rotations, or a complete detail, free of charge. The dealer is allotted so much money per month from Dodge on their labor and parts budget, especially for situations like this, or goodwill coverage for repairs done out of warranty. Unfortunately, most dealers save this money for "their" customers who buy their vehicles and have them serviced at the same dealer.

At least they fixed the problem with the air bag. If you wanted to tackle the headliner yourself, it really is not that hard. All you need is a few yards of headliner material, which you can buy at any good upholstery shop, they should have some to match your interior, and some contact cement. Spray glue won't hold the headliner material to the headliner shell in the heat. I found that out the hard way on my old Jeep Comanche pickup back in the 1990's. Then you remove the side trim pieces from the seat belt bolsters on the posts between the doors, drop out the sun visors, dome light and the overhead console/computer if you have one and the headliner is held in with push-in fasteners. Then once it's out, peel the old material off and glue the new material on to the headliner shell with contact cement, cut the holes in it for the visors, dome light and console and reinstall it. It really is not that hard to do a headliner, just cumbersome to remove and reinstall it.

Glad to know the truck is fixed. Is the AC blowing out of the dash vents like it should?

Jimmy

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. Yes the AC is blowing as it should.

Like I said in my intro post - this is my first dodge in 43 vehicles. Owned a pile of chevy's a bigger pile of fords, & just about every car you can think of. I get bored easily & like the hunt for the new ride.

Anyway - I really like this dodge - it has good power (I moved up from a 4 popper jeep wrangler) with the V8 - a super smooth ride, quiet etc. The mileage didn't worry me at all. First of all in this price range it was one of the lower mileage trucks i'd seen - so I know they can go 300k I've seen them for sale!

I'm looking forward to lots of fun miles on this puppy!

I may tackle the head liner in the spring - for now I'm done spending money.