+1 on HeyYou's comments courtesy and politeness go ALONG way in all aspects of life......you shouldnt have to pay the extra tho

 

i have to disagree. all the shops i've ever seen are commission based, and the priority is to ring the customer up for all you can. i predict you'll get a line of BS that the plate didn't fit right, wasn't up to Dodge standards, etc, etc.

hold the line on cost and say - if you can't do it for what you quoted - then put it back like it was and i'll take it somewhere else, and pay you nothing. do not give them more money under any circumstances.

 

Dealerships are a tad different than independent shops. They have to answer to corporate, and they also know that a happy customer is one that will come back, and pay their exorbitant prices. (I know, this is true for the indie shops as well, but, they don't have corporate breathing down their necks either.)

I have worked in both indies, and dealerships. The dealership has more than one revenue stream, so, they are generally a bit more flexible when it comes to fixing errors.

 

just curious...what kind of labor cost are you guys finding out there when it comes to pelnum kit installation? dealership vs. Independant? I just ordered parts today and not sure if I should do it myself or pay someone to make sure it is correct. From this thread I guess even at a dealerships are not safe.

 

If you have the tools, a place to work on it, and a bit of know-how, I highly recommend doing it yourself. You will save yourself a couple hundred bucks.

 

In my area the prices are between 350 and 500 bucks. They all quote 4.5 or 5 hours and the labor rates vary.

 

Yup, quotes for mine ranged around the $350-$400 for labor back before I had mine done.

 

Ok guys, I got my truck back from the dealer today. No visible leaks, they installed a new coolant temp sensor and a new temperature sending unit. They also did an oil change ( i hope no coolant got into the wrong parts of my engine). The truck seems to run a little smoother, but it also seems to run hotter ( it used to run closer to 170-180 and it is a hair past 200 now). It is also hesitating to start, but I noticed from the battery gauge that it looks like it is barely charged. Your thoughts?

 

did you have a 180* t-stat in there before?

Might have had some permatez blocking a coolant hole.

I would bring it in if the temp goes over the mid line. If it is in the middle then its OK. YOu tend to run rocher (cooler) when you have a blown plenum.

 

170-180 is way too cool, the PCM will stay in closed loop and you'll get terrible fuel mileage. From the factory it should sit around the 210 degree mark.