Excuse me texasbluedak! Its a point that came up in the conversation I thought would be important to others in the context of vehicle ownership and operation. The fact that the originator is a woman had nothing to do with it. From your by line of "Student Driver" can I assume you don't have your mirrors adjusted properly either?

 

Everyone has their own preference for how the mirrors are set up and it's often not possible to see everything around you using the mirrors. As long as you can drive alertly and safely your mirror setup is fine. And honestly it really didn't have anything to do with the topic at hand so let's not turn this into a pointless argument.

Tanya have you had any luck with another shop?

 

yours says student driver too, everyones does when you first join untill you hit a certain amount of posts

 

My Box jiggles alot too. It's not ofset or nothihng, just notice alot of independent box/cab movement

 

Hi all! I am still in PO mode about this problem.
Have gotten absolutely NO where YET.

First i want to say thanks to TexasBlueDak....Turbot_Bird....and Altair......Thanks for the help with Skikir's post. Its much appreciated!!!!
2nd, Skikir.....I don't see where anything in your post came up in conversation here, i don't believe i was asking for vehicle operation, ownership, or mirror allignment procedure advice........so the defensive hositlity is unnecessary & wasted energy on your behalf. Its your story, you can tell it anyway you want. You might here a poping sound soon. Till then i hope you can see to drive.

Back to the problem.....
I had my appointment with my local dodge dealer this AM about the problem again.
I left there amazed and blanking mad all at the same time.
I purchased the vehicle in Kansas, 600 miles from home, all because the price was right to a single parent such as i. A $7000.00 savings as compared to the price of purchasing in my local area or in my state to boot. That means a safe vehicle for my children to ride in and dental care and food in theyer mouths for a few more months.
When i arrived at the dealership here in town, the tech that orignially looked atmy Dakota SLT went with me to test drive an 07 Dakota Laramie and see if the box movement was anything like mine, which it wasn't. Very little movement as compared to mine.
So i tell him that someones is going to have to figure out what is wrong with it and correct the problem. He says to me in a very nasty voice by the way, "You can just take your truck back to "____ ____ in Kansas where you bought it and have them fix it!"
I say to him "thats not the way a warranty works. I should be able to take my truck to any dodge dealership and have the proper corrections made with no problems. Maybe your employer should be correcting your customer service skills, and you should be representing Dodge a little better than this?"
He, inturn, replies with, "Dodge doesn't sign my paychecks!"
I reply with if it wasn't for Dodge your company would not be open.
He remains quiet through out the drive back.
We return to the dealship and i tell the Service manager that his tech has very rude customer service and i do not want this person working on my truck since he has displayed such bad attitude towards me. The service manager tells me to take my truck back to Kansas where i bought it and have them fix it if i don't want the tech assigned to my truck, and adds that i didn't purchase the truck from his dealership.
I left simply amazed that this guy is PO'ed that i didn't purchase my truck from his lot and there fore refuses to give me good customer service. I left PO'ed and vowed NEVER to purchase a thing from his dealership so long as i walk the face of the earth.
In my opinion he has absolutely no integrity and his character is selfish and inmature. He does nothing for dodge, and doesn't appreciate where his bread and butter comes from no matter where i purchased my truck.
So i am taking my truck to a Body shop on the 7th of august to see what is the problem. This guy is very good at what he does and he should be able to tell me what to tell the next dodge dealer to do to fix it. I'll be taking the truck to a certified dodge tech 30 miles from here after the Body Shop visit.
I got under the truck and tried to locate where the bed is attached to the frame. If i found the correct spots, there are no grommets or rubber bushings, just a bolt with the head on the underside, metal to metal (frame to box), and a plastic nylon looking nut on the topside.
Anyone know where i could come up with a diagram drawing of the truck? Know what i mean? Would one of those DIY repair manuals give such diagrams?
After getting underneath the truck i noticed something else.
The drive shaft (long round thing going directly up the middle of the truck?) is totally rusted. Should this be this way?? The truck had 24 miles when i drove off the lot. I wouldn't think the drive shaft should be totally rusted, unless its coated with something and just looks like rust.
I also noticed, after test driving the Dodge Dakota Laramie, MY truck makes a whining noise continually when driving it, worsens with speed, and actually sounds like a old type powersteering pump going out.
I am beginning to wonder if the $7000.00 savings was worth it!!

One good thing with this truck is that the mirrors are so BIG that i can see down the side of the truck, behind me, beside me including the blind spot, and the to other lanes on the other side of the highway!! Oh yes i am thankful for that!

I did call dodge corp. and let them know my local dealership has horrible customer service and doesn't seem to understand if dodge wins then its good for every dealership at some point.
They just gave me the name and number for the next closest dealer and moved on.
So i am still at the starting line, BUT with some patience i am sure the problem will be resolved eventually.
So in the meantime if any of you should come about the solution to my problem, like in the middle of the night how something you forgot suddenly comes to you, I will keep checking back & update incase anyone else happens to have the same problem with their truck.
Thanks so much all & enjoy your night!
Tanya

 

Tanya, you should contact the owner of the dealership and give your **** poor service details and names of those involved. Find out the name and call the owners residence. Owners don't usually like to here this stuff and if you call them at home pissed offf they tend to do something. I have done this and had a General Manager fired for it. The dealership doesn't know why you bought it in Kansas. You could have been on vacation and found a great deal or have just moved to your current location. For them to talk like that is worth a smack down.
Also write a letter to the local Better Business Bureau (BBB) and give these clowns a black eye.

 

I would thats terable. Dont they know that if they do the work dodge pays them to do it? it doesent matter where you baught it they will still get paid the same. and yes, you call the GM pissed and call him at home or even in his office and things WILL get done. I work close with our store GM and he dont take none of the bad customer service.

 

Definitely agree with calling the owner, something should be done about that. You may find this helpful for finding the bolts, unfortunately it's the only diagram I found in the service manual (link to download it is in the sticky's at the top of the forum).

 

I'll agree with everyone else, those guys need to be put in check now. When I had my 02' ram there were some "issues" that weren't getting resolved and with some attitude involved as well. I got the owners email (I'm deaf and can't do the phone thing) and told him what was going on. He personally emailed me back AND set up an appt. with him, the general manager and the service dept manager all at one time. He said under no circumstances was thattolerable for him and it was all fixed and an apology from each individual was given. I was floored!! It also made me buy my Dakota from them. I can't say that will happen for you but I hope it does. Stick to your guns and keep coming here for any adviceyou may need. As you can see, there is a huge wealth of knowledge hereor at the leasta great place to vent if needed. Don'tknowif it will help, but if you can get the service managers email, I for one am willing to send him an email telling him that as another Dodge owner, hisattitude and unwillingness to help will be noticed by more than just you. Sometimes power comes in numbersno matter where we are or bought our trucks from. Good luck!!