Hi Everyone,

I bought a used '06 1500 QC SB 4x4 Laramie Hemi in late fall of '07. It's a nice-looking, powerful truck with a comfy interior.

But...

Ever since I've owned it, I've been a regular visitor to the dealership because of various problems it's had. I've sunk countless dollars into this thing, despite the warranty having covered a lot of major repairs. The bumper-to-bumper warranty expired about 4000 miles ago (7000kms) but the problems keep coming. Here's a sampling:

- Whistling door seal; corrected under warranty by adjusting door latch. No more whistling, but now door doesn't really lineup properly with bodywork.

- Multifunction switch malfunction: signal left, it flashed right. (SAFE!) corrected under warranty

- Bouncy front end. Diagnosed as bad shock, corrected under warranty.

- Shuddering/pulsing under braking from high speed, e.g. braking for a highway off-ramp. Thought it was TSB 02-001-07, but dealer checked this and diagnosed it as warped rotors (2 or three visits later, after paying for unnecessary wheel balancing). Paid for this out of my own pocket, of course. $750+ (Canadian dollars)

- Parking brake pedal not releasing properly. Took a couple of visits to get this one sorted out. Replacing pedal mechanism didn't fix it. Cable slack OK. Diagnosed as dirty shoe mechanism in parking brake drum. Cleaned, worked OK for a while.

- Transfer case wouldn't shift into 4x4. Dead of winter after an ice storm, of course. Took about 3 or 4 visits to fix this one. Dealer thought it was the FAD (there's a TSB about it) but it was the actual transfer case. After a few weeks of waiting for parts, transfer case replaced under warranty.

OK, about this point my warranty runs out.

- Tailgate won't close properly. Adjusted under warranty grace period

- Other stuff I forget now...

- Transfer case stops working again, as well as washer fluid pump. Took a few visits and another unnecessary FAD replacement, but it turned out to be the TIPM. Another $750++ out of my pocket. Ah, but this didn't fix the transfer case. Servo motor ordered, finally fixed. Thankfully this part was covered under the powertrain warranty.

Fast-forward to today:

- My parking brake has gone back to its old non-releasing ways now. Dealer has estimated another $700++ to replace rear rotors, pads and shoes to fix the issue.

- The front end is bouncy again

- The truck shudders like mad when I brake for an off-ramp.

- Engine now needs a couple seconds of cranking before it fires.

None of the above expenses listed are counting "regular maintenance items" like brake pads, oil changes, fluid changes, etc, which now tally up to over $1000.

As you might surmise at this point, I'm not feeling warm fuzzies about my future with this truck. Of course, to trade out of it now, I'm taking a major hit on the depreciation. If I do trade, it won't be into a Dodge, and I probably won't be able to afford a full-size truck unless I go with an older one with a lot fewer options than my Laramie.

So my question to my fellow Dodge owners, loyal and otherwise:

What would you do in my place? Fix it again, or ditch it?

Thanks!

 

Since it appears that you are having the same issues you've already had, I would bi*ch out the dealer. It also shouldn't take that many trips to solve common problems. If you determine that you are going to spend money on these problems all over again, I'd find a different place to do the work...

 

I never keep a vehicle once it reaches the gremlin threshhold. Life's just too short to be frustrated and pissed off at your ride. Trade it in and get another.

 

+1^^^ on raising he;; with the stealership or who ever worked on the truck before. There's a reason the same stuff is happening all over againand it's prolly cuz it wasn't fixed correctly the first time. As far as spending the money....thats up to you but,like Hammer said, if you do I would get somebody else to do the work.

 

Thanks for your feedback, folks. I should add that I've actually been going to two different dealers, mostly because I changed jobs and was going to the one closer to my work. Because of the variety of different things going wrong a second time (frontend, rear brakes, transfer case) and the amount of time it goes before the problem recurs (a few months to a year), I'm having a tough time blaming the dealer's work.

That said, you'd better believe I'll take advantage of any warranty on the repairs themselves if I can. It's just more hassle.

Some of the reading I've done here seems to suggest problems inherent in the OEM parts designs, so if I'm going to be paying for further repairs, I think I want to go with upgraded aftermarket parts whenever possible with the hope being that it'll be the last time I fix a particular issue.

So if someone were to tell me, "replace your rear brakes with brand X and you'll never have that problem again", it could sway my decision towards holding onto the truck so I don't have to downgrade.

 

I have a saying, I'm sure a lot of our guys are sick of by now.

Always make a repair a mod...

Basically, what I'm saying is that if something breaks and you are going to spend money on the fix, choose a component that is BETTER than the one which broke. Many times you will find that a far superior component is less expensive than the original crap part from a stealership...

 

Yep -- that's called a forced upgrade opportunity.

To the OP:

You've got to stop letting them replace parts at your expense when they turn out to not fix the problem. They're using the "shotgun" repair method using your wallet as ammo.

If they replace a part and it wasn't the problem, thank them for their gift. That, or they can take it off and re-install your original part.

- My parking brake has gone back to its old non-releasing ways now. Dealer has estimated another $700++ to replace rear rotors, pads and shoes to fix the issue.

Have an independent shop thoroughly clean & lube the affected parts.

- The front end is bouncy again

Replace the shocks with a quality aftermarket product.

- The truck shudders like mad when I brake for an off-ramp.

Replace the rotors with OEM units and the pads with better aftermarket units. Have the brake fluid completely flushed so it's all new fluid.

- Engine now needs a couple seconds of cranking before it fires.

Sounds like it's time for new plugs, wires, and maybe a TB cleaning.


All of this work can be done by a competent independent shop of your choice. There's no reason to keep having the dealership screw it up.

 

What about the lemon law? I havent read up on it but from everything he has said its sounds like they sold him a POS.

 

http://lawiscool.com/2008/09/14/moto...aws-in-canada/

Apparently, we in Canada don't enjoy the same protection from lemons. But thank you, that is a good thought!

 

Thanks for the tips, John M.

Actually, the only unnecessary thing I had to pay for was the wheel balancing, though I did manage to knock the price down on that significantly. And it might be counterproductive if I asked them to remove the weights.

The TIPM was the only way to fix the nonfunctioning washer pump, so I was on the hook for that, transfer case or not.

I don't have my manual handy, but aren't plugs and wires supposed to last longer than 67,000kms (~42,000 miles)? This is not a severe-duty truck, but a daily driver on the highway.

Anyway, I think your suggested approach makes sense, assuming it corrects those issues for more than a few months. The question nagging at me is "what else will go wrong?" That transfer case has gone twice now. Keep in mind a whole new transfer case was installed last year before the servomotor went. I don't know if the new one's malfunction is what burned out my TIPM or vice versa.

If I was driving a 1995 Ram, I'd say all this is par for the course, but it's a 2006! My wife's 2006 Subaru Legacy went to the dealer for a glove box latch adjustment under warranty and it hasn't had single issue since. Only expenses have been oil and filter changes, wiper blades, etc.

I have an irrational fear that this truck is scheming new and creative ways to break after I sort out the brakes and shocks for a second time. Does anyone have a truck they love now that started out as a lemon? Or is a lemon always going to be a lemon?