The dealer wants to confirm it truly is the fan clutch and then they will give me a price. I called NAPA today to get a price and they said it was a Dodge only part. The dealer tech said it would be about $350 - $400, but that was an estimate.

I am going to fight for warranty as I have never had a fan clutch go out on any vehicle I have owned before 100,000 miles.

I am going to do some research tonight and see if I can see how much the part costs.

Thanks team,

Dave

 

Dave,
are you over the 3/36 warranty period....????
That estimate sounds awfully high to me, but i could wrong.
(do a google search for cheaper dodge dealer parts sales, they`re out there)
As for changing it, its not that hard to do, few wrench`s and some time.
Just my own advice, i wouldnt keep driving it, not pretty if it fly`s off the shaft budd.
I say this with experience, i had one come off in the past, total`d my radiator...!

 

Here is an update: Dropped the truck off at the dealer today and they confirmed it was the fan clutch. Recommended I don't drive it (I agree) and they ordered the part, which was to be here in the morning and I would have my truck back by noon. Well guess what, they told me there were no fan clutches in my area and the earliest they could have one was Thursday with the truck ready by Friday morning. I am not very happy and the part is not covered by the power train warranty.

The bill out the door will be a bit over $400. About $180 for the part and 2 hrs labor.

I am beginning to get a bit paranoid of the Dodge. It has 39,000 miles on it, and the fan clutch goes out. There is also a starting to be a clunk coming from the drivers side front end. I can faintly hear the noise, but feel it through the steering wheel. It only happens on washboard roads. The dealer had to replace a seal in the front axle tube as it was leaking diff fluid. So what's next?

This truck has seen the dealer more in the last 5000 miles than my 2004 Ford F150 (100,000 miles, 1 time to the dealer for front rotors, past warranty but replaced anyway on their dime) and my 2008 Tundra (2 times in 85,000 miles (1 recall to fix the AC vents) and 1 time to replace the front diff and axle, both under warranty). Both these other manufacturers had parts within a day to make the repair.

I guess what bothers me is 90% of the time the truck is freeway driven with the cruise set at 75 mph. The other 10% is town driving and gravel roads. I was expecting this truck to hold up better.

Thanks for letting me vent. I hope after this fan clutch fix it will avoid the dealer for a while. If I had the time, I was going to replace the fan clutch myself, but work is taking alot of time right now.

Dave

 

Update: I was supposed to get my truck back today, but lo and behold, they still don't have the part and they have no idea when they will be able to get one. They are hoping next week. WTF. It's a fan clutch, why couldn't they pull one from the production line to fulfill a repair for the 5.7 engine. Obviously, customer satisfaction is not very high on their list.

Anyway, I think the truck is going to get sold or traded when (or if) it gets fixed. I can't have a truck that sits for weeks on end waiting for parts. I am going to write a letter to both Dodge and the dealership about my unhappiness with there parts availability and service. The last time I wrote a letter, nothing was done, nor did they seem to care about my satisfaction. Essentially Dodge corporate told me the dealership was it own entity and they could only make suggestions to the dealer, but ultimately I have to work out the issue with the dealer.

Anyway, I am going to test drive that new F150 with the ecotec V6 twin turbo. Spec's look pretty good for it.

Dave

 

I would make the dealer eat the bill for the wasted inconvience they`ve caused you.
And 2hrs for labor to install the clutch fan...??? So what are they doing for the rest of the 1.5 hrs. It dont take THAT long to do..!
I myself, am waiting for an approval from dodge to see what they`re gonna do about all the water running into my interior from the 3rd brake light leaking. Water damage to my headliner AND leather seats as well. If ther`s one thing i know about dodge, their service really sucks. They better wise up, or alot of people will jump ship...including me...!

 

LU229;

I wish you the luck in your situation. Hope Dodge takes care of you properly.

I just don't get it, customer service is so important these days to the success of a business. Anymore, one bad experience and the customer will never go back. Oh well, I really can't do much until my truck is back, whenever that may be.

Dave

 

Finally got my truck back yesterday. $422 out the door, no warranty, no help from the dealer. Dodge dealers and Dodge better get their sh*t together as customer service is everything in today's age..........

Thanks team for your support.

Dave

 

That's a shame on a truck only 3,000 miles out of warranty. The service manager could have done that repair under a customer satisfaction and got Chrysler to reimburse them. The least they could have done was charged you their price for the fan clutch instead of full retail. Parts markup for dealerships is almost 100%.

 

It's more than likely that they've used up all of their costumer satisfaction alibis by now, he he!

 

I think it was a dealer thing more than a Dodge thing. They have actually been bending over backwards and even fixing some old issues lately. Your dealer is a turd.
It should be the same clutch that the 3rd gen Rams use as well. They don't fail often so their may not be a lot of them in the system.
I would suggest going to the Ram website and click on the "for owners" link and send them an email. They may help you out on the repair. Definitely worth a shot.

I wouldn't trade off a truck over a fan clutch. In mass productions, things happen. It is usually a supplier part that fails and all brands are susceptible to this. I'm guessing your 04 Ford wasn't a 5.4L? Almost all of them had major cam phaser issues and a bad spark plug design that allowed carbon to build up on the bottom of the plug in the combustion chambers, then would break off when trying to remove them? Not bashing, just sayin'
Trucks are machines and machines break. My 08 has lost both front hub bearings and a pinion seal in under 50K, but I'm not going to trade it off and lose my lifetime powertrain warranty over it. My 01 F150 I had before the Ram was a good truck but wasn't perfect. Had to replace the MAF, $200 a/c hose assembly because of a build flaw that let it rub against the bottom of the fan shroud and rub a hole in it, and later the compressor failed.
The dealer worked with me on the hose assembly because It was 2k miles out of factory warranty so I paid $50 and they slid it thru the extended warranty.
If you like the truck, I would keep it. Good luck either way and if you do keep it, I would try a different dealer. I have one 3 miles away, but they have a bad reputation and I drive 20 miles to my preferred dealer.