I'm the first one to complain about dealership service departments, but I had a very positive experience this week with my local Dodge dealership.

I posted about a problem with my shift lever being a little stiff going into Park, and then into Drive. It did this a couple of times, and then seemed OK. I took it to the dealership to have it checked. I also have a "clunk" from my front end at low speed that has been getting worse (tie rod recall already done). Truck is a 2009 1500 SLT with Hemi and 70,000 km.

Dealership took the truck in right away. And...the service advisor brought a mechanic out to speak with me before they took the truck in. That way I could explain the exact circumstances of the shift lever and the front end clunk. The mechanic found a bent "linkage rod" that was rubbing on transfer case, and that the two front sway bar links were "a bit loose". The mechanic said the front end was nice and tight, except for the sway bar links. He said they weren't badly worn, and I could hold off on replacement for a while, but I told them to go ahead. Parts had to be ordered. In the interim, the mechanic bent the linkage rod straight and it worked fine.

It took a day to get the parts, and after installation the mechanic again came out to speak with me. Said he had installed the parts and test driven the truck...no clunk and no shift lever issue. He also said he parked the truck, and used the shift lever through "about 30" Park to Drive shift cycles...no issues. I picked the truck up and everything is perfect.

Warranty coverage on the linkage rod was a bit "iffy" as they felt something on the road had bent it, but they managed to find a "component code" that was acceptable so it was covered under warranty. The sway bar links were not under warranty, but I felt the cost was reasonable.

All in all a very positive experience. I wish all dealerships would let you speak with a mechanic first--it makes the diagnosis and troubleshooting much easier IMHO.

 

where are you located and whats the dealer who did the work?

 

BullyT, glad to hear you had a good experience w/ a dealer!! Glad to hear it's all fixed, what dealer?

I just dealt w/ a dealer the and had a GREAT experience w/ them! Switched dealers recently and couldn't be happier w/ this dealer. Honestly w/ how they treated me service wise was great, probably worth a call up to Chrysler to inform them of how pleased I am. B/c as we all know, Chrysler only hears the NEGATIVE about a dealer.

 

I'm in Newmarket, Ontario. Dealer is MacIver Dodge-Jeep in Newmarket. Happy to put their name out there. They did a good job.