Take Chrysler to small claims court. You can get 100 mechanics, including Dodge mechanics, who will testify that cheap-*** flush and parts replacement is unacceptable. They will say it needs to go to arbitration, fine. Take the mechanics statements as well as estimates of costs for repair versus replacement. 100:1 arbitration will find for you if you have that documentation. This is wrong what they're doing to you. And now I see why I have hated doing business with Chrysler dealers through the years-the FU attitude comes from the corporation.

 

It's not just Chrysler, I went through the exact same thing when I had the piston literally break apart in my Furd with all of 14k miles on it. It took out the entire cylinder and I wanted a new engine, didn't go so far as court, but I exhausted the entire chain of command of Furd. I was a thorn in the dealers side the whole time they repaired it, stopping by on my lunch hours, after work, etc. Always would be the same 19 year old kid, hat on backwards, working on my truck and constantly stopping to bug a more seasoned mechanic to come tell him what to do. Pissed me off ROYALLY.

Truck actually ran fine and had no codes when I got it back, but I didn't trust the thing, especially when I was fishing bass tournaments and would always be hours from home with it. Less than 72 hours after getting it back I traded it on my first Ram, a new 1998 RCSB 5.9 4x4.

OP, I know that feeling when an engine fails catastrophically and the feeling you'll have when you get it back with the same engine. The thing may be perfect and last 200,000 miles without issue, but you'll always be leary of it and never truly trust it. Which is why I said earlier that I wouldn't blame you one bit if you said "screw Dodge" and traded it on another brand...

 

OP...
options:
1) Scream bloody murder until they give you a new engine
2) If you have a lien on the truck, talk to the bank an refuse payment
3) Threaten chrysler with court (with techs and pics of damage on your side)
4) Let them fix the original engine, then trade it in, or keep it an get chrysler to sign an agreement for lifetime

All in all from what i`ve seen an read in here, you seem to have takin care of this truck VERY well, and deserve a brand new engine free of charge. I myself would NEVER trust a dealership flush and rebuild. If i had to accept a rebuild, i would dump the truck the very minute it came out of the shop before they could file a report on it thru any kind of carfax reporting agency. The down side to that is, someone else will end up with a truck with a bad engine later on. One good reason i never buy used vehicles anymore. Too dam many bad seeds out there today... thats includes manufactuers. I wish you all the luck in the world in whatever your decision is. I do know your pain, been ther myself a couple times. These hemi engines are a pretty good engine, too bad you happened into a bad one and it does happen. All of my hemi`s have ALL been great engines, but after readin about yours, kinda raise`s my eyebrow and wondering if i may end up with a bad one somewhere along the line. I check out the challenger forums alot and hearing and reading reports of timing chains failing, and with very low miles on them. This is the same engine that is in these ram trucks, now i worry if mine will break soon. I`m to the point that i dont know who builds anything anymore that will last. If you choose to buy a different brand of truck, check out ALL the reports you can before you decide to buy another brand. I`m finding that dodge has pretty much the best rating as far as durability. None of this will likely make you feel any better, you`ll just have to live with whatever you decide to do about it. I would press very hard for a new engine if it were me.

 

LMAO, that's so true!

 

I`ve been thru chicago during rush hour myself too, it was anything but stopped.
I was doing 70mph and people were runnin over me...! So i happen to disagree.
Of course it might have been when obama was there at the time, people rushed to see their god.

I still say, chrysler needs to give this guy a NEW engine an quit dickin him around...!!!!

 

Please allow a different perspective.

First, threatening to sue, trading the truck off for another make, mean mouthing and boycotting is not a good place to start. Once you tell them you'll never buy another vehicle from Chrysler you’re communicating that they've already lost you and it removes any incentive to try to make you happy. Right now your dealer is your best advocate and they have some level of influence over the situation. Working with them in a positive manner will generally get you farther than immediately turning pit bull on them.

Whether or not a full engine replacement is justified in this case aside, there are risks one may not have thought about. When they remove the hood will it be stored in such a manner that it will not be damaged? There are a lot of things that need to be removed and disconnected before the engine can be hoisted out. You will need to place your full trust in the dealership and the technician(s) that perform the work and ensure that everything will be put back together to factory specifications. Although highly unlikely, the new engine could have a defect that may not occur until after the warranty expires.

I can recount numerous examples of lack of care in engine changes. A common one is paint being chipped at the rear corners of the hood because it was placed against a wall standing up on concrete, or being damage by other activity in the shop. I've seen a fair amount of firewall damage, too. Then there are the things that didn't get tightened correctly, or got bent, missing hardware, etc.

The manufacturer is considering cost, which like it or not is their prerogative. A person should ask themselves if they sold the same vehicle to somebody with a warranty and a problem like this occurred, would you do the repair as in this case, or replace the entire engine?

Not just manufacturers, but dealer service departments don't like full engine replacements either, not just because of cost and tying up a tech, but for many of the reasons already mentioned. Service managers try to avoid potential customer relations problems. Service departments also don't like it because they're afraid they'll be blamed for other unrelated problems that may occur after the repair.

Without the benefit of personally being there to inspect and evaluate the situation and just reading what's been presented, I would not be expecting a full engine replacement. A 10 micron oil filter is going to trap anything potentially dangerous to the rest of the engine, and in fact, that's already been done. (Actually, I believe the Mopar MO-899 oil filter used on the newer Hemis are 8 micron.) I would expect an oil and filter change and a written testimony that the engine was inspected for signs of premature wear or damage. I also think it is reasonable to lobby for a lifetime or extended warranty.

Regardless how it goes I hope this situation is resolved competently and hopefully to your benefit.


Best regards,
Dusty
2010 Ram Big Horn 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 545RFE, 3.92 LSD, dual exhaust, 20” wheels

 

OP - i dont think you ever answered what dealership in jersey it was? is it a dodge dealer?

i had a caliper hang up and my truck got towed to freehold chrysler jeep (not freehold dodge/suburu) and they called me saying it was not to be covered under warranty because i had used junkyard parts on my truck and some long story ... meanwhile my truck had 30k on it and nothing had ever been touched.

i had freehold dodge/suburo go pick up truck and everything was fixed no questions asked, their only comment (besides rolling eyes) was that the other dealer sometimes does questionable things.

so i wonder if its a dealer or corporate whos really being the problem all along.

 

I would accept the repair with an extended warranty...think about how long you will have the truck and how many miles and go from there with whatever warranty you will require. You might even get a non tranferrable lifetime warranty. I got one on the paint on my 2000 Durango quad cab, the Patriot blue fiasco where you couldsee thru the paint, they painted everything on my truck except the passenger door but I had to accept it, was fine but I did push for a warranty because nothing beats that baked on finish from the factory. Moaned and whined and got that warranty. Sold the truck 2 years later.

 

as a jersey guy, i am still wondering which dealer you used also. pm me if you don't want it made public. tks.

 

See your PM. I have no issue with the dealer, I didn't purchase the truck from them and it wasn't their fault it broke down. I have been so nice that the service manager offered to sell me the remote start at cost and install it for free as I have been so patient.

I'm working Chrysler now to get a lifetime warranty out of them, well see.