I’m so pissed off I can’t sleep. As some of you may know I had to take my truck to the dealer for a part that was loooong overdue and the day before my appointment I was starting my truck and it made a loud clunk and the engine stopped. After that happened, everytime I cranked the truck it made a clicking sound (like the battery was dead) and a grinding noise (like the starter/flexplate were misaligned/had broken teeth). The clicking sound was because one of my battery cables was broken (the "overdue part"). But something had defiantly happened to the starter/flexplate. So I called the dealer to give them a "heads-up" that other issues had arisen. Well I dropped off the truck Thursday evening and they tell me it will be done Friday. I called Friday at 3:00 to check the status and was told the truck is repaired, and is being washed as we speak. I asked about the grinding noise and he told me it was all good. When they pulled the truck around, for me to pick up, I shut off the motor and then restarted. GUESS WHAT I HEARD? A LOUD *** GRINDING NOISE! I immediately asked for the service manager but he had left early so the service writer came to me and asked what was wrong. I told him either his mechanic was incompetent, his mechanic lied to him, or he lied to me. I told him to start it up himself and see what he thought. He started it and guess what? It made A LOUD *** GRINDING NOISE! The expression on his face was like "oh ****, there really is something wrong with this truck"! He wanted me to take the truck and he would order a new starter. Now this is the dealer that took four months, yes four months, to get the last part they "ordered". I told him to order a flexplate AND a starter and call me when it’s DONE! I’m in no hurry, I have a Dakota from Enterprise that’s paid for by the dealer. Saturday night my wife tells me that I have a message from the dealer on my cell phone. I’ve told them a bunch of times to not call my cell phone, I rarely answer and I never check my messages, call either my work or home number. What does the message say you wonder? Three other technicians have looked at the truck and determined that I am holding the key in the start position too long. I now know what a kanipshion is, because I had one! Evidentially, sometime Wednesday night I forgot how to start a car. And at about 4:30 Friday the service writer at the dealership forgot how too as well, twice! UNBELIEVABLE! Sorry, just needed to vent.

 

All I'm going to add to this is, I know your pain brother.

I now refuse to buy anything or have anything serviced by the dealerships in my area. If I need a part or something serviced, I'll drive the 105 miles up to see David and get it taken care of right.

Friggin dealership by me is bunch of morons. Problem is they do so much volume that they can afford to **** off a few folks and not have it make a big impact on their operation, especially when it's warranty work.

 

Dealerships are called stealerships for a reason!! I have yet to hear of a happy customer (who knows better) who got serviced by a dealership. Sure, its nice to have a warranty, and have someone else foot the bill but in my mind, if something breaks, I will upgrade to a stronger part. Yes, I pay for it but, what the factory gave me BROKE! So I will upgrade to something stronger, not put back another weak part.

Some of the excuses they come up with always make me laugh...

 

Jim, did they locate the battery cable that was on back order? Was it the same one that I showed to be in their inventory? What did they say when you asked about the part numbers that I gave you? Sorry to hear about the new problem, hopefully it will not take 4 months to get it fixed this time....DAVID

 

So what was the outcome? Is your truck still there or did they make you pick it up?

 

Maybe you should park your truck on the berm in front of the dealer with the hood up. See how long it takes them to address the problem then.

 

David- Thanks again for the help. I called and asked to the parts department and asked if they had the parts in stock and they confirmed that they did. I then asked to speak with the service manager and all he wanted to do was set an appointment, almost like I was bothering him by calling.

Mayfair- I refused to take the truck until it was fixed. I don’t want to cause any more damage waiting for more parts.

Bars- Yess, very nice St Paddles errr.. St Pattys day!

I’ve typed a letter that I am going to send to both Dodge and Carl Burger. I think I left the emotion out of it and left only the facts. Amazing in the regards that the letter was fueled by rage and lack of sleep!

 

It’s funny how the lessons you learn in life pay-off down the line, assuming you pay attention. After going through the lemon law process with Chevy, I’ve gotten into the habit of documenting EVERYTHING with a dealership (who I talk to, what I said, what they said). This weekend I put all of my notes into a three-page letter that I sent to Dodge and the general manager of Carl Burger Dodge. Suddenly the dealership has done an about face and is having a new starter brought over from another dealer. It was supposed to be done today, but I guess that is asking too much.

 

I bet you could makea good living just representing consumers in these types of situations. Could be a new business venture.

Mike

 

I'm praying for ya Jim. I really hope this works out for you this time.