I bought an 08 diesel 4x4 ram. Over 79k miles I've had my vulture dealer replace 3 pinion seals and both diff cover gaskets. I've spent right at a thousand bucks! (7.9 cents a mile). I almost want to go nuts, however it's so weird I guess I'm speechless! As an example 4 times the oil cost (2 fills on each diff) come right to $400--$93 per fill! The truck was assembled in Mexico. I wonder if they make the seals out of spit and donkey trud?

Is this a programmed fallure to keep the dealers in business? I've owned 25 cars & trucks and never once had diff problems! How can gear oil be $40 a quart? I don't even know how much it holds!

Is this just one of the joys of Dodge Ram ownership?

Thanks

 

My bet is that the dealer aint doing something right. Most people if not all will take their trucks to a 4x4 shop to get gears done due to the fact that they specialize in that kind of stuff. Only time I would go with the dealer is if there was a warranty in place to pay for it. If any more problems come about with the rear try a 4x4 shop that does that kind of work on a regular basis. As for this being a common problem I know in the 2nd gen trucks the pinion nut is known for coming lose causing all sorts of issues and rude noises. Not to sure about a 08 but I highly doubt that. Hope this helps you.

 

Rear diff holds 4.2 (open) or 4.0 (limited slip) liters - so between 4.2-4.5 quarts of full synthetic GL-5 75w-90. It should run you about $10/quart if you buy it at your local auto parts store. The front diff holds about half that much, so if you're getting the diffs done for $93, you're not getting screwed at all once you factor in sealant and labor.

Anyway, why are you going through pinion seals so frequently? Is your driveshaft bent or out of balance?

 

No the $93 was just for oil. They charged another $90 labor and $16 for the seal. I've never been off road much and wonder if the drive shafts could be bent. I'll never go to a dealer again. They are criminal, however I am the sucker.

 

Unless they have changed the diff cover gaskets are reusable.