2003 dodge ram b1500 v6 3.9l
2003 dodge ram b1500 v6 3.9l
I took my 2003 Dodge RAM B1500 V6 van into a local Pep Boys service center in Arlington, Texas on 06/20/2015 after the Brake Light(Red) and ABS Light(Orange) turned on and would not go away. The Pep Boys did a Diagnostics Test charging me $115.00 and came back and told me they cannot do anything further as the brake lines have rusted and leaking. I drove out of their service garage and within two minutes the engine died on me. No power and "NO BUS" message blinking in place of the Odometer LED.
It turned out that the PCM/ECM Unit was shot/burnt. It could not have been done other than Pep Boys Technicians as I have driven this vehicle since 07/2010 without any trouble, and had the battery changed in 06/2014.
Why would the PCM/ECM Unit (On-Board Computer) shot up when the Technician at Pep Boys claimed he never messed with it.
The local Dodge Dealership is charging me $1100.00 for replacement PCM Unit (only New OEM Equipment and not a refurbished one).
Now who was at fault in this case? The timing of it going bad (within a few minutes after departing Pep Boys Service Garage) indicates highly as to who the perpetrator was!!
It turned out that the PCM/ECM Unit was shot/burnt. It could not have been done other than Pep Boys Technicians as I have driven this vehicle since 07/2010 without any trouble, and had the battery changed in 06/2014.
Why would the PCM/ECM Unit (On-Board Computer) shot up when the Technician at Pep Boys claimed he never messed with it.
The local Dodge Dealership is charging me $1100.00 for replacement PCM Unit (only New OEM Equipment and not a refurbished one).
Now who was at fault in this case? The timing of it going bad (within a few minutes after departing Pep Boys Service Garage) indicates highly as to who the perpetrator was!!
Last edited by Ronald_Arif; Jul 9, 2015 at 06:19 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 933
Likes: 1
From: South Kentucky
I would contact the manager or have your lawyer do it on your behalf.
Like many companies, Pepboys, Firestone, Goodyear and so on used hire competent mechanics and were reasonably safe. I would not trust any of these places to work on my vehicle today. If you arent able to comfortably purchase and install a new computer yourself, I would suggest you have the dealer do it and sue the franchise for damaging your van. As you say, it was running when you drove in and does not run after you left. Keep your story short and on point and you should be able to get them to pay for it.
Like many companies, Pepboys, Firestone, Goodyear and so on used hire competent mechanics and were reasonably safe. I would not trust any of these places to work on my vehicle today. If you arent able to comfortably purchase and install a new computer yourself, I would suggest you have the dealer do it and sue the franchise for damaging your van. As you say, it was running when you drove in and does not run after you left. Keep your story short and on point and you should be able to get them to pay for it.
