NEW Dodge 2013 Ram 3500 4x4 -> ride is horrible! What to do?

OP want's to trade for a 2500?
I got the perfect truck, I'll trade straight across. He!!, I'll even bring it to you. 2500 Mega cab, rides like a Caddy (if you air the tires down).
This thread is comical.

The OP is too buzy seeking seeking sympathy, claiming she was duped. While I can't say with 100% certainty she wasn't lied to, more than likely one of the tires was low enough to set off the TPMS..the salesman told her that he would make sure they were all aired up before she left.

Now, she is stating that is it a rough ride and she was duped. When I was in the business we had a saying roughly translated: if the customers mouth is open, they're lying....if I had $5 for every time a customer lied to me, then I would be richer than the back surgeon I work for, and for his recent midlife crisis, he bought a Ferrari.

She has been given options, yet I seriously doubt she has tried one of them. Yet, she jumps on the I want to all air ride seats bandwagon. Hell, after 3 hours in a vehicle, my back hurts to, so do I blame God for getting old or Ford because they made the car....neither.

They bought a truck based on unrealistic expectations and not doing a proper job of research, yet she takes exactly 0% of the blame in this purchase. They were too buzy playing with all the bells and whistles on the 15-20 min test drive and fell in love with the "purring sound" of the diesel engine. All I'm saying is that if I'm gonna drop a big chunk of change on a new vehicle, you can damn well guarantee I will know the truck better than the salesman. Actually, when I was in sales, I preferred the educated customer because it made my job a lot easier.

Peace out on this thread.

Again, I know the boat you are in, I have the same truck just in a 2500 (same springs and tires, you just have an "overload" spring that doesn't engage until a heavy load is applied). I didn't get fooled by my dealer though, I knew what I was getting because it wasn't my first one. Your Mega Cab rode better because it was actually a lot heavier and longer with the same springs.

My suggestion would be to hook your truck to the camper the way you go camping and take it to a scale somewhere. Get the weight of the rear axle and compare that to the RAWR. The door sticker is the pressure that they recommend for a fully loaded rear axle. The tires capacities added together are even more than the rear axle's capacity. The tires are rated at 80 PSI to carry that capacity. If you are not running at full capacity and I'm sure you're not then I would air them down. I know it seems like a lot but There's not much else you can do without spending a lot of money. I have about 5K in my suspension but it rides like a half ton and hauls like a one ton.

chakatania wrote:

I wish I could say your statements are all true!

But we deflated the tires to 35 with no dash warning light coming on. So the question is "HOW LOW DID THEY DEFLATE THE TIRES" for the warning light to come on?".
After deflating them did you start the truck then take it for a ride? Also the PSI is shown on the dashboard right? I does on our 2012 200.

Maybe you are not one of those type of salesman as all salesmen are not and are on the up and up.

And our Mega-Cab 3500....not 2500 (you wrote "2500" the correction is "3500") previously drove beautifully. I loved that truck! This new one drives NOTHING like our previous truck.
You had a 2 wheel drive and now have a 4 wheel drive truck. YOU decided you needed the "safety of 4 wheel drive". I live in the snow belt and have a two wheel drive truck and never have I felt "unsafe driving it!".

I wish our salesman would of let us see EXACTLY how the truck rode without deflating the tires (and possibly dangerously so).
If you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

And again in our defense, because I feel you've kind of put me in that corner...is that this is only our 2nd truck! We are new to the truck/trailer world. We just got our trailer last year.

BUYERS REMORSE...NOT!!
This truck is beautiful and sexy to say the least. I fall in love with it every time I look at it and listen to the diesel engine purring. I now wish we had it in a 1500 or 2500 since our travel trailer is only 25 feet long.

We would be glad to exchange it for a Laramie 1500/2500 so they can keep the same amount of money we spent. It's not about the money although it was over $50k. It's not about having a Laramie. It just rides like a bucking bronco. It's about when you spend THAT much money you should be able to make a clear judgment on your purchase without the dealer doing anything deceptive.

Again if you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

When we bought our Mazda Tribute the dealer/salesman was awesome! When we bought our travel trailer..that went well too! When my husband bought his Corvette...that was all good. So why did this go wrong and why did the dealer do this deceptive practice just to make a sale? They had us on the hook to buy something.

The proof is that people on this forum are telling us to deflate the tires for a better ride. THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!
So the dealers are not dumb and just "allowed" or "didn't notice" the tires had deflated to below 35psi or whenever the light goes on (we have yet to replicate it). They did it on purpose.
Again if you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

AND....although you are saying we haven't tried to drive w/deflated tires... We NEED to bring the tires up to spec for towing for safety and found whether towing or NOT it's a bucking bronco. OK I'll say this one more time. The 80 PIS setting is THE MAX SETTING. You are no where near the max weight rating for your 3500 truck! AIR THE TIRES DOWN!!!

I DO UNDERSTAND it's not a Cadillac...derrrr...but it's too much and not at all like our last truck. Well as you said "ah ...duh!!" you hd a 2 wheel drive and now have a 4 wheel drive truck. YOU decided you needed the "safety of 4 wheel drive". I live in the snow belt and have a two wheel drive truck and never have I felt "unsafe driving it!".

MANUAL/WARNING LIGHT/DEALER ENDANGERING CUSTOMERS?
- And to me it's NOT SAFE to allow passengers to ride in trucks with deflated tires to what? 30? 25psi? We can't even get the light to go on the dash as we keep deflating. These systems are not instant read from what I have read. As you deflate the tires sitting still it won't register on the dash until you start it up and start to drive. Did you do that? No.
- THE MANUAL states that it's dangerous to drive with the tires so deflated to the point the warning lights go on.
- So now the dealer has purposely put their customers in danger (according to the manual and not to get overly dramatic or maybe yes) by deflating the tires.
Again if you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

C'mon and admit this is if anything - mildly deceptive and dangerous (according to the manual). Thank God we did not hit a nail or something on the freeway test drive...in which we got on and were told to exit after the 2nd off ramp.
Again if you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

AGAIN....NO BUYER'S REMORSE
We wanted a truck. We were ready to buy a truck. We decided we love Dodge and the look of Dodge trucks. Chrysler paid their debt back to America - so politically all looks good...right? But it's not right to deceive mildly or wildly.

There! Off the soapbox...........

And this will be the last post for me, BTW my posts would be the same even if this was about a Ford, GM/Chevy or whatever. BTW next time you spend $50,000+ you might want to take the truck, car whatever out for the weekend and NOT on a preset test loop set by a dealer!!! One more time, if you think they did this call Chrysler and your States Attorney General and file a claim!!!

Don

patperry2766 wrote:
Have you driven the truck at different tire PSI to see if it has actually made a difference?

And did you actually watch the video I sent you a link to? It will explain how the TPMS system works.

Your claim, to me, that you are new to the truck world is incorrect and a cop out..you have owned a truck before so that negates the "newbie" excuse. Who knows, maybe they did intentionally deflate the tires, but that is something I have never heard of.

Yes, when I was in the car business, I was I guess a rarity because I was upfront and honest. I sold cars thru the Internet dept, I determined the price that I could sell a car for without having to go see the manager. 90% of the time, my customers had a price, monthly payment and rough trade in value before they ever set foot in the dealership to drive the vehicle. My reputation and my conscience dictated that I do things in a reputable manner, not only in the car business but also in the medical field as well.

Like I said before, get a good back brace

Parallel paths; I used to be in car sales (initially "on the floor," then internet sales) but several years ago went back to school and now work in healthcare as well.

Like you, I did everything on the level and that's one of the (many) reasons I got out of it-- grew tired of being surrounded by deceptive practices and shady characters.

Now I work in clinical research, and I'm surrounded by deceptive practices and shady characters (LOL).

I believe that once the OP gets around to running lower PSIs this chapter will end and the true love affair with her new truck will begin.

Have you driven the truck at different tire PSI to see if it has actually made a difference?

And did you actually watch the video I sent you a link to? It will explain how the TPMS system works.

Your claim, to me, that you are new to the truck world is incorrect and a cop out..you have owned a truck before so that negates the "newbie" excuse. Who knows, maybe they did intentionally deflate the tires, but that is something I have never heard of.

Yes, when I was in the car business, I was I guess a rarity because I was upfront and honest. I sold cars thru the Internet dept, I determined the price that I could sell a car for without having to go see the manager. 90% of the time, my customers had a price, monthly payment and rough trade in value before they ever set foot in the dealership to drive the vehicle. My reputation and my conscience dictated that I do things in a reputable manner, not only in the car business but also in the medical field as well.

Like I said before, get a good back brace

I'm glad my one ton rides like a caddy and doens't have the guberment mandated idiot tire lights.

To: patperry2766

And by the way...although I had minor back surgery (microdiscetomy) I do "bootcamp" & yoga to keep my back in shape.

So it's almost not really about the back...

....it's the flying out of my seat in some instances!

patperry2766 wrote:
When I was in the car business, I NEVER heard of any tires being purposefully deflated to smooth out the ride. When people were buying a 3/4 or 1 ton truck, they knew that they were going to get the ride of a vehicle that was designed to have a lot of use. When you have a truck that is capable of towing in excess of 15k pounds and well over 2k pounds in the bed, then naturally the suspension is going to be firmer that a SUV or a car.

I'm beginning to think that you have buyers remorse because while changing the tire pressure will possibly help out a little, it's not going to make a huge significant difference. But since you haven't even tried to do that, or at least haven't responded that you did and if it made any difference, then I don't know that there's really anything that's gonna please you.

You said in a previous post that your back doesn't hurt on the short drives, just the long 3+ hours in the seat. That's not the salesman's fault. He probably took you on a 15-20 min test drive, but that won't replicate a long road trip by any stretch of the imagination.

I think that you're trying to cast all the blame on the salesman/dealership because you bought more truck than you need and the ride is stiffer that you had expected once you got some time in the seat.

You have also sated the you have owned a Dodge 2500 before, so you should have been well acquainted with the ride characteristics of a truck like the 3500. true, it might be a tad bit stiffer because it is 4x4 and brand new, but from everything I have read, the ride is smoother now as compared to the 2008 model you had.

Hell, I didn't realize how much road noise my tires are capable of producing based on the different road surfaces, but that's not the salesman's fault and I wasn't duped into buying the Escape. However, they are the original Michelin tires and I have over 65 K miles on them, and I can probably get at least another 30K out of them before I need to worry about replacing them, I am willing to make the sacrifice of loud road noise on some surfaces.

Even my wife knows that the ride in big truck will be significantly rougher than in a car. You were not duped, mislead or outright lied to. You have worked yourself into a tizzy when all you have to do is take more breaks while on the road and get out and stretch.

FYI, I have worked for a back surgeon for the last 4.5 years

I wish I could say your statements are all true!

But we deflated the tires to 35 with no dash warning light coming on. So the question is "HOW LOW DID THEY DEFLATE THE TIRES" for the warning light to come on?".

Maybe you are not one of those type of salesman as all salesmen are not and are on the up and up.

And our Mega-Cab 3500....not 2500 (you wrote "2500" the correction is "3500") previously drove beautifully. I loved that truck! This new one drives NOTHING like our previous truck.

I wish our salesman would of let us see EXACTLY how the truck rode without deflating the tires (and possibly dangerously so).

And again in our defense, because I feel you've kind of put me in that corner...is that this is only our 2nd truck! We are new to the truck/trailer world. We just got our trailer last year.

BUYERS REMORSE...NOT!!
This truck is beautiful and sexy to say the least. I fall in love with it every time I look at it and listen to the diesel engine purring. I now wish we had it in a 1500 or 2500 since our travel trailer is only 25 feet long.

We would be glad to exchange it for a Laramie 1500/2500 so they can keep the same amount of money we spent. It's not about the money although it was over $50k. It's not about having a Laramie. It just rides like a bucking bronco. It's about when you spend THAT much money you should be able to make a clear judgment on your purchase without the dealer doing anything deceptive.

When we bought our Mazda Tribute the dealer/salesman was awesome! When we bought our travel trailer..that went well too! When my husband bought his Corvette...that was all good. So why did this go wrong and why did the dealer do this deceptive practice just to make a sale? They had us on the hook to buy something.

The proof is that people on this forum are telling us to deflate the tires for a better ride. THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!

So the dealers are not dumb and just "allowed" or "didn't notice" the tires had deflated to below 35psi or whenever the light goes on (we have yet to replicate it). They did it on purpose.

AND....although you are saying we haven't tried to drive w/deflated tires...ah ...duh!! We NEED to bring the tires up to spec for towing for safety and found whether towing or NOT it's a bucking bronco.

I DO UNDERSTAND it's not a Cadillac...derrrr...but it's too much and not at all like our last truck.

MANUAL/WARNING LIGHT/DEALER ENDANGERING CUSTOMERS?
- And to me it's NOT SAFE to allow passengers to ride in trucks with deflated tires to what? 30? 25psi? We can't even get the light to go on the dash as we keep deflating.
- THE MANUAL states that it's dangerous to drive with the tires so deflated to the point the warning lights go on.
- So now the dealer has purposely put their customers in danger (according to the manual and not to get overly dramatic or maybe yes) by deflating the tires.

C'mon and admit this is if anything - mildly deceptive and dangerous (according to the manual). Thank God we did not hit a nail or something on the freeway test drive...in which we got on and were told to exit after the 2nd off ramp.

AGAIN....NO BUYER'S REMORSE
We wanted a truck. We were ready to buy a truck. We decided we love Dodge and the look of Dodge trucks. Chrysler paid their debt back to America - so politically all looks good...right? But it's not right to deceive mildly or wildly.

There! Off the soapbox...........

I leave my tires pumped to 80 psi in the back and as a rule I am very happy with the way my 1 ton rides, however, there has been the odd time while towing that the ride is horrible. I have had to reposition the load on my gooseneck to smooth out the ride. Maybe the tongue weight of your trailer is not enough.