Don't Buy a Dodge, There is a Good Reason Why .

[Downwindtracke1]

This is not really a rant ,rather, it's my duty to prevent others from going down this road. We have been a Chrysler family since the late 30s, in fact I've been driving Chrysler products from when I first got my drivers license. I'm retired now.

The truck is '08 Ram 3500, 4x4, 6.7 Cummins, with the G-56 Mercedes-Benz manual transmission. The truck had it's expected problems, a front end without greaseable joints, but they've been doing that since the 60s. With a solid axel and worn joints you get Death Wobble. A clutch that can't take any grunt, old 4x4ers always changed their clutches, and so I find, so do RVers.

It was the transmission and the factory warranty response is why I suggest you get an Allison. The truck was a lease return, and first owner was pretty rough on 3rd synchromesh. It has pathetic synchromesh, you have to count three steamboats between gears, and he tried to shift it quickly. When I had the clutch changed to a South Bend, I asked them to fix the tranny. The parts are so expensive from Mercedes that it's much cheaper to just change out the tranny to a rebuilt.

Well the rebuilt was howling after 18 months, and 5th gear synchromesh gave up on the trip from Arizona. Bum Rebuilt, as I have been driving stick shifts since I was 11,and I'm 66. The TT is only 20 footer. I took it back to the shop, the supplier of the rebuilt said it's past the 12 months. The Canadian quotes for trannies were now $7,000 for a rebuilt and $11,000 for a Mopar remanufactured. I'm retired, I'm on pension. On to the 'net,High Gear out of TN quoted $2,200 for a rebuilt and $4,000 for a Mopar with a 3year warranty. I imported the Mopar and had the shop install. This one from get go, had no working synchromesh in 2nd. OK, since it was bought in States, I'll get the warranty at a Dodge dealer across the border in Bellingham.

Here is very good reason to avoid Ram. Nathan from Mopar Powertrain cancelled the warranty because the tranny was installed in Canada. It just looks like they were looking to avoid warranty pay outs. So what happens to you if your Mopar 6sp auto replacement is bad ? And they are unproven trannies.

Go with the Allison, they have worked the bugs out. You can guess what I think of the G-56 manual.

If I could afford it, I would trade this truck in on a Chevy. But I can't, so the service manager at the dealer Dodge recommended a good transmission shop that worked on manuals.

Don't Buy a Ram.

[dodge_guy]

8 pages and I don`t believe the mileage has been mentioned by the OP! that seems to be the only bit of important info. missing. why is that???

Something is telling me this was beat on till it cried uncle, then the original owner turned it in!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

🙂 Hi, repeatedly saying that in a cold morning you have to count steamboats to use third gear proves nothing about how the previous owner treated this truck. A syncro ring could have cracked and would do the same thing to you or anyone else who drives a stick shift trans. One missed shift can put burrs on the syncro making shifting difficult too. Even if the original owner did mess up the trans, after that, you can no longer blame that person for the replacement transmissions that they did not touch. There has to be more to this story than you are telling us. Was this trans an authorized Chrysler rebuild or not? And did Chrysler only decline the labor of the shop in Canada because they are not an authorized Chrysler dealer? Did you go cheap on the job and find out that cheap turns into expensive?

[sidney]

I'm never going to buy another RAM either.

The one I have now is built solid...

Tows and drives great...

I'll be to old to drive before it wears out.

[maxwell11]

sorry, you are having problems with your dodge.

I had an old chevy 2500 2000 model that would have given any bad truck a run for its money, and I bought it new.

I now have a 2005, 2500 diesel, its a great truck, I would not want to go back for any reason.

hope you get it sorted out, its a pain when they are not running right and tight.

best advise, get it running and trade it off.

[45Ricochet]

Come on guys let this thread go already. We all know what was done wrong by now.

[Bird_Freak]

After listening to all the Ford bashers jump on one of their own I e-mailed a link to this thread to High Gear and posted it on their FB page. Lets see what they have to say. I looked at their website and it appeared to me they rebuild their transmissions and should honor their warranty.

[itguy08]

Those that track dependability will tell you never to by anything from Chrysler/Fiat. Been that way since Chrysler was born. If they built good vehicles they would not have been bailed out by you and I TWICE! One in the 80's when Iacocca was begging the US Govt for $$ and twice in 2008.

[Downwindtracke1]

"I have to chuckle about the posters who question how I know how the first owner drove, they've driven too many automatics. First cold morning, there wasn't any 3rd gear synchromesh. It can be pretty frustrating to count three steamboats every shift. You're in 3rd before crossing a intersection. Any quick acceleration out of the question if you want to save the tranny."

Truck was 2 years old when purchased. Still under warranty, but just. Highway miles. Motor still had a lot of warranty.

[NC_Hauler]

Downwindtracker2 wrote:
I did talk to High Gear, we shall see

Why not a Ram? If down the road you need a powertrain part and you go to your tranny shop, and they replace your par with a Mopar Powertrain. It's twice as expensive but you get a 3yr/100,000 mile warranty. When you go to use the warranty they find a loop hole, or make one up. Maybe you ,too, would think buying a Ram wasn't such a good idea.

At the beginning of this I knew nothing about who makes remans. I still don't know did the Mopar.


If you buy your truck from Joe's Dodge, is it Joe or is it Dodge for warranty work?

IF I buy from Joe Dodge, and it's a BRAND NEW vehicle, it's Chrysler that covers the warranty If I purchase a used truck off the lot..sorta feel I'm on my own, depending on how the truck is and how many miles are on it..How many miles were on it when you purchased it??...I don't feel bad about buying a Ram at all, and I owned Chevy's from 75 thru 2010....I've never had an issue...from 2010, 20102 and now the 13'...

Don't know who you deal with, but if someone is looking for a "loophole" in the warranty if something goes wrong, I would think you would take your business elsewhere.

Even you say you don't know who did the rebuild, don't even know if it was MOPAR, but yet you're adamant about you nor anyone else purchasing a Dodge/Ram truck, when you're talking about a 7 yr old, abused when you purchase it, truck....Don't see how one can jump all over the manufacturer of a truck that has had two owners and two tranny's..how many miles on the truck?

No, you haven't changed my mind about purchasing a Dodge/Ram truck....I just won't buy a 7-8 yr old Dodge truck, knowing it was abused and expect to not have any issues..so thanks for that, I guess, but again, I wouldn't have purchased an 08 with a stick, and I certainly wouldn't have purchased one KNOWING something was wrong with the tranny as you stated that you knew.....Why buy a money pit, when you know it's going to be a money pit?

[Downwindtracke1]

I did talk to High Gear, we shall see

Why not a Ram? If down the road you need a powertrain part and you go to your tranny shop, and they replace your par with a Mopar Powertrain. It's twice as expensive but you get a 3yr/100,000 mile warranty. When you go to use the warranty they find a loop hole, or make one up. Maybe you ,too, would think buying a Ram wasn't such a good idea.

At the beginning of this I knew nothing about who makes remans. I still don't know did the Mopar.


If you buy your truck from Joe's Dodge, is it Joe or is it Dodge for warranty work?

[NC_Hauler]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Ignoring the obvious tells me you didn't contact what's their face in TN that sold you the tranny.

Moral seems more........don't buy from them vs Dodge

:B

[Old-Biscuit]

Ignoring the obvious tells me you didn't contact what's their face in TN that sold you the tranny.

Moral seems more........don't buy from them vs Dodge

[NC_Hauler]

Downwindtracker2 wrote:
Mopar Powertrain went out of their way to cancel warranty . Who is Mopar?

Did Mopar power train rebuild the tranny....who installed the tranny....should be on them.

but anyway...you're mad...I understand...I'd NEVER buy a manual tranny in a Ram, but I never wanted one....but I'll ask again, for about the 3rd. time...Why would you tell someone to not purchase one with the automatics, (2 different one's).

Sounds to me like you purchased a messed up truck, then tried to repair it for the second time, it's screwed up again and you need someone to blame it on....Did the place that put the tranny in help you with the paperwork for the warranted "rebuilt" tranny??

Why was warranty work/repair turned down? Got to be some kind of reason....

So based on your experience with a 2008 Dodge truck and rebuilt tranny....No one, should purchase a 2013, 14' or brand new 15 Ram truck with the G-56, much less one with an automatic tranny.

[Downwindtracke1]

Mopar Powertrain went out of their way to cancel warranty . Who is Mopar?