Devo the dog wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
Just be careful what you wish for.
I not wishing for much.
Let me give you a simple example: out of EVERY car or truck my wife and I have owned over the last 27 years has only had a problem one with the AC or heater, and that problem was solved. And, that's 7 different manufacturers ranging many years.
Only one vehicle has had a problem with the AC and heater that the dealer and manufacture hasn't been able to fix: the 2019 Ram.
It works randomly. I have a warranty. Yet, a warranty isn't very useful if the result is "it doesn't work yet."
Is that too much to wish for? A functional heater? A functional AC?
Everyone keeps on jumping to the stupid conclusion that ALL manufactures have problems. I'm aware of that. But, how come every vehicle we have owned from 7 different manufactures have been built and sold with functional AC and functional heaters? It's not rocket science.
Furthermore, I could go back years prior to the list of cars before my wife, which had heaters that worked:
1962 VW bug with 36 hp engine
1965 Ford Mustang
1974 Porsche 914-6 (one of two sold in California - also had AC that worked)
1981 VW rabbit convertible
1985 Ford Mustang GT 5.0
1985 Ford F250 (built 460 but no AC)
That's not even the whole list. The only common theme is that this is the first Ram/Dodge I've ever owned and the first anyone in the immediate family has owned.
It has a heater that works randomly. And, AC that works randomly. And, a 12" screen/radio that randomly reboots.
And I can't get the dealer under warranty to fix it.
A functional heater ands AC isn't much to "wish" for, since you point it out. Having it fixed isn't too much to ask for either.
The OP asked a simple question: How dependable are newer trucks with higher mileage. I answered the question with facts about the simple problems that my 2019 Ram has. Many of the problems are common with other 2019 owners:
1. AC issues
2. Surging as a result of a recalls
3. Clunks
4. Radio problems
etc. etc.
And I'm not even bringing up the CP4 fear that others have. I'm merely providing facts about common problems that currently exist. Not one that can happen, but hasn't yet happened.
If the Ram has common problems and dealerships are well known in the Ram world to really suck, guess what my response is?
Avoid newer Rams because the dealership suck and they can't fix problems that the manufacture can't fix.
Why do I say that? This is the first vehicle that I've ever owned that doesn't have a functional heater and 4 different dealerships have been unable to address it.
Don't even bother bringing up lemon laws. It doesn't qualify - not even close.
Another common reply is also bizarre: sell it and buy something different. How stupid is that? The simple solution is for the dealer/manufacture to fix a simple problem that's under warranty. I'm not complaining solely that the truck has problems. I'm primarily complaining that the dealers and manufacture are inept. Substandard is another word I've used. I could use stupid but don't want to insult the other stupid manufactures and dealers. No one to date has been as stupid as Ram. Even though I'd place BMW up there with stupid, you can't blame BMW when the stupidest people on the planet are BMW owners.
My truck has a clunk and there's a TSB because it's a common problem. Why is it so difficult for Ram to address a known problem and fix it? My wife even hears the clunking and she finds it annoying. She also sees the radio shut off and reboot, just like it did yesterday. She also is annoyed when it's super hot and you can't turn on the AC, and when it's cold and the only heat that works is the seat heater. And, she has also noticed when the truck bucks when pulling a trailer up a hill. Yada yada yada. But the ram dealerships are beyond stupid.
Here's another odd observation: long time dodge owners defend dodge/Ram as vehemently as they hate dodge/ram. They, not me, complain about the "stealerships" and the manufacture on and on and on. But, if someone points out a problem like I have, they become the biggest defenders of the dealerships and manufacture, and I become the bad guy. It's bizarre.
The dealers should have access to a field rep or engineer for more technical problems, but sometimes the root cause is the design and no repair or band aid will fix it. Case in point my BIL purchased a brand new 2009 Dodge Ram 6.7 cummins and it had non stop CEL which were soot clogged DPF/Turbo problems and all the dealer could do was run a can of cleaning into the turbo, clean the EGR valve, run a regen, clear the CEL, recommend to run the exhaust break all the time and send him on his way knowing that in a month he would be back with the same CEL like many others. It was so bad that the dealer told him the only real fix would be do have it deleted, but when asked what about warranty coverage they would say they would work with him. After 9 months of this he sold it, found a 07 Dodge Ram in Arizona with the proven 5.9 cummins bought a plane ticket and drove that truck back to Texas, and we still own it as one of our farm/ranch trucks. It's previous nick name was the purple people eater with it's purple aftermarket transmission.
