boocoodinkydow
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Re: RAM EcoDiesel a Flop for Towing
I think some have lost sight of the fact that this small displacement diesel was initially engineered to propel a Cadillac. With the truck quickly replacing the "soccer mom van" of yesterday as a daily driver, fiat/chrysler recognized the market & has jumped in front of the trend with the marriage of this fuel efficient engine in the most popular vehicle class in the country. Is it the perfect tow vehicle? Not by a long shot, but sales figures point to the fact it is an overwhelming success in the the market area for which it was intended. Is it capable of successfully towing small & intermediate sized TT's? Absolutely & more economically the any other truck being produced today. On the brand specific forums you'll find numerous accounts of owners doing just that! For those consistently dragging uber heavy loads up steep inclines, there's fortunately more appropriate choices on the market. In the FWIW category, tests performed by Green Diesel Engineering found that inability to maintain a consistent speed under extreme conditions is NOT due to insufficient power. Not that it changes the end results of this test, but it seems mama chrysler has cheaped out on the cooling systems of the Ecodiesel with a less than stellar sized radiator. When approaching high temps the engine enters a protection mode by defueling with obvious results. In normal operating conditions that 99% of us experience, the torque of these engines is there, it's real & it's capable!300Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram ecodiesel problems?
ROBERTSUNRUS wrote: :) HI, and what do you think Dodge is going to do with those buy-backs? Patch them up, auction them off as used, and some poor unsuspecting buyer will never know why these were sold as low mileage used vehicles. And now the problem belongs to someone else. And if it makes you feel better, I'm sure that Ford and GM do the same thing. These vehicles will not be crushed and recycled. FYI, a post from another forum Here's the procedure for a "reacquired" vehicle: Chrysler contracts the paperwork to a company called Impartial Services Group, they process the vehicle title and obtain lien release if needed. Vehicle is picked up from the dealership and taken to the nearest Chrysler marshaling yard, typically one of about 15 major auto auctions scattered around the country. Auction is responsible to verify that any repairs needed are performed at a local dealership, and concerns are verified as repaired. ISG provides disclosure forms to the auction showing the issues and repairs made, they also notify Carfax and autocheck that the vehicle has been bought back under lemon law and why. Chrysler then sells the vehicles at auction (closed to Chrysler dealers only) and disclosures are signed by the Chrysler rep and dealership rep. Dealer sells the vehicle to a retail customer, customer signs disclosures a copy of which is returned to ISG. Upon receipt of disclosure, Chrysler activates supplemental warranty of 12 months/unlimited mileage to the new owner. In addition to any other factory warranties in effect. The disclosures typically state whether the vehicle was purchased under "Lemon law" or "An effort to promote customer satisfaction" Chrysler takes this procedure very seriously, dealerships can get in some pretty deep doo-doo if they don't comply. FYI, I'm a sales manager/used car buyer for a large Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram dealer for the last 22 years.407Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram ecodiesel problems?
An objective view from an Ed owner. This ram was new vehicle purchase #26 for me & my first chrysler product so don't dub me as brand loyal. I've always seen chrysler product as being inferior, whether perceived or reality. I was in hopes ownerships by European entities would bring improved reliability but I can't emphatically attest to that. I have to say I've never owned a vehicle that has suited my needs in every respect as well as this Ed, BUT I'm having trouble shaking the the ominous question of reliability. I've had a battery replacement (agm's aren't designed to co-habitate with a hot diesel engine), 3 mil's & 6 software updates; minor by comparison but still annoying. I cringe each time I see a new problem post on the several forums I belong to or the numerous YouTube videos. I try to sooth my anxiety by holding to the fact that forums & YouTube are the #1 avenues used by disgruntled owners to rant over their woes & in the scheme of things their numbers are minuscule in comparison to the many thousands of satisfied owners on the road with no hint of problems of any kind. the fact that edmunds (and motor trend, by the way) had to tow their test vehicles to the shop is, however, definitely a black eye for our product & with some press releases airing some repetitive problems, I dare say could possibly have an adverse effect on sales & eventually resale values. I'm by no means defending nor selling the Ed, but it's been my observation this has arguably been the most maligned vehicle on this forum & it's obvious the op did a good bit of research to find these links. I can't help but to question the motivation of his post but will assume it's from a perspective of a Good Samaritan warning potential buyers. By the way, totally agree with don: place little credence on the links to mustangshawns posts. He definitely has a hidden agenda.407Views0likes0CommentsRe: Goosebox hitch installed
Cequent Performance Parts actually manufactures the goose box and Reese markets it with Lippert being named exclusive distributor. Since Reese is solely owned by Cequent, I question Lipperts involvement as "distributor". My cynicism queries that this may simply be a a vehicle designed to give Lippert Industries a slice of the pie for their endorsement. Irrelevant of the behind the scenes politics, I feel comfortable with the goose box/ Lippert combo & plan to utilize it on my upcoming light weight 5er purchase.427Views0likes0CommentsRe: OK, all you truck wonks...
4x4ord wrote: Bedlam wrote: DaveF-250SD wrote: 4x4ord, Iagree that the helper leaf should be standard on all 3/4 ton trucks. Both of my trucks are 3/4 ton, and both have a payload greater than 2,700 lbs. I am planning on installing the factory overload leaf on my Ford. I do not believe the 3/4 ton truck should be eliminated,( I have two, and that would leave me truckless ) but do think the diesel option should only be offered on the one ton trucks. The engines are much heavier than the large displacement gas engines, and that directly reduces payload by 5-600 lbs. in most trucks. What's funny is that you can order the camper package on the F250 and get the upper overload spring, stabilizer bar and heavier front springs, yet your GVWR remains the same. FWIW: My 2005 F250 4wd had a GVWR of 9800 lbs and weighed 7250 lbs with the 6.0 PSD and 5R110 transmission. I had no issue running my "stealth F350" with F250 badges and door tags - You just have to know how to option them. It makes it hard to have much respect for the pick up truck manufacturer's weight ratings when there seems to be no reason behind them. Personally I have come to ignore them. Couldn't agree more. Let's just put it on the ground, hitch it up & see what it'll do!!376Views0likes0CommentsRe: Perforated Leather on Ram - good thing?
my wife feels the seats in our 2013 Sierra slt were more comfortable than our present longhorn but I mildly disagree (46 yrs of marriage will teach you to disagree with the wife MILDLY). Love the leather & the cool seats although initially I felt like I'd forgotten my chaps each time I got in it. The quality of the leather reminds me of imported glove leather of days gone by.337Views0likes0CommentsRe: OK, all you truck wonks...
Powerdude wrote: US manufacturers deliberately under-rate the payload of some of their products so that they can drive the sales of the higher margin, heavy duty products. There is no earthly reason why a $45k truck would otherwise have a 900-1100 lbs payload. Ford might be an exception to that rule. An Australian Toyota Hi-lux can carry 2 tons. Yes, it does have a different frame than the American Tacoma (the Tacoma frame is joined at the cab...i.e. not one piece) but I've seen off-roaders really abuse their Tacoma's and be just fine. Totally ridiculous specifications that are driven by marketing departments, not engineering departments. Amen and amen!!202Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2015 Ram 1500 a Contender? Not.
My Ed has a payload rating of 889#. I've often queried why the limits were set so incredibly low but have yet to find a satisfactory answer. One thing I know for sure, however, the posted limitations are not indicative of its practical capabilities. While I respect anyone's decision to adhere to the factory's payload ratings, when posted limits of small cars are higher than a full size truck it's probably time for a little common sense to prevail!111Views0likes0CommentsRe: Perforated Leather on Ram - good thing?
I have a 14 ram 1500 longhorn that came with them as standard equipment. Had a take it or leave it attitude until I went through a hot humid south Alabama summer. Got a more positive opinion now. Crumbs do present a bit of a problem but with a little special effort with a vac all is good once again. Mines a little less than a year old with about 13k miles & no problem. One member on our ecodiesel forum had an underliner shift & had to be replaced. Saw a YouTube clip that evidently had a similar problem; when he turned the air on it pillowed up pretty badly. By the way, while they are not directly air conditioned there is an a/c vent terminus directly under each seat & the fan does pull cooler than ambient air up through the seat.158Views0likes0Comments
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Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 13, 202544,029 Posts
