never buy dodge

[T77911S]

I know, I have complained about this and you are going to say why did I buy it or why don't I sell it. its a great looking truck, I got it for a good price and the plan is to drive it for about 5 years.
03 dodge Dakota with 110k on it

so I have it on stands and was going through it this week end.
great news, I now have 3 spark plugs changed!!!
I spent over an hour on the 4th one.
problem is socket will not go down in hole all the way to get plug out.
so I fought with removing the heat shield around the plug.
got it out finally and the socket STILL would not go on.
THE HEAD HAS RUSTED SO MUCH THE BUILD UP IN THE HOLE WONT LET THE SOCKET GO IN!!!!!
never seen anything like this.
so I had to chisel away the rust so the socket will go on.
I should have taken pics.

I have an exhaust leak. was considering fixing it but looking at the bolts they look like they came off the hunley. (civil war sub).
I will take pics because I just cant do it justice.

OMG, the rust underneath it. I knocked the loose stuff off and sprayed it with osphoric acid.

same with the front suspension. cant believe the rust.

how does dodge stay in business? if it was just this truck I could understand but I see so many dodge trucks that are rusting away.

my 2000 Mercedes. 250k miles on it, one small rust spot and it still drives and runs great.
my 90 mazda, sits outside, bad motor but its not rusting away.

paid 3500, just dropped 400 for front hubs, shocks, brakes, and some other small stuff. would like to keep repairs down to another 600.

[rattlsnak]

Just curious, where did this truck live most of its life? Northeast snow/salt, or beach salt air?

[kach22i]

Maybe the heat shield wasn't weeped or had a drip edge that allowed condensation to drip back down on to wrong parts of the engine.

It's amazing how catastrophic one little detail can add up like that.

I've seen issues on many buildings where the drafts people didn't understand some simple basics and nobody above them bothered to train them. And apparently nobody else down the line cared to rock the boat and correct the oversights.

As I understand it in the automotive world the suppliers are asked to design many of the parts they will be making, so that's like more than one architect and a bunch of cost cutting to meet Chinese pricing. It's a wonder the car/truck even functions at the end of the process.

I'm curious now, please post a couple of photos.

[berettafan]

I feel like I kinda told you this was coming in you're 'look what I got' thread?

[Chocaholic]

You bought a 15 year old cheap truck with >100,000 miles on the clock. Saying “don’t buy Dodge” isn’t, well...never mind. Not sure what you were expecting.

[john70t]

Knew a guy who bought a middle miles Dodge dually and was fixing things constantly.
He also drove it like a sports car.
Every time.
Swore that there was title fraud involved and that it had to be twice as many miles.
Things this new just don't break.

Now I'm wondering..

[SeanPizzle]

15 year old truck from anywhere that it snows is pretty much at the end of it's useful life

[BeyGon]

I just don't see cars that rusty that haven't been used in the ocean to pull trailers or sitting in mud.

[sammyg2]

Soon after my daughter was born, I bought my wife a plymouth voyager. We were young and money was tight and it only cost $14,500.
After less than a year my wife said the brakes were making noises. I dismissed it because there's no way brakes could go bad that quickly, but to keep peace I checked it out.
14,000 miles on the odometer, with front brake pads through the rivets and into the rotors.

The entire time we owned that POS (about 60k mikes IIRC) it became standard procedure to replace the front pads and rotors every 12,000 miles.
Evidently they built the van on a Plymouth neon chassis with base-line neon brakes which were way too small for the weight.
And they did that for years knowing the POS was crap.
We traded it in on a toyota sienna, which was 100 times a better vehicle.

But that was a long time ago, maybe they got better?
I car-pool with a guy who paid $45k on a new ram truck 2 years ago.
I know, $45k, non-believable.
The engine feels and sounds awesome, but it feels like it has a one hundred speed transmission that is constantly shifting.
It has a sun-roof that reduces the headroom by a good 3 or 4 inches.
I cannot sit in the passenger side of that supposed full-size truck without my head hitting the headliner. I'm not talking about barely, I'm talking if I tried to sit in that seat normally I'd have to angle my neck at a 45.
I have to recline the seat back quite a ways to be comfortable, WTF where they thinking?

The transmission tunnel on that truck seems like its at least 3 feet wide.
It is so wide there is very little foot room on the passenger side, to sit in that seat requires that I angle my feet to the right in an awkward position. Again, WTF were they thinking?
Attention to detail is lacking, acceptance of crap design problems is prevalent.

I consider Chrysler products poorly designed and built, the worst of the U.S. and just above most vehicles made in Europe.

[fastfredracing]

Welcome to every day of my life. Every 10 year old truck in Pa is exactly like this. Book time shows 1 hour to change plugs.

[T77911S]

southern truck
I know the PO,. it belonged to his son. my daughter went to school with him.
no trailer hitch on it, no signs one was ever on it.

I new what I was buying when I bought it. it just amazes me that this dodge and a lot of them see around here are rusting away.
other trucks aren't doing it like dodge. look at the dodge pics from other people in my other post about it.

the frustration comes because I like the truck, would like to keep it another 20yrs (if I live that long), don't mind putting $$ into it but I cant because it will rust out from under me.

it really does not need that much, it has a rear diff seal leaking and the exhaust leak. both I don't know if I want to get into.

[fastfredracing]

Todays tow in dodge , not running ram 1500. Fuel tank straps rusted through and the tank fell out. Was still running, when someone stopped him, and told him his tank is falling out . It does not run now though .

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by T77911S

southern truck
I know the PO,. it belonged to his son. my daughter went to school with him.
no trailer hitch on it, no signs one was ever on it.

I new what I was buying when I bought it. it just amazes me that this dodge and a lot of them see around here are rusting away.
other trucks aren't doing it like dodge. look at the dodge pics from other people in my other post about it.

the frustration comes because I like the truck, would like to keep it another 20yrs (if I live that long), don't mind putting $$ into it but I cant because it will rust out from under me.

it really does not need that much, it has a rear diff seal leaking and the exhaust leak. both I don't know if I want to get into.

The truck wasn't parked in the grass by chance? Parking in the yard will kill a vehicle with rust.

By the way, our 2000 Durango has 190k miles on it. It has some rust spots but nothing bad in the engine bay or under the truck. I have changed plugs twice on it and it is a simple thing with the 318. I had to replace the fog lights since the lenses were cracked and it would get water in it popping the bulbs.

It hasn't been all problem free. In the last 20k miles I have replaced the alternator, A/C compressor, starter, heater core and radiator. The pinion support bearing also leaked and had to be replaced. I need to replace both O2 sensors as well as it throws a code now and then.

Ours was in a heated garage until last year where it got moved to an unheated garage. Everyone says heated is bad for them but we kept the truck pretty clean.

That said, here in WI I see a lot of trucks with rusted rockers and wheel wells. It is all brands that do it here.

[vash]

right this second, if i HAD to buy a 3/4 ton diesel truck..i would get the dodge ram.

i like them. we have a few in our fleet, (gas) and they get ugly treatment. they are doing quite well.

rust? yea, peek into the Tacoma forums..those things are rolling tetanus events..

[MMiller]

Originally Posted by vash

rust? yea, peek into the Tacoma forums..those things are rolling tetanus events..

This was my experience with a 03 Tacoma here in the desert SW. Crazy rust on the frame and underneath in general.

Here in NM and Southern CO where I spend a considerable time on the road I see a lot of Ram trucks. Lots of folks seem to think there "ok".

Subjectively I prefer their looks over Chevy by a wide margin and about equal with Ford.

[Reiver]

I've only purchased one Dodge Truck...a '97 Cummins dually.....still have it and it runs perfectly after 21 years...I change the oil (not always on time) and the other fluids (twice in 21 years) and it's had one valve adjustment...I basically totally ignore the thing and it sits outside always presently at my barn.
It has never failed to start/run properly/haul livestock or whatever.
Looks like crap after 21 years in the SW sun...drove it yesterday.

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Todays tow in dodge , not running ram 1500. Fuel tank straps rusted through and the tank fell out. Was still running, when someone stopped him, and told him his tank is falling out . It does not run now though .

Fred, that’s a recall now. Got a letter last week to bring in my 2011 1500 for a fix.
FWIW, my truck has been great. One torn CV joint in 7 years.

[berettafan]

I read the new ram has electric assist at all 4 wheels. Hope I misunderstood.


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[Tobra]

So if you live in that part of the country, do you just drive a disposable driving utensil in the winter?

[fastfredracing]

To some extent Tobra. If you want to keep something nice, you don't drive it from Nov- March. I've always had winter beaters .