Dodge tried to kill me!

[Scott P]

Dodge tried to kill me on Tuesday. It was attempted murder.

Last year, the shift fork was bad in a 2002 Dodge (company vehicle-I am not even close to being stupid enough to buy a Dodge). It was taken to the dealer and was attributed to

[JP]

[quote=Scott Patterson]I couldn

[wojo342]

I've had a big, full sized, green 1999 Dodge Passenger van that I bought new. It now has over 179000 miles on it and still runs strong. My wife calls her BABS (Short for BIG ASS BUS!) I have had it from the snow and ice in Nothern Idaho to the scorching hot desert of Death Valley. It has hauled countless Boy Scouts and Young Women's groups to camps all over the west.

For four summers 2000 to 2004 I hauled our High School wrestling team to technique camps in Colorado, Oregon, California and Nevada. I have made three trips to Disneyland with my family during the time as well. I have never had a moments trouble with it and I will keep the van until the wheels fall off. The best part?....it's paid for!
Just my 2 cents worth

[DiscGo]

I think the Dodge Ram is one of the most attractive trucks ever, but it seems like I only hear bad things about it.

[Iceaxe]

I love my Dodge. Never had any problems with it. And the Hemi is awesome. I'd consider buying anther Dodge in a heartbeat





Worst vehicle I ever owned was a Honda. No way in hell I'd ever buy anther one.

.

[Rev. Coyote]

Another dumb-ass here! I have a 2004 Cummins Dodge (Cummins first, Dodge second) that I goddamn love. They got the tranny issues pretty well worked out, it's tough, handles well. I switched from Toyota because Toyota flat refuses to make a big truck or to offer diesel. I miss some aspects of Toyota quality, though I've learned a lot lately about piss-poor aspects of Land Cruisers (and will not buy one). But then, Dodge Durango is one of the worst things ever built.

GM, however, sucks.

My next car will be a Bentley shooting brake

[Scott P]

I love my Dodge. Never had any problems with it.

1. Yours is new. Just wait a few years. You will be sorry once it starts to kill you or empty your pockets.

2. You have many problems with your Dodge, you just fail to admit them. Brand new off the showroom floor Dodges have problems. It's just hard for some people who own them to admit. No one wants to admit that they make bad choices from there purchases. My parents do the same thing by living in West Valley. Dodge Trucks are to the truck industry as West Valley is to the Salt Lake Valley, but the Dodge is even worse.

As per Consumer Reports:

The Hemi is fairly quick, but no quicker than the competition and gets only 11 mpg. The Ram has a jittery ride and cumbersome handling. Braking requires long stops. The hood causes poor visibility for short drivers.

Disadvantages of the Dodge include noise, handling, fuel economy, braking, fit and finish, rear seat, and access.

All those are serious problems when the Dodge is brand new never been driven.

The only good points about the new Dodge was bed size and crash test results. That

[Rev. Coyote]

[quote=Scott Patterson]The Ram has a jittery ride and cumbersome handling. Braking requires long stops. The hood causes poor visibility for short drivers.

Disadvantages of the Dodge include noise, handling, fuel economy, braking, fit and finish, rear seat, and access.

All those are serious problems when the Dodge is brand new never been driven.

The only good points about the new Dodge was bed size and crash test results. That

[Udink]

[quote=Scott Patterson]It was taken to the dealer and was attributed to

[price1869]

Another dumb-ass here!

is this necessary? really?

[Rev. Coyote]

Another dumb-ass here!

is this necessary? really? :nono:

Damn you're priggish, even for a radical mormon!

[Rev. Coyote]

Another dumb-ass here!

is this necessary? really? :nono:

Oh, and FYI, I was referring to myself. Hope that clarifies things. Have a blessed day.

In Jesus' name,
Rev. Coyote

[Scott P]

This belongs here too:



Notice that an eight year old asian car typically has the same amount of problems as a 3.5 year old American one. That just average too. Toyota, Honda, and Subaru are at the top of the Asian automakers. Not all Asian cars did that well.

Here are some more charts and info for everyone:

http://www.roadandtravel.com/consume...stusedcars.htm

Best and Worst Used Cars

CR Good Bets (below) are the best of the reliable used cars. They have performed well in our road tests and have been consistently better than average in overall reliability.

Used cars to avoid, includes all the models, by year, that were below average in reliability.

Repeat offenders (bottom) are vehicles that are especially risky buys. They have exhibited several years of poor overall reliability.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __

[i]These models represent the best of both worlds: They have performed well in Consumer Reports tests over the years and have had much-better-than-average reliability for multiple years. They are listed alphabetically.

Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura TL
Buick Regal
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Escort
Geo/Chevrolet Prizm
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Honda Odyssey
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti G20
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX4
Isuzu Oasis
Lexus ES300
Lexus GS300/GS400,
GS430
Lexus LS400, LS430
Lexus RX300
Lincoln Town Car
(except 2003)
Mazda 626
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MPV
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Proteg

[donny h]

Also, there is no way to abuse a shift fork.

I don't know about that year, but in my 92 Cummins 5-speed it is common knowledge that the shift forks will wear out prematurely if you rest your hand on the shifter while driving.

It's a bad habit with any manual trans.

The vehicle is well taken care of.

Maybe they do the maintenance, but if it's a company vehicle it may get driven REAL hard. Like a rental. Like it's stolen.

Anyway, as mentioned the shift fork was just replaced last year.

There are issues with aftermarket parts in the Getrag trans, the aftermarket shift forks are made of the wrong alloy, and even a dealer may have used the cheaper aftermarket stuff, if that's the case, and if one of the 'company' drivers rests their hand on the shifter at all times, you have a double-whammy going there.

We all have our preferences. I would never by a Ford.

Dodge isn't going to go bankrupt, but GM is.

[DiscGo]

I like that the thread title is "Dodge tried to kill me!". Not "Dodge Almost killed me" But "Dodge tried to kill me!". It sounds like you are really important. As if Dodge needed to kill you before you got your new fuel plan to Ford, or whatever.

I might find it extra funny because I only had about 3 hours of sleep last night, but I did enjoy that.

[donny h]

Scott, if you want to believe a word printed by Consumer reports, that's your business, but their methodology is seriously flawed.

Just one example:http://www.allpar.com/cr.html

I wouldn't take their advice on buying a blender, much less a vehicle.

I'm not saying I have no use at all for CR, rolled up, their mag makes a decent flyswatter, I would also proudly use their mag for kindling.

[Iceaxe]

Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull crap before.

http://uutah.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4318
http://uutah.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2193

[Scott P]

I don't know about that year, but in my 92 Cummins 5-speed it is common knowledge that the shift forks will wear out prematurely if you rest your hand on the shifter while driving. It's a bad habit with any manual trans.

Maybe so, but this shift fork is for the transfer case and this is an automatic transmission vehicle. Since the transfer case is on the floor and you have to lean over to shift it, no one is resting their hand on it.

Maybe they do the maintenance, but if it's a company vehicle it may get driven REAL hard.

I am the one that drives it most of the time and can vouch that it's well taken care of.

PS, the dealer called and said two O2 sensors and the PCM chip needs to be replaced. How can anyone abuse a PCM chip or O2 sensor?

There are issues with aftermarket parts in the Getrag trans, the aftermarket shift forks are made of the wrong alloy, and even a dealer may have used the cheaper aftermarket stuff, if that's the case, and if one of the 'company' drivers rests their hand on the shifter at all times, you have a double-whammy going there.

The shift fork was the problem the first time. It was a different problem this time.

Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull crap before.

Apparently you need to hear it again because you still drive a Dodge and seem to almost be proud of it.

Also, Shane and Donny, I want you to show me hard evidence that the Dodge is higher quality or is more reliable than something like a Toyota or Honda. Not your opinion, but hard evidence. Show me and state your source adn I will be happy to listen. I don't want to hear a BS opinion about someone's own emotions about your own vehicle, but hard data. Please show it to me.

Also, show me that a 4wd system should break down twice within a short period of time and this is normal wear and tear.

You two seem to have no sympahy what the Dodge did to me? Why? Do you wish I would have been killed or something? I thought you (shane)were my friend. Does Donny hate me too?

I was driving in the mountains between Meeker and Rifle Colorado. Pull over and freeze to death? It was also around midnight. I wasn't exactly driving in the city. For example, the nearest super Walmart to my house is a 200 miles round trip drive.I could have pulled over for the night, but as I said I was fine driving 25 mph or less. At a minimum, the gas station in Meeker to the nearest gas station in Rifle is a four of five day walk assuming anyone pulled over.

Anyway, I wouldn't have had to worry about anything like pulling over, calling, etc., if the Dodge wasn't such a POS in the first place. The reason I am so pissed is because the Dodge is such a POS.

I don't understand why you would think that I should not be angry about what happened? Do you care more about your ego about your purchase than you do a living person? Are you guys saying the problems I had with the Dodge should have happened? Are you glad they happened?

If you can not back up your claims than you have absolutely no credibility and are not to be listened to on this topic. I have shown my sources, now show yours that say Dodge is higher quality than other vehicles (the site above wants to discredit CR, but doesn't state that Dodges are better).

So, show me. Waiting. I will read the data and listen to you.

Scott, if you want to believe a word printed by Consumer reports, that's your business, but their methodology is seriously flawed.

Number 1, that's BS, and number 2, your source is from "all par" which says is for Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, and Jeep. There's an unbiased source for you. I wonder why they would want to discredit Consumer Reports?

They say plainly on that site that someone who owns a Toyota will not report problems. Honda driveres all garage their cars skewing the results. Give me a break.

Here's another point about holding value.

A quick look in the Blue Book says the following. A ten year old (1997) Lincoln Continental (luxury car) has an "excellent condition" retail of $6925. A ten year old (1997) Honda Civic EX (economy car) has an "excellent condition" retail of $7425.

The Lincoln cost 2.5 times more brand new, but after a few years is worth less LOL.

Why is that?

PS, I'm headed out of town now for the weekend and will be looking for your hard data when I get back.

[Rev. Coyote]

It's always amazing to me how emotional people get talking about a mechanical thing. You really have to look at the subject from the standpoint of need, function, and how certain qualities relate to those areas.

Some folks get mad if you buy "foreign." I drive a Dodge made in Mexico. My friend drives a Toyota made in Kentucky. Another friend drives a Ford made in Japan. Chevy Novas (the last ones) were Toyotas.

Some people insist foreign is better, but no foreign label produces a truly full-size pickup. So we're left with US makes (those of us who need a truck to be a truck).

I used to read CR, and their testing protocol -- while not perfect -- is one of the best around. Then look at Road and Track. Then read the recalls information and TSBs (very telling) on any car you're looking at. There's HUGE variations inside brands, too!

I still want the Bentley, though.

[donny h]

Maybe so, but this shift fork is for the transfer case and this is an automatic transmission vehicle. Since the transfer case is on the floor and you have to lean over to shift it, no one is resting their hand on it.

So that's not the issue in your case. Okay. The automatics have other known issues with the shift forks, but I don't know those details, so I won't pretend I do by talking about them.

I am the one that drives it most of the time and can vouch that it's well taken care of.

Most of the time being the key phrase, if I only drive a rental car for 1% of it's lifespan, be assured it's the hardest 1% it'll ever see.

Donny, I want you to show me hard evidence that the Dodge is higher quality or is more reliable than something like a Toyota or Honda.

I never made such an assertion, I can hardly back up a claim I never made. I actually agree, if turn-key reliability is a buyers top concern, then I would recommend a Honda/Toyota passenger car, at the same time, I wouldn't recommend a full sized 4x4 of any make if turn-key is the top priority.

Also, show me that a 4wd system should break down twice within a short period of time and this is normal wear and tear.

A vehicle broke down twice a few months apart? You unlucky fella, you must the only motorist in the history of automobiles to have a car break twice.

You two seem to have no sympahy what the Dodge did to me? Why? Do you wish I would have been killed or something? I thought you (shane)were my friend. Does Donny hate me too?

Because you are taking it to an absurdly personal level. You're Dodge broke twice, so they are trying to kill you. That doesn't sound asinine to you? My next door neighbor put 4 transmissions in a Forerunner in 4 years, he was pissed, but he didn't go around ranting that Toyota was trying to kill him.

Yes, if I don't agree with moronic rants it's because I hate the ranter. That must be it.

Either that, or I recognize dribble when I see it, and I will call anyone on their dribble.

I don't agree with rants out of a sense of sympathy, call your mom.

I don't understand why you would think that I should not be angry about what happened? Do you care more about your ego about your purchase than you do a living person? Are you guys saying the problems I had with the Dodge should have happened? Are you glad they happened?

Be angry, by all means, just try to be slightly rational about it. The Dodge truck in question sucks. Fine. So be it. So stipulated.

But stop with the grassy-knoll, Roswellian, area-51 level of conspiracy that Dodge wants you, Scott Patterson, dead.

your source is from "all par" which says is for Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, and Jeep. There's an unbiased source for you. I wonder why they would want to discredit Consumer Reports?

Like I said when I posted it, that just one source that points out the flaws in Consumer reports methodology. I suggest looking elsewhere for data on this issue, because CR lost their credibility a long time ago to anyone who looks at them with an unjaundiced eye.

I've been attacked before for dissing CR, a lot of folks believe every word they say, and always have, they are emotionally invested in CR, and will hear nothing negative about it.

Scott, you like what they say so you believe it. Nothing complicated about that.

Research it yourself, I'm not going to post a dozen links so you can try to pick them apart because you don't like what they say, punch Consumer Reports into google and add one of these terms: flawed, bias, corrupt, methodology, innaccurate, sucks.

you still drive a Dodge and seem to almost be proud of it.

Not almost, I AM proud of my 92 Dodge Cummins, it's the best motor ever offered in a truck, with straight axles and leaf springs the way a truck should be, 17mpg doing 75mph in a big ole truck, what's not to like?

I am proud of my 83 Dodge van, too, no major issues in 200k.

I was proud of my 74 Dart, too, great car, it's probably still out there on the road, maybe even not stopping for stranded motorists in Colorado. It also was made in America, the other two weren't (truck- Mex, van- Can)

What, am I supposed to hang my head in shame because some guy on the intardnet is on a rant against a Dodge he doesn't even own? Pay for a lemon, and maybe I'll feel your pain.

If you really wanna know what's up with the trans in that truck, I'll research it for you, post the year, model, and engine and I'll look it up. Does the truck tow/haul?

Dodge trucks have known trans issues going back to the early 90s, manual and automatics both. So does Ford and GM.