Is the update on my truck. My not-quite-three-year-old truck. That has a whopping 31K miles on it. Y'see, a week ago I noticed it making an odd noise, a cross between a squeal and a whine, at higher (>1,500) RPMs. Even though I may not be mechanically inclined, I know when something doesn't sound right, so I made an appointment to bring it into the dealership yesterday (it's still under warranty, at least for the next month or two).
It's the alternator. At 31,000 miles. I am not happy. FAIL.
No wonder Chrysler needed a bailout...
That is all.
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12 comments:
That sucks. Good thing it's still under warranty.
The People's Automotive Collective #2.
I had to take the Jeep in - the radio wouldn't turn on (18k miles). Disconnecting the fuse for 15 seconds was the magic technical incantation they performed, if it ever happens to you ...
Glad it's still under warranty but it speaks to the general lack of quality of Chrysler. Of course, once the warranty expires, things will start falling off.
Typical of Dodge and Chrysler products in general. Good engineering, crappy build quality. That's one of the things that Daimler was supposed to be able to fix. We all know how that worked out. Cerebus gutted the company, including closing engineering down a couple of years ago.
The bailout is just delaying the inevitable unless Fiat can turn it around. Those are words I never expected write in a sentence, Fiat turning around Chrysler. What a world, what a world, what a world.
Despite the current problems that Toyota is having, I'm still glad I have one of those instead of a Dodge or GM product.
Daimler didn't "fix" Chrysler; they just looted it. Where do you think they got the money to fund development of the current generation of Mercedeses? They just sucked Chrysler dry and dumped the corpse. It was already pretty much gutted before Cerberus got hold of it (although they didn't help)...
Fiat is doing the same thing to Zombie Chrysler, only this time the money that's being siphoned off is coming not from Chrysler stockholders, but rather the American taxpayer.
Either way, "fixing" Chrysler isn't really on the agenda. Especially when you see what is passing for "new" products in ChryCo showrooms these days...which amounts to the same old crap witn new, flashier decals.
--Wes S.
Well... that just plain stinks. But at least once it's out of warranty you can ask an independent mechanic to specify higher-quality assemblies than whatever units Chrysler bought from its supplier.
That sucks! As a fellow Dodge owner I can can relate. My 02 Qaud cab has multiple issues the least of which is a crappy tranny and various electrical "gremlins'. Oh and of course the Pure Crap Crack Away dash.
My ranger is still on Alternator #1.
My old ranger I believe went through 3, and it was the same age then is the same of mine now.
Ford's making big money for a reason.
Tho I gotta say power output and highway mileage your truck fucking rules!
My 16 y.o. F-150 (260K miles) is just beginning to make funny noises .... power steering, I think.
Ah, crapola. My dodge ram goes out of warranty next week, when I make the last payment on her...
To Jay & Paul the Pirate,
Go NOW to your local Mopar dealer, while you're still under factory warranty.
See the F&I Manager, and negotiate the purchase of a OEM extended warranty. As long as you're still under warranty, it's still available to buy.
It'll cost more than when the truck is new, but you can mitigate that somewhat by buying a "Powertrain & Electronics ONLY" package.
This won't cover an alternator, but it will cover the most expensive bits, that is, everything rotational from the engine to the differential (less suspension & brakes.)
The 'lectronic one you want, as it covers that blasphemeously expensive computer and all the sensors attached thereto, as well as the radio.
You should be able to buy such a package for about $1,500 ~ $1,750, given the miles you have on now. Don't let 'em talk you into "bumper to bumper", that's not necessary.
Sound like a lot of dough? Just try buying ONE turbocharger for that amount. Or much of anything else on those diesels.
If your trucks are going to be high mileage keepers, it's worthy insurance. Get at least a 100K/7yr. package.
Those are good trucks, well worth what it takes to keep 'em running.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I consider things like water pumps and alternators to be replaceable wear items. Still, one would like to see decent service life and reasonable repair access. Things are not all bad now. Remember frequent brush replacement in generators? How about bending wire linkage to adjust choke settings? And once you tried it, it wasn't really cold anymore and the real test was the next morning. I guess they're still making Friday Auto Parts.
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