Going in for maintenance tomorrow. Suggestions?

[Bone]

Paul-

BTW- Bone is the one with muffler bearings that need to be lubed.
I hear his next mod is cross-drilled brake lines.

Well, I do have my Fred Flintstone weight reduction mod going on again! Easily 700 pounds lighter!

 

[Wifey]

Yes- there are some guys that can barely get the gas cap off, but there are plenty of others that had intake valves for breakfast.

Most even know where the 710 cap is now

 

[ottoman]

My experience has been that I had warranty repairs after my 15k (funny shifting 1>2). I had done all the servicing of the truck myself from new including the 15k (diff, tranny ...). They honoured the warranty. Initially I went to the nearest DC dealer and they replaced some parts but still it was not normal. Went back to the dealer that had sold my truck and many SRT-10's (at one point in 2005 they had 20+ on the lot). They changed the valve body and the truck is good again.

So, in my opinion, with the risk of potential problems at 15k I would not consider going to a non-DC tranny shop in case you have warrantable items and DC don't honour it. Secondly find a DC that has sold several QC's and hence has tech's that are familiar with the problems and more relaxed about warranty since they have seen the problems before and won't waste time looking for bogus causes.

 

[thebucket]

You forgot Muffler bearings.

And Blinker Fluid.....:nurse:

 

[Prof]

Servicing any vehicle I drive (not including my wife's hybrid) is a process of finding exactly the right person at the right place and insisting on that person. I found a great Volvo mechanic, and was advised by a concerned service person that he is on vacation, only that man touches my Volvo...almost all work on my SRT 10 has been done by Sean Roe or Gary Virgin.

And yes, once the supercharger went on, warranty was no longer the issue, proper maintenance and expertise were much more important than the expense involved. When I have a major problem, and I will, there are only four or five shops that will get the opportunity to work on it. Vehicles are too important to me to allow someone to round off bolts, gouge my paint, or bugger up screw heads, let alone drop lock washers into my intake!

 

[amtrucker22]

Paul-
I'm not "Roe'd". My post was 100% serious.

You have DIY articles here, as well as some of the best techs for these trucks: US!!!
Yes- there are some guys that can barely get the gas cap off, but there are plenty of others that had intake valves for breakfast. I know that I'd be happy to help you with any tech issues, either here or on the phone.


BTW- Bone is the one with muffler bearings that need to be lubed.
I hear his next mod is cross-drilled brake lines.

I very much understood your posts and it was also one of the deciding factors for me not to take it to the dealer. I am in search of the right mechanic that I can trust to do the non-warranty issues and things that I can not handle.

Your DIY's are the best I have seen on all the boards I have been on (I have been on quite a few). Your attention to detail and patience when typing all the details up are great. I definitely value the advice you give. If I had a little more time on my hands I would probably do most of this myself, but my wife thinks I spend too much time on the truck as it is.

Again I truly appreciate your advice and thank you for posting!

Paul

 

[amtrucker22]

Servicing any vehicle I drive (not including my wife's hybrid) is a process of finding exactly the right person at the right place and insisting on that person. I found a great Volvo mechanic, and was advised by a concerned service person that he is on vacation, only that man touches my Volvo...almost all work on my SRT 10 has been done by Sean Roe or Gary Virgin.

And yes, once the supercharger went on, warranty was no longer the issue, proper maintenance and expertise were much more important than the expense involved. When I have a major problem, and I will, there are only four or five shops that will get the opportunity to work on it. Vehicles are too important to me to allow someone to round off bolts, gouge my paint, or bugger up screw heads, let alone drop lock washers into my intake!

When I bought this truck, I went in to it knowing I have to try and keep my warranty intact the best I can because I can not afford a major problem (engine/transmission) to happen. I make an average wage live in a decent house near both of our parents so that my kid can grow up knowing his grandparents (which means the city I live in is not thriving).

Since I do not make a huge amount of money and my love of this truck is an expensive hobby, I have to use the means I have in order to own one of these awesome trucks (I ended up having 2 jobs to help me keep my family at the comfort level they are use to, and buy my truck). When I get extra money that I can put into this truck I have to make sure it is something that is reversible as to not void the warranty so I can keep the value and comfort I have in the warranty. I really do not have the luxury of paying the best mechanic out there to work on my truck when it can be repaired under warranty for free. If I had a choice I would love to be able to say

'When I have a major problem, and I will, there are only four or five shops that will get the opportunity to work on it. Vehicles are too important to me to allow someone to round off bolts, gouge my paint, or bugger up screw heads, let alone drop lock washers into my intake!'

But I knew where I stood when I bought this truck and if I have to deal with these type of issues weather it is the dealer or another shop, that is a battle I have to take up with the people who did the damage. I think it is worth the aggravation though to keep the truck.

There are a lot of people on this board who are in similar situations as me and due to circumstances that are beyond their control they have had to sell their truck. My goal is not to be in that position so I can enjoy this truck as long as possible.

I don't want you to take this post wrong. I truly appreciate your input that you provide on this board about these trucks along with the off topic items you bring up. I just wanted to give you some insight on why the warranty is important to me and why I would be willing to pay a little extra (by taking it to Dodge) to keep the warranty intact.

With that being said and after reading the posts on this thread I canceled my appointment with Dodge and have started the process of finding a good mechanic that can work on my non-warranty issues/add-ons.

You were the first to respond to this post and although at first I took it as a smart ass comment, it actually was pretty on the mark. I guess it was your way of saying don't take it to the dealer.

Paul

 

[Prof]

Dealers can be OK...but you really have to do your homework...I did find a viper tech at one dealership that was super...in Jacksonville! But he moved...

I think we all feel the same way, first make sure the person you have selected to work on your truck will do no harm...then be sure they can help, and if you can find those things and preserve your warranty...great.

Once you move into the world of exotic modifications, (and you will) all of us need expert help.

Nice post above! You are a thoughtful and reasonable man! Thanks for not taking my light hearted post as a flame!

And....



Drive it like you stole it!

 

[Kevan]

I very much understood your posts and it was also one of the deciding factors for me not to take it to the dealer. I am in search of the right mechanic that I can trust to do the non-warranty issues and things that I can not handle.

Your DIY's are the best I have seen on all the boards I have been on (I have been on quite a few). Your attention to detail and patience when typing all the details up are great. I definitely value the advice you give. If I had a little more time on my hands I would probably do most of this myself, but my wife thinks I spend too much time on the truck as it is.

Again I truly appreciate your advice and thank you for posting!

Paul

Thanks Paul!

After reading your subsequent posts, I can sympathize with your position. I'm pretty much in the same boat (ahem...truck). I come here and read about uber-exotic setups and hope to someday be able to do something like that.

Many dealers are pretty good with the high-end vehicles. I've had nothing but great experiences with my local dealer (Bob Caldwell Dodge) even though I did not buy the vehicle from them. It's a dice roll with some dealerships. Just ask a TON of questions when you go in there:
Who's the Viper tech?
Can I talk to him now?
How long has he been working on Viper engines?
None of those are unreasonable or obscure. If the dealer can't answer them to your satisfaction, then move on to the next dealer. Most cities have 2-3 Five Star dealerships.

You can pose the same questions to any custom shop you go to. The custom shop guys will COMPLETELY understand where you're coming from- they usually spend their hard-earned money on their rides too!

I think you've made a wise choice:
- Warranty issues = Dealership
- Non-warranty issues = custom shop

Also, you can ask the dealer if a certain mod will void any part of your warranty. Just give them a call and ask. Takes 2 minutes.

Doing stuff yourself is another good option. Some have the knack for it; some don't. I'm so particular about details and specs, I'm the worst person to work on a car. LOL "0.036"? No..no..no. It must be 0.035"!!!" And that's just for the spark plugs!

I believe that all simple maintenance (oil, trans, air) should be taken care of by the vehicle owner. Manufacturers make it easy for us to do; we should take advantage of that. Almost all aftermarket maintenance parts (oil filters, air filters, fluids) surpass any manufacturers standard. If it came down to it, a judge would easily see the same.

I suggested doing it yourself not only in the hopes of a DIY article (LOL), but also so that you might gain a little knowledge about the truck and it's operation....as well as saving a few (hundred) dollars.
If you're willing to pay to have someone else do it, that's cool too.

Just remember that if you get into something and need a hand, we're here.

 

[eddie102870]

adjusting the bands and changing the filters on the tranny is really quite simple, send me your email address and ill email you the adjustment procedure. stinker has it in the DIY section also. it sounds a lot harder than it really is. about a 30 minute job if you go slow. hardest part is trying to not make a mess getting the pan off.im going to buy a bigger pan before long i want one with a drain plug in it too.