NOTICE of DEFAMATION? sharing the tirade post with the Dealership.....


Thank goodness we have Top on the case, the Troll killer.......lol

 

I decided to give him a shot at redemption so I am letting him back on the forum. Perhaps he just let his frustration get the best of him....

 

Yes Lary. The frustration got the best of me. To make things more difficult, my long-time boss died suddenly last week and where I work is now in a turmoil because he was the know-it-all and kept things close to his chest. I'm an embedded systems engineer, and we create high security, fire alarms, mass notification systems for the US Military. Making things more difficult without our navigator, we have some important accreditation examinations coming up at the end of month that my late boss will not be able to attend to help guide the hardware through the process.

Anyway - I'll tone it down, please forgive me if I offended of you forum members - I've even gone back and edit out my editorial on dealerships. But the story itself is entirely true, and I'm hoping for the best - they are only aware of the dent, and the transmission issue and they've had my truck since Monday - the rock chips were small and not easily noticed from the outside. Top suggested that I was trying to influence a dealership, and that's really not my intent.

At least I get to keep you guys all updated.

 

No worries BB... Just keep it friendly and keep it technical !


Is the VIN number plate on the top of the dashboard intact, legible and the same number as on the sticker on the door jamb?

 

The dash vin plate is fine. The door jamb was washed out by the first owner to a remnant - the sticker is there, but it looks plain white. Being a photographer, I took a 25MP full-frame macro shot of the sticker and processed it in photoshop until I was able to discern the faint VIN number (some of the information remained illegible, such as the parts poked on through to the spot welds beneath the sticker). The VIN numbers matched, and I knew I had the original door. Body shops, I've read, actually cut out the door jamb label because without the original, it's difficult to get an official replacement. Moreover, some states won't title the car without it!

ESCVIN.COM is the only licensed facility to reproduce VIN labels for primarily the body shop industry - from me, they required:

1. Picture of old label (resurrected via photoshop).
2. Picture of engine emissions label. (side of valve cover)
3. Picture of dashboard VIN plate.
4. Options Summary Report (dealer provided me prior to sale).
5. VIP report - obtained from Chrysler, has info like build date, recalls, in-service date.

Once I provided all this stuff, ECSVIN said they'd go ahead and make me a label.

 

I hope you get it all figured out. Like HMX-1 I have made the drive north to Dave Smith based solely on their reputation.. thou I do only have to go about 0.25 miles less than he does :-)

 

So, what'd they say?

 

Update on the situation:

Dave Smith body shop called me Saturday the 7th to tell me my truck was ready. I asked about the transmission. They had only done the recall work, and fixed the dent, and was told the used car manager hasn't been in the office all week.

After explaining the issue at hand to the bodyshop guy he said he'd send it over to the service shop and they'd look at it, but "the transmission is fine" is how he put it. I had to explain that it was picked up on a wrecker and taken over there because the transmission is most certainly not fine, and there they are, driving it around Kellogg Idaho.

I spoke with the service guy, explained the symptoms (whir, catch) and he said he'd have a technician take a look and he'd call me back - he never did.

So, Monday I'll be having to explain myself again - basically, that a code was cleared in front of me without a proper diagnostic performed and the car put back on the lot (for me to buy) - and the code shouldn't have been cleared because the problem is not gone as they'd said (by clearing the code).

I now know the diagnostic procedure for the code (P1756), and that it's a lot more involved than what they did which amounted to plugging some kind of machine with a liquid crystal display into the port beneath mid-dash, putting the truck in reverse with the engine running, waiting a bit, then claiming no issue. Another fellow walked out and said as well, that there isn't a problem.

I know much more than I did when the car was being sold to me. Thinking about it further, had I decided to not buy the truck, it would have been sold to the next customer with a fraudulently concealed defect! The dealer himself, I am certain, would never have backtracked and put the truck into service to find out the cause of the code.

The saga continues ...

 

This is going to be the toughest 1,500 This dealership will earn on a used car sale.

 

LOL!

Honestly, I don't even think those two streets even make a quarter mile!!

(FYI, we live in the same subdivision literally two streets apart.)



-Kris

 

Update - things are starting to move. The manager was out of the office all week, and did call and may have started things moving. The service department claims there are no codes - is that even possible - the P1756 code becoming intermittent?

I checked before purchase, P1756, then Done. I checked after they cleared it. "Done" no code. Transmission started acting funny. P1756 then Done. I get truck lifted to dealership and they claim the transmission is fine and the service department can't retrieve a code.

Does this seem fishy?

However, the service guy did take it out and left me a message that there's something definitely wrong so they're going to look at it now.

So, is it possible codes just go away by themselves? Particularly this one, even though the trans is still goofy?

 

Sounds like you need to drop the trans pan and replace the governor pressure solenoid and sensor.

 

Yes codes disappear after a few starts without issue, they should be able to be retrieved but not always.

I'd hardly say it's a lemon, the truck is not new and has more than 5 miles on it.

 

That's what I keep telling these guys! I hope that is all it is, and the truck will become the gutsy hauler it's supposed to be!

- BB

 

Update:

I brought the truck home!

1. The dent is repaired. Casual look shows no difference on both sides. Time will tell about the paint/clear-coat.

2. Air filter replaced.
3. Fuel filter replaced.
4. Solenoid replaced.
5. Valve body filter replaced.
6. Gasket replaced.
7. ATF-4 Fluid replaced.

All charged to the stock number.

Thanks to Dave Smith Motors for taking care of the vehicle. This kind of make-up service is why I bought it from a well known dealer rather than a corner non-affiliated dealership - and in retrospect I'm better off than had I bought the same vehicle elsewhere. In all it was anti-climatic, really.

I filled the tank and drove it home 30 miles and it averaged 19 mpg at 70mph according to the overhead. This will be my first tank of record.

Anyway, it appears that all that's left is to get the VIN label - ECSVIN rejected my 'Chrysler e-mail' which is what Chrysler sent me when I asked for a VIP summary report. I've got to go to a dealership and get the official printout and send it on to them. ECSVIN is really careful with their license to replace VIN labels, it seems.

The only thing I've noticed to be different about my truck versus others I test drove is I don't feel each piston stroke when idling around or rolling at just above idle - it's smoother (all automatics). Why is this?

- BB