MR. GADGET

Dont care for the first part "an idiot"
Some times people think that stuff has not changed in 6 years but you know different, the 2000 dodge truck is far different then the 2006 don't you think.
That is why people still go to the parts counter looking for LS additive for the rear Dana 70 or 80. They don't have a clue things changed in 03 and its AA not Dana and there is no clutch in the rear to use the LS additive

I do feel your pain the way people talk and like I say "treat people like you want to be treated"

But if you are a chrysler tech and his rig broke under warranty, then you would be the first one he comes to.
There are a lot of people that think you (Chrysler/Dodge techs) do good work and do try to help us out. I have seen it.
Jon

J BODY

...just picking up the ball and running with it. Probably not the best in taste and I should have used the , but basically, it's information that is irrelevant to the original posters issue. Of course the post has taken the usual "dealers lick" and we'll have to endure many posts of perceived misfortune (went waaaay left field, we're even bringing up Chevy piston noise). Even I had to get "sucked in" to the never ending vortex and capitalize on litteredbarrens own words. Thing is with aftermarket add ons, would the original poster signed a work order for diag? Probably not. From what I'm reading the truck had this problem since 7k, owner changed suspension parts at 33k, and now at the twilight of the warranty ending the problem needs addressed. It should have been addressed before any changes took place.

ShawnQ

Problem was first brought up at 7k miles, then again at each oil change after that. The dealer said "nothing is wrong, everything checks out fine - normal road noise" or something to that tune after each time I brought it up.

Take it in at 33K, close to warranty, and want them to find the problem that they've been ignoring so I wont have to pay big bucks later for something they've missed - then they blame it on my leveling kit (which had only been on a few K miles at most). The problem started LONG before the truck had a leveling kit, and has/had nothing to do with it.

According to the 'Master Tech'/front end specialist, the poly-spacer and/or shock bushing was squeaking, "It's aftermarket parts causing the problem". Funny thing is that it had been doing it for the last 8 months WITHOUT anything aftermarket!

Of course, I didn't have any proof of this being checked - and I suppose the dealer just 'glanced' at it before or did a test drive and didn't notice it, said it was 'normal road noise'. I WISH I WOULD'VE BEEN OFFERED A WORK ORDER TO SIGN BECAUSE I KNEW FOR A FACT THAT THE SPACERS WEREN'T THE PROBLEM!

Irritated and fed up with the lack of support from my local dealer, and not really eager to drive 30miles to another one due to lack of faith in overall dealership service, I finally found the problem on my own. It turned out to be the rubber hood bumpers rubbing on the hood as the truck hit small bumps in the road. It would only happen at certain speeds, and with certain types of bumps, and with certain weather (humidity, etc). Every time I took it in I heard it as I left the shop...but they couldn't locate it, go figure . I turned the bumps up a bit to tighten them, and all is well.

I'm not one to bash a dealer if they don't do their job. Unfortunately, the dealer nearest to me is not known for it's service. On the other hand, the one that is 30miles away has done me right a few times since this post started and I'll continue to go out of my way to see them if and when needed.

Now I'm just worried about how much of a hassle this 'extended warranty' will be should I need to put it to work. My A/C has been blowing a bit warm lately, and taking longer to cool - maybe it's my leveling kit?

SQ

J BODY

Bumpers for the hood......that would have been fun to find.

ShawnQ

I built a front-end receiver that attaches to my tow hooks so as to make backing my boat into my fairly tight storage a little bit easier (and now I don't have to listen to that **** reverse-honk feature!).

Anyhow, I slid in the trailer hitch and rode on the front end down the street behind my work while my buddy was driving. Looked funny, but helped me pinpoint the area. Opened the hood, and I could tell by the wear marks that one was making good contact and the other was only touching a small area. The slight flex in the body/hood when going over small bumps would be just enough to make it contact more area and squeak. The area it was contacting was on the edge of the 'dome', so when it moved more, it would 'slide' instead of making an even contact, thus making the squeak.

Yes, it would've been VERY tedious for a dealer to find it - but I'd assume they have a list of possibilities for certain noises, and was hoping they would know just where to look in a matter of seconds. in lieu of trying to find the culprit, they ended up putting the blame on the spacers.

Later, while looking at new trucks with my buddy who was in the market, I noticed several of the new trucks had poorly adjusted hood bumpers and were probably going to have a minor squeak. Some were worse than mine. So, keep it in mind if you get a customer in complaining about an annoying squeak up front..

J BODY

.....thus the reason I'm here. Haven't run into that one out here, but I'll keep it in mind.

2500WHITERAM

THANKS A LOT..
I WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN, AND COVER IT IF IT WAS NOTED PREVIOUSLY IN MY SERVICE DEPT. PROBABLY SWAY BAR LINKS, WERE SEEING A LOT OF THAT HERE.
ITS A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION THAT DEALERS DONT WANT WARRANTY WORK. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER THAN THE TRUTH. I GET 40% OVER ON PARTS, AND 75.00 PER HOUR FROM DC.
IF YOUVE ****** YOUR SERVICE DEPT OFF OR APPROACH WITH "DEALERSHIPS SUCK" ATTITUDE., BE PREPARED TO DIG DEEP. I COVER CUSTOMERS LONG OUT OF FACTORY WARRANTY, GOOD CUSTOMERS THAT IS.

MR. GADGET

Thats what I was talking about.
Yes there are good dealers and they treat you the same way you treat them.

Jon

ShawnQ

As forementioned, I found a 'good' dealer and am now happy with their service. The only reason I used this bad dealer was because it's the only one I can get to between here and work, or during lunch...convenient, but not worth it.

SQ

MR. GADGET

Good move! Find a dealer you like the stick with them.
There are a lot around here but only a few I like and deal with.
J

PanteraGSTK

It was the spacers that made the truck taller which in turn made the hood squeak because of the diffirence in the angle the air is rushing over the hood that lifted the hood ever so slightly. hence the squeak.

That was my dealer reason.

Seriously though. Squeaks are impossible to find sometimes. I have yet to find what nut is making my bed squeak . I'm not gonna waste the dealer's time trying to make them find it. If I thougt it was a suspension part I'd take it in. There's a reason they use the term "normal road noise".

HappyGA

Could it be the control arm bushings squeeking?

J BODY

uhhhh yeah it could be, but he already fixed it!

kayjh

If the squeaking noise is coming from the right or left front wheel well and makes the noise over bumps to on a slighly rough road, I'd look into the sway bar bushings. I'm on my 3rd set and my truck only has 36,000 miles on it. It fixes the problem every time.

Make sure they lubricate them as well. I don't think it is an expensive repair, even if you are out of warranty. If you attempt to replace these yourself, exercise caution - the dealer broke the link when replacing mine.

kayjh