Mopar/No car, er truck.............

Foggy

Foggy

Well-known member
I've driven the pentestar most of my life, including two diesels (one of which sucked copious amounts of cash from me), various pass. cars, a new challenger, and to date my LAST Dodge product, a '09 1500 4x4. Here's what broke me.......... finally.
The 3yr. old 1500 hemi took out the front bearing at 78000 km, and the 4x4 was hammering when disengaged, on the fly. Three dealerships were not interested in the hammering sound, one even said, 'that's normal'. And I was charged for the bearings, even though my manual said it was covered for 100,000 kms. So I contacted Chrysler.
They said the front bearings are not part of the powertrain, and kept saying the same retoric when I pushed. So, I more or less told them to suck a wrench, and said I would no-longer be contemplating a new truck from them, and that I was seriously thinking (up till now) about trading up to a new challenger. Nor would my wife be buying a new Journey. I was going to buy my next vehicle from Toyota. They still were uninterested in wavering.
So, last week I went out and bought my first Tundra, of which I'm completely satisfied. The dealership went out of there way to please me, and the
product, is obviously ahead of the domestics. Front bearings changes are a way of life for the domestics, but I found no complaints in that about the
Toyota.
Rant fini.
 
You know, I don't think I have ever changed a wheel hub assembly on a 'yota. If you like super rusty chassie parts and rusted through frames I guess Toyota is the way to go. At least Toyota buys the rusty framed trucks back every so often for WAY MORE than book value.
 
you know what....i lvoe toyota almost as much as mopar....you cant kill em..and lord knows ive tryed.....
 
I'm still pissed off and may sell my Challenger yet............. while it's still worth something.
 
Just don't plan on pulling a big trailer with that Toyota, the frame behind the cab on those trucks from what I've seen on the '07-'09's is a joke. I don't know if they have changed anything in the newer models but it's just a "C" channel frame like a 40 year old pickup.

This video comes to mind.

[video=youtube;jURNFshnXu0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jURNFshnXu0[/video]
 
I've been told the Nissan Titan is built like a brick brick, but I don't know if they ever got the rearend issues sorted out. Rear axles for the first-gen Titan don't exist--they're all blown. The last time one of my customers needed to find one, he ended up having to purchase a new rear from Nissan. I think it was about $4,500, as it's serviced only as a complete assembly.

That Toyota was pathetic. The funny thing is to hear the Ford engineer explain why the rear suspension on my '72 Charger was superior to some of today's designs. No coils, shocks as close to the wheels as possible, etc. I guess that's why the Black Bitch was able to haul a ¾-ton Dodge pickup on a 26' steel trailer without ripping the rear of the car off. :D
 
Yeah, there was that too. I still have that hitch, too. I can't believe I never bent that car. :D
 
The bodyshop I work at is in the same building as the local Nissan dealership and I can tell you that judging by the traffic in their service department, the Nissans of today are all built like brick shithouses.
The techs are all smart guys, they do a lot of maintenance service, but rarely do they get into anything big. The same dealer was a GM store until a couple years ago, they had more work than they could handle...
My Boss is on his second Titan - just traded his '10 model in on a '12. He claims there is no comparison to the Dodge Ram, or the F 150 he had previously. The new one looks pretty damned good too.
 
I appreciate the input fromj you guys, and I understand your "Buy American" policy. But, afterall, this truck was built in the States, unlike the Ram Diesel. And I've
tried to support NA ecconomy all my life, to the point of suffering the fool syndrome.
I'm not looking for suggestions on what too, and what not to buy. The deal was done. Just pointing out what;s happened to me along the way, and hopping
I can save others some grief.
As for being up to the task of towing, well this truck is plenty strong for me, and I've done my share of floating. The torque range is flatter than than Ram too.
In fact, this truck sports more torque than the ram. Gone are those useless coil springs (of which I had to add air bags) and now has a very strong leaf suspention, and a the old pumkin-type rear with verylarge crown. Huge aluminum driveshaft hooks up to it.
 
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Those rear coils are Bull Shit! G.M. figured out they didn't work on a truck in the late '60's. You can thank the "This truck rides to rough" crowd for that design.
 
Sadly the majority of new truck buyers aren't really looking for "trucks", they're looking for a second vehicle for the man, because he hates driving the minivan. And in many cases it's nothing more than a status symbol. If the "average Joe", (and many times women) had to ride in a truck that rode like a truck, they would bitch. So, to make for a more cushy ride, the factory downgrades the usefulness of the truck to make it into another car. :(
 
The tundra makes more torque than the ram? *scratches head* I didn't know that. I thought they were virtually identical in the torque department, with maybe a slight edge going to the ram. My '09 hemi is rated at 407 ft/lbs. I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience with your '09. Complaints about the rear coil springs aren't particularly common on the forums with the new rams. I've certainly had no problems. My truck has nary an interior rattle when I clean it out so all the little stuff I keep lying around doesn't rattle. It gets relatively good mileage for a 390 hp pickup truck, and it does it on 87 octane. I've had no real problems out of it at all. Plus it was fairly cheap, has a lifetime powertrain warranty, and runs 13's stone stock in cool weather.
 
Ah, I see. The toyota makes 6 ft/lbs less, at 400 rpm lower. I'd call that a wash, most likely. Though, I have yet to hear of a stock toyota in any cab/driveline configuration that will run with my ram. Some probably come pretty close, but I've never seen even a tundra owner claim quicker than 13.80's. Anyway, that's not what your primary concern in a truck is, I'm sure.
 
68R/T said:
Sadly the majority of new truck buyers aren't really looking for "trucks", they're looking for a second vehicle for the man, because he hates driving the minivan. And in many cases it's nothing more than a status symbol. If the "average Joe", (and many times women) had to ride in a truck that rode like a truck, they would bitch. So, to make for a more cushy ride, the factory downgrades the usefulness of the truck to make it into another car. :(
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I think a lot of that started in the mid to late '90's. It's not hard to find any truck, including 3/4 & 1 ton diesels, that haven't pulled more than a small boat or utility trailer, if any at all. Most of the trucks I've looked at haven't been run hard a day in their lives. Even my Ford which has a gooseneck hookup in the bed does not have safety chain attachment :hmmm: leads me to believe it was installed but rarely if ever used.

Good luck with the 'Yota, heard they are very nice trucks but a little on the thirsty side.
 
A friend of mine traded in his '05 Toyota at the local Toyota dealership a couple of years back. He bought a 2002 Dakota. They wrote him a check. Older Toys were in demand because the new ones were garbage and they couldn't give 'em away. :D
 
When my 06 3500 was in the bodyshop a couple of years ago, the insurance company got me an F150 to drive for a few weeks. It was a very nice pickup to drive. Smooth, civilized, automatic. When I got my Dodge back, I remember thinking "Holy shit! This thing rides like a Peterbilt!" That was a good feeling. My business partner just bought a new Tundra, and I've rode in it a few times. It feels tight but a bit tinny for my taste. Kinda like riding in a big El Camino.
 
No. That is the least of my concern. If I want quick, I'll drive my Dart.
I want a vehicle that I'm not going to pour a bucket of cash in, just to keep it going.
That means, no wheel bearings. No transfer case. No premature brake wear.
I've talked to three owners. In a span of 5-7 years, they've done nothing but add oil and gas. That will be a welcome change.
The money I save just might go into the Dart's new mill.
 
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