I bought a new Dodge Ram 1500 at Turlock Auto plaza in April. I've only made 4 payments.
On Wednesday, August 2 the check engine light came on and the transmission stopped shifting. I had to have the truck towed to the dealership on Friday, August 4th. They determined that there was a bad solenoid pack in the transmission. The part had to be ordered and was replaced on Tuesday, August 8th.
I picked up the truck from the dealership on Wednesday, August 9th and parked it at home. When I drove the truck on Friday, August 11th, the cargo light indicator (on the dash) came on and would not turn off. The cargo light was not on at this time. When I removed the key from the ignition, the dash chimed when the driver door was opened, as if the key was still in the ignition. I called the service department to inform them and get some advice.
The service advisor (Tom) said that I must have turned the cargo light on by accident. He also said to just drive the truck if the light is not flashing. He also said to call back and schedule an appointment instead of making the appointment for me. I felt like they just wanted to get off of the phone and not deal with me.
After the truck was parked for a couple of hours, the cargo light indecator went off. When I drove the truck again that day, the transmission stopped shifting again and the check engine light came on again.
This time, I was stuck 90 miles away from home at 11:00pm. I stayed at a motel and drove the truck home the next morning. When I started driving the truck on Saturday, August 12th the check engine light was still on and the truck ran but it wouln't shift into overdrive.
I drove the truck to the dealer and left it with them on Tuesday, August 15th. At this time, the truck is a "come back" for the same problem. The service advisor (Tom) said that the problem is a bad wire harness this time. The harness had to be ordered from back east and wouldn't arrive for 3 to 4 days. I asked for a loaner vehicle and they would not even try to set me up with a vehicle at the dealers expense.
My family had a weekend trip prepaid for for Friday, August 18th to Tuesday, August 22nd. I had to rent a vehicle and use car rentals from my extended warranty premium package. I had to pay an extra $150.00 to upgrade to a mini van. The truck has only 12,000 miles and it was in the dealership for the second time in a week for the same problem. I spoke with the service manager again and he said it is not the dealerships responsibility to give me a loaner.
When I dropped the rental off at the dealership on Tuesday, August 22nd, my truck still was not ready. The service advisor said the correct harness was in but the tech had the day off. So the truck won't get worked on until Wednesday, August 23rd. I asked to be compensated for the rental and he said there is no way that the dealership could do that. Now (Thursday, August, 24th) I am still waiting for my truck to be repaired and returned to me.
I worked for a major Volkswagen dealership in the parts department for 4 years. I know that the dealership could help me if they wanted to.
I am vary disappointed with the truly poor customer service at Turlock Auto Plaza and I plan to tell every one I know about it. I will never again purchase another vehicle from that dealership and I'm sorry that I bought this one from Turlock Auto Plaza.
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