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Desert Dodge service dept las vegas


weekender1
07-16-2004, 11:26 PM
this happened a few years ago.
I bought a 99 ram 1500 from the fleet sales dealer at this establishment.
Aprox two years later my transmission developed a leak, so under warrenty, i took it in for repair.
1st visit, changed the trans pan gasket, and installed new filter at my request.
few days later, still leaking.

2nd visit, told me the trans pan was wrapped. They changed the pan and new gasket.
few days later, still leaking.

3rd visit, was told my trans pan was sweating.
was I to understand that transmission fluid could sweat through a transmission pan? I stared at the manager for about a minute to see if he was serious. Then he told me that they tightened up the bolts on the pan as some were loose.
few days later, still leaking.

while i was under the truck, I decided to check the tightness of those bolts myself and found that these guys not only tightened them, but stipped two of them in the process and didn't bother the fix them.
I was pretty hot now.
Im an Air Force guy and work as an engine and airframe inspector.
when i screw something up, it has to get fixed on the spot. I step and let them know of the problem and do what i have to do to get it fixed.
It's a little something called "Integrity".

4th visit, i showed up in my uniform and started in on the service manager about those stripped bolts. Alot of what I said falls inline with the previous paragraph concerning that famous word "Integrity" and what that stands for. I also made mention that if his mechanics wont fess up to stripping bolts and not fixing them, then he really had a serious problem on his hands.
They asked to keep my truck over night to see what they could determine about this leak. They had one of the assistant managers drive my truck home and back that night. They had it on the lift and ran it. They could not get it to leak.
They called me to come and pick it up and told me the bolts were fixed and that they couldn't get it to leak. Fine, where is my truck?
we will get a valet to bring it to you. Great, where is my truck?
Out back in the yard.
I cut through the office and meet the valet at my truck.
he was about to get in when i stopped him before he started it.
I crawled under and wiped my hand across the suspect area, came out from unbderneth and asked this poor boy what do you see on my hand?
Why thats transmission fluid, he said. Darn right!
So i headed for the manager and he could see me coming.
Fixed?? he said. NO still leaking.
valet drove up at that moment and when he stopped, I shoved the manager under the truck and ran his finger over the area.
need to bring it back again i was told.

took the truck home that night and started to look at it myself very closely, even got underneth with a digital camera.
looked at the shots on the computer and found the high spot on the aft side of the trans.
Sent the pics to the manager with little arrows pointing to the high spot that looked to be a plug of some kind.

5th visit, they kept my truck for the day this time.
when i brought it in they asked me to wait in the waiting area while they looked at my truck. as we all stood under my truck on the lift and looked at the area that I designated they concluded that that must be the source of the leak. Glorry bee,, ya think!!
$$800 in labor fees and parts and the leak was gone. No cash out of my pocket for all this but alot of time and frustration.
I picked up an extended warrenty for my trouble, but I will be damed if i ever let them (DESERT DODGE of Las Vegas) touch a pecil let alone my truck ever again.

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