I am almost 50 and have been driving and maintaining vehicles for over 30 of those years. Daimler / Chrysler has just found a way to keep from owning up to a very basic design flaw in many of their engines. My 5.2L V8 in my '99 Durango made it 104,000 miles (I guess I did take care of it a little?) before it started doing the oil pressure tango. I was lucky the first time and got away with just replacing the main bearings. The second time, not so lucky. Rod through the oil pan. I refuse to spend $3,000 - $4,000 to drop another defective engine in that POS. I have decided to send a VERY LOUD message to corporate at Daimler / Chrysler by staging an online LIVE web cam event. I'm going to have my Durango lifted onto a very large bonfire and fire that sucker up. I'm trying to promote the event and get a few sponsors. (I do web design / hosting and one of my clients -
www.bubbad.com - bbq - might be interested! ;-} ) My site is
www.batcity.com/bonfire. Check it out.
Individuals who do their own oil changes or go to Jiffy Lube don't do so with the thought of having to prove proper maintenance due to a defective engine design. Daimler knows this and knows it's an easy out for them. I am convinced that they had their accountants and lawyers crunch the numbers and came up with the class-action lawsuit as their cheapest way out. And that lawsuit, specifically for the engine sludging problem, is in the works. (
www.BigClassAction.com)
I'll post some updates to my bonfire event as they become available. You all grab a beer and a hotdog and watch!
Here's a pic of the Durango in it's natural position:
http://www.batcity.com/bonfire/images/towjob2.jpg