ClancyO
Active Member
More to this story.. developing.. will update again soon. (Potentially very good news for me).
5thGenRams Forums
Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Crack in body - Bad weld?
- Thread starter ClancyO
- Start date
Paultg
Well-Known Member
I really hope they just replace your truck for you. I’m not one to be difficult or an a-hole, but if I found what you did I’d be really struggling about the potential repair. I buy new things to avoid potential issues with prior repairs on used vehicles. I know crap happens and a bumper repair or small things but that isn’t a “we will call a PDR guy” type of repair.
BowDown
Spends too much time on here
No and No.
That's an easy fix, cut the roof skin off like they would if it were severe hail damage. Cut the skin off, weld and bond the new skin on and paint.
It's (the outer skin) not structural either, that metal is too thin and roof supporting structure is underneath the skin.
Nothing at all lemon law-able about that and the truck is not permanently damaged, people need to stop with the dumb ****.
The only real question is is there failure of the structure underneath the skin that may be causing this or was it a stamping defect. The way its opening up suggests that its being stressed and something under the skin has a structural issue.
Last edited:
ClancyO
Active Member
The roof skin is fine. It’s the entire side assembly, from firewall to back of cabin. It’s one giant stamped piece for doorframes. I’m no engineer, but it would seem to compromise a significant amount of the bodies integrity. Either way, that kind of repair will affect the value. I’m not expecting a free truck, just to be fairly compensated for my loss.
BowDown
Spends too much time on here
That part is serviceable as well. Depending upon how FCAs warranty works you may have recourse on diminished value but thats generally an insurance claim. You are most certainly owed some from of compensation for this but I'd want to know what caused it too. They will still service the roof skin if they replace door frame but its still not a big deal, that part would be replaced in a side impact crash.
While id hate for that to happen and I feel for you going through this on a new truck, its not a bad repair. Don't let people doom and gloom you.
While id hate for that to happen and I feel for you going through this on a new truck, its not a bad repair. Don't let people doom and gloom you.
STR
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2020
- Messages
- 472
- Reaction score
- 302
- Points
- 63
- Age
- 48
“No and No”? Better there reread the thread. I clearly indicated that it’s not “lemon law-able”...
regardless of your thoughts, the repair WILL take more than 30 days, and you can lemon law it then, so do what you will.
I personally would never trust that truck again. As I said, the safety of the truck has been permanently compromised IMO. The paint will never be the same and neither will the corrosion protection. In a car accident it would be a possible total. Sure they can weld it up and repaint it and make it look fine for now. But it won't be the same, and you'll have little recourse.
lemon law isn't a free truck. it's a new replacement truck with a mileage charge. you may not even need a new loan. Just a vin change. depends.
You can also get everything you paid back ( deal is unwound like you never bought the truck, all taxes warranties etc all refunded less the mileage charge ) and go buy something else. up to you.
I personally would never trust that truck again. As I said, the safety of the truck has been permanently compromised IMO. The paint will never be the same and neither will the corrosion protection. In a car accident it would be a possible total. Sure they can weld it up and repaint it and make it look fine for now. But it won't be the same, and you'll have little recourse.
lemon law isn't a free truck. it's a new replacement truck with a mileage charge. you may not even need a new loan. Just a vin change. depends.
You can also get everything you paid back ( deal is unwound like you never bought the truck, all taxes warranties etc all refunded less the mileage charge ) and go buy something else. up to you.
ClancyO
Active Member
Aseras - I don’t disagree with you at all, I may have just lucked into a way around all it. It’s not a done deal yet, but I think I have the right people doing the right thing now and I should have a clearer idea and definitive numbers later this week.. And one hell of a story.
BowDown
Spends too much time on here
No you cant, Lemon law requires multiple attempts to fix the same repair and a loss use from those attempts.
A properly repaired truck would not be permanently compromised nor the corrosion protection nor the paint and there's NO WAY that would be a total in a perpendicular accident, NO WAY. Totaling requires a repair to exceed a percentage of the value of the vehicle. A competent shop, like the one I worked at would have that panel off in 2 days and the new one fitted and seam sealed in a 5-7 days. People really need to stop with the misinformation on these forums.
BowDown
Spends too much time on here
Sounds like they are buying it back, thats probably the best outcome for you in that situation, while the repaired truck would be no issues, I and I'm sure you, wouldn't want a new repaired truck, even if it had happened due to an accident much less this
ClancyO
Active Member
And now for the rest of the story...
I live in a community of older homes (40’s-60’s era). All these house have varying degrees of issues, fortunately our only real problem is that the basement gets water. Not much, but enough to make you cautious. We’ve had some pretty severe weather lately. We had a tropical storm come thru and dump 7.5” of rain over 8-9 hours. No real damage, but presoaked the ground for wat came next... A few days later we had a mega thunderstorm come thru that spawned a tornado just a few blocks away and dumped 4.5” of rain in 1 hour. I had a 16” wave breaking at the end of my driveway and my neighbors, who are fairly new and I had not yet met, had water breaking over the trunk of her Altima and totaled the car in their driveway. They also had a tree come down and take out the power. I have a generator to power sump pumps and keep the fridge/freezer from going, so I fired that up and all was well. We were out 24 hours, but no biggie considering the damage other people took. And the new neighbor who’s tree took out the line - well it also yanked the line off the house, so when the rest of us came back, they didn’t. I offered them my generator, showed them how to run it, even gave them cords and a Jerry can full of gas. Just being a good neighbor. It took over 2 weeks for them to get their power back. I’ve never run that gennie that long!! Again, no biggie, that’s what the thing was designed to do.
Meanwhile, I found the crack and this drama started. Appointment made to fix on Monday morning. New neighbors returned the generator and related with a nice thank-you card. Met the husband for the first time, and general conversation turned to the truck. Showed him the crack and his opinion was like everyone else - I’d make Chrysler buy it back! I agreed but told him I didn’t have the appetite for a long fight, just wanted to be made whole again and move on, besides, I didn’t know how to get that started. He said, “I do!” Turns out he’s the sales manager at the largest ram dealer in 100+ miles. The same dealer in fact that happens to have THE unicorn truck that I’d consider replacing the current with (like most of you, my list is VERY specific!). I didn’t talk to anyone when I looked at their inventory in person the day before. He told me to cancel/postpone the appt he’d see what he could do.
Best case, we could force a buyback through the original dealer. Maybe. In the end, they gave me fair market trade (which was $2500 less than my OTD price 18 months ago), and a title/tax/tag OTD price on the new truck that exceeded my expectations. Add that to the equity I had in the old truck and I’m good. Payment went up, but I got WAY more truck.
What ultimately becomes of ‘crack’.. I don’t know. Don’t really care.
About those specific criteria...
Has to have 6.4 bed.
Has to have 5.7 w/o e-torque
Has to have 3.92 rear, brake controller.
Color is complicated. Prefer to avoid dark (moving to desert southwest soon), allergic to red. Ivory would be awesome, white or silver good. Others considered..
Bed utility group would be swell
Sport Package would be swell
Led lights would be swell
33 gallon gas tank would be swell
Laramie/Leather would be swell, but finding one if this without e-torque was impossible when I bought 18 months ago.
Do not want Lane-keep, pano roof, or any other myriad of electronics that may/may not work 10 years from now..
Meet ‘Fluffy’:
Laramie level 1, 5.7 (no et), 3.92, sport, off-road, bed utility, nav, 20” premium wheels, under seat storage. Only thing it lacks is the 33 gallon tank. It is not lacking in smiles per mile!
I still haven’t been inside the dealership. Neighbor brought fluffy home last night, took crack back this morning. Going up tonight to sign paperwork (after an EXTREMELY thorough inspection)!
So yeah. Wasn’t planning on a new truck. Most likely would have kept ‘crack’. Most likely would not have been happy.
Karma works both ways.
I live in a community of older homes (40’s-60’s era). All these house have varying degrees of issues, fortunately our only real problem is that the basement gets water. Not much, but enough to make you cautious. We’ve had some pretty severe weather lately. We had a tropical storm come thru and dump 7.5” of rain over 8-9 hours. No real damage, but presoaked the ground for wat came next... A few days later we had a mega thunderstorm come thru that spawned a tornado just a few blocks away and dumped 4.5” of rain in 1 hour. I had a 16” wave breaking at the end of my driveway and my neighbors, who are fairly new and I had not yet met, had water breaking over the trunk of her Altima and totaled the car in their driveway. They also had a tree come down and take out the power. I have a generator to power sump pumps and keep the fridge/freezer from going, so I fired that up and all was well. We were out 24 hours, but no biggie considering the damage other people took. And the new neighbor who’s tree took out the line - well it also yanked the line off the house, so when the rest of us came back, they didn’t. I offered them my generator, showed them how to run it, even gave them cords and a Jerry can full of gas. Just being a good neighbor. It took over 2 weeks for them to get their power back. I’ve never run that gennie that long!! Again, no biggie, that’s what the thing was designed to do.
Meanwhile, I found the crack and this drama started. Appointment made to fix on Monday morning. New neighbors returned the generator and related with a nice thank-you card. Met the husband for the first time, and general conversation turned to the truck. Showed him the crack and his opinion was like everyone else - I’d make Chrysler buy it back! I agreed but told him I didn’t have the appetite for a long fight, just wanted to be made whole again and move on, besides, I didn’t know how to get that started. He said, “I do!” Turns out he’s the sales manager at the largest ram dealer in 100+ miles. The same dealer in fact that happens to have THE unicorn truck that I’d consider replacing the current with (like most of you, my list is VERY specific!). I didn’t talk to anyone when I looked at their inventory in person the day before. He told me to cancel/postpone the appt he’d see what he could do.
Best case, we could force a buyback through the original dealer. Maybe. In the end, they gave me fair market trade (which was $2500 less than my OTD price 18 months ago), and a title/tax/tag OTD price on the new truck that exceeded my expectations. Add that to the equity I had in the old truck and I’m good. Payment went up, but I got WAY more truck.
What ultimately becomes of ‘crack’.. I don’t know. Don’t really care.
About those specific criteria...
Has to have 6.4 bed.
Has to have 5.7 w/o e-torque
Has to have 3.92 rear, brake controller.
Color is complicated. Prefer to avoid dark (moving to desert southwest soon), allergic to red. Ivory would be awesome, white or silver good. Others considered..
Bed utility group would be swell
Sport Package would be swell
Led lights would be swell
33 gallon gas tank would be swell
Laramie/Leather would be swell, but finding one if this without e-torque was impossible when I bought 18 months ago.
Do not want Lane-keep, pano roof, or any other myriad of electronics that may/may not work 10 years from now..
Meet ‘Fluffy’:
Laramie level 1, 5.7 (no et), 3.92, sport, off-road, bed utility, nav, 20” premium wheels, under seat storage. Only thing it lacks is the 33 gallon tank. It is not lacking in smiles per mile!
I still haven’t been inside the dealership. Neighbor brought fluffy home last night, took crack back this morning. Going up tonight to sign paperwork (after an EXTREMELY thorough inspection)!
So yeah. Wasn’t planning on a new truck. Most likely would have kept ‘crack’. Most likely would not have been happy.
Karma works both ways.
Downytide
Active Member
Glad to hear things got sorted!
Rossum
Active Member
Totally OT, but make sure change the oil in that generator. After two weeks of use, even if intermittent, it's probably over-due.
ClancyO
Active Member
I hadn’t run it in at least 2 years prior to that, so, yes, way overdue!! I actually wanted to go change it while they were using it because I felt sorry for it!!!
And don't forget to check the valve lash, too. I think it's every 200 hours or so on a small generator like that. I was out of power 3.5 days on my little 6800 watt Champion when Isais rolled though our neighborhood. Reminded me it was time to do the valve adjustment.
Oh, and congrats on the new rig!
njt07
Active Member
So... what state is this in? For the used truck shoppers to avoid lol.
This is great news, so glad to hear that you've been made whole. Unfortunately, it was not FCA or your original dealer that did so. But your new neighbor who you assisted and then stepped up to the plate to assist you in return. I'm certain he didn't do that due to the generator loan, but as the type of dealership manager that we all hope to come across if we ever have a problem like this which on it's face says that FCA needs to make you whole and also keep "crack" off the used truck market.
jmr
Active Member
OP great ending to your story.
