"Them that has, has trouble"

[jdmartin]

So true.....I have an 85 Honda that I buzz around in....still has crank windows and several years ago was having carburetor issues....the old carb with lots of vaccum hoses got replaced with a simple Weber carb...looks like half the engine is missing. Most kids today have never seen a carb.....let alone adjusted one.

You know the other half of that, though. I used to keep a rebuilt Motorcraft 2100 on my shelf all the time in the garage and one in the trunk of the Mustang. I could change the carb, start to finish in under 20 minutes on the side of the road and be back driving. BUT, just the fact that I even had to do that shows how far vehicles have come. I drove Nissan trucks for 25+ years before this Ram and I was never left on the side of the road for anything in all those years. The vehicles I drove before the mid 90s, you needed to know how to work on them on the side of the road because odds were you were going to at some point!

 

[silver billet]

Just wanted to post some old wisdom. My grandfather used to say this as he was a simple man who was the HS principal and football coach in a small town in West Texas. It translates to "the more stuff you have, the more problems you are going to have" and yes, this applies to trim levels too. You "has" more on a Limited than a Tradesman, so yes, you will "has more trouble."

Just posting this for the new folks who are freaking out over "WHEN is Ram going to issue a RECALL for my <insert minor issue here>!!!" We're all driving trucks that are exponentially more complicated than a 1980 anything and that brings more trouble. Humans are fallible and their creations even more so. Yes, we've made more strides in quality, reliability, etc. but at the end of the day we cannot make things perfect. So as the drivers of these imperfect machines we can either accept the reality that not everything will be perfect and live happier lives, or we can spew rage at others, still not achieve the perfection we imagined, and live more miserably. It's your decision.

I agree with the first part (your dad), but not the second part. Some of the issues I've seen on this site: water leaks, buckling/warped window trim pieces, moaning brakes, u-joints slamming, front end clunks etc etc. These are basics that haven't changed in over 50 years, there is absolutely no excuse for this on a brand new vehicle in 2020. The fact that these issues are still happening, does not give me any warm fuzzies inside.

If your self driving cruise control starts acting up, ok, we're still working on all that and the technology is a work in progress. I can fully understand this kind of issue.

 

[Edwards]

I agree with the first part (your dad), but not the second part. Some of the issues I've seen on this site: water leaks, buckling/warped window trim pieces, moaning brakes, u-joints slamming, front end clunks etc etc. These are basics that haven't changed in over 50 years, there is absolutely no excuse for this on a brand new vehicle in 2020. The fact that these issues are still happening, does not give me any warm fuzzies inside.

If your self driving cruise control starts acting up, ok, we're still working on all that and the technology is a work in progress. I can fully understand this kind of issue.

I'm with you 100% on the "folks don't give a damn anymore" sloppiness like water leaks, not tightened bolts, etc.

 

[mikeru82]

Even in it's most basic trim, 5th gen Ram trucks are packed full of technology. Sure, higher trim levels will add more tech, and with it, a slightly higher chance that something will fail. But at the risk of angering a few of you, some of the folks who say they bought a base model because of this are only trying to comfort themselves for not getting what they really wanted. I know because I used to be one of you. Definitely not pointing fingers at anyone who has posted here, as I do not know any of you. I can only speak for myself and anyone I know who has been in this situation. Very few people actually want the most basic vehicle when they're looking at a brand new truck. The majority of people have to weigh price versus model/features. And in the end, they settle for a lower model or fewer options. Because most of us can't afford a brand-new maxed out truck. I have no problem with this, and I fall squarely into this category.

I know there are some who truely do want the most basic truck they can buy. But I also know there are people who say that's what they want, but in reality it's not true. I have no problem with people quoting their wise relatives. But I am tired of reading threads where people are in essence being shamed for wanting a vehicle with as many cool toys as they can afford. Sure, people complaining about panel fitment or auto high beams not working might seem petty to some people. But to someone who spends their hard-earned money on a new vehicle, it's not a high expectation to want everything to work correctly, at least for a few years.

 

[CrazyWorld]

You know the other half of that, though. I used to keep a rebuilt Motorcraft 2100 on my shelf all the time in the garage and one in the trunk of the Mustang. I could change the carb, start to finish in under 20 minutes on the side of the road and be back driving. BUT, just the fact that I even had to do that shows how far vehicles have come. I drove Nissan trucks for 25+ years before this Ram and I was never left on the side of the road for anything in all those years. The vehicles I drove before the mid 90s, you needed to know how to work on them on the side of the road because odds were you were going to at some point!

I hear ya....funny thing....young folks today would refuse to get their hands dirty like we use to.....that grease and oil makes it hard to hold your smart phone. LOL!

 

[CrazyWorld]

Even in it's most basic trim, 5th gen Ram trucks are packed full of technology. Sure, higher trim levels will add more tech, and with it, a slightly higher chance that something will fail. But at the risk of angering a few of you, some of the folks who say they bought a base model because of this are only trying to comfort themselves for not getting what they really wanted. I know because I used to be one of you. Definitely not pointing fingers at anyone who has posted here, as I do not know any of you. I can only speak for myself and anyone I know who has been in this situation. Very few people actually want the most basic vehicle when they're looking at a brand new truck. The majority of people have to weigh price versus model/features. And in the end, they settle for a lower model or fewer options. Because most of us can't afford a brand-new maxed out truck. I have no problem with this, and I fall squarely into this category.

I know there are some who truely do want the most basic truck they can buy. But I also know there are people who say that's what they want, but in reality it's not true. I have no problem with people quoting their wise relatives. But I am tired of reading threads where people are in essence being shamed for wanting a vehicle with as many cool toys as they can afford. Sure, people complaining about panel fitment or auto high beams not working might seem petty to some people. But to someone who spends their hard-earned money on a new vehicle, it's not a high expectation to want everything to work correctly, at least for a few years.

Not trying to shame anybody....I think people should get what they want. I agree with most of what you say....for me....I personally don't want a lot of extras....that's just me....I can also afford any truck I want....I pay cash for my trucks....but...with that being said....I am a cheap SOB and enjoy working the deal and saving money.....have done that all my life. Keep it simple.....good rule to follow. to

 

[jdmartin]

I hear ya....funny thing....young folks today would refuse to get their hands dirty like we use to.....that grease and oil makes it hard to hold your smart phone. LOL!

LoL, no doubt. I bought my grandson a car (used of course) for his high school graduation, with the deal that he pays his expenses and if something breaks or needs maintenance he has to do it (with my guidance). He was baffled by things like ratchets and prybars, but so far he's done an oil change and replaced an alternator belt. I still don't think he has any interest in wrenching vs. video games, but I'm told all of them are like that these days.

 

[Ramster]

Setting a set of points with a book of matches. Most kids don't know nothing about either.

 

[Jako]

LoL, no doubt. I bought my grandson a car (used of course) for his high school graduation, with the deal that he pays his expenses and if something breaks or needs maintenance he has to do it (with my guidance). He was baffled by things like ratchets and prybars, but so far he's done an oil change and replaced an alternator belt. I still don't think he has any interest in wrenching vs. video games, but I'm told all of them are like that these days.

Congratulations on taking your time to educate your grandson. I can still remember an old girl friend's brother (book smart/lawyer) blowing the motor on a 70/71 Chevy Malibu because he didn't know what an oil dipstick looked like. Unfortunately today there is an epidemic of videoitis which actually affects the brain like an addiction.

Necessity is the mother of invention and repairs+junk yards. Growing up financially disadvantaged ($ tight) can be a benefit for your learning experiences (research, ask questions and get your hands dirty) if you have the ambition.
Part of my fleet is a 90 Celica and 94 Explorer. Sons had to learn to check transmission fluid, power steering, anti-freeze, oil, brake fluid and tire pressure. The 94 leaked it all at some point. I think they have some concept of what is under the hood. So far all good no blown motors.

 

[jkm312]

The thing my Grandfather, who was a mechanic, taught me. "If it's not broken, then don't fix it." What comes to my mind in the early builds of the 19 DT's was a different truck from the previous year. Some of the assembly procedures would be different, and some people moving around on the assembly line are doing different jobs. Becoming really adept at a new job takes a bit of time and effort. That doesn't justify an absolute screw up, like a loose bolt rolling around in the HVAC box I saw mentioned. Somethings that work on paper don't work in the real world on the assembly line. They get revised and reworked in real time. The guys in the shops in the dealerships are on a learning curve too. They have to wait until it breaks to gain some experience with them. These trucks are not simple machines, what looks obvious and easy to us, is not always as obvious and easy as we think. None of us is going to accept a substandard broken truck, that's not what we signed up for. All of us have to learn what the truck is capable of and how it works, not how we think it should work. That goes a long way to knowing when the truck is broken and really does needs to be fixed. "Minor issues" while irritating, is just a fact of modern life. Got to deal with them and move on. My truck so far, has been a good one to date. Tomorrow is another day and I don't go looking for trouble.

 

[CrazyWorld]

LoL, no doubt. I bought my grandson a car (used of course) for his high school graduation, with the deal that he pays his expenses and if something breaks or needs maintenance he has to do it (with my guidance). He was baffled by things like ratchets and prybars, but so far he's done an oil change and replaced an alternator belt. I still don't think he has any interest in wrenching vs. video games, but I'm told all of them are like that these days.

I think it is really great you are teaching your grandson some skills....nice!!!

 

[Edwards]

LoL, no doubt. I bought my grandson a car (used of course) for his high school graduation, with the deal that he pays his expenses and if something breaks or needs maintenance he has to do it (with my guidance). He was baffled by things like ratchets and prybars, but so far he's done an oil change and replaced an alternator belt. I still don't think he has any interest in wrenching vs. video games, but I'm told all of them are like that these days.

I did similar for all my kids. We helped them buy their first car which was always well used and they had to learn to check fluids, repair things, etc. I always told stories about learning to work on cars out of necessity and any more the only time they will/can do that is those early years because we get spoiled the older we get (most of us) and don't want to be wrenching on the side of the road.

My wife and I laughed at them when they thought it was a charming story of my dad coming home from work one day when I was in high school and I had taken over the garage tearing apart the straight 4 in a '74 Alfa Spyder because it was burning insane amounts of oil. I got it rebuilt (someone broke a ring on the last ring job and it scored the cylinder liner) and still have the bad piston as a paperweight. The kids never connected the dots that following in those steps meant having to learn a lot - and do a lot.

We're a few years past "the hard times" as they describe it but now they have funny stories and fond memories of working on their own cars. They are not mechanics but are very far from the crowd who is lost if anything goes wrong.

 

[Raydar]

If you don't get all the safety options available shame on you (assuming you can afford them) . If one option prevents one accident you paid for it 100 times over in insurance costs, attorney costs, legal costs, hospital costs and funeral costs !!

I respectfully disagree. I like my backup camera, and I wish I had blind spot detection, but you can keep all the rest of the "nanny-ware".
I have no use for lane departure alarms (or correction) or adaptive cruise control, unless they can be easily defeated.

I actually drive my vehicles.
I deeply mourn the loss of the manual trans as an option in most new cars - which doesn't have that much to do with safety, but it still is a part of the larger issue.
The nanny-ware (in the name of safety) is contributing to the dumbing down of society, as a a whole. If people are not forced to pay attention to what they are doing, then they don't. Then, when (not "if") the system malfunctions, they don't have the presence of mind to realize that - oh crap! - they need to do something, until it's way too late to react. These are the same people who walk down the sidewalk, and occasionally right out in front of traffic, with their faces buried in their phones.
I call it "situational awareness". It's really a thing.

I should add that I drive a Big Horn. It doesn't have all the goodies that the up-level trucks have, but it does everything I need it to do, and more. (I don't care anything about playing music off my phone through the u-Connect, but it's nice to be able to display Waze on the screen in front of me, instead of having to deal with the phone.)
The only things I would have would be better lights (which I will take care of, when I have the free time) and blind spot detection.
But, as they say, "Oh well..."
Regarding the "fragility" of all the features, it doesn't hurt that I'm a bit of a geek/techie/gearhead, and can usually fix a big chunk of what is likely to go wrong. If nothing else, I can disconnect the battery, and let everything reset. (A "reset" fixes a huge amount of stuff, during my day-to-day activities.)

 

[jdmartin]

I respectfully disagree. I like my backup camera, and I wish I had blind spot detection, but you can keep all the rest of the "nanny-ware".
I have no use for lane departure alarms (or correction) or adaptive cruise control, unless they can be easily defeated.

I actually drive my vehicles.
I deeply mourn the loss of the manual trans as an option in most new cars - which doesn't have that much to do with safety, but it still is a part of the larger issue.
The nanny-ware (in the name of safety) is contributing to the dumbing down of society, as a a whole. If people are not forced to pay attention to what they are doing, then they don't. Then, when (not "if") the system malfunctions, they don't have the presence of mind to realize that - oh crap! - they need to do something, until it's way too late to react. These are the same people who walk down the sidewalk, and occasionally right out in front of traffic, with their faces buried in their phones.
I call it "situational awareness". It's really a thing.

I am ambivalent about this.

On the one hand, I am with you. I hate that the manual transmission has more or less gone away. I have two of them - my Miata and my Kia commute-o-box - and there's nothing like rowing your own gears. On the other hand, most people could really care less about driving - it's just a method of Point A to Point B - and the rest of us that actually *like* to drive would be a lot better off if these people were in driverless cars. They don't want to drive the cars as it is, so anything that can distract them is like gold to them; for them, I'd rather see them shuttled around in a lightweight box than have them barreling down the road in Expeditions and Tahoes.

Safety is a funny thing. No question cars have become safer - there's less fatalities than 50 years ago despite a huge increase in cars and miles driven, and there are more well-survived crashes. The flip side of that is that the safer people feel, the more likely they are to drive in a dangerous manner. When I drove my old Mustang daily, you had to be aware of your own safety because there wasn't any built in. 4 wheel manual drum brakes. Manual steering. Spear-o-matic solid shaft steering column. No crumple hood; no side door beams. No headrests; no locking seats; no shoulder strap seat belts. If you were in a wreck with that car, you were going to know it, so you drove a little more cautious - you didn't tailgate, because you couldn't stop in time; you didn't fly on wet pavement because the steering was vague and the drums were soaked. ETC. As the cars have become more insulated people take more chances. This morning some numbskull in a Subaru flew past me on a snowy - only slightly snowy, but still - mountain pass on the interstate, and I was driving the Ram in 4WD auto. Did he wreck? No, he was ok - this time. I bet if he was driving my Mustang he wouldn't have been driving that fast!

So I say let's hurry up and get the non-drivers into pods where they can read Facebook, eat oatmeal or jerk off - whatever they're doing besides driving - and let the rest of us enjoy the road!

 

[derp]

I have the bells and whistles on mine and quite simply, those are not the parts I am really having the most problems with.

My them that has, has trouble is with core features more than anything. Engine cooling, Transmission, brakes, body mounts. Sure I have a greater cross section of exposure to failure with the stereo, heated seats, lanekeep, adaptive cruise control and all. I am willing to take that on as risk so long as the core A-to-B functions are solid, which FCA has miserably failed me on.

 

[derp]

So I say let's hurry up and get the non-drivers into pods where they can read Facebook, eat oatmeal or jerk off - whatever they're doing besides driving - and let the rest of us enjoy the road!

Sign me up. I'd be thrilled to not have to put up with jackwagons in heavy commute traffic. Facebook can wait, oatmeal is not my food, The rest sounds amazing.

 

[Neurobit]

I have the bells and whistles on mine and quite simply, those are not the parts I am really having the most problems with.

My them that has, has trouble is with core features more than anything. Engine cooling, Transmission, brakes, body mounts. Sure I have a greater cross section of exposure to failure with the stereo, heated seats, lanekeep, adaptive cruise control and all. I am willing to take that on as risk so long as the core A-to-B functions are solid, which FCA has miserably failed me on.

Agree fully. I have had zero issues with blind spot detection, dynamic cruise control, auto braking, heated seats/steering wheel, etc.
My issues have been with stupid things like the USB ports cutting on and off, center console squeaking, ambient LEDs not working from factory, and brake squeal. All fixed except the USB issue (that's the one they can't seem to figure out).

All my other "toys", work fine...

 

[derp]

Agree fully. I have had zero issues with blind spot detection, dynamic cruise control, auto braking, heated seats/steering wheel, etc.
My issues have been with stupid things like the USB ports cutting on and off, center console squeaking, ambient LEDs not working from factory, and brake squeal. All fixed except the USB issue (that's the one they can't seem to figure out).

All my other "toys", work fine...

USB ports, try to get a USB powered light and plug it into the port. if the light flickers as you drive, you are losing the power lines for the USB. if the light stays lit while your device loses connection, you are losing data signalling.

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something like this with a switch for on may be best so that when it goes off it stays off till you re-press the switch.

 

[Neurobit]

USB ports, try to get a USB powered light and plug it into the port. if the light flickers as you drive, you are losing the power lines for the USB. if the light stays lit while your device loses connection, you are losing data signalling.

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something like this with a switch for on may be best so that when it goes off it stays off till you re-press the switch.

Thanks - It's all ports at the same time. I have a dedicated music thumb drive that I use as a gauge.
Once it cuts out, I notice that my connected phone does also. It usually comes back on within a few seconds, other times it doesn't work for days.

 

[CrazyWorld]

I think all those safety features are really important.....knowing they are there when watching a movie....talkin on the phone....texting and not paying attention brings me lots of comfort.....it's like letting someone else drive but I am behind the wheel. Thanks goodness for new technology.....can't wait till they start putting a smart beer tap in the new Rams. LOL!