"Them that has, has trouble"

[Edwards]

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.

 

[SpeedyV]

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.

Well said. I was on a felony jury this week, and all I can say is that it helps a person keep things in perspective. Life is short; enjoy the ride!

 

[Sjay]

 

[Nails]

Great way to look at things.

 

[CrazyWorld]

Your grandfather was a wise man....I agree with him. I bought a Tradesman for that same reason....didn't want all that extra stuff....just more things to fix down the line. Got a close buddy who just bought a Ford 250 with all the bells....nice looking truck but he is older....has no clue how to use half the things on that truck....had to help him turn off the steering wheel warmer the other day. I still use a flip phone and my kids get mad at me....."Dad....why don't you text?" I tell them...."if you want to talk to me....dial my number." They say...."What's a dial?" Keep it simple....enjoy life.

 

[Fmrchvy]

Makes sense but by that logic, why do you have a truck? A truck has an engine that could fail. Why not a horse and a cart? Technology advances and is refined through trial, error and time. I have a Laramie with lots of bells/whistles and only had one minor issue that I corrected quickly.

 

[jdmartin]

Couple of thoughts:

1. Simple math. More parts = higher statistical likelihood of something failing. As an example, if all parts on a truck had a 1% failure rate, the truck that has double the parts is going to have a 2% failure rate for some part.

2. Lower trim doesn't always equal less chance of failure. Some parts are beefed up on higher trims. Others just use things less prone to failure. Example: crank window vs. power window. Guys used to tell me "that's just one more thing to go wrong" but in reality the design of a power window is way less stress than an extended shaft getting uneven torque from a human arm, and the dozens of cars I've owned the only ones that ever had window failures had manual cranks.

3. I agree with you 100% there's a lot of crying over minor issues. If people were complaining about grenading transmissions or engines I'd be a lot more sympathetic than some wind noise or a body panel being 1/16th off.

 

[LincolnSixAlpha]

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 you wholeheartedly as the amount of complication that exists on vehicles today is simply just astronomical in my humble opinion, let alone compared to anything many years prior to the vehicles being controlled with electronics, or even very basic and very lame emissions crap such that was popular in the mid-'70s. That said, along with all of this complication, comes a lot of tuning that can be made with quite a bit of flexibility and performance that can be achieved with simple mods. However, keep in mind that this forum contains only a very SMALL fraction of RAM owners, so while there's a few folks out there that are very sensitive to issues, even of the most minor issues, there's simply just SO many people out there who purchased these vehicles from which you'll never hear of as they are either not motivated to seek out any online forums, or rather simply have zero interest in connecting with others driving the same vehicle.

Does FCA have some issues, yup! They certainly do, however other manufacturers do as well. And I do believe that FCA needs to get their dealers in order because some of the tactics they use to deny warranty claims are just preposterous. Aside from that, I'm a LONG time BMW owner, 20+ years, and I gotta say that they hit the nail on the head with this RAM. It's an awesome truck, much more so than the previous generations of Chevrolet, and Ford trucks I've owned. I'm a happy and proud owner. That said, I'll stay away from the dealer at all costs. However my truck has no issues, so thankfully I don't have to be dealing with them for warranty claims. Anyhow, like every forum, gotta take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[Jako]

Your grandfather was a wise man....I agree with him. I bought a Tradesman for that same reason....didn't want all that extra stuff....just more things to fix down the line. Got a close buddy who just bought a Ford 250 with all the bells....nice looking truck but he is older....has no clue how to use half the things on that truck....had to help him turn off the steering wheel warmer the other day. I still use a flip phone and my kids get mad at me....."Dad....why don't you text?" I tell them...."if you want to talk to me....dial my number." They say...."What's a dial?" Keep it simple....enjoy life.

Yeah us old folk might have some trouble with the digital technology but them young kids ain't so sharp in the analog world. One of the soccer moms was explaining how a kid was asking "what's that" in the car. It was the crank for the window.

 

[jdmartin]

Yeah us old folk might have some trouble with the digital technology but them young kids ain't so sharp in the analog world. One of the soccer moms was explaining how a kid was asking "what's that" in the car. It was the crank for the window.

Ha! That cracked me up with the 2 keys picture. That would definitely be a good marker. I think my first Nissan hardbody was the first vehicle I ever owned that only used one key. Of course there wasn't any trunk but it did have a lock on the gas filler cover!

 

[HotHareSpey]

Wait we can’t have perfection??!! And you’ve been keeping this information to yourself?!! Outrage!

Great post - Americans are good at many things, emotional balance isn’t one of them haha

 

[Sjay]

Yeah us old folk might have some trouble with the digital technology but them young kids ain't so sharp in the analog world. One of the soccer moms was explaining how a kid was asking "what's that" in the car. It was the crank for the window.
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Don't remember the hospital one, but used all the rest

 

[yellowboy]

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 !!

 

[HotHareSpey]

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 !!

Idk about shame but, they are a good choice for sure

 

[Neurobit]

Great post!

Wise words indeed. I can totally relate!

Caveat emptor - I also remember what a pain in the a$$ used to be to start certain engines in cold weather (lawn mower or car/truck), having to use chokes, flooding carburetors, no AC, having ****ty headlights, TV w/ rabbit years and snowy reception (or my dad on the roof turning the aerial antenna and asking my mom to holler when to stop)...

We’ve come a long way, and I now treasure having those memories, but also do appreciate the state of technology and advancement we now have, that’s why for me, I buy my vehicles fully loaded. The more safety features I can have for my family (specially safety), and convenience, the better.

I understand that there’s more complexity involved the more tech you have, but I also know that vehicles today are, for the most part, more reliable than ever.

Neurobit

 

[ramhead]

 

[CrazyWorld]

Makes sense but by that logic, why do you have a truck? A truck has an engine that could fail. Why not a horse and a cart? Technology advances and is refined through trial, error and time. I have a Laramie with lots of bells/whistles and only had one minor issue that I corrected quickly.

Same reason as you I guess....to get around....to carry stuff....to pull my trailers.....etc..... Bottomline.....the simpler things are the better as far as I am concerned. I am glad your truck is working out for you.....I just don't need a lot of the extras. As for horse and cart.....had several over the years.....they fail as well but I can fix most cart problems....horses on the other hand can get quite expensive. Horses and carts are much slower as well....and...statistically.....are much more dangerous.

 

[go-ram]

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.

.
Truer words have never been spoken - your grandfather was a good mentor. "KISS" (keep it simple, stupid) is a common, well-understood phrase for good reason.
.
I'll add a related corollary to that: If you're going to buy the newest. most technology-packed vehicle in its class, you should go into it EXPECTING issues.
.
When I ordered mine, I went into it with eyes wide open, knowing that these new Ram DT-platform trucks are so new, and so absolutely loaded with technology, it was something of a "risk purchase" for me. But I want the look, the features, the ride, of the Ram DT-based 1500, and so I accept that I will possibly have more teething issues than, say, if I bought an ancient-and-boring-but-reliable Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan.
.
That said, I do wish Ram's reputation for dealer service was better. But I also knew that going into it, and so I'm mentally prepared to be patient while the kinks get worked out.
.

 

[CrazyWorld]

Yeah us old folk might have some trouble with the digital technology but them young kids ain't so sharp in the analog world. One of the soccer moms was explaining how a kid was asking "what's that" in the car. It was the crank for the window.
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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.

 

[HeliPilot]

Or rebuilt one, or re-jetted one for altitude.......