Update: DO NOT BUY RAM WITH RAMBOX - Warping and Alignment Issue with 2019 Rams

[usedup]

My current pickup has them but only because I bought it off the lot and didn't order. Drivers side fits pretty well but the other side not so much. I asked the service dept. if there was a way to fix it and he just laughed. You'd think by now they would have figured out a fix.

 

[securityguy]

My current pickup has them but only because I bought it off the lot and didn't order. Drivers side fits pretty well but the other side not so much. I asked the service dept. if there was a way to fix it and he just laughed. You'd think by now they would have figured out a fix.

Exactly why I went out of my way not to buy a truck with Ram Boxes.

 

[usedup]

Exactly why I went out of my way not to buy a truck with Ram Boxes.

Not as much to pick from in western North Dakota as most places.

 

[Kxlexus]

I love my Ramboxes but the tops are warped a little. I tried to get Ram to fix them but was denied. The local dealer thinks he will eventually get Ram to replace them. They really aren’t any worse than they were why I bought the truck. My next truck probably won’t have them but that is only because they aren’t offered on the TRX or GMC Hummer truck.

 

[RamCares]

My current pickup has them but only because I bought it off the lot and didn't order. Drivers side fits pretty well but the other side not so much. I asked the service dept. if there was a way to fix it and he just laughed. You'd think by now they would have figured out a fix.

I love my Ramboxes but the tops are warped a little. I tried to get Ram to fix them but was denied. The local dealer thinks he will eventually get Ram to replace them. They really aren’t any worse than they were why I bought the truck. My next truck probably won’t have them but that is only because they aren’t offered on the TRX or GMC Hummer truck.

Hi there! We sincerely regret to hear about the concerns you've both faced with your RamBox feature. We would be happy to look into this further for you and offer support alongside your dealer should you choose to address this further. Please send us a PM with your VIN for further support!

Kathryn
Ram Cares

 

[carbonfold]

My 21 suffered from the applique panels (painted sections) that were really wavy on the Ramboxes. Alignment prior taking to the dealership was ok but the waviness was pretty bad. The dealership replaced the appliques and returned it to me way way worst than I started. The paint job was subpar (debris all in the paint), both lids were now misaligned pretty bad, appliques were just as wavy as before and I gained a large scratch in one of my doors.

As they released it to me and I pointed out all the issues they were releasing to me, the service writers response was "what would you want me to do about it? If it was my truck I would be ok with it".... Anyways, they took it back in, worked on realigning them and did not fix the shoty paint job. Basically just buffed over it and returned it to me with imperfections all in the paint, wavy panels and chameleon eyed Rambox lids haha. I pretty much lost all faith in that service department and it is actually pretty sad. I like to have my vehicle serviced locally where I bought it.

Getting local dealership management support has pretty much zero there as in you will never even get to speak to anyone. I reached out to Ramcare to give me a suggestion or guidance on what to do. It's been a month or so with no clear direction on what do to. I'm assuming either live with it or take it to another dealership and hope I don't get fubared. Honestly I don't understand how Ramcare portrays support on these forums because when I've reached out to them I haven't really had much support on what to do at all. Somewhat a shoulder shrug and told your assigned case manager will reach out to you (but don't receive a call back from said case manager).

Unfortunately the RAM / dealer support on this one has been really disappointing. Moral of the story, if you love your Ram a lot and the Rambox isn't too bad... do not let them touch it. Live with it.

 

[securityguy]

My 21 suffered from the applique panels (painted sections) that were really wavy on the Ramboxes. Alignment prior taking to the dealership was ok but the waviness was pretty bad. The dealership replaced the appliques and returned it to me way way worst than I started. The paint job was subpar (debris all in the paint), both lids were now misaligned pretty bad, appliques were just as wavy as before and I gained a large scratch in one of my doors.

As they released it to me and I pointed out all the issues they were releasing to me, the service writers response was "what would you want me to do about it? If it was my truck I would be ok with it".... Anyways, they took it back in, worked on realigning them and did not fix the shoty paint job. Basically just buffed over it and returned it to me with imperfections all in the paint, wavy panels and chameleon eyed Rambox lids haha. I pretty much lost all faith in that service department and it is actually pretty sad. I like to have my vehicle serviced locally where I bought it.

Getting local dealership management support has pretty much zero there as in you will never even get to speak to anyone. I reached out to Ramcare to give me a suggestion or guidance on what to do. It's been a month or so with no clear direction on what do to. I'm assuming either live with it or take it to another dealership and hope I don't get fubared. Honestly I don't understand how Ramcare portrays support on these forums because when I've reached out to them I haven't really had much support on what to do at all. Somewhat a shoulder shrug and told your assigned case manager will reach out to you (but don't receive a call back from said case manager).

Unfortunately the RAM / dealer support on this one has been really disappointing. Moral of the story, if you love your Ram a lot and the Rambox isn't too bad... do not let them touch it. Live with it.

Exactly why I would never buy RAM BOXES!

 

[carbonfold]

Exactly why I would never buy RAM BOXES!

In defense... the functionality of the Ramboxes are awesome! Seriously.... yeah, it eats into bed space but the everyday use is like having two toolboxes. Very very handy. That said, I don't think that is an excuse for any company to make their customer base to deal with it. I guess the only real recourse is enough people complain or stop buying them.

 

[mikeru82]

Exactly why I would never buy RAM BOXES!

That's the beauty of having a choice. To me they are worth the small cosmetic issues, and I will always buy RAM BOXES

In defense... the functionality of the Ramboxes are awesome! Seriously.... yeah, it eats into bed space but the everyday use is like having two toolboxes. Very very handy. That said, I don't think that is an excuse for any company to make their customer base to deal with it. I guess the only real recourse is enough people complain or stop buying them.

Exactly. Hopefully enough people will continue to buy them that they don't discontinue this option. I was able to adjust mine to fit much better. Good enough to satisfy my taste.

 

[carbonfold]

That's the beauty of having a choice. To me they are worth the small cosmetic issues, and I will always buy RAM BOXES


Exactly. Hopefully enough people will continue to buy them that they don't discontinue this option. I was able to adjust mine to fit much better. Good enough to satisfy my taste.

I think I noticed a post/wrap up you made on how you solved your issue on another forum. I'm 99% sure the warping of the appliques at the bottom are due to the screw tabs sucking in the applique once they are tightened down. Is this why you made the mounting hole on the lid larger?

Sadly the dealership's paint job is so bad that either I'm taking these off to paint or I'm buying some new appliques to get painted myself. Then reinstalling if making those screw holes larger does the trick.

Also, if you look at this photo, do you think the adjustment would be in loosening up the hinge bolts to push it in would do it? Or would it take that tool you speak of?

 

[securityguy]

As an anal retentive perfectionist engineer...the RAM Boxes would drive me nuts every time I looked I looked at my truck. For this much money, and all the time they've been out, you would think RAM engineers could get this right and solve the problem like aluminum doors versus composite. I see many benefits to them...I just can't get over the poor craftsmanship.

 

[mikeru82]

I think I noticed a post/wrap up you made on how you solved your issue on another forum. I'm 99% sure the warping of the appliques at the bottom are due to the screw tabs sucking in the applique once they are tightened down. Is this why you made the mounting hole on the lid larger?

Sadly the dealership's paint job is so bad that either I'm taking these off to paint or I'm buying some new appliques to get painted myself. Then reinstalling if making those screw holes larger does the trick.

Also, if you look at this photo, do you think the adjustment would be in loosening up the hinge bolts to push it in would do it? Or would it take that tool you speak of?

I'm not sure how to adjust that. Luckily mine weren't like that, so I didn't have to try messing with it. The tool won't help with that either. It's more for adjusting the gap. I haven't tried loosening up the hinge screws to make any adjustments, but it's worth trying. I can't see how you could make it much worse than that.

As far as paint goes, my dealership doesn't have a body/paint shop. They contract with local body shops for any of that kind of repair. All the body shops in my area warranty their work for the life of the vehicle, so I'd have taken it back to the body shop who did the repair. If those were painted by your dealership, unfortunately you'll only have them to deal with. And it sounds like they won't stand behind their work.

 

[carbonfold]

I'm not sure how to adjust that. Luckily mine weren't like that, so I didn't have to try messing with it. The tool won't help with that either. It's more for adjusting the gap. I haven't tried loosening up the hinge screws to make any adjustments, but it's worth trying. I can't see how you could make it much worse than that.

As far as paint goes, my dealership doesn't have a body/paint shop. They contract with local body shops for any of that kind of repair. All the body shops in my area warranty their work for the life of the vehicle, so I'd have taken it back to the body shop who did the repair. If those were painted by your dealership, unfortunately you'll only have them to deal with. And it sounds like they won't stand behind their work.

I actually work in the automotive world (including collision). My thoughts were just to buy some new appliques and repaint them by one of our painters. Replacing the appliques look rather easy but I'm concerned with breaking one of the tabs at the top when removing. Another question, in this attached photo, does making the holes larger on the actual lid (like you suggested) improve the waviness from the bottom of the applique? Seem like it would but also not sure if you suffered the waviness like I do and that was the reason why you enlarged them.

 

[carbonfold]

For the ongoing Rambox lid debacle... I've decided to go rogue a little bit. The L & R appliques and the L & R lids are actually not that expensive so I decided to have my paint shop paint new ones and I'll install the lids myself. Granted I shouldn't have to be paying for anything out of pocket like this when it is basically a brand new under warranty. I digress...

Interesting thing I've found, the brand new lids are arriving mismanufactured or buckled. Either buckled right in the middle or misaligned from the inner and outer structural sections of the lid. The dealership ordered a 3rd one yesterday so we will see what that looks like when it arrives. So, I can see why a tech could toss on a replacement and cannot get it to properly align. The structural sections of the lids are poorly slapped together. So unless you knew what you were looking for, it could easily be overlooked.

The crazy thing is that the parts department said there is not a system in place report parts that are made incorrectly to Ram/Mopar. Just keep ordering and crossing their fingers. This is insane on Ram's part or the parts specialist doesn't know any better.

In a nutshell, the applique mounts are poorly designed and is exactly why the "skin" (painted section) looks wavy. It buckles the applique because it put too much stress on the mounting points. Also the problem with the misalign is primarily due to the fact the Ram lid is so poorly designed (lack of internal bracing to prevent buckling) and horribly assembled. Couple photos attached to give you and idea.

There is no reason why Ram cannot and haven't released an update. This is a classic issue with the part and the manufacture is choosing not to deal with it OR... lack of communication from the dealer level to the manufacture.

@RamCares

 

[c3k]

I would've ordered mine (and my son's) with Ramboxes...except for all the reports, like yours, about how poorly they're made. It's a great idea, but either the materials or the QA is not up to snuff.

Looks like a great opportunity for an aftermarket solution.

 

[mikeru82]

I actually work in the automotive world (including collision). My thoughts were just to buy some new appliques and repaint them by one of our painters. Replacing the appliques look rather easy but I'm concerned with breaking one of the tabs at the top when removing. Another question, in this attached photo, does making the holes larger on the actual lid (like you suggested) improve the waviness from the bottom of the applique? Seem like it would but also not sure if you suffered the waviness like I do and that was the reason why you enlarged them.

Sorry, I didn't see this post. Enlarging the holes can help with the waviness, but it can also make it worse. It depends on how much adjustment is needed. I was able to get rid of some of the waviness in the lower middle areas, but it's a little more pronounced towards the ends. At this point I'm leaving them alone. It is what it is. They don't leak and no one tells me they look crooked anymore. I've just learned to live with them. I have a lot more important things to lose sleep over.

For the ongoing Rambox lid debacle... I've decided to go rogue a little bit. The L & R appliques and the L & R lids are actually not that expensive so I decided to have my paint shop paint new ones and I'll install the lids myself. Granted I shouldn't have to be paying for anything out of pocket like this when it is basically a brand new under warranty. I digress...

Interesting thing I've found, the brand new lids are arriving mismanufactured or buckled. Either buckled right in the middle or misaligned from the inner and outer structural sections of the lid. The dealership ordered a 3rd one yesterday so we will see what that looks like when it arrives. So, I can see why a tech could toss on a replacement and cannot get it to properly align. The structural sections of the lids are poorly slapped together. So unless you knew what you were looking for, it could easily be overlooked.

The crazy thing is that the parts department said there is not a system in place report parts that are made incorrectly to Ram/Mopar. Just keep ordering and crossing their fingers. This is insane on Ram's part or the parts specialist doesn't know any better.

In a nutshell, the applique mounts are poorly designed and is exactly why the "skin" (painted section) looks wavy. It buckles the applique because it put too much stress on the mounting points. Also the problem with the misalign is primarily due to the fact the Ram lid is so poorly designed (lack of internal bracing to prevent buckling) and horribly assembled. Couple photos attached to give you and idea.

There is no reason why Ram cannot and haven't released an update. This is a classic issue with the part and the manufacture is choosing not to deal with it OR... lack of communication from the dealer level to the manufacture.

@RamCares

I agree with you that the design of these lids is terrible. Not sure what they were thinking. But then I look at other things on the truck that aren't really quite right visually, like the plastic "vents" on the sport hood, exhaust tips, bumper alignment. Some of these are easily adjusted, and others sometimes need replacement to get things to look right. If this were a show truck I would probably have new lids fabricated out of sheet metal. But since this is a mass produced vehicle that I use as a daily driver, exposed to the hazards of the roads and parking lots, I have come to accept that things aren't going to be perfect on it.

I would've ordered mine (and my son's) with Ramboxes...except for all the reports, like yours, about how poorly they're made. It's a great idea, but either the materials or the QA is not up to snuff.

Looks like a great opportunity for an aftermarket solution.

That's the problem with threads like this. People need to look at things for themselves, and try them out. It's good to have feedback from people, but you might not want to base your decision entirely from that. Even with the small cosmetic issue, I will continue to buy trucks with this option. Because the versatility of them far outweighs any issue with how they look. To me they're beautiful.

 

[Vinnie.]

As an anal retentive perfectionist engineer...the RAM Boxes would drive me nuts every time I looked I looked at my truck. For this much money, and all the time they've been out, you would think RAM engineers could get this right and solve the problem like aluminum doors versus composite. I see many benefits to them...I just can't get over the poor craftsmanship.

As a relaxed reasonable engineer I can live with the "quirkiness" of the ramboxes in exchange for the amazing convenience and functionality... it's just a cute quirk right? right? help me to justify adding ram boxes to my build guys!!

all joking aside, it is crazy that this has been an issue since the ram boxes came out. and it does bug me every day i see the poor alignment. i keep telling myself i bought a truck and not a show car... it's not helping all that much.

am i becoming an anal engineer too?

 

[Edwards]

As a relaxed reasonable engineer I can live with the "quirkiness" of the ramboxes in exchange for the amazing convenience and functionality... it's just a cute quirk right? right? help me to justify adding ram boxes to my build guys!!

all joking aside, it is crazy that this has been an issue since the ram boxes came out. and it does bug me every day i see the poor alignment. i keep telling myself i bought a truck and not a show car... it's not helping all that much.

am i becoming an anal engineer too?

Could they do a better job with the fit/finish? Obviously yes, but I would absolutely reorder Ramboxes today. I don't expect perfection from something manmade. I did tweak my Ramboxes early on to make them fit better and have loved them since. It's one of the key reasons I chose a Ram and I use them weekly.

If Ram fixed the problem or a third party offered better lids, would I upgrade mine? Absolutely.

My advice is to put a little effort into tweaking them if you are not happy, ensure they are waterproof, and then forget all about the minor variances and use them as intended. "Perfect is the enemy of the good," and Ramboxes are good.

 

[securityguy]

Until RAM fixes the issue, there will be no RAM boxes in my future. For $70K+, do I expect the cosmetics of the truck to be spot on? Absolutely! I never settle for "good" unless I'm throwing hand grenades

 

[Vinnie.]

Could they do a better job with the fit/finish? Obviously yes, but I would absolutely reorder Ramboxes today. I don't expect perfection from something manmade. I did tweak my Ramboxes early on to make them fit better and have loved them since. It's one of the key reasons I chose a Ram and I use them weekly.

If Ram fixed the problem or a third party offered better lids, would I upgrade mine? Absolutely.

My advice is to put a little effort into tweaking them if you are not happy, ensure they are waterproof, and then forget all about the minor variances and use them as intended. "Perfect is the enemy of the good," and Ramboxes are good.

agreed, i would definitely order them again, and be irritated all the same. but they are worth it in my opinion!