What's your experience with your local RAM dealer's service dept.

[HSKR R/T]

I haven't had to take mine to the dealer enough to really get a feel for which one will be my "go to" and I'm almost out of the B2B warranty. I feel for those who have to make enough visits to actually get an opinion.

Back in early 2000's when I was stationed in Lemoore, CA with my 1999 Dakota R/T, I would drive 1/2 hour further than the closest dealer just for the service. First warranty issue I ha with the truck, which was self induced, but didn't tell dealer that, was leaking output seal on transmission. Caused from me being young and dumb and purposely, and successfully, trying to jump the truck over a small hump in the road. Took it to closest Dodge dealer 10 minutes from my house. Took it there Friday morning, said they wouldn't be able to get to it until Monday morning. Said I needed a vehicle to drive. No loaner, they said to just keep driving my truck and bring it back Monday morning. It was leaking bad enough that by Monday morning it barely made it to the dealer. It actually killed the engine at one stop light like if I didn't let the clutch out in a manual transmission. They called me up that afternoon and said it was fixed. They replaced the pinion seal and topped off the fluids. Left dealer, and before I even got out of town it was leaking again. Turned right around and dropped it back off at dealer. Three days later I get a call saying the yoke was damaging the seal, and when they took transmission apart to replace the yoke they found every clutch plate in the trans was burned up(no ****). Said they have to replace the whole transmission and gave me a rental to drive. Gave me a time frame. I was working night shift at the time. The smday they initially said it would be ready I didn't get a phone call. Drove to dealer after work and it was sitting outside in service parking lot. Used my spare keyfob to unlock the truck. When I opened driver door it popped pretty badly as I opened it. Then I noticed a crease on inside door panel. Closed the doors locked it up and went home. First thing the next morning, got up early and drove to dealer to talk to manager. In the way there the service manager called to say it was ready. I asked if he had looked at the truck himself. He said no and asked what was wrong. I told him I was almost there and we can talk when I get there. He met me outside at my truck and started apologizing. The tech that did the work "forgot" to shut the door on truck as he backed it off the lift and tweaked the hinges and damaged the plastic door panels. One more week in rental for parts, since the first door panels they ordered were wrong and body shop to repaint the new hinges. Oh, yeah, and when I dropped the truck off the gas tank was almost empty. Finally pick truck up and fuel gauge was still on E and O DTE on trip computer. Luckily there was a gas station not even a block from dealer. Pull in an proceed to pump in 22.5 gallons into a 22 gallon gas tank. Never went back to that dealer again. Ended up in a first name basis with service writer at the father dealer, and they were very mod friendly and always looked forward to seeing what else I had done to the truck when I would bring it in.

 

[SkittleRam]

Ugh...I am not even going to answer this....wayyy to triggering

 

[SkittleRam]

I haven't had to take mine to the dealer enough to really get a feel for which one will be my "go to" and I'm almost out of the B2B warranty. I feel for those who have to make enough visits to actually get an opinion.

Back in early 2000's when I was stationed in Lemoore, CA with my 1999 Dakota R/T, I would drive 1/2 hour further than the closest dealer just for the service. First warranty issue I ha with the truck, which was self induced, but didn't tell dealer that, was leaking output seal on transmission. Caused from me being young and dumb and purposely, and successfully, trying to jump the truck over a small hump in the road. Took it to closest Dodge dealer 10 minutes from my house. Took it there Friday morning, said they wouldn't be able to get to it until Monday morning. Said I needed a vehicle to drive. No loaner, they said to just keep driving my truck and bring it back Monday morning. It was leaking bad enough that by Monday morning it barely made it to the dealer. It actually killed the engine at one stop light like if I didn't let the clutch out in a manual transmission. They called me up that afternoon and said it was fixed. They replaced the pinion seal and topped off the fluids. Left dealer, and before I even got out of town it was leaking again. Turned right around and dropped it back off at dealer. Three days later I get a call saying the yoke was damaging the seal, and when they took transmission apart to replace the yoke they found every clutch plate in the trans was burned up(no ****). Said they have to replace the whole transmission and gave me a rental to drive. Gave me a time frame. I was working night shift at the time. The smday they initially said it would be ready I didn't get a phone call. Drove to dealer after work and it was sitting outside in service parking lot. Used my spare keyfob to unlock the truck. When I opened driver door it popped pretty badly as I opened it. Then I noticed a crease on inside door panel. Closed the doors locked it up and went home. First thing the next morning, got up early and drove to dealer to talk to manager. In the way there the service manager called to say it was ready. I asked if he had looked at the truck himself. He said no and asked what was wrong. I told him I was almost there and we can talk when I get there. He met me outside at my truck and started apologizing. The tech that did the work "forgot" to shut the door on truck as he backed it off the lift and tweaked the hinges and damaged the plastic door panels. One more week in rental for parts, since the first door panels they ordered were wrong and body shop to repaint the new hinges. Oh, yeah, and when I dropped the truck off the gas tank was almost empty. Finally pick truck up and fuel gauge was still on E and O DTE on trip computer. Luckily there was a gas station not even a block from dealer. Pull in an proceed to pump in 22.5 gallons into a 22 gallon gas tank. Never went back to that dealer again. Ended up in a first name basis with service writer at the father dealer, and they were very mod friendly and always looked forward to seeing what else I had done to the truck when I would bring it in.

Hanford or Visalia dealer?

Back in the early 2000's the Visalia Dealer was pretty good, now not so much....

 

[HSKR R/T]

Hanford or Visalia dealer?

Back in the early 2000's the Visalia Dealer was pretty good, now not so much....

Visalia is where I ended up. Hanford is who backed the truck off the lift with door open.

I want to say the service writer at Visalia I worked with was Mark, but not 100% certain since it's been along time. Probably late 30's early 40s with a goatee

 

[SkittleRam]

Visalia is where I ended up. Hanford is who backed the truck off the lift with door open.

I want to say the service writer at Visalia I worked with was Mark, but not 100% certain since it's been along time. Probably late 30's early 40s with a goatee

I kinda figured Hnaford has always been kinda poo, Visalia was good when it was Surroz, then it moved close to airport, then another company bought them out and it has been a rather poop show since.

 

[hogger]

Let's see, where to begin with Ram Dealers...

During the buying phase: I had one dealer keep trying to sell me trucks I didn't want (Don't bother me with short beds!). I had another not call me back when I tried to follow up after a visit, another that gave me incorrect information about option combos (and then hoped I wouldn't notice during the ordering process). And at the dealer I finally bought from, they wrote me up for the wrong VIN number that I caught at the final signing (yay start the paper work process over again!)

During the service phase: I had one dealer who wouldn't take me for 4 weeks, another for 2. Next dealer wouldn't pick up their phones (and the vm box was full across multiple days). The next one took all my info, then never called me back. The dealer I ended up going with was poor with status updates. And on a subsequent service trip didn't even install the battery properly.

 

[Reverse]

I see you are in the atlanta area. Which all ones in this area have you tried? Anyone any better than the others? And which independent shop do you use now? I would love a recommendation if it’s close to me.

I live in North GA.

Dealerships I tried and didn't like (for service):
- Palmer Dodge in Roswell
- Mall of Georgia Dodge in Buford
- Shottenkirk in Canton
- Tutton in Jasper

The better dealership was Troncalli in Cumming , GA

I now take my trucks to Christian Brothers in Alpharetta. They have several locations. Not that much cheaper, but I trust them, and that's what counts for me.

 

[asgadf/lkjnadsfg]

Mine gets a 2 out of 10 rating. I've dealt with them a bunch since my truck has spent over a month in the shop since I bought it new.

 

[Dewey]

Wish I could say but I have no idea how my local service dept is. In the last 10+ years over three Ram’s I have never been in the shop for one single repair or even warranty work. Just a few times for basic recalls that mostly required a software upgrade and was done in 15-20 minutes. Knock on wood.

 

[Bertman]

Some of y'all have it made with 3-4 dealerships in your area to choose from. I live in a decent sized city in Iowa, and have 2 dealers to choose from, each are a ~20 min drive from my house. The dealership I bought my truck from is 45 min's away, and I haven't been back since I purchased it.

I also have my share of horror stories with dealerships(one involved a tech backing my truck into another car in the garage with me doing jumping jacks and yelling at him to stop, another dealer quoted me $1800 to replace something they obviously never even looked at and I proved wasn't broke) luckily neither were RAM dealers.

I don't like dealers, but will go if there's a warranty issue or a recall.

 

[Ellisstrong]

I live in North GA.

Dealerships I tried and didn't like (for service):
- Palmer Dodge in Roswell
- Mall of Georgia Dodge in Buford
- Shottenkirk in Canton
- Tutton in Jasper

The better dealership was Troncalli in Cumming , GA

I now take my trucks to Christian Brothers in Alpharetta. They have several locations. Not that much cheaper, but I trust them, and that's what counts for me.

Good info. I’ve tried Shottenkirk in canton they sucked and Palmer in Roswell who were initially ok. I have an appointment with them for my electrical issues currently but they scheduled me 4 weeks out so it’s on the 25th. I was going to try Paulding based on a recommendation here and they said they can work me in within a few days if I leave it with them. I actually talked to Christian brothers here in Smyrna last week so they may end up being my solution too. The guy seemed nice and they have good reviews.

 

[mynameisante]

One of my good friends is the manager of a CDJR here in San Diego. Purchased six trucks from him. I've had nothing but amazing service from sales to service. Although we could calculate this as being friends with the manager...

There is a another dealer here closer to my house where I purchased a RAM at once, and it was amazing top to bottom as well.

All in all, 10/10 for both dealers I've used

Carl Burger in La Mesa and SD CDJR in Mission Valley. Before SD CDJR, there was a John Hine CDJR down the street and they were AWESOME! Too bad he sold his dealers to Carvana...

I had some correspondence recently with sales at AutoNation (I think) in Carlsbad over the phone and email. The girl was very friendly, helpful, and understanding. Answered all my questions and concerns regarding a new vehicle. I ended up finding the exact build I wanted used, so I went that route. I called her to tell her thank you and she took that kindly, and obviously added in if I need anything to not hesitate to call her

 

[Rlaf75]

I bought my first ram which was an 11 in 2015. The purchase experience was fine but I never needed to use their service department. I bought my 21 new from a different dealer and they have been good. I brought I back for a couple warranty issues and they took care of them no problem. They did mis-diagnose one issue but they remedied it very quickly. They are a smaller dealer which I personally think makes them a little more personable and nicer to deal with

 

[Malodave]

The first dealer that I bought the 2008 Bighorn with, I was there to get some small parts
for my '97 Ram SLT. I had been looking at the 2008's for 3 months, so while I was there,
I looked for the one that I wanted by their stock number. I found it. A salesman came out
and asked me if I needed help. I said I got the price online from the configurator and if
they could get in the Truck for no Money Down I would sign. When it was time to sign,
I noticed it was for a Red truck not the Black one by the stock number. They fixed that,
then I signed. This was 15 minutes before they closed on New Years Eve. I picked the
truck up on the 3rd after I got insurance on it.

I stopped in when I was looking at the '21s to get info on Ordering the truck to have it
the way I wanted it. Salesman took me to his cubicle and left me there for 15 minutes.
He came back with the paperwork for a truck on the lot. This is not what I asked for,
So I got up and left.

Went to the Second dealer a couple of weeks later in the city north of me with the
summary page from the RAM configurator. He put in all the options I wanted. He
thought that I could not get the Tow Mirrors with the 360º camera on it. But everything
went thru. Truck took 8 weeks to be delivered. We never talked about price. When I came
in to sign the paperwork, I showed them the Criswell offer of 12% below MSRP. Then I had
all the incentives too. They started to Balk and got the Sales Manager involved.

I told him that I don't need a Truck, I have a Truck, ('08 Bighorn) I want a new Truck but,
I have no qualms about walking away and reordering at Criswell. I got the $71K truck
for around 62K out the door with an 8 year extended warranty.

Malodave

 

[arod412]

The problem is that not all dealers are the same when it comes to customer support. There are alot more CDJR dealers in a 30 mile area ( i counted 7 so far) then there are audi dealers in my area (2 that I know of in the same 30 mile area) so service might be more of a priority at audi.

Also...I'm sure that service pricing might be alot more than your ram dealer...just be uase your paying for service.

2022 Ram Big Horn Back Country
2016 Dodge Charger scat pack
2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

 

[KWKSLVR]

The good ones only seem good when compared to other CDJR dealerships. We have a 2020 Honda Odyssey that needed a new starter battery under warranty and also has a couple of recalls. For the recalls, I'm waiting on parts but the appointments have been easy to make (literally for the next day both times on a Saturday).

My Ram, on the other hand, needs a computer flash. I made an appointment with a dealership that has a good reputation for doing good work. I took it in and they wanted me to leave it for a freaking week. That's utterly asinine. What's the point of the dadgum appointment? I left and just let it ride for several months. Recently I made another appointment with them which took 3 months, and I ended up having to reschedule -effing painful. When I made that appointment, I made another with a different dealership in town. They took the opportunity to immediately start spamming me with reasons why they can get me out of my essentially brand new truck (10,000 miles) into another brand new truck and for the same payment (I pay $0/month).
I immediately blocked them and canceled the appointment.

I'm not sure where I go from here other than expanding out to other areas but there is no freaking way I'm waiting days to get a job done that only takes a few hours and requires no parts.

 

[Bob.]

I think they all suck. My Ram dealer in Bristol CT always leaves a trail of oil dripping after each oil change. I bought an insurance plan that came with "free" oil changes so I'm forced to bring it back twice a year. The service advisers are nice, but when it's on the lift I'm not pleased with the pro's behind the wall.
I asked them to wipe off the frame and suspension parts after removing the filter. Sure....
This time I will park it in the drive thru lane and slide under it with paper towels in hand. I hope they walk over and ask me is there a problem. I will say I'm just finishing my prepaid service. Thanks.

My wifes jeep came home with finger tight lugs on the wheels. I'm glad I checked them before she drove it to Vermont. After that visit, they are told do not touch the lugs. The tires are mounted correctly and they will stay that way.

 

[Ramfancy]

The dealership I bought from has been my service center for my last 2 trucks. My last truck had the lifetime warranty that I purchased, and this truck has a 10 year 150 thousand mile warranty that I purchased.

The service department does real well with routine service. Very affordable oil changes and tire rotations all that fun stuff. When it comes to fixing some thing, they do a great job but they are very busy and often times if you schedule an appointment it is weeks into the future. My last truck at a 4.7 and it developed quite a tick right around 40 50,000 miles. It got progressively louder up until the day I sold it with 150,000 miles on it. It was really loud, but they just told me it was normal. I have a feeling that had it not been under a warranty they could’ve fixed it. It was probably something rather time consuming and that’s one thing that they don’t have. So my only complaint with my ram dealership is the fact that they are too busy. Great guys otherwise.

 

[bigdodge]

Carl Burger in La Mesa and SD CDJR in Mission Valley. Before SD CDJR, there was a John Hine CDJR down the street and they were AWESOME! Too bad he sold his dealers to Carvana...

I had some correspondence recently with sales at AutoNation (I think) in Carlsbad over the phone and email. The girl was very friendly, helpful, and understanding. Answered all my questions and concerns regarding a new vehicle. I ended up finding the exact build I wanted used, so I went that route. I called her to tell her thank you and she took that kindly, and obviously added in if I need anything to not hesitate to call her

wow!

 

[Mikent]

I’ve been using the same dealership for recall issues, warranty service and for oil changes. Over the years I’ve gotten to know a couple of the service managers and always give them excellent reviews after the service work, in the long run I think it’s made a difference. I‘m always pleasant to the service people and treat them well, as the old saying goes, It’s easier to catch flys with honey.