I've had Fords for years and feel comfortable with them. I'm thinking about trading my 2000 F350 for a newer 6.7L Ford truck. The local dealer doesn't have any Fords, but does have a 2012 Dodge Laramie 4x4 w/ 25K miles. I really don't know much about Dodge trucks.
Is there anything I need to look out for or specific questions to ask about that year truck? We're going to look at it tomorrow.
Thanks!
Posted 2015-02-11 6:31 PM (#162533 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Have the dealer try to pull any service records or get the vin number and call your local Dodge dealer and ask the service department yourself. You will be looking for any warranty work that might have be done. If it show to have been in the shop more than typical service stuff, then RUN A WAY FAST!
Posted 2015-02-12 12:04 AM (#162542 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Member
Posts: 17
Location: Crandon, WI
I enjoy mine. A 2011 2500 w/cummins. Pulls our 3 horse KB great. Has an integrated trailer brake module and the jake brake works great going downhill. Powertrain is bullet proof provided proper maintenance. Have had 3-4 minor recall notices since purchase, but, no other issues. I get 11mpgwhen fully down and loaded on highway w/ apapproximately 12,000lbs gross trailer weight.
Posted 2015-02-12 11:19 AM (#162548 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330 Location: northeast Texas
Acy, the Laramie is Dodge's best package so should be a very nice truck. Cummins has been around a long time, making big truck engines, and they make a good product. When I wrecked a truck in 09, we looked at new ones, but that was a year model to stay away from as they came out with new emissions on the engines. I think 2012 would have the bugs out pretty much and be okay. All the newer trucks, probably 2007.5 or 08 and newer will have an integrated brake controller (which is your trailer brake controller) built into the truck rather than an add on, and some sort of an engine retarder such as an exhaust brake or a transmission brake. A jake brake is what is on big trucks (semi's), same application, slightly different design. These will slow your truck going down hills, nice when pulling a heavy load, and slow you approaching a stop or steep curve, which saves on your truck brakes and is much safer than heating up your truck brakes. Happy truck hunting. My 07 Dodge Big Horn 1 ton dually with add on PacBrake exhaust brake has 129,000 and I still love my truck. Of course I have the last year model with the fabled 5.9 Cummins :)
Posted 2015-02-13 11:25 AM (#162559 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Intergraded brake control was not an option on Dodge Ram 2500 /3500 until 2010. Factory exhaust brake started in 2007.5 with the 6.7L engine which I have with a 130-k miles now and 120-k of them miles with a full delete kit so no worries with the emission mess they thought they needed!The factory exhaust brake works off of the variable vanes in the turbo. My truck grossed out at 38-k lbs. with hay once every other month and 20-k lbs. a couple of times a month with the horse trailer it does a super job. Only 1 set of front brakes pad and still on the original rear brakes pads!
Posted 2015-02-24 10:31 AM (#162676 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Member
Posts: 7
Location: Corsicana, TX
Be aware that newer diesels are having problems with the fuel pump. It is built for European not American diesel and is not holding up well. My 2012 F350 6.7 with 28,000 miles recently had a yellow check engine light come on. I took it in to have it checked and was told a contaminated fuel message came up on the computer. Result is a mandatory $10,000 fuel system replacement that is not under Ford Warranty. But if you don't do the repair with the Ford "kit" they will black list your truck and cancel all remaining warranty. Dodge also is not covering these problems under warranty. Any little bit of water or silt in the diesel you pump into your tank at a station can cause this problem and it can happen up to 3 fill ups later. And in the Ford the sensors are placed too low to touch the water and too high for the silt, therefore they never go off. I have other friends this has happened to. It is a lot more common that anyone realizes until it happens to you. I am currently looking at switching to the Dodge 6.4 hemi.
Posted 2015-02-24 12:24 PM (#162678 - in reply to #162676) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by timberlace on 2015-02-24 10:31 AM
Be aware that newer diesels are having problems with the fuel pump. It is built for European not American diesel and is not holding up well. My 2012 F350 6.7 with 28,000 miles recently had a yellow check engine light come on. I took it in to have it checked and was told a contaminated fuel message came up on the computer. Result is a mandatory $10,000 fuel system replacement that is not under Ford Warranty. But if you don't do the repair with the Ford "kit" they will black list your truck and cancel all remaining warranty. Dodge also is not covering these problems under warranty. Any little bit of water or silt in the diesel you pump into your tank at a station can cause this problem and it can happen up to 3 fill ups later. And in the Ford the sensors are placed too low to touch the water and too high for the silt, therefore they never go off. I have other friends this has happened to. It is a lot more common that anyone realizes until it happens to you. I am currently looking at switching to the Dodge 6.4 hemi.
Posted 2015-02-24 2:12 PM (#162681 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391 Location: Columbia, KY
UGH!! Reading all this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling about potential problems w/ the 2012 Dodge we just spent a fortune on. Is part of the issue the fact the fuel sensors (or whatever detects contamination in the fuel) aren't positioned correctly?
Posted 2015-02-25 6:44 AM (#162683 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Veteran
Posts: 134
I usually try to stay out of truck conversations on this forum, but I felt this was worth saying. My husband and I bought a new 2010 Dodge 1-ton dually fully loaded. He has been a Cummins fan for years. We got burned really badly with our 6.0 Ford so he wanted to switch. We had it in the shop 4 times in 7 months because it had no power and the mileage was terrible 8 mpg was the best it would do. Didn't matter if it was empty or loaded. The last time it went in, the shop told us there was nothing wrong with it and we were just going to have to live with it. Needless to say We said no we don't have to live with it and traded it off. Yes we lost our shorts on doing that, but the frustration of dealing with that truck was gone. Maybe it was just that particular truck, but because of that Dodge lost a customer for life.
Posted 2015-02-25 7:21 AM (#162684 - in reply to #162531) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Penrose, Colorado
we have had fords in the past but for a good while Dodge only and I for one am not going to change, where a lot people make a mistake is buying a truck with the wrong gearing, most dealers will not order trucks with lower gears than about a 3:73, I only order 4:10 in a one ton and in my 550 it is 4:88 and I get around 11mpg loaded with heavy trailers, a friend on mine thought I was crazy and just got a new one with something like 3:42 in it and he does good to get 10 mpg empty, engines have a power band where the mileage and power is the best.
Posted 2015-02-25 12:36 PM (#162686 - in reply to #162681) Subject: RE: Dodge question
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by acy on 2015-02-24 2:12 PM
UGH!! Reading all this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling about potential problems w/ the 2012 Dodge we just spent a fortune on. Is part of the issue the fact the fuel sensors (or whatever detects contamination in the fuel) aren't positioned correctly?
Dodge question
and then there is this gem out there...