Goodbye RAM EcoDiesel

[edyvw]

American car manufacturers seem to have real issues with small displacement diesel engines. Chevy had numerous issues with their 4 cylinder diesel powered Colorados. I think they were isuzu. Jeep tried the diesel engine gamecyears ago with the commander and Grand Cherokee. From talking with mechanics those were powered by VM Motori diesel engines and unfortunately there weren't many dealerships nor mechanics that could work on them.

GM ha BMW diesels in Europe. That was the best Opel product. But I think BMW limited them to only that market.
Toyota uses BMW 4cyl diesel in Europe. But it would probably be too expensive to fit the profit margin.

 

[Bjornviken]

GM ha BMW diesels in Europe. That was the best Opel product. But I think BMW limited them to only that market.
Toyota uses BMW 4cyl diesel in Europe. But it would probably be too expensive to fit the profit margin.

Bmw diesel are gone with Avensis.

 

[edyvw]

Bmw diesel are gone with Avensis.

I see they dropped Avensis.

 

[OVERKILL]

It's a Fiat, dude. They always have the flashiest, shiniest, blingiest, newest whizbang features, on paper a Fiat is always the most amazing vehicle you can buy. But their best feature is that you are always shopping for a new Fiat, because you are waiting at the dealership for hours on end waiting for them to fix the last Fiat you bought!!

It's a great business model. Sell flashy junk to unsuspecting consumers. When flashy junk fails, make consumer drive back to dealer where even more flashy junk awaits, tempting their pocketbook while service techs try and usually fail to fix the last piece of flashy junk you sold them.

This has not been my experience and I've spent a considerable sum on FCA vehicles in the last several years (including an EcoDiesel). It started with a used '06 Charger and things sort of snowballed from there with 4x SRT's, 2x 1500's (1x DS, 1x DT, which we currently own) and a Durango.

We've had surprisingly few issues with our DT, given it was produced during the first month or so of production and had the TSB's that came along with that (motor mounts and caliper mounts, dealt with quickly very early in our ownership, we were always given a loaner new vehicle off the lot anyway though). It has been in two accidents, including smoking a 12-point buck at around 100km/h and I was still able to drive it two hours home with a shredded front clip. We've had to get the rear window repaired under warranty (it leaked), but that's a known problem and there's a revised part, and again, we had a loaner, and no failed repairs or issues that couldn't be sorted.

We've also had better luck at work with the 1500 RAM's reliability-wise than the F-150's, but when the RAM's do go, it tends to be major (lifter failure on two of them now), which takes them out of service permanently at around 200,000 miles. The F-150's have had more repairs, but they weren't catastrophic, like having to have the entire A/C system rebuilt, or the cooling system completely overhauled, or having the hangar bearing assembly go out.

Of course the GM trucks are prone to the same lifter failure problem as the RAM's, so that would be our experience with those as well, if we had any in the fleet.

 

[Rmay635703]

I remember when base classic eco diesels were $19,000 after a mass of incentives on leftovers

 

[CheezWhiz]

This has not been my experience and I've spent a considerable sum on FCA vehicles in the last several years (including an EcoDiesel). It started with a used '06 Charger and things sort of snowballed from there with 4x SRT's, 2x 1500's (1x DS, 1x DT, which we currently own) and a Durango.

We've had surprisingly few issues with our DT, given it was produced during the first month or so of production and had the TSB's that came along with that (motor mounts and caliper mounts, dealt with quickly very early in our ownership, we were always given a loaner new vehicle off the lot anyway though). It has been in two accidents, including smoking a 12-point buck at around 100km/h and I was still able to drive it two hours home with a shredded front clip. We've had to get the rear window repaired under warranty (it leaked), but that's a known problem and there's a revised part, and again, we had a loaner, and no failed repairs or issues that couldn't be sorted.

We've also had better luck at work with the 1500 RAM's reliability-wise than the F-150's, but when the RAM's do go, it tends to be major (lifter failure on two of them now), which takes them out of service permanently at around 200,000 miles. The F-150's have had more repairs, but they weren't catastrophic, like having to have the entire A/C system rebuilt, or the cooling system completely overhauled, or having the hangar bearing assembly go out.

Of course the GM trucks are prone to the same lifter failure problem as the RAM's, so that would be our experience with those as well, if we had any in the fleet.

I'm mostly just bitter. I do have a GM truck but it's a non-AFM iron block 6.0 vortec, I agree completely about the GM lifters.

 

[OVERKILL]

I'm mostly just bitter. I do have a GM truck but it's a non-AFM iron block 6.0 vortec, I agree completely about the GM lifters.

Well, that's fair I think. We got rid of our EcoDiesel because we feared the short tripping my wife was doing with it (driving like 2 miles to work) was going to lead to big emissions systems issues down the road. Which sucked, because the fuel economy was nuts, and it was great when we were using it to commute to the cottage and stuff, but it was doing a regen once a week once she started short-tripping and that couldn't be good for it.

 

[CheezWhiz]

Well, that's fair I think. We got rid of our EcoDiesel because we feared the short tripping my wife was doing with it (driving like 2 miles to work) was going to lead to big emissions systems issues down the road. Which sucked, because the fuel economy was nuts, and it was great when we were using it to commute to the cottage and stuff, but it was doing a regen once a week once she started short-tripping and that couldn't be good for it.

Yeah I had a 2013 Rubicion Unlimited. It was a lot of fun and had no peer - it was the only vehicle on the market like it. But after god knows how many trips to the dealer for death wobble and heater core issues, I just couldn't love it. I bought a really basic 2500HD and it's been great.

So much of this is dumb luck though, I mean some guy is bringing home a new Chevy 2500HD today and will have tons of problems with it, trade it in on a Wrangler in a few years and not have any problems. Then he'll come on the forum and complain about the Chevy a decade later

 

[Audiman]

Had a Liberty with that engine and 287,000 miles, so they can't be too bad. But of course, I owned one so have first hand experience. 90% of the people that rag on a particular model or engine have never actually owned one.

View attachment 184826

Oh look how reliable your liberty is with its EML on. Did you put the 287,000 miles on it? If not then who’s to say what repairs it had had up-to that point.

 

[atikovi]

Oh look how reliable your liberty is with its EML on. Did you put the 287,000 miles on it? If not then who’s to say what repairs it had had up-to that point.

You do know what an "EML" light on means? The computer flagged an anomaly in the engine management system. Gas cap loose, vacuum hose cut or other minor things. Could as well happen on a Toyota. Not sure it would happen on a 287,000 mile Audi though, as nobody has been able to drive one that far.

 

[Audiman]

You do know what an "EML" light on means? The computer flagged an anomaly in the engine management system. Gas cap loose, vacuum hose cut or other minor things. Could as well happen on a Toyota. Not sure it would happen on a 287,000 mile Audi though, as nobody has been able to drive one that far.

If it was something minor why hadn’t you fixed it? Could also be something a bit more major like an under boosting turbo.

Toyota’s don’t last more than 10 years here so it would be a very rare sight to have one at 287,000 miles, plenty of Audi’s driving around with High miles too.

 

[Bjornviken]

If it was something minor why hadn’t you fixed it? Could also be something a bit more major like an under boosting turbo.

Toyota’s don’t last more than 10 years here so it would be a very rare sight to have one at 287,000 miles, plenty of Audi’s driving around with High miles too.

Really?

 

[Audiman]

Really?

Rust is a big issue for Toyota, Ive seen suspension arm mountings torn off the uni body where they have been weakened by rust. Yaris sump pans holed etc. Our cold one day warm the next winter climate with the heavy salt spreading is perfect for rust formation and Japanese cars do not last long term.

 

[Bjornviken]

Rust is a big issue for Toyota, Ive seen suspension arm mountings torn off the uni body where they have been weakened by rust. Yaris sump pans holed etc. Our cold one day warm the next winter climate with the heavy salt spreading is perfect for rust formation and Japanese cars do not last long term.

All brand have there own big issues.
Yes, they rust, some models more than others. But my own experiences with MB and Ford is much worse when it comes to rust.

 

[Skippy722]

Oh look how reliable your liberty is with its EML on. Did you put the 287,000 miles on it? If not then who’s to say what repairs it had had up-to that point.

A CEL doesn’t necessarily always mean “check engine.” I got one once because I unplugged the ABS fuse so I could do donuts in the snow.