2008 QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE on my SSG Viper

[ASPIRATIONS]

Well after waiting almost 6 months my SSG Viper arrived Friday morning, I was able to get it down my snow and ice covered street without incident thankfully...As I was looking it over in the 26 degree temp I noticed 2 flaws which should have been noticed at CAAP/Prefix
1.) My hood has more space on the passanger side and my DRIVERS side sill is not forward enough.....I guess Iam going to have to call my dealer in Georgia and try to get a Dodge Rep out here to get it looked at and fixed somehow...Iam really pissed that after waiting all this time Iam going to have to have a dealer in my area take my brand new (almost 94K)car apart and I dont know how they will fix my hood issue as I do have stripes. I wonder if my car which has a M/D/H code which equals 11/26/08 November /26/08 a Sunday at 8am had anything to do with it...I knew they were working OT but on a Sunday??? Funny but my door tag at the top says Date of Manuf. 1/08......Here are some pics of the good and bad sides of the sill forward and back, and my hood gap which is hard to see in pics....
I do plan on contacting my selling dealer but if anyone can give me better advice on how to proceed it would be appreciated....Iam not happy with CAAPs QUALITY CONTROL team right now Kevin

Drivers side Front sill

You must be registered for see images attach

Pass. side Front sill

You must be registered for see images attach

Drivers side rear sill

You must be registered for see images attach

Pass side rear sill

You must be registered for see images attach

Pass side hood

You must be registered for see images attach

Drivers side hood

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Flash1034]

Eeeesh. Thats pretty bad. Kinda like American cars of the 70s. I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Flash

 

[musicncars]

i think that you can probably adjust the fenders. shouldnt be that difficult.

 

[IEATVETS]

If that was my car, I wouldn't have accepted delivery.

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

If that was my car, I wouldn't have accepted delivery.

It was dropped off and my 06 Bee was loaded pretty fast so I didnt have the opportunity to really go over the car good before they left,my mistake

 

[TAXIMAN1]

Aspirations, I feel for you, and Ive been there before... But Its not that bad, really.. take a breather...Not trying to "downplay" the situation at all.. But you have the car, for better or for worse at this point. Just need to look ahead now..

On Pic#2. Thats a easy fix.. Just needs a slight "adjustment". You could turn 4 bolts and fix that.

On the sill, what I would suggest. Is, see if the factory will send you an ENTIRE new sill, already painted SSG FROM THE FACTORY.. This way you can send the damaged one back, and avoid getting involved in "painting" the car at all. The good news is, the sill is a pretty easy bolt on/bolt off part. Any dealer can handle it.. And replacing this with a factory painted part, won't alter the cars value in anyway..

good luck man.. but Im sure they'll take care of it..

 

[Boxer12]

There is NO EXCUSE for the fit of the body panels. As for the damage, and the price of the car, consider that many Ferraris have damage which has to be repaired before they get delivered as all cars are test driven and there is a lot of moving on and off transports, etc. It doesn't detract from their value, so I don't think it will effect the value of your car. It sure takes away from the new car experience, though, I am sure. The dealer should kiss your butt after taking an $800 delivery/prep (inspection) fee and then sending you the car in this condition. Not a sponsoring dealer, I hope. Who was it?

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

There is NO EXCUSE for the fit of the body panels. As for the damage, and the price of the car, consider that many Ferraris have damage which has to be repaired before they get delivered as all cars are test driven and there is a lot of moving on and off transports, etc. It doesn't detract from their value, so I don't think it will effect the value of your car. It sure takes away from the new car experience, though, I am sure. The dealer should kiss your butt after taking an $800 delivery/prep (inspection) fee and then sending you the car in this condition. Not a sponsoring dealer, I hope. Who was it?

Actually the destination charge is $880.00....I dont consider it damage as much as I do a lack of attention to detail...I remember even as a child going to dealerships with my father to pick up his new car and finding lots of flaws and getting dirty looks from the salesman,lol...Of course a Chevy Biscayne is alot different from a Viper plus assembly line vs. Hand Built which is why I mentioned price.... My dealer is in Georgia(Ringgold) and Iam in Utah which is why Iam pissed that I will have to bring it to a dealer over here to have it fixed...Kevin

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

Aspirations, I feel for you, and Ive been there before... But Its not that bad, really.. take a breather...Not trying to "downplay" the situation at all.. But you have the car, for better or for worse at this point. Just need to look ahead now..

On Pic#2. Thats a easy fix.. Just needs a slight "adjustment". You could turn 4 bolts and fix that.

On the sill, what I would suggest. Is, see if the factory will send you an ENTIRE new sill, already painted SSG FROM THE FACTORY.. This way you can send the damaged one back, and avoid getting involved in "painting" the car at all. The good news is, the sill is a pretty easy bolt on/bolt off part. Any dealer can handle it.. And replacing this with a factory painted part, won't alter the cars value in anyway..

good luck man.. but Im sure they'll take care of it..

Taximan,
I dont think the sill is damaged it just has to be moved forward and it looks like the sill has elongated holes so that can happen...I just dont want to mess with a brand new car..

 

[Slypopsracing]

Aspirations, Those are unacceptable and not normal,but I must tell you the good news. My 32 yr old son, an Evo aholic, called last night around 12:30, yelling turn on Speed:an Evo just beat an Aston Martin and everything else until they brought out an 08 Viper and the Viper trashed allof them! I feigned being upset to be woke up, but he said don t worry, I ll TIVO it for you. Aspirations, Complain to us Viper owners, but dont let the rest of the world know we dont have perfect cars, its nice to have my son think I (us) have got Evo killers in all categories. Drive careful, those cars must have some kind of power!!

 

[Zan186]

I know everyone expects perfection and it should be for the price we are paying. I would look at the other side of the coin. It is something that can be corrected and you have a nice looking green machine!

 

[wallbanger]

this doesn't reflect well on ringgold dodge either ,,, if they knowingly delivered a less than perfect car then shame shame

 

[Vipermann]

First, if those kinds of things bug you, you'd better get the nose and sills covered with a clear bra fast, or after a few thousand miles of road chips, those gaps will be the least of your worries.

Both of those look like simple gap adjustments. If you plan on replacing the exhaust, don't both with the sill now, because it will be moved with the change (I must have adjusted mine 6 or 7 times in two years of playing with different exhausts). As for the hood, I can't really see it that well because the lighting is so different betwen the pics -- one fender gap is bright, the other is dark.

 

[pteam]

Its really not that bad. I understand your position though. My advise is don't ever buy a used car either.

 

[tbsviper]

I emphathize with you, particularly the hood. Gaps on my 06 were similar and I was told, white cars show this (including bolt heads as seen in your picture), blah, blah, blah as if I was an imbecile. Second, the fit on the 04 vs. the 06 is like night and day so I have to wonder what is going on. Bottom line for me is I too expect more from quality control. Hope you get results to your satisfaction in resolving these matters.

 

[Brian GTS]

Kevin - There is no excuse for that! You are in no way being too picky at alll!

IMO, I would try adjusting the sill and/or fenders yourself rather than taking it to a "I know nothing about Vipers" dealer. You might end up in worse shape and they might decide to take it for a test drive to make sure the engine still runs (yee haw). There are plenty of good folks on this board that can provide you with the knowledge to do this.

I know how you feel though. I was disgusted when I bought my new 01 GTS and all four rims were extremely hazy (cloudy) looking. They looked terrible compared to others. Fortunately, with little effort, Chrysler came through and replaced them all.

So, maybe they'll foot the bill to have someone from CAAP come out and fix it for you. Actually, if I remember correctly, I believe I did read a post on this board where a CAAP person did come out an fix something on someone elses car? I think it was something with the trim or weatherstripping for the roof...something like that. Maybe someone will chime in on that. Best of luck!

 

[wallbanger]

Seems like a hard to fix problem..if u move the side sill forward isn't that going to make the gap between the side sill and the front of the door more noticeable from the side view

 

[Boxer12]

The down side to doing it yourself is that you will possibly be blamed for it, when they ask if you did anything to the car. BTW, you have a reasonable time for inspection under the UCC, so that shouldn't be an issue. Document your issues in writing to the dealer. Send pics. They should pay for transport and repairs.

 

[TAXIMAN1]

IF you attempt to fix this on your own, Your case is closed... I would not touch it... Let them fix it...

If the sill just needs to be moved foward, then your good to go.. Problem solved. But thats a pretty big gap there. These sills dont have any "slide" adjustment in them. Because remember, even if you could slide that foward, now all the other "lines" are off. Especially, were the upper piece, meets the front fender, and were the exhaust tip "sits" center. Honestly, I think your looking at a new sill. I'm not sure that "notch" is just going to "adjust" out.. If it does, GREAT!!! problem solved.

I'm sure EVERY viper, ever built, has at least 5 flaws on it SOMEWERE, weather the owner ever knows about it (or is even worried about it), is another story. On my GTS, the factory forgot to apply the "aplique" on the passenger side side sill.. Yep. that little stickly "C" shaped clear piece on the front of the sill, that protects from road chips... Drivers side had it, passenger side did not.. No big deal, but you wonder how stuff like this happens..

 

[GRNBGON]

After your posting, I got a little scared. I went out and checked my SSG all over. It is absolutely near PERFECT. I couldn't be happier. Hopefully , it is an isolated incident. It is still a hand built car and things happen. gives it character. Hope they will make it right for you.
GRNBGON

 

[ILLSMOQ]

First, if those kinds of things bug you, you'd better get the nose and sills covered with a clear bra fast, or after a few thousand miles of road chips, those gaps will be the least of your worries.

Both of those look like simple gap adjustments. If you plan on replacing the exhaust, don't both with the sill now, because it will be moved with the change (I must have adjusted mine 6 or 7 times in two years of playing with different exhausts). As for the hood, I can't really see it that well because the lighting is so different betwen the pics -- one fender gap is bright, the other is dark.

I don't think he's worried about rock chips...something tells me this car wont see a lot of miles.

the hood gap is easily adjusted and the side sills can be slid forward or backward to make adjustments....not a big deal. Get a screw driver and a 10 mm wrench, make your adjustements and go drive this one.

 

[Les Quam]

I looked at mine tonight and it is very similiar, in fact one of the screws holding the inner fender well is ready to fallout feels stripped. My hood on passenger side you can see bolts from a certain angle. I never noticed it until you mentioned it. Overall the gaps are even on my hood(I measrured). Some area's of my car are worse than yours some are better.

None of it bothers me it is a handbuilt car. I intend to drive it like I stole it and hope more fastners and stuff falls off to save weight. LOL My number one consideration with the Viper is performance and the 08 is perfect. The best Viper yet. All of my Vipers have some area of the car where you can tell a human built it. Not a one is near perfect in regard to fit and finish.

No car is perfect. I have had 200K Porsche's with fit and finsih issues. Presently the Porsche Carerra GT with an MSRP 448K has a problem where the carbon fiber on the interior and engine compartment is turning yellow and Porsche doesn't want to warranty it. It's up to you but I wouldn't stress over it. Just my two cents.

 

[dragon rider]

I'd be pissed also. I'm pretty nit picky about my car as most of us are. Hopefully Ringold Dodge will take care of it for you.

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

I'm not going to jump on the ban waggon .. because I was the one who has been ******** about the quality control issues on the 06's before anyone else, and if you check an old post, I actually said, I hope they dont do this same crap on the 08s. Looks like I was right. Others will chime in that theirs is great, and this was a one off, but thats a lotta **** to have wrong on just 1 car. I'm finally happy with mine, but it took a lot of work by the dealership to get it right. I am genuinly sorry your car was in that state, on a good note, a competent dealership can fix all those issues.

Sorry..

Jon

 

[rcl4668]

FYI, I checked my 2008 tonight and it has the same small hole on the driver side sill (in your first picture) but no such hole on the passenger sill so it looks like this is part of the design of the car. I did not see the other issues (sill and hood alignment) that you seem to be experiencing.

Before I picked up my car the trunk lid did not align perfectly with some gap in the panel on one side. My tech noted it and adjusted it and now it looks fine.

Good luck.

/Rich

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

FYI, I checked my 2008 tonight and it has the same small hole on the driver side sill (in your first picture) but no such hole on the passenger sill so it looks like this is part of the design of the car. I did not see the other issues (sill and hood alignment) that you seem to be experiencing.

Before I picked up my car the trunk lid did not align perfectly with some gap in the panel on one side. My tech noted it and adjusted it and now it looks fine.

Good luck.


There is NO WAY that is the design of the car as it would be on BOTH sides and you would see it on every 06 and 08...If you look on the back of your sill where it sticks out into the rear tub I bet its out further on the drivers side then the pass. side....Probably the same person putting on that partAgain Bad Quality Control..Also the plastic side vent is pushed into the slot/hole when it should be riding over the top..Going to make some calls today.Kevin

 

[Schulmann]

Those who have visited the Corner plant in the recent years (2004-2006) know how much time managers spend on quality control. I think up to 2006 Vipers were the best quality US cars ever made. I couldn't believe the efforts that they put into checking each Viper coming out of the factory. My 2006 Coupe is like a Swiss clock.

Unfortunately things have radically changed since 2006. In 2007 Chyrler encountered major: Union issues, financial problems. In addition Cerberus is not having a clear vision about where they are heading. I think many employees and managers at Chrysler are anxious about their future. Guess what ? Quality suffers.

The pannel problems, that you have reported, are easy to fix and should have been fixed either at the end of the assembly line or in the shipping/staging area. A good Viper technician can fix it within 2 hours.

That's my thought about this quality problem ...

What else to tell you. Be happy that you own a great race and learn. Next time you buy any other car refuse to take delivery if it has any problem or if they charge you a "hidden" fee. I already did and I will do it ...

 

[Brian GTS]

I realize this is a hand built car and there is some margin of error to be expected. However, I don't think the alignment should be that far out! That is just carelessness.

Boy, after hearing all of this, I'm glad I'm picking my car up at the factory. Surely someone there should be able to make it right if there are quality issues like this...at least I hope!

 

[musicncars]

can someone explain the ssg that was on ebay, missing the emblem on the drivers side....how does that happen?

 

[Nine Ball]

I wouldn't be that upset over those issues. They should be relatively simple to correct. As for quality control, gotta remember these are still DODGE products. I've had several Dodges, all of them had flaws. I consider about 75% of my 2006 interior a QC flaw (I like the gauges and seats, thats it).

Tony