Brake Ducts...

[NastyGTS]

Wow, when was your car built, wondering if it was an early build, but amazing that could sneak down the line and clear quality like that.

Props to SRT for posting that diagram - helping you and proving their CEO has been incorrectly describing the car in reference to these ducts. I guess Ralph spends more time behind the wheel .. who wouldn't.

The door sticker shows a Mfg date of 6/13

I'm in the process of getting all the order history.

I have come to the reality that I may have bought a 5:00 Friday car. We are meeting next week with the dealership to address this; along with the other issues on the car. This is not how I planned my first Viper purchase LOL( not really laughing)

 

[DMan]

Good luck with it. It's an awesome car you've got, I'm sure once these issues are addressed you'll be back to euphoria. SRT has a history of treating owners the way you'd wish all companies treated customers, so hopefully they'll live up to their strong reputation.

 

[kratedisease]

Mr PeerBlock, can you kindly explain what " Whether or not I have a degree in a given industry depends on the conversation we are having" means ???

Thank you in advance for your kind response.

Kratedisease

 

[kratedisease]

Yup, it looks like the correct answer to this issue was #3 which was ....

3) The crack smoking fat slob who married the local stripper who works on the assembly line forgot to finish attaching the last air duct hose pieces on your car,

I knew it ....

 

[kratedisease]

You have to realize that the Viper is hand built. That means human hands make mistakes sometimes, unlike computer programed machine robot assembly.... unless a human did not program or calibrate an assembly/robot machine correctly......... like the front end alignment machine.....Oooops !!

 

[ViperSmith]

Nasty, what other issues are you having?

Perhaps it is worth starting another thread to catalog any issues everyone is having as other owners may have the same.

 

[NastyGTS]

Nasty, what other issues are you having?

Perhaps it is worth starting another thread to catalog any issues everyone is having as other owners may have the same.

SRT has sent out new door modules for the ghost door issue ( opens itself at random times after washing car) This has not happened since the initial problem; but they want to be on the safe side.

Steering Alignment is off; the stryker logo is pointed at the 1:00-2:00 position when driving straight

Windows are indexed correctly; but rarely does not return up when door is shut. you must manually push the window button up.

Driver side rear quarter panel; where the deck lid meets at the apex; was chipped and a blob of white touch up paint was put on.

DTC - P0801 reverse gear lockout short or malfunction

Passenger side mirror has a square area that is just primer......its an ash grey color ( appx 2 in X 2 in)

The rear brake duct issue

Chrysler reps/SRT/ and the dealership seem to be working rather quickly to resolve these issues

I am meeting with the dealership next week so they can visually see everything and do their thing.

 

[DMan]

SRT has sent out new door modules for the ghost door issue ( opens itself at random times after washing car) This has not happened since the initial problem; but they want to be on the safe side.

Steering Alignment is off; the stryker logo is pointed at the 1:00-2:00 position when driving straight

Windows are indexed correctly; but rarely does not return up when door is shut. you must manually push the window button up.

Driver side rear quarter panel; where the deck lid meets at the apex; was chipped and a blob of white touch up paint was put on.

DTC - P0801 reverse gear lockout short or malfunction

Passenger side mirror has a square area that is just primer......its an ash grey color ( appx 2 in X 2 in)

The rear brake duct issue

Chrysler reps/SRT/ and the dealership seem to be working rather quickly to resolve these issues

I am meeting with the dealership next week so they can visually see everything and do their thing.

Geesh. That's a list. Now I remember the ghost door thing. Good luck again. Just no excuse for all that. Hand built & humant error, but I think you're right, must've been 4:59 on Friday when it went thru QA. What a shame, but nothing they can make perfect if they step up. Sorry you have to deal with it though.

 

[kratedisease]

SRT has sent out new door modules for the ghost door issue ( opens itself at random times after washing car) This has not happened since the initial problem; but they want to be on the safe side.

Steering Alignment is off; the stryker logo is pointed at the 1:00-2:00 position when driving straight

Windows are indexed correctly; but rarely does not return up when door is shut. you must manually push the window button up.

Driver side rear quarter panel; where the deck lid meets at the apex; was chipped and a blob of white touch up paint was put on.

DTC - P0801 reverse gear lockout short or malfunction

Passenger side mirror has a square area that is just primer......its an ash grey color ( appx 2 in X 2 in)

The rear brake duct issue

Chrysler reps/SRT/ and the dealership seem to be working rather quickly to resolve these issues

I am meeting with the dealership next week so they can visually see everything and do their thing.

Quite a few problems BUT possibly understandable for a new car initial production....BUT where the heck is the Final inspector whos job is to sign off that the car passed inspection ??? Thats where the true responsibility lies.

The touch up on the rear could have been done by some one at the dealership who scratched the car.

BUT JUST PRIMER two inches by two inches by the mirror ??? W-T-F ?? that is absolutely a factory assembly issue..... and if YOU can see it then the final inspector would see it.....

 

[NastyGTS]

Quite a few problems BUT possibly understandable for a new car initial production....BUT where the heck is the Final inspector who's job is to sign off that the car passed inspection ??? Thats where the true responsibility lies. EXACTLY

The touch up on the rear could have been done by some one at the dealership who scratched the car. I arrived within 15 minutes of the unloading. I noticed this spot while looking it over and it seemed "cured" (not wet). Ive bought several business; personal vehicles from this dealership. They have always been standup guys when there's a problem. Id say its a very slim chance this happened after the delivery.

BUT JUST PRIMER two inches by two inches by the mirror ??? W-T-F ?? that is absolutely a factory assembly issue..... and if YOU can see it then the final inspector would see it.....

I agree; If I can notice this stuff is piss poor lighting, surely its visible in the Final Inspection area. Im not trying to bash SRT, everything can be fixed. My problem is I paid good hard earned money for this product and this is becoming very unacceptable. Not just this car, but any vehicle; if it had listed on the window sticker XXXX defects may or may not be present I would not gripe once. Its the fact I purchased a vehicle that should be "perfect" from the start

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[kratedisease]

Funny ( actually NOT) But I had a similar experience with my VW EOS convertible.

I bought it " new" with 50 miles. I figured 50 demo miles...

I bought it from a dealer unseen ( over the internet). $10,000 off sticker . Told it was a Three year old unsold LEFT OVER.

Well untold to me was the fact the car was a friggin " mechaincs training car"...... that means that VW used the car at their training facility in Michigan (headquarters) be used for training service mechanics. So when I got it it was 20X worse than what you describe.

My service writer, after calling corporate VW and mentioning/complaining to them that the car came off the line with such major issues, was the one that told me that VW reluctantly admitted that they had the car in Michigan and used it to train mechanics.. Frinkin UNBELIEVABLE!!

Dealer AND VW CORPORATE knew this all along form the get go ,yet just had the car put back together and sold as "new"

I had full warranty and all was fixed ( I hope so far, fingers crossed) , but the car was in the shop the first two years for at least 6 months in total to sort out all the problems.

I was so angry. Just like you, hoses not put in the right place, pieces falling off, screws missing, when I went for an oil change , the guys showed me a rag that was left inside behind the screwed in engine plate. Wiring connected wrong, alignment way off, right window indexing only sometimes, burnt out dash display replaced, radio replaced 4 times due to faulty wiring , convertible top motor blown within 5000 miles, roof leaking like a faucet, and even some minor trim parts missing.....The friggin list goes on and on....

I only paid $27,000 for the car so I finally let it go, BUT for VW corporate to pull a stunt like that and sell the car as a left over NEW car on Cert of Origin ?

I thought Sealerships were low lives... I now found out manufactures are also


This experience has Nothing to do with your VIPER but just wanted to share me understanding your frustration.

 

[ViperSmith]

Look at the bright side, at least they are cosmetic issues for the most part and seemingly trivial to fix! Thank God they aren't powertrain issues.

But, I'd have probably lost my **** if I were you and was having that many minor issues. This isn't some $20,000 appliance car, there shouldn't be these issues.

Did your car just not get QA'd? I don't see how THAT many problems could have occurred. (I'd also assume the terrible touch up paint issue was dealerside)

I also had code P0801 thrown but it disappeared after two days

 

[PeerBlock]

AND there we have it...... Mine are definitely not correct. I am on my way to snap some photos now. So.....how does this leave the factory like this?

The first rear brake outlet parts we made were far heavier than planned. Also, we did testing with and without the outlet and found there was only a minimal difference the outlet piece added. So in the end we deleted them from the 2013 Model Year.

Note the bolded part from SRT's response. Unless you have a 2014 model, your rear brake ducts are correct - and they look the same as mine do. I agree that SRT could have done better here - the tube should have extended through the fairing at least 1/2 an inch or so.

 

[NastyGTS]

Peer.....notice the srt post has been edited since the inital post with image.

 

[kratedisease]

You paid a HELL of a LOT of MONEY !! you deserve better. At least SRT answered your post.... better to know than to assume all is OK.

 

[PeerBlock]

Peer.....notice the srt post has been edited since the inital post with image.

I noticed that but I do not know which part he edited. All I'm saying is that your brake ducts are fine based on what he said and that mine are the same way.

 

[Capt Van]

Thank you for your post.

I have a 14 GTS on order, are you saying that I will defiantly have this duct work?

Below is a quick primer on the brake ducts and a clarification of the earlier post - Ralph was correct at the time he made that video. We were originally planning on using the inlets on the roof for cooling to the differential. The roof air inlets are an interesting functional styling element and we wanted to put them to good use. As we went through development, we made a change with the ducts and diverted them to the rear brakes (air cooling for the differential is drawn from under the car with an inlet on the belly pan). The first rear brake outlet parts we made were far heavier than planned. Also, we did testing with and without the outlet and found there was only a minimal difference the outlet piece added. So in the end we deleted them from the 2013 Model Year. If you'll notice in the front of your Viper, the brake duct outlet is not very close to your brakes either but it provides a definite improvement of brake cooling (Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners will attest to this). For the 2014 Model Year cars we will be introducing the outlet into the car like the graphic shows. The part has been improved to reduce weight and the addition of the outlet will insure that the duct hoses are correctly positioned. The bottom line is that the Viper has very large rear brakes and keeping them cool has not been an issue. As with almost every car, the front brakes are the elements that need lots of air flow. Make sure they are always free from debris or blockage, and make sure your brake system has good brake fluid and is in proper order before going to the track!

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[DMan]

Below is a quick primer on the brake ducts and a clarification of the earlier post - Ralph was correct at the time he made that video. We were originally planning on using the inlets on the roof for cooling to the differential. The roof air inlets are an interesting functional styling element and we wanted to put them to good use. As we went through development, we made a change with the ducts and diverted them to the rear brakes (air cooling for the differential is drawn from under the car with an inlet on the belly pan). The first rear brake outlet parts we made were far heavier than planned. Also, we did testing with and without the outlet and found there was only a minimal difference the outlet piece added. So in the end we deleted them from the 2013 Model Year. If you'll notice in the front of your Viper, the brake duct outlet is not very close to your brakes either but it provides a definite improvement of brake cooling (Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners will attest to this). For the 2014 Model Year cars we will be introducing the outlet into the car like the graphic shows. The part has been improved to reduce weight and the addition of the outlet will insure that the duct hoses are correctly positioned. The bottom line is that the Viper has very large rear brakes and keeping them cool has not been an issue. As with almost every car, the front brakes are the elements that need lots of air flow. Make sure they are always free from debris or blockage, and make sure your brake system has good brake fluid and is in proper order before going to the track!

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Interesting, thanks for clarifying, I admit I was having a hard time believing Ralph made a mistake when saying these we're diff. coolers, now hearing the design changed, makes sense. Gotta love it when we're all correct .. especially the CEO.

 

[Capt Van]

Thank you for your post.

I have a 14 GTS on order, are you saying that I will definitely have this duct work?

Sorry for the misspelling

 

[HogWhisperer]

Had the car on a lift today changing break-in oil and pretty much saw the same thing NastyGTS did regarding the rear brake ducts. Driver side rear brake duct was nowhere near over the hole, passenger side was fine and didn't feel like it was going anywhere. No problem, redneck fixes are easy with a drill and a tie wrap.

Before redneck fix:

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After redneck fix:

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Pretty easy fix I thought....

 

[NastyGTS]

Just noticed your post on the other forum. What did your dealer say about it? Glad you finally opened her up!

 

[HogWhisperer]

I didn't say anything to them as I didn't think it necessary. It was such an easy fix and I didn't want it turning into a big deal between them, SRT, and Chrysler. I think the reason the passenger side duct is secure is that there is some sort of metal structure that holds it in place. Couldn't tell if the structure was there for the duct or something else but regardless of that, the duct wasn't going anywhere so there was no need to mess with it. Like you, I was a little surprised that the car would make it out of the plant like that but if that is the biggest miscue in assembly and QA, I will be happy.

 

[sambo32]

Are the 2014 brake ducts available, and will they bolt up to the 2013 without any modification.

 

[DingDong]

sambo,

The 2013 and 2014 have the same ducting.

It's actually a 3" silicone style flexhose that's inside the cabin above each fender well (but covered by carpet) on each side. It's also the cause of a wind-whistle at 55 MPH (and up) in my car. Major over site on SRTs part. More insulation and better sealing would have gone a long way on this design.

 

[jdg1428]

SAMBO, the 2014 brake ducts are what you see in the diagram. They finally got it all figure out and the hose is connect on the underside of the car almost as the diagram shows.

Dingdong, I thought this design whould make noise in the cabin just never rode in one pass 10 mph. The 2014 have some sound deadner or insulation in the sail part of the roof to help. Its still not enough imho.

 

[sambo32]

The small piece that comes out of the wheel well that directs the air flow is the part that comes on the 14 model, can they be fitted to the 13's

 

[Jack B]

This is old news, the 2013 has a fabric hose that ends at a chassis opening on the top/side of the wheelwell. The early 2013 had the hose loose or dangling. Like others I fastened the hoses with a tie wrap, it works fine. The 2104 actually has a termination coupling that locks the hose in place.

Have any of you guys actually traced the ducting on the bottom side?

I was walking past the car this afternoon and thought " I want to see if the pieces are similar to the c5/c6 ducting"

I was surprised.


The passenger rear looks like a cotton material hose that is just dangling in the frame. Nothing pointing into the rotor area.

The driver side.... I found the hole in the frame......but cannot locate the hose. ( car is not on a lift.)

I am going to look a little further this evening and also examine the front.

Maybe this is the way SRT designed the plumbing but I do not see how this is even beneficial

Anyone else?

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

I find that the "finishers" have part numbers 5043042AB and 3AB. It shows that there are 1 of each available, but since they are not yet priced I', not sure if I order them they would actually come or not. They can be installed on the 2013 cars though no problem.