How valuable are you to DC? Getting shafted I says. VALVE ISSUE.

knuk

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Viperzilla, what do you mean screw up the 04 holders?? There is no certificate program for the 2004 cars. I guess if you sunk the cash into one of these cars you might understand, but in your case it's easy to sit on the sidelines and spout off. :smirk:
 

Y2K5SRT

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I have been watching this with interest and think that many forget that this is not the first time there has been a production "glitch" on the Viper. Do I have one of the affected SRT's? Nope. Do I care about the issue? Yep. Do I think that the affected owners are being treated fairly? Yes.

Let's go back to the last time the Viper had a production problem with the motor. The year was 1999 and the very first 2000 model year Vipers were rolling off the line. You will remember that this was the first year of the "creampuff" Viper with the mild cam, cast pistons, etc. Well that wasn't the only change: DC had experimented with an ultra-hard cylinder sleeve made from compressed powdered metal. Yep, POWDERED metal like cocoa mix. Only this was compressed at something like 600,000 pounds per square inch, resulting in a cylinder sleeve which should last 500,000 miles. It also allowed for tighter tolerances on the rings, as the new sleeves would not flex as much.

So, the cars were delivered and some of the new owners noticed a problem after break-in. Likewise, some of the long-term test cars in Detroit were also having similar problems: Oil burning. This problem continued for many months with very few people getting a "fix". The problem was not officially acknowledged by Dodge AT ALL. Yet these brand-new Vipers were burning oil at an alarming rate. I know, because I had one of them. How much oil was it burning? On average, one quart every 350 miles. Hell, I didn't need to change my oil - it was getting replaced in total every 3500 miles (but I changed it anyway). My dealer, bless his heart, was working on the back end to try and get it figured out. DC was silent. Well, in late spring of 2000 DC quietly acknowledged that there was a "minor problem which affected some cars". No letter, no recall, and no post on these boards. Just a call from my dealer saying that there might have been a problem with the way my engine was built.

In the summmer of 2000 I was asked if I wanted a replacment motor or a rebuild. Either way my car would be out of commission for at least two months. I was not offered a rental car, a voucher, or even an apology (other than from my dealer, Woodhouse Dodge). I decided to wait on the work as I desperately wanted to bring my car to VOI 6 in St. Louis. It burned two quarts on the way there - in about 300 miles. A few weeks later Woodhouse took care of me and met me part way with an enclosed trailer. The car would be gone for a little over two months. No rental car, no voucher, no letter, no apology, and still making payments on the car along with insurance, tags, etc. (I figure about $3,000 towards a car I didn't even have in my garage). Oh, and at VOI 6 DC acknowledged that the experimental cylinder sleeves had been discontinued after the first 200 cars or so. Not all were burning oil, but many, many cars ended up with Arrow rebuilds or new motors.

So, fast forward three years later and another engine-related manufacturing problem arises. DC acknowledges it IMMEDIATELY. DC offers to repair the cars as quickly as possible. DC offers a rental car for the short time the car will be down (less than a week). DC offers a $300 voucher for the hassle. And DC apologizes profusely. With all due respect folks, I think this is as good as it gets and I only wish that Viper owners were treated half as well back in 2000. The Mercedes analogy is poor, as it was a retrofit that could not be done (unlike the valves) on a mass-production car (not limited like the Viper). And like it or not, Mercedes has a quality image to protect whereas Dodge does not: Many people wrongly assume that Dodge isn't that great a build anyway.

The bottom line is that Craig has a very legitimate gripe. However it has NOTHING to do with the recall, as neither he or his family are affected by it in the slightest. It appears to me that Craig and his family were screwed out of at least one, if not two SRT-10's. The valves have nothing to do with it. Craig, I love ya man! But your issue is another one entirely. I would love to see a post on THAT one sometime so that we can get rightfully indignant about the way you are being treated by DC. The valve issue isn't it.

Chris

PS. Ask the early Z06 owners what Chevy did for them when they were burning oil. Answer? I believe not a thing unless they took them to court.
 

luc

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Chris,

It is not because DC is dealing with this problem a little beter than with the liner issue that they are doing it corectly.

A little better than bad is still not good.

That said, if you car was using 1qt evey 350 miles,DC could not have denied that the engine was defective since by the car manufacturers own VERY relax oil consumption guidelines,anything a more than 1 quart per 800/1000 miles is considered to be a big problem (may be would not even pass a smog test)
You could have used the Lemon law and get reimbursed for rentals,lease,etc.
 

Y2K5SRT

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It is not because DC is dealing with this problem a little beter than with the liner issue that they are doing it corectly.

A little better than bad is still not good.

That said, if you car was using 1qt evey 350 miles,DC could not have denied that the engine was defective since by the car manufacturers own VERY relax oil consumption guidelines,anything a more than 1 quart per 800/1000 miles is considered to be a big problem (may be would not even pass a smog test)
You could have used the Lemon law and get reimbursed for rentals,lease,etc.

I believe a few tried unsuccessfully. And nobody made a huge deal out of it on these forums because it was generally out of their control. You dealt with it as best you could and hoped your Viper ownership experience improved after that. There are a large number of Arrow-powered 2000 Vipers out there and it has not affected their value at all.

The SRT-10 issue, besides the callous letters, is being handled as well as any recall I have seen for any brand. NOBODY likes a recall, but what more do you want? A new car is impractical when the problem can be fixed with relative ease. There is no safety issue (unlike recalls 998 & 999) and DC seems to be trying to make up for the problem through additional compensation, minimal as it is. My guess is that they are only obligated to fix the problem and nothing more. While upset that the problem ever occurred to begin with, I would be happy that they have taken the steps they have. I see no downside other than trying to find a competent dealership to do the work. The Mercedes analogy is flawed for the reasons I stated above: There was no "fix" available for the cars in question and the large number of available replacement vehicles made it an easier decision. Plus it gives Mercedes that "touch of class" impression that Dodge never really had to begin with. I simply don't know what else you could ask for, other than a possible Arrow rebuild. And I don't see why that would be any better in this case.

Chris
 

knuk

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Y2K3SRT, we have not been offered a new motor like you were. Many of us don't care about the gift cert., the rental or the promise of a quick fix - I have had my car since March and it has yet to be repaired - real quick fix. In fact if you have been following this, like you say, you would have noticed that the majority of us would gladly give up the rental and gift cert for a new motor, or at least to have the motor sent back for a proper repair. Also, where and when did DC apoligize to me profusely?? Did I miss it??
 
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Craig 201 MPH

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Y2K3SRT, we have not been offered a new motor like you were. Many of us don't care about the gift cert., the rental or the promise of a quick fix - I have had my car since March and it has yet to be repaired - real quick fix. In fact if you have been following this, like you say, you would have noticed that the majority of us would gladly give up the rental and gift cert for a new motor, or at least to have the motor sent back for a proper repair. Also, where and when did DC apoligize to me profusely?? Did I miss it??

They didn't apologize, the contracted company did. :rolleyes:
 

Viperfreak2

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$1.1 billion is more than the entire investment in the VGX program (including the factory!) The guys at the top have thier plates full with other 'issues'. The Viper is not a high priority when losing that kinda money. No one outside our circle knows about the valve issue. If they do, they read it and decided only 200 affected cars was trivial. What people don't think about is the percentage of affected Viper onwers. 200 out of 1500 first year cars (13%) vs. 2000 out of 50,000 E-class first year cars (4%). DC probably only sees the $ involved. 200 Vipers x $85,000 ($17 million) vs. 2000 E-class x $50,000 ($100 million). As well as the Ram trucks are selling (profit maker) you have to wonder which products are losing so much money for the company. The Mercedes division is obviously making a huge profit, so logically, that's the reason for the differences in how each situation was handled. IMHO (again, counts for nil unless it gives a perspective you haven't yet considered)
 

Viperzilla

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Viperzilla, what do you mean screw up the 04 holders?? There is no certificate program for the 2004 cars. I guess if you sunk the cash into one of these cars you might understand, but in your case it's easy to sit on the sidelines and spout off.
To address these issues in order-
1. I know that there isn't a cert program for '04. But the 200 '03 SRT owners would probably want the first 200 '04s of the line. And those who got in line first with down payments (considered '04 SRT holders in my book) would be put off, they would start b!tching and moaning because Dodge isn't respecting their business. That's the only point I tried to make with that. I thought I explained that pretty good, but I guess I didn't.

2. Unfotunatly, I don't have the cash to put into those cars. Boy, would I love to though. I've been dreaming of owning a Viper for over 2 years now. I've been to numerous VCA events in the VA/MD region. Everyone I've met have been very respectable and respective towards me. Like my dad even said about the Club, "everyone is just very polite. They go out of their way to help each other. It's a great community to be in." I've seen first hand how friendly VCA members have been, especially when Ron Hickey (Va/Md pres) drove from VA to MD (~2 hour drive) to help get a friend of mine Viper started, then Ron drove back to VA, only to get up early the next morning to drive back to MD to attend the Crab Feast. That's a big part of the reasons for me to becoma a Viper owner, is the comraderie. So I don't like you "spouting off" about how I haven't spent my money on these cars. I'm only up to $1,500 since I started my summer job, and I went down to $0 in my bank when I was in college last year.

3. I know, and admitted, that I don't understand what the SRT valve guys are going through. I'm not in their position, so I don't put myself there; it's unfortunate that they are. I'm just trying to help some realize that all new cars would not be reasonable, IMO. I can understand wanting/asking for new engines, which I said before. I'm not trying to sit on the sidelines and "coach" these guys. I wasn't spouting off in the first place. I was giving a note, and a personal view, in a calm manner.

Even though I don't own a Viper, doesn't give you the right to say everything I said is irrelevant. :smirk: All I tried to do is help those in the situation similar to yours see what may or may not be reasonable for Dodge to do as an action.
 

slaughterj

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Again, is there a way that the 200 of us affected owners can get together and make a stand against D/C. Apparently, those that are not effected or do not have an SRT do NOT CARE!!!! I personally, will be writing to the auto mags. Not that it will do any good, but at least I will be proactivie instead of passive.

As a Viper owner and attorney, I have had fairly minimal contact from owners on this matter, which suggests to me that many feel that the nature of this issue and its resolution is easier to **** up rather than pursue... That doesn't mean they like it, it just seems that they'd rather not fight a quite difficult fight, having weighed it all out for themselves.
 

kverges

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aspviper (I really hate "handles"): If it were your money and your product with incompletely machined valves that reduce power by about 5%, would you replace the entire engine?

Seems like a waste to me. What happens to the replaced engines? Do you think the risk of damage to the car or down time is less R&R'ing the heads or the entire engine?

And get more articulate with your insults. Something like this might be more fun:


I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are.

I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid, sostupid it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid. Your writing has to be a troll. Nothing in our universe can really be this stupid. Perhaps this is some primordial fragment from the original big bang of stupid. Some pure essence of a stupid so uncontaminated by anything else as to be beyond the laws of physics that we know.

I'm sorry. I can't go on. This is an epiphany of stupid for me.

After this, you may not hear from me again for a while. I don't have enough strength left to deride your ignorant questions and half baked comments about unimportant trivia, or any of the rest of this drivel. Duh. The only thing worse than your logic is your manners. I have snipped away most of what you wrote, because, well... it didn't really say anything.
 
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Craig 201 MPH

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The bottom line is that Craig has a very legitimate gripe. However it has NOTHING to do with the recall, as neither he or his family are affected by it in the slightest. It appears to me that Craig and his family were screwed out of at least one, if not two SRT-10's. The valves have nothing to do with it. Craig, I love ya man! But your issue is another one entirely. I would love to see a post on THAT one sometime so that we can get rightfully indignant about the way you are being treated by DC. The valve issue isn't it.

Chris

PS. Ask the early Z06 owners what Chevy did for them when they were burning oil. Answer? I believe not a thing unless they took them to court.

You got me mostly figured out. Partly my motivation for going to the effort to post this was driven by the fact that apparently our order has been cancelled/delayed and we havn't heard a thing from Dodge or anything. 1 of our 2 SRT-10 orders appeared on our deralers computer for a week then it disappeared. Has it been re-allocated? Damned if I know. At this point I'd rather us get 2004 cars and not have to take the hit of depreciation with zero miles on the car. Another part of my motivation was for the guys like aspviper who are extremely pi$$ed at how the valve issue was handled. Not everyone has access to a great Viper mechanic and would never want anyone short of a factory trained tech near the car, I don't think it's out of line to expect that your car be picked up and shipped back to DC to at the very least have factory people do the repair, I wouldn't want just an average tech touching my 83K car (125K here) at all. My whole point was to illustrate the difference in how owners are treated when the different divisions are compared. Being under the same family tree I think comparing how the issues were handled is justified.
 

Milksnake

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Craig, I am glad that you understand the real issue - finding a competent tech to work on the car. Also, your point was well taken taken in showing the difference in which the owners from different divisions are treated. However, after reading the posting by kverges it explains why D/C feels that they can treat the Viper owners the way they do. Kverges comments were rude and out of line - if he is the "usual" Viper owner it is no wonder we are being ignored and treated cheaply. Although, many of us have given D/C close to $150,000 or so (buying 2 or 3 Vipers) we will not be given the respect or class we deserve as long as there are rude, classless people (who do own Vipers) spouting off for the world to see.
 

RS27J9A

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If you know a dealer well talk to him. DCX does not have a volume product that the market wants. They are screaming for product but nothing is in the pipe.
Now talk to a used car dealer and ask about DCX cars. They are the quickest depreciating vehicles made by a NA manufacturer.
Maybe it is local to my area but their cars consistantly bring 20% less than a GM car at the dealer auctions. This company is in big trouble.
I think their treatment of SRT owners on this issue is a kick in the family's. The new Viper SRT is the flagship of Chrysler. The Viper model has done more to restore interest an enthusiasm to a company that made its hay with a minivan. The reception of most non-DCX customers that I have talked to concerning this valve issue and the remedy is one of shock and amazement.
So DCX if you are reading this wake up and smell the roses.
How many DCX coffee mugs can you buy with $300? Oh never mind the car doesn't have any cupholders. I'll take the $300 tissue dispenser. :D
 

Mike Brunton

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aspviper,

Last time I heard this much whining was when I was in a maternity ward. Congrats - you've raised the bar.

You not only are pissed about your car being "broken", but you are flaming everyone who doesn't agree with you? YOU are *exactly* the reason that DC doesn't offer up more compensation - because they know with people around who act the way you do, they will never be able to put the issue behind them. If they offered a new engine you'd want a new car. If they offered a new car you'd want it at invoice. If you got it for invoice you'd want it for cost. If your concern is resale, how is a non-numbers matching engine better than one with a repair? Valves aren't like the crankshaft - they pull your heads, R&R the valves, and that's that.

Do you really feel that a new car should not have work done to it, lest it be rendeded less valuable? My GTS needed the door opened to fix a window motor when it had about 50 miles on it - that makes it less valuable? What about Vipers that need frame recalls? Or ACR's with rattling shocks?

Cars aren't perfect - you need to accept that.

Crying on this forum isn't going to get you anywhere. You have two options. First is grin and bear it - get your car fixed and deal with it. Second is to take legal action against DC. You keep saying "Can't we do something".... CAN'T YOU? 200 cars affected. Maybe 10 affected on this site? Probably half don't care about it too much - why should anyone ELSE take point on this? Did you call DC and get the name of the guy to talk to? Did you send a certified letter asking for compensation? Did you talk to a lawyer? Why not? Why are you waiting for someone ELSE to do it all for you? It's you that are upset, so you need to do something about it.

I can tell you one thing - no amount of whining on this forum is going to get a different decision out of DC.
 

Lee00blacksilverGTS

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One small point, as a Corvette collector who goes way back, there are some historical comparisons for value that should give those in this situation comfort. The Corvette collector hobby is ridiculously FAMOUS for originality equals value and matching numbers rule. There were 20 L-88's made in in 1967, according to Autoweek one sold last month for $750,000. Believe me, most of those L-88 were rebuilt by dealers under warranty after, ahem, being abused at the drag strip. Most of their internals are not original. It has NOT affected their resale one bit. The reason being, they still have their ORIGINAL MATCHING NUMBERS ENGINES. Those who worry about resale and also demand a new engine have NOT looked at history in terms of value/originality. Actually according to the whims of the collector market the rebuilt SRTs may establish a reputation as being the strongest of the 2003's. As long as they have their original numbers matching engines. I can remember when the first news about the oil burning 2000's came out as Chris mentioned, I was not affected...but my first concern based on what I knew about collectibility would have been to retain my matching number status. If it were me, I would want my original matching numbers motor brought up to spec. by DC, not a new motor. Better for resale/originality, better for downtime, and better for making a few internal mods while the engine is apart at DC's cost.
 

knuk

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Mike,
The answer to ALL of the questions, except the certified letter, is yes. I am not sure what the certified letter would do for me. Also, I have asked for a new motor - NOT a new car.

Kverges, you are not worth my time. You are the reason for abortion. ;)
 

kverges

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K Laxson just finished my valves and I'll report subjective feelings and dyno numbers when I have them.

aspy - compliments will get you nowhere
 

Viperzilla

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My GTS needed the door opened to fix a window motor when it had about 50 miles on it - that makes it less valuable?
Mike,
The answer to ALL of the questions, except the certified letter, is yes.
asp, I'm not trying to pick a fight, but this is one I spotted right off the post, to which you claimed you answered yes. So a Viper with a blown window motor is more valuable than one with a functioning one just so the door isn't opened?
 

knuk

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Sorry I never meant to answer yes to that one. I just care about getting my car repaired properly - not get into a ******* match. Sorry if I offended anyone - even you kverges.
 

Janni

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What makes anyone think that they cannot get their car repaired properly? Have you called Viper Headquarters to see what arrangements they can make to have your car shipped to a competent dealer? (Are they handling Canada? I hope so.)

Viper HQ has made arrangements for cars to be shipped fairly long distances to make customers feel assured that their cars would be fixed properly. Tom Sessions has had a few long distance repairs, and is right now travelling to Florida to do valve replacements, 998 / 999 recalls.

Can you please let us know what was told to you that you are unhappy about or what arrangements were offered? There ARE competent tech's out there that can do this job right - it seems to me the only thing missing is that ability to get your car to them.
 

knuk

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I was told by the Canadian DC rep, who is taking care of the situation, that a valve job is a valve job and that any tech can do it. I told her I was concerned because when I left my rt/10 at the dealer for some repair work it came back to me COVERED in yellow shop dust. When they open up the motor on my SRT how will they prevent this dust from entering the motor?
She then called back to say that I should take my car out to Vancouver to a dealer who could do the repair. When I asked why she recomended that dealership she simply said "because they told me they can do a valve job".
When the parts arrive I will take it to a completely different dealership than listed above - I have spoken to the guy and he has listened to my concern.
 

Viperzilla

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When I asked why she recomended that dealership she simply said "because they told me they can do a valve job".
Well, what if I told you I could change the plugs, or air filter; doesn't mean I can do it/have experience on a Viper. I'd be wary of them, which you are doing. But I can also tell you I can drive a Viper and cheuffer you if you'd like, I have had a couple experiences like that.
 

luv2race2

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I believe this valve issue is like any other recall...seat belt, drive train, squeaky bushing, ball joint... get it fixed and have fun in your car!! Other than the valve issue, Dodge has dobe one hell of job on an American made hot rod.

I have over 5600 miles on it, I installed the Autoform bar 2 weeks ago, ran all day at Thunderhill Raceway in California and boy WHAT a car!!! For all you drivers who are keeping it in the garage to appreciate in value, you are missing what the car was made for. A good AC/DC toon while your @ 135 MPH top down on a race track...It was an absolute blast! And the brakes, nothing short of Nascar style. 2 other Vipers owners were there to try the car out and raved as well. Using the car for what is was made for!!!

Stop bitchin, get the car fixed and have a damn good time! Remember your halfway thru summer already!
 

knuk

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Would love to get the car fixed but the parts are not available.
 

don527

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On the rx8forum.com there is an issue where the RX-8 is not meeting it's inital claimed hp figures and below is a link to a letter that Mazda has sent to all current RX-8 owners to their remedy.

http://rx8forum.com/attachment.php?s=5642a439561ecb9548bfee3bbc59ceea&postid=104717

It basically says they've concluded after testing they underestimated hp figures by 9 hp and will give you the option of buying back your car or free service maintenance for the life of the warranty and $500 debit card. Nothing wrong with the car or general performance and they offer to buy it back! Kudos to Mazda!

I check out all types of forums and everyone has or had their share of issues and the manufacturers deal with it the best (for them... worst for us) way they can... Vettes with oil consumption, Cobras (too many issues to mention), M3 with engine issues, etc. I thought the Benz solution has been the best but not surprised because you can see it happening from a MB and the price you pay for a Benzo. But for Mazda to step up to the plate and offer a buyback to those basically unhappy with being shorted 9hp shows what a company can do if they want to.

Don
 

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