Matt M PA
Enthusiast
As a three time Viper owner, and long time Chrysler car enthusiast, I am disappointed in not only the manner in which a legitimate concern was handled, but the lack of quality that you accept from certain suppliers.
I had some black and orange stains in various places on the wheels of my 2000 GTS. It was suggested by my selling dealer, that I go to a local dealer to have this taken care of.
Upon inspection of my wheels at Jarrett Dodge, it was decided by the dealership’s personnel, that the marks found on the wheels were indeed unacceptable. However, they wanted a Representative to see the wheels for a final approval. Over a month passed before I met with the Representative. At that time he wanted to see some other Vipers before making a decision. After another couple months, I contacted Jarrett again, and they contacted the Representative. He wanted to see my car again. I met with him again. This time, he agreed to replace all 4 wheels.
Four new wheels arrived at Jarrett Dodge. Two were damaged in transit. Two more were ordered. These two new wheels were not much better than my originals. Jarrett personnel agreed that this quality was not acceptable and wanted to contact the Representative again on my behalf.
As the seventh month for this ordeal arrived, I contacted Jarrett. No word from the Representative. I contacted Bob Woodhouse to see if he could get to the bottom of this. Mr. Woodhouse was kind enough to contact someone at Daimler-Chrysler. The final word was that wheels are graded on 3 scales. Grade 1 is the face. Grade 2, the lug holes. Grade 3, the back. Any type of discoloration or staining is acceptable in areas 2 & 3. But not on the face. They added that engineering says the black stains are polishing compound under the clearcoat. This too is acceptable, since it is not on the face of the wheel. Both the lug holes and back side of the rim are clearly visible on a Viper, making these marks obvious from the front side. This is "acceptable" on a $1100 wheel?
Upon hearing of Daimler-Chrysler’s final decision, I went back to Jarrett and picked out the best four of the six that came in. While these wheels are indeed much better than what was on the car before, I still think that the quality is lacking. How much more could it cost to properly clean the inside of the rim before applying the clearcoat? Every aftermarket wheel company does this. Let’s remember that these wheels retail in the range of $1100 each. (My 2000 Maxima SE’s wheels are even finished on the backsides. Nissan must have realized that this part of the wheel was visible once the wheel was installed.)
The Viper’s wheels are made by "Prime". At the local mag shop, a Prime wheel supplied for the aftermarket is finished all the way through, at about a tenth of the cost of a Viper wheel.
In the end, I understand that Daimler-Chrysler can really do little else for me, as they equip new Vipers with the same wheels as they have supplied to me. However, I think it is sad that Daimler-Chrysler does not demand better finish quality for the Viper’s wheels. And, obviously, Prime is capable.
To be fair, Daimler-Chrysler has taken care of any other issues I have had in the past with my Vipers.
Woodhouse Dodge and Jarrett Dodge have done all they can, and I am thankful for their help. They are absolute professionals, and I am glad to have their help. None of this in any way, reflects upon these dealers, and their exceptional staffs.
If memory serves me, the Viper is the costliest stock production car made in America. Daimler-Chrysler needs to understand that when people are paying $80,000 or more for their flagship car…they have the obligation to make sure that any issue, repeat, any issue, is taken care of.
I had some black and orange stains in various places on the wheels of my 2000 GTS. It was suggested by my selling dealer, that I go to a local dealer to have this taken care of.
Upon inspection of my wheels at Jarrett Dodge, it was decided by the dealership’s personnel, that the marks found on the wheels were indeed unacceptable. However, they wanted a Representative to see the wheels for a final approval. Over a month passed before I met with the Representative. At that time he wanted to see some other Vipers before making a decision. After another couple months, I contacted Jarrett again, and they contacted the Representative. He wanted to see my car again. I met with him again. This time, he agreed to replace all 4 wheels.
Four new wheels arrived at Jarrett Dodge. Two were damaged in transit. Two more were ordered. These two new wheels were not much better than my originals. Jarrett personnel agreed that this quality was not acceptable and wanted to contact the Representative again on my behalf.
As the seventh month for this ordeal arrived, I contacted Jarrett. No word from the Representative. I contacted Bob Woodhouse to see if he could get to the bottom of this. Mr. Woodhouse was kind enough to contact someone at Daimler-Chrysler. The final word was that wheels are graded on 3 scales. Grade 1 is the face. Grade 2, the lug holes. Grade 3, the back. Any type of discoloration or staining is acceptable in areas 2 & 3. But not on the face. They added that engineering says the black stains are polishing compound under the clearcoat. This too is acceptable, since it is not on the face of the wheel. Both the lug holes and back side of the rim are clearly visible on a Viper, making these marks obvious from the front side. This is "acceptable" on a $1100 wheel?
Upon hearing of Daimler-Chrysler’s final decision, I went back to Jarrett and picked out the best four of the six that came in. While these wheels are indeed much better than what was on the car before, I still think that the quality is lacking. How much more could it cost to properly clean the inside of the rim before applying the clearcoat? Every aftermarket wheel company does this. Let’s remember that these wheels retail in the range of $1100 each. (My 2000 Maxima SE’s wheels are even finished on the backsides. Nissan must have realized that this part of the wheel was visible once the wheel was installed.)
The Viper’s wheels are made by "Prime". At the local mag shop, a Prime wheel supplied for the aftermarket is finished all the way through, at about a tenth of the cost of a Viper wheel.
In the end, I understand that Daimler-Chrysler can really do little else for me, as they equip new Vipers with the same wheels as they have supplied to me. However, I think it is sad that Daimler-Chrysler does not demand better finish quality for the Viper’s wheels. And, obviously, Prime is capable.
To be fair, Daimler-Chrysler has taken care of any other issues I have had in the past with my Vipers.
Woodhouse Dodge and Jarrett Dodge have done all they can, and I am thankful for their help. They are absolute professionals, and I am glad to have their help. None of this in any way, reflects upon these dealers, and their exceptional staffs.
If memory serves me, the Viper is the costliest stock production car made in America. Daimler-Chrysler needs to understand that when people are paying $80,000 or more for their flagship car…they have the obligation to make sure that any issue, repeat, any issue, is taken care of.
