Viper Recall #998 and #999 - READ BEFORE YOU GO TO THE DEALER

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Rivets are used on planes and bridges!

The side sill rivet problem is a material compatibility problem which is not an issue with the steel to steel to steel bracket fix.

Our (N.CA. region) solution was to work with a dealership that is focused on service. They (Stevens Creek Dodge) will use rivets and may also weld the front steering bracket.

The dealership has 2 Viper (good) Techs and will use only certified welders.

We scheduled an special inspection session for cars at risk (driven at High Performance driving events NASA, Green Flag, Viper Days, etc. with slicks or Hoosiers.) 1/14 cars had a problem which was likely caused by an off track driving experience.

We know there is a problem and it seems to be a small problem limited to cars driven ******* tracks with non-stock tires.

 

[Janni]

Bumping this back up to the top.

If you have had or are going to have this work done, take the time to read this post. I still have the recall instructions and can post more pics / pages.

Tom Sessions, our Viper Tech, and the Tech inspector for Viper Days, has noticed several cars with problem recall work while doing pre-track inspections.

As we've said before, this is a serious repair and it needs to be done RIGHT. Our region hosted a recall day event, where Tom came to Raleigh and worked at a club members race shop to do the recalls. We supplied a master welder, and most folks "helped" (right, Tom?) on their own cars. I suspect we'll be doing another one and Tom has offered to take his show on the road if enough cars need the work done.

I am very disappointed in the incorrect recalls that have been performed. I fully agree that not every delaer should be allowed to work on Vipers. The scary thing is that these dealers maybe shouldn't be allowed to work on anything. D-C MAY have a warranty fraud situation here, too, as this recall potentially paid a reasonalbe number of hours - and certainly if you billed all you could and only did some of the work, this could be lucrative. I am hoping this fact will push D-C to look into dealers recall work.

At one time, it was discussed that PVO was considering a program like FOrd's SVO Dealer program where only certain (hopefully qualified) dealers could sell and service PVO vehicles. I think these 2 recent instances (and the many more that are out there) are reason enough to pursue this.

Anyway, this just goes to show that 1) we need this club / site for information like this and 2) knowledge is power. Learn about the recall or any service work, for that matter, before you head to the dealer.

OK, sorry, done venting.

 

[KERS-VPR]

There are more than a couple of dealers in the country that can do 999. Frederick Dodge in Hershey, Pa. did mine. They had the special wire req'd for the weld. I wasn't the first one they have done either. Explained to me what they were going to do when the car was up on the lift and when I stopped back to pick it up 4 hrs later it was still on the lift so he could show me his work. Excellent job Frederick, thanks.

 

[bhchase]

Was this recall on all Vipers or just certain years ?

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Was this recall on all Vipers or just certain years ?

Recall 998 -- 1996-1999 1/2 Steering Rack Mounts and Differential Mounts

Recall 999 -- 1999 1/2 (post March 1 build date) through 2000 JUST the STEERING RACK MOUNTS

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[ViperBing]

Has anyone had the recall done in the Washington D.C., Baltimore area? If so, who did it and were you happy with the work?

 

[ceieio]

96 GTS, 998 done about three weeks ago - 21K miles, Ken Klickman found a crack in the steering rack mount. Car has had very little track time - most miles are on the road.

I had some other things done to the car while he had it, but Kent wanted 3-5 days to "do the 998 right" (before he found the crack). Ken is the best, so I would use 3 to 5 days as a reasonable benchmark. Too much less and I would wonder at the quality of work.

 

[watersnake]

Any suggestions on a reputable dealer in or near Corpus Christi, TX to do the 998 recall work? Can any dealer check my VIN to see if the recall has already been done on my car? (I just bought my '96 RT/10 a few months ago, and don't have much service history on it)

 

[cgmaster]

I am worried about the 999 and 998 recalls. I brought my car to the dealer for these recalls and a problem with the ac They said they would fix it and let me know when it was done. They called me back 8hours later and said it was done. I thought that the recals were about 40 hrs to do? What do I check to make sure they did the work? I am worried they just did nothing and said it was done.

 

[ViperJoe]

First make sure you have access to your oul filter! LOL!!

There have been MANY posts referencing this. One of the most recent had VERY good pics of both the front and rear updates (before and after)

Try searching.

 

[Janni]

it's only 40 hours if you have CRACKS in the diff mount and the power steering mount and the gas tank needs to be removed, etc. Since you have a 2000, you should only need the rack recall, so a day at the dealer is plenty of time to perform this.

Now, like ViperJoe said, make sure they put the reinforcing brackets on correctly and you can access your oil filter.