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Cargo Van Dodge ProMaster

FlyingVan

FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
My friend with his ProMaster stopped at a Dodge dealer in Dalton, GA the other day trying to get an oil change. He goes in, asks how much for an oil change on a ProMaster. The guy behind the counter goes "Pro what?" My friend pointed outside towards his ProMaster. The guy goes "never heard of them." How in the world a Dodge dealer never hears about vehicles that Dodge makes/sells?
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
He needs to go to a RAM Commercial truck dealer. Not every Dodge or Chrysler dealer is a RAM Comercial Truck dealer just like not every Mercedes dealer is a $printer Dealer. Try taking your $printer to a non $printer Mercedes dealer and you will be shown the street quicker than you can say, "Don't I get a latte' for being here? !"

A RAM Commercial Truck Dealer has sent technicians for extensive factory training on every aspect of the RAM Promaster... a non RAM Dodge dealer has not.

It says "RAM PROMASTER" all over it. Not "Dodge" anywhere. DUH!!!
 
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ysracer

ysracer

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Copied from the Promaster forum:



"I'm an expediter for FedEx. Bought my Promaster in March put it to work in April. Last week with only 18500 miles I started hearing a noise. Sounded like a bad idler bearing or A/C pump bearing. Went from Chicago to Thomasville Ga. The noise was much worse and I feared I wouldn't get to my delivery. I made it into the dealer in Cairo GA and they got me in right away. Seems my flex plate or flywheel was broke. Not just cracked but the entire center was broke out. How the torque converter didn't slip back I don't know. I already have broken parts on order that Ram can't get so I figure right away I'm dead in the water. They had 20 of them in the main warehouse in Atlanta Ga. Great I'll be on the road in 24 hours. So I'm talking to the service manager and it turns out they have the flex plate for it because it's the SAME flex plate they use in the Town and Country mini van! Really! A mini van! They change the flex plates on the mini van on a fairly regular basis. So a van that weighs 3500 Ibs and breaks the flex plate has the same flex plate as a van with rated cargo hauling rate that is more than what the mini van weighs!? The longer I own this van the more obvious it becomes It's not very well built. The transmission he said is the same one they use in the mini van as well. It's a Town and Country with a cargo body what the ****. My spare tire has been in the back because they had to cut it down. Brand new and the spare won't come down perfect. The part is not available at all for now. Maybe Sept or Oct I might get my spare put back under the van. I'm going to call and see if the dealer can get any of the 3 PC front bumper cover or any other body panels. If you have a fender bender I'm thinking you might be out of luck for a few months. I no longer trust this thing and can't wait to get ride of it. I'll be out of warranty by the end of the year I hope this flex plate last longer than the original did. At 1600 bucks to change it every 20,000 miles will suck!"
 
FlyingVan

FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
I called it Dodge, my bad, should have said RAM. I don't really know the difference. I did not look into it since I am not interested in it at all.

However, the dealer that he went to is a RAM dealer. I guess I will inform him about the RAM Commercial Truck dealer.

So basically, there is not much difference now from the time Dodge sold Sprinters. There were some dealers that serviced them and some that didn't. I thought that one of the selling points of the ProMaster was that there were dealers on every corner. I guess I was wrong.

Well, I wouldn't know what a non Sprinter Mercedes would say, cause I don't intend to take my van in to a Mercedes dealer anyway, Sprinter or non Sprinter qualified.

But anyway, I was surprised to hear that a RAM dealer hasn't heard about a RAM ProMaster. That was all.
 
B

Big Al

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
ysracer said:
Copied from the Promaster forum:



"I'm an expediter for FedEx. Bought my Promaster in March put it to work in April. Last week with only 18500 miles I started hearing a noise. Sounded like a bad idler bearing or A/C pump bearing. Went from Chicago to Thomasville Ga. The noise was much worse and I feared I wouldn't get to my delivery. I made it into the dealer in Cairo GA and they got me in right away. Seems my flex plate or flywheel was broke. Not just cracked but the entire center was broke out. How the torque converter didn't slip back I don't know. I already have broken parts on order that Ram can't get so I figure right away I'm dead in the water. They had 20 of them in the main warehouse in Atlanta Ga. Great I'll be on the road in 24 hours. So I'm talking to the service manager and it turns out they have the flex plate for it because it's the SAME flex plate they use in the Town and Country mini van! Really! A mini van! They change the flex plates on the mini van on a fairly regular basis. So a van that weighs 3500 Ibs and breaks the flex plate has the same flex plate as a van with rated cargo hauling rate that is more than what the mini van weighs!? The longer I own this van the more obvious it becomes It's not very well built. The transmission he said is the same one they use in the mini van as well. It's a Town and Country with a cargo body what the ****. My spare tire has been in the back because they had to cut it down. Brand new and the spare won't come down perfect. The part is not available at all for now. Maybe Sept or Oct I might get my spare put back under the van. I'm going to call and see if the dealer can get any of the 3 PC front bumper cover or any other body panels. If you have a fender bender I'm thinking you might be out of luck for a few months. I no longer trust this thing and can't wait to get ride of it. I'll be out of warranty by the end of the year I hope this flex plate last longer than the original did. At 1600 bucks to change it every 20,000 miles will suck!"
Click to expand...

Wow!!! I knew the van was ugly same as their old van but was hoping for a change mechanically. Dodge used to slap a 5th gear onto a 4 speed manual transmission years ago to make it a five speed; however, any towing would blow the tranny shortly.

Sent from my SCH-i705 using EO Forums mobile app
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
A bunch of hearsay and cut paste comments don't mean much, as the person with the actual experience isn't posting.

For instance, the guy who supposedly posted on ther Promaster forum complaining about flywheel flex plate type trouble obviously doesn't even know what the Promaster warranty is because it's 100,000 miles. Comments like this make me highly suspicious that the original post isnt even being done by an actual Promaster owner.

But there are unicorns in Kansas!
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
westmicher said:
A bunch of hearsay and cut paste comments don't mean much, as the person with the actual experience isn't posting.

But there are unicorns in Kansas!
Click to expand...

I heard it from a guy I never met on a website I'm not a member of but it's posted so it has to be the Gospel truth!
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
westmicher said:
He needs to go to a RAM Commercial truck dealer. Not every Dodge or Chrysler dealer is a RAM Comercial Truck dealer just like not every Mercedes dealer is a $printer Dealer. Try taking your $printer to a non $printer Mercedes dealer and you will be shown the street quicker than you can say, "Don't I get a latte' for being here? !"

A RAM Commercial Truck Dealer has sent technicians for extensive factory training on every aspect of the RAM Promaster... a non RAM Dodge dealer has not.

It says "RAM PROMASTER" all over it. Not "Dodge" anywhere. DUH!!!
Click to expand...

sounds like a description from an era gone by with the Sprinters under the Dodge badge.....not every dealer had them either...
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
I tried but could not find that original posting in the Promaster forum. I really wanted to respond to it over there and ask the guy if he had one of those new RAM twenty thousand mile warranty that I've heard of from diehard $printer owners... ;)
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
Meanwhile I am in a Promaster I actually own and actually drive myself with almost 25000 miles on it and, believe it or not, the roof has not ripped off, the front wheels are still attached, the engine has not exploded, the transmission has not melted it down, and the driver is sane.

Incidently my Promaster mpg is down just a bit... the last fill up was 20.18 miles per gallon carrying almost 3800 pounds. ;)

Now PLEASE don't tell anyone that I'm making straight truck rate because the weight is almost twice what a $printer will carry!!!! TOP SECRET!!!! :D
 
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Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
FlyingVan said:
My friend with his ProMaster stopped at a Dodge dealer in Dalton, GA the other day trying to get an oil change. He goes in, asks how much for an oil change on a ProMaster. The guy behind the counter goes "Pro what?"
Click to expand...
Down Georgia way thay call tham Promsters.
 
FlyingVan

FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
westmicher said:
Meanwhile I am in a Promaster I actually own and actually drive myself with almost 25000 miles on it and, believe it or not, the roof has not ripped off, the front wheels are still attached, the engine has not exploded, the transmission has not melted it down, and the driver is sane.

Incidently my Promaster mpg is down just a bit... the last fill up was 20.18 miles per gallon carrying almost 3800 pounds. ;)

Now PLEASE don't tell anyone that I'm making straight truck rate because the weight is almost twice what a $printer will carry!!!! TOP SECRET!!!! :D
Click to expand...

I woudn't be too worried about that guy's flex plate breaking. Even if the post was legit, every once in a while a bad part slips through. Does not mean that all of them have problems.

My friend's ProMaster passed 50k miles and all seems good so far. A while ago he felt the transmission slipping, but hasn't happened again after the fluid change. It serves him pretty good so far.

Sent from my SM-G900P using EO Forums mobile app
 
westmicher

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
try about 50% more....gee whiz....your excitement really shows...LOL.....
Click to expand...

My door jam says I can carry 4407 pounds. What does yours say?

Yours is an older lighter $printer. I wonder what the door jamb of a 2014 says and what the difference would be then?

Then let's subtract say 500 pounds for driver and equipment. What does that equal?

My excitement shows? Really??? Actually I sing all day on Fridays! :p
 
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DollarSign

DollarSign

Fleet Owner
Owner/Operator
FlyingVan said:
My friend with his ProMaster stopped at a Dodge dealer in Dalton, GA the other day trying to get an oil change. He goes in, asks how much for an oil change on a ProMaster. The guy behind the counter goes "Pro what?" My friend pointed outside towards his ProMaster. The guy goes "never heard of them." How in the world a Dodge dealer never hears about vehicles that Dodge makes/sells?
Click to expand...

Im from Dalton Ga. I know that dealership. I understand where your coming from, but its not a commerical dealership. They dont sell those types, but true they should know something about it.

Last year I was at a Ford dealer here in the Nashville Tn area and was asking them about the new Transit. Now they were a commerical dealership and they didnt even know about the new Transit coming out.
 
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