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Towbin Dodge King of Cars Rick Walters has made false claims about vehicle abuse in order to void warranty covered repairs Henderson, Nevada
Towbin Dodge Where do I begin, and when will the HELL ever end?
We purchased a 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T from (what we always thought was) a GREAT dealership in Elk Grove California. We have loved the car except for a couple of problems which the dealership said wasn't really a problem. One is the stereo, there is only full range sound in the front speakers, and Bass in the rear. The other was that the clutch was the most difficult to operate of all manual transmissions we've ever owned.
The car has less than 29K miles when the clutch issue became critical. It has a 6 speed manual transmission but the 6th gear was useless because when engaged it would just slip. Since the car seemed fine in 5th gear and 6th would just put it into overdrive, there wasn't much concern on our part. After all upon return, it was going straight to the dealership.
They started driving back to Northern California early one morning. While traveling uphill in the desert on a cold morning the clutch on our car went completely out. My family was then stranded sitting in the funky smell of the burnt out clutch for a couple of hours until a tow could arrive to take the car back to Henderson NV.
The car was towed into TOWBIN DODGE in Henderson NV. HUGE MISTAKE! We should have checked the BBB and RipOffReports.com before we let them touch our car. As soon as we walked in we were brushed aside and made to wait while 2 other customers came in to have their vehicles serviced. Finally we were transferred to the King of Snakes Rick Walters.
Upon starting the paperwork, he said that he has been in the service dept for years and NEVER heard of a clutch going out that quickly. We had purchased the best Extended Warranty that was offered by Chrysler for THOUSANDS of DOLLARS. The Elk Grove dealership told us that the vehicle repairs would be covered because we bought the best warranty they had.
Rick had told us that they would look at the vehicle and let us know if it was covered. IF??? We weren't worried because it obviously was a problem with the way the car was either designed, or manufactured.
We were granted a SINGLE day of car rental while they looked at the problem. For the 1st time ever, we were told that yes the dealership was paying for a car rental, but we would have to pay the taxes on the rental. Two days after we dropped off the car Towbin made contact with us.
Rick stated that because the tires (really soft and not meant to last beyond 30K) were bald on the rear, it is their belief that the car was raced and therefore any repairs are not going to be covered under the warranty. This is FLAT OUT RIDICULOUS! We are middle aged, and bought the car because it reminded us of our younger years. The tires in question were changed from the front to the rear when the Elk Grove service man said that they were fine, and that the tires we ordered the day prior were different sizes than the front (WRONG!).
We have been without a vehicle for 2 weeks because TOWBIN wants $4K based upon their speculation (from semi bald tires). The tires are so soft that within driving 10 miles from getting the car washed there is ALWAYS fresh rubber thrown on the fenders regardless of highway or maximum of 35 MPH street driving.
Oscar the Service Manager keeps saying that he wants to help us (as did Rick) but the only help offered is to lighten our wallets of the heavy burden of excess cash. They REFUSED to look at a Bureau of Automotive Repairs (Star Center Report) that stated that this was an ongoing problem with the 2009, 2010 Challengers. Oscar claimed that Rick was unaware of our extended warranty, or the Star Report...TOTAL LIES on one of their parts.
After 2 weeks without our car Dodge has finally sent it to a case manager. WTF??? Fix the car, it is obviously a mechanical defect. Regardless of the Star Report, the car should have lasted more than what it has.
BEWARE of this dealership. Having been involved in contract work before, it makes me think that the dealership will only get 60-80% of the monies from Dodge that TOWBIN DODGE would get if they were successful in getting us to pay for the needed repairs. Oscar has offered us a discounted rate of $2800 with a 10% discount. FOR WHAT??? To repair a faulty piece of crap tranny that should have lasted? We have put more than 200K miles on a couple of VW's that never needed a new clutch within that time.
BE WARNED!!! We have NEVER been treated so poorly by a dealership as this KING OF CARS has treated us. Better put your attorney in your favorites list if you plan on going to them for service work. We did!
3 Updates & Rebuttals
anonymous
Thank you to the staff of RipOffReport.com
#4Author of original report
Thu, March 21, 2013
Wow, we don't know what we would do without the staff of RipOffReport.com because they have been working tirelessly to help us get the assistance that we need. We are not getting the assistance we expected from Chrysler/Dodge Dealerships.
If you're a dealer that is contacted by Ripoffreport you should know that Stick desires to get the issue resolved, but is also as tenacious as a Pitbull for the consumers.
Thanks Ripoffreports.com
anonymous
United States of AmericaNow, Then, and Back Again
#4Author of original report
Wed, March 13, 2013
Today
Our beautiful Furious Fuchsia 2010 Dodge Challenger RT with less than 30K miles stands alone and cold on the Towbin Dodge (Henderson, NV) repair lot, somewhere. Smelling like the harsh memory of bright promises scorched without warning or any sign of recovery, she waits. A transmission ruined by anyone or anything except Dodge is her crime. Is this fate comiserate or cruel and unusual? Judging by many late model Challenger owner's posts on related websites, the former must be true for Judge Dodge. If this were not acceptble to Dodge, then why are so many suffering this fate of abandonment. The usual, it would seem, is indifference. To us who are saddened by this, it is cruel. The waiting is punishment fit for no one.
Still, she waits. Torn apart and deserted, she waits.
Waiting for Perhaps a reprieve from the Governor? A real offer of help? A pardon from the king? Will the the Dodge area representative come? This is what we would like to believe, but somehow dont, entirely. Too much time has passed without progress to remain naive to the false hope sung by the sirens Of Chrysler/Dodge. They speak, practiced and plain with the skill that paid liars gain. Hired to stall, misinform and play nasty games. Their favorite seem to be pass the hot potato of blame. How can people sit on the phone with other human beings and answer questions they are not allowed to really hear? Towbin is threatening to charge storage.
They continue insisting on invalidating our warranties with conjecture and vague theories. To them, we are a mere annoyance. We wait. We wait without wholeness. We wait without justice. We wait without
being heard. We wait with mounting angst, questions, frustrations and all things that lead, unresolved, to
anger. We make the progress we can each day. Today, we are seeking a refund on the Chrysler/Dodge lifetime warranty. Given its' relative worthlessness to us and our relative worthlessness to Chrysler/Dodge. If any of us mere people sold a giant bag of justifications, excuses, exemptions, exceptions, omissions, intentional false assurances and downright garbage, we would have to face some reckoning.
We have compiled to date our case, to the best of talents. We have collected some interesting information which we will share here at the close of this update. Please take the time to see what
we are showing you. It may all conclude in a positive outcome and we would like people to know of our determined and dedicated mission to hold Chrysler/Dodge and Towbin Dodge responsible for our losses. We intend to be made whole in this matter. We wish this for others as well.
Feb 23rd:
I (we) wrote a letter of thanks and request for continued support to Sticks at Ripoff Report.com, which I have included below. Sticks responded with immediate and sincerer enthusiasm offering his valuable and continued support in resolving this situation without unfortunate legal action.
Feb 15th:
We received a phone call from Sticks with Ripoff Reports.com. He had already taken the initiative to speak via conference call with the owner, service manager, and the service tech handling our case at Towbin Dodge. Disappointingly, Towbin collectively, directly and knowing lied to Sticks. They claimed the car had been raced and/or altered invalidating the warranty. We gave them verifiable information contradicting their murky imaginary fiction. How boring the truth is against colorful lies. I guess they preferred the entertainment of their own fantasies. A concrete decision, it seemed, resulting in payment from our pockets, not from the meager contracted allotment of warranty program peanuts, was already made.
Feb 14th:
Operator #67533 and customer service supervisor at Chrysler/Dodge told me there was nothing more to be done once the dealership decided the repair unqualified for warranty coverage. I asked this woman if the car could be towed to another dealership for a second opinion on this. She then agreed that perhaps there might be something else she could do. She conferenced in Derick, the service manager for Chapman Dodge in Henderson, NV. Once he understood the situation, his position became somewhat and understandably political. He would require the authorization and direction of the area representative to proceed without complications. He didn't want things to get "ugly". Derick mentioned the name of the
representative, Rob Mizzone or Mizzion. Operator #67533 agreed without actual confirmation that this was the correct person. She volunteered to make the contact with this rep. We were both on the phone together and simotaneously asked for a phone number or email for this man. This was refused. Operator #67533 said he (Rob M.) would contact us if he had any questions. To this, we questioned what his source of information would be to decide the question of the second opinion. We are not satisfied with limited or no direct input when this person would be determining a course that we will ultimately have to respond to and/or be affected by. It is not an equitable transaction when one side makes all of the rules and decides the outcome while the other is effectively blindfolded and gagged. We were assured by
Operator #67533, that he (Rob M.) would have access to everything we said and/or submitted to date. Given the experience(s) with customer service, most of which is documented here in the remaining body of this follow up. We currently have no way of verifying any actions of Operator #67533 or the area
representative.
A little later, that same day, my valentine and I of 23 years visited Elk Grove Dodge. This just how we planned to spend the day, basqueing in the sweet bouquet of a transportation issue. Our Challenger was purchased and regularly serviced at this dealership before we moved to Nevada. We asked for and received copies of all the *service records for our Challenger. The service department staff was polite and helpful. We were not insulted once. While there, we also spoke with Omar in finance regarding the problem with Towbin and the warranty question.
He seemed to want to help us. Someone he called was supposed to email Mr.Mizzion to make sure contact was made and of his awareness of our situation. We do not know what came of that.
Feb 12th:
We filed a report on Ripoff Reports.com after almost 2 weeks of getting nowhere with Towbin Dodge honoring any part of our warranty, including the powertrain coverage (that means transmission from what weve been told). We listened to their repeated assertion that our 2 1/2 yr old vehicle; fully within warranty parameters, with a burned out clutch and transmission was not covered under the manufacturers 3 year/12 to 36K mile, bumper to bumper or the additionally purchased extended lifetime $2,500 warranty. We understand that parts of the clutch are considered wear items and only covered for 12K miles, but we believe the excellerated wear and burning of the clutch is indicative of the factory circumstances/error found in the S.T.A.R. case listed below.
Chrysler Dodges customer service asked the same questions over and over, day after day. They kept busy calling Towbin and then us (or vise versa) to make the same statements, requests, and empty offers of help. If we did not know better, we would think this circular non-productive time wasting routine was intentional. We spent several days speaking with customer service rep Max, another 4 with Rosa (operator #73799), ultimately speaking with Rosa's supervisor Operator 67533. All three pursued the same line of less than ambitious questions and mindless paper shuffling exercises. We wanted to have a different case worker, because Rosa didn't seem to understand basic business concepts. The final straw was when ignorantly told us that we didn't have a warranty, then she stated that "this says you don't have a powertrain warranty". When we questioned her, she said she had to get back to us. We bought the car new and have a reasonable understanding of the warranties. Why doesn't Rosa? The very next day I called Rosa back to find out if she got someone to read the manual to her. She answered in same flat, overly casual, too familiar "hello?". I don't think she knows she's getting paid to do a job. Our conversation that day led to me defining my frustration at not moving the repair along. She surprised me with a direct and clear statement regarding their (customer services) solidarity with the dealerships. She said something like - we have to stand behind what the dealerships say. I asked her who stood behind their customers, but she didnt have that answer on a preapproved company issued flash card written in crayon. Im not sure she even understood that for us, what the dealership said was the problem.
No progress was made during this period.
Feb 1st - 6th:
We contacted the Chrysler Dodge customer service number in our owners manual to request assistance due to Towbin Dodge's position - our Challengers transmission being excluded from warranty coverage.. *Towbins opinion was based partly on their observation of wear on the rear tires compared to much less wear on the front tires. This was evidence of racing they explained. Rick Walters also stated the car was pressed , used hard and that "somebody did something to it". According to Mr. Walters and Oscar, service manager, we were to pay for the whole transmission. This was due to our causing the clutch to fail, which caused the transmission to blow.What!?!
Mr. Walters
asked me to fax to him my authorization for approximately 12 hours of labor to take apart and examine the transmission. He informed me that this would be done over two or three days. This was on or about the 3rd of February. He said that this would be the only way to determine the cause of the failure.
He, at that time, also informed me that Tobin would pay for one days car rental. We had returned the rental car that we picked up on the 30th of January, because while hoping for a positive outcome, we just didnt know how and/or when the warranty question would be answered. Towbin required us to pay the tax on the one day car rental that they authorized. We found this odd. We have rented enough cars without this requirement to legitimately wonder about this. We had to put it on our to be researched list.
The biggest question we have from this period is why Rick Walters and/or Tobin mechanical staff need 9 + hours more than Chryslers allotted time to repair and replace the same transmission. In the **Chrysler/Dodge Rapid Response Transmittal #10024 below, it is clearly stated that reimbursement
for this task is capped at 2.9 hours for labor. This seeming inconsistency concerns us, because we now have no faith in statements made by Towbin. We are willing to verify information recieved and investigate possible omissions. We are irritated that, by all indications, we had to earn honest and clear communication when doing business with Towbin Dodge. We have put on our required hats to foster straightforward, upfront and accurate information. Learning some of the rules is always helpful. Now that we know about the reservation of truth, used only for the skeptical, meticulously,observant, determined, computer literate, educated, resourceful and most likely, peeved customer at Towbin Dodge, we are more prepared. The mountain of legal maneuverings in Towbin and Dodge's war chests is daunting, but we are stubborn.
We sought legal help during this time and went to work researching available avenues to earn our right to have our warranty honored. We informed him (Rick) of Chrysler's very own ***Service Technical Assistance Resource Report # K38556860 concerning clutch binding in the 09&10 RTs. This was due to a factory error - too heavy Viper grease used on the transmission input shaft splines and the clutch hub splines. This report is very difficult to track down, as it exists in Chryslers proprietary S.T.A.R. database, not as a TSB or RRT. We have included below a TSB concerning the fix for this problem. No one at Towbin seemed interested in this information. Oscar, the service manager told me that it wasn't relevant.
I asked him to explain. He repeated the same statement adding "It's (S.T.A.R. ) not about this, that's about a recall". We are not sure this report was researched at all by Towbin or Chrysler despite our multiple requests. This apathy was also rampant in the Chrysler customer service staff as well. None of
three people we spoke with seemed to know about their own reports, bulletins,
publications, etc. We however will continue to dig until there are no rocks left for Dodge or Towbin to hide
under.
January 30th:
We had our 2010 Dodge Challenger RT towed to Towbin Dodge after breaking
down in the desert on the way to California from Nevada. The clutch had
always been difficult to shift as our service records show, but now it had
completely gone out. The manufacturers warranty included car rental
coverage combined with the trip interruption coverage on the extended warranty
give us a feeling of security. We thought everything was going to be
covered and OK. Wrong.
*******************************************************************************
*Our service records from Elk Grove
Dodge show the following:
Oil changes and 28 point inspections done regularly with no notes regarding
alterations, because no such thing happened.
The car was taken in for the difficulty shifting in June of 2011. Nothing couldbe determined. I was informed of the "skip shift" installed to circumvent "gas guzzler" fees. We had already figured out that there must be some sort of shift deterrent from 1st to 2nd when the RPMs were great enough to
proceed to third. We didn't know about the gas-guzzler thing. We now find out it is a 1 -4 or skip shift. Regardless, the shifting had become unreasonably arduous at times across the board. Still, we were told that the clutch was operating normally. This was an intermittent and I felt like I was complaining a lot, we didn't push the issue. The additional complaint at the time was about the stereo. The CD player and the rear speakers did not work. The TSBs on the stereo haven't all been erased, so we have come across a few of those in researching this transmission failure. The speaker problem is unresolved todate. Another task for the Challenger fix list.
Documented - 2 new front tires purchased, mounted and balanced Nov. of 2012. The replacement tires were necessary due to misalignment. An alignment was done at the time of the tire replacement. The invoice from that day is actual proof of an action. It should also serve as proof that the tire wear difference in not from racing.
For the record - we have never raced or altered the car in any way. This racing accusation was
discussed with Oscar. He apologized that Mr. Walters would make such a statement. He said that he would talk to him about this. This apology happened around the 4th or 5th of February, long before Sticks phone call with Tobin. Imagine my surprise when Sticks told me they made the racing claim to him adding the alteration lie to bolster theiir llimp noodle of an argument for their ridiculous position.
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**Rapid Response Transmittal #10024
Form DMAIL-001 REV
1.01
April 23, 2010
TO: ALL DODGE DEALERS
FROM: TECHNICAL SERVICE OPERATIONS
SUBJECT: RAPIDRESPONSE TRANSMITTAL #10-024
Manual Transmission Pops Out Of Second Gear
INVOLVED VEHICLES:
2010 (LC) Challenger
NOTE: This Rapid Response Transmittal applies to vehicles equipped with manual transmissions
(sales code DEC)
NOTE: The VIN List is available on DealerCONNECT for all affected dealers. The
VIN List has been inserted in the Service Tab under Rapid Response
Transmittals. The dealers receiving the Rapid Response Transmittal Service
Action are the Ship To dealers and the VINs listed are specific to their dealership. All involved vehicles will be loaded into the VIP system.
NOTE: This should be a top priority and be completed prior to sale to avoid suspect vehicles being
delivered to customers.
DISCUSSION:
Some vehicles may have a transmission that has an internal casting issue, which could cause an interference condition when shifting into second gear. This interference condition can prevent
the transmission from fully engaging into second gear causing the transmission to pop out of gear. Dealers are required to test for the condition and if necessary replace the transmission.
PARTS REQUIRED:
AR (1) 68058752AA Transmission, Manual AR (4) 05013457AA Fluid, ATF+4 Transmission
NOTE: Do not order transmissions unless required based on inspection.
DIAGNOSIS:
NOTE: With the exception of shifting the vehicle in/out of gear, the drivers hand must not rest on the
gear shift lever at any time during this procedure.
CAUTION: This procedure must be performed in an area that will allow the vehicle to be accelerated and decelerated several times safely.
1. Drive the vehiclevto an area where the vehicle can be accelerated and decelerated safely. Form DMAIL-001 REV 1.01
2. Lightly accelerate the vehicle in first gear, then shift to second gear at 25 mph (make sure to avoid 1-4 skip shift feature which activates at 19 21mph). Lightly grip shift knob - do not try tohold shifter in gear.
3. Lift throttle and allow vehicle to coast down with clutch engaged (i.e. clutch pedal up)to 20 mph.
4. Depress clutch pedal, shift from second to first then, to second (clutch pedal remains depressed during thiscycle).
5. Normally re-engagethe clutch (let the clutch pedal up).
6. Do not accelerate.
Allow the vehicle to continue to coast.
7. Continue to repeat
steps 4 and 5 until the vehicle has decelerated to 10 mph
(approximately 4 total
shift sequences).
8. Repeat steps 2
through 7.
9. Does the
transmission jump out of second gear?
A. YES Proceed with
the repair procedure.
B. NO Return vehicle
to inventory.
REPAIR PROCEDURE:
1. Replace the
transmission. Refer to the Removal/Install procedures available in
DealerCONNECT>TechCONNECT
under: Service Info>21 Transmission and
Transfer Case>Manual,
TR6060.
2. Fill Transmission
with 3.4 qts. (3210 ml) of Mopar ATF+4 transmission fluid (p/n 05013457AA).
POLICY: Reimbursable
within the provisions of the warranty.
NOTE: If transmission
replacement is required, the vehicle must be diverted to
auction. Contact your
Customer Relations Manager for further instructions
regarding diversion to
auction.
POLICY: Reimbursable
within the provisions of the warranty.
NOTE: USE OF THE LABOR
OPERATION INCLUDED WITH THIS SERVICE
ACTION ON VEHICLES
OTHER THAN THOSE INVOLVED MAY BE
SUBJECT TO CHARGE
BACK.
TIME ALLOWANCE:
LABOR OPERATION NO:
21-00-03-A1 Diagnosis
of Transmission Pops Out of Second Gear (B) 0.4 Hrs.
21-00-03-A2 Diagnose
and Replace TREMEC TR6060 Manual
Transmission (B) 2.9
Hrs.
FAILURE CODE: ZZ -
Service Action
If you have any
questions, contact your Business Center.
*******************************************************************************
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***STAR
CENTER CASE #K38556860 fix
TSB
Vehicle Issue Trans is hard to shift into gear.
Year 2009/2010
Model LC - CHALLENGER
Engine 6.1L SRT HEMI (SMPI) V8, 5.7L HEMI VCT, 5.7L HEMI VCT
MDS (EZD)
System or Component;Gear
Driver Input / Vehicle Operation; Shifting
Case
Verification; Vehicle affected is the LC Challenger equipped with a manual
transmission. It may be difficult to shift in and out of gear.
Recommendation
;Repair this condition by removing the transmission, cleaning the
transmission input shaft splines and the clutch hub splines, regreasing,
and putting all the same parts back together. No parts need to be replaced
because clutch disc wear or shaft/hub spline wear are not contributing factors.
The clutch should be removed from the flywheel to properly clean
the clutch splines, because it is not possible to thoroughly clean
the clutch splines otherwise. Do not use harsh spray solvents
(brake clean, etc.) on the clutch discs... care must be taken to
keep cleaning solvents away from the clutch friction material.
Mineral spirits or similar will get the job done. Both of the clutch
hub splines and transmission input shaft splines must be
carefully cleaned. When applying the grease for reassembly, the
entire exposed length of the clutch hub splines (both discs) and
the entire length of the input shaft should be lightly coated with
the P/N 05083150AA grease, spread evenly on all splines
without excess. The flywheel does not need to be removed for
this repair. New clutch pressure plate to flywheel bolts P/N
06508880AA (quantity 6) must be used.
Modification
Date 12/10/09 5:02 PM
Review
Approved
Vehicle Issue Trans is hard to shift into gear.
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Thank you email to Sticks
Sticks,
Thank you for taking your valuable time and very welcomed interest
in responding to my husbands Rip Off Report submission. You truly offer us a ray of hope in this dark
time. This may seem an overly dramatic
statement, but considering our individual and married vehicle experiences, this
is a serious black hole for us. Its
hard for me to find the words to express my disappointment and dismay with
Towbin Dodge and the Chrysler Corporations customer stalling, time wasting, condescension
service. Between the two of us, my
husband and I have experienced the same circle dance with a progression of
three people at Chryslers customer service number. It goes back and forth between us them and the
service department at Towbin. We get
nowhere. Round and round we go. To date,
we are just waiting. Waiting to hear
from, or the result of, the determination of the area representative, Rob
Mizzion or Mizzoni. His phone number is
above our clearance level. The phone number for the Lifetime warranty through
Cross Country Motors loops back to the same department of seemingly functional
retards at Chrysler.
Mr. Sticks, I am compelled to explain why this situation
cuts so deeply. Its not just about a
financial business deal to us. The way
we have been treated shakes the very foundation of when and where we are
from. Everything we thought good and
true is turning out to be corrupted.
Its like being pushed off the worlds largest merry go round without
knowing we were on it.
My first ride in a car was one day after I was born. I was adopted from San Francisco, but my home
was to be in Sacramento, CA. The ride
would have been about an hour and a half.
I dont remember it obviously, but there are pictures. The car was a new Chrysler New Yorker (1965). It was Chrysler blue with electric windows,
electric seats, and the power to move as fast and smooth as any real driver
would ever want to go. I found this to
be so when I drove this same car as soon as I got my learners permit in high
school. I felt a synergy with the car
when I drove it. We were a destined
match; had to be, no other explanation.
When I pulled the heavy drivers door, heard the sweet song of its
swing, and the crisp metal tone of its solid catch securing the perfectly
aligned hatch, I was ready for anything.
I felt the safe and comfortable invisible hug of that gentle and elegant
beast. I have had quite a few cars
since my dad sold the New Yorker, but I still miss it. He was well meaning and had provided me a
newer car, a Chrysler LeBaron. He didnt
think I would mind, I guess. I didnt
even understand my attachment to the car until it wasnt there for me to drive
anymore. I would walk outside to get
into something less now. My own uncharacteristic
damp and heavy disposition immediately after this surprised me. Eventually, I realized that this was deep and
abiding grief. I had experienced it before
(loss), but I had not considered such an emotion was possible for a collection
of metal, glass, and wires. I had
intuitively accepted the car as an entity, albeit not sentient, with no ability
to reciprocate my naturally evolved and unintentional devotion.
Why tell you all of this?
In listening to your conversation with my husband last week, I was
reminded of why this whole ordeal chills me to the bone. When you were describing your intersetion in
the Shelby situation, I heard the resonation of a sympathetic tone. Your demand for satisfaction in that
situation was of the intensity of the shouting in my own head over this
situation with Towbin Dodge and Chrysler.
You put voice to my inner outrage.
When I saw the Furious Fuchsia Challengers being unloaded in
front of the dealership in Elk Grove, CA, a long forgotten ember sparked in my
heart. I knew I could have that
symbiotic experience with a car again. I
didnt even realize that I still had an unsettled emptiness craving the return
of true driving satisfaction. I have owned
sports and muscle cars in the past and had already decided to purchase a newer version
of my second all time favorite car, a 25th anniversary Corvette
(78). The 50th anniversary 2003
drove like a dream, so why not. All it
took was one look at the 70s stylized RT to make me completely forget the
good in lieu of the best. It just felt
so right. If I were a fish, that car,
especially in that color, would be a custom made, DNA specific lure for me.
This car quickly became the car we drove the most. My husband didnt even mind driving around
alone in a fuchsia car, because it was responsive, fun, and just awesome. He and I share the appreciation of motor
vehicles. When I met him over 23 years
ago, he was driving an 87 Convertible Chrysler LeBaron, dark blue &
white. I wanted to ride in that
car! Our road trips back then helped us
to form a life and a love that we know is special. Our youngest son called it Daddys magic
car. He (our son) loves cars. I think that LeBaron had something to do with
this.
The bug on window of the 2010 Challenger is and was the
clutch from early on. We have both
driven standard transmission cars most of our lives. Despite finding this one very difficult, we
gave the dealership (Lasher Dodge, Elk Grove, CA) the benefit of doubt when
they said nothing was wrong with the clutch.
I had taken it in out of concern
with the clutch binding and some other minor questions. On this particular appointment, I told the
service person that the car appeared to have some sort of designed shift deterrent
preventing the shift to 2nd gear if the RPMs were too high. I told him that the shifter would lock out
the downward action (to 2nd) forcing us by default to shift up and
right to 3rd. He said he
never heard of this. OK. I shrugged and continued to chronicle my
concerns. I told him that the shifting
in general was the most challenging I had ever encountered. He said hed check it out. When I returned for the car, he said that
there was in fact a shift deterrent system, but he explained it as if I didnt
know about it and he was educating me about this. ??? I
just chalked it up to mechanics chauvinism.
Regardless, he had no helpful or additional information about this. He then took me out for a drive in the car to
show me that there was nothing wrong with the clutch. He had some obvious difficulty, but claimed
otherwise, pronouncing the car just fine.
Unfortunately, the repair order for that day only shows the shift from 1st
to 2nd issue and a fluke electrical concern. I didnt leave there satisfied that the
clutch binding was a non issue, but I didnt think they would do anything about
it regardless. The car ran very well
otherwise so we just kept driving.
Now here we are, in the factory power train warranty period (which
covers the transmission by the way) of my shortly recaptured perfect car
experience, with no car. Here we are,
the accused race car drivers, the presumed wizards of motor alterations. Really???
Our lovely fuchsia RT fantasy has a completely blown transmission. It sits, cold and alone at Towbin Dodge in
Henderson, NV crippled by greed and/or obstinance, unable to move. Why?
Oh thats right. We did something
to it. We made Dodge put the too heavy
Viper grease on the clutch plate when the car was manufactured. That has to be it, because the Bureau of
Automotive Star Center Report #K38556860 says
it was done, reporting results mirroring the current state of our proud
Challenger. By the comments and actions
of Dodge and Towbin one would think we are on a mission to rob ourselves of
contentment, cash, and an operational car.
By their carefully considered omissions and neglect to look at this
honestly any story will do. Oscar, the
service manager said the star case didnt apply. He couldnt tell me why. Maybe we conjured
that in a magic pot. I guess we jumped into the way back machine
dialed 2010, destination: Detroit or Themyscira or wherever special pink cars
live before magically appearing on earth. There and then we apparently globed
poison viper goo all over that crucial part of the clutch housing. We of course went to Total Recall to have
advanced chemistry and computerized engine design implanted in our brains
before imparting on this worthwhile endeavor.
Our goal would of be to strand ourselves in the desert on February 2,
2013 while trying to return to a son in great need of comforting by his parents
who love him more than life.
Alternately, our strategy may have been to put out money unexpectedly
because we love to rent cheap, aesthetically challenged Korean cars. I almost forgot about our total desire to
have excessive stress, because we love the motivation it brings. Wait!
I got it. We were so bored we came up with a mission. To destroy by any means necessary that
masterpiece of innovation and art, so much like the original we both loved as
kids (but better!), that would be a feather in our caps. Mystery solved.
Even if the clutch was worn out, how is it that I have to
pay for a whole new transmission? Why
did we have to pay for a rental car for a week, and endure without anything to
drive since? Five days are allowed under
the manufacturers warranty. We
purchased the Lifetime Max Care for $2,500 which has trip interruption
coverage. We cant even get anyone to
talk about that.
To believe the position of Towbin and Dodge (Chrysler) we
would have to be dedicated to the destruction of key ideals and foundations of
our demographic, generation and geography.
Is it likely that the car is simply mechanically broken and legitimately
under warranty, having been serviced at the dealership, unaltered, absent
racing experience or wear with the factory defect published in the star report? To us this looks simple, but we are not the king
of anything like Towbin. They (Towbin)
have not offered us any explanation as to why the warranty would not cover the
transmission. They are masters of the
vague. Do they see convenient middle
aged, drag racing schemers everywhere?
Is this the same Chrysler
Company that made the car that I Ioved so long ago? The vehicle with the heart of a steel lion
with beyond reliable endurance? Doesnt
seem so, this broken promise of a car is a burnt out paperweight after only
28,000 miles.
Maintenance was done on the Challenger regularly at the
dealership in Elk Grove. The tires that
Towbin said were proof of racing, as we explained to them prior to your call
with them, were purchased at the Lasher Elk Grove dealership. The older front tires were rotated to the
back. There is no mention of excessive
wear or racing on the receipt. Oscar
apologized to me a couple of weeks ago that his service tech made that accusation. Now I understand they are restating that same
unfounded accusation and adding an engine altered claim. A 28 point inspection was done at the
dealership in Elk Grove, CA with oil changes each time. If there had been any alterations, it would
have been noted. Nothing of the sort
exists. We have the records. I wish I had a more plausible explanation for
what we have experienced, but to me, it looks like Towbin Dodge knew they were
lying to you. It would seem that someone
there knows they are wrong. Based on our
interactions with Towbin and Chrysler, we dont think they want or appreciate
our business. Maybe someone at Towbin or
at Dodge (Chrysler) wants to do the right thing. I havent found them yet, but we are still
hopeful.
The point is this Sticks, we are both true and loyal
Americans. We are both/each much melted
in the pot of races and culture. We
personally place little weight to such identifications. Of utmost importance to us are those things
are transcended American. Just
American. We know we are throwbacks and
possibly the last generation to hold on to such a tenuous thing as nationalism in
a time and place where global seems to be to ultimate prize. Whatever.
We wish there were more quality American made products and goods to
support. We love the convergence of American
Ingenuity, design, and finesse. It is joyous
to us, just watching a strong and graceful machine roll through the landscape
of our time and lives. We think our
Challenger represents all that could be good about how creative, productive,
and innovative Americans can be.
We want our
Challenger RT back and running. We
belong in our car, not on the phone begging for fairness from strangers we
mistook for friends. If it is your calling to help right the capsized, this is
a project we hope you find worthy. If
people believe they (Chrysler & Towbin) are one thing, and they are not
that thing (anymore), are they not lost?
In the end I would really like to believe that their path(s) got lost
and dark without intentional harm to the car loving American public. Please help
them be better if you can. Help them
live up their names and the products they represent. Maybe they just need a beacon.
Thank you again for your help. Anything you can do to help
us return to our pursuit of happiness is appreciated. Marc is available by email (xxxxxxx@gmail.com) or phone (xxx) xxx-xxxx.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*******************************************************************************
see photo of honored warranty for this problem
-
Bubba Lee
REd Deer,Alberta,
Canada
CLUTCH Warranty
#4General Comment
Wed, February 13, 2013
On 99.5% of warranties clutches are a wear item just like brakes and tire. This is due to the huge difference in wear based on how the driver uses it. No warranty. You are lucky they even tried to get it covered and came up with an excuse. Sorry