As a former Ford owner I noticed on a Ford forum they had a thread called Hidden or Cool Features. I searched this site and couldn't find anything like that so I decided to start one. Being a new Ram owner (about a week) I really don't know a whole about the truck but, I know you guys know your trucks inside and out. So, with that being said let's get started posting some tips & tricks we know about our trucks. Also, list the year your truck is, as they change some from year to year.
I don't know on the trucks. On my 2010 Challenger, if you hold down the buttons on the steering wheel for a long enough period of time, you unlock some menu items, like oil pressure, oil temp etc, but the coolest being a 0 to 60 timer.
I remember being younger and amazed when i found out how to disable the middle seat radio control buttons from the front head unit in our excursion. you had to press and hold the 3 and 5 presets. I thought it was some big secret...but it was in the manual haha.
People with the 2013 Rams, that have the RA3 & RA4, should be able to add a list to this thread.
Being as those 2 radios are only 1/2 entertainment system & 1/2 computer controls for the Ram
I never read my 2009 radio manual & i discover new ways to use my Navigation all the time
There is the seatbelt chime trick. to not have the annoying seatbelt chime tell you your belt isnt locked in....
1- lock seatbelt in
2- turn ignition to "ON"
3- wait for seatbelt warning light to remove from dash
4- remove and insert seat belt 3 times within 10 seconds
5- leave seatbelt in on the 3rd time
6- turn ignition to "OFF"
7- listen for chime to confirm operation worked
Either this doesn't work or I'm too stupid to follow directions properly because after several attempts, my truck still beeps at me if I don't buckle up.
I dont know if its a "hidden" feature, but I "discovered" that tapping the turn signal handle triggers a 3 flash lane change signal. Probably was on the DVD I havent watched yet, lol.
I read about this in the manual (I fell asleep reading it from cover to cover the entire week after purchase).. I bookmarked the page and tried it the next day.. simply one of the best, coolest and most practical features in my Ram! :smileup:
The only thing have discovered about my '98 ram 1500 is it takes me into the mountains and brings me home. Thru mud/snow/rock slides and flooded creeks. No surprises. Everything works as it should from the day i bought it. Best dam ram.
remote express front window down, using the Key FOB, you press the unlock button twice holding the button down on the second press and the front windows will open remotely. once they are opened to the desired height you just release the button. but of course i think this is in the manual.
remote express front window down, using the Key FOB, you press the unlock button twice holding the button down on the second press and the front windows will open remotely. once they are opened to the desired height you just release the button. but of course i think this is in the manual.
last year i found out that I get a warning chime when my turning signal has been on to long while the vehicle is in motion (2-3 miles?). First time i heard it after owning the vehicle for almost 10 years.
I was upgrading my 2009 RER radio with a newer version & also up dating my Navigation
My Ram was parked in my driveway & i don't live in the best neighborhood, so leaving the doors unlocked is an invitation
I had 2 CDs, one for each thing that i was doing
The was a warning that neither of the processes could be interrupted once started
I did the radio update, only took a few minutes
Then i started the Navigation map update & it seemed to go on forever
long story shortened, i had to stop the process & i caused the whole radio to go out, with the CD still in the player.
I tried everything, doing key dances, radio On/Off, doors open, doors closed, looking for a place to insert a paper clip to eject the CD, etc.
Then i remembered something that i had read about the Climate Controls & the Radio being some how tied together. With the key on, i started pressing & turning the Climate Control knobs & the CD ejected !!!
Everything worked again, i went into the house & got my spare FOB
I then restarted the Nav Map process & locked my Ram using the spare FOB & let update run, i just checked on it every once in a while. After quite some time, the process was completed & the screen displayed the prompts that i had to follow
FWIW, my 2010 had the roll down window feature which I liked, however, I am not dumb and also had accidentally rolled it down a couple times without knowing. This happens just having the keys in your pocket, etc. I had a pcm flash update a while back and this feature is now gone. I wish I still had it, it really helped cool the cab off when walking across the lot in the florida sun.
Oh great now people are complaining about the 3 flashes. Maybe they will discontinue that feature as well lol. I use it all the time in my Ram and Challenger. I also use the window down feature to let the heat out before I jump in. They should have done an auto up feature with the fob too because sometimes I shut the truck off then roll the windows up, but before I can get them up all the way someone opens the door to get out which stops the process. It would be nice to just roll them up while walking away or from inside the house. BTW why do we still call it "rolling" the window up/down? Seems strange when we push/pull a button. Maybe it should be "putting" the window up/down? Just a thought lol.
For example, there is a secret code on the steering wheel buttons that increases engine output to the magic 425 HP level at 440 foot pounds of torque. It works for only 15 seconds and then resets.
i just did the widow down trick. put a big goofy smile on my face which made me feel like a weirdo. i shouldnt get that excited to see my windows go down... what is wrong with me. hahahaha
You're just a goofy guy who likes his truck. Nothing wrong with that. Kinda like a kid at Christmas. Showing your girlfriend telling her how excited you were... yeah, that wasn't so good. It's a guy thing.
lol i showed my girlfriend. she didnt understand what i was showing her and why i was so excited. due to the feeling of insanity from getting excited over it i kinda wish i didnt have this feature hahaha
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