[bozone]

We purchased the Lifetime Max Care with our 2014 RAM 1500. I'm glad we did (sort of) because it's going to save us a few thousand dollars on a transmission replacement due to a failed 6th gear clutch pack. HOWEVER, that's not the whole story. We have been stranded in North Dakota for 10 days and it will be at least another 7 or 8 days because the Max Care folks can't get their act together.

From reading these forums and others it appears the transmissions are a real problem with the RAM line.

The dealer has to spend a day trying to call Chrysler because he keeps getting disconnected multiple times after 20-40 minutes of being on hold. He had to try three times over an afternoon and the next morning just to schedule an adjuster to come out and assess the transmission. He didn't show up by Friday so we wasted a weekend till he showed up on Monday. He finally showed up after 5 days but then the dealer got disconnected after 25 mins, and 21 mins on hold and never got in touch with Chrysler to get the results and permission to do the work on the truck. Now he has to try tomorrow morning again to get through. I called Customer Service last week but they can't do anything of course. IF Chrysler allows them to order the transmission tomorrow it won't come in before next weekend so again we are sitting around for the weekend waiting on a transmission. It's looking like we will have been stranded 750 miles from home for 16 days and an aborted vacation because of a transmission replacement.

I don't know if others had been stranded this long or if it's an anomaly but this is intolerable. I really love my RAM but this truck has to go because I can never deal with the Max Care folks ever again. I don't want to discourage anyone from buying a RAM but they need to go in with eyes open an one eye on the transmission. Next stop - Duramax with an Allison.

 

[ramcares]

We purchased the Lifetime Max Care with our 2014 RAM 1500. I'm glad we did (sort of) because it's going to save us a few thousand dollars on a transmission replacement due to a failed 6th gear clutch pack. HOWEVER, that's not the whole story. We have been stranded in North Dakota for 10 days and it will be at least another 7 or 8 days because the Max Care folks can't get their act together.

From reading these forums and others it appears the transmissions are a real problem with the RAM line.

The dealer has to spend a day trying to call Chrysler because he keeps getting disconnected multiple times after 20-40 minutes of being on hold. He had to try three times over an afternoon and the next morning just to schedule an adjuster to come out and assess the transmission. He didn't show up by Friday so we wasted a weekend till he showed up on Monday. He finally showed up after 5 days but then the dealer got disconnected after 25 mins, and 21 mins on hold and never got in touch with Chrysler to get the results and permission to do the work on the truck. Now he has to try tomorrow morning again to get through. I called Customer Service last week but they can't do anything of course. IF Chrysler allows them to order the transmission tomorrow it won't come in before next weekend so again we are sitting around for the weekend waiting on a transmission. It's looking like we will have been stranded 750 miles from home for 16 days and an aborted vacation because of a transmission replacement.

I don't know if others had been stranded this long or if it's an anomaly but this is intolerable. I really love my RAM but this truck has to go because I can never deal with the Max Care folks ever again. I don't want to discourage anyone from buying a RAM but they need to go in with eyes open an one eye on the transmission. Next stop - Duramax with an Allison.

I am deeply sorry for the frustration associated with your situation, @bozone. If you would be willing to follow up with me via private message to provide your VIN, I would be happy to look into this further on my end to determine how to best assist you at this point.

Thank you in advance!

Mark
RamCares

 

[bozone]

I am deeply sorry for the frustration associated with your situation, @bozone. If you would be willing to follow up with me via private message to provide your VIN, I would be happy to look into this further on my end to determine how to best assist you at this point.

Thank you in advance!

Mark
RamCares


We had the car back by the time you sent this. The upshot is this:

• 2 days wasted over a weekend with nothing being done in Bismarck North Dakota.
• 1 day for repairs for the first service attempt. They flashed the TCM thinking that would fix the transmission. It didn't and failed on us the next day just past Fargo with us stuck on an off-ramp

with an overheated transmission.

• 1 day to diagnose a failed clutch pack in the transmission in Fargo.
• 1.5 days, approx. 1.5 hours on hold, and two disconnects wasted with dealer trying to schedule an adjuster.
• 4.5 days waiting for an adjuster to show up because it spanned a weekend and the adjuster doesn't work weekends.
• 1.5 days, approx. 1.75 hours on hold, two more disconnects wasted with dealer trying to get the adjuster results and get parts on order.
• 1 day to get the transmission, cooler, and heater from another dealer
• 1 day for repairs

The Max Care folks sourced a transmission from another dealer which took only a day to get so the Fargo dealer could have effected repairs in three days if they didn't have to deal with an adjuster, multiple hours on hold, multiple disconnects without reaching a human, and a day and half to get results of the adjuster. The frustration for both me and the dealer was epic!

I love my RAM, and the Max Care contract may have saved us several thousand in repair costs, but I shouldn't be replacing a transmission at 55K and having to spend two weeks stranded in North Dakota instead of with family. I love the truck and would have kept it but I just can't deal with the extended care contract service folks again. I'm trading it in and going back to Ford or Chevrolet.