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  #1  
Old 10-25-2005, 12:52 AM
jbaronde jbaronde is offline
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Default Charger computer malfunctions

I am typically a Pontiac guy, but since they decided to make the new Charger with a Hemi I decided to jump ship and try it out. Afterall, my 1st car in high school was an old Dodge and I loved it even though it was 20+ yrs old.

Welll......This is my 1st brand new car. The 1st time I take it out for a significant drive, about 200 miles, the car dies and stalls and I have to push it into a parking lot. It gets towed into the dealer then next day. Now it is 3 wks later and they still can't fix it. Apperently, the computer is messed up. The regular dealership mechanics couldn't figure out the computer codes so they had to get a Chrysler engineer and then a specialized Hemi/Charger engineer in to work on it. They replace the computer and then have to download some programs from Chrysler and try to program them into the car, which hasn't worked yet. (I'm starting to wonder if I bought a car or an IBM) The Charger engineer said this has happened to 16 other 2006 Chargers. Chrysler will not let me sell it back and buy another one, and if it takes another week to fix I will be able to turn it in via the Lemon Law.

Now, I like Pontiac, but I've always had a thing for Mopar ( and definitely not Ford), but Chrysler is really ticking me off here, and they may have lost a future customer. From now on it will either be Pontiac, foreign, or collector car for me

I should have bought a 69 Charger or GTO instead. I could fix that. This computer junk ticks me off.

Anyone else, hear about anything like this.
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  #2  
Old 10-25-2005, 01:32 AM
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3+ weeks? That’s silly. At the dealership I work at (not Chrysler) the only vehicles that take that long to repair are diesels and that’s because we are one of the very few in the area that have a certified diesel tech. I would raise hell.
My Chrysler Warr. experience is positive. Neon had the transmission replaced in 2 days, and Ram had the power window fixed in one day. But I researched and chose the Dodge dealerships that have good service reputations and no diagnosis charge if it turns out not to be covered. Sounds like you did not have this option.
Also, a crappy service adviser can create more concern than nes
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  #3  
Old 10-25-2005, 07:25 AM
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I think that I would have called the zone rep by now. They are pretty good at getting you taken care of.
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  #4  
Old 10-25-2005, 11:12 AM
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Three weeks IS too long! They obviously don't have your best interest at heart and are only considering their bottom line by not letting you trade it in for another one. They should not have let this drag for so long, at least not with this brand new model. It shouldn't take more than 1 week to get a new computer pre-programmed from the factory and shipped to the dealership for replacement. Then, they could fool around with the old one to figure out the bugs....
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  #5  
Old 10-25-2005, 01:52 PM
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I would start contacting some of the regional Dodge managers and reps about this, 3 weeks is too long. I wouldnt be too discouraged with Chrysler as a whole, more like the dealership you took it to. maybe try getting ahold of the general manager of the dealership or even the owner. Bug them every day until its done.
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  #6  
Old 10-25-2005, 02:51 PM
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I'd give it back to them when the time is up, simply out of principle.

At the very least they should be making the payments on it, while it's down.

Nothing ticks me off more than a major company like chrysler, selling you something thats a pile, and not taking responsibility for it.

If you push them, they will probably give you what you want.
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  #7  
Old 10-25-2005, 10:09 PM
71SATELITE 71SATELITE is offline
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Buy a super wagon/Magnum no problems here man screams down the road and 28 MPG. Not to mention the suspension is boss!!!
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  #8  
Old 10-26-2005, 12:01 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbaronde
I should have bought a 69 Charger or GTO instead. I could fix that.
Yeah, and the car would actually appreciate when you drove it off the lot. 3 weeks is long.

My buddy has a new '05 GMC DuraMax diesel and it has been in the shop 4 times:
Injector failed, fixed.
Injector cracked, filled motor with diesel, bent rod, fixed
wire harness damaged in injector replacement, cobbled together fix
Wire harness fire, 1 week lead time for new harness, Custom diesel shortbed- one of like 3, has special harness(?)
New computer controlled cars suck to wrench on. Give me a carb!
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  #9  
Old 10-26-2005, 12:57 AM
jbaronde jbaronde is offline
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Default Thanks for the advice

Actually, I hounded the dealership telling them I do not want the car anymore. I would be willing to take a different one, assuming this is a one time problem. However the dealer is sort of dragging it's feet and actually told me "Well, that's why the give you warranties for new cars. There's no such thing as a perfect car." Then they try and ease my complaint by saying how rare this problem is. That doesn't mean anything to me. It is my first experience buying a new car!!!
I am switching brands from Pontiac to Mopar and I assume that would mean something to them to go the extra mile for me.
Actually, they did finally get the car fixed. After ONLY 3.5 wks. I still want them to take the car back and let me have a different one. First of all, this is my FIRST new car and I don't trust it anymore. I've owned some old crappy cars that were more reliable. Plus, I feel really angry that I paid $30,000+ for a new car that I couldn't drive for the 1st month I owned it.

I'm thinking about contacting Chrysler itself and maybe even the BBB to see if that will make them jump a bit.

On another topic. I don't mean to open a touchy subject, if it is. But it seems on other chat rooms there are a lot of people talking about the looks of the new Charger. I like it because of the name and the Hemi. I just am happy that they're trying to bring back a little of the old muscle car days. However, I do really wish they made it a 2-door and made it look a little more muscle carish. I am a Pontiac guy so I love the old GTOs and Firebirds, but I must admit the 68-70 Chargers are probably the best looking muscle cars ever made. Especially, with the new Dukes of Hazzard movie coming out. I would have thought that would be great marketing to retro style it like Mustang did. I hate Ford but that new Mustang does look pretty cool. I think a new retro styled 69 Charger would make me drool.
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  #10  
Old 10-26-2005, 04:21 AM
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I'm a little curious, Jbaronde, why dont you tell use a bit more about your Charger? What color is is, what color interior, serial number, but leave off the last 4 numbers for security purposes.
Not trying to be picky, but a lot of your posts seem to be leaving out details that most describing their cars would normally add.
Yours is the 1st tale I've heard of any newer Mopar acting like this, either 300, Magnum or Charger, so a little more detail would be appreciated, gracias in advance...
As for you not taking the car back after they've repaired it, well, good luck on that.
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  #11  
Old 10-26-2005, 10:54 AM
Dr. Righteous Dr. Righteous is offline
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Default Not typical

The service you receive is different from dealer to dealer.
Some dealership is Customer Service Always #1. And some are looking to extract money from you even if it is warranty, no money, low priority.
They will keep draging their feet until you go over their heads. Contact the regional rep. Remember the dealerships don't work for Chrysler. They work for the dealership owner. It all comes down to what kind of company he wants to run.
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  #12  
Old 10-26-2005, 04:30 PM
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JBARONDE: You should've been on this board when the Charger came out! There were lotsa of threads regarding it's design. Now, it's just old news and we've moved on to something else. If you'd like, you can use the search option to read some of the comments on the NEW CHARGER.
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  #13  
Old 10-26-2005, 05:18 PM
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Those threads are in off topic and rumors...
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  #14  
Old 11-01-2005, 01:52 PM
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Gripe 318 engine

i am building a 318 to put in a 81 p/up 4x4 for mud bogging.
what would be a good build on a tight budget but want good hp?
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  #15  
Old 11-01-2005, 02:05 PM
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Mark; I think you mixed up the 'Post Reply' button with 'New Thread' since that question seems unrelated to this thread.
Go to the Performance thread listing (or whatever..Ram chat maybe?) and click 'New Thread' on the left side just above and below the listings.
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  #16  
Old 11-09-2005, 06:03 PM
jbaronde jbaronde is offline
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Default Very interesting experiment

I've been gone for 2 weeks and just checked in on my thread.

Some of you started to ask specifics about my Charger. I can't because I actually was lying. Everything is actually the other way around. I am a Mopar guy who bought a GTO because I wanted a 2 door sports coupe and not a family sedan.

Anywho, the GTO truly did die and I had to push it. While this is not a common problem, it still happened to me. I posted the exact same thing on a GTO site and most of the replies were telling me that bad stuff just happens sometimes and you just have to accept it and move on.

Here on the Mopar site, almost everyone agreed that 3 weeks is too long and that they should have replaced the car. At Pontiac apparently they feel that whatever happens is okay because it is GM

Apparently, Mopar expects more. If you want to see the thread I am talking about go to NewAgeGTO forum under 2005 GTO and computer malfunction.
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  #17  
Old 11-10-2005, 08:00 PM
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Well anytime you buy a "new" design, these things will happen. You can test and test- but testing isn't the real world. Bugs and such are inevitable.
Just a suggestion..... let someone else find the bugs and don't buy a new design for at least 3 years. New technology.... give it ten.
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  #18  
Old 11-10-2005, 08:20 PM
jbaronde jbaronde is offline
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Default No more new cars for me

Don't worry. Thanks to GM I think I am done purchasing brand new cars. I will either stick to old classics or slightly used cars.

Maybe I'm not much of a business man, but if I was in charge of Pontiac or GM and a customer had this happen, I would find a replacement vehicle for them and fix the car in the meantime so I could resell it. It doesn't seem like good business to have a new customer to your brand buy a first new car (which for me and most people was a big event) and then end up pushing it down a major street. I've owned some pretty crappy old cars in my time, but have never had to do that.

I will either be buying Chrysler or foreign from now on.
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  #19  
Old 11-10-2005, 08:49 PM
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BS!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbaronde
I've been gone for 2 weeks and just checked in on my thread.

Some of you started to ask specifics about my Charger. I can't because I actually was lying.
At the risk of starting a flame war (I hope not), it was more of a trick than an experiment. I can't imagine what you hoped to prove by defaming the Charger, but it wasn't a kind thing to do.

Hopefully, no one-time visitor looking for new Charger info caught your post and changed his/her mind.

Were you too embarrassed to admit your choice of a 2-door GTO went south? Were you hoping that dozens of new Charger owners would jump in with horror stories about their cars so that you would feel better about your problem?

At this point, I will congratulate you for owning up to this hoax. That took guts.

Too bad you didn't really buy a Charger. I'll bet it would be running flawlessly.
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  #20  
Old 11-10-2005, 11:53 PM
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Yeah Mopar would never do that.

Front axle/xfer case/trans issues with the 94-03 ram 4x4s

a604's anyone?

or how about that lovely lean-burn ignition system. That was one of my favorites

They all have issues at some point or another. It just part of the game when your stretching the status quo.

still shame on you for buying a pantywrap gto.
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  #21  
Old 11-11-2005, 03:43 PM
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Not a Charger?!?!? I feel so used! Like that time I fell asleep and woke up in an all-girl sorority...
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