All I want is a stupid oil change & servicing!

[Bret]

<span style="color: #FF0000">*WARNING RANT AHEAD!*</span>

So I've got these Dodge “diesel” Sprinter Vans that I'm responsible for maintaining. We us'em for some of our x-ray systems used by various agencies and part of my job is to go where they're being used to maintain them.

Anyway it's not such a big deal for the local ones - I just make a couple of phone calls to set things up & I or one of my customers run them down the road to the local Dodge dealership and they take care of everything.

But all is not well the farther you get from civilization – because I’ve been running into some problems with some of my systems in more remote areas. Oh sure there are Dodge dealer ships, but whenever I call or ask about getting one of my vans serviced – I get the cold shoulder.

See the problem is that under that domestic looking “Dodge Ram” emblem on the hood is actually a Mercedes Benz engine & chassis. And according to all the shop managers I need to have the vans serviced in either San Diego or Phoenix, because they don’t have the tools or training to work on the Sprinter vans.

I’m buddy I just want an oil & filter change, do you really need “special tools & training” for that? Well in these guys minds apparently so.

So I’m going to do it myself & go to the local Mercedes Benz dealer and order the air & oil filters and a bunch of 0-40w synthetic oil.

 

[Steve]

I cannot believe that they would decline an oil and filter change! Short-sighted, narrow-minded, you name it....Just boggles the mind!

 

[Bret]

Yeah there’s something going on in the Daimler Chrysler family that involves some sort of shake up with the sprinter vans. According to my sources unless you’re an outfit that runs a big fleet of vans your money isn’t good enough and there’s a long waiting list to get one or even a small handfull for one-off applications.

Likewise there seems to be some sort of rift in the parts departments I had one Dodge parts department tell me today that even if I gave them the numbers they couldn’t order the parts for me. Again – all I needed was a few filters, so this is more than a simple matter of poor service.

I mean honestly the van is a great platform but with the support I’m getting if it was my money – I’d steer clear of the Sprinters. Regardless of the badge Mercedes Benz, Dodge or Freightliner that adorns the hood – I’d look elsewhere.

 

[tony barnhill]

Mercedes doesn't like Chrysler anymore & vice versa...are we redefining "orphan" cars here?

 

[Bret]

Mercedes doesn't like Chrysler anymore & vice versa...are we redefining "orphan" cars here?

That’s pretty much what I thought too Tony. But for goodness sake let’s be professional about it shall we. I mean I’ve worked for company’s who’ve undergone worst situations with mergers and partial sell-offs of one division or another. But we sucked it up and serviced the products that had our label on it.

One company I worked for sold off a division of a particular product line but still continued to service said equipment until the end of it’s expected industry life cycle of seven years was completed. Then & only then did we drop product support like a bad habit.

So to me from someone who’s made his livelihood in the service industry – I find this totally unacceptable. Especially for such well known Marquees like Mercedes Benz and Chrysler who claim to be so concerned about customer satisfaction.

Totally disappointing - and I’m an old Mopar fan to boot. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

 

[bugimike]

Mercedes doesn't like Chrysler anymore & vice versa...are we redefining "orphan" cars here?

This was more the line of thinking I was leaning to with "orphan cars"!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

I bet Pep Boys or Advance Auto Parts could get filters for you, and at a better price, I'll bet too!!!

 

[Bret]

I'm going to go ahead & pick up the filters & oil today and head out in the AM tomorrow to take care of the oil change myself. I did talk to the local Dodge Sprinter rep yesterday and he said it's pretty strait forward.

So depending on the cost of the filters (Oil, Air & fuel) I may just go ahead & pick up a few spares and keep them with the van for future use.

That way we don't have to worry about ordering the filters and can either perform the oil & filter changes ourselves or have the customer just take it down to a local shop to have it done. I just have to call around to see if I can find someone willing to do it.

I realize some may say – “it’s just an oil change, what’s the big deal”. And to that I’d say I agree “its just an oil change and it shouldn’t matter”. But the cost of me driving 6 hours round trip or god forbid someother engineer flying in just to perform something that I should be able to schedule over the phone is just plain silly and expensive.

In fact I was checking with some of my fellow engineers and it turns out that the Marines & Army who are running these systems over in a freak'in "War Zone" can get an oil & filter change far less difficulties than we are experiencing here in the USA in the more remote areas along the border. All they do is run the vehicle over to “Motor Depot” & their mechanics just get it done.

 

[Camshaft]

their mechanics just get it done.

This is an entirely foreign concept to me, please elaborate.

Do they at least try to sell you a car wash package when they've completed the job?

 

[Bret]

their mechanics just get it done.

This is an entirely foreign concept to me, please elaborate.

Do they at least try to sell you a car wash package when they've completed the job?

Yes I know its a little silly sometimes.

But in the quest for our hard earned dollars you'd think they'd jump at the chance to sell an over priced oil change.

Heck I've gone to other local dealerships and seen Ford dealers servicing Chevy's. Toyotas servicing Dodges and yet a Dodge dealership won't service a stupid Dodge Sprinter van.