I’ve got a 2012 Ram 1500 with a hemi. My dealer keeps telling me certain maintenance items are due but when I look at the maintenance schedule from my manual it tells me something different. For example, the dealer’s telling me that all the plugs need to be changed at 30K, the manual says 32K. The dealer is also telling me the trans fluid and transfer case fluid needs to be changed at 30K and the manual says 64K. They’re telling me oil changes are 3K and the manual says 8k.
Is this just a case of the dealer trying to rip a consumer off?
I forgot to say this is a lease
I would use the intervals that are stated in the owner’s manual. You can also use your own personal input as well. The 30K interval for transmission fluid change…drop pan and change fluid and filter as well as 5K for engine oil changes would not be a bad idea.
Who holds the lease? If it’s the dealer, better read the fine print…You may be REQUIRED to perform the maintenance he specifies…Leasing companies have discovered that lessees seldom do ANY maintenance so they may be cracking down on that to protect their investment…If you neglect the recommended maintenance, there may be a big penalty waiting at the end of the lease…
this is a lease I will be turning back in about 6 months from now. I just want to do what’s recommended, nothing more
Go by the owners manual and keep the records for proof.
Yosemite
All the maintenance has been done at the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. Is this a common practice among dealers? I know maintenance is where they make their money. Feel like I’m being scammed
If you are going to buy this vehicle at the end of the lease, you would be foolish to defer an important maintenance item such as the 30k transmission fluid change.
On the other hand, if you are going to turn the vehicle in at the end of the lease, you would be foolish to do any more maintenance than is required by the mfr’s maintenance schedule. The subsequent owners may well experience early transmission failure as a result of deferred trans fluid changes, but that will be their problem, not the problem of the OP.
VDC missleman. I’m not sure you’re following . The manual says the fluid change is due at 64K.
I agree with the others. Follow the manufacture’s schedule. Dealers frequently recommend more maintenance, as they’re more interested in their profits than your wallet.
@CTMike63–If you hang around this site for awhile, you will learn that almost all of the veterans of this forum believe strongly in a 30k trans fluid change regimen–despite the fact that mfr’s maintenance schedules sometimes omit this service from their maintenance schedule or list 60k or 90k for this type of maintenance.
I can personally attest to seeing many instances of transmission failure in the cars of friends and associates, some as early as 90k miles, some as “late” as 130k miles. What they all had in common was a total lack of transmission maintenance. By contrast, I have never had a transmission problem with any of my cars, and I follow the 30k trans fluid regimen faithfully.
I know that my anecdotal experience does not qualify as a scientific study, but after you spend some time on this site and see the many instances of early trans failure in NON-maintained transmissions, you just may wind up agreeing with me and the other veterans of this forum that changing your trans fluid (and filter) every 30k miles is far cheaper in the long run than having to overhaul your transmission.
Dodges have weak trannies. I would do the transmission fluid and filter change at at 30k miles. I would do the oil at 5k. Dealer is trying to rip you off, but you HAVE to follow the Dodge maintenance schedule and or exceed it. Keep all receipts to prove it. Dealers’ have lost records before and then it’s your problem to prove that you did what’s required.
If the owners manual says change the oil at 5000 miles, that is for normal service. Severe service could be 3000 miles. How do you use the truck, and what is the environment like?
The 2012 Ram maintenance schedule says the oil should be changed every 8K miles or 6 months.
It has the additional qualifications:
The oil change indicator message will not monitor the
time since the last oil change. Change your vehicle’s
oil if it has been six months since your last oil change,
even if the oil change indicator message is NOT illuminated.
Change your engine oil more often if you drive your
vehicle off-road for an extended period of time.
Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed
8,000 miles (13 000 km) or six months, whichever comes first.
What motivation is there to increase the dealer’s profits?
Guys,
I appreciate all the great feedback and info. I understand the importance of changing fluids regularly. I’ve done it on all my other vehicles. This is a lease that I’ll be turning in in 6 months. The dealer wants over $1000 to change the fluids and the plugs. Over $400 just for the plugs. I can’t see putting the $$ into the truck if there’s no need to
The truck is driven mainly on the highway
The dealer just wants to soak you for all he can before he loses you as a “customer”. I agree, don’t do anything else.
Weirdly spark plug changes on the hemi is spec’d by Chrysler to happen every 30k miles IIRC, and there are 16 plugs to change.
Their 4.7L Hemi engine does have odd spark plug maintenance.
From page 680 in the 2012 Dodge Ram service manual:
NOTE: ** Vehicles built with the 4.7L engine are
equipped with sixteen spark plugs. One set is located on
the top of the engine under the coils and the second set is
located on the side of the engine.
The spark plugs located under the coils are a standard
plug and must be changed every 48,000 miles
(78 000 km).
The spark plugs located on the side of the engine are a
premium plug and must be changed every 96,000 miles
(156 000 km).