This is the most incompetent dealership svs dept EVER!
I called the svs. mgr. & asked if I purchased a PCM off ebay, would they flash it. He said they have to charge a diagnostic fee. I explained DTC PO700 came up (TCM) and we already had a transmission shop pull the codes from the TCM (PO613 / PO602) saying the TCM had internal failure. He said he would waive the diagnostic fee & charge $110 to flash it if I installed it myself before it went in the shop.
I ordered a PCM (thinking the TCM was integrated in it,) & took it in. They had my husband install the new PCM & push the truck in the shop. My husband sat in the waiting room & saw the truck drive by. He called me saying, "It must have fixed it!" Later, a tech came & told him, "We can't flash used PCM's b/c Chrysler puts a PIN on them. Instead, we reinstalled your original PCM & took it for a drive & it went into limp mode... (No DUH! That's why we initially took it to have the DTC codes pulled from the TCM!)
They quoted him from $1900 to $5,000+ & advised him NOT to drive it until they fixed it! Thank God, my Jeep broke down & I needed him to come get me!
We already had diagnosed and was told the TCM was bad (a $200 part!)
They said it needed a new throttle body, harness assembly, and lots of other repairs. They charged my husband $120 to diagnose it EVEN though Joe, the svs. mgr. previously agreed NOT to re-diagnose it or charge a diagnosis fee! They NEVER asked my husband if he wanted them to reinstall the original PCM and re-diagnose it!
When my husband came to get me, I called & Travis told me, "If the recommended repairs we quoted don't fix it, we'll have to try replacing the TCM or transmission!"
I asked him WHY did the service mgr. let me order a used PCM online if they KNEW they can't reflash them? He said he can't answer for him.
They obviously just wanted to get our truck in their shop then scare us into leaving it there, saying it would cause further damage.
When we got home, I called Chrysler.There was NO way our truck needed $1900 to $5K+ in repairs! We bought our truck Brand-New, ALWAYS had it serviced at the dealership (on the mainland) & ALWAYS kept it in the garage. It only had less than 43K miles! An angel at Chrysler agreed to intervene. The svs mgr told them it needed all the recommended repairs. Chrysler was willing to help with the costs. I told the rep., "Once they do all the work they claim needs to be done, the truck is still NOT going to run b/c I know the TCM is fried!" The rep. called the svs. mgr. back & we set-up an appt. to go speak with him. He put a scan tool under our dash and got DTC P1698 (BUS not communicating with TCM.) He agreed the TCM should be the first thing they do, then go from there. We left the truck there.
Over TWO weeks went by & we finally got a call from the Chrysler rep saying they replaced the PCM & DTC P1698 is still there so they need to replace the TCM & it will be at least another week before it is there.
WHY did he order & install a PCM if the TCM is a SEPARATE unit?!?
Chrysler agreed to pay the dealership for the WRONG part & labor to install it.
TWO more weeks went by & we got a call from the dealership saying the truck was ready for pick-up.
All it needed was a TCM that has 3 screws and 1 connector to replace it!
Our truck sat in the salty rain for ONE MONTH. Had we known it would be SO long, we could have parked it in a friend's garage in town & suspended our insurance which cost $70/mo!
The svs mgr is absolutely clueless & extremely rude. He had me come into his office, close the door & said, "Ya sob story about ya kid isn't my problem. I don't even get see my family!"
I was HORRIFIED!!! Our daughter is living on a prayer & has to undergo grueling, surgeries!
When they initially told us our vehicle needed upwards from $1900 to $5K+ in repairs, I explained we left our lives & jobs on the mainland to be nearer to our daughter w/ malignant mesothelioma & said we can't afford to leave our truck there with a blank check for them to play 'hit-or-miss' until they figure out the problem!
After basically saying he couldn't care less about our situation, he said, "Sometimes customers gotta pay for things the service techs do. We can't always know exactly what is wrong so we try different things out."
I asked WHY he ordered & installed a PCM when he sat there & agreed our TCM was bad. He said, "I shoulda had a technician look undda da hood an see if they was separate parts. That was my fault."
I said, "Your tech, Travis told me, "All you had to do was enter our VIN# & you would have seen they are separate parts!"
Joe said he wouldn't charge if they did any unnecessary repairs. (B.S.!)
I asked if he charged Chrysler for the PCM & labor. He huffed, "Juz foget it... you don't have to pay the $100 deductible!"
*Chrysler called us & said, "Joe called & said to tell you, if you don't pay him $100 deductible, you are NEVER welcome back! They didn't fix recalled airbag! Now what?! read more