Guys need some help, my brother in law has a 03 Dodge truck, they have had it since July 07, it has had two transfer cases installed under warranty and has now at 79000 miles destroyed the third one. The vehicle had around 50K when purchased.
The local Chrysler dealership where it was purchased, has refused to fix it under warranty this time as it is out of warranty now. Chrysler are also not helping out. Despite claims that the repair is the same one not fixed properly in the previous times.
There are a number of discrepancies including claims that the transfer case is dry, when we pulled the plug it was overfilled with some awful crud. Note there is no note that they added fluid.
Who knows of a lawyer who is any good at these type of matters?
We are getting samples of the transfer case fluid for testing, where should I send this?
Hints, tips and guidance gratefully accepted
how much is a transfer case? I guess I am thinking back in 1979 when they were $500, so I am probably cracked in the head on this one.
try to find a decent local shop to change it out. lawyers are expensive.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRANSFER-CASE-Dodge-Ram-1500-Pickup-02-03-04-05-65k-mi_W0QQitemZ380141828526QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item588237f9ae&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
$475 on ebay
They are quoting $1700 just to supply one.
The point is it was a reported fault when the vehicle was under warranty and has not been satisfactorily repaired.
I find it odd that the transfer case in a Dodge truck would go bad so quickly. My Dodge truck that I bought new went through transmissions so often that I wasn't able to put too many miles on it in four wheel drive, thus insuring my transfer care was still like new when I got rid of the POS.
While it sucks that he'll have to pay $1700+, that's much less than the cost of hiring a lawyer to sue Chrysler. With New Chrysler having gone through bankruptcy, are they even liable for products made by Old Chrysler? I remember seeing news stories about how people who were suing Chrysler (minivan in an accident, kid flew out and died, family sued) were trying to get the government involved because there was a chance that New Chrysler wouldn't have to worry about liability for their older products. I think that got shot down, but I'm not positive.
A letter from a lawyer to the dealer might get the dealer to cut the price some, I doubt they'll buckle and repair it for free.
Good luck though.
As for where to send the transfer case fluid for analysis, try giving Blackstone a call and see if they do stuff like that.
Bob
picket in front of dealership with ripoff and thieves coroplast signs , be nice if you can get some kids involved watch the dealership cave in and buckle in about 1/2 hour , nobody likes it when young kids hold signs marching in protest
Contact the BBB in your area and see if you can get mediation. My pop's was a GM service rep and handled a number of cases though out the years. Also if you have not, contact the service rep in the area. I'm a little shocked they aren't offereing you anything. Just as a comparision a car I work on for a buddy, a 2001 Acura CL, is eating it's 3rd transmission. Acura already replaced it once and admitted the replacement is crap after 25,000. My buddy is not the original owner and the car is well beyond the original warrenty but they are replacing the transmission at a 90-10 split. They are going to pay about 2700 and my buddy is out 300.
um... I thought parts that were replaced under warrenty... especially drivetrain warrenty... had their warrenty time reset?
That is very valid, they stated the parts had a warranty the first time it was repaired but they denied that upon the return visits.
Further the vehicle has NEVER been in 4x4 mode so the transfer case shouldn't be worn at all, without looking at the vehicle myself I think the problem is elsewhere but they failed to diagnose it correctly
They will not honor the parts warranty as the vehicle has now exceeded 70K.
Okey doke: first things first: parts installed under warranty are covered by the 12month/12K mile warranty ~OR~ the remainder of the factory warranty, whichever affords the greater protection. So dig up the RO's from the ones replaced under the PT warranty. If it was less than 12/12 since the last repair regardless of whether the PT warranty has expired, they need to fix it. Now here's a problem: the replacement parts warranty does not 'reset' when a part is replaced, it's always figured from the date of the first repair. If it was 50k, then that expired at 62k. Now, if the second T case was replaced between 62k and 70k, then that one should have its own 12/12 replacement parts warranty. So dig up the RO's and peruse them carefully.
Now. The legal side from the way I have seen it happen a bunch of times with many manufacturers. billy3esq style disclaimer: I ain't no damn lawyer. 
If it's out of the 12/12 and PT both, Chrysler is under no legal obligation to repair it at no charge again. What you would be looking for is a 'goodwill' repair which is up to the representatives of Chrysler Corp. A lawyer can huff and puff all he wants but unless he can prove the part was defective or improperly installed, no such luck. So I would not waste my money on a lawyer just yet.
Why did I say 'just yet'? You said the T case was full of some 'awful crud'. You need to find out beyond any doubt what that crud is. I hope you have a few ounces (preferably a pint) for analysis. Down here there's a place called Bolyn Lubricants which used to do analysis (they might still do it). Pegasus Auto Racing offers oil analysis through a third party, you might check with them. Chrysler spec'ed a synthetic lubricant in many transfer cases (and axles, too) if it's an automatic tranny truck and has a rear seal ('sandwich seal') leaking it may have ATF+4 mixed with the synthetic lube. That may make no difference at all, then again it may be a problem. If the sandwich seal was leaking and it got ATF+4 in the t-case causing a lubricant breakdown or the wrong lube was added at replacement, you might have a case. Or if the t-case was staying engaged at highway speeds, it could have generated a lot of heat, causing lubricant failure etc. In that case there should be a HEAP of metal particles (bronze, steel, etc) in the fluid and he might have a case, meaning that something else could have caused the failure (vacuum switch, bad electric engagement motor, etc).
If it has water or mud or etc in the t-case, your b-i-l is screwed. These vehicles are 'trail rated', not 'pond rated'. BTDT.
Have you replaced the front tires more recently than the rear tires. I've heard of problems with transfer cases tearing themselves apart because only 2 of the tires were replaced at a time. If they are two different sizes or excessively worn at one end of the car, get 4 new tires, and keep up with your tire rotations.
send oil to
http://www.natrib.com/
They used to do a ton of work for the papermills localy
