::::fair warning, this is a RANT post, look away now if you do not want to read crazy one sided rantings about a first world "issue"::::
My baby just ticked over 30,000 miles. in addition to the routine 6,000 mile oil change, it is time for a new set of spark plugs..... 16 of them...
It is a 2010 Ram 1500 quad cab big horn 4x4 with the 5.7 hemi v8.
I know they are about to charge me around or over $500 bucks just for the plug change; but the money does not really upset me, I have known about that for a long time and prepared for it... No.. what is upsetting me far more is my fear.
I Absolutely HATE and have Absolutely NO Trust for the service techs and mechanics at ANY local brand dealership I have come across. I know these are strong words, and that at the end of the day I am certain these are all mostly good people, and they have a stressful dirty, hot, and difficult job. But I do not care; I am paying good money and even more above and beyond for the name, for the service record. These are the people that are openly accepted as the trusted and knowledgeable mechanics for our cars. When you have a vehicle that has been fully maintained as per the owner manuals recommend maintenance schedule and all the work has been done by the dealerships mechanics; THAT is supposed to mean something, that it was done on time, and most importantly, done CORRECTLY by the people with the proper tools and training and skills to do it right and not cause any further problems for the vehicle in doing so.
.... but I have no faith in the quality we receive from them. I am not talking just form the dodge dealers, my parents have had just as poor and in fact many horror stories from each of the Ford dealers in the Tulsa area; and my sister her share if disappointing stories from the GM/chevy dealer.
my biggest fear has become a reality for my parents from the ford dealer, and seems to a lesser extent be happening at the dodge dealer.
I could extend my already extreme wall-o-text to tell you the stories of how ford has screwed up my folks vehicles, and how bill knight ford made this fear a reality for my moms expedition an would not do a thing to fix it, said it was not their fault... or how my dads nearly identical truck as mine with 62,0000 miles started knocking after its second plug change on the drive home form the dealer.... but i do not think i need to be more specific than that.
So here i am.... ready for a new set of plugs, and incredibly depressed in fear that they are going to ruin my engine and i will not be able to do anything about it to make them do right by me. I am paying a small fortune to drive what i think is an outstanding vehicle and as petty or stupid as it sounds or my be to any of you, its my pride and joy, and my single most valuable asset I have; and I have fought every day to keep it as flawless as possible.
basically what I am saying is when they give me my truck back and it makes a noise it did not when i dropped it off.... I am going to lose it.... Popeye steam whistling out of my ears, dense boiling red skin, teeth grinding loose it!
and I can just feel it... I know they are going to screw up my truck...
and i know the obvious response i am about to get; "do the work yourself or shutup", i cant... i don't have the right tools, the right facility, the right training to know that i wont screw it up... but they do, and that is why i pay them extra to take care of it, and have the service record showing the "right people" did it.
i have put it off, and even looked into buying the plugs and doing it myself, but the right side looks like a real pain in the arse, i dont have the proper magnetic deep well plug socket wrench or a torque wrench i feel confident trying to squeeze into that tight right side space.. I fell they should be more qualified to do the job right than i am, and that is the point... but i just know its going to turn out bad.
I am sorry, but I had to get this out; call it my yearly insane rant post.
but does anyone else feel this way?
