# 15,000 Mile Service On Our Dodge Diesel



## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

It's almost time for our Dodge diesel's 15,000 mile service.

The dealership that we bought the truck from quoted $600.00 dollars for this service, while the dealership around the corner quoted $400.00.

The services from the one that quoted the $400.00 include:

O/F change
Diesel injector flush
washer solvent
Front/Rear differential svc (remove cover and re-seal)
Inspect air filter
rotate tires
inspect brakes

The $600.00 price dealer said that the difference was because they include a fuel filter.

How much is a fuel filter???

When I told them how far out of the ballpark they were compared to the less expensive dealership, the service guy magically told me that he could apply a 20% discount to bring the cost down to $480.00

Who do I believe??? What should we watch out for??

On another note...I took my toyota highlander in for it's 30,000 mile service today. The original quote was $254.00 and when I picked it up, it was actually $548.00 (needed the injectors cleaned and a couple of belts) I did give approval prior to picking it up, but I just can't believe how much this was...I also found out it needs new tires







All this was after paying $225.00 this morning for registration...quite the day for paying the piper!


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

I knew there was a reason I do all my own work. The only time a stealer will see me is warranty or recall work and even then I will think about is it really worth it. I know the Dodge dealer I bought my truck from sends me letters with a discount oil change which is $78.00+disposal fees of $5.00+tax(5.81)=88.81 for just an oil change then you have to make an appointment and you know they will find something else.

John


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## Brian (Jan 25, 2004)

Dawn,

In my area in the northeast, most dealers are getting approx $89.00 per hr. for labor.

O/F service is $75.00 inc labor.
Diff service including cleaning and scraping covers, resealing is prob 2 hrs or so.
I believe our diffs contain full synthetic fluid and or a special additive.
This is probably the bulk of the bill. My guess is $178.00 labor and $50.00 to $75.00 for fluid.

Fuel filter $35. plus 1/2 hr labor.

The rest is quick easy stuff, prob 1/2 hr or so.

As for the injector flush, I would check your scheduled maintenance schedule you received with the owners manual.
This may or may not be required(may be a way to charge you a lot for a little)

Ask the dealer for a complete break down on the bill.
The second quote is probably pretty close though!

Hope this helps!

Brian


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## bigdisneydaddy (Oct 26, 2007)

I never heard of an "injector flush" on a diesel, unless you are having some sort of driveability problem I think that is a marketing tool. There is nothing special about a fuel filter, they are pretty easy to replace and not that expensive to buy (depending on the part # anywhere from $12-$25)
My best advice would be to check you owners manual and see what services it suggests, I have noticed a big push lately for service and flushes that really arent necessary. Now would be a good time to build a relationship with a reputable service facility and let them do any work you decide you need. The dealers have pretty much priced themselves out of the market for maintenance around here. 
Here is a good example: I had to flush my power steering / brake booster pump and replace the fluid with synthetic to try and relieve a low power steering problem, since I had bigger than stock tires on my truck Chevy wouldnt pay for it, the dealer wanted $125 to do it. I purchased 2 qts of Royal purple full syn PS fluid at $8 per qt. I had the entire job done in 10 minutes for only $16. I accept that people have to make a profit but that is obscene.

Scott

On edit... why exactly do they need to rotate the tires on a dually ?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The injector flush is a bottle of power service or similar put full strength into the fuel filter canister when the filter is changed. It is a waste of money for the most part. That said you should add some every other tank just to keep everything clean.

Parts
Engine oil - $45
Engine oil filter - $15
Fuel filter - $15
Front diff - $30
Rear diff - $30
Brakes - $0
Total parts $125

Time
Engine oil - 20 min
Engine filter - 10 min
Fuel filter - 10 min
Front diff - 30 min
Rear diff - 30 min
Brakes - 0
Tire rotate - 20 min
Total time 2 hours at $90 = $180

Add in disposal fee and shop fee of $20 and the total cast is about $325. So the $400 dollar shop is close to what it costs. My numbers are rounded off but close enough for this thread.

I do all this work myself so I have to add in beer cost but that is just me.


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## outbackmac (Feb 1, 2005)

If you can hold a wrench you can do ur oil and filter and fuel filter yourself for 60 dollars oil 12$ a gallon x3 filter 10$ fuel filter 12 $


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I was curious about the injector flushing so I did a search at Turbo Diesel Register and Diesel Truck Resource and found that there are a variety of injector cleaners out there and some people think they are worth using. I would double check the manual to make sure there is nothing in there about additives/cleaners that shouldn't be used. I thought I read somewhere on my new truck that anything with alcohol in it is a bad for the fuel delivery system.


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## bigdisneydaddy (Oct 26, 2007)

Personally I run a mix of Power service and 2 cycle oil as an additive. 
If there is concern about injectors any popular additive is fine, I run Power service because it is widely available. It also helps with fuel lubricity which keeps the injectors happy.

Scott


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Thats a total rip-off - from either dealer.

Can you change your own oil/filter and fuel filter? If so use a good oil designed for Deisels. I use Rotela, but there are others to choose from. Also get a quality filter, again several to choose from. Do some research. Deisel engines have higher compression and inferior filter can come apart. I use NAPA, Fleetguard or Wix.

Fuel filters are a bit more troublesome but not all that difficult.

Take you truck to a tire place and have the tires rotated. You could do this yourself if you have a 3 ton floor jack, but man is it a lot of work. Sk them to check the brake wear as they do it. At 15k yuor brakes should be fine.

The rest of the stuff is fluff. Use PSD or Lucas Deisel treatment occasionally - poured directly into the fuel tank.
At 15k, your differential should be fine unless you have driven through water over your axles.

Checking the air filter is easy and if it looks dirty, easily changed.

If your not comfortable doing this yourself, find a reputable garage to do the oil change, tire rotation, fuel filter work.

Regards, Glenn


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## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

I do as much of the maintenace on my '06 RAM TD as possible. I have installed the Mag-Hytec rear diff cover and trans pan. These Increase the oil capacity of both hence helping with cooler temps AND a much easier means of draining and refilling. The diff cover is awesome. Not only does it look good it has a magnetric dipstick as well. Makes it easy to check fluid and/or add. I do my own oil and filter changes, too. I've increased the change intervals due to the install of a FS-2500 by pass oil filterartoin system. Once a year changes now that I do myself. Plenty of room to get under the truck. You just need a 16 quart drain pan and you can dump the oil at most auto parts stores for free. Fuel filters are about $14 for Genos Garage on line. An easy, quick change that the dealer charged me $90 for. They need to be changed about every 7500 miles now with the new terrible diesel fuel. Good luck and happy rving. PCM


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Wow, that is a lot!!!









That sounds like the Volvo we had. They wanted ~$600 for a 30,000 mile service. I bought the parts and did everything for right about $100. They acted shocked when I said that I would do it myself...









Oh, but remember if you do do things yourself, KEEP the RECIEPTS!!! Doing it at the dealership gets the maintenance logged in the computer as a record. Without that they could always dispute any warranty claims if you can't prove you serviced it.


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## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

Nathan said:


> Wow, that is a lot!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


For sure keep all eceipts and log of your maintenace and write on the filters the date and mileage.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Three Words: Indepent-Repair-Shop.

Find a good one, and you're golden. I've used the same shop for 22 years and have certainly saved many thousands of dollars, received excellent service, and guaranteed repairs.

Dealers aside from being a "premium" source for repair, have service writers that are compensated for the amount of cash they can seperate from you. I only use dealers for warranty service.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Nathan said:


> Wow, that is a lot!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Nathan for making that point...That was going to be my next question!

Thanks everyone for your input







I'm going to have dh read this thread and see if he's going to be swayed into doing at least some of the work himself.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

Hi all, I'm your typical do any work i can do mechanic. last resort is the dealer. so now i own my first diesel and i didn't know all i thought i should know. I started searching the net and found a really good site. dieselplace.com. Its a site were you can talk to people who do the work and know the tricks. check it out you'll be glad you did.

long story short, jeep grand cherokee no heat passenger side but good on driver side. dealer cost $1500/2000. my cost after a search on some forums $130 dollars and 1 hour of my time!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now works great. CHECK FORUMS HELP IS OUT THERE>

good luck


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## rnasah (Apr 29, 2007)

That's the best advice yet, do a Google on Cummins diesel forums and read up on all the things you mentioned. I serious doubt you need a diff oil change, I'm pretty sure they have synthetic and 50k miles sounds more appropriate. The injector clean from the dealer is a scam! If you don't want to mess with any of this stuff yourself, find a local non-dealership mechanic with good references to do it. I would trust these guys way more than the dealership. My findings are that the best mechanics leave the dealerships to go out on their own.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

i agree rnasah. find someone you can trust and stick with them. my only caution, i read a lot on diesel place and a lot of guys were shocked at what came out of the differentials in just a few thousand miles. after what i read i plan on changing mine early. also a fuel lubricate should be used. the new low polluting fuels have very little lubrication properties left. as bigdisneydaddy said, your injectors will smile. oh and the pumps will smile too


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

rnasah said:


> That's the best advice yet, do a Google on Cummins diesel forums and read up on all the things you mentioned. *I serious doubt you need a diff oil change, I'm pretty sure they have synthetic and 50k miles sounds more appropriate*. The injector clean from the dealer is a scam! If you don't want to mess with any of this stuff yourself, find a local non-dealership mechanic with good references to do it. I would trust these guys way more than the dealership. My findings are that the best mechanics leave the dealerships to go out on their own.


The maintenance schedule for the Dodge is 15,000.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

California Jim said:


> Three Words: Indepent-Repair-Shop.
> 
> Find a good one, and you're golden. I've used the same shop for 22 years and have certainly saved many thousands of dollars, received excellent service, and guaranteed repairs.
> 
> Dealers aside from being a "premium" source for repair, have service writers that are compensated for the amount of cash they can seperate from you. I only use dealers for warranty service.


X2


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## Brian (Jan 25, 2004)

Dawn,
I think there has been some good info here if your goal is to get the needed service at the least possible cost!
The reality of doing the work yourself for 1/4 to 1/3rd the cost is probably not an option and therefore the reason for your post(I'm guessing). As your well aware of, your new truck was a huge investment and you don't want to do anything that would jeopardize it's integrity. I think if(Huge Word) you can as was previously stated find a "reputable" private shop I would agree that is a good option. My two concerns would be parts(sometimes but not always aftermarket parts/filters which could not be to the same quality standard as the Original Equiptment of the Manufaturer. The second concern would be the "I've never worked on one of these before" syndrome!

Example... If I owned a Rolls Royce I would feel more comfortable having Andy work on it versus "Johnny I can work on anything"

I agree with everyone who is trying to help you save money but I would like to know the work was quality though!( I know dealers are not a guarantee for quality either but they "should" have more experience with your new Dodge than someone who works on all brands).

Brian


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## boats313 (Oct 22, 2007)

Brian said:


> I agree with everyone who is trying to help you save money but I would like to know the work was quality though!( I know dealers are not a guarantee for quality either but they "should" have more experience with your new Dodge than someone who works on all brands).


I have always been the type to do it myself and my DW always wanted her car taken care of by the dealership (pre-marriage), so after getting married I would take her car (a nice little Saturn) to the dealer for her. Until one day when the stealership called to get authorization for some additional work, I missed the call and instead of calling the number that was left in the message I used the caller ID #, to my surprise our car was at the Toyota dealer down the road. The same guy owned 3 or 4 dealerships on the same road and the cars got worked on by whoever wasn't busy. So much for having an intimate knowledge of our car. Plus they wanted an ungodly amount of money to do the simplest of tasks, now I do the work on both vehicles. If I do find that something is beyond my skills or tools, I find a shop that will warranty their work for a reasonable amount of time. I move too often to have found a shop that I know and trust, i just ask around.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

bigdisneydaddy said:


> Personally I run a mix of Power service and 2 cycle oil as an additive.
> If there is concern about injectors any popular additive is fine, I run Power service because it is widely available. It also helps with fuel lubricity which keeps the injectors happy.
> 
> Scott


If your diesel specifies that you use ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel) then DO NOT put 2-cycle oil (or Marvel Mystery Oil) in as an additive. Also, be careful what fuel additive you choose because not all of them are ULSD certified. Power Service and Amsoil are okay but I'm not sure about any others.

Dawn - As the other have said, I think that finding a good independant shop is a good idea. But I think finding a good _diesel mechanic _or a shop that specializes in_ diesel repair _is an even better one. In as big of a metro that you live in there should be a few.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

check out DieselPlace.com. go to maintenance & fluids. look for the sticky: lubricity additive study. a lot of info, they report you decide. i would have never guessed how many different things people put in their fuel.


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## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

Here is some advice from someone who has had LOTS of trouble with their RAM diesel until the got it into the RIGHT dealership.......be sure you take your RAM diesel to a dealership who has EXPERIENCE witht the diesel. I drive 40 minutes to a small farming community becasue the dealer there services about 60% Ram diesel trucks. A lot of the city dealers have guys who don't see many diesels and don't know what they are doing. Trust me on that one! Ever since I have gone to this dealer, I have had no problems. pcm


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I wouldn't recommend skipping maintenance that is called out in the owners manual. They can't deny a warranty based on where the service was done, but they can if you can't show that it was done. As for things the dealership or other repair shop "strongly recommends"..... I'm always..... careful.....


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

We looked in the manual and the diesel injector flush is not even mentioned in the schedule. I'm going to ask the dealer what they actually charge for this and why it's needed.

I wonder if it's possible to call the manufacturer and ask them if this is even necessary...

**on edit**

I called Dodge/Chrysler customer service and was told that the diesel injector flush is offered by dealerships as preventive maintenance only. I told them I was p.o'd by the fact that prices for service were so outrageous...Their response was that they "understood my frustration" (yeah right







) but that dealers could pretty much charge whatever they want to since they are independently owned...


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