Help Please - New $50,000 truck don't work

[HoustonPerson]

Well almost new.

18 months old, 2006 Lariat 4x4 CC SB 23,000 miles. The passenger side battery has been corroding since new. And apparently the driver’s side has started too.

On each of the first four oil changes the dealer has said “all is fine”. And yes I have the tickets that say they checked the batteries on “every” oil change!

Yesterday it broke down in the dealer’s service drive and they tell me it is not covered under warranty?

I can find nothing in the warranty book that says anything at all about exclusions in the bumper to bumper warranty; especially concerning batteries or cables.

The main power cable (I guess to the starter) is dust. It just fell to pieces when they touched it.

This truck was special order with the Heavy Duty alternator. Is it possible it has the “wrong” electronics in it and is causing the batteries to over charge?

The truck is 1000% pure stock.

Anyone else have this problem?

Help Please. It is still at the dealership, there are supposed to fix it today?

 

[bushpilot]

well you are outside the 12/12k warrenty so i would tend to agree
that the battery wouldnt be covered by the 3/36..but
certainly the battery SHOULD be pro-rated based on the
age of the truck (from the delivery date)...shouldnt take a TON
of work to replace the cable...you really shouldnt replace ONE battery...do 'em both.

personally id 1st fix the cables, then id test the charging system before
i replaced anything else.

does the truck have DUAL alternators ? Its my understanding that the 2nd
alternator is a backup/standby & isnt 'used' until the load dictates...so
there could be an "electronics" issue, sure..but w/out testing the charging
system youd only be guessing.

could the battery be cracked/leaking acid onto the cables ?

 

[HoustonPerson]

I have read the waranty book 100%. It says absolutely nothing I find about batteries or cables. No exclusions to batteries. Maybe I don't see it?

It has only one alternator.

 

[HoustonPerson]

2nd part of your question. Yes to me the battery kept leaking a mess in the side just above that main big fat power cable........the dealer kept saying "no" it just stuff on the top spilling over from the top.

I am not a happy camper. The dealer should have done something about this at the first 5,000 mile oil change.

Hopefuly they will have good news today. I will know this afternoon.

 

[bushpilot]

well its either the charging system or the battery...
and personally i know your frustration w/ dealers (we all do)...

we can argue w/ 'em all we want...most are idiots & wont do whats
right (unless they can get paid real cash) anyway...in the end id have
probably tossed up my hands and fixed this myself (but then i dont
depend on a dealer to change my oil either).

how much is this dealer getting for an oil change btw...im curious.

lessen learned here...find a diff. dealer...no one will care 'bout your
truck more than you anyway.

none of this will necessarily help your situation but a bad battery and
cable arent any reason to bail or complain 'bout the truck...and i
hope to god you didnt pay 50k for it...

 

[HoustonPerson]

I think they charge about $60 or $70 I dunno. Besides, I'm too friggin old to change my oil, thats why I pay the dealer all that money! I think my real complaint is the hassle. What should be a 1 minute solution has already been two and half hours at the dealer. And you are right, it is a no brainer (at least at any other dealer). No I only paid 42,000 for a 20,000 truck, please dont get me started on that.

 

[BamaSixGun]

No I only paid 42,000 for a 20,000 truck, please dont get me started on that.

is that $42,000 for a $20,000 truck, or $42,000 for a truck with 20,000miles on it.?

 

[bushpilot]

I think they charge about $60 or $70 I dunno. Besides, I'm too friggin old to change my oil, thats why I pay the dealer all that money! I think my real complaint is the hassle. What should be a 1 minute solution has already been two and half hours at the dealer. And you are right, it is a no brainer (at least at any other dealer). No I only paid 42,000 for a 20,000 truck, please dont get me started on that.

well sorry for your problems/issues...and i agree about the time
issue...but at the same time the issues you (and i) complain about
are EXACTLY why i do the work myself.

a 30min oil change is an opportunity for the dealer to screw something up
or point out some non-problem that he wants to gouge me on.

doin' my own oil changes give me the chance to look over my truck
and keep up w/ issue someone else might not care about.

60 or 70 bucks...thats cheap...my selling dealer got 90 bucks
and than was more than 2 yrs ago.

 

[HoustonPerson]

is that $42,000 for a $20,000 truck, or $42,000 for a truck with 20,000miles on it.?

Ah, $42,000 for a $20,000 truck. Keep in mind I'm old.

I think the winder sticker was $50,000. I think I paid $42,000 for the truck. To me the over inflated price should have only been $20,000...........but I still think a loaf of bread is 0.19 cents and a gallon of milk is 0.49 cents.

Two days ago when I went to Kroger to buy milk, its now over $3.00........after they re-awoken me from my cardiac arrest I felt much better, I went and got beer! Remember, our government does not lie, we have no inflation!

What is it about Kroger, every time I go there little red corolla's park under my right rear tire. Please world - accept my apologies for all the little red spots on the ground all over Houston.

 

[Scooter]

For what it is worth, My batteries took a dump at 34,000 miles. The truck would not start, and the batteries would not hold a charge. The dealer replaced them under warranty.