New member - late to the settlement party!

[cokid]

Hi. Just joined to post the following questions.

Summer 2021 I bought a 2016 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel for my daily driver with 98K on the clock, now sitting at 145K. I didn't become aware of the recall and ensuing "fallout" and second AEM upgrade until several months later. To the best of my knowledge, the AEM flash has NOT been done on my truck. It generally runs fine, has had no engine-related issues since I've owned it, and I get about 26MPG with fairly spirited, very high altitude, mountainous driving. Therefore I'm not all that inclined to do anything, but - with the mileage getting up there, and all the related "stuff" that seems to have the potential to go wrong with these engines, I'm wondering if it's worth getting the upgrade, primarily for the extended warranty? It has had a persistent P0171 code that I haven't been able to get rid of, but from what I can tell, that is a common and not very important gremlin, as long as it doesn't affect MPG (which seems to be the case). Given that - what does the ecodiesel brain trust think about getting the more recent upgrade, or leaving well enough alone? I've also considered getting the GDE tune, but that appears to muddy the waters even further, and that's assuming it's actually available again (haven't found a definitive answer on that).

A bit more info/back story. I bought the truck hoping for a reliable daily driver that could handle my difficult 90-mile commute - including 6 miles of rough dirt road - and still get decent MPG. It has fit that bill just about perfectly, but as stated, I'm worried about ongoing reliability and potential for expensive repairs. I prefer older/simpler vehicles, as I do most of my own work, but this beast is pretty much beyond me for anything other than the basics!

 

[Tremper126]

Well you’re in the same boat as me I have refused to complete any recall since the tailgate latch lock recall. The horror stories of the aem and others have swayed me into purchasing a tune and removing the parts that have caused numerous issues and fires. IMHO don’t do the recall, when you need the warranty, they’re gonna weasel their way out of it

 

[cokid]

Thanks @Tremper126. I was leaning toward not getting it as well, but I'm reviewing this thread on a Jeep forum: https://www.jeepgarage.org/threads/green-diesel-engineering-closed.222229/page-8. Although it's a couple years old, it has me considering the GDE tune more strongly - it sounds like they've gotten their product EPA certified, etc. and are back in business. Since they're latest tune requires the AEM upgrade, seems like that may be the way to go - and I'd still get the warranty (though like you, I am definitely skeptical about the value in that!).

PS: you mention purchasing a tune - did you already get one, or just thinking about it?

 

[Tremper126]

I purchased a tune back in 2019 I believe. I chose to remove any future dpf scr and egr issues at the time and it’s been smooth sailing since. You can’t go wrong with any aftermarket tune!!

 

[1shadowsabre]

"IMHO don’t do the recall, when you need the warranty, they’re gonna weasel their way out of it"

Doesn't this kind of discount the 100's if not 1000's of warranty claims FCA has honored?
I know not every tale has a happy ending but I know many have received new engines, DEF, and all manner of successful claims..

 

[Tremper126]

Yes, there are still dealers willing to do the right thing, but in my particular instances, the three dealers I’ve had interactions with have been nothing but headaches and deceiving. The issue we all have with these engines are that most dealers don’t have technicians that want to work on these motors or that can work on them. After the shifter recall, I had a reoccurring glow plug issue code. Dealer quoted me 13k to replace the engine because the tech refused to attempt the replacement. Since that whole fiasco and no help from fca at all, I decided to do all repairs on my own. I’ve tried to literally buy the parts for the tone ring recall, egr recall, and tailgate latch and they refuse to sell parts since it’s a free recall which I find absurd. Idk maybe it was just my honest opinion I stated but dealers will sell you a golden coil and when you figure out it’s just got chocolate inside, most of them say sorry but it’s yours now.