I'll try to keep this brief, to the point, and not cry/whine too much.
I was involved in an accident(not my fault) in mid-January and the front end of my van was punched in enough to necessitate the replacement of the radiator, along with many other parts. Keeping a very long story short, I'm still waiting after six and a half weeks to get my van back from the body shop. The story I'm told, by the body shop, several dealer parts departments, and FCA is that there are no radiators for Promasters in the US. They evidently have been on backorder for quite some time. The latest shipment date I've been given, by an FCA/RAM customer service rep. is now May!!!! They keep trying to reassure me they're doing everything they can to expedite one. The body shop has also informed me that no qualified aftermarket radiators are out there either(I still have 40K on the warranty).
I know from reading past posts about serious repair issues(diesels come to mind) that their are folks out there who have waited for very long periods to have problems resolved. For those of you who are business owners I'm curious if you have ever had any luck getting compensation for "loss of use" out of FCA/RAM?
It is one thing to work out of a temporary rental vehicle and another to have a vehicle that is customized for your particular business. Loss of efficiency and damage to materials and tools from floating around on the floor of an unfitted van are taking a toll. I'm curious to know if other folks think it's unreasonable to expect FCA/RAM to have a spare parts supply chain in place after having these vehicles on the road for 4-5(?) years? They clearly don't!
After all the bragging in their brochures about low cost of ownership/longer service intervals for the Promaster, I find this to be extremely disappointing. How do you sell a vehicle made specifically for business and not have a way to keep those vehicles on the road????? I understand that there was a sizable sale of Promasters to the US Postal Service. I wonder how many of these now sit idle due to lack of parts?
While I continue to make payments for this vehicle it sits at a body shop depreciating, I drive a rental that is hazardous due to lack of a bulkhead, the business suffers loss of productivity, and tools are enduring extra wear due to lack of proper storage. Some of these things are very minor and some are not.
I know, at the end of the day it's the bean counters. Just real sick of their mentality and want my vehicle back.
Thanks for reading and pardon the whining. Thanks in advance to those who reply, I really do appreciate you taking the time!
Take Care.
I was involved in an accident(not my fault) in mid-January and the front end of my van was punched in enough to necessitate the replacement of the radiator, along with many other parts. Keeping a very long story short, I'm still waiting after six and a half weeks to get my van back from the body shop. The story I'm told, by the body shop, several dealer parts departments, and FCA is that there are no radiators for Promasters in the US. They evidently have been on backorder for quite some time. The latest shipment date I've been given, by an FCA/RAM customer service rep. is now May!!!! They keep trying to reassure me they're doing everything they can to expedite one. The body shop has also informed me that no qualified aftermarket radiators are out there either(I still have 40K on the warranty).
I know from reading past posts about serious repair issues(diesels come to mind) that their are folks out there who have waited for very long periods to have problems resolved. For those of you who are business owners I'm curious if you have ever had any luck getting compensation for "loss of use" out of FCA/RAM?
It is one thing to work out of a temporary rental vehicle and another to have a vehicle that is customized for your particular business. Loss of efficiency and damage to materials and tools from floating around on the floor of an unfitted van are taking a toll. I'm curious to know if other folks think it's unreasonable to expect FCA/RAM to have a spare parts supply chain in place after having these vehicles on the road for 4-5(?) years? They clearly don't!
After all the bragging in their brochures about low cost of ownership/longer service intervals for the Promaster, I find this to be extremely disappointing. How do you sell a vehicle made specifically for business and not have a way to keep those vehicles on the road????? I understand that there was a sizable sale of Promasters to the US Postal Service. I wonder how many of these now sit idle due to lack of parts?
While I continue to make payments for this vehicle it sits at a body shop depreciating, I drive a rental that is hazardous due to lack of a bulkhead, the business suffers loss of productivity, and tools are enduring extra wear due to lack of proper storage. Some of these things are very minor and some are not.
I know, at the end of the day it's the bean counters. Just real sick of their mentality and want my vehicle back.
Thanks for reading and pardon the whining. Thanks in advance to those who reply, I really do appreciate you taking the time!
Take Care.
Last I checked that situation has changed and the part is available. It just seems as though it's not much of a priority for FCA to establish a reliable parts supply chain.
