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Alter Ego Trip

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Everything posted by Alter Ego Trip

  1. Alter Ego Trip
    Great to hear Jesse. Been a long road. I was offered a trade assistance option and declined due to not only the sour taste in my mouth over the truck; but the way Chevrolet chose to handle it. Trust me, Chrysler is worse than Chevrolet when it comes to warranty participation; but I expect that from them. Chevy used to be one of the best when it came to standing behind their product. Not the case nowadays.
  2. Alter Ego Trip
    Fine, I'm driving a Ram again lol.
  3. Alter Ego Trip
    LOL. Totally agree. Start by showing us some cases where you solved the problem (and you actually know what you did that fixed it). Until then it's all lip service.
  4. Alter Ego Trip
    Ummm, actually that is incorrect. As everyone knows; Hemi is short for hemispherical, which describes the combustion chambers shape allowing for more efficient exhaust scavenging. The name had nothing to do with the numbers of rocker arms. ;) So yes, the Ram still utilizes a Hemi engine. Either way; how does this have any relevance to the post that I made, and how is it not an apples to apples comparison. Arguing over semantics of engine design doesn't change the outcome. Does the Ram have a "insert whatever name here you like" engine? Yup. Is this motor considerably better (better is kind of vague so you can insert more powerful, smoother, more efficient, etc) than the Chevy's? Yup. Edit: I will say that I would take the 6.2 over the Hemi but unfortunately Chevy only allows you to get that motor in an LTZ configuration or High Country (and that package is embarrassing on what you get for what you pay), and chromed out trucks went out of style in the 90's lol.
  5. Alter Ego Trip
    Disappointing to hear it's still there. I have yet to drive a 16 that I noticed it in; but I haven't been really spending a lot of time looking for it either. I'm so pissed off with Chevrolet over the whole fiasco I doubt I'd ever own another GM product. I've already had four friends of mine trade out of theirs into Ram's after letting them drive mine around for a bit. On a side note; I decided to drive a Ram home the past couple nights for a break, and I forgot just how freaking nice they are. The Hemi flat destroys that under powered POS 5.3. It rides like a Cadillac compared to the Chevy and the trans is light years ahead of the garbage 6 spd as well. I know Ram doesn't build a perfect truck either (I am really going to miss the seats in my Chevy), but they are a long ways ahead of the bowtie brigade ATM.
  6. Alter Ego Trip
    I'm pretty sure Chevrolet had located the cause for the vibration. I have yet to detect vibration on any of our current trucks on my lot. I think they kept this a hush hush to avoid admitting fault on the 14-15 models. After 9 months or arguing (and the vibration consistently getting worse on my truck) GM finally has agreed to move forward with a buyback. Funny part is; they are trying to get me to pay .25 per mile for depreciation, lol. I initially called in with the complaint back at 300 miles. It took them 7,000 miles to finally agree to do something about it. Not my problem they drug their feet. I truly believe that this problem will never be resolved. I think it's a design flaw that is embedded into the architecture of the vehicle and cannot be remedied. Mine was certainly worse than a lot of others I have encountered. My truck actually shook at around 45 miles per hour (very severe) and turned into a vibration/droning till about 80. Impossible to drive the truck at any speed without dealing with the problem.
  7. Alter Ego Trip
    I honestly think the problem has nothing to do with the running gear. I'm willing to bet all mfg's have the same tolerance level when it comes to NVH. It has more to do with the fact that Chevrolet is not isolating the problem like it should be. Fix this you'll fix the shake. Look at it this way; you can put cement cab mounts on the truck and it will ride like dog crap. Now you can say it's a wheel balance, driveline, rear end, or a plethora of other things, and you'd be correct to an extent; but no matter what you do, it will still ride like crap with cement mounts. Chevy needs to address either the front suspension, cab mounts, or both IMO. Isolation will go a lot further than trying to systematically track down every little vibration.
  8. Alter Ego Trip
    The other thing that sounds like it is going to get updated is the cab mounts. They are transferring too much NVH into the cab.
  9. Alter Ego Trip
    I'd chock it up to mfg tolerance differences. Another thing to note is; the trucks that were the worst had 20" and larger wheels. My truck has 22's and the two High Countrys I drove which were almost as bad had 20's. Bigger wheels and lower profile tires lead to less absorption of road anomalies before being transferred to the suspension. This is just an educated guess on my part, but I'd wager to be on the right track. Keep in mind also; most people might not even be akin to the vibration unless it's pointed out. One of my employees has had his truck for 5,000 miles and claimed it's perfectly smooth. I went out and drove it and it also exhibits a shake; albeit minor. After pointing it out, it's now driving him crazy, lol.
  10. Alter Ego Trip
    Well I have some news that might help going forward. So those that have followed my posts, My service manager and myself have been working with Chevrolet pretty closely on trying to figure out what is causing the issue. After a long conversation today; we got some insight that is starting to make sense. In 2014 Chevrolet had to make a design change to the front end. I won't go into detail but it involved a safety concern. Due to this the front struts were replaced with ones that were much stiffer than originally designed. This is what is believed to be the root cause of the vibration felt through the cab and steering wheel, which makes sense. That's also why it's very pronounced in my truck when braking. It also falls inline with the fact that colder temps lead to a more pronounced vibration. I felt that is was an issue in the front of the truck since day one, but all signs pointed to drivetrain. I also think this might be why many have claimed that a leveling kit alleviated the problem to some extent. It had nothing to do with driveline alignment or such; but the leveling kit is acting as an additional buffer/dampener between the suspension and cab/steering wheel. We are trying to get a field tech out and have him drive my truck so he can experience first hand what is going on. After driving numerous trucks in my inventory; there are many that exhibit this shaking to some extent or another. We feel that this problem is only going to get worse and a fix needs to be employed before it gets any more out of hand.
  11. Alter Ego Trip
    Yup. It's prevalent enough that GM actually built a noise cancelling subwoofer for a lot of their vehicles. They have always had issues with resonance (dealt with many TSB's on older trucks for driveline and exhaust updates), but these new trucks are as bad as I've ever seen it. GM can keep their high strength steel. I'll gladly take a weaker frame that doesn't transmit everything right into the cab.
  12. Alter Ego Trip
    I haven't really followed this thread for a while as work has been crazy. I'll give an update to my findings. My service manager has finally given up on my truck as to what is causing the vibration. My truck has been in our shop going on about 7 separate occasions now, a couple of them lasting 3 to 4 days. I am going to be on the phone tomorrow pushing for a buyback. Here is what we have done so far. 1) Balance tires twice 2) Swap wheels from another truck that didn't appear to have the vibration 3) Balance drive shaft off truck 4) Replace ring and pinion 5) Check axles for runout 6) Balance driveshaft on truck 7) Loosen all cab mounts and inspect for anomalies 8) Picoscope the crap out of everything to no avail 9) That's all I can remember off top of head but there were a couple more things we tried The disturbing part is we drove a handful of trucks in my inventory, and everyone of them exhibited the vibration/resonance to some extent. Mine is about the worst but I have a High Country in stock that is pretty dang close. After testing out different trucks my service manager is blown away we haven't had more complaints about it. He was dumbfounded how noticeable it is. Most trucks that are vibrating exhibit this starting at around 45 mph on upwards of 75. It doesn't appear to be a drivetrain issue however. When we had my truck on the rack, we started it up and ran it up to 75 mph and the drivetrain was smooth as could be. No noticeable vibration from any drivetrain component (keep in mind this was after a bit of time was spent balancing out the driveshaft). I could almost live with the resonance, but the vibrations through the steering wheel and cockpit are unacceptable. When you can physically watch the steering wheel shake when applying throttle, or slowing down for a stop; something is seriously wrong.
  13. Alter Ego Trip
    My patience is wearing thin. I finally made a call to our GM rep and had a less then calm conversation. Yesterday was the 4th time my truck was in the shop and I swear it's worse now than when it went in. They have no idea how to fix it and at this point we are just throwing parts at it. It seems we are all in guinea pig mode. I told my rep it's pretty bad PR for Chevrolet when the GSM for a Chevrolet dealership is dealing with a nightmare truck. Chevy asked me for one more try. It's not going to do any good but whatever, it's their money.
  14. Alter Ego Trip
    I'm the GSM for a Chevrolet/Chrysler/Subaru store. I try and support all the brands. When we picked up the Chrysler franchise a few years back I traded out my Chevy for a Ram. My first was an 11 Sport and the most recent was a 13 Limited. Their is no secret that Chrysler is known for poor QC. That being said, both my Rams were next to flawless (my Limited did have an air suspension issue that took some sorting). I also have a Grand Cherokee and my wife drives a Chrysler 200C with no issues. As mentioned earlier, we have had quite a few paint problems on the new Chevy's as well as a few other issues. Chevrolet's qc has really gone down hill since my 07. I will say Ram has the most cutting edge technology at the moment. Their 8.4 screens and tech integration is awesome. The 8 spd trans works amazing and the Hemi is a wicked motor. We have sold quite a few eco diesels with nary a complaint. I'm sure there have been issues, but I have yet to have one come back. I'd still rather have a Hemi but mid 20's mpg out of a truck would be nice for a change. My 13 with a Vararam intake and diablo custom tune was an animal. The 5.3 is just a dog motor. It always has been. The 6.2 is a whole different animal but Chevys funky packages prevents ordering one in anything but an LTZ.
  15. Alter Ego Trip
    Sorry about that, I was referred to this thread from a different one. My trucks vibration is mostly on the cylinder deactivation and very noticeable at highway speed. have you heard of any fixes for it in your time here? I otherwise love the truck, except for the radio which I'm going to try to get GM to put something else in if I can get the vibration fixed... which seems unlikely Most mfg's suffer from a little vibration around cylinder deactivation/activation. Our Rams do it a little as well. The two Chevy's that were the worst were v6's. The vibration was horrible. You could obviously throttle out of it and avoid it, but it ultimately led to a buy back with one customer. From what I have seen, there is no cure for the AFM vibration. I don't hear a lot of complaints on that one, but it does rear it's ugly head from time to time; just not to the extent of the drivetrain issues that are going on.
  16. Alter Ego Trip
    I used to install home theater, and own some of the best speakers in the world, and they are trying to tell me that the radio in the truck has nothing wrong with it... yea right. I'm a huge HT nut. What speakers are you running? The thing I have noticed with the shaking is that it is on the cylinder deactivation, and it is far more prominent at highway speed than local "around town" driving. has anyone else noticed this or do you all have it all the time? and does it get worse as time goes on? My truck came straight off the show room floor, so I didn't actually drive the one I bought, I have driven and been in so many others with none have been anywhere near as bad as mine has turned out to be. That's a completely different animal. We've had a couple trucks that have suffered extreme vibrations due to cylinder deactivation. Most of the issues you are reading here aren't from that, mine included. very disappointed with this truck, atleast I got a crazy deal and will actually make money trading it in. Good luck with that. ;)
  17. Alter Ego Trip
    You're right, but I have yet to hear of the issue on a truck. Strange to say the least.
  18. Alter Ego Trip
    I'll keep you updated. I will take it in next week and get that done. The driveshaft on mine was out a balance quite a bit but balancing had zero effect on the vibration. It's also strange that mine is much worse when it's cold, then when it's hot out. That's the toughest thing about chasing this gremlin; it doesn't follow any pattern of consistency. My service writer thought I was blowing things out of proportion till I had him drive it. He was blown away how noticeable and obnoxious it is. The other thing I'm noticing is an audible resonance from the vibration. My tech thought it was coming from the rear cab vents, so he blocked them off, with no change. I really wanted to like Chevrolet, after owning them for years prior to switching over to Ram. My last one was an 07 and it was a great truck. Zero issues or complaints. Seems like those days are gone. I mean come on Chevy; if you are going to build a truck that is miles behind your competitors; at least build one that's reliable.
  19. Alter Ego Trip
    It's really sad the way Chevrolet has handled this issue. One thing I have always praised Chevy on is their quality control; but lately I'd say they are worse than just about any other mfg when it comes to problems and resolutions. How many future Chevrolet customers are they costing themselves with this debacle. After leaving the Ram family to try out a Chevy again, I can say I will never go back. Not only are they well behind the curve when it comes to hp, transmissions, and interior features; they are just pushing crap out of the factory with no regards to the consumer. Mine will be going back in again. I've balanced the tires twice, swapped wheels off another Chevy in my inventory, and balanced the drive shaft. All to no avail. Mine is so bad it actually starts vibrating at around 30 which rules out tires. The other odd thing is it shakes during low speed braking. When pulling up to a stop sign it feels like I'm driving over a cattle guard. When pulling a trailer the vibes increase 10 fold. My service manager thinks it might be a yoke issue as they had similar issues with Chevy trucks about 10 years ago. We are going to throw that at it and after that I will be on the phone with Chevy having a discussion about them "re-acquiring" this wonderful piece of machinery.
  20. Alter Ego Trip
    Well they ended up going after the low hanging fruit first. They road balanced the tires again and they are WELL within spec. I tossed some 2" drop shackles in the back and it didn't solve the problem either. I then swapped 18" wheels off another truck in stock and the problem is still there. We ran out of time today but next in line is a driveline balance followed by a rear end. I honestly don't think either of those is going to solve the problem either but it will give me plenty of ammo to pursue a buy back. I could live with it if it was a minor vibe but even my tech says that is the worst he's seen. It's downright awful at 60. I can actually feel it at around 40 but 60-65 is where it really gets vibey. I've driven quite a few trucks on my lot and most of them are pretty smooth. There's 1 or 2 that have a very minor vibe but nothing that I couldn't live with. This one happens to be considerably worse unfortunately. It's pretty sad as Ram is the brand known for piss poor qc. I've owned 3 Rams and never had anywhere near this much problem as I've already had with the Chevy. The other disconcerting thing the tech found; when replacing the shackles you have to remove the hitch bolts. Every one of them was in there hand tight. I pull a 12' trailer around with street bikes and dirt bikes and would have loved watching my hitch vibrate loose and auto eject going down the highway. I've pretty much lost faith in Chevrolet's quality at this point. I also have a paint claim on the back of the truck. I have literally about a 1" by 1/4" blob in the back quarter panel. Very disappointing.
  21. Alter Ego Trip
    I will say that the projector beam problem is not relegated to GM only. Most new vehicles running this design suffer from poor alumination. My last 2 Rams had projector beam headlights, and they were plain scary at night. Horrid visibility. I upgraded both of them to an HID retrofit and the difference was night and day (pun intended). The projectors also suffer from poor side illumination due to the focused beam design. Standard lights employ a reflective "scatter" shield which sends light in every direction. Great for the driver, but sucky for all oncoming traffic. You also can't focus the light where you want it with this design. It's a shotgun approach. Projectors allow a more focused beam, but you can't always have your cake and eat it too. If I had projectors on my Rally I would definitely do an HID retrofit again though. Well worth it.
  22. Alter Ego Trip
    I am a GSM for a Chevrolet/Subaru/Chrysler dealership. After going away from Chevy back in 09 to Ram I was tired of the poor quality control and just picked up a 15 Rally 2 Edition. I did a dealer trade as we didn't have one in stock, and drove an LT ext cab Chevy down. That truck rode like a dream. No vibes, shakes, nothing. Perfect. I hop in mine and head back and what do you know, the dreaded vibes. It generally happens between 60-75 but has occured as low as 50 on random occasions. As with others here, it is not consistent (changes based on throttle input, load, etc). It's the worst a cruising speed though and can shake very bad through the wheel. I bring it back and have my shop do a road force balance which accomplishes nothing. I ended up calling our dealer Chevy tech line today to see what they had to say and they mentioned they lowered the road force balance limit from 25 to 15. I doubt that's going to change anything but it's worth noting. He also mentioned that there have been quite a few rear ends replaced due to excessive lash that they felt were contributing to the vibration. That certainly seems plausible as it changes depending on load which could definitely point to that as a potential culprit.

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