How much to replace entire door on GTS?
- Thread starter rmani
- Start date
I used to be in the car business, and know the business pretty well. I have great admiration for people like Tator,Bill P.,JonB, etc,etc. Thye ENJOY what they do, and they give it to you "straight", no BS. They WILL spend time doing things for you, that NO ONE(and I mean no one) else will do..On the sales side, Everyone thinks that because dealers are asking more for the car, they are making more. Which IS NOT always true. Do they make a living? Yes, of course they do. Dont we all?? HOWEVER, Keep in mind. They have to pay top dollar, for QUALITY trades,and purcahses. Anyone can go to a dealer auction and "steal" a GTS with "questionable" history,paintworks,etc,etc... but these guys know their stuff.. And know what cars to stay away from. You want to flip a coin to save a few bucks? Go ahead..
Chuck Tator is the best in the business. My car has never been serviced elsewere, and he is 3 hours from me. He has helped me out NUMEROUS times. Its good to know, he can spot people who are "using" his time..
And as for JonB. I can ABSOLUTELY understand why he goes on this board and rants once in a while.. There are people out there, that will call him, for all the info.,and tech. support. Then go buy the part on Ebay, to save a couple bucks? Give me a break.. Im self-employed, as are many others on this board. Which is why I cant understand why this happens. We of all people, should understand loyalty, and the fact that "price" and "value" are NOT the same... These guys are tremendous assets. Treat them with respect.
Chuck Tator is the best in the business. My car has never been serviced elsewere, and he is 3 hours from me. He has helped me out NUMEROUS times. Its good to know, he can spot people who are "using" his time..
And as for JonB. I can ABSOLUTELY understand why he goes on this board and rants once in a while.. There are people out there, that will call him, for all the info.,and tech. support. Then go buy the part on Ebay, to save a couple bucks? Give me a break.. Im self-employed, as are many others on this board. Which is why I cant understand why this happens. We of all people, should understand loyalty, and the fact that "price" and "value" are NOT the same... These guys are tremendous assets. Treat them with respect.
Dittos. I can understand the desire to avoid the "dealers," because they can be brutal on the checkbook, and I don't blame anyone for wanting to find the best deal, I think every customer/consumer has that right. HOWEVER, Tator Dodge, as others already said, is not your typical dealer, and shouldn't be judged as such.
Most dealers take the philosophy that time is money, but when I see Chuck Tator on the forum regularly providing valuable information, tips/tricks, part numbers, etc., it says a lot about how different he and his folks are and how much they are actually interested in earning our business. I for one have received extremely valuable info from him on two occasions since buying my Viper a year ago, so I for one wouldn't hesitate to not only buy parts/services from him, but also recommend him to others. They don't call him the Wizard for nothing.
You're not going to find many shops as knowledgable on the Viper as the Tators, if any. You might be able to make your way without him, but I would venture to say it would be much more difficult. I recommend having more of an open mind in this particular situation, heed everyone's advice, and make peace with the Tators. They are good people and good to have around if you own a Viper.
Just my $.02.
Most dealers take the philosophy that time is money, but when I see Chuck Tator on the forum regularly providing valuable information, tips/tricks, part numbers, etc., it says a lot about how different he and his folks are and how much they are actually interested in earning our business. I for one have received extremely valuable info from him on two occasions since buying my Viper a year ago, so I for one wouldn't hesitate to not only buy parts/services from him, but also recommend him to others. They don't call him the Wizard for nothing.
You're not going to find many shops as knowledgable on the Viper as the Tators, if any. You might be able to make your way without him, but I would venture to say it would be much more difficult. I recommend having more of an open mind in this particular situation, heed everyone's advice, and make peace with the Tators. They are good people and good to have around if you own a Viper.
Just my $.02.
OK, Rmani... some friendly advice...when you put your foot in your mouth, it's best to spit it out and ask for forgiveness. I seriously don't think your threat of withholding potential future business from someone carries any weight at all. I have only been a Viper owner and VCA forum member less than a month but I've found the people who post and respond here to be a fantastic group of people. Additionally, that threat only cheats yourself out of some REAL help! That being said... I support free speech. Just understand the consequences of ******* off the wrong people.
Since no one else has bothered to answer your question, that might be an indication to you that you are off on the wrong foot. However, (hoping the rest of the members aren't ********** at me) I have noticed some used doors (red) on eBay for about $1000 each.
One last bit of free advice (and remember it's only worth what you pay for it)... Tater's Dodge is NOT your typical dealer. Click on the link in his signature and go to their web site and check them out. I have yet to deal with Chuck but based on what I've seen and know about his reputation, I'd hand him the keys to my new Viper without any second thoughts!
Kind regards, Bruce
yeah, there are a ton of them. Just take in to any Dodge Dealer, they'll treat you right
CitySnake
Enthusiast
Probably what speaks the most about Chuck is that IF rmani ever called him on the phone with a reasonable attitude, Chuck would be the first one among us that would welcome him.
There's a reason he's so well regarded....he's seriously good folk!
There's a reason he's so well regarded....he's seriously good folk!
kcobean
Enthusiast
There is a dangerous combination for new forum members coming onto the VCA scene, and that's a) being a former car guy with an understandable grudge against dealers (there are so many that have earned that grudge with a gold start in dishonesty), and b) not knowing the tight-knit community the VCA is, particularly with our sponsors and a handful of other vendors.
rmani, definitely don't take the course of this thread as "all VCA members are jerks", as that's not true at all. This is a great crowd...the best. It's just that Tators Dodge (and the man who owns it) is one of those dealers that as a community we'd go to war for. You couldn't have known that walking in the door, but you'll see over time who is held in high regard around here. Tators Dodge and a few other dealerships support the Viper community extensively. It's a blessing to have 'em and guys like Chuck are our greatest assets.
Now that that is out of the way, when you say replace a whole door, do you mean just the outer skin, or the whole door (window, wiring harness, interior panel, speaker, etc.)? I could see needing a new door panel and transplanting the rest of the door onto it.
BTW, what are you getting? GTS? RT10? Got pics?
rmani, definitely don't take the course of this thread as "all VCA members are jerks", as that's not true at all. This is a great crowd...the best. It's just that Tators Dodge (and the man who owns it) is one of those dealers that as a community we'd go to war for. You couldn't have known that walking in the door, but you'll see over time who is held in high regard around here. Tators Dodge and a few other dealerships support the Viper community extensively. It's a blessing to have 'em and guys like Chuck are our greatest assets.
Now that that is out of the way, when you say replace a whole door, do you mean just the outer skin, or the whole door (window, wiring harness, interior panel, speaker, etc.)? I could see needing a new door panel and transplanting the rest of the door onto it.
BTW, what are you getting? GTS? RT10? Got pics?
V10SpeedLuvr
Enthusiast
None of his soon to be Viper, but this is a pic of him posing by the Mercedes he'll be trading in
You must be registered for see images attach
mad0953
Enthusiast
I like those convertable Mercs. 
big-n-italian
Enthusiast
None of his soon to be Viper, but this is a pic of him posing by the Mercedes he'll be trading in
You must be registered for see images attach
who sold him the car - Nick Hogan?
whitebluevipe
Enthusiast
Chuck's the man!! i found him by dumb luck through the frame recall years ago. i called dodge for a list of dealers numbers and called a couple. i felt the most comfortable talking to Chuck. this was before i ever even heard of the vca.
