My first service with Dodge

[wormdoggy]

I truly believe that Dodge should spin off Viper, sell them and service them separate from their other vehicles. These are expensive high performance cars that, IMHO, require a little more attention and more reputable service technicians.

First off I had a guy service my vehicle that has never worked on a Viper before, it certainly made me a little nervouse hearing that to say the least. The mechanic was so impressed that he wanted to take it for a ride afterwards. After all , I don't think he's ever seen a Viper up close, not to mention work on one.

Second the service lasted 5 hours which probably should have only taken 1 hour to 2 hours at best. Considering it was only a oil change and check the steering fluid levels.

Third......when they washed the car I got it back worse then when I gave it to them. I probably have to spend the entire weekend detailing it again.

Is this typical of service for these cars. Do you guys bring you car back to Dodge for servicing or do you have it serviced by someone else? One of my only concerns before I bought the car was getting it serviced at a dealership that employs technicians who work on a wide range of vehicles from Neons to Vipers. I'm not in anyway trying to bash Dodge, I'm just trying to protect my investment.

I know that it wouldn't be cost effective to have 1 technician servicing these cars full time considering the limited production, but there should a least be 1 qualified technician on staff at all times.

Just curious............perhaps a poll would be interesting.
Thanks guys.

 

[Ron Hickey]

Supposedly only Viper Techs are allowed to service Vipers. A dealership must have a Viper-certified technician to sell Vipers. Unfortunately, these technicians also work on other cars, and many only see one or two Vipers a year. I would recommend checking your mileage before you drop the car off, and if there are any additional miles on the car when you pick it up, demand to see the service manager and give him a piece of your mind. And never take the car back there.

Taking these cars in for service or maintenance anywhere is always traumatic. The dealership's service department usually treats Vipers just like a Neon or Stratus, which means they'll leave it outside in the rain or snow, or let birds crap all over it, or even try to put a magnetic service triangle sign on the roof! The local Dodge dealer here has had a yellow SRT-10 for about 6 months, and it sits outside in the same lot with the Ram trucks and Durangos. They just don't get it. There are a few dealerships which treat the Vipers specially, but they're unfortunately few and far between.

 

[98viperGTS]

I have the same problem here is SC. I have found that there are some dealers that will take care of my baby, they just happen to be many hours away. One would be Tom Sessions in NC and the other would be the Chuck Tator in NY. I just got my GTS back form the local dodge dealer and they ****. I also have some problem just like stated above they leave it outside and treat it like a neon. I am really upset about this topic and think that Dodge Dealers should take more pride. .

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

I would like to let you know that all dealers are not of the same mind set as yours was. We at Woodhouse have a dedicated team of 3 fulltime Viper techs and a SRT-4 tech. All of our cars are stored inside a dedicated building and handled by ONLY these team members. We take great pride in servicing and prepping each of our Vipers. We also have a dedicated Advisory team for service, parts, and upgrades. So if you have the time to have your Viper sent to us you can be assured that you will get it back just the way you expect it.

Mark Jorgensen
Woodhouse Viper
800-889-1893
[email protected]

 

[radta7]

My favorite was when I was at a local delaership with my Durango. They were starting to work on a Viper GTS and the tech was looking to open the hood from the drivers seat. After a few moments the mgr came over to actually help him look for it. When I stopped laughing I walked over to show them how to open the hood.

 

[wormdoggy]

I would like to let you know that all dealers are not of the same mind set as yours was. We at Woodhouse have a dedicated team of 3 fulltime Viper techs and a SRT-4 tech. All of our cars are stored inside a dedicated building and handled by ONLY these team members. We take great pride in servicing and prepping each of our Vipers. We also have a dedicated Advisory team for service, parts, and upgrades. So if you have the time to have your Viper sent to us you can be assured that you will get it back just the way you expect it.

Mark Jorgensen
Woodhouse Viper
800-889-1893
[email protected]

Again, no disrespect intended to any Dodge dealership.
Kudo's and thanks to Woodhouse for taking the time to right this post.

For those of us, like myself, who do not live in your vicinity or for that matter your country, is there any recommendation you can give us on choosing the right dealership for servicing our Vipers.

And by the way, I just checked after leaving the vehicle over night and the problem which prompted me to take the Viper for servicing has not been repaired correctly.

Cheers and thanks

 

[Finally got it !]

I beg my service guy to drive the car and check unusual noises etc. He responds by saying "there is no need, I can tell all when I wave my wand"!!!
Thank God Chuck is only 40 miles away.

 

[AG98RT10]

The only local dealers to me don't even have a real viper tech. One dealer refuses to work on them, the other scared me so bad when I needed clutch work that I drove 300 miles each way to have a real tech do the work!

 

[Paul Hawker]

This is an area where your local ViperClub can be invaluable.

Contact your Club President to see where Vipers get the best treatment.

Go to a local club event or meeting, and speak with other members in you area to determine where to get the best service.

 

[AviP]

It's a Dodge. If you want white-glove treatment, get a Ferrari (and pay the price). If Dodge spins off the Viper brand, then we'll have a 150K Viper.

Of course, I agree that the technician should have an idea of what he's doing. Most Viper techs get qualified and forget their stuff the next day. My certified tech screwed up my oil change back in 97.

 

[vviperr]

I have had nothing but good experiences bringing my car to Bam Bam (Viper tech) at Jacksonville Dodge. I have come in with small problems on short notice and they have taken me right in and in a number of cases not even charged me. Rob was my service tech and has always taken special care when I have brought in the Viper. In short, I feel that they treat me special. However when I went to get a 300 SRT8 (recent post) they wanted a $10,000 premium and I walked. Just sent my deposit to Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse today who is selling them at MSRP. While service has been great, their sales department blew it.

 

[ViperRay]

I can vouch for Woodhouse's service dept and viper techs having had much work done their on mine including suspension and engine work.

Woodhouse is famous for their sales (Bill P) but they have a perhaps less well known but top notch service dept too.

 

[96GTS232]

any car;viper,neon,kia,ferrari,lambo etc., should be treated with care. i have to agree,a viper distracts the attention away from the "normal technician". they're in awe because they don't work on them all the time and want to check them out. i had the same experience;tech couldn't find hood release "inside car"!!! after that experience,i take my snake to tator's dodge some 140 miles away and it's worth every mile!!! thanks,chuck!!!

 

[SRTRICKY]

The only time I left my car at the dodge dealer was when I had to get the side sill painted (the black area). I got the car back and it has some white [******] underneath it looks like white paint that doesn't come off (under the front bumper) and it feels very rough! I told them not to wash my car at all and they ended up washing it but left this [******] all over it. I didn't realize it at the time but now I tried to get it off it doesn't come off. Thank god its underneath where it can't be seen but its bs service. My car also had an oil leak and I stayed there for the full 5-6 hours it took them to fix it! New headlamps since mine were really hazzy with only 800 miles on the car once again stayedt here the full 3 hours. I absolutely do not trust the techs there. They all crowd around and get all jumpy just looking at the car. (Oh and the tech that installed my headlamps left about a 1/4 inch gap between the light and the fender on both sides and said thats how there supposed to be! I took him to the front and showed him the car in their showroom and then he took another hour to fix them!)

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

To: Woodhouse Dodge Viper Tech,
My car is ready to be picked up in SE Florida, when can the driver be here?

Doesn't he drive back empty handed anyway?

Need 500 mile service, drivers carpet and seat swapped out and I can start the mods early, how bout it?