Check your air filter!!!

[jleonard]

It's $1K at the local dealer - don't hold your breath. And, nobody is taking the old oil anymore. Even the town dump stopped taking it and they were charging $.

My son owns a auto repair shop in CT. When he moved into his current shop, he had 2 1200-gallon tanks custom made to store used oil, tranny fluid, etc.
He heats his shop 100% with waste oil. He's been doing that for almost 20 years.

[geotex1]

Sometimes I think my fellow forum members just immediately react that everyone is ripping you off... Let's break it down. You go to the dealer and they are using OE filters and fluids, and you will pay center column pricing (jobber, not retail) because they have to get overhead and profit to keep parts folks employed and the lights on and doors open. Same goes for the fluids. The Mopar-badged filters are made in Asia alongside the Fleetgards. Pandemic has had them at ludicrous pricing, and only coming back down recently. It's right about $135 jobber for both fuel filters and the oil filter, which were $200 just a few short months ago. Service time is book time, not actual time spent, and the book time is rather healthy for the fuel filter change/prime/inspect. Again, paying book time so the dealer can pay folks, fund their benefits, pay the insurances, and keep the doors open. Remember, until the pandemic, dealership profit resided in service and used vehicle sales, not new vehicles sales. This is fact, not fiction, and I'd be happy to connect any naysayer with my childhood friend and 3rd generation GM dealership owner. Then there's dealing with disposal of the fluids, which is regulated, and no big brand commercial dealer is going to do funny business here. So, those disposal fees are either baked in or proudly listed, whichever the State requires or as the dealership prefers. Also, and at least for Mopar vehicles, your service comes with a warranty, and that cost is baked in too. Finally, there's market adjustment because I can assure you my local dealership hourly rate in the mountains, is considerably different than the Philly metro, which is wildly different than the vacation metros... 60% different the last experience I had personally.

So, if you want to be more economical, a private shop with lower rates due to less overhead and using universal/aftermarket parts is one way. The other, obviously, is DIY. I tend to go with the latter, but the years and mileage on my body doesn't always allow...

As for you air filter, you need to pop the hood on a RAM as there's a flow restriction indicator on the airbox.

[Wileykid]

The RAM doesn't have a air filter indicator, and a fyi on them, the newer trucks do not like aftermarket filters. It will usually throw a code, which is fixed by putting the OEM air filter back in. Tried it several times on my truck, ended up back with the OEM filter.

I do my own fuel filter, as the dealer, and independent shops want $300+. The two filters cost about $110, and it is pretty easy to do. Priming and purging the system is as simple as turning the truck on and off (without starting) several times to get the fuel pump to run, which will do the job for you.

[WhittleBurner]

I have read that one of the reasons for the cp4 fuel pump failures is air getting in the system which can happen from not bleeding the system properly or enough when changing the fuel filter.

[Steven@147]

Yup, the Mopar filter package for the newer Cummins powered RAM trucks has come way down in price. 2 fuel filters and an oil filter now $120 on amazon, it was up near $180 months back. Also just the other day when shopping for something else I have noticed Shell Rotella T6 15W40 is still hard or not at all to find. My 2018 Cummins needs 15W40, newer Cummins 2019 up needs different weight oil.

With labor rates near $225 per hour and with excessive dealer markups on the same Mopar products you can buy elsewhere + recycling charges, it doesn't take long to get up near $600 for an oil change. For awhile last year you could not get the Mopar air filter anywhere, Nationally out of stock, they were using a Federated product as a replacement.


You don't even what to know what the dealers charge for an AISIN transmission fluid and filter change! Near $1500!! And the dealers service dept will also tell you that the trans filter needs to be changed at every service and that the cross member has to be removed - NOT! They will only spec and use the Mopar branded AISIN transfluid at a huge markup and that you can not use Mobile1 fluid- NOT! Mobile1 3309 fluid sticker is right on the side of the AISIN transmission.

[ajg617]

I tend to go with the later, but the years and mileage on my body doesn't always allow...

Yeah, I could save $ by doing it myself - used to change daughter's F-350 6.L but - This^^^and warranty especially with the CP4. But everything associated with automotive is higher in the Northeast. Last year we were at $6.49/gal diesel and fuel filter change was $491. By the time we got to South Dakota, we were $2 less a gallon and fuel filter change was $340. 2 weeks ago, $375 for fuel filter change in Sanford, NC.

Bad on me for not replacing the air filter earlier - relied on the dealer in Rapid City saying it was fine prior oil/filter change and then slipped past the recommended 30K change interval. They probably just looked at the flow restriction indicator but I should have changed the filter.

[Fsalmy]

Yup, the Mopar filter package for the newer Cummins powered RAM trucks has come way down in price. 2 fuel filters and an oil filter now $120 on amazon, it was up near $180 months back. Also just the other day when shopping for something else I have noticed Shell Rotella T6 15W40 is still hard or not at all to find. My 2018 Cummins needs 15W40, newer Cummins 2019 up needs different weight oil.

With labor rates near $225 per hour and with excessive dealer markups on the same Mopar products you can buy elsewhere + recycling charges, it doesn't take long to get up near $600 for an oil change. For awhile last year you could not get the Mopar air filter anywhere, Nationally out of stock, they were using a Federated product as a replacement.

Rotella T6 was in short supply here and on line. At least for the 5W-40. But, in the last few months, have seen it at Lowe's, HD, Wally World with HD having the lowest price at ~$23/gal. Walmart has free one day shipping on the 2.5 gal, 5W- and 15W-40.

I buy the T6 from Lowe's or WM, if locally available, and OEM filters from the local Ford dealer, and then take my F450 to a Valvoline quick lube center that is directly across from the Ford dealer. They do a labor-only oil change that includes fluid checks/top-off, air filter check, safety check, oil disposal fee, etc.) for $40. They used to vacuum the interior and clean all the interior and exterior glass, but they stopped doing those services due to the 'vid. It's worth 40 bucks not to have to deal with disposal of 13 qt of used motor oil. Total cost is around $145.The dealer wants $400+ for a full synthetic oil change. FWIW, the owner of the Valvoline franchise was once the service manager at the Ford dealer.

[Hoopy Frood]

I have read that one of the reasons for the cp4 fuel pump failures is air getting in the system which can happen from not bleeding the system properly or enough when changing the fuel filter.

There's lots of speculation about the causes, but nothing has ever been nailed down. Seems to me a design flaw that didn't show up until they were in everyday use.

[Hoopy Frood]

Sometimes I think my fellow forum members just immediately react that everyone is ripping you off... Let's break it down. You go to the dealer and they are using OE filters and fluids, and you will pay center column pricing (jobber, not retail) because they have to get overhead and profit to keep parts folks employed and the lights on and doors open. Same goes for the fluids. The Mopar-badged filters are made in Asia alongside the Fleetgards. Pandemic has had them at ludicrous pricing, and only coming back down recently. It's right about $135 jobber for both fuel filters and the oil filter, which were $200 just a few short months ago. Service time is book time, not actual time spent, and the book time is rather healthy for the fuel filter change/prime/inspect. Again, paying book time so the dealer can pay folks, fund their benefits, pay the insurances, and keep the doors open. Remember, until the pandemic, dealership profit resided in service and used vehicle sales, not new vehicles sales. This is fact, not fiction, and I'd be happy to connect any naysayer with my childhood friend and 3rd generation GM dealership owner. Then there's dealing with disposal of the fluids, which is regulated, and no big brand commercial dealer is going to do funny business here. So, those disposal fees are either baked in or proudly listed, whichever the State requires or as the dealership prefers. Also, and at least for Mopar vehicles, your service comes with a warranty, and that cost is baked in too. Finally, there's market adjustment because I can assure you my local dealership hourly rate in the mountains, is considerably different than the Philly metro, which is wildly different than the vacation metros... 60% different the last experience I had personally.

So, if you want to be more economical, a private shop with lower rates due to less overhead and using universal/aftermarket parts is one way. The other, obviously, is DIY. I tend to go with the latter, but the years and mileage on my body doesn't always allow...

As for you air filter, you need to pop the hood on a RAM as there's a flow restriction indicator on the airbox.

Nope, no way will you garner any sympathy from me for a dealer. I've only bought a couple new cars, a 1976 Honda, and a 1986 Chevrolet, but have always avoided dealers. High prices, and usually less than stellar service. I agree they have to make a living at it, but hate to see it come out of my pocket.

[Gronk1]

My F350 is at the local Ford dealer for a new track bar & ball joint. While there, they did a courtesy inspection. They said it needed an oil & fuel filter change...Nope all done by me 5k ago. I change FF every other oil change (5k)
Any way they offered an oil change at $165.68- probably with dino. I use Rotella T-6, Still not bad.
FF change at $304.23...I get my FF at Diesel Filters Online for $30.
At 72 I can still get under the truck, although it seems to have lost some height as my stomach rubs more on the running boards getting there
Just waiting for the snow to melt in a week or two, three, four to change it.