Busy First Service - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Busy First Service - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

This update to Edmunds long-term 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel includes an overview of the truck's first service which included an oil change, check engine light diagnosis, DEF tank refill and addressing a recall to reprogram the radio.

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kirkhilles1

Wow! How "eco" is this vehicle if you're talking about 11 quarts of oil needed (that'd be about $55-$60 in oil for Mobil 1 from Walmart) and $60 for an Oil Filter? Looking online, those oil filters seem to cost around $50. Talk about a rip off! Our genuine Honda Oil filters are like $5 each. Then, you've got ANOTHER 6 Gallons of DEF fluid? Really? How many gallons have you gone through now? 17.5 gallons in 9k miles? That would be at a rate of 194 gallons per 100k miles. If you paid dealer prices at $9.75 a gallon, that's nearly $1,900 per 100k! As I mentioned in another article, on Amazon you can buy BlueDEF at $4.97 a gallon with Prime shipping. You could've saved $30 in a matter of minutes doing that.

banhugh

$60 oil filter!?!?!?! $10 labor? Something's not right here...

reminder

Any savings that might be realized with diesel fuel is long gone on service cost.
Stealer-ship @ its finest.

greenpony

Holy sticker shock, Batman!

titancrew

This is probably the reason manufacturers have been reluctant to bring light duty (1/2 ton and under) diesel pickups to the US. Sure you save some on fuel cost, but the maintenance cost will quickly erase that savings. Cost of ownership compared to a gasoline counterpart does not make financial sense unless you are towing or carrying a full load the majority of the time. And if you are towing or carrying a full load constantly, you'll want a 3/4 ton or above, not a 1/2 ton.

70halfcab

Still wondering why you haven't filled the DEF at the pump at one of the truck stops especially on this recent road trip. Less than $3 per gallon instead of paying the dealership just under $10

bankerdanny

This just underscores why with this particular vehicle it is worth doing basic periodic maintenance yourself. Everything on that list could have been replaced for 30-60% less money than what you paid the dealer.

jjacquot

At 9,000 miles the Ram had consumed 11.5 gallons of DEF -- like it says in the previous post: http://www.edmunds.com/ram/1500/2014/long-term-road-test/2014-ram-1500-ecodiesel-fuel-economy-update-for-july.html

wilky323

This is a perfect example of a "stealership" at work. 9.75 per gallon of DEF is near criminal.

I am gonna have to put a spreadsheet together before I buy one of these diesel rams. $160 dollar oil change, highway mileage numbers coming in pretty far below what is claimed, upcharge for the engine, and the difference of cost in diesel fuel versus gasoline. The longer this test run goes the less it makes sense to purchase this truck over a similarly equipped gasoline model. Dont get me wrong I still think RAM has the best truck going right now but the numbers on this ecodiesel just dont seem to be adding up.

major_zero

Ohhhh snap! I followed the progress on this truck as all the announcements and everything came out on it for about a year and a half. I wanted it so bad, but I knew that the initial cost was going to be high and I just didn't know what the maintenance costs would be like. I really liked the F150 too, but the Ecodiesel promised great mileage. Then, Ford said the 2015 F150 was going to be aluminum! What costs would be associated with aluminum (insurance/repairs)???? I got nervous and bought a 2013 F150, and I'm so dang glad after reading this.

c182

My 2014 Ram ecodiesel has a check engine light that was on at purchase; make ready said they forgot the def, but turns out it was a "low amp warning" on the coolant recycle valve (p2868)!?! New truck has been in dealership for days...mechanic has not seen it yet...he's "swamped"...only one diesel mechanic i am told. Never had any problems with Cummins...I'm reminded what we called Fiat in the 60's...Fix It Again Tony!!!

myecodiesel14

You can buy a 2.5 Gl container of DEF at Walmart for around $ 11.00. Mine lasted close to 5000 miles at about $ 22.00 that is something I would not have the dealer do it for me as it is very easy to fill up. Enjoying my 30/31 MPG oon Hwy and 25/24 city while having lots of torque. The Laramie package is awesome and with the Ramboxes I have all the tools very close to and organized well. Solid truck all around.

ramdieselor

Haters must hate I guess. Just picked my 2014 Eco Diesel yesterday and can't wait to put some miles on it. I traded a 2012 Ram 1500 SLT 4.7 and while it served me very well, poor fuel economy and low power made the decision. As far as maintenance goes, recommended oil change interval not more than 10,000 mi so the price is not out of line. If a few bucks for DEF keeps you from buying a better vehicle, by all means, don't buy one. Finally, I think the american market is afraid of diesel and has been convinced its only good for furnaces, tractors and semi's...

fhedrickjr

I have about 3,700 miles on my 2015 Ram 1500 ecoDiesel. I took a road trip when it was showing around 1800 miles and saw 28.7 on the return leg of 430 miles. I consistently get 21-24 around town and it goes up smartly on trips. I filled up my DEF tank at a truck stop for $2.77 per gallon. I had an 08 Jeep Commander 4.7 that saw 24 mpg on a trip and 14-16 around town, when it was young and degraded to 18-22 on a trip and 14-16 around town as it reached 100k miles. If my calculations were correct, 3700 average miles in my Jeep would have consumed 224 + - gallons vs. 162 for the ram. Looking at the fact I purchased fuel more frequently, spent around $115 for 3 oil changes that took me around 10,500 miles, I am not at all disappointed with my Ram. I agree with ramdieselor: "haters gonna hate"...