Dodge Dakota Owners - Meet the Members

slickwilliedj

i like a light under the hood you would in the 2001 and all the other tech advancements the least they could do is give us light under the hood. i guess that keeps the service dept in business can see can't fix haha... anyway may its possible to order light and connect into system....thanks for looking at your TRUCK

steel45

My 01,QC,Black/Silver has mismatched paint on the passenger side.
I took the truck to a well known body shop today to inquire about some pinstriping, (he didn't recommend it, another story).
He noticed that the front passenger door did not match the back door. The front door seems to have a very slight orange peel affect. Anyone else? I'll let you know what happens.

spike50

Have a '00 with light package and the under hood light is there. Also have the plastic panel.

Don't know if you where around last winter to read the posts on the "attack of the yellow gunk" in the oil fill tubes. Apparently, mid-model year, DC started installing the plastic panel you're noting, to shield the oil fill tube from the direct blast of cold winter air. The crankcase vapors were condensing into a gel in this tube with a vengeance and scaring people. Although its not really a problem, it is a design flaw that is very noticeable in the northern climates.

bpeebles

My 2000 Dak was built for me in October 1999. I have the light under the hood (GOOD) but I DO NOT have the plastic wind deflector shield on the pass. side of the radiator. (BAD)

I had noticed this shield in some photos of 2001 Daks. I did not realize it was also on some 2000 models too.

(SPIKE50) What else do you know about this shield? Is there a P/N that can be orderd? I had the white gunk in my oil-fill tube last winter.

spike50

I've put it on my "to-do-list". Couldn't check it out for you because the Parts dept isn't open today.

BTW - Glad you replied. Over the last year I've noticed that you've got something that no one has, that is the ability to bold and italicize text within your posts. How do you do that?

bpeebles

Basic HTML...
I read it in the EDMUNDS help files that many of the basic HTML tags will work while making appends to forums.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

slickwilliedj

thats the ? usually right rear tire sticks out more then left good be misaligned bed giving that illusion or axle?

slickwilliedj

thats the ? usually right rear tire sticks out more then left could be misaligned bed giving that illusion or axle?

steel45

slickwilledj;
there was a much earlier post you may want to investigate, (I'm too relaxed sitting here with my Jack Daniels), that addressed this issue. The person had his axle moved which resulted in a rear-end whine.
I hope it's just a bed misalignment, seems to be a simpler fix, don't you agree?
1300 miles and lovin' every moment in the truck.

yank2

If you have a dealer who knows the bed just has to be reset. Make sure they use new bolts. This was a big problem in March 2000.

livnlrn

Just wondering, too lazy to search, Are you the one with the Red QC that parks out by the corner by the bridge at work? At that Top Fab 2000 site?

bpeebles

Nope... Thats a nice lookin' rig tho...That would be a 20 min walk to the building in freezing cold ... Soon the temps will be below 0F.

Mine is a CC. It is INTENSE BLUE as yours is and has several carefully applied layers of ZYMOL.
Is almost g-l-o-w-s as the color changes intensity over all of those curves.

indychapell

first time to sign on. 2000 quad, dark garnet red silver two tone. 4w/d 4.7 auto. 3.55 lsd tt package 1400 miles, avg. 15city, 18 highway. great sound when running, great feeling either city, or highway driving. getting ready to change oil,and filter. mobile one, with purolator one, or plus filter. tim chapell live in indianapolis in. 50 yrs.old married 31yrs. three grown children. work for amtrak rr for 25yrs. worked for penn-central six years before that. was really looking at f-150 quad. but that all changed when i found my new truck, and not a bit sorry. looking foward to adding the toys on. new truck did come with rhino liner. geeting ready to have it rust-checked. by the way this is my fourth chysler product, loved everyone. glad to be a part of this site.

bookitty

Tim, thanks for signing on and a welcome from all parties. The Garnet red is a very rich looking color. I considered it seriously, and my wife told me to order anything but green (the reason being that green is my favorite color and I am always buying green vehicles) as she was tired of looking at it. Then she saw a tiny color chip of Amber Fire and loved it. Of course, that's what I ordered and haven't been sorry or disappointed. You will absolutely love this truck. This is my second Dakota (previous Dakota was a '95 with 5.2 and 5 speed in a club cab)and I am very happy with it. I too considered and explored other crew cab trucks, specifically the Nissan as the F-150 Supercrew was not yet available. It was a nice truck but was a bit starved for power, the pedals
(clutch and brake) were too close together for my big wide feet and the back seat would not accommodate our kitty's carrier without placing it sideways, so that was it for the Nissan. Enough of me, it's good to hear from you. There are wonderful, considerate and bright people in the Dakota forums and Owner's club. Looks like we have one more such person.

Bookitty

indychapell

where is 177through 181?

bpeebles

Perhaps the missing appends are over in the "new" area that was online for several hours this past week. I know I made some appends while it was up and those appends are now "missing".

After the "kinks" are worked out of the new software, I am sure the missing data will become available. (I hope so anyway.... anyone have more info on this??)

vman

Forget those posts. Someone was here spewing their filth and they were deleted. Trust me on this.

Boo: If I could have jumped through the screen.....well, I guess you can imagine! I'm not sure I've ever been so furious.

bookitty

John, Bruce; I sent an S.O.S. to Bonnie regarding a problem that we had with a poster. I am happy to see that the posts were deleted. I received an Email from the iowabigguy, and Rick was also disturbed. The beauty of this forum and owner's club is that people are not afraid to ask any type of question, simple or complicated because the responses are never rude or intimidating. Sure there are times when we do not agree, but the lines of respect are always present. The Dakota forum and ownwer's club is the best site that I have personally seen or experienced. We will not allow one person to ruin it for the rest. Hang tough.

Bookitty

sorcerer

Well I finally got my new truck!
Ordered on Friday 13th Oct.
Arived Halloween! (31 oct)
Very quick build & deliver time.

2001 Dakota Quad Cab Sport 4x4
4.7L 3.92 auto
Bright White, black leather int.
Just about every option available.
(most expensive dakota the dealer had ever ordered!)
The truck came in too quick for my Farm Bureau discount to work, but I still got one heck of a deal(IMO), $500 under dealer invoice after rebate.
This was the easiest purchase I have ever made.
If anyone else is looking for a dodge in central Illinois, let me know, and I'll hook you up with one of the greatest dealers I have ever known!
(Steve Cree - Parkway Dodge)

This truck is so much fun, it's hard to get out of it. Only had time to put like 300 miles on it so far, but I've been busy.
It's in the shop now, having a Rhino Liner sprayed into the bed, & I hope to get a roll type bed cover put on before winter.

I am thinking that it would be nice to have some black tubular step bars put on. Anyone have any suggestions where I should go to get them?

About me: I'm a PC consultant, currently on assignment as a UNIX admin, running the intranet webservers for a large insurance company based out of Bloomington IL.

Sorry this got so long, but I have my QC now, so I think it's my turn to post!

Stephen

bobs5

Congratulations on your new truck.
Hope my truck comes in as quick as yours did.

I placed an order on 10/27/00. See my profile for details.

Will pay $600 under invoice after rebate.
I did not bother with the farm bureau discount due to the time issue.

bookitty

Stephen, congratulations upon getting your truck, and the best of luck with it. It sounds (reads) like an awesome vehicle and you will be very pleased with it. As far as step bars are concerned, I have the Westin bars (as do many others on the forum) in black. It is a no drill installation, and the mounts and bars are very substantial. I bought my bars locally (Eastern PA)
from the same dealer that supplied my A.R.E. fiber glass tonneau cover (LSII). I had Smittybilt
bars on my Expedition, and was very pleased with them (I liked the textured finish that they offered) but they were not available at the time. The truck accessory dealer that I used offered both brands, but preferred the Westin because he felt that the Westin brackets were stronger. I can offer no opinion either way. It also sounds like you got a good deal on your truck. Here is a link to site that a few of the guys have used and proclaimed the superior prices and treatment received. http://www.atlantaauto.com/ Have fun!

Bookitty

skylerk

I just got my factory-ordered 2001 Dakota Quad Cab last week and I love it so far. I got a really great deal and I want to share how I did it with the rest of you in hopes that some of you potential Dakota buyers might save a few more dollars.

First, some of the vitals for those of you that are curious: 2001 Dakota Quad Cab 4x2, Flame Red ext., Taupe int., 4.7L, AT, 3.55, LSD, Sport Plus pckg, heavy duty & tow pckg, all the electrical options except base radio and no OEM alarm (I prefer aftermarket for those).

After doing lots of research on the web, I ordered my 2001 Quad Cab on 10/2 for $341 UNDER invoice. On the same day I signed up with my state's Farm Bureau. Then on 10/3 Dodge announced the $1000 rebate for 2001 Quad Cabs through Jan. 8th. My truck was ready at the dealer on 10/27, but I chose to leave it there for 5 more days so I would get the $500 Farm Bureau rebate. On Nov 1st (exactly 30 days after 10/2) I took the truck home after writing a check that was $1841 under invoice (original negotiated price was $341 under invoice + $1000 Quad Cab rebate + $500 Farm Bureau rebate.)

How did I get $341 under invoice BEFORE rebates? I used the "Fax Attack" method described at http://www.fightingchance.com to fax my order request to 14 Dodge dealers in my area (Seattle, WA). I got responses from 9 of them with $50 over invoice being the best offer, but when I called back to "thank" the losers, three of them lowered their original offers. A few phone calls later (no driving, no in-person negotiating) later I had a final offer of $341 under invoice from the Dodge dealer closest to my home! (Dwayne Lane's Dodge, Everett, WA)

Bottom line: You will get the best deal by getting several dealers bidding against each other. The most efficient method to do this is with a fax machine and a telephone.

FightingChance.com will charge you $24.95 for their complete information packet (a 40 page fax), but I found it to be money very well spent. (No, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I'm just very happy with the results I got from their negotiating method.)

One other web site that I found to be very useful was http://www.carbuyingtips.com

Good luck!

Skyler K.

bpeebles

Sounds like a slick trick PHONE HAGGLING!

For me to access 12 dealers , I would have to make a 200mile circle around my home. There is a dealer about 100 miles away that will actually DELIVER a vehicle to Vermont. (A pretty big outfit)

bookitty

Skyler, that's a great story and aren't you the clever consumer. I have had dealers bidding against each other, but your story shows a better way. You did great. One of my tricks is to carry a manilla folder with one or two sheets of paper inside that I continuously consult. When I leased my Expedition, I had guys crawling over one another to get a peek at those papers. When I got the deal I wanted, I finally let him look at my folder. In it was a recipe that my aunt sent to my wife, the other was a copy of the service receipt from our service station for my wife's LOF. I like yours better. Congratulations and good luck with your truck. Keep us posted (pun).

Bookitty

Bookitty

bpeebles

That must have been my mistake ;-)

I actually had reams of data about the 2000 dakota I was researching to purchase in my folder.

bookitty

Bruce, it does not matter as to what is in the folder. The folder seems to present a threat and throws the sales people off balance. That becomes an edge. But I liked Skyler's method. I just didn't know or think about it. Good for him. Your posts are really exemplary, as they are based on fact and research. You are a wonderful asset to this and every thread in which you participate. A very bright, knowledgeable and articulate guy.

Bookitty

bobs5

That is an incredible deal! Congratulations.

I did not do as well as you, but, my out the door price was $600 below invoice with the $1000 rebate from Dodge.

Impatiently waiting for delivery.
Bob

steve234

I wish that I had been able to get such a good deal. In my defense,I had three things to contend with. I am in the only state on the continent without the FB discount, When I bought, the $1000 rebate was not in effect and none of the dealers at that time were hurting for sales enough to come down below invoice. It is amazing what a few months will do. From what I have seen, none of the trucks/SUVs are enjoying the level of sales that they had last spring. I expect that the oil prices have played a large part in the slump in sales. Speaking of which, anyone heard from themacguy lately?

willywill

hello... i have a 2000 club cab with 17000 miles and was wondering what type of mobil 1 would be the best in Arizona...
thanks

will

kwanderi

Will,

I have a 2K Dakota with the 4.7 and I've been running Mobil1 5-30 for the last 10,000 miles. Some may say 10-30 due to the climate, but once the engine is running, it's flooded with oil and I just don't see the advantage. Besides, Dodge says 5-30 is the one to use.

Keith

indychapell

thanks for info as to what happen to missing responses. its to bad some have to try and ruin a great thing. Keep up good work, and i really do enjoy reading info that keeps coming up. Bookitty thanks for info on westin steps.

willywill

thanks for the infoanother question is how often do you change your oil with mobil 1??

Thanks again.... are you the one that lives in Buckeye or Tucson??


Will

chat_manager

I'd like to invite you to our first Member-to-Member Chat TODAY! What a great way to actually chat live with your fellow Dodge Dakota Club buddies!

Today is the debut of our "Friday Freeway" Chat, but we will be having these weekly "open" chats every Friday. We hope to see you!

When
Date: DEBUT, Fri., Nov. 10th
Time: 5-6pmPT/8-9pmET

About This Chat
It's Friday rush hour. Your nerves frazzled, you
seek relief. We have just the place for you.
There's no stress on this cyber Friday
Freeway...just a place to relax, meet new friends,
chat and have fun. Remember our motto...Miss the
traffic: Chat instead!

If you'd like to be on our mailing list for
Upcoming Chats please email me at
chats@edmunds.com.

Thanks so much!

Dana S. Livingston
Chat Manager
Town Hall
Edmunds.com

chat_manager

http://townhall.edmunds.com/cgi-bin/townhall

The Town Hall page will link you to all of our chats and remember, this is a weekly chat that will be held every Friday except holidays.

Hope to see you at our first member "open" chat: Friday Freeway!

Dana S. Livingston
Chat Manager
Town Hall
Edmunds.com

kwanderi

I put in fresh Mobil1 after 3000 to 3500 miles. It's mostly hiway driving @ 65 and very little city driving so I streach it just a tad. My only stop light in the 35 mile commute is 2 blocks from work.

And Yup, I'm the one in Buckeye.

wdthorn

Dean Thornton (wdthorn)
Okinawa Japan (soon to be in San Antonio TX)
2001 Quad Dakota
Just ordered: 4wd, 4.7l, auto, 3.55, slt, slt+, 4w anti-lock, skids, LSD, sliding rear, Bronze/Silver, taupe leather, overhead, folding mirrors. Everything except: full time transfer, AM/FM CD Cassette, block heater, and alarm (looking at getting one with an auto-start feature when I pick it up in April).

Looking forward to sharing info...

victx

When you get to SA, keep your eyes peeled for a 2001 intense blue 4x4 with all stickers removed and BFGoodrich A/T KOs.

zonk

I fly out Wednesday, 6 Dec, to pick up my 01 4.7L, auto, 2wd Quad Cab. Return trip is several hundred miles of interstate driving. I am getting desperate for some advice on break in during this drive from the members on this august group. (Please excuse postings on other QC topics, but I really want your advice. I have learned a lot from y'all and don't want to mess up now.) I am assuming going 65 mph on the interstate with frequent speed and rpm changes, but not a whole lot of stop and go city type driving. I plan on using speed control and also punching the OD buton on and off to help with rpm changes. Is this OK? Appreciate your responses in advance!

zonk

Wednesday, I took delivery of a 01 Flame Red QC Sport, 4.7L, auto, 2wd, Sport plus, buckets, AM/FM/CD/Equalizer, floor mats, bedliner. Drove back home Thursday, trying to use bpeebles suggestions on break in. After 60-70 miles of city driving, I got on the interstate and kept changing speeds up and down from 50-65. Pulled off interstate every so often to drive thru some towns at city speeds. First tank got 19.5 mpg, still working on second tank which will be more a mix of interstate, US Highway (thru a lot of towns), and city driving to and from work on mostly rural roads. No squeaks, rattles, etc. Plenty of power and comfortable to drive especially long distances. So far, I am ecstatic!

bookitty

Bill, congratulations and good luck with your new truck. The flame red is just about the prettiest red made. Even my wife, who does not like red vehicles (she loves the color in other things) said that she could easily live with it. Enjoy your truck and keep safe.

Bookitty

zonk

For some reason, tiredness I guess, I forgot to include some of the other options on my truck. My Sport Plus also has the deluxe power group and the power convenience group. Just wanted evryone to know. Truck is still great!

Karen_S

Sorry I've taken so long to get here! Change is fun? Yah, right. ;-)

I know the transition has been difficult, and we're still chasing the bugs from behind the baseboard, but hopefully it will soon be like old times. I hope!

Something new is in the works for the Owner's Clubs. In a few days, I'll create a folder just for Dodge Dakota Owners and the other Clubs. This way you won't be bunched on the same page. The Isuzu people have been patiently waiting for their club to be added, so they will be first. Once done, take a look at it.

KarenS
Owner's Clubs host

donamy

Name: Don Fisher
Truck: 2001 2wd SLT Quad Cab
Options: 4.7, 5 speed, Heavy Duty Service Group, 3.92 anti spin, Heated mirrors and most of the other stuff.
Color: Intense Blue with matching wheel flares.

It's been a great truck, thanks for all the help from the bulliten board. All you guys and gals helped me build the truck. Thanks

willywill

where ya from in Iowa??
wher did u buy your truck
i just moved from west des moines to buckeye arizona

dakblu

Name: Tim Houlihan
Home: Northern California
Took delivery of a 2001 Dakota Sport Plus w/4.7L V8, Sport Plus Pkg, Sport Appearance Pkg, 3.92 Limit'd Slip rear, Tire & Handling Grp- 16x8 wheels w/255/65R16 All Season SBR OSW Tires, Air Conditioning, H D Service Grp, Convenience Grp- Deluxe, Convenience Grp Power Overhead, Tow Pkg, 6-Way Power Drivers Seat, Electronic AM/FM Stereo w/CD & Cassette, Steering Wheel Touch Controls, Leather Wrap Steering Wheel, Sliding Rear Window, Security Alarm, Bedliner- below rails, Intense Blue Pearl- paint, Dark Slate Gray interior.
Vehicle ordered thru Dealer on 11/2/2000, took delivery on Dec 14, 2000 w/5miles on odometer.
Sport badging removed. Mods in progress- Stockland
Tonneau w/match'g paint, Truck cover. Planned mods- K&N Air Filter, Dual exhaust, and 3"/2" Hotchkiss Drop Kit, and upgrade seat to Recaro.
Average mpg with city & freeway driving- 17 mpg.

donamy

I am from Nashua, Iowa. Up by Charles City. I bought my truck at Kruegers Truck Plaza in Waverly. Bet You wish You was back here in all this snow, LOL. Don't think I made a bad choice in trucks.

Karen_S

Ohhhkay...I finally found a moment to say hello and see how everyone is faring through the transition from the old to new boards. Yes, it didn't go as well as we hoped, but most of the major bugs seem to have been squashed....I hope.

I do have a question. Who are the designated community leaders for Dodge Dakota Owners Club? I'll put your membernames in the Club description. Also, are there any other discussions/topics you would like added to the the line up? Just let me know!

KarenS
Owner's Club Host

zonk

The more I see of the "new" boards, the less I like them. Do I have to manually log in every time I want to post a message? Also, the old way of showing the comments you haven't read sure was nice.

Karen_S

Sorry to hear that. Maybe this will help.

The autologin has been a problem and just when we thought it was fixed, a Y2K+1 bug showed up. If you had autologin enabled previously and now it's not working, log in manually and then re-enable it. This should take care of it.

Are you talking about Placemarks or the See New function that was on the old boards? Have you tried the "Subscribe" feature? It is similar to the placemarks, but works much better. Click on "Town Hall Help" under Community Tools in the sidebar for instructions.

Hope this helps!

KarenS
Owner's Clubs host

bookitty

Karen, the troops who helped start the Dodge Dakota Owner's Club are; andyjordan, and themacguy. steve234 monitors the membership list file. I helped a little. I believe that "zonk" was referring to the fact that as soon as one accessed the town hall site, you were recognized. There was no "login" prompt needed. Thank you for your efforts thus far. Change is never easy.

Bookitty