New 'oil spec' and oil change for 2016 WK and Rams
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Looks like it is 'specific to the 16's'- if you read they even put a 'new oil cap' on as well. I'm guessing this will carry over to the 17's as well. I remember I used Rotella 15w-40 in my 92' Sierra 6.2. Shell Rotella always had a good quality reputation with diesel owners.
I just called my dealer re: my 2016 Ecodiesel 75th Anniversary Edition and he said that the tsb does not apply to my VIN... yet. If I brought my GC in for an oil change today, they would still put in the low-ash 5w30 since that's what the FCA Service Portal says. Yes, he sees that the TSB applies to my 2016 WK but not until the service portal is updated. He also said that they called in 3 extra techs last weekend to apply the TSB to all the Ram Ecodiesels sitting on the lot as well as the customer rigs that came in for the work.
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Well today I got an oil change from the dealer and we had a bit of a disagreement on the engine oil specification for my vehicle. The dealership said it should be Pennzoil 5W-30. I agreed that it used to be Pennzoil 5W-30, but said there was a TSB for the 2016's that changed it to Shell Rotella 5W-40. In addition, Jeep released a new diesel supplement manual for the 2014's (8th edition) last month that specifically says 5W-40.
He showed me a tech instruction print out did say 5W-40 in the description, but he said that was a typo and showed me that the part number for the oil on the same page was for the old 5W-30. I agreed that the part number he had was for 5W-30 but explained that I didn't understand why Chrysler would put out two pieces of information changing the spec but not change the part number on the work order.
I paid the bill and left the dealership with 5W-30 in the engine, however I'm convinced that this isn't the right oil. I am seriously concerned about the dealer network's ability to keep these vehicles repaired in good condition as well as the long term health of the vehicles themselves. I still believe the cylinder head replacement I had to do in August 2015 was directly because a different wrong oil was used twice previously.
They also forgot to do the State Safety Inspection even though I put it on the work order when I made the reservation online. I had to take it to a service center around the corner to get that done as they were unable to do it before they closed for the day.
It is ridiculous to me that dealerships can't be trusted to put the right oil in the vehicle and follow work orders. I pay extra for dealer service to avoid these kinds of issues somewhere like Jiffy Lube. I don't feel like I should be getting into a fight with the service manager about the correct oil type. Is that too much to ask from the Chrysler dealer network?
So I emailed my contact over at Chrysler corporate to verify that the wrong oil was used and to figure out next steps. But needless to say, I am pissed and once again disappointed at how much effort I have to put into telling the dealership how to maintain their own vehicles.
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He showed me a tech instruction print out did say 5W-40 in the description, but he said that was a typo and showed me that the part number for the oil on the same page was for the old 5W-30. I agreed that the part number he had was for 5W-30 but explained that I didn't understand why Chrysler would put out two pieces of information changing the spec but not change the part number on the work order.
I paid the bill and left the dealership with 5W-30 in the engine, however I'm convinced that this isn't the right oil. I am seriously concerned about the dealer network's ability to keep these vehicles repaired in good condition as well as the long term health of the vehicles themselves. I still believe the cylinder head replacement I had to do in August 2015 was directly because a different wrong oil was used twice previously.
They also forgot to do the State Safety Inspection even though I put it on the work order when I made the reservation online. I had to take it to a service center around the corner to get that done as they were unable to do it before they closed for the day.
It is ridiculous to me that dealerships can't be trusted to put the right oil in the vehicle and follow work orders. I pay extra for dealer service to avoid these kinds of issues somewhere like Jiffy Lube. I don't feel like I should be getting into a fight with the service manager about the correct oil type. Is that too much to ask from the Chrysler dealer network?
So I emailed my contact over at Chrysler corporate to verify that the wrong oil was used and to figure out next steps. But needless to say, I am pissed and once again disappointed at how much effort I have to put into telling the dealership how to maintain their own vehicles.
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This is the second dealer I tried. I won't even get into the problems I had with the first one. But that's my point. Based on my experience and some others I've read here, the dealer network is a joke. For every good dealership out there, there are about 50 awful ones. Chrysler needs to do something about improving the quality of the dealerships. They are the most public facing part of the company that the customers deal with and they are ruining the company's reputation. Even if I hadn't had 1/4 of the problems I've had with my jeep, my dealer experiences alone make me never want to buy another Chrysler product ever again.
I posted 'FCA Dealer Service awards' under topic 'Diesel Purchasing'- see if a dealer listed there is close to you to try. I agree- FCA (all manufacturers for that matter) should weed out the dealers that can't meet customer expectations!
I called my dealer here in NC, had a younger (clueless) gentlemen answer the service phone. He was not aware of any changes (software updates, changing to 5x-40 oil) but told me to bring it in and they will check. Once thats done I will, post what I learn.
Called my dealer service rep yesterday and he said the 5w40 TSB still has not been applied to the Jeep Ecodiesel which is puzzling to him. He then said that the oil update is also tied to a emc/tcm reflash that may apply to my VIN. He said once the computers have been reflashed, the 5w40 oil is a mandatory requirement after reprogramming. I still questioned him as to why FCA has two different oil specs for the same engine/transmission combination but of course, that decision is above his pay grade. I'm taking mine in tomorrow to have the computer "read" to see if the VIN is qualified for the reflash. I'll keep you posted...
Update, I took my car in and sure enough they found the service bulletin. So they changed he oil to 5w-40 and did the software update (there were two).
I did about 30 minutes of driving and nothing major different. The transmission did seem ever so lightly more responsive. But that could be my mind playing tricks on me.
If I notice anything major I will post it.
I did about 30 minutes of driving and nothing major different. The transmission did seem ever so lightly more responsive. But that could be my mind playing tricks on me.
If I notice anything major I will post it.
Good New!!! I stop by the dealership and my 2016 GC EcoDiesel now "qualifies" for the 5w40 oil upgrade, new oil cap & ecm/tcm reflash. The service writer has done his RAM 1500 but his brother bought a 2015 GC Ecodiesel and it doesn't qualify for the viscosity upgrade and he's pissed! I'm glad I own a 2016...
Rob
I have a 2016 GC and can confirm this is the case. I went in for something else (a loose heat shield) knowing I'd get a free oil change too. I was also seeing some odd shifting patterns that likely required a transmission update.
After the service writer plugged a Bluetooth OBD and was doing something on his iPad that showed no RRT, I spent 10 minutes insisting that the oil had changed and my car qualified. He brought over his parts guy and diesel tech and both insisted 5w-30 was still the spec and that the bulletin didn't apply to me.
So I leave the car with them for the transmission flash and the heat shield. Fast forward 3 hours and I get a call that my car is ready, and he said when they tried to flash the transmission the tech got a prompt that the oil had to be changed to 5w-40. Needless to say he was quite embarrassed. So it looks as though the oil change won't show up unless you come into the dealer complaining of something that would necessitate a flash to the ecu or transmission, and then when they're trying to do it they'll get promoted.
In my scenario the oil is a 3 week lead time, so I'll be back at the dealer in 3 weeks for a free oil change and ECU/Transmission flash.
Got the oil changed today but the biggest improvement is the ecm/tcm update. Holy Cow! Throttle response in ecomode is instantaneous. Shifts are 800 rpm higher and when you apply the accelerator pedal, it downshifts immediately. The GC has turned into a sports sedan and Sport Mode is just nuts...
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Thanks to the OP and the rest of you for bringing this issue up and for sharing your stories. I haven't even taken possession of my 2016 GC Eco-Diesel and I'm already worried about important matters like this slipping between the cracks at dealers. Appreciate your efforts!
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