Did I get a lemon? Or is it just bad luck?

[Starion]

Let me start by saying that this is my 3rd Charger. I started with a 2006 Charger RT, then I moved up to a 2009 Charger RT Daytona, and finally upgraded to the 2012 Charger SRT8. I have had more problems with the SRT than I did with both of the other 2 cars which had higher mileages. I really like the charger look and performance, but the issues I am having with their top of the line car is really giving me some doubts about the quality and whether or not I should be looking at Chevy or Ford instead.


Since I have had this charger which was purchased in May of 2014 with 9000 miles on it, I have had to have the following work performed on the car.

7-16-14 at 12,008 miles took car to dealership 1 for left front headlight loose & sitting at an angle, also for a clunk in front end when going over bumps in the road.

Dealership found an internal failure in the headlight assembly and replaced it. They were unable to verify the noise in the front end.

12-18-14 at 16,037 miles took car to dealership 1 for the driver's door window auto up not working correctly and still having a clunk rattle in the front end.

Dealership found an electrical short in the window regulator and replaced it. They sent the car to their body shop to adjust the hood (their answer to the noise in the front end).

2-4-15 at 16,936 miles I took the car back to dealership 1 and complained to the service manager about the rattle in the front end still being present and after a test driving it with him, he determined the front left strut was bad and needed to be replaced. After waiting for the back ordered struts for 3 to 4 weeks they were replaced and the issue was solved.

12-9-15 at 21,969 miles took car to dealership 2 (after taking the car to dealership 1 three times for the front end noise I tried a different dealership), for a seat belt control module recall.  While there for the recall, I had them check the right up shift paddle because it was intermittently not working.

When I picked the car up from the dealership 2 they said that they performed the software update for the recall but could not find a problem with the paddle shifter (I understand that intermittent problems are hard to find). As I was leaving the dealership and driving down the street, I found that there was no sound coming from the speakers. I immediately returned to the dealership and complained about the no sound and they tried to tell me that I would have to leave the car and they would look at it tomorrow as it was close to the end of the day. I asked to talk to the service manager and after waiting 15 to 20 minutes he came out and had their mechanics look at the car. When they brought it back the sound was now working but he said that the harmon kardon amp was bad and needed to replaced. So, the dealership ordered a new amp which took about a week to come in. During the time between 12-9-15 and 12-16-15 when I returned to have the amp replaced, the original amp performed perfectly as it had originally with no problems. I had marked the amp before I went back and they did indeed replace it. You can decide for yourself if the amp was actually bad or not. I'm not convinced it was as I said it worked perfectly during the week that I waited for the new amp to come in.

3-16-16 at 23,859 miles, I took the car to dealership 3 (thought I would try yet another dealership after the experience with the last two) for the check engine light staying on with a P0471 code thrown.  At this time I told them that I had been hearing a light knock or possibly a lifter tap when the car reaches normal operating temp (not sure if this is the so called hemi tick as my understanding is the hemi tick is present while the car warms up and goes away after). I also had them check the paddle shifter which is still intermittently not working.

Dealership found that after reading the pcm that the exhaust pressure sensor had an intermittent short under high pressure and replaced it. They were unable to verify the shifter paddle problem and said that they cannot do anything about it because it didn't fail when they tested it. They also said that they could not find a problem with the knocking or ticking noise and stated that "there is no abnormal engine noise". Since at this time the knocking noise was not that loud, I followed their diagnosis and didn't press the issue.

Note on the P0471 code. Shortly after this visit I installed a flowmaster force II cat back system on the car. The code does throw now and then after a few wot accelerations, but I am able to reset it.

1-30-17 at 29,034 miles I took my car to dealership 3 for the check engine light on and throwing code P0305 and that I noticed the knocking or tapping sound had become louder over the past month or so.

I also told them that I could feel something from the left rear suspension when going over bumps in normal mode.

Dealership found that the #5 cylinder failed the compression test and that the exhaust port is not opening at full travel. They said that due to the damage they will need to replace the camshaft.

When working on the engine the dealership found the #5 exhaust lifter roller seized and  a worn down exhaust cam lobe. They replaced the camshaft and lifters.

They also found that the left side exhaust pipe was resting on the crossmember causing the vibration. This could have been caused by the muffler shop when I had the catback installed.

After I picked up the car and for the first week or so it idled a little rough and then settled down to normal. I noticed that the knocking or ticking sound was less, back to the point were it was when I first had it looked at. The feeling I was getting from the left rear suspension was considerably less than it was previously so I let it go.


5-16-17 at 30,556 miles I took the car back to dealership 3 to have them check the engine as the knocking or tapping sound had become louder during the last month or so. It is so loud that when I pull into a drive thru or am sitting at a light between two cars...the only thing you can here is the knocking sound. I also told them that the right paddle shifter is still not working consistently and seems to be going out more frequently than it had been. And I asked them to look at the left rear strut as it too is now worse. It sometime feels like it is in sport mode when it is in normal mode. I think the strut is staring to fail.

This is what the dealership told me after having the car for the first 2 days.

"ENGINE NOISE SOUNDS TO BE NORMAL. REMOVED LEFT
AND RIGHT VALE COVERS TO INSPECT VALVE TRAIN.
INSPECT FOR PUSH RODS RESTRICTED. CHECKED FOR
BROKEN ROCKER ARMS OR ROCKER SHAFT PEDESTOLS
BROKEN. ALL LOOKS NORMAL. CHECKED FOR PROPER
VALVE LASH. REMOVED ALL ROCKER SHAFT RETAINING
BOLTS AND REMOVED ASSEMLY PLANT BOLT RETAINER
CLIPS. REASSEMBLE ENGINE. ROAD TEST."
After I complained that the loud knocking or tapping noise isn't normal they kept the car another day so the service manager could look at it.
When I picked up my car they said that the engine noise was normal, and they could not find anything wrong with the paddle shifter or the rear suspension.
Now I understand that intermittent problems are hard to diagnose but the engine noise is not.
I am adding some you tube links of some videos I took of the noise. The first 2 are after driving normal to work, about 7 miles. And the second 2 are after getting home from work at the same distance.

https://youtu.be/PQZyHlLiKKA

https://youtu.be/bLBZbO6pSKI

https://youtu.be/Sx5issPjZQs

https://youtu.be/oSZdyQO1QT8

Does anyone else have this noise? I can't believe this is normal. I am really interested to know what others think of the noise. I didn't realize how many issues this car has had until I sat down to write this post which was originally going to be just about the engine knocking noise. Did I get a lemon or is it just bad luck? Should I consider getting rid of it? Or stick it out and fight with the dealerships?  I would appreciate any feedback.

[ht4spd307]

buy yourself a 2nd gen problem fixed

[Bad B-rad]

You have gotten: A) A SRT that was used VERY HARD before you got it.
                         B) Very bad luck.
                         C)a lemon.
I have had a 2005 Magnum R/T and I rode it hard and put it away wet, no issues.
and just got a 2016 Charger R/T 23,000 miles, no issues(hope you do not jinx me)And have a bunch of buddies with new Hemi's and not as many issues between all of us as you have.
Maybe your dealership sucks, some guys are just parts changers not real mechanics, I don't know your dealership.
I understand you have the SRT engine and I the regular Hemi,but you shouldn't have had that many issues.
I have a feeling maybe the car was ran very,very hard before you got it, most people don't get SRT's  for the MPG.
If you can I would buy extra warranty and or maybe try and swap it in for something else(if you can financially)
As if I could afford it,I would be trading in my R/T for a Scat Pack, not because of problems with my R/T, but because the Scat Pack is awesome.
Sorry you have had so many issues with your Charger.

[lukedukem]

I feel bad that you typed all this up in the wrong forum. This forum is mainly for the older chargers. You would be better off visiting http://www.lxforums.com
Some guys here do drive the newer cars, and they might have some help for you.
Good luck

Luke

[oldcarnut]

Sorry to hear about your issues.  Haven't watched the YouTube vids yet.  I bought a 2010 Challenger SRT 6.1 that had 11k miles on it. When it just passed 20k it started sputtering leaving the neighborhood to the point I had to leave it to get towed as it wouldn't stay running. It was 2013 when I bought it but this happened in December 2015.  Out of warranty.  Lucky for me I had bought an aftermarket warranty with no deductable that covered the $13,300 engine replacement and a host of modules and two key fobs. At least now I have a new 100k factory warranty plus the aftermarket for a few years.  Number 5 or 7 had cracked the cylinder wall at the water jacket allowing water in the cylinder.  I hadn't ever drove the car hard so why it just happened after 9k miles for me I dunno.  Possibly driven hard beforehand then traded in but I figure if so would have seen it way beforehand.  Sounds like you got one that wasn't taken good care of.  Most folks I know with them don't have that many issues.  Another thought is that you could have the service manager keep it overnight to drive home to get a better feel for it.  If not too much of a loss, maybe you might consider a car swap for another.  While many here are old skool vehicles, a lot have newer Mopars too that are knowledgeable.  Good luck