[Note: I’m not getting rid of it soon, but I do know that in the near future it’s time to move on to another vehicle. I have a couple of ideas of what I want (2015 or later Dodge Charger, though I might look at 2013 or newer; 2013 or newer Dodge Durango, Jeep Renegade or possibly Jeep Compass). Even though, I don’t have to remain loyal to Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep because my Dad worked there, I always find a car that I want within the ranks and that’s where I will likely to look for my next vehicle.]
Back in April 2013, I bought a (then) fantastic new car. I traded my 2006 Dodge Dakota pick-up truck for a brand new car. Boy, was I excited. Small, sporty car with a decently powerful 4-cylinder engine, manual tranny, nice “infotainment” center. It had all of the bells and whistles that I could have ever wanted….
2006 Dodge Dakota, V6 5-speed manual tranny. One of the few cars I have owned that had more than a 4-cylinder engine.
I recently found a review I had started of my new Dart. It was a very positive review. In fact, many of those positives have remained true to this day: it’s fun to drive, it gets good (but not as good as it did) gas milage, and it handles well in the city and on curvy roads.
This is an excerpt from the review I started:
“I have had an amazing 2 months with my Dart. It is a very fun car to drive. I spend a lot of time in my car each day commuting to/from work. Driving, parking, idling in traffic…
I drive on the Georgia 400 corridor from Alpharetta to Buckhead. This has both some wide-open driving and tight traffic conditions. Nobody enjoys sitting in traffic. But, with the entertainment center, ease of shifting gears, and the comfortable seating, it’s not TOO bad. I can listen to music from a variety of sources. I can check traffic conditions. I can talk on the phone using hands-free Bluetooth.
When driving wide-open, the car performs well. Passing is effortless. It corners well. Handling is great. That could be due to the shocks or the tires or a nice combination of both. The brakes are solid and the pedal has a good feel to it.”
2013 Dodge Dart SXT with the Rallye option.
These are the most significant specs of my Dart:
- 1.4L Turbo Multi-Air 160HP engine
- Dual exhaust
- 6-speed Manual Transmission
- 8.4” touchscreen Car Stereo
- BluetoothNavigation
- iPod integration
- Reads USB drives [Located in the center console]
- Reads SD cards [Located in the center console]
- CD player [Located in the center console]
- Sirius/XM Receiver
- Backup camera
- Electric door locks/windows
- EVIC (electronic vehicle information center) in the dashSpeedometer
- Tire Pressure
- Current Average MPG
- Overall Average MPG
- Outside Temperature/Odometer
- Estimate mileage until next fill-up
- lluminated cup holders (quaint!)
- 18” Rims/Low profile tires
- Rear window defrost
- Cloth Seats
- Many other features…
So with all of this, what could go wrong? Where do I start? Many of these were issues with the car and many of them are issues with the owner/driver. Yeah, I haven’t been the best owner. Seems as if this car is cursed or a bad aura around the car. I have affectionately began to call her, “Timex”. The car takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Issues with my car:
1. Battery died in less than 2 years
2. Turbo was replaced. Backfires but maybe what I am hearing is normal for this car.
3. Shifter cable broke causing me to not be able to put in reverse.
4. 2nd battery died in about 3 years.
5. Oil leak #1: This one came from top of engine. I believe this was a valve cover leak.
6. Oil leak #2: This one came from bottom of engine. I believe that this was at the oil reservoir. The leak covered the bottom of car with oil.
7. Fog light on passenger side is missing. I didn’t take it out, but it is out clean.
8. Buttons on the steering wheel that control the EVIC [Electronic Vehicle Information Center] keeps failing. Supposed to have been replaced by dealer but still fail to work fully to this day.
9. Bluetooth is wonky now. Sometimes it works and others, it doesn’t even recognize my iPhone. My iPhone and software have evolved but the technology in the car is stale. I don’t know if this is why it fails or if it is the Bluetooth module in my system.
Physical issues with car:
1. Wrecked. This one resulted in the car is still damaged from wreck. The police could not determine fault. I should have disputed this, but my anxiety got the best of me.
2. Rear-ended. This one resulted in getting the car repaired and physical therapy.
3. Hit pothole. This resulted in the tire in run-flat mode and I made it home, but it had to be replaced.
4. Rock hit windshield. Damage could not be fixed, so windshield was replaced.
5. Hit another pothole. This one caused the tire to come off of the rim. Had to have rim repaired and a new tire.
6. While at dealer for shifter cable issue, a tow truck dropped a car or the flatbed on the nose of my car. Dealer paid for the repair.
7. I let it drift a bit at a drive-thru in Alabama, and it scraped a wall. That damage is still present as well.
8. I broke the T-junction in the Turbo cooler line replacing air filter. It was brittle and wouldn’t take much to break. Lots of forum posts on this issue.
So, what has been replaced or repaired: 2 batteries, a turbo, shifter cable, 2 oil leaks, 2 tires (due to damage), a windshield, rear bumper, front nose,
I’m sure the CARFAX for this car is going to be bad. 2 reported wrecks (one from dealer, one from the rear-ending). I’m pretty sure that it might show all 3 reported wrecks. The wreck where no fault was determined, no police report was made, I think.
Some additional pictures:
Wreck number 1. It cleaned up well, but the door is still dented ’til this day.
Accident number 2. This was fixed since there was fault AND it wasn’t mine! 😉 … I can kid about it now, but I did not enjoy the month of physical therapy on my neck and my back I had to endure. I did get a small settlement check out of it, but that money was not worth the pain I had (and still sometimes have).
Broken T-Junction. Looks like it corroded from the inside and was just so brittle than anything that might come in contact with it was going to break it.
I can’t say that it has been all bad. Again, I enjoy driving the car. I enjoy having a paid-off car. The warranty is now up and not sure renewing the warranty is a good idea (cost versus worth of vehicle). I am praying there isn’t anther issue that might be expensive to fix. I guess at that point, it would be time to get rid of it.
Between what I did to the car and what happened to the car as a result of: bad engineering, bad build quality, bad luck, or even negligence has me, indeed, calling this car, “TIMEX”.
This is TIMEX in all her glory as of a week ago after a good bath. Paint still shines, tires are relatively new. Never had to replace shocks/struts, brakes, or any other wearable part with the exception of the windshield wipers. (You can see the missing fog lamp in this picture.)