I’m going to use this post to track notes on a longstanding annoyance of my 2022 Ram 1500 Rebel.
The truck has a squeak that is heard in the cab when the vehicle is in motion, but emanates from the driver side windshield wiper arm control assembly. I can temporarily “fix” this squeak by applying silicone grease spray to the top of the point where the wiper pivots. When the noise comes back, I can sometimes run the wipers for a few seconds and the noise goes away for a while (presumably moving the grease toward the friction point causing the squeak).
Since the vehicle is still under warranty, I wanted to see if the overpriced warranty that I purchased from the Ram dealership in town (the warranty that the salesman assured me would cover everything), would cover this issue. So I brought the truck into the dealership and they told me that bushing on the driver side wiper cowl is torn and causing a squeak and I need to replace the wiper cowl. Of course, the warranty would not cover this, and it will cost me $400 for them to do this work.
I was told that the expensive extended warranty I purchased (the one that the salesman told me would cover pretty much everything) would not cover this repair because my warranty does not cover body trim parts. I feel like this is a functional and necessary mechanical part since it moves (hence the need for a bushing), not a trim piece for looks. Furthermore, damage to the bushing may lead to further mechanical issues with the wipers, which are required for legal and safety reasons. I feel like I get screwed on these warranties every time, being drawn into the sales pitch, but knowing in my gut these guys aren’t going to pay a single penny. In my limited experience, pretty much all dealerships have the same scams going, but I still feel better knowing I’m going somewhere else the next time I buy a vehicle. I know it doesn’t matter – but it still makes me feel better!
So, next steps are to identify the specific part numbers, see if I can get them cheaper than what the dealer quoted, and do the work myself. I don’t think there’s any hurries, but now that I know the warranty is useless and the dealership wants $400 to repair a bushing, I feel free to make this another DIY project on my to-do list. I’ll likely do this when the weather warms up, but I’ll figure out the exact part numbers earlier. I was fishing around on the mopar website and think I found what I need, but I’ll make sure I match everything up to what I see on the truck before ordering.